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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1796 Posts |
 Posted - 04 May 2004 : 04:00:30
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
<snip> and the rest of the rip-roaring Richard Lee Byers trilogy (that I always privately refer to as “Dragons Go wild!” or just “Dragons Wild!”). <snip>
"Ahem," says the Purple Dragon Knight, in his best Snoop Dog impersonation, "Wyrms Gone Wild, it's not just beautiful wyrms, it's a lifestyle." |
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Arthedain
Acolyte
16 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2004 : 15:06:09
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Greetings Ed, The Hooded One, and everyone else!
I have a small question regarding Harpers' Hill in Shadowdale. It is mentioned in the 2nd Ed. Campaign Setting book on Shadowdale, and described as a place of eerie beauty, and it is written that it is used by Harpers for practice and meditation. Now, how would the Harpers (and the good folk of Shadowdale, who avoid the place) react if someone wanted to build a shrine/temple there??
The story behind this question is that one of my players, a half-drow ranger who worships Solonor, encountered his animal companion (a wolf) on the hill, and since it later turned out that the wolf was a trusted servant of Solonor, he has now taken this as "a sign from the gods"  . He is now planning to build a temple in Shadowdale, and when trying to figure out the location, Harpers' Hill was the obvious choice.
Since Solonor is one of the Seldarine, and thus part of the founders of the Harpers (if I remember my Realmslore correctly) I figure that the local Harpers *might* not object, but on the other hand they would in a way lose "their" hill. So, if you could enlighten me with some insight I would be most grateful.
Thanks in advance. |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2004 : 15:14:01
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Hello, all. Ed sent this reply for Malaug, late last night:
I enjoy Robert E. Howard for the colour and verve of his storytelling. At times (e.g. his suicide note) he could be lyrical, and at times (the Gent from Bear Creek tales) hilarious, but as he was writing for the pulps, most of his tales tend to follow familiar patterns. Yet there are still few writers who can match the sheer drive of his storytelling (what sf writer and critic Elton Elliott calls “the power of the plain tale”). I must admit I rarely re-read Howard, these days, but some of his Conan tales are justifiably classics. And I treasure a brief chat I had, years ago, with Lin Carter about HOW he and deCamp worked on their Conan pastiches.
So saith Ed. Me, I just liked hopping onto the altar and wearing the chains as Conan came hacking his way through the nasties to rescue me.
THO
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2004 : 15:41:22
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
So saith Ed. Me, I just liked hopping onto the altar and wearing the chains as Conan came hacking his way through the nasties to rescue me.
THO
I think a lot of us would happily come charging in with Conan to help! |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2004 : 17:48:51
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Well met again, all. Your Hooded Lady returns, with the first of a few more replies from Ed, who’s tackling your queries peacemeal, thus:
Bruce, when I first envisaged Evermeet, I was thinking of a mist-shrouded, deep blue forest island realm shrouded by spells that kept the rest of the world out, but didn’t yet know who lived there (or have a name for it yet). It was ‘a great mystery’ to mainlanders in Faerun, whom I saw (once the name came along) as often saying things like: “We’ll learn THAT sometime after we lay bare the secrets of Evermeet!”
Then along came D&D in its earliest form, and with it the humanocentric rules that made human PCs paramount. That’s just fine for a game designer to decree, but a WORLDBUILDER has to come up with some in-the-setting explanation for why elves and dwarves (in particular, out of all the demi-human and humanoid intelligent races) don’t dominate in the rules. Like all folks writing for DRAGON, my task was to add to this glorious game, not pick fights with official rules, so I laid the groundwork for why elves and dwarves were ‘in decline’ in the Faerunian lands, in a way that kept their allure and mystery (Ruins full of “lost” elven magic? Woo-hoo! Lead me to them!) and made for maximum play possibilities.
Either my elves and dwarves had to be too few in number to have kept any of their knowledge and culture in an unbroken manner, or I had to come up with a ‘Great Go Elsewhere.’ My postulation of the orcs as breeding like rabbits and sweeping over the lands in periodic orc hordes, plus my desire to have demons and devils OCCASIONALLY spice up play but as much as possible protect PCs from the “they can summon their buddies endlessly, so you’re automatically toast” problem, gave me some reasons why the power of some elf and dwarf settlements could have been worn down or broken. The old “you grew too proud and big for your own britches to avoid bringing doom down upon yourselves” argument was, of course, another.
I made the dwarves go the route of “too few offspring, desperate grim survivors go away or go extinct” (akin to some real-world Native American peoples), and the elves go the route of hiding themselves behind magic walls in the heart of the nicest forest that are left. Nice forests -- Evermeet -- oh, NOW I know who lives there! Having the elves lurk among and around largely-uncaring human settlements maximizes their air of mystery and “specialness,” but must go hand-in-hand with making PC elves sundered from a lot of that power, to keep play balance at the party level.
