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Rivenhelm
Acolyte
32 Posts |
 Posted - 24 Dec 2012 : 23:16:24
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| Thanks Wooly! This is where that post belongs. Sorry it was so lengthy. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 24 Dec 2012 : 23:21:02
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
A werehorse? Oh, ye dancing gods, the jokes that beg to be made from that one! 
We pretty much explored them all at my gaming table [I even tried incorporating some of them into the game] -- since a werehorse had already made its debut in my Realms over ten years ago! |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 24 Dec 2012 : 23:23:20
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quote:
Originally posted by Rivenhelm
Thanks Wooly! This is where that post belongs. Sorry it was so lengthy.
There's no need to apologise for the post's length, friend. Though I would caution some patience, since your queries may take Ed some time to answer.  |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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xaeyruudh
Master of Realmslore
USA
1853 Posts |
Posted - 25 Dec 2012 : 01:04:31
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Happy holidays to all!
Adding a quick query to the pile of uh... Christmas presents, yes we're so generous  ... for Ed:
In FR16, there's a settlement named Bachlacis somewhere in the Durpar/Var/Estagund collective. It's listed as the "home base" of the Rawnpore chaka, on the list of 31 on the back inside cover, but it doesn't seem to have gotten onto any of the maps. My question is: is this one of your towns, or was it an invention of that book's author? |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36876 Posts |
Posted - 25 Dec 2012 : 06:14:18
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
A werehorse? Oh, ye dancing gods, the jokes that beg to be made from that one!
We pretty much explored them all at my gaming table [I even tried incorporating some of them into the game] -- since a werehorse had already made its debut in my Realms over ten years ago!
Ah, but considering that this one rode with Alusair and her bunch, there are more jokes waiting to be made there! |
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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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sfdragon
Great Reader
2285 Posts |
Posted - 25 Dec 2012 : 07:32:21
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| was the werehorse named Mr. Ed???? |
why is being a wizard like being a drow? both are likely to find a dagger in the back from a rival or one looking to further his own goals, fame and power
My FR fan fiction
Magister's GAmbit
http://steelfiredragon.deviantart.com/gallery/33539234 |
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 26 Dec 2012 : 04:37:41
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| Sending a Merry Christmas to Ed and THO from North Dakota! |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 26 Dec 2012 : 17:14:46
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Yes, Happy Holidays to everyone, including the much esteemed "Grandfather Realms" (and his hidden Elf helper).
quote:
Originally posted by sfdragon
was the werehorse named Mr. Ed????
I was thinking a new TV series called 'Werehorse Thirteen', that would combine Warehouse 13 with Warhorse, and use Thirteen from House as the main star (because, ya know... she's kinda hot... and she helps cowboys fight aliens too!)
It would be about a half-elven shape-shifter who hunts-out ancient Elven (and other) artifacts and hides them in a hidden, mythal-clad Sanctuary. Her Elven half is a Chevall-related variety of lythari, so she becomes a form of werehorse (her 12 predecessors were all full-elven members of the tribe, entrusted with this duty).
I spend way too much time thinking about crap like this.  |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 26 Dec 2012 17:17:36 |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 27 Dec 2012 : 01:26:10
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Yes, Happy Holidays to everyone, including the much esteemed "Grandfather Realms" (and his hidden Elf helper).
quote:
Originally posted by sfdragon
was the werehorse named Mr. Ed????
I was thinking a new TV series called 'Werehorse Thirteen', that would combine Warehouse 13 with Warhorse, and use Thirteen from House as the main star (because, ya know... she's kinda hot... and she helps cowboys fight aliens too!)
It would be about a half-elven shape-shifter who hunts-out ancient Elven (and other) artifacts and hides them in a hidden, mythal-clad Sanctuary. Her Elven half is a Chevall-related variety of lythari, so she becomes a form of werehorse (her 12 predecessors were all full-elven members of the tribe, entrusted with this duty).
