Candlekeep Forum
Candlekeep Forum
Home | Profile | Register | Active Topics | Active Polls | Members | Private Messages | Search | FAQ
Username:
Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

 All Forums
 Realmslore
 Chamber of Sages
 Questions for Ed Greenwood (2013)
 New Topic  Topic Locked
 Printer Friendly
Previous Page | Next Page
Author Previous Topic Topic Next Topic
Page: of 37

The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 08 Jan 2013 :  02:52:07  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Hi, Euranna!
Well, my answer has to be: yes and no.
Here's why...
The older notes (before the Internet, before "word processors" let alone personal, at-home computers) are of course handwritten, and in a series of identical "exercise notes" schoolbook lined pamphlets. Those get read, but never altered.
(I just have too busy a life to have time to input all of them into electronic form. I started doing OCR scanning years back, but the software was so crude/made SO many mistakes that it was taking longer than secretarial-style inputting would have taken.)
My newer notes don't get reorganized, because they're electronically searchable (big Word docs, divided by the [real] year of play), but they DO get augmented and altered in two ways: when I discuss something with Ed and he adds lore or explains something from long-ago play that he doesn't need/want to still keep secret from me, as a player, or when he provides an answer here at the Keep or in a column for Wizards. In those cases, I go back into the files and make changes to reflect the new information I now "know."
If I'm trying to flesh out details of play, on my own, I have to do it soon after the play session, or my memories fade and go faulty. Getting old . . .
And NO, you're not nuts (except in the good way).
love,
THO
Go to Top of Page

Infamous
Acolyte

42 Posts

Posted - 08 Jan 2013 :  06:21:27  Show Profile Send Infamous a Private Message
Ed wrote some time ago:

Being as this is Candlekeep, I can do no more than point you to what a Harper PC (not one of the Knights) uncovered when asking a monk of Candlekeep to research Qilue's destiny. The monk was of course limited to finding prophecies and other written histories, and reported thus: one seer saw a dream wherein Qilue wielded a sword forged of her own blood, and was hailed by knights as "the Godslayer."
However, another seer (the monk declined to identify either of his sources, BTW) said "the dark one who serves two goddesses but leads the dance for only one shall be mother to a new race, and change the face of the Realms forever."
Either way, it seems Qilue's future bids fair to be interesting.

Did this new race die stillborn, prey to editorial hazards?
Go to Top of Page

Kajehase
Great Reader

Sweden
2104 Posts

Posted - 08 Jan 2013 :  06:32:55  Show Profile Send Kajehase a Private Message
Oh look what I found over at Paizo's site... Seems someone have been busy (or, well, working at his usual pace): The Wizard's Mask by Ed Greenwood

"In the war-torn lands of Molthune and Nirmathas, where rebels fight an endless war of secession against an oppressive military government, the constant fighting can make for strange alliances. Such is the case for the man known only as the Masked, the victim of a magical curse that forces him to hide his face, and an escaped halfling slave woman named Tantaerra. Thrown together by chance, the two fugitives find themselves conscripted by both sides of the conflict and forced to search for a magical artifact that could help shift the balance of power and end the bloodshed for good. But in order to survive, the thieves will first need to learn to the one thing none of their adventures have taught them: how to trust each other."

There is a rumour going around that I have found god. I think is unlikely because I have enough difficulty finding my keys, and there is empirical evidence that they exist.
Terry Pratchett
Go to Top of Page

Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 08 Jan 2013 :  15:43:11  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message
Great find, because it segue-ways into my own question nicely:

I noted last night that the original PF campaign guide lists you as a contributor - what parts of Golarion are you 'responsible for'? I seem to recall this may have been asked before, so if Sage or some other scribe can provide an answer that'd be fine.

quote:
Originally posted by Infamous

Did this new race die stillborn, prey to editorial hazards?
I am fairly certain this is a reference to 5e's Dark Elves (the 'reborn' Drow).

On a related note (to both above), I just now realized that this arrangement is VERY similar to how drow were handled in PF ('Noble' drow are the cool ones, all others are just monsters).

