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Originally posted by kysus

hi steven schend, merry christmas and a happy new years to you! I also wanted to ask a quick question of you before the new years starts that i thought you might know. when reading your cormanthyr book i was reading the part on the elven dragonriders and how those were among the last riders or at least gave the impression that they were becoming extremely rare. out of curiousity what was the cause of them becoming more and more rare or to put it another way what made it so hard to train new riders? was it something that took centuries to train or some unique form of pairing rider with mount?

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Originally posted by DoveArrow

Hello Mr. Schend,

First of all, I wanted to thank you for all the work you've done over the years. I have been reading the Second Edition books on the Lands of Intrigue for several adventures I've been writing and am just enamored with the region and the work that you put into those publications. Thank you.

I wanted to ask about the 4e history of Erlkazar. Were you consulted on any of it? Whose idea was it to make Saestra and the Night Barony the primary villains of the region?

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Originally posted by Italian Archmage Karsus

Hey, Mr. Schend, if I may be curious... I was looking at the timeline for Trailstone, and I couldn't quite fit it. I've got that...

Empires of the Sands-p13: Completely different timeline, suggesting the inn was built on Chardath Spulzeer's command in 1349-ish.
Lands of Intrigue-Amn-p52: the Spellseer first built the inn in 1316.
Lands of Intrigue-Amn-p10: the Vinson family retreated to Trailstone at some point after 1342.
Castle Spulzeer-p7: Spellseer Inn built in 1316.
Castle Spulzeer-p36: Trailstone was established in 1348 by Rafe Spulzeer, who did not add a tavern so that another would be built close by. He's at the New Spulzeer Inn, the OG Spulzeer Inn is now the Dragon Turtle Inn. The New Spulzeer Inn is also there for almost 20 years in 1367.
Secrets of the Magister-p74: Maldiglas Turntower built a Refuge close to Trailstone, before 1328 (year he dies).

I've a hard time figuring out why someone would build a Refuge close to a city that wasn't built until at least 20 years later, but followers of Mystra have done stranger things. The Vinson family's holdings also suggest the earlier date, but the latter date is the one in the latest source: I'm not super certain of which date is correct for the founding of the town or the inn.

I have some suppositions as to what got mixed up in translation: my assumption would be the date of the New Spulzeer Inn's construction got mixed up with that of the OG inn, so OG inn was built in 1316 and New Spulzeer in 1348. But FR3's info, I can't seem to square with that; I suspect it was superseded by later, more specific lore; would you happen to recall anything on the subject? I remember you wrote the Lands of Intrigue book, figured you'd be the one to ask.

Thanks for decades of dreams!

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Originally posted by Italian Archmage Karsus

Hey, Mr. Schend, if I may be curious... I was looking at the timeline for Trailstone, and I couldn't quite fit it. I've got that...

Empires of the Sands-p13: Completely different timeline, suggesting the inn was built on Chardath Spulzeer's command in 1349-ish.
Lands of Intrigue-Amn-p52: the Spellseer first built the inn in 1316.
Lands of Intrigue-Amn-p10: the Vinson family retreated to Trailstone at some point after 1342.
Castle Spulzeer-p7: Spellseer Inn built in 1316.
Castle Spulzeer-p36: Trailstone was established in 1348 by Rafe Spulzeer, who did not add a tavern so that another would be built close by. He's at the New Spulzeer Inn, the OG Spulzeer Inn is now the Dragon Turtle Inn. The New Spulzeer Inn is also there for almost 20 years in 1367.
Secrets of the Magister-p74: Maldiglas Turntower built a Refuge close to Trailstone, before 1328 (year he dies).

I've a hard time figuring out why someone would build a Refuge close to a city that wasn't built until at least 20 years later, but followers of Mystra have done stranger things. The Vinson family's holdings also suggest the earlier date, but the latter date is the one in the latest source: I'm not super certain of which date is correct for the founding of the town or the inn.

I have some suppositions as to what got mixed up in translation: my assumption would be the date of the New Spulzeer Inn's construction got mixed up with that of the OG inn, so OG inn was built in 1316 and New Spulzeer in 1348. But FR3's info, I can't seem to square with that; I suspect it was superseded by later, more specific lore; would you happen to recall anything on the subject? I remember you wrote the Lands of Intrigue book, figured you'd be the one to ask.

Thanks for decades of dreams!

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Originally posted by Steven Schend
the battlefield could remain on the table with those legions and the first action to take a battlefield could attempt to conquer that one rather than one from one's hand. Still, lemme do more research and check the guides before we settle on a solid answer.

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Originally posted by Steven Schend
Glad to hear/see that folks are still discovering and enjoying a card game thrown together very quickly nearly 30 years ago; anyone wanting more history on the development of it can hear more here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwgXJer46cg

I did an interview earlier this year with CCGHistory's Booster Pack podcast on Blood Wars and its development.

