| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Dennis |
Posted - 22 Mar 2012 : 19:50:00
quote:
From Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling
"They aren't meant for decoration. The color of the lanterns at each gate indicates the sort of pleasures the house purveys. A man wanting a woman would look for a house with a rose colored light. If it's male company he craves, then he'd choose one showing the green lamp. It's the same for women: amber for male companionship, white for female."
The above quote refers to Rhiminee, the capital of Skala, probably the most accepting/open-minded city in Flewelling’s world. Is there a realm in Toril that is as accepting as this?
[In Brent Weeks’ The Night Angel Trilogy, men seeking male company are not common, but not unheard of either. Though their ‘house of pleasures’ is not exactly as client-tailored as those in Rhiminee. You just come in and discreetly ask whom you want to share the night with…] |
| 7 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 24 Mar 2012 : 09:29:13
Signs need not have any words; the illiterate masses in the Realms have used glyphs and sigils since the time of Netheril. These written messages might not be able to convey the same quantity or quality of information as proper literacy, but I suspect the particular symbols representing the services of the "lantern industry" are something every city-dwelling adult would immediately recognize. Post-timejump Realms changed this somewhat, since in 4E everybody is assumed to be literate unless extraordinary circumstances apply. And elitism can work both ways, many of the more elite pleasure houses are selective and would discriminately reject illiterate clients.
I don't think the advertising medium is really an issue. These services exist in accepting societies and in intolerant societies, and clientele seeking such services always know how and where to find them. Doxy and pimp the term with any name or euphemism you prefer, the Wikipedia page about prostitution seems to address these details in a fairly comprehensive manner.
The OP's question was really asking if there's any societies in the Realms which are openly tolerant of promiscuity or prostitution. The answer is yes, of course there are. Ed's answered this specific question many times, even within Candlekeep scrolls, if you bother to search. Obviously the published Realms observe some conservative publishing guidelines, especially with details like prostitution which could ruffle moral feathers, and I can't speak for Ed but I his answers always seem to support a most open attitude full of wonderfully pagan and promiscuous attitudes, in a cautious manner - still, the answers are out there.
We know that elves (and feyblooded creatures in general) have something of legendary repute in this regard, though most of them do not live in cities. We know that dwarves and warriors are fond of spilling their gold on manly binges involving drinking and wenches. Then there are always "the docks" and countless sailors and merchants who dock their vessels there. Every decent sourcebook of the Realms detailing one or more cities specifies how accepting local society is (or isn't) of the "lantern industry". Prostitution is largely unspoken and ignored in more recent D&D publications, but I'd be quite incredulous if something like the Spellplague could make it vanish from the Realms after a few dozen millennia of civilization.
Always good for a chuckle is AD&D (1E) DMG, Appendix C, Random Monster Encounters (City/Town Encounters Matrix) ... 2% chance during daytime and 7% chance during nighttime of encountering 1d6 "Harlots": roll percentile, 01-10% = Slovenly Trull, 11-25% = Brazen Strumpet, 26-35% = Cheap Trollop, etc. Encounters with Wanton Wenches, Aged Madams, Haughty Courtesans, and any manner of Pimps, Panderers, muggers and pickpockets are all possible. |
| Dennis |
Posted - 24 Mar 2012 : 00:19:00
That could work well for the elite. However, not all who seek pleasure are literate, same goes in Rhiminee, and any other fictional setting, for that matter. |
| Lord Karsus |
Posted - 23 Mar 2012 : 23:43:14
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
A chaotic mage could really have some fun casting dancing lights in a place like that. To be honest, the idea seems rather silly to me ... but then, no more so than traffic lights.
-The presumable alternative (in the Forgotten Realms, and in real life) would have been signs. Signs do two things: attract attention in an industry that is supposed to be discrete, and are limited by language and literacy. |
| Dennis |
Posted - 23 Mar 2012 : 23:36:07
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
A chaotic mage could really have some fun casting dancing lights in a place like that. To be honest, the idea seems rather silly to me ... but then, no more so than traffic lights.
They do function like traffic lights. They facilitate the 'traffic' flow. |
| Blueblade |
Posted - 23 Mar 2012 : 18:42:21
A custom straight out of real-world history, that's been used in many fantasy novels (it's where the term "red-kight district") comes from. I seem to recall Ed talking about the amber lamps used in the Tashalar to mark "houses of pleasure" when they were open for business.
Best to ask Ed, in his thread.
BB |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 23 Mar 2012 : 18:37:26
A chaotic mage could really have some fun casting dancing lights in a place like that. To be honest, the idea seems rather silly to me ... but then, no more so than traffic lights. |
| Lord Karsus |
Posted - 23 Mar 2012 : 18:29:22
-In terms of sexuality? If so, most cosmopolitan places, I would assume. We've been told that people are a lot more 'open and accepting' of all kind of things, so... |
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