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)

Apr - Jun 2007

April 1, 2007: Hi again, fellow scribes. This time Ed continues to tackle recent queries (don't worry, he hasn't forgotten that there are 2004 questions not yet answered, and he has them all, believe me), and this time responds to Zandilar's question: "Anyway, now I've had a chance to chew over some things, there really was only one thing that I'd like to hear Ed's reasoning for from the second post on the topic of Eilistraeeans on November 6th 2006...

Ed said: [[There is no Eilistreean prohibition on marriage (or sex) among either lay worshippers or clergy, and never has been. There are many female drow clerics who prefer to remain single, either because a lesbian or other facet of their personalities makes them most comfortable being partner-less (as opposed to having a steady partner of either gender), or because they see married life as a distraction (or time-stealer) from their whole-hearted devotion to the Goddess.]]

I ask:

Wouldn't a lesbian tendency mean the priestess concerned would seek out the company/companionship/love of another female rather than remain celibate? Or are you saying that Eilistraee doesn't approve of lesbianism? Given how permissive the Realms are (and the parenthetical comment regarding steady partners), I'd say the latter isn't true... but I'm curious as to why you'd attribute the desire to remain celibate to a lesbian tendancy? (I'm a lesbian myself, and I know it doesn't make me want to be celibate! )

Thank you (both) again!"

Ed replies:

Hi, Zandilar. No, I wasn't saying anything at all about being celibate. Reading the Eilitraee worship scene I slipped into SILVERFALL, even in the toned-down state that saw print, should suggest very much otherwise. :}

Nor was I saying anything about Eilistraee disappoving of lesbianism. That would be very odd, given the number of lesbian worshippers She has. :}

I meant only this: that it has been observed that many female drow clerics who venerate Eilistraee have chosen to remain "single," where the definition of "single" means "not having a steady partner of either gender."

My "lesbianism" comment in that sentence is there to point out an obvious reason why many such females haven't taken a male partner: they don't want to because they are lesbian (rather than, say, "bi"), and don't dwell in a society where there's a social need to take a male partner for protection, or to conceal their natures, or for any other reason.

Most of these single Eilistraeean clerics (lesbian or not) haven't taken a lone steady female partner because they have found themselves part of a "family" of many fellow female drow clerics of the Dark Dancer (again, as seen in that scene in SILVERFALL), and so they have a dozen to a score of partners, rather than just one (again, lesbian or not).

I am not saying that as they grow older they won't take partners; I'm saying that at any one time, when one looks at the clergy of Eilistraee, one will see a large proportion of female drow clerics who are, at that time, "unpaired."

And yes, obviously a lesbian tendency would indeed mean the priestess concerned would seek out the company/companionship/love of another female. No priestess of Eilistraee "has to" be celibate, and many priestesses of the Dark Dancer live with many fellow priestesses, and haven't settled on "just one" (other priestess or other female or male lay worshipper) as their lifemate, bedmate, or anything else.

So saith Ed.

Who wrote a lot of specific, detailed, and explicit lore on these ladies that several TSR editors found TOO explicit, and "sat on" (which of course means: no, he can't just post it here, as it belongs to TSR/Wizards). However, all scribes should gather from this that there are heterosexual, lesbian, and bisexual female drow clerics of Eilistraee, and that regardless of personal nature in matters sexual, many female drow clerics of Eilistraee live and work with other female drow clerics of Eilistraee in long-term-stable groups. One can imagine that within some of these groupings there is a lot of sex taking place, and often - - but I'd like to remind all scribes that it's wrong to "automatically" assume such things about any stable group, such as: a family, a band of adventurers, or even a real-world football team. Just because they work together and stay together for years, it doesn't follow that, if I may stoop to a colloquialism for a moment, they're "all bonking each other."

love to all,
THO

*************************************************************************************

On April 1, 2007 THO said: Hey, now, Charles, the sahaguin invasion wasn't "brushed aside" in any sort of "blasé" manner.

It was covered in Mel Odom's Threat From The Sea trilogy and the accompanying Realms of the Deep anthology. (So it got four books of coverage! Not specifically the attack on Waterdeep, which was referred to in those books, but then, that was what Ed and Elaine were "painting in" here.)

The flashback to it is presented as a Prologue to make it clear that it's a setup for the novel (in this case, the young male villain's "connection" to Waterdeep, and background), rather than part of the main narrative of CITY OF SPLENDORS.

To answer your "what got cut" question: an entire Gemcloak and his subplot, throughout, a folk tale of Elaine's that Ed termed "short but very pretty," a lot of detail from the fight scenes, description and dialogue throughout the entire novel, and a lot of New Day inter-reactions (various guild members reacting to the increasing troubles in the city, trying to decide if they wanted to go along with it or try to stop it), tons and tons of "nobles behaving like asses at revels" details, and a lot of the Amalgamation subplot. Hence the unsatisfying resolutions of some of the storylines.

However, all in all, I'm darn glad Ed and Elaine tried to cram too much into the book, rather than settling for giving us a more empty, boring narrative. They certainly succeeded in what Ed told me was their main aim: make Waterdeep "come alive" with the smells and sounds and all, and "seem real" to the reader.

love to all,
THO

*************************************************************************************

On April 1, 2007 THO said: Enthusiastic agreement.

I know that "omnisexual" nature of deities is also Ed's view (and, hey, he created the world and most of its deities). One divine ability is the ability to shapeshift and/or control the forms of one's avatars, so there's nothing in the essential natures of most deities to prevent them appearing as of either gender (or both, or none), or for that matter any species. Most CHOOSE not to "jump around" all that often, just as we real-world mortals tend to have habits re. the clothing we wear (few men search out Victorian-style petticoats to wear to the office every morning, but they COULD).

The Realms has a substantial body of both "temple-approved" (clerically acknowledged) myths and colloquial legend (tavern and old wives' tales) about deities taking various forms to trick or test mortals, or to best one another.

So, yes, it's best not to label fictional Realms deities with real-world sociological terms. :}

love to all,
THO

*************************************************************************************

April 2, 2007: Hello again, all. A number of matters, this time. First, to the Red Walker's query: "What does Ed do for fun when he is not reading???

His writing just seems so fun and uninhibited that it seems he must be influenced by "outside" forces!!!"

Ed and I both had a good chuckle over that. His usual replies to this are: "Skydiving sex," and "Being a stunt man in porno movies," but the truth is: Ed loves to eat and to drink fine wines (and certain beers), but now has a heart condition and diabetes (writers who sit for hours a day at the keyboard be warned!), and so now drinks very rarely, and eats lightly and in a healthy manner. His fun consists of: reading, writing, and chatting or gaming with witty, intelligent people. Sounds very boring, but that's the truth. No drugs, ever (except heart and diabetes medications, and, literally, a few glasses of wine a year), and the orgies of his youth are also few and far between, now, too. He and I have lots of fun teasing each other, mind you (something Ed does with lots of friendly females), but 'tis just that: teasing.

Second, To RodOdom: no, your wiki-photo-related request isn't out of bounds at all, and Ed will be eager to answer it. Soon.

Third, to althen artren's query: "Hey does anybody know if there is a question limit per post? I don't want to breach any protocols here."

I reply thus: not as far as Ed and I are concerned. However, please don't expect Ed to reply to each and every question in a multi-query post at the same time. Some easy answers (like this one, above) will be dealt with swiftly, and others may wait years (so neither Ed nor I have "forgotten" the questions in your two posts that aren't answered in THIS post, and Ed will get to them, in the fullness of time).

To this althen artren query: "Have you ever given out a description of your Netheril? I have read on the boards that your version was different, but haven't really seen anything on how different."

I can reply for Ed:

Ed handed in "his" version of Netheril to TSR, and they own it, which means details of it now can't be made public anywhere without the permission of Wizards of the Coast. Neither Ed nor Wizards have any interest in publishing lore that contradicts what is now official, so Ed has contented himself with providing additional lore, down the years, that has found its way into such tomes as LOST EMPIRES OF FAERUN. More may come out in various ways in the years to come, but don't expect to see any "sudden exposé" lore-flood.

And to althen artren's subsequent, linked queries: "Illitran Starym made a deal with Moander so he could pull his family's moonblade without getting killed. In my version of the realms I have Moander ridding piggyback in Illitran's mind and then taking up residence in the moonblade, using its magic to keep him alive and shielding him from danger.

At the time of the Claiming, would Moander have been strong enough to survive a situation like this?

Would Corellon be "aware" of any alteration of a working of High Magic like this, and would he have reacted?

Would mortal magic or elven high magics be able to detect him in the moonblade if he is trying like hell to hide?"

Ed makes reply, thus:

Yes, Moander would have been strong enough to do this. No, Corellon would not be aware of "any" alteration of a working of High Magic, only of the vast majority of them. In other words, if Moander (or anyone else) altered a High Magic that wasn't itself active at the time, and did it in precisely the correct manner, they would escape notice (for a while, at least).

By the preceding sentence, I am saying two things: the vast majority of meddlings WOULD be noticed, because they wouldn't be done in "exactly" the right way to avoid attracting the deity's attention; and, no one can alter a High Magic as it's being cast or as it's being discharged/taking effect without being noticed (in other words, if you change a SPELL in any other state than "hanging" [cast previously, but waiting to be triggered and "go off"], you'll be noticed). It follows that meddling with magic items that have an ongoing existence is easier to get away with - - in the short term.

If Corellon had noticed such an alteration, yes, he would have reacted, because he would have "felt" Moander's divinity, however feeble - - and smelling another god at work on "your own" attracts divine attention like nothing else! :}

And lastly: yes, most magical means would detect Moander's presence, as "something odd, not part of the founding spells, and STRONG - - stronger than anything should be" in a moonblade. However, only precisely correct means of magical probing (most of which processes would expose the prober to Moander's influence or mind-attack, or even "possession" [mental takeover, so he'd be riding their mind]) would determine that it was Moander. Moander's longterm residence in a moonblade would begin to manifest around the blade in terms of rot, decay, and corruption (scabbards rot or rust, swordbelts and baldrics, anything the blade touches or is laid upon weathers a trifle, etc., people who handle or wield it grow skin molds or get diseases, or even suffer flesh-eating diseases).

So saith Ed.

Oooh, sounds like FUN.

love to all,
THO

*************************************************************************************

April 3, 2007: MISbehave, Asgetrion?

For Lady Heralds, this is the way we're SUPPOSED to behave! (Just for you, I'm typing this post fetchingly clad in the cords with which I tied myself into the chair.)

Ahem.

Hello again, all.

As promised, Ed tackles this, from RodOdom: "Dear Master Ed and Lady THO, I'd like to ask of Ed a different sort of query. On Wikipedia and other sites I see some really stunning photos of natural landscapes of our real world and I wonder where in the Realms I may encounter a similar place. If I may present a single picture and ask where it reminds Ed and THO of:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Sugarloaf.JPG"

Ed replies (with reference to Purple Dragon Knight's suggestion of Shadowdale):

Nope, not Shadowdale. Too "open" (and a LITTLE too large-scale in the range between topographically high and low points; aside from the Old Skull - - which stands out as a landmark because it's so locally unusual, remember? - - and more isolated heights such as Harpers Hill, the Shadowdale area has small, deep ravines in the woods, and LITTLE ridges - - such as Fox Ridge - - but is otherwise flat to gently rolling). More than anything else, Shadowdale "meets the eye" as cloaked and dominated by the great forest around it.