"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone


Edited by - Markustay on 08 Jan 2013 15:43:55
Go to Top of Page

Thieran
Learned Scribe

Germany
293 Posts

Posted - 08 Jan 2013 :  17:25:37  Show Profile Send Thieran a Private Message
Dear Ed,
Which script do the (rock) gnomes of the Realms use for writing down their language? Is it Dethek, used by their brethren from Greyhawk (cf. PHB 3.5)?
Happy Belated New Year!
- Thieran
Go to Top of Page

Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader

USA
2717 Posts

Posted - 08 Jan 2013 :  17:53:39  Show Profile Send Jeremy Grenemyer a Private Message
Hello THO and Ed,

Ed, do you have any favorites among the words you’ve created for Realms languages?

If yes, what are your five favorite words in the Chondathan language?

Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver).
Go to Top of Page

createvmind
Senior Scribe

490 Posts

Posted - 08 Jan 2013 :  19:56:45  Show Profile  Visit createvmind's Homepage Send createvmind a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas

quote:
Originally posted by createvmind

Happy New Year Ed,

I see the towering NDA monolith before me but I will try nonetheless or hope to bypass it like this. Ed in your mindseye realms would the goddess of magic have manipulated the Imaskari global spell of no one being able to "think" about them to allow certain of her Chosen to be aware of the spell and exempt from it's power? Did she in anyway influence areas within or on Faerun that also made this spell ineffective in that particular location or did the Imaskari just one of the most awesome spells ever?

Somehow I'm assuming they managed to fold, bend or place their existence being recalled or spoken of in a series of lesser-GREATER spells that some fire off together to achieve the effect of bypassing all manner of mortal or deity interference.

Or somehow attached the spell to the very weave itself under the same concept maybe as Truename magic, hiding their existence within the very obscure knowledge of deities TRUE names and such thus ensuring the deity themselves would have to expose that power of their own name if they sought to expose the Imaskari's existence?

:Looks up at the monolith still unmoving and waits.....................


Thanks



You might get a little better of a response if you made this a little bit clearer. I'm reading through it and going "what is this guy talking about?". Is there a particular minds eye article you're interested in? The sentences aren't necessarily complete or grammatically correct, etc... (please understand, this is not meant to be a bash... I read what you wrote and was intrigued enough that I wanted to go find an article... only I couldn't make sense enough of it to figure out what special spell you were referring to).




Sorry, I'm so used to Ed knowing the manner of which I try to get an answer without asking something that he directly can't answer.

Minds eye refers to Ed's personal homebrew campaign world.

Spell in question would be the Great Seal I think it's called enclosing Deep Imaskar.
Go to Top of Page

createvmind
Senior Scribe

490 Posts

Posted - 08 Jan 2013 :  19:57:58  Show Profile  Visit createvmind's Homepage Send createvmind a Private Message
And I write on the fly so I don't forget the question, sorry for grammar.
Go to Top of Page

The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 09 Jan 2013 :  03:23:39  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Hi again, all.
Thieran, being as Dethek is Ed's creation, for the Realms, I figured that the gnomes of the Realms would use it, and Ed just confirmed that:

Yes, Dethek indeed. With the usual "dialect" differences.
In the case of the gnomes, they do numbers differently. Picture a single staple or the bars of a soccer net: a squared-off arch, or upside-down "U." Now picture the viewer's-right-hand "leg" of that arch being thrice as long as the left one. A "zero" is that arch. Numbers from 1-9 are a vertical row of dots (two dots for two, nine dots for nine) running down the "inside" (arch side) of that right-hand leg, from the crossbar for one and on down for more.
"Tens" are short horizontal lines jutting out from the "outside" of the right-hand leg, starting from just above its bottom point for ten and teens, and going up (two bars) for twenty, thirty (three bars) and so on.
So the number 26 would be an arch with six dots running down the inside of its long leg, and two jutting tails running out horizontally from the outside of the long leg.


So saith Ed. Creator of the Realms, Dethek, and several other scripts.
love,
THO
Go to Top of Page

Euranna
Learned Scribe

USA
219 Posts

Posted - 09 Jan 2013 :  03:52:20  Show Profile Send Euranna a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay

quote:
Originally posted by Infamous

Did this new race die stillborn, prey to editorial hazards?


I am fairly certain this is a reference to 5e's Dark Elves (the 'reborn' Drow).




