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gomez
Learned Scribe
Netherlands
254 Posts |
 Posted - 08 May 2008 : 06:26:31
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
I make a practice of putting him (and that “stop me vitals!” line of his, which was indeed drawn from a Brian Bedford performance in a Restoration comedy at the Stratford Shakespearean Festival) into the background chatter of many clubs, revels, Palace feasts, and upper-crust eateries and taverns featured in Waterdhavian Realmsplay.
It's a pity such colorful figures are not likely to make it past the century into 4th ed Realms...
One of the questions I keep running into at the moment is what to keep and what to let go (as in: who or what survived 100 years of game time, and if they did, do they still do the same thing).
I know NDA prevents answerering at this point, at least in public.
I hope there'll soon be a moment when Ed can spawn realms flavor triflets for the new era.
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Dalor Darden
Great Reader
USA
4211 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2008 : 15:20:14
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Dalor Darden
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
Indeed, Ed did -- #78 "A Visit to Melvaunt" and #79 "Inside Thentia."
Unfortunately, I don't have access to those articles...can anyone enlighten me?
You can pick up issues #78 and #79 from paizo.com for just $10 US each.
Hmmm...I'm thinking $20 U.S. is a bit more than I'm willing to spend for the information. As a side business I work with Real Estate Agents here in the U.S. and help them by placing clients who are interested in buying homes with them. Well, I think everyone knows that Real Estate isn't doing so well these days...
Thanks for the links though Sage! |
The Old Grey Box and AD&D for me! |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2008 : 16:39:39
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No problem. 
You might want to check nobleknight.com too. I know they had some reasonable prices for the older issues of POLYHEDRON, even before their recent online sale. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
Edited by - The Sage on 08 May 2008 16:40:58 |
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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2008 : 19:06:38
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quote:
Originally posted by gomez
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
I make a practice of putting him (and that “stop me vitals!” line of his, which was indeed drawn from a Brian Bedford performance in a Restoration comedy at the Stratford Shakespearean Festival) into the background chatter of many clubs, revels, Palace feasts, and upper-crust eateries and taverns featured in Waterdhavian Realmsplay.
It's a pity such colorful figures are not likely to make it past the century into 4th ed Realms...
One of the questions I keep running into at the moment is what to keep and what to let go (as in: who or what survived 100 years of game time, and if they did, do they still do the same thing).
I know NDA prevents answerering at this point, at least in public.
I hope there'll soon be a moment when Ed can spawn realms flavor triflets for the new era.
Such colorful figures will survive in those Realms games which stick with 3.0, or revert to AD&D, or adopt Chaosium's percentile system, or the 3D6 of GURPS, or any non-Hasbro company's D20 or OGL rules.
If I may wax Aristo-Newtonian here (or Gygaxo-Greenwoodian):
A subject in life tends towards death.
A subject in death tends to remain in death.
If the subject has anything to do with the Forgotten Realms, it will probably come back to life sooner, rather than later.
I think that we should call those Kreen's First, Second, and Third Laws of Existence.
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I have a mouth, but I am in a library and must not scream.
Feed the poor and stroke your ego, too: http://www.freerice.com/index.php.
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Edited by - Jamallo Kreen on 08 May 2008 19:15:30 |
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Malcolm
Learned Scribe
242 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2008 : 19:14:23
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I would certainly welcome, as a Realms DM, having a detailed "posse" of rip-roaring Waterdhavian nobles (active in the 3e Realms timeline, he added hastily) who can be met with trolling the taverns and nightclubs of OTHER cities (e.g. in Amn, Tethyr, Cormyr, Sembia, etc.). I don't need stats so much as descriptions, interests, defensive tactics (do they just have obvious bodyguards, or do they also have plain-clothes, watch-from-a-distance guardians? any personal protective magic items?).
Of course, for a DM switching to 4e hundred-years-later Realms at some point, obviously these nobles fathered offspring wherever they went, who've grown up to (ahem) "replace" them in terms of dramatic roles a DM can use them in (comic relief, adventure-starters, patrons for PCs . . .)
