The work contained on this page has been penned over time by the creator of the Forgotten Realms - Ed Greenwood, and kindly provided to us here at Candlekeep by The Hooded One on the Candlekeep Forum. The collection presented here is a digest version which has been collated by Scott Kujawa, presenting all Ed's responses and omitting other posters discussions which followed.

(Answers from Ed Greenwood)

Jan - Mar 2006

Again, the Q & A format:

Dargoth: Does the Thayan enclave in Triel still exist?

Ed: Yes. However, it's now operating differently. Picture a few shops inside a walled compound, with very polite, benign-seeming personnel. There are some well-hidden portals to: a citadel where Red Wizards with battle-spells to humble most adversaries dwell and work, in hiding. Adventurers (and the local authorities) have yet to learn this.

Dargoth: In SPELLFIRE Lhaeo says that Elminster told him that he was the last Member of the Tethyr Royal family, how then did Elminster miss Lady Thione (and her daughter)?

Ed: Elminster didn't miss them. He lied to Lhaeo, the better to manipulate him into behaving exactly as El wanted him to (become my cook and fetch-and-carry servant, let everyone think you're a "simpering man-lover," et al) because "you're IT," the last hope of your kingdom. Manipulating people is what El does, daily. Unfortunately, the nature of Realms fiction is that we tend to see the conflicts and confrontations rather than the far more frequent subtle (and not so subtle) manipulations.

Dargoth: In CROWN OF FIRE Mirt says that Lady Duskreene had ruled here before Cormyr was founded. Now before Cormyr was founded Hullocks Forest would have fallen within the borders of The Lands of the Purple Dragon and the lands won by Iliphar Nelnueve. Neither of whom are likely to allow humans to setup in their mists... [dates snippage]... Given this I can think of the following 2 options: A) Mirt has Netherese ancestors (The Netherese would probably have been powerful enough to keep Thauglorimorgorus and his dragons at bay long enough to establish Tethgard), B) Mirt has Draconic ancestors of some sort

Ed: Mirt does indeed have some Netherese ancestors (Lady Duskreene and her people). He may also have draconic ancestors that he (and we) don't yet know about (suggesting that Lady Duskreene and her people may have been under the protection of one or more dragons who were romantically linked to one or more of said people). I dare not say more at the present time [big cheesy grin].

Dargoth: What Deity do the Malaugrym worship?

Ed: None. That's the conceit of the shapeshifters: that they are above mere flawed mortality, and need not worship gods (as opposed to horse-trading with gods when necessary). Some of the younger Malaugrym revere Malaug (swearing by him, and believing his invisible soul still watches over them, judging them), and a handful of younger Malaugrym believe worshipping other deities, purely for the personal gain that their aid may provide, might be tactically wise. However, the Malaugrym are essentially godless.

Dargoth: There seems to be quite a few similarities between the stories of Malaug and the Malaugrym and Lord Shadow and Shade enclave. After reading the Shadow of the Avatar trilogy again I was begining to suspect that Malaug and the Netherils Lord Shadow may be one and the same.......

Ed: There do seem to be many similarities between Malaug and Lord Shadow, but they are just that: similarities. The two are not the same being. I, too, would love to read fiction dealing with Shade - - or for that matter, with the doings of the Malaugrym. As for the Magelords, [NDA] [second big cheesy grin].

So there you have it. Much grinning and hinting, so I used my womanly wiles (okay, I thrust my ahem, chests into Ed's face) to ask him directly if any of his evasions were due to malaugrym or Magelords featuring in SWORDS OF EVENINGSTAR, and he gave me a clear "No."

Hmmm.

Great question Eric, and nice message, Blueblade: I'll fling them Ed's way without delay!

love to all,
THO

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January 2, 2006: Hi again, fellow scribes! Ed makes reply to EvilKnight's query: "Hello Lady THO and Ed, I have had the pleasure the past few months (as part of WW DnD Day and hosting a library program) of introducing DnD and the various campaign settings to new players. I'm sure I didn't do the Forgotten Realms justice. I would like to hear what Ed would say to a group of teenagers (that know very little of DnD and the FR setting) about the Forgotten Realms. Maybe just what he would he emphasize about the realms that makes it unique."

So, heeeeere's Ed:

The Realms is a vast, very detailed world with a long and still-vigorously-unfolding history, and many, many characters. The Realms IS those characters, and if a DM doesn't present it as a vast, everchanging webwork of intrigues and clashing interests, where caravans move from A to B for good reasons, and rulers (unless mad) don't operate in a vacuum of whims but grapple with issues (the competing interests of their subjects, not just attacks from rival realms) small and large every day, the DM isn't really showing players the Realms.

Any style of gaming can be accommodated by the Realms, even the simplest dungeon-crawls or "exploring your own small village and the haunted keep on the hill," so those who play in it need not memorize huge reams of facts or have its entire bewildering complexity dumped on their heads at any time - - but unlike all of the other available published settings, the Realms has a LOT of detail available for the DM who wants to know WHY two noble families have been feuding for centuries, or who around this crowded royal council table has family or business ties or personal loves and hatreds with who else around the table, or what will happen diplomatically, as one consequence leads to another, if the PCs murder this envoy and frame a local bailiff for the killing (or the bailiff frames the PCs). In the Realms, people live 'real lives.' They need food (and usually money), they need water, they have to defecate somewhere, they usually have to obey local laws or customs (or flee to live "outlaw"), and almost all of that has been covered somewhere, in Realms fiction or DRAGON articles or Realms gaming products.

The trade routes (and winds, currents, shortages, and exports that affect them) are outlined, and a lot of Faerûnian laws and customs, slang, and even fashions have been written about: if you love detailed lore, or have a need to plunder that detail for your own gaming world or for any other purpose, it's there. This much detail isn't what all gamers want or like, but unlike most other settings, the Realms offers you a choice, because the information is there; we've done the work.

EvilKnight, I hope this helps.

So saith Ed.

Whew. More lore next time!

love to all,
THO

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January 3, 2005: Hi again, fellow scribes. I believe Eric Boyd has the original artwork for the Faiths & Avatars cover; I'll certainly pass this query to Ed, but why not ask Eric?

In the meantime, Ed replies to this from George Krashos: "I just finished the "Best of Eddie" collection. Why is it that the 'Maimed Wizard' story made me think that Elminster has been masquerading as Hesperdan for a long time? Or may even be Hesperdan? That does make things interesting - the former postulation more than the latter. Wheels within wheels, Mr Greenwood. Thanks again - for about the millionth time."

Ed speaks:

You're very, very welcome, George. As always. I salute you as a tireless Lorelord of the Realms, rescuing us all time and time again.

As to why "How Wisdom Came To The Maimed Wizard" made you think Elminster has been masquerading as Hesperdan (or may be Hesperdan)? Must be the very broad hints I wrote into it.

I'll keep to hinting rather than confirming outright, but someone dwelling in the Realms who attended certain Magefairs would insist that El and Hesperdan are two separate people (because they were seen in the same place at the same time, though not actually standing and talking together). Which of course strengthens the "masquerading as" possibility (the other weakening further when one considers how hard it would be to do all that El does and still have time to put in any appearances as Hesperdan at all: a Zhent whose survival may well be imperilled, in such an authoritarian organization, by unexplained absences). Which in turn raises the why (exactly) is Elminster adopting the guise of Hesperdan, and also HOW is he managing it (is Hesperdan in cahoots with him? Under his total domination? Can be subsumed mentally, as El "takes over" the body, due to some already-cast spell or curse or...?

We just don't know. Yet. I can let slip that Hesperdan has an important future role to play, but we may not see much of it "onstage," as it were.

Which should leave a lot of scribes going: Hmmm.

Which is as good a place as any to take my leave. :}

So saith Ed.

Slyly bailing old dog that he is.

Oh, yes: he hasn't forgotten that Gerath Hoan asked about Hesperdan, too, and hopes G - H will see from this reply that for the nonce Ed can't be more specific about the mysterious Hesperdan...

love,
THO

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January 4, 2006: Hi, all. Har, har, Krash.

Ed makes reply this time to this Wooly Rupert query: "Was the Underdark always part of the Realms, or was it something that was added later? Ditto for drow: did the Realms always have dark elves, or were they a later addition? And if dark elves in the Realms pre-dated drow, what were they like?"

Ed speaks:

The Realms always had multi-layered underground "realms atop realms," though I called them "the Realms Below" or "the Deep Realms" (the latter being a dwarven term for their kingdoms, that humans had corrupted into applying more broadly to all subterranean lands), with glowing fungi, underground glowing magical radiations (that among other things made mosses, lichens, and myconids grow with incredible speed), lava flows, convection currents (deep to near-surface and back again) among water flows, fungi that derived nutrients from the waters and cleaned them of creature dung and taints in the process... and so on. I just hadn't coined or heard of the later (TSR, Greyhawk) term "Underdark," and so didn't apply it to my underworld. (You may someday see more of my original subterranean lands concepts in a novel or novels from another publisher, BTW, though that's very much still "up in the air.")

The Realms always had subterranean-dwelling (with fortified "forward bases" on the surface, e.g. the Twisted Tower of Ashaba), evil, jaded, and sophisticated elven families - - very much akin to the Borgias or to the drow houses as we first saw them in the series of modules that were much later collected and updated as Queen of the Spiders, though mine were neither dark-skinned nor called either "drow" or "dark elves" (exception: in certain ballads that I penned circa 1970-72, they were POETICALLY referred to as "dark," meaning fell or evil rather than skin pigmentation, which I envisaged as dead-pale pearly white). My subterranean elves needed foodstuffs, wood, and textiles from the surface, and so had to trade (gems, magic [especially potions], poison antidotes derived from underground plants, fungi and potent cordials made from fermented fungi) with certain bold and unscrupulous surface-world merchants, for such needs.

I saw my elf houses (the Starym, retreated from Myth Drannor, among them) as haughty esthetes who viewed dwarves as their true foes, gnomes as degenerate dwarves, and humans, halflings, orcs, and all crossbreeds as "children" so far beneath elves in their intelligence and cultural development as to be dismissed as little better than animals able to follow instructions (hence, ideal slaves who could be collected, bred for traits, experimented upon with herbs, poisons, magic, and surgeries, hunted or used in races, fights, and other sports for amusement / entertainment / betting purposes, and so on).

As you can see, once the Code of Ethics swept away most of the nastier details of how my under-elves treated other races, all of this could easily be squared with the "official" D&D drow, when the Realms became an official TSR setting.

I eventually had great fun doing the Menzoberranzan boxed set, especially the maps and spells, and still consider Bob Salvatore's HOMELAND a "classic" fantasy novel, not just one of the best (if not THE best; I recently described Rich Baker's THE FORSAKEN HOUSE as the best-written Realms book yet, but that's not quite the same thing) Realms novel. (Please note that neither is my personal favourite; though it's hard to pick just one title for that honour, I still best love going back to Elaine's ELFSHADOW every so often.)

So saith Ed.

