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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1832 Posts |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1832 Posts |
 Posted - 18 Jan 2026 : 14:26:37
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On Velaharoon's recent activity
https://x.com/TheEdVerse/status/2011930393524478302
Jan 16, 2026
@Fablemaster
Speaking of which, what has Velaharoon been up to?
@TheEdVerse
Vaeza Velaharoon, the notorious festhall madam and pleasure-lady-for-hire of Saerloon, is back in business after her fourteenth hired adventuring band brought her an actual potion of longevity that worked, and a mage she hired (going only by the pseudonym Veiled One) worked a long and painful ritual involving potions of vitality. A younger, more energetic, and far less wrinkled Vaeza is helming Vaeza’s Bower once more, and is the talk of that city these last few months for her—
Oh, wait. Did you mean Velsharoon (sometimes known as Mellifleur), the Archmage of Necromancy, patron of liches?
Ah. Well, in that case…
Velsharoon was restored to divine life by Ao after the Second Sundering, but returned to the Realms much changed by his humbling at the hands of The Simbul.
His arrogance, selfishness, and vanity are almost entirely gone, and his flirtations with Shar are fewer and tempered with fear: he’s now tasted loss, despair, and annihilation, and is far less fascinated by them. His fickleness is gone, too; he now clings to far more loyal service to Azuth and to Mystra, ignores Talos and Sehanine Moonbow, regards his former enmity with Jergal as folly, and despises Myrkul but reserves his disgust and energetic hatred for Szass Tam, whose “misuse” of undead “makes all the rest of we liches look like dangerous, reckless fools.” (He works to warn and otherwise protect some of the rebel Red Wizards inside and outside Thay, to further thwart Szass Tam’s schemes and ambitions.)
Velsharoon retains his clever wits and creativity (devising new undead creatures, processes for bestowing and renewing undeath, and self-renewal among liches), and still acts as a whispering dream-guide for would-be liches. Much of his time is spent in magical experimentations into various aspects of undeath.
He was genuinely touched when Mystra kissed him, imparting a wisp of silver fire into him that both empowered him and made known to him the Simbul’s sorrow at what she’d done to him (for the fire had been hers, ere her destruction). It shattered his old hatreds and world-view.
In short, Velsharoon is changed. He still exults in undeath in all its variety, and extending it into new forms and having new abilities—but is no longer a traitor to every deity he “serves,” nor arrogant in the slightest. He once muttered to Azuth: “I wasn’t just such a fool. I was an insane fool, worthy of being utterly destroyed. I shall strive to do better henceforth.” (Whereupon Azuth replied: “That striving is all any of us can ever manage.”) |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1832 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jan 2026 : 14:33:36
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On c-sections in the Forgotten Realms
https://x.com/TheEdVerse/status/2012784346797576309
https://x.com/TheEdVerse/status/2013683556745089257 https://x.com/TheEdVerse/status/2014067251054297555
Jan 18, 2026
@marshmaru35
@TheEdVerse Hi Ed, do c-sections exist in the Forgotten Realms? Like if a mother is having a life-threatening birth, or having to push out a really big baby? And what's the survival rate for both mother and child?
@TheEdVerse
Yes. Clergy and midwives usually assist at births, as well as mothers, aunts, and grandmothers. Their familiarity with "sword-births" (as they're called on Toril) varies widely, as does their comfort level attempting them. However, having priests on hand who can use spells to bloodquench and heal makes for far less hesitation and trepidation. The Realms does understand cleanliness and why it's needed. The survival rate varies with conditions (hard winter? out in the wilds? in wartime?) and the health of the mother at and during pregnancy, but there's likely about a 35% mortality rate for mothers and 15% for newborns without access to timely priestly healing, down to about 7% and 4% with healing right away.
Aftercare matters a lot, too, in the first 3 weeks, especially.
@Mark_Moonfang
That healing has to be hard to come by in rural areas. Magic is a rare commodity already.
@TheEdVerse
Indeed. It's why some pregnant folk journey to temples, to try to give birth there.
@Sparky_6800
I had to see a specialist for a hand injury, had a month long wait time. That made me realize that healing magic would be akin to seeing a specialists, only so many, only so much time to give. So conventional "healers" would have to fill the gaps with practical medicine & cures.
@TheEdVerse
Exactly! Dressing wounds, herbs to cleanse and kill pain, splints and bed rest and special diets...most folk get far more of these than they ever see spells.
- Edited on 23/1/2026 to add new tweets |
Edited by - questing gm on 23 Jan 2026 07:52:53 |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1832 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jan 2026 : 08:03:08
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On the worship of Cador
https://x.com/TheEdVerse/status/2013690685531046207
Jan 21, 2026
@Justins4wd
Hey Ed! I’m planing on playing a dwarven vengeance paladin and I found a dwarf god of vengeance in dungeon magazine #2 page 43 named cador. I’d like to know if he’s worshiped in the realms (DM says I can use him if he is!) and how he would be worshiped.
I imagine most of it would be dwarves swearing generations long blood feuds in his name.