The photo is pretty close to the appearance of parts of both Harrowdale and Tasseldale, though. And even closer to some of the inland stretches of the Vast, in the "midlands" between the mountains at the north and south ends of that countryside.

Nice scene, but most parts of temperate Realms farmland have more woodlots, tattered little corners of "wild wood," shrub- and tree-cloaked hedges, and so on. Not every little patch of ground is grazed and farmed, because there are so many factors (wars, severe winters, orc hordes, raiding monsters [from goblins up to hungry dragons!], resistance from elves, druids, korred and pixies and treants and dryads and other forest critters, and so on) causing populations to decline (so, not enough hands to work every inch of ground, no need to do so to glean enough crop yields, and no desire to, when "wild" areas yield animal food for the stewpots and hearth-spits).

So saith Ed.

Who in the past referred several TSR designers to real-world photos in popular library reference books, to see the "look" of various locales in the Realms. A much harder thing to do today, when so many libraries have such paltry and more-diversely-sourced reference collections.

love to all,
THO

*************************************************************************************

April 4, 2007: Indeed. Ed is very generous, and I hope we don't collectively burn him out. I ask him about that from time to time, and he always says he doesn't mind in the slightest, but I wonder, sometimes, if it's because I'm crawling all over him, asking him.

Wooly, I hope you have your reply e-mail from me, by now. And no, I'm afraid Ed isn't QUITE out of the woods yet, to clear his keyboard enough to furnish new columns. He has family descending on him (for an Easter visit), has just plotted a short story and a novella for two separate anthologies, and is starting his taxes. He just finished proofing (proofreading) two of the three novels he'll have published this year, and is starting on another novel, a game sourcebook, and his second serialized Castlemourn story for GAME TRADE magazine. He just prepared the budget for the local library board he chairs, and of course continues in the day job, too, and is currently reading "about twelve books a week" for judging the World Fantasy Awards. So the platter isn't staggering, but isn't near-empty yet, either.

The fun will begin again later this year, Ed tells me, when he'll be writing the NEXT three novels all at once (Knights 3, Niflheim 2 for Tor, and Falconfar 2 for Black Library/Solaris).

By the way, has anyone seen a "hard print copy" of the Castlemourn campaign setting, yet?

Now, to the Realmslore reply for this day...

Ed hath heard the pleas of Kazzaroth, but mutters in my ear that there are reasons those older questions can't be properly answered yet. He did, however, entertain a few of the new ones (again, the others aren't dismissed; they join the ever-growing pile), to whit: "How do wizards/sorcerers in general in the Realms view powerful bards who can cast fairly powerful bardic spells? What do commoners think about a bard who can literally crumble a castle with high vocaled singing or create powerful mind affecting spells/abilities? Would the bard still be viewed as a 'entertaining minstrel' or would their repute as casters (note; not as performers but as casters) scare potential performer patrons off?

Also I have wondered is bards' singing (basically bardic music feature use) somehow related to Weave? Meaning that does Weave 'sing' to the bards and does Weave have some sort voice or musical element (which can be heard only by those who are deeply attuned to the Weave, perhaps including experienced/powerful bards) what bards are exploiting when they cast bard spells?

I have read that times when spellfire or high magic rituals (or other sort powerful spellcasting nearby) have been used, some fellow arcane casters and Chosen of Mystra have sensed disturbance in the Weave and it had sometimes described like someone is playing harp off tune or someone is playing a harp well. I wonder, is that a metaphor or do Chosen of Mystra really 'hear' the disturbance of the Weave?"

Ed replies:

There's no general attitude towards bards on the part of wizards or sorcerers; some individuals have prejudices, but part of my creating an ever-expanding infinity of spells, spell processes, confusion about magic, alternative systems of magic, and so on, is to keep magic in the Realms as it should be: a vast, mysterious field full of wonder, beyond any one mortal's comprehension, so there's "always something new," and so that if you see a spell being cast and make an assumption about the caster level of its source, it's just that: an assumption, and not a certainty. I want to keep "elbow room" for DMs and Realms fiction writers (and yes, obviously this is at odds with game design, and its need for specifics).

So, WISE wielders of magic respect everyone else, because you never know when yonder patched-elbows minstrel will smash down a wall with a Great Shout or a plucked harp - - just as you never know when that little bird (or tavern doxy, kneeling nearly-nude at your feet looking up hopefully and trying to negotiate a good price for her charms) will turn out to be The Simbul in disguise, and with her temper growing short. :}

Commoners tend not to fear powerful bards overmuch unless that particular person caused a great calamity or much destruction in their community or that they personally witnessed, in the past. Why? Well, EVERY bard and most minstrels have all sorts of wild tales told about them (that they caused this ruler's haughty wife to disrobe and dance for them with their "obviously magical" singing, or blasted their way out of a castle dungeon by destroying most of the castle with a sung spell or "magical chord" on their lute, or that they broke a harp string deliberately and caused every sword - - or swordarm - - in a room to snap like a twig), and so people stop believing such chatter, except as juicy entertainment, until they see proof with their own eyes. And the bards and minstrels are the television, rock concerts, and latest news reports of the Realms, all rolled into one; people in isolated or rural areas hunger to see and hear them. So the "scaring off" you mention does happen, yes (particularly in a castle or town preparing for war, when a ruler fears that a bard or minstrel might be an agent for the enemy, arrived to do mischief), but is rare.

The Weave is just one mortal conception of all the magic, all over the Realms, and "magic" is really "natural forces, and ways we can call on them." So yes, bardic singing and playing that has magical effects is calling on ever-flowing, mainly invisible natural forces that are at work in the Realms and are integral to the world, but such bardic activity "accesses the Weave" in a different manner than, say, the spells of wizards. The Weave is a way of seeing and talking about natural forces and their patterns, and the Weave IS the goddess Mystra.

Some bards, and other individuals who are sorcerers or wizards (or for that matter, cobblers or shepherds), can "hear" the Weave in their heads, but it's rare for anyone to hear the Weave aloud - - and such occasions are almost always discordant janglings caused when something "goes wrong" or great power is suddenly unleashed. So, yes, some individuals may believe the Weave sings to them, and may be inspired by what they "hear."

More often, the Weave (the flow of natural forces, remember) is felt rather than heard. (A vibration in one's bones or teeth or entire body, like deep organ notes too low in pitch to hear, but that resonate through one.) This is how most spellcasters and all Chosen of Mystra perceive "disturbances in the Weave" (or, if one prefers, sudden dramatic surges or shifts in the everpresent flows of natural forces). So they "really feel it" more than they "really hear it," but no, it's not just a metaphor.

So saith Ed.

Creator (though not namer; that would be longtime Realms editor and designer Julia Martin) of the Weave.

love to all,
THO

*************************************************************************************

On April 4, 2007 THO said: I'm not sure how much Ed is "cleared" to say about this trilogy right now, but if you surf to:

http://www.solarisbooks.com/books/dark-lord/dark-lord.asp

... you can read a little about DARK LORD, the first book (due out September 07), vital stats:

hardcover, ISBN 13: 978-1-84416-519-3 and ISBN 10: 1-84416-519-1

I know Ed has turned in the final draft of the MS.

Elsewhere on this same site, there's a press release announcing the purchase of the entire trilogy.

I'll see what additional info I can careXXX ah, cajole out of Ed.

love to all,
THO

Ahem, yes. :}

Well, Tor has put up some information about Ed's "non-drow" dark elf novel, DARK WARRIOR RISING.

Surf to:

http://www.tor-forge.com/darkwarriorrising

It's a Tor 304-page hardcover,
release date September 18th, 2007
ISBN:978-0-7653-1765-0
(ISBN-10:0-7653-1765-6 )

And I asked Ed a little about it; his answers were very exciting. I "must read" for this lass!

love to all,
THO

*************************************************************************************

April 5, 2007: Well, you'll have quite a choice of Ed novels, by then:

SWORDS OF DRAGONFIRE (Knights 2)

DARK WARRIOR RISING (Niflheim 1, from Tor)

and

DARK LORD (Falconfar 1)

And no, Ed doesn't get to Seattle much. He loves it, and would love to visit Jeff & Kate (Jeff Grubb and Kate Novak) again, plus the rest of his old TSR friends still resident in the shadow of Ranier, but... plane flights aren't cheap on a writer's budget, and there's this little matter of time...

Speaking of which; hello again, all. This time I bring you Ed's response to createvmind's question: "Are there Tar Pits in Faerûn above or below ground?"

The Sage promptly provided lore aid thus: "The Pits of Mystra, in the Helmlands, are above ground. And, as I recall, the tar pit featured in the Moonshae trilogy was above ground as well. Ed will likely have more."

Indeed Ed does; his reply follows:

There are also above-ground tar pits in Chult, in Veldorn, in the Alamir Mountains bordering the Lake of Steam and on some of the islets in the Lake of Steam, in Ulgarth, and in several other areas well southeast of Ulgarth.

Down in the Underdark, there are tar rivers whenever specific conditions are met on the borders of lava flows (through veins and "tubes"), and "pits" where these rivers flow into or through, but don't entirely fill, caverns. So although those conditions are only rarely met, that still means thousands of tar pits, most of them quite small, exist (usually several in a small area, such as a string of caverns close to each other, along the line of a "hot rift" or "searflesh flow").

So saith Ed.

Who once coated three Knights of Myth Drannor in tar. We managed to get out of it, but couldn't move - - until we unbuckled our armor and left it behind. To promptly face attack when nude or near-nude. Certain players took a long time to forgive Ed for THAT one. Particularly the character who faced foes who set her tarry hair on fire.

Making up, after, was fun, though.

love to all,
THO

*************************************************************************************

April 5, 2007: Thanks, Kuje.

D-brane, I just asked Ed about your query, and he replied:

On an "average" day, I'll read a daily newspaper, try to finish off any crossword puzzle that's got my wife stumped, and I'll have four new and one "old favourite re-read" on the go, plus a magazine or two. Sometimes (for example, when I'm rushing to a deadline), my reading time will go down, and the on-the-go books will go up in number; once, it rose to fourteen. :}

Right now, I'm doing my taxes, a short story for Wizards and a cat fantasy short story for an anthology, a serial for Game Trade magazine, and a Paths of Doom novel for Castlemourn. Aside from the World Fantasy reading, I'm re-reading Spellbinder (Melanie Rawn) and the latest Dana Stabenow Kate Shugak mystery, and reading Dust (latest Martha Grimes) and an ARC of The 100 Mile Diet by Smith and MacKinnon, which relates their year-long attempt to eat only foodstuffs that traveled less than 100 miles from source to their dinner plates. During the next two weeks, the World Fantasy stuff (which is flooding in) will receive ever-heavier attention (so my meagre reading-now roster will get even slimmer); thereafter, it'll go up again.

So saith Ed.

Who will return with more lore replies soon.

love to all,

THO

*************************************************************************************

April 6, 2007: Hi again, fellow scribes. This time Ed responds to a query from Foxhelm, that evoked some replies from other scribes.

Here's Foxhelm: "I have a question, but I believe that it's NDA, but I still have to ask it.

Is Storm Silverhand truly barren or is it that Mystra is holding back a miracle birth of a powerful child that could change the Realms if born? Or something like that?

Just curious..."

Rinonalyrna Fathomlin then posted: "Obviously I don't have an answer, but I want to mention that I like the idea of Storm being barren. Storm has often been described as "motherly" towards other people--it says a lot of positive things about her that she can be so motherly when she's never had children (and perhaps partly because she has no children of her own?).