Until the morrow...

love to all,
THO

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January 5, 2006: Hi again, all. This time, Ed tackles this question from Pardan: "How are "monstrous" - meaning clearly nonhuman - creatures/adventurers usually treated in cities and lands across the North and the Sword Coast? Basically, I am asking for information about how "cosmopolitan" cities and people in the aforementioned regions are. What would happen if, say, a Loxo or Wemic (a creature largely unknown and perhaps not cursed with a bad reputation like certain dark elves) wandered into a town? How used to the strange and unknown are people in the realms - from the lord to Joe-Average-Commoner?"

Ed replies:

Hi, Pardan. You're very welcome; hope you enjoy the Realms for years to come! Looking at the earlier answer that Wooly Rupert kindly reposted for you, it looks like your Wild Magic queries should be answered, so let me answer your attitudes towards monsters one.

The short, flippant answer is, of course, it depends. As in: it depends on the experiences individuals the loxo or wemic meet have previously had with loxos or wemics, or what wild tales they've heard about them.

In general (and that caveat should here be raised, too: we ARE of necessity speaking in gross generalizations), folk in the realms who are on trade routes are VERY used to seeing a variety of talking, intelligent "non-human" creatures, and rural backlands folks have seen a smaller variety. Unless they see a creature they immediately identify as a foe (slavering dragon-like or other large beast that snarls or roars or looks hungry or has big jaws, or an orc or goblinkin of any kind), they will USUALLY react with careful, wary courtesy - - or "vanish" if they can (children and their mothers will scamper off and hide from, say, a lizard man or even an otherwise normal-seeming man who happens to be covered with scales). The reason for this is as follows: even if not everyone sees magic in use every day, everyone has HEARD plenty about what magic can do, and those cautionary tales tend to warn about wizards or sorcerers taking animal shapes, or being cursed into having scales or wings or glowing eyes (and as elders and mothers say: how would YOU like to be treated, if you got cursed by some spellhurler?).

The timid will run and hide, and every wary person who has or can get a weapon will get it and have it ready to use. However, innkeepers, tavernmasters, and shopkeepers of all sorts will greet and deal with the "strange" person with courtesy, trying to conduct trade with "it" without giving offense, until the moment (and of course it'll be a moment they're carefully watching for) it seems to launch an attack or begin to cast a spell. Then the stool or knife will be hurled, the crossbow will be lifted above the countertop and fired, or the cord will be pulled to release the chest of rocks from above...

"Monsters" who get into fights, or scare someone into shrieking flight, will often get "run out of town," yes, the likelihood of this happening decreasing sharply as the size of the settlement increases. Really fearful folk (as in: villagers facing a shapechanging monster, or individuals whom they believe to be a group of armed, hostile foes) will strike to kill. In larger places, the Watch or equivalent will be summoned.

Please note that "everyone" has seen or heard of elves, dwarves, gnomes, and halflings, and won't consider individuals who look like these races (or closely resemble these races) to be "strange." However, local temples may have preached sermons or issued edicts, local authorities issued decrees, or events (skirmishes, killings, rumors) in local history may have led to, attitudes sharply different in one place from another. In general: the more bustling with trade and visitors from different places that trade brings a place is, the more tolerant its folk are (Waterdeep is VERY tolerant, as are Athkatla, Scornubel, and the Sembian ports, but Silverymoon, Suzail, and Calimport - - for different reasons - - a step less so, and Arabel, Iriaebor, Elturel, and Westgate another step or grade less tolerant, intolerance increasing as one moves to smaller and more 'dangerous frontier' areas or settlements.

So saith Ed.

Who promises not to be so verbose with every single answer.

love to all,
THO

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January 6, 2005: Hi, fellow scribes. Faraer, I couldn't have put that better myself!

Ed tackles Skeptic's recent query: "Hi, I'll try this one, but I'm pretty sure that I'll hit an NDA. (little spoiler from Hunter's blade trilogy) Knowing that the Companions of the Hall (Drizzt & co) will be heading to Gauntlygrim soon and that the 1ed FR set mentions that the Knights of Myth Drannor have visited this forgotten place, maybe we could learn a little more from their experience there?"

Ed replies:

Yes, maybe we could. :}

However, the published lore about Gauntulgrym has already started to drift away from my original version, and I'm certainly not going to hand my good friend Bob Salvatore any difficulties whatsoever by penning lots of lore that might get in the way of any storytelling he may be contemplating. So, sorry, the brick wall you expected to hit is indeed standing there in front of us all. :}

So saith Ed.

Unsurprisingly. If you poke around in Ed's past writings (Wyrms of the North, et al) you will find some lore about Gauntulgrym. We Knights did visit the place, but our memories aren't particularly fond, so I'll say no more about it, too. No matter how hard anyone wheedles (though it's always good fun to see you try).

love,
THO

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January 7, 2006: Hi again, all. Ed tackles Kuje's 'quick question:' "... who that is on the cover of Faiths & Avatars? I always assumed it was Lathander.... Or maybe it's Sune? I figured that it is a deity since the other 2 companion books have images of deities on the covers."

Ed speaks:

The printout I received from Julia Martin at the time we were writing the book refers to the cover in passing, a cryptic note that can be expanded into proper English to say this:

The bones flying around in the foreground are from an anonymous skeletal undead who's just been blown asunder by a spell cast by the impressive figure standing backstage right - - who is not a deity at all, but a haughty high-ranking cleric (deity unspecified).

So there you have it. Another little detail of Realmslore from the Master himself.

love to all,
THO

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January 8, 2005: Hi, everybody. This time, Ed replies to Jamallo Kreen re. this: "Thanks to THO and Ed for the provisional answers to my many questions. They are of great importance to my campaign in its present stage. With your blessings and Alaundo's I would like to reprint some of the Realmslore which you have supplied to me in the "Files" section of the Yahoo "Waterdeep1360" group, so that my players can read the lore, too. If there is a strong demand from the sagely, I may pen a faux numismatic guide to Faerun some day. I have some small knowledge about numismatics and might find such a project amusing to myself and edifying to a loremaster or three. Mine eye was caught by a line in THO's reply vis-a-vis coin collecting. Are the upwardly mobile in Faerun collectors of "marvels" and "wonders" for "wunderkammern" as so many Renaissance nobles and scholars had?"

Ed speaks:

You're very welcome. So long as it's fine with Alaundo, it's certainly okay with me if you reprint my Realmslore replies online. I'd love to see that faux numismatic guide, though I'd warn you that there's still a lot of lore to be revealed, so you might want to go on poking me with specific questions for some time, to get more of it out of me. :}

And yes, I've revealed before in Realmslore that nobility (and merchants aspiring to be nobility) do indeed collect Marvels and Wonders. Longtime scribes: where have I done so? Both online and in print?

One more thing: I've not forgotten your music query, and will get to a reply. When my overflowing "shoulda done last year already!" platter is a little less mountainous.

So saith Ed.

Aha, a challenge! Well, not a hard one, but Ed's right in saying he first mentioned Marvels and Wonders years back, and a time or two since. Where and when, fellow scribes?

love,
THO

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January 9, 2006: Hi again, scribes. This time, Ed makes reply to Asgetrion's question: "What kind of phrasing do merchants/craftsmen use in important business contracts (such as in a "pay me an X sum of gp's and I will make three greatswords for you in three months"-type of contract).

Can you give an exact example (ahem, a whole contract ;)"

Ed speaks:

Contracts vary widely from place to place in Faerûn, thanks to local laws, temple influences, and differing social norms.

In the Dales, among Dalefolk born and bred (excepting Archendale), a handshake deal is considered to bind fast participants as solemnly as an altar-sworn pact (one of the usual ways of gaining witnesses to a deal; the other, as I've written in the past, is by using priests, sages, hedge-wizards or mage-guilds as witnesses). Hence the Dale expression "boundfast" ("There's nothing as I'd like better than to sell thee yon, sir, but I be boundfast over it, so 'tis good as gone out o' me hands already").

However, I know quite well what you're seeking, so here's the simplest form of fully formal contract:

"Before all the gods there be, this tenth day of Ches in the Year of the Prince, I, Thordran Rocklar of Daerlun, being Thorl's son and the sixth Rocklar of my name, miller by trade, and doing that business in Stonelamp Street, do bind myself and undertake to provide six rondel daggers of the finest making I can manage, like unto the sample Nasker Lorl hath examined this day, of blued steel thrice-quenched, and acceptable to him, by the first day of this Eleint. The which acceptance he will at taking of same pay me 2 golden lions of recent Cormyr minting and bright-shine condition, for each dagger. Whereof I make my mark: XXX.

I/we, XXXXX, being officers of the Crown, to whit: XXXX, do bear solemn witness that this is the mark or hand-sign of the same Thordran Rocklar.

Before all the gods there be, this tenth day of Ches in the Year of the Prince, I, Nasker Lorl, merchant of the city of Selgaunt, having business premises under the Sign of the Scimitar on Horl Street in that same city, agree to the precise agreement set forth under the hand of Thordran Rocklar above this my writing. I pledge to make the specified 2 lions each payment if the three daggers are acceptable. Whereof I make my mark: XXX."

As you can see, the "writ" consists of clauses bounded by commas; if something doesn't apply (such as witnesses), its clause can simply be omitted. Witnessing, by the way, usually involves a SMALL fee (in Cormyr, it's legally set at 2 cp: one for the Crown and one for the witness; temples and guildmasters and the like can charge more, but 2 sp would be about the maximum, split evenly between the person and the organization they represent).

Oh, and I haven't forgotten your earlier follow-up fields and boundaries questions; I'll get to 'em, promise!

So saith Ed.

Who has provided dozens of such contracts for the Knights PCs over the years - - and forced us to draw up our own a time or two, too!

love,
THO

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January 10, 2006: Hi again, all. Ed makes reply to qstor's question: "Ed, Any chance a 3.5 version of the Haunted Halls in Dungeon kinda like what Rob Kuntz has done with Erik Mona?"

Ed replies:

Hi, Mike; thanks for the good wishes! I'm afraid a 3.5e presentation of the Haunted Halls in DUNGEON is unlikely, because I'm just too busy, and if I tackle the Halls again, I want to restore it to what it was supposed to be: a 96-page-minimum campaign base: the entire village of Eveningstar, with fully-detailed feuds, family trees, and local rumours, the local temple detailed with daily prayers and rituals, all of Starwater Gorge detailed, plus the Caverns of the Claws side-dungeon, the local Zhent intrigues, and ALL of the dungeon itself described (well over half of it was missing from the published version: a lower level, lots of room descriptions, a coherent history of the place, and so on: in my pencil notes, all intelligent "monsters" had an agenda, a reason they were there in the first place, and "if the PCs do this, the monster's attitude towards them from then on will be X"). Updating all of this into 3.5e is something I don't see any time for in the next two years of my schedule (at least!), and the result would be something very useful to novice DMs but out-of-step with the current "preferred style" of DUNGEON adventures, which get through a lot more action in a lot less space.

On the other hand, if there was a huge outcry for this (including from Paizo and WotC - - who would have to give their permission), I'd eagerly plunge in and do it.