I spend way too much time thinking about crap like this.
Okay, I've got to ask... How do you imagine the Regents would be in your conception? |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Razz
Senior Scribe
USA
749 Posts |
Posted - 27 Dec 2012 : 16:22:41
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Aside from the obvious meta-gaming answer, WHY doesn't technology function properly in Realmspace? Does it have anything to do with Ao, Mystra, or The Weave? Or is there some 'higher power' that dictates the physics of individual spheres?
I distinctly remember a detailed explanation in one of the 2E books about this but can't seem to find it anymore. I know it had something to do with Gond or Mystra, not sure anymore. If I find I will quote it here. |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 27 Dec 2012 : 17:04:09
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I'm asking a question mostly because I should (see below), but it might as well be something I was curious about just last night: I am sure you are at least somewhat familiar with the Golarion gods - are their any in that pantheon that you read about and thought, "Ohhh! thats going in my Realms!" (as in, some adaption of the material because it was just so cool, if not a direct port-over).
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Yes, Happy Holidays to everyone, including the much esteemed "Grandfather Realms" (and his hidden Elf helper).
quote:
Originally posted by sfdragon
was the werehorse named Mr. Ed????
I was thinking a new TV series called 'Werehorse Thirteen', that would combine Warehouse 13 with Warhorse, and use Thirteen from House as the main star (because, ya know... she's kinda hot... and she helps cowboys fight aliens too!)
It would be about a half-elven shape-shifter who hunts-out ancient Elven (and other) artifacts and hides them in a hidden, mythal-clad Sanctuary. Her Elven half is a Chevall-related variety of lythari, so she becomes a form of werehorse (her 12 predecessors were all full-elven members of the tribe, entrusted with this duty).
I spend way too much time thinking about crap like this.
Okay, I've got to ask... How do you imagine the Regents would be in your conception?
I don't want to clog Ed's thread (but since your a mod I suppose I have some wiggle-room), and to be perfectly honest, I've probably seen more episodes of Sanctuary then Warehouse 13, and I've only seen about 6 of those (embarrassing, I know). I'm more of a reader then a watcher (I guess I've too much head-hair to be a watcher ). I actually had to Wiki the 'regents' thing. 
I only thought about that for 5 minutes, but the very first thing that jumped to mind is the Olin Gisiae (LEoF). I figure the tribe of Elf/Chevall shifters are charged with keeping the 'forbidden lore' safe for the Olin Gisiae - they are its protectors. One is chosen by the former leader of the team - and in some very rare instances, not from the team itself - and given all its secrets (the actual sanctuary is a pocket-dimension, so it is MUCH bigger on the inside then the outside). Its an apprenticeship thing, and there's some divine power involved in all of this, so the final few 'deep secrets' are passed-along at death, regardless of distance (although this is yet to be tested if someone were on another plane). Others are chosen (usually, but not alway, from the tribe) to fill the rest of the slots for the team. I imagine this working very much like how Bloodguard are chosen in the Thomas Covenant novels (its considered a sacred duty, and an honor to be chosen).
Even regular members of the Oilin Gisiae are not allowed to know where the sanctuary is located or anything else about the 'Magic Keepers' (Faer Gisiae). They are contacted when new (dangerous) lore and artifacts are uncovered and they arrive at the location and take the items away (which is part of the reason they are horses). The items are NEVER brought to them. In the past, the Oilin Gisiae have had members 'go bad' and try to find the location, so its closely guarded by everyone.
And I've once-again given more consideration to an off-hand stray thought then intended.  |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 27 Dec 2012 17:36:33 |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 27 Dec 2012 : 22:38:17
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Hi again, all. Thank you for the holiday wishes. I'm back but Ed's still hard at work at the keyboard.
Rivenhelm, that's a great query. Ed will have to check his NDAs carefully to see which Suzailan street names he's clear to give you (so there'll be a delay in his replying, I'm afraid).
love,
THO |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 28 Dec 2012 : 03:03:36
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Hello THO and Ed,
Lots of questions follow. Thank you both in advance.