That said, I think she could conceive if Mystra wanted her to, but if she already has a maternal role towards the people in her community, then maybe that in itself is fulfilling for her? Plenty of people in real life are infertile, and having someone like Storm being infertile brings a sense of realism to the Realms that I do like."

And The Sage then posted: "Seven Sisters tells us that Storm is indeed barren -- confirmed by the fact that she was unable to conceive with Maxam, much like during her other earlier dalliances. Whether Mystra has had any direct hand in this, is likely something Ed knows more about. 'Tis also likely that despite Storm's unique case, Mystra may indeed have the final say on whether she can get with child, just as with the other Chosen. We should remember also, that Mystra alone decides whether any of the offspring her Chosen are indeed "allowed" to cause, will display any aptitude for magic or become Chosen themselves. This particular aspect of Mystra's influence could have special meaning in Storm's case.

And while it is interesting to speculate on whether or not Mystra has a hand in preventing Storm from having children [for fears about some potentially powerful Nate Grey-styled offspring being born] consider, rather, that a child from Khelben and Laeral is a child of TWO Chosen, not one and another human/oid. That is a very unique situation and, as I see it, could potentially lead to some rather eyebrow-raising circumstances."

To all of this, Ed replies:

Storm wasn't barren at birth, but was damaged during the adventures of her "teenaged" years (actually, of her teens and twenties). As to the precise nature of what happened to her; well, that's where the NDA comes in for now, I'm afraid. As of "right now, Realmstime" (and over all the time back to that early calamity, which I will go so far as to term a "violation") Storm can conceive only with divine aid (Mystra, Azuth) - - not just godly approval, but active godly help.

In the matter of approval, she is "controlled" by Mystra in the same way that all Chosen of Mystra are. This restriction doesn't bother her in the slightest; she enjoys mothering others, as Rinonalyrna Fathomlin pointed out, and she also enjoys being free to do anything sexually without fear of becoming pregnant. Not that she is any sort of sexual predator; I mean, rather, that it's one more thing she just doesn't have to worry about.

She's perfectly content with things as they are, being as she gets to "mother" scores of Harpers - - in the same way many real-world women get to be a mother to many foster children, regardless of whether or not they have (or can have) any of their own.

So saith Ed.

Who would love to tell more tales of Storm Silverhand (AND Mirt, and Durnan, and Narnra, and for that matter Narm and Elminster and Elaith, and...). If he ever gets the chance AND the time, of course.

P.S. To Rinonalyrna Fathomlin: Ed can't tell anyone details about his cat tale yet, but I will be sure to post details here as soon as he can. (All he did let slip was: "Can't! Tasslehoff might pull my beard!")

love to all,
THO

*************************************************************************************

On April 6, 2007 THO said: Well spotted!

You've hit upon one of Ed's "home" Realms roleplaying wrinkles that TSR glossed over lightly so as to avoid a lot of confusion. Couple what you've posted about with the spell creation processes Ed outlined in VOLO'S GUIDE TO ALL THINGS MAGICAL, and you've got the basis for an intensive roleplaying campaign (perhaps one-player-one-DM, perhaps as many as three players) centered on advancing as a mage through spell research, experimentation, intrigue, and a little adventuring.

Ed had a LOT of "faulty" Realms spells out there (that is, floating around the "home" Realms), to confound both PCs and NPCs. Many spells found in tombs are traps or "planted" lures; those of us who played what 3e calls "arcane spellcasters" had to be VERY wary.

love,
THO

*************************************************************************************

April 8, 2007: Hello again, all. This time Ed responds to WalkerNinja, re. this: "Ed, I've got a party of 6 characters. They found 6 rather simple crowns buried in the tombs of orcish kings at Xul Jarak (the Sons of Gruumsh Module). So far, they rather enjoy wearing them, and found it fortuitous that they had 6 members and 6 crowns (maybe it's fate!) Honestly, I think it's pretty cool.

I've got three questions about crowns and crown wearing.

What would ceremonial burial crowns of the ancient orcish Thar dynasty look like? (each crown is valued at 200gp in the module, but is otherwise undescribed).

These adventurers will be headed to Cormyr soon. Are there any laws against the wearing of crowns by non-royal/noble persons in Cormyr? These companions have a badge, but no sanctioned heraldric device. Would the heralds have issues with crown wearing by non-royal/noble persons?"

Ed replies:

Great questions! Okay, in order: orc crowns of Thar would look like this: a broad (3 inches "high") head band of beaten gold (as a coating on a much harder metal), with the front having three "teeth" (flat-topped protrusions, like the crenelations of a castle battlements), the central tooth being taller and wider than the other two. So: heavy, not ornate or finely-worked, very visible, and sturdy. No gems, no engraving, no words or symbols etched anywhere. Good gold, but only a thin layer, hence the low value.

There are no laws in Cormyr prohibiting anyone wearing crowns (or the coronets of nobles, or the circlets of young princes or princesses) EXCEPT for wearing such a symbol OF CORMYR, if you're not entitled to it.

In other words, a pretender or bastard offspring putting on a state crown of Cormyr (even an old crown that's been long lost, or one taken from a tomb or Palace effigy) is committing an act of treason (penalty to be determined by the reigning monarch, or failing that, any living legitimate Obarskyr or member of a succeeding royal family, or failing that the Royal Magician, or failing that a Council of most senior nobles [[all Dukes, to begin with]]).

So anyone else, who shows up wearing any sort of crown that isn't a crown of Cormyr, is okay (though they may earn some hard looks until onlookers, Purple Dragons, War Wizards, and Heralds are certain it isn't a crown of Cormyr). In this case, they'll be fine: at a glance, the crowns of Thar are far too "heavy and crude" in appearance to be mistaken for anything of Cormyr.

The Heralds will only be troubled by non-royal/noble persons wearing crowns they're not entitled to; if adventures show up wearing crowns that are either of unknown origin (which is what those crowns of Thar will be to all local and Crown heralds; only High Heralds will be able to readily identify them, without asking where they came from), or that are theirs by known right of conquest or discovery (in other words, if said wearers are known to have slain King X of Y, and are now wearing the regal crown of Y), they will be assumed to be "all right" by all Heralds unless accusations are made otherwise. So if a local herald asks one of the adventurers where the crown came from, and figured out from the reply that it is of an extinct line of rulership in Thar, that's fine; it's not the lawful regalia of any current ruling house of Thar, and so can be worn as a trophy in the same way that some orcs affix the skulls or heads of foes to their shields or helms or shoulderplates of armour as "look who I felled!" adornments. Perhaps not in the best of taste, but not illegal.

The crown-adorned adventurers may well catch the eyes of a lot of ladies (and young men searching for heroes to look up to). Not to mention more than a few thieves. :}

So saith Ed.

Who's given us all a vivid mental picture (and the obvious adventure hooks) at the end, there. Good points to have cleared up, Cormyr fans!

love to all,
THO

*************************************************************************************

April 9, 2007: Hello again, all. A few quick responses this time.

First: createvmind: You're very welcome. Keep the questions coming.

Second: Kuje, Ed agrees that it's been far too long since he last shared with Candlekeep scribes a new selection of Realms curse words, specific to region or race or deity. Begging duly noted. He WILL get to it.

Third: to AlorinDawn, re. this: "I have another question about DMing the Realms. Having the same characters play on and off in our current campaign since '91 has required the replacement of a number of heads of state due to assassination, death by natural causes, etc., the rearranging and extinction of some power groups and a decent number of human NPCs who are now visibly aging or downright old who were spry and young when first introduced. I have several file folders and plastic boxes of info saved. How the hell do you keep track of it all???"

Ed replies:

Increasingly, as my aging brain overflows (it reached "full" some years back), I can't keep track of it all. I simply can't.

I certainly wanted to, but I find Realmslore created by other folks than me in recent years just isn't "sticking" in memory. I have to go back and check it again and again, and often consult with the Lore Lords of the Realms (Steven Schend, Eric Boyd, George Krashos, Brian Cortijo, and several others) to make sure I haven't missed passing mentions or simply forgotten licensed product content (such as the various computer games).

When play in the Realms began, I used to write out salient points of all play sessions in longhand in an endless series of examination books (my father taught in a university, and "blank" examination books had to be rounded up and destroyed, except that like anyone who grew up fatherless in the lean Second World War years in rural Ontario, he held the view that one NEVER throws away unused paper [or string, or...]). All PC names I wrote in block caps for ease of finding them at a glance, and typical notes would run something like this:

"[Realmsdate]: FLORIN, ISLIF, and JHESSAIL went to the Old Skull to dine and meet incoming caravan for news. TORM to Lharessa's for some paying fun, observed known Zhent agent (tall man with scarred ear, pale yellow eyes) departing through back door; did not pursue. FLORIN thought one caravan merchant might be THE SIMBUL in disguise, but "he" smilingly evaded questions. F, I, J left the inn late, and when walking to the Twisted Tower across meadow were attacked by six (?) black-clad men who gated in, and had sleep-venomed daggers. Slew four, but bodies "winked" out. Two fled through gates, JHESSAIL reduced to 4 hp and "slept," brought to Old Skull for healing."

(et cetera): these notes mentioned all magic items gained, lost, and used up, all PC and important NPC deaths, quotable quotes by PCs and others, NPC capsule descriptions ("red eyes, limps, untidy") in the margins.

Now, when my recall is gone, I can re-read the notes and often be jogged into remembering whose house we were playing at, the weather, what we ate, strange things worn (or taken off!), and even jokes. And yes, I had to scribble darned fast.

Often, when THO sends me a question, my brain instantly tells me, "Oh, yes, you've covered that, in print [and it'll tell me in DRAGON or in a TSR/Wizards product] or on the Wizards website, or in the home campaign." And then my brain stops, and smiles at me, and I growl, "When and where?"

... And answer comes there none.

So I have to sit down and start LOOKING, growling ever more heartily. Yes, things would work better with a searchable electronic index. I have pdfs of most older Realms products that I can search (individual product by individual product) for occurrences of specific words or names, but that's it. And I have less than no time to generate such a thing - - when there are always deadlines looming and money to be made (writing is how I feed myself, remember) and NEW Realmslore to proffer to Realms fans.

And that (big cheesy grin) is how I "keep track of it all."

(However, certain longtime GenCon attendees will remember a night at the Safe House when a waitress who was also a devoted Realms fan stopped by my table, yanked her top up to bare her upperworks, and asked, "Remember these, Ed?"... And I did. After eight years, with her name and birthday and favourite character, which I obediently drew where she asked me to. Of course, she's probably washed it off by now.)

So saith Ed.

Who can relate dozens of such stories. Some of them involving me.

love to all,
THO

*************************************************************************************

April 10, 2007: Hello again, fellow scribes. Ed is pleased to answer Penknight this time, re. this recent query: "I realize that I have asked a great deal of questions about Myth Drannor and all, but I would like to ask another question about Cormyr if I may, ma'am. In and around Cormyr, do they speak with 'thees' and 'thous', or is it more like every day speech here? Also, how articulate are they? How does the speech of Cormyr differ from, say, Waterdeep and the rest of the Realms? Thank you kindly, ma'am; and also thank you, Mr. Greenwood. I appreciate your time."