In the meantime, I have to eat, and these days, that usually means novels. :}

So saith Ed.

Who will return faithfully with more Realmslore replies, in the fullness of time.

love to all,
THO

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January 11, 2006: Hi again, fellow scribes. This time, Ed tackles Asgetrion's query: "I have a couple of questions to Ed (who will probably grow weary of my "too-much-attention-to-small-details"-attitude ;). Here we go: You have kindly responded to my questions about the Sembian walled compounds, but do they have any kind of wooden gates, or just an "opening" in the hedgerow walls for entrance? How about the moats/ditches - do they usually build bridges over them?

Then about farms and fields... how many acres of land does a typical/average Heartlands family farm? I am an urban person, so it is hard for me to grasp the concepts of medieval farming. You also wrote about "checkered-field" farms... did you mean fields separated by empty spaces/woodlots between them (and connected to each other via corners - sort of like a chessboard with "dark spaces" in between the fields) or smaller fields side by side in a roughly square-shaped area (sort of boxes within a box)? What an odd question, I know, and poorly phrased, but hopefully you understand what I am asking here ;)

Many of the Realms communities (Shadowdale, for example) also seem to have "irregularly" shaped fields... which type of farm field is more common in the Realms - the "checkered-chessboard"-type or "the irregular"-type?"

Ed replies:

No, I never weary of discussing small details of the Realms. At least, I haven't so far, in thirty-eight years. :}

Kuje and Kentinal have provided you with good direction and a good answer, respectively, so here I'll just plug up the gaps.

Yes, there are always barriers of some sort in the entry-gaps of hedgerows (in a maintained and worked farm, at least), from something as simple as fencerail bars (felled saplings) that a farmer puts into sockets in sideposts, or hauls out of those sockets, or an old rusty chain hung with scraps of waste metal to clang and clatter and scare away beasts (only where the presence of old battlefields makes such worthless-due-to-advanced-rust metal plentiful) up to stout, high, and elaborate wooden gates, some with lock-bars or even stiles. The idea is to keep deer and other crop-stealing vermin out, and keep farm animals in, so there are always barriers of some sort. (Many stand open most of the time, and see use only on certain annual occasions, such as musterings, brandings, and shearings.)

Moats and ditches are usually bridged by simple rail-less bridges, just wide enough for either people or carts and livestock to cross, made by felling three to ten trees and binding (or nailing, with crossbeams beneath) the trunks together, side to side, in a door or wall configuration, that's then laid across the moat or ditch (or halfway across, to a cairn or islet or timber crib in mid-water, from which a second such bridge spans the rest of the way). There are occasional fords, sometimes furnished with "swordblades" (in the real world, these are sometimes called "cattle-grates") of felled saplings (note: not swords at all) fixed crosswise but close together like bars, with no comfortable space between for setting down a hoof, so cows or oxen will avoid walking across this gap - - but again: yes, there's always some way across.

As for farm size: in the Heartlands, there is no meaningful "average" farming family to discuss. Most families till six acres or less, though they may own or claim far more, because woodlots are a vital part of their farming (source of firewood, poles by coppicing, etc.), and so is 'wild' grazing land ("meadows"). One works what one can manage, but starves if not enough vegetables or grains are gleaned from the land (animals are usually slaughtered when they are too old to continue producing milk or eggs or piglets or calves for sale or eating - - or on special "feast" occasions; few farm folk frequently eat the 'meat animals' they keep).

In villages, there's usually room for little more than small private vegetable gardens and a dovecote or henhouse, but in wild backlands several families (or an 'extended family' of the families of brothers and sisters) often together own, dwell on, and work a large collective farm of as much as twenty acres (again, the majority of this will consist of wild meadows, woodlots, orchards, and ponds). Fields tend to be small and irregular in shape (conforming to the contours of the land, to avoid steep slopes and gullies wherever possible, and to give room to turn teams and ploughs), and are, as Kentinal says, chequered due to crop rotation / fallow. Even when we're speaking of a long, narrow strip that seems to have a checker pattern because of different crops being grown in different sections, there will be cart-tracks separating these sections (so one COULD consider the result to be a strip of separate fields). How much land you have to work depends on how many mouths you have to feed and how much coin you must earn (to pay landlords, taxes, your living expenses, etc.). Again, Kentinal is right: "the best answer is: it depends."

So saith Ed, creator and master of the Realms.

And a handsome fellow, too.

love to all,
THO

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January 12, 2006: Well met again, fellow scribes. Asgetrion, thank you for your library efforts on Ed's behalf. Great work!

This time, Ed replies to Createvmind's questions: "Can a spellcaster duplicate a doompits effects, create a doompit elsewhere, and can a spark be moved about?" later restated as: "I was curious if a "Spark" from Magic of Faerun can be moved from one location to another or it it connected to the place it's discovered. Second question is can a "Doompit" from same source book be purposely created by a mage or combination of casters?"

As you can see, Createvmind, Kuje did post it, and Ed speaks thus:

There's no known way of moving either Sparks or Doom Pits, nor of creating them by means of spells.

The very nature of a Spark means that can NEVER be possible to deliberately create or move one, because they're spontaneously caused by resonances in the Weave 'grounding' to a certain spot, in a rare, thus-far-unknown manner.

Mystra will personally counter any attempts to disrupt the Weave enough to shift its resonances. Working magic of any sort on a Spark to try to move it will either destroy the Spark by changing local conditions of the Weave sufficiently, or destroy it by succeeding in shifting it away from its causal grounding, so that it collapses.

Mystra (and her servitors of all sorts, from Azuth through the Chosen to spectral spirits) frown upon and try to stop all such experimentations with Sparks (they see it as attacking the Weave, regardless of the motives of the experimentor), and this often visits fatal or violently transformative results for experimentors [once changed to a rock, a spellcaster has a hard time continuing to work magic].

In theory, once similar - - and similarly dangerous! - - experiments have resulted in spellcasters achieving understanding of the nature of Doom Pits and crafting the right spells to create and control one, it may some day become possible to create a particular sort of Doom Pit (just one of the effects, from Sleep through Maze, listed in the table on page 44 of MAGIC OF FAERUN). There have been no signs of any spellcaster succeeding at such endeavours yet, but that doesn't mean secretive attempts aren't underway.

Please note that there are already exceptions to these prohibitions: Mystra and Azuth can both create Sparks and Doom Pits at will (and at very short range, so it follows that any mortal spellcasters who manage to create Doom Pits will only be able to manage to do so at very short range). However, they largely see no need for doing so, although they may inform mortals of the whereabouts of Sparks as a sort of reward to boost what the mortals can accomplish.

In theory, a Chosen of Mystra possessing a sufficient amount of Mystra's divine power (such as Elminster did, during the events chronicled in my 1995 novel SHADOWS OF DOOM) could also create a Spark or a Doom Pit - - IF they knew how. However, they don't, and the disapproval towards experimenting to find out 'goes double' for them.

So saith Ed, the very model of a personage high-magical (whose eminence increases in a manner scatological)

... and so on.

love to all,
THO

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January 13, 2006: Hi, all.

Dargoth, before I hand your latest on to Ed, "richest" how?

Most loved? Most influential? Owner of the most land and hard assets? Possessor of the most coins? Gems? Raw ore, as yet unmined? Human, demi-human, and humanoid races only? Or dragons and giants, long-existing liches, et al included?

Ed answers Jamallo Kreen's August question: "Apropos of the Seven Sisters thread, Ed, can you you cite a particular instance in which a potted plant is definitely known to be godspawn - - if that information isn't NDA, that is. ;)"

Ed replies:

No, this time I can give those dreaded NDAs the slip, and nimbly prance forth to tell you: although this has hitherto been one of the gravest secrets of their churches (still unknown to most priests of either faith, who will dismiss word of it as pure fabrication or deliberate heresy), both Eldath and Silvanus have spawned spare bodies for themselves in the form of various plants that remain small, exquisitely-shaped, never-dying (no matter how abused or neglected) specimens unless or until either deity sees the need for a new avatar-body in Faerûn - - whereupon they manifest within the plants, able to see, speak, cast spells, and so on normally as the plant swiftly expands in size and grows human-like limbs.

At any given time, either deity will have over forty of these 'proto-bodies' waiting, all over Faerûn, and some of them may well be found and "harvested" for houseplant use thanks to their superb appearances and vigor. They may never see divine use, and possession of them gives a being no power over, or direct link to, the deities at all - - but the deities can sense what happens to each of these plants, and can travel into any of them at will, either perceiving, speaking, and casting spells through it (which need not affect its appearance at all), or actually possessing it (which will cause it to grow and transform).

So PCs beware: while leaning over your potted plants, don't murmur any curses against Eldath or Silvanus - - or you may taste retribution.

And you thought I was joking, didn't you? :}

So saith Ed.

So Hearken, All: Ye Have Been Warned.

Ed adds that he hasn't forgotten the second question you asked - - or rather, revised - - that day, Jamallo Kreen (about the music of Ivy Mansion), and will make reply when he gets to it.

love,
THO

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January 14, 2006: Hello again, all. This time out, Ed tackles Eric Boyd's New Years question: "What one bit of Realmslore or one story do you wish someone had asked you to relate?"

Ed speaks:

Hi, Eric! And happy very belated New Year back to you! (And to all who wished me thus.) As usual, you've handed me a toughie. The longest-standing answer has to be: I wish TSR had asked me to write endless novels of the adventurous life of Mirt, progressing from his early days to his Conan-like exploits with Durnan to his mercenary career to his present wheezing old rogue days. I STILL want a chance to write at least one Mirt novel. Dang it.

But then, I wish I'd been asked to do a long series of Knights of Myth Drannor novels (at least a dozen), so I could have explored their lives properly. I'm getting a "sort of" chance to do that now; scribes will understand that comment better by the time the third book is published.

As for the Realmslore: in general, I wish there had been a chance to explore, at length in print, what products get produced where, and all the trade routes, flows of goods, currents and prevailing winds, major underground and portal transportation routes... all of that.

Perhaps I can address all of these deficiencies, in time. However, I'm not getting any younger. :}

So saith Ed.

No surprises for me here, but a good solid answer that I hope the folks at WotC read and heed. Well.

love to all,
THO

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January 15, 2006: Hello again, everyone. This time, Ed makes swift reply re. the Latin question (egads, sounds like international geopolitics: "Tensions over The Latin Question deepened today when..."):

George, Jamallo Kreen, and all:

To save you looking up the Latin, the two opening quotations from ELMINSTER IN HELL in that tongue are as follows:

"confutatis maledictus, flammis acribus addictus" is from Mozart's Requiem, and translates as "The damned and accursed are convicted to the flames of Hell."

"etiam sanato vulnere cicatrix manet" translates as "Even when the wound has healed, the scar remains."