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Originally posted by Falldim

Good day, mr Schend I hope you're having a great day.

I have recently fell in love with one beatiful 27 year-old - Blood Wars CCG. I even managed to get one friend excited and willing to play it with me. We both adore Planescape and somehow this has gotten under our radar for years and it is fantastic.

We studied our rulebook meticulously and managed to catch the drift of the game quite easily, but there is one major thing that keeps us up at night. We scoured the Internet for various guides to perhaps resolve it and it really did not help. I believe that you might be the ultimate answer. So here it is.


When the challenger fails to conquer the Battlefield during an Intrigue challenge, it is discarded - it clearly says it in the rules.
The Combat challenge however does not specify in the slightest what to do with the Battlefield. Additionally, we stumbled into this one card that sends Legions to the conquered Battlefield that they won, which seems to serve no purpose?

So far, we stumbled into various theories how this all fits together (post-Combat Battlefield is discarded too/hangs out on the table waiting for another challenge/you can challenge for Battlefields in the Victory Pools and that's when the attached Legions make a difference), but they all slightly contradict one another, especially that the rulebook only says that during the Challenge, the acting players plays the Battlefield from their hand...

So please, Master Schend, tell us how it is

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Originally posted by kysus

hey steven i hope you are doing well, i seem to have alot of time on my hands right now while quarantining and i was hoping to ask a few question of you. In the fall of myth drannor during the battle of Oacenth's second blooding its stated that irhaal Argentaamn and alea dehast both fell, would you be able to give anymore infomation on how this all went down that finally saw their downfall as im really curious as to how two highmages perished without anything spectacular happening? and were their bodies recovered after that battle to be buried later?

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Originally posted by orbedal

oh shoot, was not aware! thanks Tom. i would be more than happy with anything from Steven's wonderful brain, but in the future, is there a more appropriate place for such questions?

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Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

Friend Steven, I found this one floating in the ethers:

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Originally posted by hawakhuri

Good morning Mr Schend, I would like to ask you a few questions:
1. Do you have any artwork on how Trobriand the metal mage looks like?
2. Is his metal magic so powerful and rare or how would you describe him because according to ruins of undermountain Box 1 it says he rivals the elves of Myth Drannor.
3. Can he be considered a high artificer because of his constant creations and inventions?

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Originally posted by hawakhuri

Good morning Mr Schend, I would like to ask you a few questions:
1. Do you have any artwork on how Trobriand the metal mage looks like?
2. Is his metal magic so powerful and rare or how would you describe him because according to ruins of undermountain Box 1 it says he rivals the elves of Myth Drannor.
3. Can he be considered a high artificer because of his constant creations and inventions?

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Originally posted by Steven Schend

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Originally posted by Naeryndam

Hi Steven,

I am currently running a campaign wherein there are 2 dark elf npcs, a brother (Asaran, a rogue) and sister (Asara, a cleric... not sure of which god/goddess yet). As I am drawing up their stat blocks, I am struggling with how to handle them, since they are dark elves from Rhymanthiin, not drow. It then occurred to me that there is probably nobody better to ask than you. I realize this is a loaded question, but I was wondering if you could provide any guidance. Even something such as what ability score bonuses/penalties you would give them would be helpful. Or perhaps I am thinking too much and should simply treat them as typical elves?

Thank you!

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My opinions and thoughts on Rhymanthiin's restored dark elves are my own and can be superceded by any lore published by Ed Greenwood or WotC.

That said, I as a DM would treat them exactly the same as regular elves with one technical adjustment—These elves do NOT get either the +2 Dex of elves or a +2 Cha of half-elves. Rhymanthiin elves, due to being fused among the Sharn Continuum for millennia with other races, came out slightly changed (as did all those restored to life by the ritual noted in BLACKSTAFF).

From my point of view, any stat bonuses for any former Sharn (or those born from them) spread out to +1 bonuses to any two of the following by priority/commonality: Charisma, Constitution, Wisdom, Dexterity.

Thus, your dark elves from the City of Hope; regardless of whether they're restored or first generation born on Faerun or not, will have those bonuses plue all the standard elf benefits.

I'd recommend, just for variety, that Asaran's bonuses go to Con & Dex, while Asara (as a cleric) will do best with bonuses to Cha & Wis.

And if you're still thinking on gods, I'd recommend going OLD and having her be a cleric resurrecting the long-ignored triune cult of Angharradh.

Hope that helps. I'd suggest she be a cleric of the Pentad (from my novel) but I still need to finish scribbling that up (as Eric Boyd reminds me every year or so).

Steven

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Originally posted by Steven Schend
... but I still need to finish scribbling that up (as Eric Boyd reminds me every year or so).