Ed replies:

A pleasure, Penknight. In Cormyr, "thees" and "thous" tend to be used by heralds; folk trying to be "flowery" (such as poets, minstrels, bards, cryers, and some courtiers and amateur orators and "advocates" [nascent lawyers; folk paid to eloquently speak for those unable to unwilling to do so, before magisters, at trials, and to courtiers] seeking to give an impression of being learned or cultured or long-established); and older folk, the grandsires and great-grandsires [and granddams and great-granddams].

Most folk in Cormyr are quite eloquent, but more plain-spoken (see my novels SWORDS OF EVENINGSTAR and ELMINSTER'S DAUGHTER, the "modern-Realmstime" scenes in CORMYR: A NOVEL that Jeff Grubb and I wrote together, DEATH OF THE DRAGON that Troy Denning and I co-wrote, and for that matter, the forthcoming SWORDS OF DRAGONFIRE, for examples). Rural Cormyreans tend to speak more slowly and softly than folk of Marsember and especially Suzail - - which have the swift, loud, and sharp tones of any larger city in the Heartlands, like most of Sembia and Waterdeep - - but only the northeast (Arabel and beyond) has a broad, "backcountry" [ some modern real-world people might say "hick"] sound that some Suzailans sneer at.

So saith Ed.

Note that his reply here touches on AlorinDawn's recent (and still unanswered) query about accents, and his (ditto, ditto) question about making areas seem different during play, too.

love to all,
THO

*************************************************************************************

On April 10, 2007 THO said: Left to the DM, deliberately. Kept secret until VERY shortly before the event, and not talked about, afterwards. Always a wilderland setting, usually (but not always) far from both trade routes and large settlements. I can compile a fragmentary list of eight or so years (with gaps; not a continuous run) from my Realmsplay notes, but often Ed kept the locales mysterious from us even when one of more of us Knights got "smuggled into" a MageFair.

love to all,
THO

*************************************************************************************

April 10, 2007: AlorinDawn, I'm afraid Ed's "Gnome Talk" work is NDA'd at the moment (although you MAY in the fullness of time see it on the Wizards website).

Wenin, your query about the Citadel arises purely as a result of the "redrawing of the maps" that occurred in 3e. If you consult Ed's original maps, it's much clearer as to why the Citadel was the base of operations (for mounted patrols to accompany caravans against raiders out of Thar, remember, NOT massed armies duking it out with massed armies of orcs and ogres) for defending the cities of the Moonsea northshore.

To quote Ed (from the notes he furnished TSR back in 1986, which had earlier been given to we players as part of a "player pack" of background info):

The Citadel has been primarily a base and retreat-refuge, not a fortress any foe musters an army against and comes looking to besiege. Thar was more of a land of rivals all raiding on their own than it was ever a regimented realm with any sort of organized military. Its warriors generally took to the field in more of a "vast, howling mob" that was to be feared for sheer numbers and savagery than tactical skill or cunning. Such musterings were rare; usually Thar was the source of endless raiding bands, all operating independently of each other (and in recent years, preying on mining caravans). If the caravans stayed too close to the mountains on the east, the orcs infesting those mountains swarmed and annihilated them - - so most went far to the west, and tried to dodge the far less numerous ogre raiding bands.

That last sentence should make it clear why the Citadel was and is useful, situated right where it is. And why, by controlling it, Zhentil Keep was able to acquire most of the wealth and dominance among the northshore Moonsea cities.

Iakhovas, I understand your hunger for lore, but Ed has actually covered much of the coinage you ask about, here at the Keep. Follow the link Kuje has helpfully provided, and there's quite an impressive list already provided. Coinage, like matters of the gods, seems to be something Candle-bearing scribes can't get enough of, and keep asking about.

love,
THO

On April 11, 2007 THO said: Wenin, I feel I should elaborate a little re. the Citadel of the Raven.

The Citadel wasn't initially built to defend the Moonsea cities from Thar, but rather to safeguard the mining-caravan routes (the main reason for the continued existence of those cities).

However, it has been used to aid in their defense ever since, as a base from which mounted warriors can ride out to either battle armies ("raids in force") heading south before they reach the walls of those cities and manage to isolate them save for naval travel (risky to impossible in winter months, remember, and at any other time of year there are often too few ships at hand to evacuate a doomed city or rush enough reinforcements, food, and weaponry in, in time).

Even more importantly, forces based in the Citadel can sally forth to attack orc or ogre armies from the rear - - and have done so on several occasions, to devastating effect. This made elders in Thar and among the orcs of the mountains very wary of trying to conquer cities (so armies were never mustered; only the boldest local rulers mounted raids). It also made the flind and ogres both believe the Citadel had to be defeated before any attacks on the Moonsea cities could succeed.

So in two ways, the Citadel provided a buffer for those coastal cities, to keep orcs, ogres, and flind from continually surrounding their walls and harrassing everyone dwelling therein.

Sorry for lengthy gabbing.

love,
THO

*************************************************************************************

April 11, 2007: Well met again, gentles. This time Ed tackles a question from AlorinDawn: "Ed & THO, Thanks so much for the great reply on the "beasties" I inquired about. This time I pose a little more complex of a question. Having DMed on and off in the Realms for the last 20 years and detailing quite a bit of the Realms I still find it challenging at times to make location A seem much different than location B. Can you lend any tips to a fellow DM to help in these regards such as what basics you use to differentiate places and folks from the next."

Ed replies:

Well, I can try. :}

These work for me, because I've always used an "acting, roleplaying" style. I'm constantly describing what the PCs' surroundings look like, and I'm always acting NPCs (yes, with "funny voices"). In general, if you remember to have rainstorms (and describe them), mention the sunrises and sunsets, and so on, you underscore for players that time is passing. If they're on the move, be sure to describe the landscape unfolding, from time to time. Caravan masters and some tavernmasters and innkeepers may tend to "speak the same Common, the same way" in many places in the Realms (just as, say, staying at Real World Hotel Chain A can be very similar in New York, Toronto, and Berlin), but other places do have accents and "manners of speaking."

I'll leave the accents for answering your question on accents, but mannerisms can be used even if you deliver every NPC's speech (regardless of age, gender, or race) in the same (your own) voice. The differences can be heightened if you use different voices, of course.

In general, I make Southern speech faster and more fluid, with a lilt and more pronounced "S" sounds. Think of it as the difference between French or Spanish or Italian or English spoken with a Puerto Rican accent versus clipped Germanic or Scottish (or John Wayne's "Yup. Nope."). One FLOWS more than the other.

To this, add local figures of speech. Perhaps, in your Realms, people from Waterdeep always add, "You see? You see again?" instead of "Umm." to their conversation, whereas folk from Amn instead add. "No?" and Cormyreans say, "Sort of thing" and Sembians say, "Yes?"

So when your party's fighter would say, "Blast my bones, it's started to rain."

A merchant in or from Waterdeep says, "Ah, you see again; it's started to rain."

And a merchant of Cormyr says, "Ah, blast, we'll all be wet again; RAIN, sort of thing."

And the Sembian says, "Urh. Rain, yes?"

Whereas the Amnian says, "The sky falls on us again, no? Always happens about now, no?"

Now, it's easily possible to overdo this and drive your players nuts, but if you have TWO OR THREE characters in a new place (preferably with different voices, like a croaking or gravelly old geezer, a sort-spoken chambermaid or tavern lass, and a deep-voiced, hearty innkeeper) ALL use the same mannerism, your players will start to "feel" the new place (as different from the one they've just come from).

My longtime players instantly know, when their characters have stepped through a gate, where they've arrived, if they can hear locals talking - - just by years of hearing me use local colloquialisms (expressions and uniquely local uses of words, that have other meanings elsewhere; for instance, "Scroll them!" in Amn or Sembia means launch legal proceedings against, or a complaint to the authorities about, "them," whereas in Waterdeep and Cormyr it means "teach them to write") and mannerisms.

If you combine these elements with accents, you should be able to vividly nail down "different places" as distinct from each other in your players' minds (again, travelling merchants, pilgrims, other adventurers, and so on are exceptions to "localspeak"). And if you do what RodOdom's Wiki photo suggested, and have a few visual aids for players about what places look like (hint: if there's architecture, make sure big civic and fortress buildings look different from place to place!), that, too, will help them "feel the difference."

Good luck, and you're quite welcome re. the beasties. :}

So saith Ed.

A superb DM (for us, anyway; I love watching him act, even if he is a ham).

love to all,
THO

*************************************************************************************

Apriol 12, 2007: Hi again, Candlelit scribes. I bring you once more the words of Ed of the Greenwood, this time in response to Jamallo Kreen, who asked: "FRCS indicates that most PCs might learn a lot of languages, depending on their species and home region. But those are PCs. How many languages would an average person in Faerun know? Would "Common" even be common among those living in very rural or xenophobic areas?"

Ed replies:

The average rural person in Faerûn would know the local language of their region or race (and usually a local dialect of that, too, meaning "a subset of words and speech-pattern mannerisms/sayings understood locally but not elsewhere"), and a smattering of Common (or more, depending on how often they come into contact with travelling merchants).

In other words, almost everyone can say "Yes, No, Friend, Foe, Eat, Need, Water, Help, Hurt, Warning, [names of races, from orcs through humans, plus the "big in legend" monsters like skeletons, dragons], now, soon, tomorrow, sunrise, sunset, cold, hot, danger, safe, trap/hazard, too high, too low, let's dicker, weapon, attack."

A rural person living in a village on a steadily-used trade-road would know far more, whereas one living a village farther away from the road might not - - but anyone who regularly traveled from remote steadings and hamlets to market, or to stop over at a tavern, in that village on the trade-road would know at least a "rough working vocabulary" in Common (though stay-at-homes in his/her same household might not).

So saith Ed.

Creator of the Realms and thoughtful world-builder.

love to all,
THO

*************************************************************************************

April 13, 2007: Hello again, all. This time Ed responds to this interesting query from Athenon: "I've been following Wolfgang Baur's Open Design projects at Live Journal. For those that don't know, he's taking commission from patrons to create adventure products in small print runs and in PDF format. I was wondering if Ed had ever considered doing something like that. It might be a way to get products out that might otherwise not see the light of day through Wizards... Thanks!"

Ed replies:

Yes, I have been following Wolf's projects (initially hearing of it through Jeff Grubb, and shortly thereafter Steven Schend; hence the blurb from me Wolf quoted) with interest for some time; Wolf contacted me as to the best "in Realms" location for one adventure.

I think (with a great game designer AND editor rolled into one, like Wolfgang Baur, doing it) it's a brilliant idea and a great service, and the one area in which small operations and PDF have it "all over" traditional print gaming publishing (with the admitted Achilles heel that I face: having too primitive a Net connection for electronic payment, and being in another country with a different currency; I'm waiting for Wolf to visit GenCon or another con in the U.S. I also happen to be attending, so I can hand him a wad of American cash and get signed up for a bunch of these - - not so much because I want to play through them, as it is that I love to watch game design decisions being made and a design taking shape; and if it's in response to subscriber demands, it will fascinatingly "open" in its unfolding functionings).

Now, with all that said, I for several years wrote custom fantasy short stories (most of them grew into novelettes and novellas, because I'm long-winded) for charity auctions at gaming conventions, handing the finished work AND copyright to the auction winner, after I'd written a tale with their specified character, plot element, and sometimes an item or situation, too, in it. I loved doing those, even though they ate literally months out of my "earning a living" creative time.

However, I completely lack the time to do such a thing myself right now (what with all the novels and game products and articles and consulting I'm doing, to earn a living), and of course couldn't do anything Realms-related except through Wizards. So, I'll just watch Wolf, and enjoy...