So saith Ed, who adds that "pertinent to the tale" Latin epigrams decorate most of his Realms novels, awaiting the unwary.

love to all,
THO

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January 16, 2006: Hi again, all. Ed replies to these queries from Firhyanda: "Assuming that the star elves were to return to the Yuirwood en masse from their extradimensional exile, what would the reaction of the Aglarondan people and / or The Simbul be to such an event? Can you imagine any set of circumstances that would cause the star elves to annex Wizards' Reach in the name of Aglarond kicking out the Red Wizards? How inclined would star elf society be to oppose slavery and / or the Red Wizards on moral grounds? How well did magic lore survive the exile of the star elves? Do they still have the ability to do high magic and are they inclined to? Thank you so much for the Realms, Mr. Greenwood."

Ed speaks:

Firhyanda, you're very welcome (though "Mr. Greenwood" is still my dad; I'm "Ed" :} ), and I hope you enjoy our shared playground for years to come. As for your questions (wince), I hope you'll appreciate that NDAs prevent me from answering any of them too closely, theoretical or not. So with that said, here we go...

The reaction of The Simbul and the folk of Aglarond to any mass return of the star elves would of course chiefly depend on the behaviour of the star elves.

Assuming the elves weren't openly hostile, it would one of (cautious) welcome, hoping the star elves would 'cleanse' the Yuirwood by inhabiting it and governing it, eliminating prowling monsters and preventing Thayan spying and creeping expansion.

I could indeed envisage the Wizards' Reach being taken over by the star elves, who would immediately begin to "re-green" it, eliminate the worst monsters, pirates, brigands, and Thayans. This would occur because the star elves would want the space to expand into, and freedom from having Red Wizards on their doorsteps, not as part of officially allying with Aglarond (The Simbul would do her best to steer any hotheads among the folk of Aglarond from treating or speaking of the star elves as Aglarondan subjects at all, trying to establish the star elves as friendly independent allies and ignore the traditional claims of Aglarond to rulership of the Yuirwood).

Of course, all of this depends on the star elves not making war on Aglarond. If they were foolish enough to do so, they would wreck the human kingdom, but pay a huge price in doing so (thanks to The Simbul and all the arcane aid she could call on) - - and the Red Wizards would gleefully pounce on the weakened remnant and seize the entire peninsula.

Star elf society would oppose the Red Wizards out of disgust at the brutalization of the land (every bit of it put to agricultural or industrial use, remember?) the Thayans practice, the Red Wizards' use of magic to dominate and oppress, and out of fear of being taken as slaves and worked to death or mind-reamed for their magical knowledge. They might or might not justify this on moral grounds (I don't know, but strongly suspect they would dress up the reasons I've just listed in a "These Red Wizards are an abomination that must be shattered and swept away before all Faerûn is despoiled" guise).

I also don't know how star elven magic (and the remembered lore and history of magic) has developed during their 'time away.' They DO retain powerful magic, but whether it's "high magic plus" or twisted into something different is an open question at the moment; to some extent, high magic depends on being rooted in the land in which its practitioners dwell.

This all boils down to this: the morals, attitudes, social organization, and precise magical powers of the star elves remain largely mysterious, though we can safely assume they'll be different from other elves, and will be magically powerful. As to all specifics: we'll just have to wait and see.

So saith Ed, master of Realmslore.

Who often spends hours at GenCons and with we Knights happily discussing "Realms what ifs" just like these, over mugs of hot soup, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, or cider (Bailey's for me, thank you). Think I'll get out a mug now in celebration: here's to you all!

love,
THO

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January 17, 2006: Hi, all. Hoo-boy, Karth, THAT'S a Realmslore question! (I'll send it off to Ed straightaway.)

In a recent reply to Dhomal, I posted: "Maztica was not in Ed's original Realms, but flying ships (elven defenses of Evermeet, plus a 'flying Dutchman' style ever-sailing-the-air-haunted-vessel) were" and Wooly Rupert promptly pounced on this one, asking to know more.

Ed obliges:

Ah, yes. Our Lovely Lady Hooded was speaking of "The Lost Ship," a skyship (yes, George Krashos was right, Wooly; he almost always is!) as described in that long-ago DRAGON article, that just MIGHT be described in a forthcoming Realmslore column or two on the Wizards website. Watch for it!

So saith Ed, tireless spinner of Realmslore.

love to all,
THO

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January 18, 2006: Hi, all. A few notes from me:

Firhyanda, thank you. I'll try that, and let you know who takes advantage of mXXX ahem, what happens.

Skeptic, I recall several references re. the Roaring Dragon House, but I can't find your original question. Consider it removed, in any case. Verghityax, your Iriaebor locations question remains under NDA. Sorry. Ed will provide lore pronto when he can, but the time is not yet.

Beirnadri Magranth, if you can e-mail the essay, send it to: (Kuje's Note: I removed the email address.) (the account of a friend of mine, from whom I'll snatch it up and flip it along to Ed). If you're talking a paper hard copy, Andrew, I can dig up a WotC mailing address that will EVENTUALLY get it to Ed. Let me know, okay?

And now 'tis time for Ed to speak, this time in response to this from Kuje: "I've been reading a Mesopotamian mythology book and came across An, who is a creator deity that sounds a lot like Ao. Also there's mention of the tablets of fate from this mythology.

"An (Sumerian) A primordial sky-god, regarded as the creator of the world and progenitor or ancestor of all the Gods who followed Him. His attributes are obscure and his rulership of the heavens is vague and ill-defined; He seems to have been a distant figure without much immediate impact on the human world."

So Ed,

Is that where TSR got the idea for Ao, the tablets of fate, and the like for the ToT's?.... or you have no idea. If not, where did they come up with Ao? A lot of people believe that his name is based off of Alpha and Omega, but that seems off to me."

Ed replies:

I have no idea where TSR got the idea for Ao or the tablets, for that matter (tablets bestowed by the gods and having inherent power appear in many religions). I have heard the Alpha and Omega theory before, yes, but this seems to me more likely; bear in mind that I'd heard of An from my readings, and I know (from poking around in it) that the TSR library had several world mythology and ancient gods "encyclopedias," so it's hardly surprising that someone might have found this and "borrowed" it for the ToT. However, this is pure speculation on my part; as I said, I have never heard where Ao came from (even hints), other than obviously both Troy Denning (who wrote the third Avatar novel) and Jim Lowder (who edited the Avatar novel trilogy) must have been involved.

So saith Ed.

Who'll return with more Realmslore on the morrow.

love to all,
THO

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On January 18, 2006 THO said: No, Elturel is under NDA for comics and computer games purposes (outside license), and Iriaebor is under NDA for different computer games purposes and for novel purposes.

Note that I whispered that, and was never here at all to tell you anything about it.

love,
THO

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January 19, 2006: Ahem. EXACTLY.

Hello, all.

From time to time Ed does some swift housekeeping re. replies, so here we go:

To Pardan, Ed saith:

Hey, you're welcome. Ask me questions anytime. In fact, asking early is good, because as the questions pile up it's taking me longer and longer to answer. :}

To Scarabeus and to Dargoth, Ed makes reply:

No, all three SPELLFIRE dracoliches were created by me before I wrote the book; the third was dragged in after the editor asked me to add in the last dracolich battle. I had to do all the writing on SPELLFIRE, just not all the rewriting. Faraer is quite correct in his answer to you. I'd put it this way: because of wholesale changes in Book Department personnel from when I was asked to write the book (and among other things introduce a huge cast of FR characters, "everyone you think is important who can conceivably be dragged in to your story; don't worry about word count, you can make it as long as you please," so other writers could pick up and use those characters in later books), there was a lot of miscommunication and changes. My original novel was way too long, and two-thirds of it got cut. It was picaresque, with authorial asides and many a soliloquy (mocking commentary) to the reader, and every time a guard or monster got killed, I delved into their life and aspirations so their death would have some impact. All of this was swept away, including the dark horrors ("darkenbeasts") scene that references to remained in the text, although the worst cuts, in my opinion, were the entire Malaugrym scenes; taking them out made it seem as if Elminster and the Knights heartlessly abandoned Narm and Shandril halfway through the book.

When I redid the book, I was told it couldn't be a word longer: for every word I added, one had to come out. I did that, sweating blood to put back in as much Malaugrym stuff as I could. And then, when everything was done, the book was editorially shortened to make it thousands of words shorter to match the (shorter) length of line paperback books WotC was then publishing. Grrr. If people would just stick to what they promise and agree on, the world would be a better place.

As for your bonus question: no, I don't have a new house, I have the old one doubled in size. Which is to say the original basement remains the low-ceilinged horror that it's always been (except that the furnace and oil tanks were replaced, and a lot of old lead piping cut away and discarded, the glowing mold-covered long-dead spiders skeletally clinging to those pipes going with them). However, I'm typing this at my homebuilt (with some help from IKEA, who sold me a desktop slab) computer desk, while sitting in the "new" half of the basement, in my brand-new dungeXXX study, surrounded by about 14,000 of my 80,000-plus books, so I'm fairly happy. Yet still unable to take the time to hunt down and find a lot of my Realmslore. So Dargoth's right (and I WILL get to your dracolich question, Mister D) in reckoning that part of my basement (the old part) looks like the warehouse at the end of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK - - squished down to a five-foot-high ceiling size, of course. :}

So saith Ed.

Who will return with more Realmslore with his usual enthusiasm, on the morrow.

love to all,
THO

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January 20, 2006: Hi again, fellow scribes.

I'm sure Ed won't mind about the pictures, George (or do you prefer Krash?). The volunteer help on turning stuff out in the basement, though, might perturb Ed a bit. Some of those spiders are his FRIENDS.

Speaking of whom (Ed, I mean), this time out, Ed replies to Vangelor's question: "It is implied that the forest of Cormanthor was chosen as the meeting place for what came to be called the Elven Court after the 4th Crown War because none of the embattled peoples lived there, or anywhere closer than (at nearest) the Chondalwood.

Does this mean that there were no elven settlements in the great forest before that time? I ask because I'd like to site a small, isolationist, pre-Crown Wars green elf enclave in its ages-old decaying mythal somewhere under Cormanthor's eaves, with the notion being that while the delegates to the original Elven Court may have believed the forest to be "undiscovered country" it was already home to this sylvan people, who wanted nothing better than not to become entangled in the building of kingdoms, much less in the horrific kinslaying that came of it. So is Cormanthor big enough (and long-settled enough) to accommodate a "lost mythal"? Or am I better off putting it elsewhere?"

Ed speaks:

There were indeed elven settlements in the forest before that time, and sitting a green elf enclave is the "best" (in terms of matching logic and Realmslore) sort of enclave to place there. Cormanthor is indeed large and long-settled enough to accommodate a "lost mythal." As to putting it elsewhere: remember that at the time of the fourth Crown War, far more of Faerûn was covered by forests, so any place remote from substantial current human habitation, or "unexpected" (e.g. a now-sunken land, so the mythal remains floating above what is now ocean, or a now-inundated locale, so the mythal and its city are now buried under tones of rock from a long-ago landslide) to folk in the Realms today, could host a "lost" mythal. Whatever best suits your campaign. (The latter choice I outlined can more easily be squared with future Realmslore, because it's unlikely WotC is going to raise land up out of the ocean, say, just where you've put your mythal. But then again... :})

So saith Ed.