TSR designers added the name and overarching concept of ‘the Retreat’ to this realm-by-realm, city-by-city individual withdrawal idea of mine, and over the years, yes, comments by many and writings by some have reinforced the Tolkienesque feel of this. I even once heard a TSR foreign sales rep explain D&D (to Milwaukee-area business executives dropping by GenCon to see what all this lunacy was about) as a game in which “you act out the roles of characters like those in the Lord of the Rings: elves, wizards, dwarves, fighters...magic works, and so on.”
In your posting, you hit upon a good design and commercial reason for “getting the elves out of the way.” Most readers of novels want to read books about humans they can relate to, and understand (Hamlet published in Klingon is great fun, but isn’t going to hit the bestseller lists, because your average American reader can’t understand or read Klingon, and doesn’t want to; the same goes for Dr. Seuss done in Latin). Logically, in many situations in Faerun, the elves would dominate and be center stage, and this creates a problem. (Right now, as a librarian and an observer of the field, I’d say that Wizards has this problem actively on its hands in the form of the drow: the tendency to use the dark elves becomes a tendency to overuse them, and what happens to your publishing line if, overnight, the reading public tires of them? Remember the Goosebumps popularity of R. L. Stine? Or the pick-a-path fad, before that?).
Unfortunately for some of your line of questioning, Mystra is dedicated to seeing that magic is as widespread and popular in its use as possible, NOT to preserving existing magical constructs, or the status quo of “who’s on top in the magical world.”
Perhaps Corellon and the other Seldarine view the increasing reliance on magic as a corrupting, expanding weakness in elves that should be weeded out the hard way, forcing those surviving elves to become more hardy, practical, and in touch with the changing world (i.e. more adaptable, like those successful humans) and less jaded, arrogant, overconfident, and fixated on pursuing dreamy goals of magical sophistication.
It’s hard for mortals to know the motives of gods. All we can do is endlessly examine and speculate about their actions (or what we’re TOLD are their actions), and draw our own conclusions. It may be that all patron gods of races see the necessity for purgative, restorative cycles in the careers of their races that none of us know about, and the Seldarine are enthusiastically “driving down” the elves of today in just such a cyclical downturn, to renew them as stronger, brighter, and different. We just don’t know, do we?
Now as a designer, I agree that we haven’t been shown enough of elves or dwarves (or, hey, halflings, who tend to get the one-note “smartass tricksters and thieves” treatment, or gnomes, the truly FORGOTTEN folk of the Forgotten Realms) in published Realmslore to DM their societies properly. That’s why I pushed so long for certain fan writers to get their dwarf novels published, and one of the reasons I’m so excited about Rich Baker’s forthcoming trilogy.
And yes, I agree that the “add a race” tendency of 3e products, like the “Hey, I’m SURE we need another dozen prestige classes!” tendency, must necessarily take up product space that means development of existing elements get shorter shrift. That’s an aspect of the crunch vs. fluff argument that, as a freelancer, I’m in exactly the same position as you are: I can snarl about it, and make suggestions, but ultimately, those decisions are made by others.
Perhaps that’s a good thing: I’ve no idea if an Ed Greenwood-helmed Realms would have been as commercially successful (and therefore still published at all) if TSR had hired me along with my world, right from the start. I understand loyalty and consistency and pleasing customers very well, but everything else about the business world is a mystery to me...and as the real-world headlines show us, a lot of ‘big business,’ these days, has forgotten all about those three root things to chase other goals, and done so very successfully (in some cases adorned with scandals, but hey, they still have the riches and the power, and I’m still a guy who lives in the country and struggles to pay the bills :}).
So saith Ed. We traded tax tales when he was giving me a lift in his van recently, and let me just say this: most of you would probably be very surprised at how little Ed made, last year, as a writer and game designer. He doesn’t, despite the persistent gamer myth, get a royalty on every last copy of every Realms product sold (if he did, then yes, we WOULD be talking millions).
And then he could make his own Realms movies, with all of us players starring in them. Sigh; I could be embracing Sean Connery right now...
(Why, THANK YOU, Wooly. Of course I’d have to properly thank you first…if there was anything left of me after properly thanking Conan, of course.)
THO
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Taelohn
Acolyte
36 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2004 : 21:01:45
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Ah, while at the Con, I heard Ed mention that many of his novels originally went into greater detail with spells - material components, verbal components, exact appearance and effects, and whatnot - that was later cut out because the book department didn't want it to be that similiar to the games. He also gave a neat, rhyming phrase for the casting of a fireball... but it was said quickly and I didn't quite catch it.