This is what I was thinking as well. Her "death" led to/enabled some of the untainted drow to become dark elves again.
Go to Top of Page

Bootravsky
Acolyte

USA
10 Posts

Posted - 09 Jan 2013 :  06:11:07  Show Profile Send Bootravsky a Private Message
After reading Ed Greenwood presents Elminster's Forgotten Realms, in particular the chapter on the Gods, I actually have a question for Mr.Greenwood and The Hooded One:
Given that all people of the realms worship, give lip service to, or at least propitiate - basically, believe in - all deities, to what extent is iconography of evil deities used in lands where the evil deities are not preeminent?

For example, would Bane as god of tyrants also qualify for jailers? Are there friezes/emblams in prisons, perhaps accompanied by/opposed by icons for Helm and Tyr, that let the prisoners know that the act of imprisoning them is blessed as an act of keeping malefactors in line by some god. I can see how that would make a jail in somewhere as benign as Cormyr be something to fear.
Do secret societies (even good ones) give thanks to Shar when they successfully spread a lie that furthers their aims? Might Shar's symbol be coopted by well known "secret societies" similar to the Freemasons or Illuminati, in whose name they spread lies of their own beliefs (whether fell or just reputation based)?
Or Talona's symbol being used as an identifier by an apothecary who surrounds it with symbols that minimize her influence.
Finally, would Good kingdoms have rooms dedicated to Loviatar in which, as a last resort, secrets (and sometimes untruths) are painfully extracted from known Zhentarim or Dragon Cultists (or pick your evil society)?

I love that the book provided details on the priesthoods of Malar, Umberlee, Auril and Myrkul in a way that allows DMs to place their priests anywhere - and not available for PCs to just out and out identify as being antagonists. Perhaps feared or reviled, but not necessarily hated. I can easily see Umberlee being treated like the Drowned God from A Song of Ice and Fire, with fanatical priests pushing for the Bitch Queen's justice (i.e. keelhauling) for disobedient sailors. Or just to make an example. or just for the hell of it.

Thanks for taking the time to answer this question. And, even if it takes years, I'll keep reading to see what other Realmslore gems drop from the pen of the Great Sage!
Go to Top of Page

Infamous
Acolyte

42 Posts

Posted - 09 Jan 2013 :  20:37:37  Show Profile Send Infamous a Private Message
Thank you, Markustay and Euranna, for mentioning the dark elves. I had not yet heard of them.

A couple or more unrelated questions for Ed, Master of Realmslore:

When undead speak, what is their voice like? Old, rispy, crackling leather in the case of Targrael? In the case of a lich who is only bones and has no lungs left, for example, ... What do the player characters hear when he communicates? Telepathy does not seem to be scary enough.

About Mystra's Ban: in the rare occasions she relaxes the Ban, do ancient spells known by ancient mages suddenly start working again, or do they have to be re-learned? By "relaxing the Ban," I refer to published books which try to get around it. I may not like it, but it is canon, so I seek an in-story understanding of the mechanism for epic spells, for example.

About horses: they would be the ideal method of transportation for common folk in the Realms, but somehow, in my mind's eye, I see it as a place where most people just walk. I am sure it varies from place to place, but the idea of a city crowded with horses and a city full of pedestrians are two different things. Plus, there is the issue (pardon me) of horseshit. Does it cover every Main Street in all the major cities?

Finally, are there vegetarians in the Realms? Most lovers of nature also embrace a certain indifference about the circle of life and death, so i am not sure who would be a vegetarian there. It may seem like a modern idea, but it has existed in our world for a long time, though it used to be called Pythagorean diet -- Leonardo da Vinci, for example, was said to follow it.

Thanks.

Go to Top of Page

Rivenhelm
Acolyte

32 Posts

Posted - 09 Jan 2013 :  20:51:54  Show Profile Send Rivenhelm a Private Message
Great nugget of lore on Theremen. Thanks Ed! Especially the seemingly throwaway comment about the roadside cairns. I love that stuff! It reminded me of a snippet from FRE3 about stone way markers in Cormyr, "Small faded white symbols of wyverns painted on rocks at crossroads indicate the direction to Wheloon. Symbols in the shape of a crown show the way to Suzail; anchor symbols represent Marsember." [page 6]. So since my group is based in Eveningstar, what would the symbols be for Eveningstar, Arabel, Dhedluk, and Tyrluk? Thanks again for the great gems. As all ways, the size doesn't always relate to the worth.