Unmatched tease that he is.

love to all,
THO

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On January 20, 2006 THO said: Just to confirm: yes, Ed has written this article (at Erik's request), and turned it in. Those who recall the later installments in the saga know that Dalamar disappeared, and a female apprentice of Mordenkainen, who was going to search for him, ended up being the third mage at the get-togethers. So she is in this one, which features the usual banter, depletion of Ed's viands and drinkables, and new spells.

love to all,
THO

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January 21, 2006: Hello, all. Intriguing question, Firhyanda. Off to Ed it goes.

This time, Ed's reply is to Dargoth, re. "A question about the fates of the 3 Dracoliches that Shandril slew in Spellfire:... Shandril vanquishes 3 dracoliches (Rauglothgor, Aghazstamn, and Shargrailar), however dracoliches of course aren't truly dead until their Phylacteries are destroyed. While Rauglothgor's Phylactery was probably destroyed by the Balhiir (which would have finished him off), Aghazstamn and Shargrailar would have retreated to their respective Phylacteries when their bodies died. Have either Aghazstamn and Shargrailar returned from the dead by possessing a dragon's body? (It has been 10-15 years since they "died.") Also, can you provide any info on the 3 Dracoliches' history? Thanks in advance."

Ed speaks:

Dracolich phylacteries are almost always gems of very large size (too heavy and bulky for a human to easily lift), encased in decorative metal cages to keep them from being shattered, cracked, or chipped in handling, and to discourage plundering adventurers from ever thinking about "just smashing this really big stone that we can't carry or get out through the doorway, and taking the chips to cut many smaller ones from, and make all our fortunes, lads!" They're usually fashioned in this manner because to have any hope at all of a dracolich ever being able to find a "new" dead dragon body within range, the phylactery must be located within the hoard-pile it lies upon (so a dragon will seize and claim the phylactery along with the rest of the riches).

This was the case for all three dracoliches featured in SPELLFIRE. Rauglothgor's phylactery was indeed present in its cavern, and the balhiir did indeed destroy it. Neither Aghazstamn nor Shargrailar the Dark have yet reappeared in the Realms, but their phylacteries survive, so they could quite possibly do so. As for the histories of the three, I'll be happy to provide career outlines for the trio here, but I'm afraid that topic lies under NDA right now). Which is quite a strong hint in and of itself, yes? :}

So saith Ed.

Who is as cunning a rogue as always, I see. (twinkle)

love to all,
THO

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January 22, 2006: Hi again, fellow scribes. This time, Ed makes reply to Milith holder of HB8, regarding Shar and the Shadow Weave:

As Wooly Rupert said, Shar controls the Shadow Weave... "and it's composed of shadows within the proper Weave." Which means that if any being attempted to wrest control of the Shadow Weave from Shar, they'd have to fight and defeat Shar - - and immediately (in whatever weakened condition they were in) face attack from Mystra, Azuth, and Mystra's Chosen (all of them seeking to defend the Weave by preventing any new power gaining control over the Shadow Weave), aided and abetted by any other deity who felt like upholding the stability of Toril (in other words, any lawfully-aligned greater deity, and any nature deity, who would act either to stay on top in the current power structure, or against chaos and resulting natural destruction). Which is a polite way of saying your Godling hasn't a chance.

As a DM, I'd doubt the Godling could achieve any result better than being duped into thinking he'd (or she'd) emerged victorious over Shar, when in fact Shar had totally subsumed the Godling, transforming him or her into a servitor.

As I said, that's the best possible result. More likely, of course, would be instant destruction.

Given the nature of Shar as I see her (and I *did* create her, way back when), I'd say no being, divine or otherwise, could even concentrate on the Shadow Weave (let alone "reach out for it" or try to even practice any attempt at trying to achieve control over it, without coming to Shar's attention. Which would inevitably mean, through the Shadow Weave, that your Godling's INTENT would become clear to Shar... and then you might not have a choice about fighting her. In other words, no, you couldn't just take the Shadow Weave "from under her nose without a fight." Shar is one of the most powerful, subtle, patient, and street-smart of all the greater deities; if you really must go after a greater deity, I'd try an insane one, like Cyric. It's still playing with (stellar, chain-reaction) fire, but at least the deity's insanity gives you a shred of a chance.

So saith Ed.

Whew. Well, Milith holder of HB8, it's your character's funeral, as the saying goes.

More Realmslore next time, all.

Love,
THO

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January 23, 2006: Hello, all. Ed e-mailed me this for Dargoth (re: "This particular NDA wouldn't happen to expire in say August 2006 would it?"):

"No."

So there you go.

In more substantial news, Ed makes VERY swift reply (which makes me guess he was at work on something that touches on this topic, though I really have no idea what) to Feanor, who posted: "Greetings. A question for Ed : - which would be the best swordsmen in the Realms ?"

Heeeere's Ed:

Well, now. "Swordsmen" you say, so I'm going to narrow my reply down to: male living (not dead or undead) humans.

I'm going to further qualify my reply by saying that among the most skilled masters of bladework, "best" becomes a matter of opinion regarding style, and the average observer can't identify (let alone properly interpret) most subtle differences because they're either dead too quickly, or too dazzled by things that happen too swiftly for them to see properly and too deftly for them to measure or grasp the implications of (matters of shifting a foe just a little off balance, or forcing a movement in stance or location, that will lead to a killing stroke three or four maneuvers later).

Moreover, "best" is a steadily shifting title, even when one sets aside divine and magical meddling, because (as with real-world tennis) youthful speed and acrobatic suppleness, plus freedom from injuries and the slowing and crippling effects of aging (on, say, the human knee), must always be balanced against the experience gained in duel after duel after battle: young swordsmen are always rising to the fore, but only step into the ranks of the "best" when those more expert through real-life practice grow too slow to defeat the most skilled younglings (or the younglings overcome their inexperience).

I'm also going to restrict myself purely to matters of bladework, in a one-on-one fight in surroundings that favor neither combatant. In other words, I'm minimizing "street smarts" or dirty fighting or the adventurers' experience in exploiting traction, lighting, obstacles, distractions, and all of that: factors that seasoned adventurers (like Durnan of Waterdeep) can use to defeat foes who might be a shade faster or a whit better in pure bladework. This will work against Artemis Entreri, for example, but also against a host of other adventurers whom I won't even mention in this reply, but who might otherwise show up in my answer.

(Personally, I'd rather not do any "best of" rankings, because I think they're subjective, snapshots of moments in time that are dated even as they're made, and a bit pointless. Even in pure-skill tournaments, upsets occur, and if a DM wants to create an unknown who's better than the individuals mentioned here, go right ahead.)

However, I probably possess the best overview of the entire tapestry of the Realms of anyone (though not all that far ahead of, say, Messrs. Boyd and Krashos, closely followed by Schend, Hunter, and Grubb), and can speak from that strength - - not being limited, for instance, by published Realmslore.

So you're really going to have to trust me here, when I say that the best bladesman in the Realms right now (1375 DR) is: Harmel Artru, a darkly handsome, agile, glib-tongued and lady-charming merchant seacaptain (and sometime pirate), who sails The Winsome Lady independent caravel out of Saerloon (and a secret base somewhere in the Pirate Isles).

Only a whisker-width behind Artru is Loaros Hammarandar, a broad-shouldered, grim giant of a man who can hurl his prodigious strength and bulk around like an acrobat, and is an ever-wary-of-treachery mercenary warmaster currently under hire by Narubel, who commands "the Swift Sword" cavalry force used to quell bandits and unrest in that city and its surrounding farms (and dedicates himself to quietly eliminating all threats to the current rulership, prosperity, and status quo in Narubel).

Close behind Artru and Hammarandar are Skoalam Marlgrask and then Sraece Telthorn.

Skoalam Marlgrask is a professional duelist who travels Chessenta as the champion of whomever sponsors him in duels, making huge sums (because everyone locally knows he's "the best" in duels, and so tries to outbid opponents seeking to hire his services) that are usually paid in gems and used by Marlgrask to immediately buy property, notably an ever-expanding string of inns and taverns. Marlgrask is polite, saturnine, nondescript of looks but quietly luxurious of dress, and seems able to sense danger (crossbow snipers, for instance) before it can reach out for him. He's known to be resistant to many natural poisons (having learned this the hard way), but now takes great care regarding what he eats and drinks (hence his purchase of many inns and taverns).

Sraece Telthorn is a smallish, agile, almost feminine man who can dance, tumble, balance, and spring with a skill and precision matched only by the greatest acrobats (once leaping off a parapet to land perfectly balanced on a sloping, protruding flagstaff far below, for instance, and often springing over the slashing swords of opponents). He teaches "swordplay" (fencing) in Yhaunn and Waterdeep, and is believed to travel between the two by means of secret portals of unknown origin and location. Telthorn lives simply, is unambitious (avoiding power and important patrons, and giving much of his coins away), and is beloved by many pleasure-lasses of Waterdeep, who regard him as a kind friend or honorary brother as well as a frequent client.

I'd put the infamous Artemis Entreri after Telthorn, though I could be persuaded to rank two other male human bladesmen between them: Ulmaer Rivrymm of Sheirtalar (a smiling, wax-mustached man of good nature but lightning-swift reflexes and keen sight, who is personal bodyguard to the Overking of Lapaliiya, and can juggle scimitars to entertain), and Aka 'the Questmaster' (the mysterious sponsor and trainer of adventurers) who dwells, these days, in the wilderlands of the Sword Coast North.

If I widen my reply to include human females, two must be inserted: Ember Tsartaera between Hammarandar and Marlgrask, and Lyaunthra Aldegal between Marlgrask and Telthorn.

Ember Tsartaera is the tall, cool of manner and sparing of words Knight of Arms (weaponsmaster, or trainer of bodyguards and soldiers) to Lord Albin, ruler of Furthinghome in Aglarond, where she dwells. Ember dresses plainly, lives in spartan surroundings, and is always under iron self-control, keeping to herself and crafting masterwork swords when she's not practising using them or training others to do so; she never raises her voice (though she can be coldly, cuttingly firm), is always alert and anticipating trouble, and has an acrobatic fighting style; she's famous in Furthinghome for catching hurled daggers and arrows in flight.

Lyaunthra Aldegal has recently settled in Waterdeep, though she still retains homes in her three previous bases: Silverymoon, Neverwinter, and Secomber. "The Lioness" is a superb maker of bladed weapons and tools (who learned her skills from her now-dead parents), who can resharpen and balance almost any fragment of a mistreated item. She owns and travels between small weapon shops in Waterdeep, Silverymoon, Neverwinter, and Secomber, and specializes in finding just the right weapon for a client, and in weapons-training and -practising with select clients. Known to have ironguard protection afforded by a wearable item (a choker or anklet, most believe), she's also known to be able to withstand great pain, once (in the days before her ironguard protection) slaying a killer who'd put his blade through her hilt-deep, and then (despite being hit by both acid and fire magics) staggering through four rooms to get healing potions, managing to drink them and pluck forth his blade without passing out. Aldegal is a fire-haired, rugged-looking woman who takes numerous lovers, arrives and departs quietly and unexpectedly, and is seldom to be found where one expects to find her.