What was that? And are there any other incantations you wrote for various spells? |
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2004 : 21:24:23
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Hiya.
That 'invented term or colloquial naming' use of single quotes was news to me. Of course, in British English we use single quotes usually (and double quotes when nested within), which is much more elegant and sensible. I can edit in British and American English, but Canadian English is a step too mysterious for me.
Borkum Riff, by the way.
That's a pretty precise and well-informed judgement Blueblade's librarian gave. Though I think the dualistic division of 'serious literature' and 'not serious literature' has caused enough harm to be worth eschewing even as a quick figure of speech. As I said on rasalvatore.com, our familiar concept of 'entertainment' is actually problematic and odd.
The patterns of writing for the pulps were no less rigid than those imposed, of course, by the slicks...
Several of those bits of spell-process are in the published Spellfire (wouldn't it be handy to have the novels as searchable etexts?). What was said on this thread was quote:
When my players were in the mood for “full” roleplaying, they’d make up incantations (usually a nonsense “Abracadabra”-like word for a word of activation or the last/trigger word, preceded by a rhyming couplet (here’s the one for fireball, which has no last trigger word: “By tongue of bat and sulphur’s reek/And the mystic words I now do speak/Where I wish to strike my bane/Let empty air burst into -- FLAME!”).
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Edited by - Faraer on 04 May 2004 21:24:51 |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2004 : 22:04:40
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Well met again, all. Herewith, another of Ed’s replies:
Hi, Abizoath. In answer to your question: we mortals don’t know.
Sylune very much did want to be resurrected at the time of her death, though she now seems content with her lot (as a spectral harpist, able to possess the bodies of the living or manifest in ghostly form within a certain distance from any fragment of stone taken from the floor of her hut in Shadowdale [such fragments being carried by all of the Chosen, and also carefully placed in strategic places elsewhere]).
However, Sylune’s desires and the powers her sisters wield lead to the inevitable conclusion that there IS some sort of reason that prevents her from being resurrected.
The nature of that reason is where the debate rages. Strongest among the current theories is the thinking that Mystra (not yet Midnight, but she who was mother to the Seven) didn’t want her resurrected, or that Ao or some circumstances involving her silver fire prevented that resurrection.
Azuth and Elminster believe something else, however: that Sylune, in some ways the wisest of the Seven, was ‘ready’ for another step in the progression or ‘life-cycle’ of a Chosen of Mystra, ascending to another form of existence more closely bound to the Weave.
And that the Weave itself, or Mystra’s innermost self, or Ao or some greater power or intellect, was aware of this, and saw Sylune’s transformation as necessary.
Perhaps we’ll all know more someday. Perhaps I can seize the chance to write a novel about it, a few years from now. The debate will doubtless continue. What we do know for sure is that Sylune’s abilities continue to change and grow, that she is now almost an intelligent, mutable mass of silver fire more closely attuned to the Weave than any mortal, and that she knows only a little more of what she can now do than the rest of the Chosen do.
I’m thinking she’s going to surprise us all . . .
So saith Ed. GOOD question, Abizoath, because these are the sort of answers Ed has always given us, as our DM, when his mind is leaping ahead into new cleverness. You’ve sparked something (probably turned him back to thinking about something he left unfinished), and we may all be richer for the result.
Ah, I love the Realms. Thank you, Ed.
THO
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2004 : 22:08:28
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Well met again, all. Ed replies to Arthedain:
Hi, Arthedain. Well, it’s like this: Harpers' Hill is a place of eerie beauty because it’s a center of natural power (a focus or node of magic that ‘grew’ out of the natural processes of the land, not out of any casting or work by intelligent creatures). These rare locales, when in woodlands, are sacred to the elves, and are thought by some to be the work of Eldath, Silvanus, or other gods. (Those underground are of course sacred to dwarves and gnomes.)
By long-standing agreement with the elves of the Elven Court and among each other, the Harpers have kept the Hill clear of any permanent structure and any dedication to a specific god (no altars, though one can perform a ritual using any stone, and no buildings, though one can pitch a tent on the Hill, if one doesn’t mind being under constant Harper surveillance).
The Harpers (and the few elves who’ve clung to life in the woods around the Dales, throughout all the recent troubles) will want to keep the Hill clear.
Moreover, Harpers often use it as a rendezvous, and Elminster and others performing powerful castings sometimes use the ‘shield’ of its powerful magic as a cover for their work (i.e. show up on the Hill to hurl and even augment their magics). The Hill ‘twists’ translocation magics (teleports, etc.), and thus, no gate/portal/teleport will work [to a precise destination] directly to or from it (though the air above it and the land immediately around it are fair game).