Rich...
Go to Top of Page

The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 09 Jan 2013 :  21:24:02  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Hi again, all.
Rivenhelm, I can answer PART of your question. The way-symbol for Arabel is a six-spoked, side-on wagon wheel, the way-symbol for Eveningstar is a horizontal-but-curving-down-to-the-right arc of three eight-pointed stars (vertical "rays" longer than the rest), and the way-symbol for Dhedluk is an anvil (side-on, point to the viewer's left). I'll have to nudge Ed for Tyrluk's, but I THINK it's a horsehead.

Infamous, there are guilds (see the Dungsweepers, in Waterdeep) in every major city who collect horse- and ox- and mule-dung (valuable fertilizer as well as street nuisance).
Many druids are vegetarians, as well as poor dwellers in the wilds (by necessity).
Many times when Ed portrays talking undead, he uses the glacially calm voice Douglas Rain used when speaking as HAL in the movies 2001 and 2010.

For more, and for replies to Bootravsky and scribes who asked earlier questions, we're waiting on Ed. Who promises to get to the Raventrees, soon!
love,
THO

Go to Top of Page

Zandilar
Learned Scribe

Australia
313 Posts

Posted - 09 Jan 2013 :  23:04:10  Show Profile  Visit Zandilar's Homepage Send Zandilar a Private Message
Heya,

I have more questions to add on to my others... I'll leave it at this, as I know Ed's very busy and has many many other questions to answer. (I can always make it up if I need to. )

What are the names of Ulath's mother and sisters? Are they all still living in 1372 DR (the Year of Wild Magic)?

Who is the leader of the 70 elven archers I seem to remember reading about in the 1st and 2nd Edition sources I have? Would they accept into their ranks and/or train a sufficiently skilled and good hearted human?

Lastly, FRCS says that Ulath would/does welcome Eilistraeean Drow into the dale, with the hope that they might know of or have magic capable of fighting Drow who follow Vhaeraun. Are there any representatives of Eilistraee in Deepingdale (or in the township of Highmoon), or is he merely open to the idea and it hasn't happened yet? What do/would the folk of the dale think of this idea?

Thank you again!

Zandilar
~amor vincit omnia~
~audaces fortuna iuvat~

As the spell ends, you look up into the sky to see the sun blazing overhead like noon in a desert. Then something else in the sky catches your attention. Turning your gaze, you see a tawny furred kitten bounding across the sky towards the new sun. Her eyes glint a mischevious green as she pounces on it as if it were nothing but a colossal ball of golden yarn. With quick strokes of her paws, it is batted across the sky, back and forth. Then with a wink the kitten and the sun disappear, leaving the citizens of Elversult gazing up with amazed expressions that quickly turn into chortles and mirth.

The Sunlord left Elversult the same day in humilitation, and was never heard from again.
Go to Top of Page

The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 10 Jan 2013 :  00:32:44  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Hi again, all.
Zandilar, I believe you're thinking of Alok Silverspear (the elven leader), and if so, yes, those elves would accept a human (they worked with we Knights), though they would covertly "watch" any such humans for signs of treachery.
Rivenhelm, Ed tells me:

Tyrluk's way-symbol is a side-on horsehead with a plaited mane (bound into a border, not flowing free) and a flat bottom across the base of the neck (think the way knights are printed in many books showing chess games with views of the board), and with its nose pointing to the viewer's left.
Waymoot's is a three simplified-to-elongated-triangles pine trees, standing side by side.
Espar's is a plough (prow dug into the ground, and its handle) facing the viewer's left (plowing in that direction).
Hilp's is a side-on arched wooden bridge (simple, rail-less).

So saith Ed. Who will return with proper replies when things aren't quite so frantic for him.
love to all,
THO
Immersea's is two wavy horizontal lines, one above the other (waves).
Go to Top of Page

Barastir
Master of Realmslore

Brazil
1600 Posts

Posted - 10 Jan 2013 :  01:32:16  Show Profile Send Barastir a Private Message
Good night sages, Lady THO and Ed.