@TheEdVerse
He is indeed. Not with big temples or lots of clergy, but with shrines, paladins, a few traveling priests, and angry dwarves avenging in Cador’s name, e.g.: “Let the shed blood and ended life of dear Grawthorr guide my axe! Cador be with me! Cador help me strike true!” (preceding is muttered prayer) When the avenging blow is struck: “GRATHORR, BE AVENGED!” |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1832 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jan 2026 : 15:59:57
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On public libraries in Toril
https://x.com/TheEdVerse/status/2015551640175067522
Jan 26, 2026
@Purpleowl8
@TheEdVerse Are there public libraries around Toril? If so, are they public or privately funded, and/or regularly visited by Knowledge-domain deities!
@TheEdVerse
A belated lore reply to Rachel Winship @Purpleowl8
"Are there public libraries around Toril? If so, are they public or privately funded, and/or regularly visited by Knowledge-domain deities!"
Answer:
Most libraries in the Realms are private (i.e. the jealously guarded tomes of sages and noble hobbyists and others, some of whom derive livings in part by looking up information and imparting it, in return for fees) and fairly small (and specialized in scope). Shrines have no libraries beyond written copies of daily prayers, but almost all temples have libraries that anyone can consult, always in exchange for “offerings to the gods” (so, fees by another name) that may vary: the fee is nothing for visiting clergy of the deity, or in some cases of allied gods (such as Azuth and Mystra, or the Triad), low for a local, well-known faithful worshipper or member of the temple congregation, higher for an unknown supplicant who professes to venerate the deity, and higher still for someone the library-keeping clergy think has no strong ties to the deity, such as a dwarf asking for access to a library dedicated to the Seldarine. These sort of libraries have various rules about access, which usually involve a library staff member as chaperone: you can’t peruse tomes alone in private, but only when watched and supervised, but can rise to the level of “you can’t touch, we will turn the pages and guard the tome or even just read it ourselves, aloud to you, through a screen or over a barrier.” Guilds anywhere tend to have libraries, and clans or noble families have small “records” holdings. The High Heralds (and all local heralds) maintain similar genealogy and heraldry “registries.” Access fees usually apply to non-guild members, and attentive guarding always applies.
Large cities on trade routes tend to have some civic libraries (that you can consult in the aforementioned “hands off” methods, sometimes with fees involved), and they also tend to have “public” libraries—meaning, libraries that anyone can belong to, as long as they pay annual, or per visit, fees. Some of these, such as the older ones in Waterdeep, Athkatla, and Zazesspur, are akin to clubs: they are quiet mansions full of labyrinths of rooms with lamps, big wingback chairs, sidetables, and dozing readers.
Actually borrowing books from a library is very rare in Toril unless you’re the local ruler, or head of a wizard’s guild, or hold a similar position—because books lent out just don’t tend to come back. |
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TomCosta
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
1030 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jan 2026 : 17:22:05
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I've thought of Cador as an aspect of/mask for Diinkarazan.
quote:
Originally posted by questing gm
On the worship of Cador
https://x.com/TheEdVerse/status/2013690685531046207
Jan 21, 2026
@Justins4wd
Hey Ed! I’m planing on playing a dwarven vengeance paladin and I found a dwarf god of vengeance in dungeon magazine #2 page 43 named cador. I’d like to know if he’s worshiped in the realms (DM says I can use him if he is!) and how he would be worshiped.
I imagine most of it would be dwarves swearing generations long blood feuds in his name.
@TheEdVerse
He is indeed. Not with big temples or lots of clergy, but with shrines, paladins, a few traveling priests, and angry dwarves avenging in Cador’s name, e.g.: “Let the shed blood and ended life of dear Grawthorr guide my axe! Cador be with me! Cador help me strike true!” (preceding is muttered prayer) When the avenging blow is struck: “GRATHORR, BE AVENGED!”
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1832 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jan 2026 : 17:41:07
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On documented Bugbear hero in the Forgotten Realms
https://x.com/TheEdVerse/status/2016026556070609207
Jan 27, 2026
@Oreomage
@TheEdVerse Was there ever a documented Bugbear hero in the forgotten realms? A bugbear that would be remembered fondly by some people?
@TheEdVerse
Yes. The bugbear war-leader Sarrlagh, who hunted throughout the Nether Mountains, Tauvin Mountains, and Ice Mountains of the Sword Coast North is remembered with respect and gratitude by the dwarves of Citadel Adbar because in 810 DR he fought with his (in comparison) tiny war-band against an orc horde sweeping down out of the westernmost Ice Mountains, and broke its strength and turned it aside (so that the remnants marauded through The Cold Vale but were destroyed by two angry dragons they’d awakened and and slaughtered the “pet meat herds” of).
Sarrlagh regarded the bounty of the land as a farmer does: take as little as is needful, move your reaping around, leave certain populations alone to breed and renew their numbers, cause no fires and few avalanches, and in general “take care of” the land.
He thought the orcs should learn to breed in accordance with the available food, and not boil forth out of mountain caverns as world-damaging hordes every decade and a bit—and when this particular horde, led by Graulgin Longtusk of the Longtusk orc tribe, came rampaging through what Sarrlagh considered “his” hunting grounds, he made a stand against them—and decided to do so right in front of Citadel Adbar, to turn them back from its walls.
The dwarves have never forgotten that. Sarrlagh’s descendants are still taught by their elders to “Leave Adbar be.” |
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