If I was the DM, in this situation, I’d send the PC some visions from Solonor discouraging use of the Hill itself, and “suggesting” a particular, hitherto-unknown tiny glade or pool in the forest near Shadowdale. Finding that spot will be an adventure in itself (trying to work out some way to share the memorized vision with Storm Silverhand, say, or the ghostly Sylune, or a resident elf, so as to be guided), and in that locale there may well be another adventure to uncover, such as an underground mini-dungeon. Cryptic guidance from Solonor could well continue.
As for building any “official” temple or shrine in Shadowdale: your PC must apply to Mourngrym, who is VERY suspicious about such things (after years of Zhent envoys trying to persuade him to let them found this temple, or that, and his own personal mistrust of self-important, self-interested clergy of ANY faith). Siting the temple deep in the forest is the obvious solution, because it allows Mourngrym to officially ignore it. The very application would bring down a covert Harper investigation on all of the PCs, not just the half-drow ranger (whose blood heritage should lead Those Who Harp to already be keeping an eye on him), to make sure that the ranger isn’t being duped by other PCs, or the party being duped by someone else, to establish something they can use as a base, smuggling cache, or hideaway. (If I was a Red Wizard wanting to spy on Elminster, hiding out in the attic of a temple is probably as good ‘cover’ as I can get.)
Of course, this is YOUR Realms campaign. If you would like your player to succeed in having his PC establish a temple on the Hill, let him succeed. I wouldn’t for the reasons outlined above, and because I always want PCs who try to build a temple to find themselves thigh-deep in headaches right away (fees, permissions, and permits from local authorities, vandalism from those who dislike the particular faith, organized opposition from clergies of rival faiths, attempts by clergy of the PC’s faith to control everything AND coerce the PC into running the temple or at least serving as its full-time, on-site caretaker [“What, you want to go on adventuring? No, no, the holy god wants you to do THIS now! He personally told me so last night -- me, the Highest of all his high priests! Of course he said nothing to you: you are but as the dullest and most clumsy of his servants, a barely-forged tool that it is my sacred duty to temper and develop! So obey!”], and so on, and on, until the player groans, “How did I ever get mixed up in all of this?”). But then, I am the gentlest and fairest of all DMs. :}
So saith Ed, grinning evilly as he buffs his halo. You don’t fool ME, old Weirdbeard! Oh, no! I’ve seen your other side, felt the edge of your tongue (it felt very nice, actually ), know better than to...well, no, I think I’ll stop now. Blueblade and Wooly are probably already straining for control at their keyboards. 
THO
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2004 : 22:33:19
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| I heard that Realms of Taxation was on the tentative schedule for 2006, to be followed if successful by Realms of Fiscal Accountability. |
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Athenon
Acolyte
USA
43 Posts |
Posted - 05 May 2004 : 00:11:51
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THO,
Thank you for your time and enthusiasm with these questions for Ed. I have a few questions of my own:
1) My party (based in Harrowdale Town) will soon be traveling to Calaunt to confront one of the Merchant Dukes. Can you give me any additional information about the "feel" of that city or its layout? I enjoyed your description of it in the Ravens Bluff Book.
2) I thought the Silver Marches book was great - I particularly liked your descriptions of the different valleys/mountain ranges/geographical features of the area. Any chance that a similar product will be produced for the Dalelands, Cormyr or Sembia in the near future?
3) Do you have any interesting pearles of wisdom for the Harrowdale area? It's been a great base for a campaign so far, but I'm just curious if there's anything about the area that has not seen the light of day.
Thanks again for all the wonderful products over the years. |
Will Maranto
Representing the Realms in the Wilds of Northern Louisiana |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 05 May 2004 : 00:32:09
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
So saith Ed, grinning evilly as he buffs his halo. You don’t fool ME, old Weirdbeard! Oh, no! I’ve seen your other side, felt the edge of your tongue (it felt very nice, actually ), know better than to...well, no, I think I’ll stop now. Blueblade and Wooly are probably already straining for control at their keyboards.
THO
Ah, my dear Lady Hooded One! You know me so well! |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1796 Posts |
Posted - 05 May 2004 : 00:58:44
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
So saith Ed, grinning evilly as he buffs his halo. You don’t fool ME, old Weirdbeard! Oh, no! I’ve seen your other side, felt the edge of your tongue (it felt very nice, actually ), know better than to...well, no, I think I’ll stop now. Blueblade and Wooly are probably already straining for control at their keyboards.
THO
Ah, my dear Lady Hooded One! You know me so well!