Quite a roster.

If I now widen my reply further, to include elves, half-elves, dwarves, halflings, and gnomes (note that I'm still excluding shapechanging races and multi-armed intelligent "monsters"), I'd put Maethrammar Aerasume between Artru and Hammarandar, and Drizzt Do'Urden JUST behind Marlgrask.

However, ask me this a year from now (Realms time), and - - even if there haven't been fatalities - - these rankings may have shifted around quite a bit. As I said, among individuals of this skill, determinations are whisker-thin.

So saith Ed.

Whew. Warned you, didn't I? What Ed and all of we original players share when reading or listening to debates about "bests" and most this or that of the Realms is that there's so much as-yet-unpublished Realmslore about this everchanging world that Ed crafted and continues to detail and expand, right alongside other writers (so the argument that "well, we can't go by Ed's original, we can only discuss the published Realms, that's diverged so much from his original" goes right out the window). I happen to agree with Ed that rating "best" bladesmen is a bit pointless because it's so subjective, changes so fast, and has such little practical roleplaying value - - but I fully understand Feanor's curiosity in wanting to know. It's a longing to know and understand the Realms more fully that we all share.

And I hope we will always continue to do so!

love to all,
THO

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January 23, 2006: Hello again, fellow scribes of the Realms. This time, Ed makes (the first part of his) reply to Karth's queries: "... I am here with the need to know what a person cornered in a tavern/nightclub privy in the heartlands - Marsember, The Masked Merfolk, if we must be specific - would find ready at hand. Realms equivalent of toilet paper? What is the Realms equivalent of toilet paper anyhow, and how would it be stored/dispensed? A cupboard with cleaning gear and supplies? Some variation on a bidet? A small plate of gravy? Think: MacGyver (or THO herself, apparently) in a Realms privy. Also, what stops various deadly slimes/oozes from crawling up the average privy plumbing from the sewers beneath and turning an urgent visit into a sudden grave for various unsuspecting folk?"

Ed speaks:

I could, of course, go on for pages on the specifics of these related topics, but I'll try to be brief. Toilet facilities across the Realms vary, from plain "seat with hole over pit" (some caravans carry along portable fold-flat wooden benches with hole-seats; folk who "need to go" tramp away behind cover, with folded bench under arm, and unfold it on any more-or-less level ground to "do their business;" many less equipped rural Realms inhabitants simply shuck clothing and squat) to the more elaborate outhouses and city facilities.

Aboard ships, chamberpots - - emptied by being let down into the water and "trailed along," and then scrubbed with "swab-sticks" if need be - - are used (for seasickness as well as elimination), and there are "thunderchutes" in the overhanging cabins, or out on spars shrouded in tents of sails, for defecation directly down into the waves.

In city buildings, most toilet facilities consist of under-bed (or -inside chair, or inside-handy-cupboard) chamberpots. After use, these get emptied (and then rinsed out with jugs of water, and "swab-sticks") into covered nightsoil buckets for dumping into cesspools, or into street wagons to be taken away. The grandest homes have "sluice-privies" (go into a closet-like room or into a curtained-off corner, sit on a permanently-emplaced seat, and flush when done by pouring jugs of water down the hole, perhaps sprinkling some flower-petal-scented water about to quell odours), though these facilities may be called anything from "jakes" to "garderobes." In warm-clime cities, pull-chains may bring wash or flushing water down from roof cisterns.

As for the wiping of the behind, we have everything from "hand and sand on the riverbank" (or creekbank) to the "skid your bum along in the snow" practiced in rural areas, right up to elaborate scented brown "thareea" (wiping cloths).

Generally, in the wild away from handy water or snow, certain fresh-plucked green leaves are used (those that don't have spines, cause skin reactions, or disintegrate in use), and the most popular leaves in the Heartlands are thallow leaves (think: really tough, almost rubbery green rhubarb leaves), which are large and so tough they can even be rinsed clean and re-used (if carried along in a pack or on a wagon, they dry up and shrivel into ragile uselessness in about three days). Smaller and less long-lived (but more plentiful) alternatives are the leaves of the arch-head and the yahllavur-fern; other regions of Faerûn have their own equivalents. "Skid your bum along the moss" is one alternative, but to avoid painful itching or worse, one must be careful just what moss.

Typical inn and tavern privies will only have stacks of leaves (kept in covered wooden buckets to maintain the damp and therefore keep them usable longer) if close to fairly safe large wooded areas and having plentiful labour (children) available for gathering.

Most inns and taverns have "garl-sticks" or thareea. "Garl-sticks" are smooth, stout, usually slightly curved sticks whose lower ends are wrapped in old scraps of cloth (sometimes tacked on, but usually the stick is slit in several places and the ends of the cloth are firmly seated in these clefts before the rest of the cloth is wound tightly around and around the stick). Garl-sticks "live" (cloth ends submerged, handles standing free) in buckets of red-wine vinegar, with another bucket of scented mintwater (or a sink with a pump, if well-water is plentiful enough) lashed in place beside it.

The user defecates, then takes the stick out of the vinegar, dips it in the mintwater to "cut" the vinegar, uses the stick to wipe their bum throughly, and then plunges it back into the vinegar for the next person. The wet but clean behind is dried on a "long-roll" (a bum-height shelf, all around the room, over the edge of which old cloth scraps have been tacked, and against which folk rub themselves; soiling a long-roll is the insulting height of boorishness), the clothes are restored to position (I covered Faerûnian undergarments in this thread two years back, I believe), and the relieved individual departs.

Thareea are almost always deep brown in hue, so as not to "boldly show forth" human excrement, and range from rough old scraps to washed-after-every-use, scented fineweave linens, depending on whose facilities you're using, and either discarded after a single use, down a (dedicated to this purpose only) laundry-chute into a metal-lined cellar basin, for some poor servant to wash (in most palaces and noble mansions), or stacked on a handy stone (marble or polished granite) or tile counter inset with metal sinks and lined with rows of scented "cleaning waters," for washing them clean after a use (there will be a broad drying rail to hang them on).

By contrast, a typical person dwelling alone in the countryside somewhere in the Heartlands will have an outhouse (a shovel of earth after every use keeps the flies and smell down, and the privy gets moved when the hole fills up), with a single seat-over-the-pit, two wooden buckets (or stout earthen jars set into hole-frames to keep them from being spilled or broken), and some hanging pegs. Most of the pegs are left vacant, for hanging cloaks and perhaps a lantern at night, but one will have the "guest yarhand" (a bum-scrubbing sponge for guests) hanging from it, dry and clean. One bucket will be full of water, for cleaning hands and the guest yarhand. The other bucket will be full of vinegar (usually soured wine), in which is soaking the owner's personal yarhand, awaiting its next use. Yes, defecating involves a stinging behind - - but everyone's used to that, from childhood.

There are other variants in various corners of the Realms, but that generally covers the subject.

So saith Ed.

Who will return on the morrow with the second part of his reply. Hmm, election time here in Canada, and fittingly, we're talking about hurling excrement around.

love to all,
THO

January 25, 2006: Hi again, all. Ed continues his reply to Karth re. toilet matters, to whit:

As for The Masked Merfolk, specifically: servants (young lads and lasses sitting on ready-seats in the right locations, behind translucent curtains) know from observation when patrons are using the various facilities (there are gender-specific "mercy halls" [privies] on each floor, adjacent to the main stair).

After anyone exits, a servant works a foot-treadle pump that "jets" water from an overhead seawater cistern (the reeking harbour water is treated with strong perfumes in every cistern) down the sculpted-stone sloping trough (a narrow but smooth-bottomed channel) that underlies every row of sitting-stalls. The urinal "golden holes"-in-the-wall at the high end of the slope provide another rinsing stream, and from time to time the servants pop in, between guests, to smell; they have handy cupboards with buckets of powdered lime and scrubbing-sticks they can thrust down the holes to do more thorough cleaning. Excrement is sluiced out of the privies down pipes into the cellar, where the pipe takes it into the open hatch of a tank on a little barge (one of two such barges) floating in its own little slip in the cellar, walled off from the rest of the covered-over "undercanal" that services businesses all up and down that street with its own barred and chained doors. When the tank nears full, very late at night (or, if you prefer, early in the morning), a bell is rung in every mercy hall, the relevant servant closes the hall, the cellar doors are opened, and the full-tank barge is poled out. The other barge is moored in its place (and the mercy halls above re-open for business), the full barge is poled through the undercanals out into the harbor and lashed to other barges (the "stinkboats"), and then towed well out to sea AWAY from where the prevailing currents and winds would bring it back into the city, and barge after barge is overturned (by means of handles in their sides and long reaching-hooks) and dumped. In severe winter weather and in storms, the stinkboat fleet simply gathers in the center of the harbor, growing larger as more and more barges join it; Marsember's harbour never truly freezes thanks to the warmth of all the people, their activities, and the underwater rottings their presence and filth causes. The next evening, the emptied barge is brought back, the mercy halls close again, the two barges are swapped so the newly-emptied one is waiting 'above' the now-filling one, and so the process continues, in the Merfolk and in many, many other places in Marsember (poorer abodes and establishments are served by wagons taking away full nightsoil buckets, for small "dumping fees").

So saith Ed.

Who will (for now) finish with this rather noisome subject next time, when he covers Karth's 'why nasties don't crawl up the hole' question. Something we should all stay tuned for, I think.

love to all,
THO

January 26, 2006: Hi again, all. Ed finishes with Karth's related plumbing questions, specifically: "what stops various deadly slimes/oozes from crawling up the average privy plumbing from the sewers beneath and turning an urgent visit into a sudden grave for various unsuspecting folk?"

Ed replies:

The obvious answer to this is that the "average privy" isn't directly connected to any sewers beneath: it either empties directly into a small pit (and some have foot-treadle or floor-pull collapsing or sliding-aside "underfloors" a few feet under the seat, to be opened momentarily for dumping-down purposes only after the defecator is finished), or it empties into some form of storage that's taken in buckets (sometimes via a wagon or barge) to a cesspool or dumping place elsewhere. In "dungeons" (and cellars built over known caves or Underdark connections, where monstrous intrusion may be feared or historically known), the aforementioned moving underfloors are usually built in.

In certain cities (Waterdeep or Zhentil Keep, for example; see scenes in CITY OF SPLENDORS or CROWN OF FIRE), an average privy may well be connected directly to sewers, and the danger you point to may be very real. Which is why places like that have sewer patrols, and hire adventurers or call in mage-guilds or wizards-for-hire to deal with nasty monsters - - sometimes, yes, after Aunt Aurauma has met with an unfortunate and undignified fatality.

Such bad things happen, but not as often as popular lore (where, like real-world "urban legends," tales get told and re-told with local embellishments and additions) would have one believe.

So saith Ed.