In Cormyr, if multiple generations of the same family have worked as servants at one location/for one noble family, is it common for them to act as lorekeepers of a sort? As in they carefully share only amongst themselves the truths about what the noble family does and has done in the past, what dark deeds they want hidden, what lies are accepted as truths in the family, what secrets of or for the Crown are kept by the noble family, which local town's people are really bastards of the family and what is and isn't safe to talk about openly, all to keep themselves alive and the noble family they serve from ruin, where possible?
If yes, have divine beings, sages greedy for knowledge or noble families seeking to discredit their rivals ever inspired/cajoled/magically compelled these servants to set down the “truth of things” in books?
Could you give us a few long-lived servant family names or the titles of any servant-written books that might have seen print?
Have any elder servants who've managed to find enough free time ever penned books on how to properly manage noble families, complete with embarrassing details of how the servant outwitted his masters or tricked them into a right course of action in order to save the noble from his/her own stupidity?
Are there any long-lived servant families in Cormyr that have quietly risen to become de facto controllers of a noble family or who otherwise “manage” a noble family more than the family actually manages itself?
Lastly, Elminster's Forgotten Realms mentions that books on how to rule are highly valued. Are books penned by nobles about "how to be a noble" also highly valued? If yes, are there any titles to such books written by nobles of Cormyr that you could give us? Also, are any lost and being sought by those families? Seems like a great adventure hook.
Thank you both for your time!
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Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
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Infamous
Acolyte
42 Posts |
Posted - 28 Dec 2012 : 05:58:41
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Great (approaching) new year to everyone!
Lady of the Hood, I have two questions for Ed which are slightly intertwined:
I used to really like Caladnei, for her profound love to a kingdom whose nobility sneered down on her heroic life and skills. Anything else we can hear about the late commander?
Second, could it be that someone who apparently died in a Spellplague twisted vortex/blast/kablooie of magical force is actually alive but stuck somewhere? How likely would this be the case, as opposed to plain death? There are so many characters I would like to rescue to bring to the next edition of D&D, but we need credible stories and explanations for it...
Thank you.
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Infamous
Acolyte
42 Posts |
Posted - 28 Dec 2012 : 06:37:52
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And one more question:
Ed has written a lot (and so has THO) about gender and sexuality in these forums, and I have read quite a bit of it. But I can't find anything on the following:
In most real-world cultures, homosexuality seems to remain a steady but small percentage of the population, with only slight variation depending on how repressed or accepted it is, for people are what they are. However, anthropology shows that where homosexuality is accepted, it is bisexuality that increases significantly, sometimes becoming widespread as long as practices remain within social rules (the eromenos, for example). I doubt the Realms are any different. The question is, does this create intriguing situations and stories that Ed can see, but I could not conjure with my poor Realmslore?
Thank you again.
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Chosen of Asmodeus
Master of Realmslore
1221 Posts |
Posted - 28 Dec 2012 : 11:00:09
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I was wondering if I could get any information on thespian/stage actor's guilds in Waterdeep in the late 1400s? Thanks.
Edit: and while I'm at it, does Ed have any information on local theaters in Waterdeep and Baldur's Gate? |
"Then I saw there was a way to Hell even from the gates of Heaven"
- John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress
Fatum Iustum Stultorum. Righteous is the destiny of fools.
The Roleplayer's Gazebo;
http://theroleplayersgazebo.yuku.com/directory#.Ub4hvvlJOAY |
Edited by - Chosen of Asmodeus on 28 Dec 2012 11:25:10 |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 28 Dec 2012 : 16:35:30
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Hi again, all.
I bring you the replies of Ed to some of the recent questions from Jeremy Grenemyer (the last two replies will follow when Ed can get to a computer again).