This place is starting to sound like an SCA weekend... ha ha ha! |
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
2066 Posts |
Posted - 05 May 2004 : 03:03:29
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<<< 3) Do you have any interesting pearles of wisdom for the Harrowdale area? It's been a great base for a campaign so far, but I'm just curious if there's anything about the area that has not seen the light of day. >>>
I'm not Ed, but there's some intriguing Realmslore in "Extinction" by Lisa Smedman about Harrowdale (a little bit) and the Cold Field (in particular).
--Eric
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http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/ |
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fourthmensch
Acolyte
USA
32 Posts |
Posted - 05 May 2004 : 03:06:03
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Ed,
I love all the faith-related oaths that you have given to us in these last thirty pages or so, but I have a slightly different request. I'm interested in general slang that various peoples in the Realms use in their daily lives (some of which I've picked up from your novels and comments, such as dark and empty, bind me, highcoin ladies, etc).
This might be slightly more touchy, but I was wondering if you had any lurking lore-notes about racial epithets. I recently read Lynn Abbey's The Simbul's Gift and noted that the Thayans called Aglarondan half-elves "chattel-quessir," which I think is great (and quite clever). Are there similar derogatory terms for other races?
I know you're already deluged with our little questions and requests, so I'll sit quietly until you have time to pass along a response to the increasingly flirtatious Lady Hooded. |
I want you to go home and ponder the meaning of the word subversive.
Gully Foyle is my name
And Terra is my nation
Deep space is my dwelling place
The stars my destination. |
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 05 May 2004 : 13:01:28
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| Published Realms portmanteau terms (such as 'highcoin ladies') are many and uncollected, though I have a list in progress. "The Everwinking Eye: Words To The Wise" in Polyhedron #74 has some terms members of races call themselves and each other. (I'll scan and post them if I can find the issue and no one objects.) |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 05 May 2004 : 14:14:22
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Got another question for Ed
What can you tell us about the Fire Elementals that live underneath Mount Hotenow near Neverwinter?
What types of Fire Elementals are present, who leads them etc
What can you tell us about Mount Hotenow itself? |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 05 May 2004 : 16:32:00
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quote:
Originally posted by Faraer
Published Realms portmanteau terms (such as 'highcoin ladies') are many and uncollected, though I have a list in progress. "The Everwinking Eye: Words To The Wise" in Polyhedron #74 has some terms members of races call themselves and each other. (I'll scan and post them if I can find the issue and no one objects.)
I should like to see that list, myself. |
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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 05 May 2004 : 17:13:27
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quote:
Originally posted by Purple Dragon Knight
While posting this thread and listening to Led Zeppelin simultaneously, I seem to have stumbled on a theory that would allow a particle to go faster than the speed of light (and no, I don't do drugs). Anybody here knows who I should talk to about this, or if I should talk to someone at all? (I'm a Mechanical Engineer, not a Physicist...)
While I'm coming in a bit late, and you may already have an answer to this, I can likely tell you where you went wrong. Or at least give you some idea. Send me an email containing your theory, and I'll do my best.
(Appologies to Mr. Greenwood for the aside. ) |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 05 May 2004 : 17:21:35
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Here's the Racial Nomenclature section from "Words To The Wise":quote:
This section collects a few widely used terms for intelligent races of the Realms. The names in parentheses refer to those who usually use such terms. If no parentheses appear, assume that the name is in general use (certainly among surface-dwelling humans and merchant folk of all races).
Drow: the Dark Elves, The Accursed (other elves).
Dwarves: the Stout Folk.
Elves: the Fair Folk, the People (elves, of themselves, collectively).
Gnomes: the Quiet Folk.
Halflings: the Quick Folk, the Sly Folk (humans and dwarves).
Humans: the Manyhanded (halflings, elves; a.k.a “The Manyhanded Curse”), Brittle Bones (orcs), Oroosh (= “never-stopping talkers”; treants), Hurbryn (= “heavy-footed ones”; brownies, halflings, korred, satyrs).
Korred: the Dancing Folk.
Ogres: Beast-Men.
Orcs: the Mighty (orcs, of themselves), Slaugh (= “pigs” among some elves; this term literally translates as “mud-wallowing-dogs,” and is beginning to be heard in use by half-elves, dryads, and some other forest-dwelling folk).
Satyrs: the Free Folk.
Svirfneblin “deep gnomes”: the Deep Folk.
Collective terms most widely encountered are:
Meat = all intelligent prey (orcs).
The Proud Peoples = dwarves and elves collectively (humans).
Ugrukh (“broken bones”) = wounded, defeated, slaves or those too weak to defend themselves or to be worthy of attention [used of all creatures] (orcs).
Worms = lesser goblinkin (orcs).