Like Bootravsky, I have a question regarding the wonderful EGPEFR, also in the chapter of "Gods and Followers":

In Malar's entry, in the first paragraph of the "Secular Aims" (p. 153), it is stated that Bloodhunters (Malarite clergy) are subject to the priests of Silvanus. I think it should be Talos, right? They are the Gods of Fury, and in Silvanus' entry on p. 165, the "Creed" section says: "Fight those who do the bidding of Malar (...)". Is it just a mistake, or there is a more complex relation between Silvanus and Malar here?

I've also noted, on p. 78 "Where one's hat is hung" that the phrase "The average strongchest (...)" is in the last paragraph of the left column and at the second paragraph of the right column... But well, probably someone has noticed this repetition already.

EDIT: typos and clarifying info

"Goodness is not a natural state, but must be
fought for to be attained and maintained.
Lead by example.
Let your deeds speak your intentions.
Goodness radiated from the heart."

The Paladin's Virtues, excerpt from the "Quentin's Monograph"
(by Ed Greenwood)

Edited by - Barastir on 10 Jan 2013 01:37:36
Go to Top of Page

wozniak1995
Acolyte

United Kingdom
19 Posts

Posted - 10 Jan 2013 :  15:06:02  Show Profile Send wozniak1995 a Private Message
Hi all,
I have a question that has been bothering me for a while. As I am a big fan of the Ultra Lich Larloch I started wondering if anyone could actually deafeat him in a one-on-one scenario.
Go to Top of Page

Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36779 Posts

Posted - 10 Jan 2013 :  16:23:50  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by wozniak1995

Hi all,
I have a question that has been bothering me for a while. As I am a big fan of the Ultra Lich Larloch I started wondering if anyone could actually deafeat him in a one-on-one scenario.




I would imagine that Larloch has layers upon layers of contingencies in place to insure he never gets into a one-on-one scenario...

Candlekeep Forums Moderator

Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com
-- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct

I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!
Go to Top of Page

wozniak1995
Acolyte

United Kingdom
19 Posts

Posted - 10 Jan 2013 :  16:33:13  Show Profile Send wozniak1995 a Private Message
So Larloch cannot be beaten?
Go to Top of Page

Infamous
Acolyte

42 Posts

Posted - 10 Jan 2013 :  17:50:37  Show Profile Send Infamous a Private Message
Wozniak1995, I agree with the wise words of Wooly here. The chance of someone beating Larloch are very small, but the chance of him being unwillingly forced into a fight until his destruction is infinitesimal.

There are beings who are arguably capable of taking on Larloch -- Iolaum, the Srinshee. But these arch-powers of the realms are more like natural phenomena, like volcanos and tsunamis, things which are meant to just exist but would rarely influence your campaign.

Let's see how good old Elminster interacts with Larloch in Ed's upcoming novel The Herald.

Edited by - Infamous on 10 Jan 2013 17:53:18
Go to Top of Page

Hoondatha
Great Reader

USA
2449 Posts

Posted - 10 Jan 2013 :  17:57:49  Show Profile  Visit Hoondatha's Homepage Send Hoondatha a Private Message
Plus, Larloch is one of those people who can literally blow up the world. Why would anyone try and fight him?

And I can already tell you Ed's answer: It depends.

The subject, or ones like it (Larloch's power level) has come up before in these threads. Search around a little and you'll probably find some interesting stuff.

Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well.
Go to Top of Page

Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36779 Posts

Posted - 10 Jan 2013 :  19:38:59  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by wozniak1995

So Larloch cannot be beaten?



Maybe he can, but it'd take a lot more firepower than just about any mortals can muster.

My point, though, is that Larloch is a lich who has been around for more than 1000 years. He's a plans within plans within plans type. Forcing a one-on-one confrontation with someone like that is going to be nearly impossible...

And that's not factoring in his 60+ servitor liches, who I'm sure have been the real opponents in multiple fights against "Larloch".

Lastly, with his intelligence, time on the world, and sheer arcane might, he's bound to have countless other servants, many of whom likely have no idea who is really signing their paycheck. It'd be easy enough to use them to redirect anyone who might even think of challenging Larloch.

Someone trying to get to Larloch to fight him would have better odds of walking into any temple in the Realms, demanding to see the deity the place is dedicated to, and actually receiving that audience.