So saith Ed.

I, too, like to watch (she purred), when I'm not the one doing things worth watching (she winked).

love to all,
THO

*************************************************************************************

April 15, 2007: Beautifully put, Garen Thal. I ferried your reply to Ed, and he fired back a response:

Perfect! Saves me firing up the old keyboard; couldn't have put it better myself. Dead on.

So, Blueblade, consider this one answered.

love to all,
THO

Who hasn't forgotten her duty; pray heed my next message, which brings Ed's lore response for this day.

Oh, and Sage: PDK was right; say nothing. The Lady K and I can probably both think of better uses for your mouth.

*************************************************************************************

April 15, 2007: Ahem.

Hi again, scribes.

Lest you think Ed is only answering questions posted here in the last few weeks, it's back to the year 2005 this time, to a series of questions posted by CorranH: "I also posted the below in the DM forum. But I discovered this forum and since the questions below pertain to books by Mr. Greenwood, I hope you won't mind me posting the same questions here.

I will be starting a new Forgotten Realms campaign soon and it will be set in the Western Heartlands. To be precise in a village (of my own making) on the south bank of the River Reaching, upstream of Hill's Edge. The campaign will start somewhere around 1366 DR and (hopefully) last at least until 1373 DR.

I've been reading up on the area in all the books I have (most of all the published FR material), and a few questions remain. I hope someone more knowledgeable than me in FR canon can help me with these.

Skull Gorge is just upstream and there seems to be a lot of conflicting information about it. All books tell about it being the final stand after the Battle of Bones (the best source: Elminster's Ecologies). However, some state that since the gorge has been empty, home to goblinoids, home to monsters (either of the last 2 options in some cases under Zhent control) or, hinted at in the 3rd Edition FRCS, fiends. The Tashara of the Seven Skulls article (Dragon 206, page 76) says one of the seven skulls resides there with a number of monsters. All this can't quite be explained by it being in a certain chronological order. If anyone could shine some light on this that would be much appreciated.

Also, on one of the maps of the Interactive Atlas it shows something called the 'Misty Stair' just downstream of the Skull Gorge. It's very likely this is a waterfall; however I can find no reference at all to this in any book. Anyone know where I can find any information?

Forgotten Realms Adventures, page 121: 'Zhent "Long Road to Riches:" a controlled caravan route from Zhentil Keep to the Sword Coast, via the Tesh valley, Daggerdale, the Stonelands, the Desertsedge and Goblin Marches, Yellow Snake Pass (guarded by the great Zhentarim fortress of Darkhold), Skull Gorge, Dawn Pass, Llorkh, Loudwater, and the River Delimbiyr.

Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast, page 123; 'Feuding tribes of giants dwell in the Hill of Lost Souls and the Battle of Bones (two craggy areas named for past human struggles). The giants battle endlessly over the rolling grasslands between the two areas.'

So, how do the Zhent on their 'Long Road' get past the giants, since it seems to be directly in their path? Do they pay the giants to leave them alone, have they dominated them? Skirting around them seems unlikely. BTW, on the new 3rd edition map, the Skull Gorge ends pointing south, below the Hill of Lost Souls, making the 'Long Road' even crazier. Is the Trade Way really that dangerous to take for them?

The FRCS, page 225 says about the Zhents in Yellow Snake Pass; 'until early in 1372 DR., when Thayan wizards and mercenaries from Hill's Edge drove the patrols into cavern shelters in the Underdark. For the moment, Yellow Snake Pass is free.'

The Bane - Cyric strife within the Zhents had already made me decide that Darkhold (being Cyricist controlled) has split from the 'Eastern' Zhents in all but name. The 3rd edition books aren't quite clear if this split is a reality. The question that comes to mind is; if Darkhold is alone now and no longer receiving caravans from Zhentil Keep (they focus on the Dark Road) what are they going to do? They have no industry, so caravans (and smuggling) to the Sword Coast seems unlikely. What will be their focus?

Also, what is the weather like in this region? I like the weather table they used in the Silver Marches supplement; I might use the River Valley entry from it, but might that be a bit too cold?

Finally question (I see I have rambled quite a bit already); what kind of fish would be found in the River Reaching between Hill's Edge and Skull Gorge?

Thanks."

Ed replies:

Okay, here we go. :}

First off, I apologize greatly for the delay. There were plans to set key battle scenes in a one-shot FR novel in the Class series in Skull Gorge, later superceded by plans to have a hidden citadel located in the gorge in ANOTHER FR novel, so I had to just keep quiet and wait (until first one and then the other notions were set aside by others, in favour of other ideas).

Skull Gorge is indeed a large gorge through which the River Reaching runs, and the Misty Stair is a series of cascades or waterfalls (surrounded by an everpresent mist of spray created by water rebounding up from its rocks) upstream of it.

The river is icy-cold (shocks breath from creatures falling in, carries them away swiftly throughout its run from the Stair to below the Gorge, which are the spawning areas for dreel (short, fat, green-black river eels that live on algae and carrion, and keep the river waters clean and clear; they taste like mucous, but are quite nourishing, and if fried with the right herbs or spices, can be nice; due to their appearance, they are sometimes called "trollfingers"), dartflash (small-human-palm-sized, bony silver fish that swim in short, very fast "darting" straight-ahead ruhes, and are usually netted or scooped; edible and usually steamed until the bones are soft enough to crunch and eat, though a human adult needs a helm-full pile to make a meal) and mursk (fat, slow-moving green-brown fish that are unpleasantly oily in taste, but can be fried to skim off oil that will burn in lamps "as is"). These three creatures range all the way down the River, though overfishing has made mursk almost unknown in its lower reaches.

The weather table I created for SILVER MARCHES (it got modified and improved greatly by Wizards, probably by Rich Baker) is usable for this area, but in summer months is a tad too cold; winds blowing across the desert create cold extremes in winter and brief hot spells in summer, so in summer roll two dice, the second being a d6, upon which any odd number means use that table, but "even" means substitute a much warmer weather result of your choice.

In a word, weather in this region is: windy (down to gentle breezes at night), so there are frequent weather changes.

Right: on to Skull Gorge. Yes, it was the site of a legendary "last stand," and for years haunted by undead as a result, which kept it empty of most other life. Hobgoblins eventually moved in, led by shamans who managed to deal with the undead, but disputes arose among the hobgoblins and they warred amongst themselves.

For a long period of time after that, a succession of various wandering goblin, orc, hobgoblin, and even bugbear bands took up residence in the Gorge, fought with and drove out whoever was already living there, and were in turn supplanted by the "next wave" of opportunistic invaders. The fish were plentiful, and so were huge numbers of birds nesting on ledges, who could be driven off with sticks or flung debris and their eggs taken; the krawthant and smokewings in particular simply go on laying eggs until they manage to hatch a chick or die trying, so their eggs can be taken again and again.

From time to time wandering monsters happened along and decided the Gorge would make an ideal home for THEM (being as it has food, water, and shelter in the form of almost a dozen shallow "fissure" caves in the gorge walls). On most occasions the resident goblinoids slew the monsters, but sometimes the monster or monsters prevailed - - until the NEXT goblinoid band or more powerful monsters happened along. Wyverns nesting nearby regularly raided, devouring anything they could catch sufficiently "in the open," and their depredations took care of some of the more formidable monsters.

In this manner, the Gorge changed hands repeatedly over the years, until the Zhentarim started to scout the area, and started basing a succession of "magelings" (low-level wizards of Zhentil Keep desiring to "prove their worth" and rise in the ranks of the Zhentarim) in the Gorge who were given magic items with which to control bands of monsters (often hobgoblins or orcs) to patrol the lands around, keeping predatory roaming monsters away and running off or slaying anyone who wasn't a Zhent, or part of their caravan operations. Aside from defending the Gorge itself from intrusion, their patrols were confined to the area between the Gorge and Anauroch, avoiding the Well of Dragons.

Many of the Zhent magelings were cruel, overambitious fools, and either attracted attention by "sideline" activities in Corm Orp or Hill's Edge designed to enrich themselves personally (slaving, drug-running, kidnappings for ransom, protection rackets), and so were eliminated by senior Zhentarim, or tried to eliminate the warring giants to the north (that upper-rank Zhentarim wanted to remain as deterrent to humans or others seeking to prospect or establish trade routes or try to settle in the area) or take on other perils in the area (dragons, wyverns, etc.) and paid the price.

So they died, frequently, often with most of the patrols they were commanding (and in a few cases, at the hands of those same patrols).

The Long Road caravans didn't traverse the Gorge (aside from a rare handful of experiments in barging goods down the River Reaching; rare because Scornubel proved to be a den of far too many powerful rivals for the Zhents to take on, and defeat, all at once); they passed it by to the east, skirting the western Desertsedge; the Gorge was part of the "wall of deterrents" the Zhents wanted to keep between their trade-route and prying eyes (and swords) of rivals.

Skull Gorge was reconquered by the Zhents on many occasions, though their grip on it weakened as divisions developed within the Brotherhood; the skull (of Tashara's seven) took up residence, with spell-controlled monsters of its own and its magical "giant flying skull" image, during one interlude between periods of Zhent control, slaughtered several Zhent magelings sent to retake the Gorge, and retreated (present whereabouts unknown) when the Zhents sent a small group of accomplished wizards with a few spell-controlled death tyrants.

More recently, the Zhent grip on the Gorge weakened still more (again due to strife within the Zhentarim), fiends were summoned by some Zhent wizards seeking to rule the Gorge (wizards who perished, leaving the fiends lurking there), and with effective Zhent control gone, a temple to Velsharoon (The Crypt of the Arisen Army) was established in the Gorge.

The ultimate Zhent aim involving Skull Gorge was, however, achieved: the area has a firm reputation as "dangerous, haunted, and crawling" with all manner of monsters (just pick your wild story), and nearby settlements such as Hill's Edge and Corm Orp wouldn't dream of trying to found ranches or prospect for metals anywhere near the Gorge, or the wilderlands to its east.

Of course, in the meantime, the Black Road route across Anauroch was established, shortening the Zhent "faster, privately-controlled" caravan route between the Moonsea and the Sword Coast.

The Long Road, that skirts Anauroch, was established purely because the Zhents of the day were too weak to magically exterminate or control the Bedine AND the natural perils of the desert (the city of Shade is, of course, a recent complication in all of this). Yes, its route is long and torturous, but preferable to the longer and far more expensive "public" routes through Cormyr, Iriaebor, et al because the Zhents could move weapons, armor, battle-ready mercenaries, drugs, slaves, and other items that rulers of places long the public route might stop, seize, or make war on the Zhents because of.

The Zhentarim DO have magic enough to make both tribes of giants simply shun their passing caravans (allowing them through where others, not specifically magically equipped for such a passage, cannot). Yes, many Zhent goods DO just appear on the Trade Way through Soubar and other stops, or are dispersed through Scornubel, but again, the illicit nature of the majority of the most profitable shipping makes bringing such goods through places the Zhents came to control or dominate (Llorkh, Loudwater), and then via barge past most scrutiny until they can leave Zhent hands, preferable to the Trade Way or other "public" caravan routes.

The establishment of the Black Road, and changing priorities within the Zhentarim (the "make us all rich" overland trade project was a chief goal of the Zhentarim WIZARDS, not the later Fzoul-dominated priest/beholder cabal; the beholders formerly sided with Manshoon, but turned against him when they saw this project and others becoming seeming obsessions, and turning the Brotherhood away from THEIR goals, which remain largely mysterious [and heavily under NDA protection].