My "Realms Glossary" is too sketchy to post yet, sorry. |
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Archmage Daraath
Acolyte
Canada
2 Posts |
Posted - 05 May 2004 : 21:13:56
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Hi, I'm Daraath the Hobgoblin archmage, and I have some questions for Ed.
When Bast absorbed Zandilar, the resulting Goddess Sharess ended up in three seperate Patheons, yet see still only a Demi-Goddess, with a divine rank max of 5. Between all her aspects, She has large amounts of followers in Calishan, Ravens Bluff, Yuirwood, that ancient Eygpt place that I can't spell. So how does Zantilar with a rank of five + Bast with maybe a rank of 5 + Sharess with a rank of 5= a Demi-Goddess with a rank of five. Should she not at least be at least a lessor Goddess, if not intermediate? and wouldn't most frustrated teenage boys be worshipping her, instead of say Sune? Think about like this, Sharess is like the cool hip pornstar, where as Sune's the Bounce Ripper novelist, as lustful teenager which would pick?
Also I've read a posting some where that stated the Zandilar and Bast weren't the only Gods that went into the making of Sharess, which other Gods were absorbed? Will you ever write a novel or something about Bast/Sharess's journeys?
My second line of questions concerns the nature of the relationship between White Dragons and Silver Dragons. I here they get along together, unlike most Chromotic dragons and Metallik dragons which have no contact with the other side(example, Gold and Bass dragons don't buddy to Green and Reds.) My question is this, what is the relationship that Silver Dragons have with White Dragons, would they ever cross bred, and if so what would the offspring be?
Lastly, what's your feeling on internet fan fiction about FR. |
"To thine own self be true, for it follows, as night the day, thu canst not be false to anyman" |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 06 May 2004 : 04:27:38
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Hello, fellow scribes. The Lady Hooded steps out of the night to the light of our shared fire once more, with another answer from Ed:
Thanks for dredging up the Realms linguistics, Faraer. I’ll see if I can find a few more as-yet-unpublished terms to add to them, in the weeks ahead. I’ll tackle a few more of your questions right now:
I believe the FRCS dates the Zhentarim conquest of Daggerdale at 1336 because what’s being referred to therein is the most definitive and complete occupation of the dale, wherein the Zhents established laws and enforcement, built roads and fortifications, and dwelt everywhere (as opposed to establishing on-road guardposts and garrisons and raiding the dale continuously from them). Daggerdale “fell” (with the Morns going into hiding ‘for the first time’) soon after the fall of Teshendale, but wasn’t continuously occupied, especially in winter -- and it became a magnet for outlaws, dalefolk who wanted to fight the Zhents, bored young Cormyrean and Sembian adventure-seekers, and folk from the Vast wanting to seize land for themselves . . . all of whom delighted in killing Zhents. So Daggerdale has had a troubled history for a long time.
The timeline in the FRCS is of necessity simplified, and yes, there are errors. I agree with you that the statement about the most common form of government in the Heartlands being the feudal monarchy IS an error (perhaps the Faerunian source material consulted by the writer of that section was Cormyrean in origin). “Most successful” would probably be nearer the mark, considering the longevity of the Obarskyr dynasty and the overall safety and prosperity of the realm of Cormyr. Almost all Heartlands and more northerly farmers in the Realms are indeed freemen, though a case can be made for serfdom (in fact if not in name) in Tethyr (before the Black Days), and in Calimshan right now -- and arguably those latter two countries have more land area yielding more crop outputs due to climate, so perhaps one can say some form of serfdom is a part of the “highest output” farmlands. The most common Realms term for the equivalent of a serf is “bondsman,” meaning someone who holds lands under a contract (“bond”) that sets forth conditions. The duties and rules don’t directly correspond to those of real-world serfs, either in England or on the Continent.
Certainly the duchies of Tethyr and the border baronies of Amn, like Cormyr, are “feudal” in nature, but that term isn’t used to mean serfdom. It merely means the local lord has to render military support to the ruler when called upon, and in turn has the power to commandeer portions of local crop yields from the farms under the local lord’s protection (and in some cases “yeomen warriors” from among the farmhands) when the need arises.
So far as I know, NO farmer in the Dales is anything but a freeman or a hired “crofter” working and living on lands owned by another, and paying rent to the owner in the form of either coin or a portion of the crop yields.
In Sembia and upland Cormyr, crofters are the norm: except in strips of land fronting along all major roads and in the most remote locales, almost all of the tilled land is owned by one wealthy family or another. In ‘downland’ Cormyr (roughly: south of Immersea and Waymoot), wealthy families may own large numbers of seperate individual city buildings or smallhold farms, but their properties are amongst the smallholds of independent Cormyrean citizens (‘freefolk’).