Candlekeep Forums Moderator

Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com
-- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct

I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!
Go to Top of Page

Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader

USA
3750 Posts

Posted - 10 Jan 2013 :  22:16:44  Show Profile Send Alystra Illianniis a Private Message
Lol, You know, I actually Dm'ed an encounter like that once. My hubby's PC attempted to summon her shadow-deamon servant,- and got the god of death instead. (They happened to have the same name, and she was from off-world, and was unaware of that fact...)

The Goddess is alive, and magic is afoot.

"Where Science ends, Magic begins" -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491

"You idiots! You've captured their STUNT doubles!" -Spaceballs

Lothir's character background/stats: http://forum.candlekeep.com/pop_profile.asp?mode=display&id=5469

My stories:
http://z3.invisionfree.com/Mickeys_Comic_Tavern/index.php?showforum=188

Lothir, courtesy of Sylinde (Deviant Art)/Luaxena (Chosen of Eilistraee)
http://sylinde.deviantart.com/#/d2z6e4u
Go to Top of Page

George Krashos
Master of Realmslore

Australia
6645 Posts

Posted - 10 Jan 2013 :  22:21:29  Show Profile Send George Krashos a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by wozniak1995

So Larloch cannot be beaten?



If you want an answer in the context of the Forgotten Realms as a campaign setting, then the is answer is indeed "no". Larloch is a plot device, a big, bad nasty that people whisper about and controls and manipulates people and events through an intricate web of servitors (some knowingly, most unwittingly) and magical controls that cause things to "happen".

If you want an answer in terms of a game you are planning to run as a DM or you are a PC in a campaign where Larloch features prominently as a "monster" rather than an NPC, then indeed he can be beaten, just like any monster. Why of course he would want to fight a group of PCs toe to toe and risk his existence when he is an ageless lich with time, money and magic to spare up his sleeve is a question you or your DM will have to come up with an answer for.

-- George Krashos

"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus
Go to Top of Page

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31701 Posts

Posted - 11 Jan 2013 :  00:48:47  Show Profile Send The Sage a Private Message
Folks, let's try to keep the side-chatter to a minimum. There are already plenty of existent scrolls where we can talk about Larloch. Please leave this scroll just for questions and answers to and from Ed.

Thank you.

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
Go to Top of Page

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31701 Posts

Posted - 11 Jan 2013 :  01:54:47  Show Profile Send The Sage a Private Message
Ed, I've a quick query from Elminster's Forgotten Realms.

On pg. 40 you note that dragon blood sold in Calimshan tends to be "inky black with gold flecks in it, ... "

I'm curious as to whether this might be an indication of "manufactured/artificial dragon blood" meant for the casual "rich sucker" street buyer? Or indicative, perhaps, of the way some traders may ensure that their own personal mark -- such as the addition of curious additives -- which might attract more buyers over that of their rivals for such an expensive product?

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

Edited by - The Sage on 11 Jan 2013 15:25:43
Go to Top of Page

Rivenhelm
Acolyte

32 Posts

Posted - 11 Jan 2013 :  09:39:22  Show Profile Send Rivenhelm a Private Message
Thank you THO for the quick response! I always enjoy your experiences in gameplay with Ed! I think that a scroll "Questions for THO" is not long in coming. :-)

Would have responded a bit earlier, but I was going back through some old Polyhedron magazines, and for any of you who may be thinking of purchasing/or are able, should do so. I had forgotten how much good stuff Ed put into the Everwinking Eye articles. One of my favorite things (among many) about the Old Grey Box was the "Current Clack" section. In many of the early Eye articles there are Current Clack sections. Most of them not even dealing with the Vast.