Here we go, “JG” being Jeremy Grenemyer, and “Ed” being, ahem, Ed…
JG: In Cormyr, if multiple generations of the same family have worked as servants at one location/for one noble family, is it common for them to act as lorekeepers of a sort? As in they carefully share only amongst themselves the truths about what the noble family does and has done in the past, what dark deeds they want hidden, what lies are accepted as truths in the family, what secrets of or for the Crown are kept by the noble family, which local town's people are really bastards of the family and what is and isn't safe to talk about openly, all to keep themselves alive and the noble family they serve from ruin, where possible?
Ed: Yes, it is indeed common for long-established, loyal families of retainers (“servants of the house” = household) to act as lorekeepers in precisely the manner you describe.
JG: If yes, have divine beings, sages greedy for knowledge or noble families seeking to discredit their rivals ever inspired/cajoled/magically compelled these servants to set down the “truth of things” in books?
Ed: On rare occasions, sages have set down in writing the verbal accounts of rebellious or disgruntled servants, and compiled such accounts into chapbooks or longer books, but most such accounts are unverified and hotly disputed by the nobles being written about (of course) and sometimes by other servants. So “sages greedy for knowledge” have definitely been involved, and we know of several incidents of noble rivals sponsoring “stain the cloak” (= darken the reputation, or “blot the escutcheon”) books, again repositories of rumors and wildly exaggerated tales as well as truths. Elminster knows of some priests of Cyric sewing discord by freely distributing “lying chapbooks” intended to discredit rulers, local civic authorities, and nobility, but cautions that it’s hard for mortals to discern the truth regarding divine involvement (which in his wise opinion is far more often ignoring or “turning a blind eye” than it is actively taking part in, commanding, or personally inspiring such behavior).
JG: Could you give us a few long-lived servant family names or the titles of any servant-written books that might have seen print?
Ed: Certainly. :}
The numerous and well-reared Longland family has members among the courtiers of the Royal Palace in Suzail, and in the households of the “city houses” of many nobles there, including the Armelds, the Dauntinghorns, the Steelaens, and the Warblades.
The Pennert family have long formed the bulk of the loyal retainers of the House of Hawklin, the Yancels stand in the same position for House Illance, and the Mertrym family are the staunch retainers of the Crownsilvers.
Some of the most notorious (thanks to their candid and widely verified tales of cruelty, sexual antics, feuds, and pranks) servant-penned books are:
• Maids Forlorn: Lives of the Despoiled in the “Great” Households of Amn (by “A Servant Spurned”)
• Beneath the Serpent’s Belly: A Life In Service to the Mountroyals of Saerloon (by Annaethe “Old Biddy” Tarcet)
• Misdeeds In Marsember: The Cruel Traitors and Tyrants of the Wet Port’s So-Called Nobility (by “An Embittered Servant”)
and:
• The Shattered Heart: The Disillusionment of A Loyal Retainer (by Berenthros Harhallow)
JG: Have any elder servants who've managed to find enough free time ever penned books on how to properly manage noble families, complete with embarrassing details of how the servant outwitted his masters or tricked them into a right course of action in order to save the noble from his/her own stupidity?
Ed: Oh, yes, though these sorts of books tend to be suppressed by nobles seizing or buying and then destroying as many copies as they can get their hands on - - with the result that the tomes become rare, expensive, and highly sought-after, of course. Cheap chapbook copies (often edited down severely) circulate via caravan merchants more than originals. However, two books have become well-regarded standards because they focus on the care of garments, furniture, and household items more than anything else (guarding against stains and tarnishes, repairing or hiding scratches and scars, and so on). They are:
• His Armor Bright And Shining: How I Tend My Master’s Worldly Goods (by Athimew Elestus, Senior Manservant to Lord Mrylder of Athkatla; a short manual of household tips and tricks from long ago, when Athkatla was an independent city-state of many lords)
• The Quiet Servant Sees All (by Lorimar Naerdruth, Masterservant; a book about how servants should behave, dress, speak, and anticipate the needs of the family they serve and guests, by a servant hired away from several Waterdhavian noble households in the later 1200s DR by other Waterdhavian nobles; in the end, he’d served twelve noble families, and contrasts their foibles without identifying any guilty parties)
So saith Ed . . . and that's it for now.