CorranH, you are quite correct in saying that Darkhold "split from the 'Eastern' Zhents in all but name."

The 3rd edition books weren't quite clear on the specifics of this, for as long as possible, in order to give DMs maximum freedom in handling this as they wanted to in their own campaigns.

Here are some of the things an "isolated" Darkhold can do: act as a gathering place (and breeding pens) for slaves, and the magical alteration of slaves, and then ship them out for sale (perhaps primarily down into the Underdark). Act as a defended transfer point for goods from the Underdark being shipped into the World Above, and vice versa. Become a drug, poison, perfume, and drinkables (fortified wines, zzar "with something extra," and other exotic, expensive "doctored" drinks) manufacturing center and shipping source. Train wizards and send them forth on covert missions to coerce or slay wealthy individuals in Amn and Tethyr, and successful "shady" traders in Scornubel, and gain access to their businesses and property.

All of which, of course, would make Darkhold a prime target for Red Wizard infiltration and takeover.

And who's to say the beholders of the Brotherhood, or the Underdark interests, would let the Red Wizards get away with that? What if Zhents who had to flee Darkhold for their lives decide it would be wise to stay in hiding, wherever else they are, and hire or compel adventurers to "go in" and try to wrest Darkhold back from the Thayans?

Moreover, there are ancient and fell magics hidden in Darkhold that neither the Zhents nor the Red Wizards control. What if they awaken, and take a hand in the conflict in some way?

Heh-heh. Hope that's enough of a focus for your campaign, and that it doesn't come too late. (Or perhaps for a new campaign...)

So saith Ed.

Wow, now THERE'S a campaign-building answer. It takes Ed a while, sometimes (with very good reasons, as we saw), but he delivers. With a big smile on his face. In the dead of night, on your doorstep. (As I know personally).

love to all,
THO

*************************************************************************************

April 16, 2007: Hi again, fellow scribes. Ed deals with another vintage question this time, one posed by darqravenDD in early February of 2005: "Mr. Greenwood, I have placed this question in a couple different places (including a different place on this forum) and was told by Ms Elaine Cunningham that you Sir the one to ask this of. As you are the final word on Forgotten Realms Lore.

I ask this of you here, because I wish to know the Offical Standing per date. Many wonderfully helpful people have given their thoughts on this. And though it may seem I am just asking and asking till I get the answer I am looking for, that is not the case. I simply ask you now Sir, because you ARE the final word on the matter and speak with the power of WotC behind you.

There for I place this before you, Sir:

In the current standings of the Realms, Would Lolth allow a male of exceptional merit to become a Cleric/High Priest of her ways? And would the Female Drow allow such?

I know that he would not have the same standing as a Female in his place. And the interactions between them would be very very interesting.

I am well aware that they are others Deities that would grant a Male Drow clerical power. One good example would be Laveth (Lolth's daughter as per Dragon Issue 84), but I am interested in Lolth, not the others. What is the Offical standing on this?

I am also aware that in the past, it was allowed (2nd Ed rules).

If you would be so kind to tell us your thoughts on the matter.

Thank you for your time.. and I look forward to your answers, as they will help me greatly in a storeline I am working on.

darqravenDD

PS: I just thought of a side question: Would Lolth even worry about a Male Cleric/High Priest if he started to interrupt her plans?"

Ed replies:

I must begin my belated answer by saying flatly that I can't give you any sort of "Official" answer, and I DON'T speak with "the power of WotC behind" me (though that sounds as if it might be fun, especially if bellowed from horseback, riding through a moonlit night with gleaming sword brandished in hand).

One of the reasons this reply has taken so long is my reluctance to try to even tackle "rules" questions; for those, you need to consult Wizards. Another is my long, slow attempt to do so on your behalf, by asking various staff designers their opinions at conventions.

Here's the result:

Yes, Lolth WOULD allow a male of exceptional merit to become a Cleric/High Priest in her faith. The key words here are "of exceptional merit." In other words, he's going to be a very, very rare exception to the norm.

No, female drow he met with would universally NOT recognize his standing, or aid him, if Lolth didn't flatly, firmly, and openly tell them to (speaking in their heads or manifesting directly). He would be hated and almost certainly attacked (to kill), and regarded as a madwits if they didn't receive Lolth's assurances, and a freak if they did.

Note that I'm making generalizations as to female drow attitudes towards him here, and considering only those female drow who venerate Lolth; other drow females might not react with such swift hostility (unless the male drow priest of Lolth attacked them, or announced his status and attempted to cajole, coerce, or otherwise hamper them).

I'm not sure that Lolth would "worry" about a male (drow, I assume) male cleric/high priest (of her faith, I assume) "if he started to interrupt her plans," but she WOULD have agents (such as other mortal drow) deal with him, promptly and harshly. Her dominance succeeds through tyranny; those who defy her or her aims must be seen to be punished horribly by her worshippers, so that they'll continue to obey her with alacrity.

So saith Ed.

Tireless delver into ever-richer and -deeper facets and layers of the Realms.

love to all,
THO

*************************************************************************************

On April 17, 2007 THO said: I tend to read Realms novels as soon as they come out, regardless of their Realmsdate or status as part of a trilogy or series.

But that's just me. :}

Many of the "trilogies intended as trilogies" (Byers, Kemp) might well work better if read by someone who waits until they can read all of the parts in succession.

However, all of Ed's trilogies work just fine as "stand-alone" books that just get continued (or the same characters and places revisited) in later "stand-alone" books. I don't think any reader would gain anything by waiting until the entire Knights of Myth Drannor trilogy is published, before they started reading the first one. Plunge right in, I say! (Into books, too.)

love to all,
THO

*************************************************************************************

April 17, 2007: Hello again everyone. This time I bring you the words of Ed of the Greenwood in response to this post from Delzounblood: "ED & THO

I have been thinking of asking this question for a while and I have even posted it on the boards for the other scribes to coment on.

For the past 5 years I have been off and on studying Ancient History and Lesser Known Theories of Mankind. (I know big subject!) I have been re-reading one of my favorite Non-fiction Books on this subject, and with a couple of points raised I wondered if anything similar had happened in the realms?

The book is Fingerprints of the Gods by Graham Hancock.

In the section I was reading the book discusses ancient Andean and Incan civilisations and their step up from Un-civilised Barbarians to the earliest know civilised cultures.

This seems to be the work of One man if you follow Andean legend or a group of men from the same culture.

In most places they named him Ticci Viracocha though he had many other names including Huaracocha, Con, Con Ticci or Kon Tiki, Thunupa etc. This man or men came and taught the barbaric tribes Math, Writing, Agriculture and gave them all the skills needed for a cultured, civilized life!

Then left and went forth into the sea....

The main questions:

Has there been any canon or anything hinted at that would reflect or in some way mirror the Andean Legend of this Foam of the Sea, Master of Science & Magic (as he is known) in early Toril history?

Did the races of Faerun have divine influence that could incorporate this legend in any way?

I am thinking more of the Old Empires or maybe the Maztican Empire etc:

I know FR is not a reflection of Real World, but I always find some mirror of a legend able to fit and adapt into game terms.

Maybe a manifestation / avatar of one God or another shaping their favored race?

Or as per the book hinted but an unknown super advanced race which for reasons unknown traveled around Toril on a civilizing mission?

Your thoughts and any canon please.

Thanks Delz"

Ed replies:

There are lots of "strange tales" from the distant past that hint at "odd outlanders arriving, doing wondrous (or terrible) things, and departing again," and that's hardly surprising in a world wherein so many races have jostled for dwelling-space and supremacy, and magic works and is used so often by so many of them (AND so often dramatically, or recklessly, or tumultuously).

However, what there ISN'T is a shared sense of just one "unknown super advanced race" travelling about. Many races in a given locale, at different times in history, have shared tales about, and either argued about or "believed in" (shared a common belief), various different groups of visitors doing various things (sometimes gifting local persons with things, sometimes "settling" wars or installing or supporting rulers, sometimes toppling and replacing them). Tales of mortal heroes rising to found empires or make ideas into a new reality (social custom or technological advance or practical process) are common, but tales of gods "coming down" to do so are more rare. Folk of Faerûn seem to like or prefer gods who inspire or guide mortals rather than gods who "come and do things to" mortals - - and their tales reflect this.

Priests are taught "holy history" that attests that this or that god (usually their own) did indeed shape the destinies of races by causing this or that event (natural disasters, victories in war, ascensions or falls of prominent rulers, and so on). However, the holy histories of one church inevitably contradict that of another, and no coherent picture emerges that can lead a truly objective observer to say, "This tale, that one, and these three holy histories are really all about the same being."

On the other hand, most mortals, in Faerûn as elsewhere, aren't 'truly objective observers.' So there are many cults, cabals, priesthoods, small regional groups, and just plain folks across the Realms who DO share beliefs that this and that tale, coupled with the teachings of yonder church, "prove" X or Y.

There's nothing to stop you putting a civilizing Walker From The Sea (who later returns to it) into your Realms campaign as "X" (or "Y"). In this way, the Realms is indeed flexible enough to mirror the Real World (whatever that is :}). Many churches are fond of saying "This Long-ago Local Hero was in reality an Avatar of Our Deity, or Inspired by Our Deity," and although this is usually countered by multiple other faiths saying, "No, That Same Long-ago Local Hero was in reality an Avatar of OUR Deity, or Inspired by Our Deity, Not Yours," if those rival faiths dwindle or are absent in a given area, than the sort of figure you posit belief in will indeed become "accepted as truth" in that given area.

Go for it, and have fun, and keep watching canon closely; one never knows just what might turn up.

So saith Ed.

Who is NOT hinting furiously with his last sentence, but merely reminding everyone to keep their minds open (there's more room in an open mind than a closed one for new ideas, as the saying goes).

love to all,
THO

*************************************************************************************

April 18, 2006: Hi again, fellow scribes. This time I bring Ed's reply to this recent query from createvmind: "Hello All, During gaming last night I suddenly wondered, where do items go when a bag of holding or any such dimensional space is punctured and who's there to scoop them up? If I tried to find an object lost in such a way and used a spell what would I see when scrying the object?"

Ed replies:

I'm going to begin by assuming your question specifies "in the Realms." Otherwise, it's literally (ahem) not my bag. :}

Kentinal is quite correct in both his rules reply AND his "perhaps" suggestion.

[THO Interjection: Kentinal's relevant words: "What occurs is a rift or gate to the Astral Plane is torn in the space, and all items carried are lost. At least as per the core rules. Perhaps items of magic return to the Weave."]

The bag of holding or other magical dimensional pocket is destroyed, irrevocably and forever, and the energies of its destruction "burn" a very temporary (lasting less than a round) hole in the dimensional ether, causing a rift into the Astral Plane.

Any and all contents of the collapsing extra-dimensional space are violently scattered - - ("sucked," whirled, etc.) not in a way that damages the contents by impact with anything, because they're individually shielded by flows of energy swirling around them, but in a way that whisks them away so swiftly that no one and no spell can hope to "snatch and hold" any of them - - away, as the energies of the plane (I'm going to assume here, for the sake of keeping this answer to under a web-thread-page in length, that we're talking the Realms, as Prime Material, being the "plane" in which the bag or other dimensional space is located or opened into, prior to collapse) rush in, to "heal the rift" by equalizing pressure with the Astral (I'm speaking more metaphorically than physically here, to most clearly illustrate "what happens" from the point of view of observers on the prime plane). So the items vanish, too quickly to be grabbed, and the rift closes, only a little more slowly.