Which in a round about way brings me to my question to you THO. Can you, or would you, share some of the hooks, local legends or stories, that Ed may have introduced to the PC Knights when they first entered Eveningstar? Sort of like a player-pack primer of Eveningstar. I'm thinking things that Ed may have thrown out there that, for one reason or another, was never followed up on, and through the passage of time doesn't ever seem likely that they would. I've been throwing many plot hooks at my players to keep their heads spinning. Anything you can offer would be fantastic. Just by way of example, and by no means what I'm expecting; though if you have hooks with this much detail by all means, please share. Anyway here was the latest one I plan to unleash on my players early 1350's DR:

Caravan masters have reported a strange occurrence when passing east through the Stormhorns. Theron's Fall, a swift running waterfall that can be seen briefly from the road off in the distance ere it empties into the Farsea Mashes, was falling upward into the sky.
IF THE PC's QUESTION DUNMAN: Two days back an adventurer by name of Kheldiir "the Silent", who was deep in his cups after a stay at the temple tending serious wounds, was seen speaking to an unknown man and bragging wildly about his company (the fairly well known group among those that hire caravan guards called the Ring of Protection -- named after the first magic the group found Dunman will point out with a smile) and how they had found the secret of Theron's Fall. Little is known of the landmark. Mostly it is a sign to travelers going east that they will soon reach civilized lands. But a little known local legend has it, that the wizard known as Theron of the Stormhorns or Theron "Nine-fingers", met his end battling a great red wrym and plunging, wreathed in flames, over the falls. Before the fateful fall, it is said he managed to sever one of the dragon's limbs. Most consider the story pure fancy, but locals down the years have reported seeing a "three-legged" red flying about in the area. What Dunman heard of Kheldiir's story was that the company's mage had stumbled upon a ledger in the Court in Suzail of a Theron of the Stormhorns being slain by Urthos Greencloak in a spell dual on the Promanade. And after a stay in Tyrluk the company met with the oldest townsperson who told them that Theron did not fall there, but had actually lived there, and some say buried all his magical treasures under the rushing waters of the waterfall. Kheldiir was heard loudly proclaiming that their wizard cast a reverse gravity spell on the crest of the spillway so as to make the search for the hidden cache easier. After many an hour they thought they found an outline of what was possibly a door. They never did have the chance to find out, as they were beset upon by a red dragon. A red with one leg missing! Of the group Kheldiir did not say more except that he was sorely wounded, and it was by blind luck that he made it here to the House of the Morning. Dunman had dismissed the man's tale as pure fancy, but just this morning a dead man was pulled from the river, who Dunman identified as Kheldiir.

Obviously this has the potential to be a full on campaign with many questions to be answered. But it is something that springs from something very small -- to continue my theme from the last post I suppose.

Thanks for all you do here Lady Herald! Hope the new year is treating you well.

R
Go to Top of Page

Thieran
Learned Scribe

Germany
293 Posts

Posted - 11 Jan 2013 :  10:05:58  Show Profile Send Thieran a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One

Hi again, all.
Thieran, being as Dethek is Ed's creation, for the Realms, I figured that the gnomes of the Realms would use it, and Ed just confirmed that: [...]



Fantastic, thank you very much Ed & Dame à la Capuche!
Go to Top of Page

TBeholder
Great Reader

2382 Posts

Posted - 11 Jan 2013 :  12:06:36  Show Profile Send TBeholder a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay

quote:
Originally posted by Infamous

Did this new race die stillborn, prey to editorial hazards?
I am fairly certain this is a reference to 5e's Dark Elves (the 'reborn' Drow).
No, this one isn't new at all.
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik

Page 40 of which book, Sage?
See his previous line.
quote:
Does it specify the intended use of this dragon blood? Limner's ink, all-purpose wondrous medicinal curative, a magical reagent, a refreshing beverage, an industrial lubricant?
Most likely, components for scroll ink and enchantments. Used in tempering liquids (Blades of Ochir Naal - Dragon #213, arandur items - VGtATM), blue's in baths to soak behir scales for electicity-resistant armor (Elminster's Ecologies), etc. and other alchemical processes - e.g. cold and flame elixirs and blueshine (VGtATM).
Yes, a big subject. Perhaps worth a separate scroll to collect old lore complementing the answer.

It would be interesting to know the same about wyvern blood and venom (aside of using as intended), if you please.

People never wonder How the world goes round -Helloween
And even I make no pretense Of having more than common sense -R.W.Wood
It's not good, Eric. It's a gazebo. -Ed Whitchurch
Go to Top of Page
Page: of 37 Previous Topic Topic Next Topic  
Previous Page | Next Page
 New Topic  Topic Locked
 Printer Friendly
Jump To:
Candlekeep Forum © 1999-2024 Candlekeep.com Go To Top Of Page
Snitz Forums 2000