Steven

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Originally posted by Naeryndam

Hi Steven,

I am currently running a campaign wherein there are 2 dark elf npcs, a brother (Asaran, a rogue) and sister (Asara, a cleric... not sure of which god/goddess yet). As I am drawing up their stat blocks, I am struggling with how to handle them, since they are dark elves from Rhymanthiin, not drow. It then occurred to me that there is probably nobody better to ask than you. I realize this is a loaded question, but I was wondering if you could provide any guidance. Even something such as what ability score bonuses/penalties you would give them would be helpful. Or perhaps I am thinking too much and should simply treat them as typical elves?

Thank you!

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Originally posted by Steven Schend

For anyone who'd been wondering about my long-delayed Rhymanthiin work, here's a nugget or two that rattled loose in a conversation on Twitter yesterday…

https://twitter.com/garethgarfoot/status/1484929528992571397?s=20

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Originally posted by Steven Schend

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Originally posted by sleyvas

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Originally posted by Steven Schend
Schend is, in fact, anathema to some subsets of elves for his research; what they try not to reveal is their racism in that part of their zeal in grinding his research and name into dust is his family's mixed races. He is a half-elf by birth, and the five generations preceding him either had a half-elf or full elf parent with a human mate, so much of the anger about his revelations of secrets stems from "pureblood" bigotry.

How's that for another layer for those who actively dig deeper past just what's on the page?

Steven

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I heard that him and all of his family back five generations all enjoyed growing beards.... such a vile trait.

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Worse still, while Schend had a sparse but full beard (a rarity among half-elves save within his own family), some of his cousins and siblings adopted the Cormyrean affectation of a razor-slim moustache, which angered some even more for reasons yet undelved…

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Originally posted by sleyvas

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Originally posted by Steven Schend
Schend is, in fact, anathema to some subsets of elves for his research; what they try not to reveal is their racism in that part of their zeal in grinding his research and name into dust is his family's mixed races. He is a half-elf by birth, and the five generations preceding him either had a half-elf or full elf parent with a human mate, so much of the anger about his revelations of secrets stems from "pureblood" bigotry.

How's that for another layer for those who actively dig deeper past just what's on the page?

Steven

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I heard that him and all of his family back five generations all enjoyed growing beards.... such a vile trait.

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Originally posted by Steven Schend

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Originally posted by TheIriaeban

I have a Netherese archlich who would very likely have a copy of that book. For important books in a collection, I typically have a sentence or three about the author(s) and the effect (if any) of studying the contents. With your kind permission, I would like to use this:

"Mythal Theory by Schend and Melka: Schend was an Arcanist Inventive cotemporary of Lefeber (who created Lefeber's Weave Mythal) who thought Lefeber's research methods were sloppy and didn't follow through to get the full understanding of the subject. Schend was later counted as an elf-friend and teamed up with an elvish Wielder-of-Art named Melka to produce the book. Studying the book will give the reader enough of an understanding to be able to create stable Mythals utilizing only half the required materials and personnel as long as the core group of spellcasters have all studied this work. Time required is not affected."

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Nifty, though be warned that one reason the book is rare is concerted efforts by certain elf families and associations that deem what it reveals about mythal weaving to be exposing secrets that ONLY ELVES should read.

Schend is, in fact, anathema to some subsets of elves for his research; what they try not to reveal is their racism in that part of their zeal in grinding his research and name into dust is his family's mixed races. He is a half-elf by birth, and the five generations preceding him either had a half-elf or full elf parent with a human mate, so much of the anger about his revelations of secrets stems from "pureblood" bigotry.

How's that for another layer for those who actively dig deeper past just what's on the page?

Steven

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Originally posted by Steven Schend

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Originally posted by TheIriaeban

I have a Netherese archlich who would very likely have a copy of that book. For important books in a collection, I typically have a sentence or three about the author(s) and the effect (if any) of studying the contents. With your kind permission, I would like to use this:

"Mythal Theory by Schend and Melka: Schend was an Arcanist Inventive cotemporary of Lefeber (who created Lefeber's Weave Mythal) who thought Lefeber's research methods were sloppy and didn't follow through to get the full understanding of the subject. Schend was later counted as an elf-friend and teamed up with an elvish Wielder-of-Art named Melka to produce the book. Studying the book will give the reader enough of an understanding to be able to create stable Mythals utilizing only half the required materials and personnel as long as the core group of spellcasters have all studied this work. Time required is not affected."

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Nifty, though be warned that one reason the book is rare is concerted efforts by certain elf families and associations that deem what it reveals about mythal weaving to be exposing secrets that ONLY ELVES should read.

Schend is, in fact, anathema to some subsets of elves for his research; what they try not to reveal is their racism in that part of their zeal in grinding his research and name into dust is his family's mixed races. He is a half-elf by birth, and the five generations preceding him either had a half-elf or full elf parent with a human mate, so much of the anger about his revelations of secrets stems from "pureblood" bigotry.

How's that for another layer for those who actively dig deeper past just what's on the page?

Steven

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