He'll return as soon as he can with the rest, and with other long-awaited lore replies, too.
love,
THO |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 28 Dec 2012 : 17:59:45
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So now I just have to ask....
I really doubt Lhaeo would ever pen such a book (mostly out of fear of what El would do to him), but if he did, what would it be called? |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36876 Posts |
Posted - 28 Dec 2012 : 19:26:16
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
So now I just have to ask....
I really doubt Lhaeo would ever pen such a book (mostly out of fear of what El would do to him), but if he did, what would it be called?
I Want To Spend Eternity As A Frog Statue, by Lhaeo. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 28 Dec 2012 : 22:09:55
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
• Misdeeds In Marsember: The Cruel Traitors and Tyrants of the Wet Port’s So-Called Nobility (by “An Embittered Servant”)
Oooo!
My lovely Lady Hooded One... is there any chance that Ed's actually provided some content for this tome in the form of snippets elsewhere in his writings that you can share with us here? I'd love to learn more about what's inside. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 28 Dec 2012 : 22:56:18
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Wow, that was awesome. Thank you THO and Ed for sharing that information, particularly the part about the Steelaens noble family, as they're a family I don't think has ever seen print.
Happy New Year! |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
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createvmind
Senior Scribe
490 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2012 : 03:03:08
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Happy Holidays All,
Ed can you tell us some of your most favorite or memorable "creatures/villians/planar beings and other" that are trapped in stasis or other such imprisonment in and around Faerun during the 1370's and what a poor foolish mortal might mistakenly do to release them?
Thanks |
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Euranna
Learned Scribe
USA
219 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2012 : 04:14:35
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
So now I just have to ask....
I really doubt Lhaeo would ever pen such a book (mostly out of fear of what El would do to him), but if he did, what would it be called?
I Want To Spend Eternity As A Frog Statue, by Lhaeo.
And I am sure that El would have added, altered, etc said book just as he "assisted" Volo. Including some not so favorable notes on the scribe himself perhaps? |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
12005 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2012 : 14:41:26
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I asked this question in another thread, but I think I'd be interested in hearing Ed's response.
We all know that there are different laws regarding the murder of sentient living beings in certain countries. For instance, the killing of one's own slave would not be considered murder in Thay, and the killing of someone else's slave in Thay generally would end up with a fine (unless you upset the Thayan making the ruling). Are there any countries though where we might find some unusual laws as pertains to killing the undead or the sentient but non-living? The example I was presenting was a little more unusual, in that I presented the idea of killing a simulacrum.... so its not as "construct-like" as say an iron golem.
A simulacrum whose master dies essentially becomes free willed. Just how long could such a being "live" since they're essentially constructs? |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2012 : 15:08:18
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Hi again, all. Ah, more great questions, I see.
Here are Ed's replies to Jeremy's last two queries:
JG: Are there any long-lived servant families in Cormyr that have quietly risen to become de facto controllers of a noble family or who otherwise “manage” a noble family more than the family actually manages itself?
Ed: Yes. This happens quite often when matriarchs or patriarchs live into their dotage, and blood heirs (often grandchildren, the intervening members of the family being lost to wars, disease, hunting and riding accidents, and exile) are very young at the time. Only two servant families in Cormyr have managed to remain de facto controllers of a noble house for more than two generations of the noble line:
• the Helscabbards, who came to run House Goldfeather absolutely in the 1380s DR, and were only driven out in 1436 DR (having during their tenure turned the Goldfeathers from arrogant, evil to amoral fops and wastrels into a haughty-with-cause family of achievers in trade, military service, and farflung investments); this ambitious, cunning clan has scattered across Faerûn, infiltrating wealthy or noble households from Waterdeep and Athkatla to Telflamm and Ormpur.