I’m not a fan of tinker gnomes in the Realms except as VERY rare, comic-relief individuals (or families). The folk of Lantan and other Gond-worshippers fill the necessary ‘Professor Branestawm/Rube Goldberg’ mad inventor niche quite capably, and I see individual, urban-dwelling (in predominantly human trading cities) halfling and gnome families as the source of small, clever inventions (intricate double locks, fold-down doorstops, removable boot scrapers that double as other useful implements, heat-reflecting stove hoods and fans whose blades are turned by the heat of cooking-fires, and so on).
I see the native gnomes of the Realms (except for the ‘deep gnomes’ of the Underdark) as being the quiet collectors-and-refiners of good ideas from all cultures, who keep low profiles, and make good livings through trading useful items. For instance, I think the majority (and the best) of spectacles, magnifying glasses, spyglasses, and other devices involving glass lenses in the Realms are made by gnomes. Gnomes have perfected the most practical intricate non-magical locks and hinges, long ago mastered industrial-output papermaking and bookbinding, are experts on waterproofing (garments and portable containers for scrolls and flat paper), and are working on building bigger and better looms for “everyday” cloth. Many gnomes are working to perfect wire, and fashion everyday items from wire.
I’ve got to get that gnometalk Volo article into print some day. Hmm; perhaps with Volo shorn from it, it could become a WotC web piece. Must talk to the good folks . . .
So saith Ed. As for me, I must go now, before I say something else to earn that “increasingly flirtatious” reputation (for which much thanks!).
THO
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 06 May 2004 : 04:29:44
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Dost thou like what thou dost see? Yes, it can all come off, except for the hood . . . or I’d not be: The Hooded One.
And that I am.
Bearing, as usual, the latest Words of Ed:
simontrinity, I’d love to write a LOT about Cylyria Dragonbreast, because she’s another of those fascinating loose-end/prime mover Realms NPCs, but I believe doing so, here and now, would hamper other creative people in their own future projects. I’d say this is another of those unfortunate NDA things. For now. Would you like to hear about her ‘black sheep’ little sister? :}
Dargoth, the archdevils have been very active in the Realms, but not in the same high-profile manner as various demon lords. It’s a matter of style (the preferred devilish way is sly and subtle manipulation of mortals: brutish force is for lesser devils and lesser beings of all sorts, such as, ahem, demons) and self-preservation (unless one happens to be an outcast devil, in which case one is frantically searching for allies, dupes, and ‘secret weapons’ on Toril and elsewhere, one operates fleetingly outside of the Nine Hells, except through intermediaries, because every moment one spends away from one’s own ruled level is a moment that an ambitious underling or rival archdevil can use to wreak havoc [or subtly damage] one’s own rule and military strength).
Alathayn, your point about Set is a good one, and there’s of course no reason at all that Set can’t be worshipped by individual Thayan NPCs or PCs in your campaign. The problem that has hampered widespread veneration of Set among Thayans is the autocratic, ruthless tactics of Set’s clergy in Mulhorand. Wizards seeking to rise in personal power tend to be unwilling to embrace a faith in which they know priests are going to pop up and try to control them -- and they’re also going to be very wary of that same faith spreading amongst their underlings and apprentices, because they’ll believe those same priests are inevitably going to order the faithful to do something that challenges the authority of the wizard (suggesting the apprentices and underlings slay the wizard, for example, or steal crucial magic from him). Red Wizards tend to look to deities who allow wizards to personally grow in power without suffering the dictates or energetic intrigues of a controlling priesthood.
As scribes can see, I’m selectively answering parts of questions right now, trying to tackle some of those I can easily and swiftly answer before too many queries get backed up. If you notice I’ve only answered some parts of your questions, please don’t think I’m ducking the other bits: I’ve just set them aside until the Waterdeep novel is done, that’s all.
Which reminds me: those of you who read ELMINSTER’S DAUGHTER will discover several works of fictional Realms literature referenced therein. Through the ‘good offices’ of Volo (I know, you hadn’t dreamed he had any), I have procured one page -- just one-- of Rauthur’s favourite reading material, and I’m debating just how to get it into the hands of fans of the Realms. I must discuss this highly sensitive matter with my friends in Book Publishing at Wizards first, but I’m open to ah, creative suggestions . . .