It's rare, with a bag of holding or other dimensional space of similar or smaller size, for any living creature to be "sucked through the rift" unless they are directly in contact with it AND WANT TO GO THROUGH, *AND* so do exactly the right thing (turning and aiming themselves, limbs together like a diver seeking to plunge through a small opening or deep into water, so as to fit through the rift before it closes and the roiling energies hurl them aside), OR they are already reaching into the bag or are partially in the dimensional space, grasping one or more of the contents, and ALLOW THEMSELVES to be "towed" through the rift by refusing to let go of the item. (A DM shouldn't give players much time to make a decision here OR debate it with other players; their character has literally seconds to act, one way or another.)

Magic items (including "normal" items that have simply had a [perhaps limited-duration] spell cast on them, like the famous rock with a light spell on it) are the exception to this "whisked anywhere, and lost" rule. I'll get back to them in a moment.

Before I explore THAT funhouse, I'd like to quickly deal with the other two questions you pose: "who's there to scoop them up?" and "If I tried to find an object lost in such a way and used a spell what would I see when scrying the object?"

The answer to the first is: whatever beasties you want to be there, depending on where a particular item of the "lost" contents go - - and that depends on the cosmology you're using, prior events in your campaign (did adventurers from the Realms enter this same new-destination plane recently?), and where the DM deems that item to have gone. Usually everything gets sprayed, shotgun-blast-like, from a given entry point out into the Astral Plane. However, the violence of the rift may well open other rifts, into other planes, or the rift and trajectory of a given item departing it may be sufficiently close to a pre-existing planar transfer from the Astral to another plane, to send the item on elsewhere, so that it flashes momentarily through the Astral and then is gone. A great way to "tow" a PC adventurer into a new campaign setting, by the way...

The answer to your second question is: any scrying intended to find any "lost" content item would fail utterly. You can't find them that way. The "unless" here is: unless the item returns to the Realms (prime plane). I usually rule that the item is surrounded by an "echo" or aura of its violent planar travel that renders it invisible to all detection and location magics for a day or so, anyway. So to any attempts to immediately magically trace it, the item is simply "gone."

Right, back to the magic items being the exception, and Kentinal's good instincts: some (by no means all; here I ignore percentages and just make the possibilities part of a DM's storytelling "wiggle room," as in: what'll make the best adventure for the PCs) magic items do "boomerang" back to the Realms (along with anyone towed by them, or even other items that were lashed to them or physically connected to [or even tangled in] them in some way). Not to right where they departed the Realms, but a random "somewhere else" in the Realms. Cheap, nigh-instant intercontinental travel, with a "safe" arrival, as per a teleport without error in 2nd Ed. That does NOT guarantee that arrival is in a location that is itself inherently safe. If you appear inside someone's harem or guarded treasure vault, and experience a hostile reaction, claiming that magic not of your casting brought you there probably isn't going to mollify the displeasure of the locals.

So items flung through such a rift that had acquired magic, even temporarily, in the Realms often return to the Realms, in a random location. Again, a great way of shifting adventure to a new venue, or just thrusting a PC into a difficult situation where they may See Things or otherwise learn information (the duke's a traitor! the kindly old mother superior secretly summons devils to gratify her and carry out deeds for her! that oh-so-loyal noble is secretly meeting with foes of the city, like drow or illithids or rival city rulers!) that will plunge them into subsequent adventures.

There is no way of affecting where the new Realms arrival location will be - - unless the DM wants the will of a player character towed along to have some weight, and the player fervently and quickly uses it ("There's no place like home! There's no place like home!")

Right, there's my Realmslore reply. Have fun. :}

So saith Ed.

Whew. This HAS, by the way, been used on we Knights a time or two. An approach that promotes maximum roleplaying possibilities, you'll note.

love to all,
THO

*************************************************************************************

On April 19, 2007 THO said: Both Corky and Halflings Inc. are the creations of Jeff Grubb, then the TSR "traffic cop" and main designer of the Realms. For what Jeff's up to these days, see his superb blog, Grubb Street.

love,
THO

*************************************************************************************

April 19, 2007: Hi.

To Calrond: Whoooo. You tread on Dangerous Ground For Mere Mortals. Ed will respond shortly (er, within the month).

To createvmind, Ooooo. Your player's character may indeed be in for a world of hurtin'... or not. Again, Ed will respond.

And hello again, all. This time I present Ed's swift response to Jamallo Kreen's recent questions, that he suggested I 'pare to the bone' when presenting this answer, so accordingly: "The Age of Worms Adventure Path concludes in issue 135 of Dungeon Magazine, and Eric L. Boyd has written articles and web enhancements which allow it to be played in Faerun (including Chult). In the adaptation, Kyuss becomes a minor Chultan god worshipped by only a few cultists (at first, anyway!).

If Kyuss, a Chultan demigod, is killed by mortals, would they be eligible for elevation to godhood by Ao (using TSR's ToT logic, informed by your uber-wisdom), and if so, would they inherit his domains or his portfolio or both, or only his divine spark, being left to become the gods they want to be? (I can't see a lawful good character killing Kyuss and then relishing the prospect of having the domains of Evil and Corruption dropped in his lap, nor a good cleric or paladin wanting to become a divine patron of undeath!)

Second, since killing Kyuss is a Herculean task (pun intended), and would probably involve a team of adventurers, would they all become eligible for divinity, or just the one who delivered the final death blow, and if it's divided up, would they all become DR 1 demigods, or would the divine spark be spread so thin that they all become DR 0 quasi-deities? I know how I presently intend to run it, if my players ever succeed in doing it, but I greatly value your opinion on this, Ed, and want to make my campaign as "Realmsian" as possible, even though there is no way in the Fugue Plain that you'd ever run this adventure path for your players.

Cyric and Midnight took out greater deities and became greater gods themselves, which leads to my third query, one which may extend beyond the realm of NDA and into the cosmic sphere of "it's none of your business, mortal!" If a mortal obtains divinity by killing a god, does he or she become the same Divine Rank as the deceased, or might Ao (who can do anything s/he wants!) raise the mortal to an even higher rank or place him at a lower rank (for some inscrutable reason unfathomable to the gods themselves)?

Fourth (and finally!), the Hand of Vecna makes an appearance in this adventure path, along with a high-ranking cleric of Vecna. Eric's adaptation makes Myrkul stand in for Vecna, but there just ain't no Hand of Myrkul artifact, and the [i]Crown of Horns[i] might not do as a substitute. Master Ed of the Realms, is it possible that Vecna finally has a small toehold on Toril and can grant spells there, or is it more likely that some other deity is impersonating him and granting spells in his name to his poor, ignorant cleric?"

Right, duly trimmed (scribes can examine the entire post on page 25 of this thread), and here's Ed's response:

Any mortal can ascend to godhood if venerated sufficiently; why some achieve divinity and some do not is one of the Ultimate Mysteries, that only Ao can answer (many sages may second-guess, but none can presage or predict with certainty). In general, the destruction (permanent death) of a demigod raises a very strong possibility that a new demigod will rise to take the place of the vanished demigod.

The portfolios and domains of any replacement aren't automatic; they have to do with the nature (mortal life, deeds, and interests) of the new demigod, and of the desires and actions of existing gods (who may or may not want to seize the vacant portfolios, and may or may not be prevented in doing so by the opposition of other gods, or their own too-different-from-the-desired-portfolio natures).

However, being the mortal slayer of any sort of god does NOT guarantee that said mortal will ascend to godhood, or replace the divinity they've slain. The Time of Troubles (Godswar, Fall of the Gods) was an exceptional time, with exceptional circumstances; so far as the wisest mortal sages can tell, in hindsight, Ao was trying to shake up the roster of existing gods and teach the survivors a lesson.

So a mortal killing a god now, or at any non-Time of Troubles time, might very well not Ascend to take the god's place (they might well believe otherwise, of course, with what priests may have said about the examples of Cyric, Kelemvor, and Midnight).

The "divine spark" you speak of is Ao's to compel or steer, BUT: any mortal (I stress: not already divine) godslayer who kills a god directly, hand-to-hand, rather than long-range (by spell or contrivance), will almost certainly be bathed in a "wash" of divine power blasting outwards, from the dying god.

They may well be slain or seared into twisted but still living ruin by such energies, but are usually also "touched" and changed by the divine fire rushing through them.

This is a DM's chance to change a character's race, alignment, and statistics of all sorts; I have usually used it to give characters stat boosts and "wild talents" (sorcerer-like "self-renewing" spellcasting abilities, for only a few specific spells or effects); in other words, nudging them a stride closer to being superheroes. They may well, of course, not know precisely what's happened to them, until trial-and-error or "funny happenings" afterwards clue them in. ("Hey, I fell into the fire and DIDN'T GET BURNED!")

So a character killing Kyuss would be eligible to replace him, yes, but highly unlikely. Yes, the entire party would be eligible, too, but if they didn't strike a direct blow against Kyuss, their eligibility would been even more highly unlikely.

If no one "in wider Faerûn" knows of their deed (and any of them telling someone about it emphatically doesn't count; a powerful wizard or priest with a reputation and believability of their own has to witness the slaying AND WANT TO SPREAD WORD OF IT), they probably wouldn't start getting worshipped by anyone; ergo, no demigodhood or any other sort of godhood. They might well gain powers I alluded to, above (darkvision, self-healing, feather fall or dimension door ability, vitality: a human gaining the lifespan and vigor of an elf, or an elf doubling their natural lifespan), but would then have to use those powers to do things and impress people to try to get someone to start praying to them. In other words, it's not likely at all that they'd achieve godhood by slaying Kyuss, but they might well gain personal benefits.

On the other hand, if the slayer is already a priest, and his/her holy mission of going up against Kyuss is known and approved of by the church or the deity (who would in turn order the church to celebrate it), said mortal godslayer might be deemed a "saint" or "holy champion" or something of the sort, of the deity they worship - - and it's from the ranks of such Holy Ones that demigods often rise, especially if something befalls the main deity. Worship of a saint would keep that mortal alive and vital, beyond normal lifespan, and therefore a potential "god in waiting."

No godslayer, mortal or divine, automatically achieves the same divine rank as their victim, although a middling god who single-handedly takes down a greater god USUALLY gains power. Again, veneraton of massed mortals plays a part, so the extent to which mortals know about the slaying (the public relations "selling job" best done by an existing and widespread priesthood) is a determining factor.

And lastly: yes, it's possible that Vecna finally has a small toehold on Toril and can grant spells there - - but it is FAR more likely that a deity already in the Realms (Myrkul's the most likely one, though it could be someone else trying to "horn in on" something that would otherwise fall to Myrkul because of his portfolio) is indeed impersonating him and granting spells in his name to his "poor, ignorant cleric."

So saith Ed.

Creator of most of the gods of the Realms and the "portfolio" system as a game mechanic (it existed in myths and legends long, long before there were any roleplaying games, of course).

love to all,
THO

*************************************************************************************

April 19, 2007: Hello, all. Iakhovas, I sent your post off to Ed for his reply, being as you addressed him directly in it. Here's what he just sent back:

Iakhovas, the "trend" in the Realms you object to simply doesn't exist. Or to put it another way: the elements you find distasteful have been there from the beginning. The Realms is a big, hyper-detailed world, and I and others have put LOTS of things in it. From detailed insects, clothing dyes and poisons, to oaths and changing fashions and ever-evolving customs and fads.