• the Jalambreks, who rose to control House Aunkspear from behind the scenes in 1392 DR, and made their noble masters their hard-working agents across the Inner Sea until 1449 DR.
What is far more prevalent than a servant family controlling their masters is a really competent and efficient steward, chamberlain, chatelaine, amanuensis, or factor (trade agent) who is so good at his or her job that real daily power is left in his or her hands by grateful or aware-of-their-own-failings or even fearful nobility. Competent women can manage this with more deft manipulation and less notice of what’s going on by outsiders (such as other nobles), but some of the men have been frighteningly good at swaying nobles to this or that stance, action, or purchase.
Here’s the best-known example of many masterful servants (if one doesn’t count Vangerdahast as the servant who largely ruled the Obarskyrs):
Orlbert Thaylaine, Steward of House Emmarask, was legendary for his swift thinking, cunning forethought, and impeccable courtesy. He was, it slowly became apparent, a consummate actor—who by his manipulations of the family he served made them richer and more respected in a scant decade, as well as restoring their standing at Court. Oh, and making them significant landlords in Sembia and Westgate, too. Almost every Emmarask confided in him and sought his personal guidance, trusting him absolutely. Luckily for them, Thaylaine was utterly loyal, exploiting his position only to place his sisters in well-paid posts in the family’s most remote Sembian holdings (where their shallow, lazy, petty natures wouldn’t soon be discovered).
JG: Lastly, Elminster's Forgotten Realms mentions that books on how to rule are highly valued. Are books penned by nobles about "how to be a noble" also highly valued? If yes, are there any titles to such books written by nobles of Cormyr that you could give us? Also, are any lost and being sought by those families? Seems like a great adventure hook.
Ed: Most of the lost books sought by noble families are diaries or for-public-consumption (usually to bring disgrace) tell-all scandalous accounts, and they tend to be sought not to suppress them but in hopes of finding lost family treasures by spotting and solving clues written into them (the seekers hope). Tanistolph Illance, for instance, published his An Illance Errant, a humorous (sometimes viciously so) account of his incestuous wenching, feuds, and within-the-family bickering in 1399 DR, and family members have been reading and re-reading it constantly since, in hopes that some of its passages (notably dialogue that Tanistolph presents as verbatim but that many of the purported speakers swear are his inventions entirely) conceal hints or even clear directions as to where several enchanted swords and chests of gems (family treasures Tanistolph is rumored to have hid) may now be found.
Books written about how to “be noble” are abundant, but many of them are worthless, boring drivel about obedience to elders and (inevitably dated) etiquette, or try to set forth a “style” of how one should act to seem noble (which can make for amusing reading, but is seldom useful in a real-world sense except to expose someone seeking to follow such directions as a reader of a particular “how-to-feign-nobility” tome). Typical titles of these sorts of books are Deservedly First: The Life And Art of True Nobility, Destined For Graceful Greatness: The Nobles’ Way, and Solsaere (“solsaere” being a Faerûnian Common word akin to “panache”).
There are, however, a handful of useful and highly regarded tomes on nobility: Being Superior (which despite its dreadful title is a thoughtful work on the philosophy behind nobility, its uses and duties and the best way to aid one’s country through one’s conduct), Madaeragand’s Little Book (Madaeragand Dauntinghorn was a master of the deft phrase and “manipulation by eloquence,” and his work is full of useful phrases one can use in moments usually socially awkward, such as telling your aunt that a closer female relative of hers has been discovered to be pregnant, or that her favorite beau has just been slain in a duel (Madaeragand provides two sets of wordings, one for that slayer being a beloved relative, and the other for the successful duelist being you yourself), and Eskarych On Nobility (Eskarych Huntsilver was a master of how to “present” yourself in different ways to different audiences to achieve desired effects - - such as sympathy from commoners or the respect, envy, or even fear of fellow nobles or courtiers or royalty - - and of how to subtly test the loyalty of servants, befriended nobles, or courtiers).