Who can now obviously add dunghandler to his resumé, if he's minded to. Or not, as the case may be.

love to all,
THO

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January 27, 2006: Hi, all. This time, Ed replies to Jamallo Kreen's post: "Thank ye kindly for the answers thus far, and rest assured that I shall continue to poke, prod, and otherwise disequilibrate the applecart in the future.

There was one tripartite question of mine which may have been answered and the answer lost in the shuffle of my cyberdesk, and which I therefore repeat: What the heck was that magic black curtain across Yellow Snake Pass during the Time of Troubles; what happened to things that passed through it; is it still there?

I await your answers on tenterhooks. (Or at least on osteophytes.)"

Ed speaks:

Oooh, tenterhooks. This's going to hurt, because I'm going to have to leave you hanging. However, feel free to disequilibrate away... :}

Seriously: I hadn't forgotten your query, but was sitting on it in hopes the NDA would end when the project that was going to pick up on this "loose end" was published. However, it hasn't yet, and so the NDA continues. For now. Sorry.

So saith Ed.

Hmmm, I THINK I know what project this might be, but if I speculated in print, I'd offend against one of MY lovely little NDAs. To quote Ed: sorry.

love to all,
THO

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January 28, 2006: Hi again, fellow scribes. Ed replies to this, from BobROE: "Do governments determine the layout of the land? In that the size and shape of people's lots of land and the such (I assume this varies from place to place, and depends on the type of government).

Or is it a more of a farmer has claimed an area, and other farmers must work around what the first one claimed.

And do places follow an Upper Canada or Lower Canada plot breakdown system?"

Ed speaks:

The trite answer to this is: it depends.

Meaning: different places in the Realms have different rules (generally stricter, the longer settled). In some places (most areas of Tethyr, for example), the land was owned by the duke or baron or whatever the local ranking nobility was, and purchased from him (once purchased, it was owned outright by the buyer, who could hand it down to descendants, divide it freely without obtaining permission from anyone else, resell some parts but not others if desired, and so on). In most frontier or wilderland areas, people simply "squat" on land, clear and till it or fence it for ranch pasture, and it's "theirs" (until someone comes along and takes it by force). In rural areas (such as much of the Dales and upland Cormyr), strict laws have developed over the generations regarding who can do what with lands, but the ORIGINAL human landowners were simply squatters.

Now, as a fellow Canadian, I'm guessing that by "Upper Canada or Lower Canada plot breakdown system" you mean this:

Upper Canada: divided into concessions and sideroads with equal-sized rectangular "sections" in the blocks between them surveyed, every so many granted to the church, and the rest sold or granted to settlers;

as compared to:

Lower Canada: seigneurial system (actually practiced only along the St. Lawrence River, mainly in what are now known as "the Eastern Townships"): narrow strips of land fronting on the river (or road, or church) and running inland a fair way (thus, long and narrow), over time radiating out in pinwheels from the seigneurial manor and being subdivided among farmers' descendants into ever-narrower strips of land.

My reply to this one has to be: neither. It's extremely rare in the Realms for surveyors as good and as "rectangular-minded" as the British army guys who did the Upper Canada layout, and of course the Realms lacks the single powerful church to demand and receive granted sections (and also lacks the "pay off retiring soldiers with land, so they'll settle it and thus hold our claim to this timber-valuable but otherwise God-forsaken wilderness" urge), and the Realms has never had a seigneurial system with the long-narrow strips, either.

Instead, it's had the aforementioned "squatting" practice, with the laws coming later. Please remember that in the Realms a LOT of people live on a farm and work it, largely with their own sweaty labour, and marauding monsters keep most of the Realms underpopulated; outside cities, it's rarely a problem, if you want to start your own farm, to just start walking for a few days, until you reach a suitably "wild" area, and start clearing what is now "yours." There are exceptions (Amn, Tethyr, Calimshan, Sembia, most of Cormyr), and in many places you'll soon get a visit from local authorities who want to know what you're up to (so they can tax you), soon after you "squat."

Thus far, this and similar practices have given rise to a lot of irregularly-shaped farm fields, like much of medieval England, all over the Realms. (Think medieval England for a lot of matters when trying to decide what the Realms is like, and you usually won't be far wrong.)

In crowded places with lots of money and people and a strong government, of course, things are far different. Yet in most locales in Faerûn, lot sizes are irregular. In most cities, having any land beyond a few steps "out back" 'twixt your back door and your stables is very unusual, and living in a building that touches the buildings on either side is common. I'll be dealing with land use in villages in a LITTLE more detail in an upcoming Realmslore web column.

So saith Ed, THE Master of Realmslore.

Who will of course return soon with more lore

. love to all,
THO

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January 29, 2006: Hello again, all. Your friendly neighbourhood Lovely Lady Hooded here, with some verbiage to spill.

To Dargoth, no. I'm NOT "suggesting Ed has aspirations to be Prime Minister of Canada." Slime Lord, you're correct in saying it might be fun, but I'm not sure for whom. Ed would hate every minute of it, but he'd shove the whole country into recycling and cleaner alternative power and rebuilding local "community" feel and food-self-sufficiency, or try to, and that would slam him hard into the brick wall of all those folks who get quite rich on the status quo, and don't want any large change. I can see him achieving little but massive frustration for himself. And he's too darn nice and kind for politics the way she's played these days.

However, if you want insightful political opinion, Ed's your man. He can see through male cow excrement harder and faster than most, though he keeps quiet about things unless asked.

He's hard at work on a whole bunch of projects right now, by the way. (Yes, as usual.)

With all of that said, I now bring you Ed's lightning-swift response to Phillip (sleyvas), about how Elminster would react to this situation:

"Elminster receives a sending or a projected image, etc.... The person contacting him is a mage that he is familiar with from rumors and scrying. He does not have a very good reputation, noted as a Thayan bounty hunter skilled in both sword and magecraft. He is known for having murdered a paladin of Impiltur, supposedly as vengeance for accidentally killing his first wife. Its also noted that he has explored some magics similar to cloning in attempts to create "children"... in a method somewhat similar to Alias... unfortunately, all of these children except one have also taken the dark paths their father took. You also know that he has recently (in the past few years) met up with a child of his from a later wife (said wife having mindwiped memory of his own son from him), and that said son is of special interest to Mystra (of what, she has not revealed even to you). Also, it is rumored that the Thayan mage has somehow recovered his wife from the past and has since been trying to wean himself away from the dark paths.

Apparently there was some falling out between The Simbul and this son over the fact that he refused to work with her again his own father (who is a Thayan mage). This falling out turned nearly lethal for the son, and the Thayan mage found out about it. You believe he (the Thayan Mage) may have been behind the slaying of one of The Simbul's court mages at a dance held just a few months back, but you have no proof as yet.

Ok, knowing these things, the projection and/or sending would request of Elminster aid. He would tell Elminster that he has gotten involved in a situation that threatens the lives of innocents (specifically that of his true son by his 2nd wife and the life of his 1st wife). He needs them to believe that he is dead, and he needs Elminster to provide them some means of moving onto a new life where they will not be tracked down and killed. He doesn't want to consciously know where they are, but he would like Elminster to provide him some means of discovering it for himself if he needed to. He would also like Elminster to give him the means to provide for these people without them realizing where the aid is coming from. In return, this notoriously brazen Thayan bounty hunter would gladly serve Elminster as a spy or a weapon with which to strike against the red wizards or whatever enemy he deems necessary.

Anyway, may not be the best of places to put this, but I've found that Elminster is a truly... different... sort of personality. I can honestly say I believe I know how the Blackstaff would handle this situation, but I don't know how El would react. Especially with throwing in the fact that he's involved with The Simbul."

Whew.

Here's Ed:

Hi, Phillip! I have no hesitation whatsoever in saying that Elminster would assist Sleyvas of Thay as far and as closely as possible, as if he and Sleyvas were old and close friends (and his price would probably be no more than a promise of future aid in some small matter involving Thay, probably the snatch-rescue of an innocent non-mage NPC out of slavery there, or Sleyvas agreeing not to harm, slay, or capture [and surrender to other Thayans] a certain person).

El would do this for three reasons: his own personality, which would make him naturally sympathetic to a mage in such troubles, as he has been himself; Mystra's private commandments to him, which involve helping Thayans wherever possible to balance against The Simbul's wholesale slaughter of them (to preserve the maximum number of magic-using beings; note that this doesn't prevent Elminster from slaying Red Wizards himself in an instant IF he deems doing so desirable or necessary, and he often does); and his curiousity, which would make him want to know more about all of these Machiavellian family machinations (Sleyvas's family, that is), and hope to discover, down the road, a little more about Mystra's plans for the 'special' son. El would also judge that Mystra would want him to aid Sleyvas because of the better (than otherwise) future prospects for that son that should result.

El would tell The Simbul all about rendering this aid if (and only if) The Simbul asked him about it directly (meaning she'd somehow discovered it on her own); otherwise, he'd say nothing, because they both operate independently, respect each other's independence, and know that each is keeping many little "daily operational" secrets from the other (this matter definitely falling into that category). El also has a soft spot for mages who lead interesting, shady, authority-challenging lives, like Sleyvas and [cough] Old El himself. Moreover, he would place a high value on protecting the two wives and getting them out of harm's way into new lives, and would relish the fun of "setting them up" in those new lives, and watching over them (something he already does for literally scores of folk, all across the Realms). In short, Sleyvas is asking him to do something he'd naturally enjoy doing and be eager to do, so El will aid him without hesitation, teasing, or deception. (Sleyvas will probably be covertly watched by Mystra's spectral servants - - see SECRETS OF THE MAGISTER - - from the moment he asks Elminster for aid, onward for the rest of his life, but these beings will report what they observe only to Mystra and Azuth unless tipping off Elminster or another of the Chosen seems immediately necessary to keep the special son or the wives alive. They may even help protect Sleyvas from time to time, wherever possible in small, subtle ways.

So saith Ed.

Great question, and a great answer that shows us a little more of Elminster's true nature. Soft heart of gold hidden under that gruff bearded exterior, yes. Sniff. I recall El's reaction when one of my characters tried to give him what is vulgarly known as a blow [ahem]... but I think I'll keep that private for now. And what I saw in my glimpse under the Old Mage's robes, too.

love to all,
THO

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January 30, 2006: Hi again, all. This time, Ed answers Rolindin:

I'm sorry, but I can't reveal the topics of DRAGON articles before they're published. Right now, I'm working on the Cities of the Realms series for Erik Mona (and have turned in another city, though I'm still at work on its map). As for your last question, "do you have any plans to make such a place, or maybe one of the other evil organizations?"

(adopts grandly sinister tone): I have MANY plans.

Bwoohahahahah (and so on).

Seriously, NDAs and agreed-upon professional practice prevent me from "spilling the beans" prior to publication, UNLESS WotC (or Paizo, or whatever relevant gaming company is in play) has already started doing so. For that reason, I also can't tell you more about future coverage of Netheril, if any. I CAN impart that I have more lore and plans about Netheril that haven't yet been published, yes. And no, morally and legally I can't just post them here.

So saith Ed.

Short and emphatic, I'm afraid.