So saith Ed. As for me, this Hooded Lady remembers that page very well.  I think it would make great background reading material. That is: I’m sure you’re all familiar with one-page advertisements for various things that have what purports to be the page of an open book in the background, partially obscured by something else -- with tantalizing snippets of VERY interesting prose drawing you into the ad. I wonder if Ed could get someone at Wizards to use his ‘Purple Page’ in that manner. Hmmm (stretches langorously, remembers she’s wearing just a hood, and pauses to adjust it rakishly)
THO
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 06 May 2004 : 05:45:12
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Dost thou like what thou dost see? Yes, it can all come off, except for the hood . . . or I’d not be: The Hooded One.
And that I am.
Bearing, as usual, the latest Words of Ed:
simontrinity, I’d love to write a LOT about Cylyria Dragonbreast, because she’s another of those fascinating loose-end/prime mover Realms NPCs, but I believe doing so, here and now, would hamper other creative people in their own future projects. I’d say this is another of those unfortunate NDA things. For now. Would you like to hear about her ‘black sheep’ little sister? :}
(snip)
Hmmm (stretches langorously, remembers she’s wearing just a hood, and pauses to adjust it rakishly)
THO
I should like to know more about that little sister!
And the more we see of the Lady Hooded One (pun intended ), the more obvious it is that she really enjoys teasing us! |
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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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6646 Posts |
Posted - 06 May 2004 : 14:11:12
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
And the more we see of the Lady Hooded One (pun intended ), the more obvious it is that she really enjoys teasing us!
Yes, it does appear that she likes it when we "butter" her up ...
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Maskanodel
Acolyte
Canada
18 Posts |
Posted - 06 May 2004 : 14:50:01
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Dear Ed
I was looking at some old pictures of Elminster and compared to the new pictures found in some 3e sources, it's obvious that he has changed a lot. Old El, 2e El I guess, had more of a Gandalf-like appearance, with the flowing robes and pointy red hat, covering his long hair and uber-beard. The arch-typical wizard from literature, it seems. New Elminster, 3e El, seems to have a more regal bearing about him. Neatly trimmed hair and beard, and the lack of a hat, as well as generally nicer looking clothes.
Whose desicion was it to change Elminster into his current state?? Was it one of WotC's idea to update El's appearance to a more 3e flavour, or was it a conscientious effort on your part to differentiate El from the archtype wizard?? Did the hype of the then-upcoming Lord of the Rings movies make you decide to change Elminster so he wouldn't be confused with Gandalf??
Thanks
Maskanodel |
Ill Met On The River Of Dreams... |
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 06 May 2004 : 15:37:32
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I'm just under a third of the way through Elminster's Daughter and have a question regarding a character in the novel. A spoiler warning follows.
Spoiler
Warning
for
Elminster's
Daughter
**
Glarasteer Rhauligan makes an appearance within this new novel. I recall him from Death of the Dragon, in a very emotionally moving scene where Alusair realizes something.
Are these two novels the only time this character has made an appearance in a Realms product? Additionally, is this a character that Ed Greenwood first featured in gaming with his players, just made him up for a novel, or something else?
Thank you in advance for any reply. I am really enjoying the novel. I also noticed someone being called "Hooded One" within the novel. How interesting.... |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 06 May 2004 : 16:07:49
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quote:
Originally posted by SiriusBlack
I'm just under a third of the way through Elminster's Daughter and have a question regarding a character in the novel. A spoiler warning follows.
Spoiler
Warning
for
Elminster's
Daughter
**
Glarasteer Rhauligan makes an appearance within this new novel. I recall him from Death of the Dragon, in a very emotionally moving scene where Alusair realizes something.
Are these two novels the only time this character has made an appearance in a Realms product? Additionally, is this a character that Ed Greenwood first featured in gaming with his players, just made him up for a novel, or something else?
Thank you in advance for any reply. I am really enjoying the novel. I also noticed someone being called "Hooded One" within the novel. How interesting....
The dealer of turret tops and spires was in Cormyr: A Novel, which I believe was his first introduction. I don't recall whether or not he was in Beyond The High Road. |
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! |
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1796 Posts |
Posted - 06 May 2004 : 16:44:38
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| He was in High Road too I believe... appeared shortly with the other Harper-lady. He seems to be the kind of guy that appears everywhere for no obvious reason, always at the good place at the good time... hmm... maybe he's really Elminster under a Disguise Self (a la Tantras module! ) |
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RevJest
Learned Scribe
USA
115 Posts |
Posted - 06 May 2004 : 17:00:05
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
simontrinity, I’d love to write a LOT about Cylyria Dragonbreast, because she’s another of those fascinating loose-end/prime mover Realms NPCs, but I believe doing so, here and now, would hamper other creative people in their own future projects. I’d say this is another of those unfortunate NDA things. For now. Would you like to hear about her ‘black sheep’ little sister? :)
Indeed I would!
- Simon
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"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Questions for Ed Greenwood (2004)
Topic Locked