When speaking about the Realms, I have always adopted the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC approach: to stand back and dispassionately discuss everything. In the threads here at Candlekeep, I do so in response to questions.

As a designer, I put EVERYTHING in, for one overriding reason: in any roleplaying game, DMs need to understand WHY NPCs think and act as they do, so they can extrapolate what a given NPC will do in any situation that play goes in (as no published game material can possibly have space enough to cover all possibilities, and some DMs will want to use NPCs as continuing characters in a campaign, and so will need "aims, life goals, and attitudes" information).

Sexual needs and attitudes can be a big part of why NPCs act as they do: many quests, slayings, feuds, and PC adventurer hirings are rooted in love, unrequited love, the desire to impress or attract attention from someone desired, or to make amends, and so on.

The editors always take all sorts of material out of the lore material I provide, usually for space reasons more than anything else. But in the same way as 3rd Edition designers are required to "show their math work" to the editor (when working out character stat blocks), I have to show WHY characters think as they do, act as they do, and have the aims they do. It's simply part of good roleplaying.

However, the sexual aspects of the Realms, except in the most overarching aspects (there was a conflict between Lancelot and Arthur over Guinevere because...), don't need to be in everyone's Realms roleplaying. At all. It's purely a matter of personal choice.

In this thread, though, through the good offices of The Hooded One, I provide answers to specific questions posed by scribes, limited by my field of expertise (ask me how to invest in the stock market? Sorry, not competent) and by NDAs. To limit my responses, or for you or anyone to try to limit the scope of questions asked, is to try to take away the choices of others.

And that dismays and disgusts ME. If you don't like the topic being asked about, or the answer, please just ignore it or don't read it. You are certainly under no obligation to include the lore I provide here in your campaign.

If you attend GenCon seminars, you will know that although I often delve into topics some judge "lewd," I do so always IN RESPONSE TO AUDIENCE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS.

Some scribes want to know more, for whatever reasons. Sometimes in ways that puzzle me or go far beyond what I think is necessary for MY roleplaying (why does this god like this colour, or that herb or shoes or particular sort of vole?... As mortals, your characters can never know why; the god just does, that's all). Yet I try to answer everyone.

Your games may neither include nor need mention of homosexuality or bisexuality; that's fine. However, other scribes have interests of their own that carry the exact same weight of legitimacy as yours. You've recently asked a question about coinage in this thread; please be aware that I once had a brief and friendly argument with a TSR designer who said of my currency details, "Out with all that crXp! The game has gold pieces in the rules, and that should be good enough! Why all this totally unnecessary detail? It's all just space-wasting crXp! Give me more monsters!"

(And as an aside: the design of a newly-created monster [and I've created more monsters for the game than anyone else] should ALWAYS include sexual details, so the life cycle can be understood: does it give live birth, or lay eggs? What stats and powers do the hatchlings or young possess? Do they have a market value, or are they edible? What does the beast's lair, or egg nest, look like? Do they dwell in mated pairs, or mate and then separate [so are adventuring PCs who kill a female going to be hunted down by the lovelorn male, or did the female drive him away long ago]? This lore need not always appear in the published monster entry, but the company designers have to know it, so as to answer Sage Advice questions or to develop newer versions of the monster, later.)

All gamers feel different wants and have different needs, and I try to cater to all. In this case, a scribe asked a specific question, asking for clarification about an earlier reply of mine. If that request had not been made, I would not have delved further into the topic, PRECISELY because it makes some scribes uncomfortable.

For the record - - as specifically stated in the very post of mine you quoted - - I also do not find that "most Eilistraeean clerics" are sexually prolific. I do find that a large number of them, like a majority of clerics of all faiths and genders, have no steady partners: they devote themselves to the god and the faith, and the fellowship of various other clergy, rather than to life with one partner. Nor did I say that "most" Eilistraeean clerics are lesbians; I simply pointed out their strong presence as a factor, in response to a specific question. In this case, sexual ACCEPTANCE (not necessarily practices onstage, in anyone's game) within Eilistraee's clergy is important for roleplaying: it allows everyone to understand what's going to be accepted, and what is not, and therefore how to roleplay characters who happen to be members of Eilistraee's clergy. It warns a DM that a given female cleric of Eilistraee is going to have a lot of other females who care what happens to her, and may well attack PCs or others who mess with her.

The "dancing naked" aspect you find ridiculous is actually there because, long ago, a TSR editor requested it be, so a TSR artist could paint the picture he wanted to paint (that in the end, did not get used, although I believe it was sold privately to someone who presumably likes to look at art of nude dancing drow women). As for those "voluptuous beautiful women swinging great or bastard swords in chainmail bikinis sans the freakish muscles that would usually come with it" you mention, yes, I do believe I've seen rather a lot of those sorts of paintings, on the covers of a considerable number of fantasy games and novels... :}

As a freelancer, at the time of the dancing naked request, my job was not to dispute with those I was working with; my job was to incorporate. The design that results is of course shaped by that inclusion, because my overarching goal is always to make the Realms seem realistic, so that its systems "work," or at least give the feel of doing so.

In the early days of TSR publishing the Realms, most matters sexual were taboo (a DRAGON staffer once vetoed an article of mine because he didn't want me to mention that in some versions of the Arthurian legend, Lancelot and Guinevere were "lovers;" that one word was too strong for him, but had to be there as the [only mention of the] reason for the schism between them, breakup of the Round Table, etc.).

More recently in the history of the published Realms, more and more sexual details have been published (though please note that explicit sexuality has been there from early on: one of Bob Salvatore's early drow novels, HOMELAND, ends with the female "valedictorian" of the graduating priestesses summoning and having sexual relations with a creature from the lower planes, which is much "stronger" than anything I've ever written). I'm guessing - - and this is merely my speculation, not anything I know of company policy - - that the boundaries are continually pushed in attempts to appeal to new potential audiences (e.g. lesbians, male homosexuals) by including elements they can identify with.

Again, this is merely a guess. I don't - - and have never - - controlled the direction, focus, and breadth of the published Realms. I don't even control what is printed and what gets cut in novels and game products that have my name on them (check the legal matter at the front of them, and you'll note that they're copyrighted by the company, not by me).

What I do, and have always done, is provide more Realmslore to gamers, readers, and other fans of the Realms. I do it here at Candlekeep by answering questions, as fully as I can. So if someone asks about matters sexual in the Realms, I WILL discuss said matters.

However, I'm not rebuking or disagreeing with you. Of COURSE many people find sexual elements disagreeable, in a variety of ways, and whenever someone dislikes what they see in a Realms product, and says so, we take note. I will pass this reaction of yours on to the relevant folks at Wizards - - because this is a service industry, or should be: we want to provide what fans want. That's how sales go up, for the publisher: what's being published gets continually refined and re-aimed or re-configured, to appeal to the widest audience. Whose tastes are always evolving.

THO and I both like to flirt, but neither of us has, so far as I know, been promiscuous since shortly after the 1960s (ooh, hey: yes, Woodstock! No, not in the Realms :}). Yes, that means we're both "old" by the standards of many scribes. Yet we actually do think about a lot of other things besides sex. Really. Just ask us about other things, and we'll talk about other things. Er, mainly. :}

Okay?

So saith Ed.

I, however, LOVE to talk about sex. And not just talk...

Ahem. Complaint accepted, Iakhovas; air cleared? Let us know, okay?

Ed will return with a Realmslore reply as usual, in six hours or so. AlorinDawn, that workshop idea of yours sounds great. Why don't you suggest it to Lisa Adams, of Pentacon?

love to all,
THO

*************************************************************************************

April 20, 2007: Ah, PDK!

I've BEEN in some of those joints you refer to. A little too much "eons of cigarette smoke" for my tastes, but...

Ahem.

Hi again, scribes!

This time, I present the first half of Ed's swift reply to Blueblade's request for Realmslore: "I'm looking for some local tax collectors and police/Watch for Marsember; names and ranks of a handful of guys and gals who'd operate at street level, actually going into shops to say, "Hey, you haven't paid, so pay up.""

Ed replies:

Ah, I love these sorts of queries. No heavy-duty stats, just the roleplaying stuff, okay? In general, consider these F4s at most (the Watch) and F1s with some sort of accountancy prestige class (the tax bailiffs). So here, from my DM notes, are a few handy characters.

Watch: As with Arabel, the other "oft-rebel city," most patrols are currently Purple Dragons, with one or two retired Purple Dragons (old but still hale locals who "know everyone in Marsember") and one or two young Purple Dragons in training. As a result, the Watch in Marsember now uses Purple Dragon ranks. The lionar and swordcaptain wouldn't be along on normal street patrols or bailiff visits, unless armed resistance was expected (if two patrols were mustered, the swordcaptain would probably accompany both as a commander; the lionar would be who everybody reports to (and angry citizens who want to complain would be brought to), and would only appear on the streets on a violent-confrontation-followup "restore the peace" visit, with more Watch patrol reinforcements, or coordinating a chase.

Here are a few names and descriptions:

Lionar:

Saraera Delhand (LN hf F4): short, thin (bony; when unclad, her ribs can be clearly counted), never seen in Marsember out of uniform; her blonde hair is almost white; quiet, thin-lipped, apt to sound bitter or sarcastic; is lonely and a stickler for rules, precise adherence to the law, and order; she'd rather educate citizens as to their precise obligations the first time, and arrest or fine only later (values order over heavy-handedness; most citizens rightly consider her "stern but fair"). Her guilty pleasures (practiced only in private) include eating chocolate, bathing in warmed milk, reading lurid "hot-bottom" (soft porn) romance chapbooks; loves to dance and wear fine gowns, but dare not allow herself to do so in Marsember (takes annual vacation to Suzail, and there dances in the more expensive clubs and at nobles' and Court events). Procuring the chocolate, milk, and chapbooks will be done when concealed in an ankle-length robe, with hood up, by night.

Swordcaptain: Beldran Velhikho (LN hm F4): a tall, ruggedly handsome, close-mouthed brawler who prefers to punish on the spot (often with a clout across the head or a boot up the backside, plus enforced "criminal provides restitution to victim," plus warning: Do it again, or try to steal it back when we leave, and you'll get worse the next time); favourite saying: "I break fingers, mind." Large head, larger shoulders, brown hair and eyes, jaw and nose have both been broken but look all right; large and hairy hands; patient (apt to be amused if punched or slapped, not swiftly angry); street-wise and often calms angry subordinates, playing "soft cop" with citizens to get their agreement or to trick them into admissions of guilt.

First Sword:

1. Raskran Telstone (LN half-em F3): stone-faced, hard-eyed (icy blue hue), fair-haired, slender and agile fop; has his uniforms tailored, always wears clouts of the finest make beneath, and sports hidden knives sheathed at his wrists and the back of his neck (in addition to the usual inside-left-boot and belt daggers most Purple Dragons carry); is secretly contemptuous of many of the "lowcods" uneducated, grasping poor of Marsember, whom he has called "thieving weasels" in unguarded moments, but is careful not to speak out about, these days; always suspicious and looking for the worst in people (and so is seldom disappointed or caught unawares by swindles or tricks or illicit angles); has worked hard to really get to know Marsember, and is considered a very shrewd officer as a result; respected (and trusted) but