(P.S. to Kuje: Ed is now just one editing job away from getting to work on that which you sent me for him to look at.)

love to all,
THO

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On January 30, 2006 THO said: I found it a fun tale just for all the cameos from famous Realms NPCs. Very realistic in the way I believe people really would speak and act under stress.

It's not strong on plot, and I'm sure Ed's depiction of a certain powerful undead (of his creation, I should remind all) will generate some controversy.

(I'm being a little vague because I'm not sure if the book is out yet.)

love,
THO

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On January 30, 2006 THO said: Hmmm.

One point I'd like to raise right now, given Volo's Severash query and RevJest's Eilistraee-related query: please don't lose sight of the fact, scribes, that in the Realms (aside from priests and the most dedicated of lay worshippers), no one dedicates themselves to one god. Everybody worships a variety of deities (if only in appeasement). They may recognize a patron deity or dominant god, yes, but they AREN'T monotheistic. (So the answer to Volo's question is almost certainly: "Yes.")

love,
THO

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January 31, 2006: Well met again, fellow scribes. This time, Ed tackles this query from crazedventurers: "was there an 'original' name for the ruling family of Cormyr? and if so, why did it get changed?"

Ed replies:

Hi, Damian. Jeff Grubb named the ruling family of Cormyr because I hadn't (I had them using "Cormyr" as their surname, but TSR wanted things more clear-cut and less confusing, for the "12-year-old American male" audience they were aiming for; obviously they thought 12-year-old American males were more stupid than I think they are). Jeff and his wife Kate fell in love with Cormyr, that most lovable of my original kingdoms, and in a way 'put themselves' into the Realms as the Wyvernspurs, so I just stepped back out of the way and watched the resulting fun (what's sometimes called the Azure Bonds trilogy) with a big grin. Later, of course, Jeff and I collaborated on CORMYR: A NOVEL. We remain close friends, and I hope someday to see new Grubb & Novak (or even just Grubb, or just Novak) Realms novels.

So saith Ed.

Folks wanting to keep current with what Jeff's up to should check out his blog, at: www.grubbstreet.blogspot.com.

love to all,
THO

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January 31, 2006: Hi again, everyone. This time, Ed steps up once more to matters godly, to make reply to this, from Skeptic: "First, according to the flavor of the Realms (and not the current editions rules) must a cleric include the name of his deity in the "verbal component" of his spells? If yes, can he use a more obscure alias? Second, when a spell mentions that the cleric must show his deity's symbol, can this symbol be disguised as a mundane item or even as another deity symbol ? (Of course in respect of the deity's dogma!) These questions come from the cleric of Bane in my current campaign who doesn't like to live in Waterdeep. (The party forced him to add a "illusion" effect on his full plate carved with his deity symbol.)"

Ed replies:

Many lesser spells don't require that the deity be mentioned by name; the incants are prayers or prayer fragments that don't happen to include the name of the deity. For most more powerful clerical spells having a verbal component, the deity IS called upon by name, and although the priest can in many cases use aliases without ruining the spell, few of those that apply to Bane, the relevant deity here, are truly going to be "obscure" to most folk in the Realms (remember: every human in the Realms knows of, and believes in, the same gods, albiet with some local name differences, rather than cleaving to a single deity, so the PC priest you mention CAN'T hide what he's doing effectively from people in Waterdeep). And no, he CAN'T disguise his holy symbol and still have the spell work, if it's a spell above 2nd level. Bane expects him to publicly bear witness to his faith, so as to impress (or cow) others. Bane is the god of tyranny, remember?

Yes, that can lead to problems. Which is why so many priests of evil deities cast spells indoors, at night, in cellars or other hidden places. If they don't want their activities to be traced to their homes, they often rent a room in a bad inn or upstairs room at a Dock Ward tavern, or even take a room at a good festhall, send the pleasure-lass out, bar the door behind her, and get to work.

Of course, being a priest of Bane, he might just harshly order the pleasure-lass around, and then tie her down, blindfold her, and cast his spells (if doing so isn't going to impart names and information to her that she can specifically report to the Watch for, later, and incriminate him) while she cowers, wondering if she's going to be sacrificed or molested, so he can please Bane with her fear and his tyranny.

And yes, such deeds can indeed lead to other problems. Playing a priest in the Realms often shouldn't be easy.

So saith Ed.

*I* remember being tied down and blindfolded, both in the Realms as a character and in real life. I don't recall cowering, though.

I'll try it again, tonight, and see if I do.

love,
THO

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February 2, 2006: Hi again, fellow scribes. This time, Ed makes reply to this post, from Dragonstar: "My question pertains to Silverymoon's Wards. In the FRCS and Silver Marches, the how and why of the wards are mostly explained, but the only distance covered for application of the ward's effects is to 1,000 ft outside the walls of the city. Protection is listed as applying both above and below the city, but how far? This is relevant to my campaign, as I need to figure out how far down to send the players before they can get to a portal that will work without having a ward token."

Ed speaks:

Looks like a little detail got edited out of the wards descriptions. They're not precisely mythals, no, but they ARE spherical, both above and below ground (and, yes, extending through the flowing waters and bed of the River Rauvin). Picture a sphere with its outer edges a thousand feet beyond the outermost walls ("the farthest point out" of those walls) north of the city (in other words, travel a thousand feet outwards in a straight line from the point on the Northbank Silverymoon walls that's farthest from the river, and construct the sphere using that "thousand-foot-out" point as the boundary of the sphere, and a point on the riverbank, reached back along the straight line you've already traveled outwards from the walls, as the centre of the sphere). Southbank Silverymoon is smaller than Northbank, but the sphere extends invisibly (except when glowing faintly with reflected starshine or the radiance of the Moonbridge) beyond it regardless, the size of that sphere determined by the extent of the Northbank walls (in other words, the wards extend MORE than a thousand feet out from the Southbank walls).

Mark both of those outermost beyond-the-walls points, and then redraw your "sphere" using them as two of the outer limits - - because Silverymoon's wards AREN'T a proper sphere, you see. They actually take the shape of an ovoid. To determine its precise extent, go a thousand feet downstream (from the west wall) and a thousand feet upstream from the east wall) of the spots where the outer walls reach the river, and make your ovoid by joining these two spots and the two "outermost" ones you already have.

So Arivia's instincts were right in her comment "From what we know about mythals, I'd suggest that it's spherically shaped..." (though Hoondatha was also right to say: "My feeling is that a mythal takes whatever shape it needs to in order to cover the city.") Again, Silverymoon's wards aren't quite mythals, for reasons that are still under NDA right now (hint: think SECRETS OF THE MAGISTER, involvement of some of Mystra's servants, tales yet untold, etc.).

So saith Ed, tireless hinter of Realmslore.

love to all,
THO

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February 3, 2006: Hi again, fellow scribes of the Realms. (Thanks for the messages, Kuje; I'll pass them on.)

This time around, Ed tackles Sanishiver's question about overflowing magic: "Suppose an area just north of Suzail (say a half-day's ride) were to become so overripe with heavy magic that the magic burst forth from its containment into the weave and spilled outward in all directions for several miles, inundating everything in that area with so much magical energy that magic items glowed and became warm (if not hot), hidden or 'sleeping' wards became visible and virtually every magical effect's aura could be seen in the visible light spectrum, by mage and non-mage alike.

Now suppose this effect lasted a good tenday at least, to the point that charged items gained back a few previously spent charges, echoes of spell battles from the past could be heard (as well as the voices of the mages who participated in them), and old, forgotten, previously dispelled and/or nearly-spent wards/portals/magics were rejuvenated at least somewhat (where such wards might go as far back as the elves of the Wolf Woods who ruled before the first Obarskyr set foot in them).

Were such a thing to happen, what are some of the things you suppose might occur in Suzail, so far as men and magic are concerned?"

Ed replies:

Oooh, lovely.

Right: you'd have some spontaneous wild magic effects (discharges) from time to time, and as a result, swift action by the Purple Dragons, under the supervision of the War Wizards and upon the orders of Vangey or Caladnei (depending on who's in charge of the Wizards of War in your campaign), backed up by whoever's on the throne. They'll be worried about Zhents, Red Wizards, or someone else magically powerful somehow harnessing these energies or doing something unintentional that spreads out of control, so they'll be trying to keep unauthorized folk away from it.

In this, they'll be completely successful when it comes to magically-adept beings (NOT normal folk carrying magic items), not because they have the power or competence to be, but because Mystra's Chosen and lesser servants (spectral harpists and all of the others detailed in SECRETS OF THE MAGISTER) will be 'on the job' to back the War Wizards up (keeping themselves hidden from both the War Wizards and everyone else, as much as possible).

The exceptions, of course, will be Red Wizards, Zhents, and anyone else teleporting to known locations very close to the magic-strong area (INTO the magic-strong area will mean random "deflections" to anywhere embarrassing - - but unwarded - - in Cormyr you'd like such intrepid individuals to end up). Some battles would almost certainly erupt (again, the assistance of Mystra's servants should determine decisively who 'wins').

I'd say every noble family interested in boldly sticking necks out in a bid for more power would send family members (with bodyguards, of course) riding to "go for a look-see," using the excuse that they're pledged to guard the security of the realm and MUST see what they're up against, no matter what some officious War Wizard or Purple Dragon might say. Again, those who bring magic items along should have no difficulty in getting most of them recharged (exceptions governed by the specific nature of the item), and smart noble families will arrange loud attempted visits as diversions whilst the magic-item-carriers go alone, perhaps in guises of common folk with (normally) good reason to enter the magic-strong area.

Sages and mages desiring to legitimately study the magical phenomenon will naturally show up, just as swiftly as word spreads, and some of them will be dodderers and crazies, just as some of them will be cunning schemers seeking an advantage even if allied to no power group.

Mass arrivals in any place focus interest on that place, even after the reason has gone - - meaning, in this case, that after the magic-strong glows fade and the Weave is back to normal in the area, you'll have a lot of interested-in-magic (or carrying-valuable-magic-items) people gathered in Cormyr, who may not all go away again soon, but tarry and try to explore the Forest Kingdom, and make trade deals or perform thefts or otherwise take advantage of their new surroundings. All in all, a superb campaign event, of the non-RSE, Bartholomew Cubbins things that "just happened to happen" and can be talked about for years afterward (and give your PCs, caught in the midst of it, years of headaches and leads and new foes, allies, or trade contacts, starting right now). Nice!

So saith Ed, sounding like the grinning-with-glee DM I know and love.

He'll be back with another Realmslore reply on the morrow, all, so until then:

love,
THO

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February 4, 2006: Hi again, all. This time out, Ed tackles createvmind's query: "The Armand from MM3 is said to occupy Faerun within the Anarouch desert, my question is how would you depict them culturally, does a female have breast/multiple breast-teats and give birth to one offspring only. Would twins or triplets be considered good fortune within a tribe? And what names would they have within their own language and within common if their names were translatable. Would their vocal speech be high pitched or guttural, all these things I ask from what you see within your mindseye. Thank you."

Ed speaks:

I see the Armand as few: three or four tribes at most, wi