So saith Ed. Who is hard at work right now writing something that is not Realmslore, he tells me, but of interest to many fantasy RPG devotees who enjoy fiction . . .
love,
THO |
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Sightless
Senior Scribe
USA
608 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2012 : 15:09:10
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| Hope that you and Ed had a great holiday, will pass along questions once I finish fixing my roof, where it caught fire. Hope your New Year is good as well. |
We choose to live a lie, when we see with, & not through the eye.
Every decision, no matter the evidence, is a leap of faith; if it were not, then it wouldn't be a choice at all. |
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Malcolm
Learned Scribe
242 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2012 : 15:12:13
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Fire? Shudder. So close to disaster. My sympathies.
I'm hoping Ed can share with us the names of some of the young nobles who rode with the Princess Alusair, back in the day. (Before the death of Azoun IV.)
Thank you in advance. |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2012 : 15:13:54
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And hi AGAIN, all. Just got an e-mail from The Man himself.
To Infamous, Ed now makes these replies:
I: I used to really like Caladnei, for her profound love to a kingdom whose nobility sneered down on her heroic life and skills. Anything else we can hear about the late commander?
Ed: Not yet. Sorry. Soon, I hope. (I have plans.) It won’t be much, but should be enough to show a new side of her character to those interested.
I: Second, could it be that someone who apparently died in a Spellplague twisted vortex/blast/kablooie of magical force is actually alive but stuck somewhere? How likely would this be the case, as opposed to plain death? There are so many characters I would like to rescue to bring to the next edition of D&D, but we need credible stories and explanations for it...
Ed: Of COURSE they could survive. Death is most likely, but the whole character of the Spellplague was that it was random, fitful, and strange (like a wand of wonder firing here and there across the landscape). So someone caught up in a wild Plague “blast” or discharge could have been plane shifted, teleported to darn near anywhere on Toril (or intersecting Abeir), physically transformed into a new shape - - or all three!
Readers of my most recent Elminster books are familiar with how certain beings got “caught inside” artifacts or magic items and kept alive without aging as the years passed, and are then released by various means/happenings having missed almost all of the 1400s DR without aging. Well, given the weirdness of the Spellplague, almost any magic item could have picked up a willing or unwilling passenger, particularly if a Sleep of Ages or Stasis or similar spell was used, cast nearby, or the character and the item ended up blundering through an area affected by such a magic. Though I understand your desire for the credible, the Spellplague is an explanation that covers a whole lot of weirdness observed by folk in the Realms, and can stretch to cover a lot more . . .
I hope this is of some help.
So saith Ed. Creator of the Realms, and the guy who still works away on it, tirelessly, every day.
love,
THO
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2012 : 15:23:19
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Heh. And no sooner did I start browsing here at the Keep then I got another e-mail, from Ed, this time a response to Markustay:
Volo HAS penned such a book, actually - - but was wise enough to do it under the entirely fictitious penname "Lyra Maerilee." It was called A WISE MAID'S WORDS, was a slender tome compiling salacious gossip of the amorous goings-on of many Sembian and Cormyrean nobiity and wannabe-nobility, and sold VERY well. Pirate copies of the work are now being made and resold in various Inner Sea ports, and Volo is contemplating a sequel. Elminster found the book "An amusing read. So long as he stays away from printing wild lies about magic and Our Lady of All Mysteries, fine."
So saith Ed. Who adds: That doesn't mean I wouldn't want to devour I WANT TO SPEND ETERNITY AS A FROG STATUE. Sounds interesting. ;}
Ed took his visiting family to see THE HOBBIT last night, and his holiday is by no means over, Sightless. It will extend through New Year's (studded by shifts here and there at the library, his day job). We both thank you for the kind wishes!
love,
THO
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Questions for Ed Greenwood (2012)
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