Hoping Ed can oblige in the fullness of time,
thanks,
Malcolm |
Edited by - Malcolm on 08 May 2008 19:16:32 |
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Broken Helm
Learned Scribe
USA
108 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2008 : 19:31:27
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A campaign-related question for Ed and THO, please.
In the pre-Spellplague Realms, if a Harper was killed by a Malaugrym and was seen by someone trusted by the Harpers (or another Harper) who managed to report the Malaugrym to a Harper right away, how quickly would this word spread among Harpers? How quickly would they tell a Chosen of Mystra, and again, how quickly would other Chosen know?
I'm thinking: Malaugrym revealed, witness speaks of it to a senior Harper or Master Harper within an hour or so, is believed instantly . . . so how swiftly does word get around, after that?
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2008 : 19:34:58
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Dalor, I don't think you have to shell out shekels to get an answer from Ed. Your question is one he should certainly be able to usefully answer for you, for free. Probably updating (if scantily) his old POLY lore to boot. 
love,
THO |
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2008 : 22:54:48
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Hmm. By the sounds of things in Rich Baker's Questions thread as of right now, Dalor, you might also want to check it out (and then THE SWORDMAGE and its two sequels when they get released). Seems as if Thentia, at least, is getting some "new" old lore.
BB |
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Dalor Darden
Great Reader
USA
4211 Posts |
Posted - 09 May 2008 : 01:24:40
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Dalor, I don't think you have to shell out shekels to get an answer from Ed. Your question is one he should certainly be able to usefully answer for you, for free. Probably updating (if scantily) his old POLY lore to boot.
love,
THO
Did I ever mention that I love you guys? 
Thanks THO and Ed...you are  and Queen! |
The Old Grey Box and AD&D for me! |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 09 May 2008 : 03:06:39
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Hello again, all! I bring another Ed Realmslore reply for us all, this time to a question posed by crazedventurers: “As a follow up to the Goldenfields answer, do communities keep extensive warrens and fish ponds to supplement food production. If so would there be similar advancements in creating the right type of environment for the rabbits and fish to flourish? (either 'natural' or magical)
Also do other faiths use similar 'bountyful prayers' a la Chauntea to increase crop yields, animal husbandry, growth of trees etc to 'speed up/ensure productivity.
Do wizards get involved in this work, for instance would the Crown of Cormyr encourage Wizards of War to develop spells that banish pests or create 'instant fertiliser' etc?
Thanks”
Ed replies:
A handful of communities keep warrens and fish ponds to “farm” meat and fish for the table (and most steadings across the Realms are mixed-crop farms where game is kept penned for food, from lizards in some of the hot lands to the familiar chickens in temperate Dalelands). Many coastal communities construct weirs as “live pens” for shellfish and other fish collected in tidal shore nets and traps . . . and so on.
Yes, clergy of Umberlee in the case of said coastal communities, and many other deities in places where temples of that god exist in a community, have developed small spells that keep eggs (and plants) warm but not too warm (and wet but not too wet) regardless of outside weather. So other faiths do work to increase crop yields, tend livestock, renew and shape natural growth, etc. to help feed local mouths. However, this is small-scale, often “unofficial” as opposed to being part of the doctrine of the faith, and “sideline” (whereas for Chauntea, it’s the main thrust of worship and religious service).
Wizards get involved in such work rarely. In Cormyr, War Wizards were called in to work hard alongside every other spellcaster in the realm to help repair things (prevent famine, and banish the blight) in the wake of the Devil Dragon war, but in general it would not be part of their work to do so. Across the Realms, a wizard MIGHT develop a pest-banishing or crop fertilizing magic if commissioned to do so, but it isn’t the sort of magic that most arcane spell users and creators would think of trying to create, or be comfortable developing. They would have to “work up to it” by crafting, handling, and mastering spells that brought them closer, step by step, to this sort of nurturing (as opposed to what they are more used to: spells of short or instantaneous duration that cause damage or an effect that is often violent and usually a single-step transformation as opposed to initiating or boosting natural growth or development.
So saith Ed. Who has been creating official spells for the game since 1979 or so, and has built up quite a roster of them (and if one uses the "component" spells he put into Volo's Guide To all Things Magical, it's possible to roleplay a one-player-one-DM campaign, or a more conventional campaign using several PC wizards, focused on continuously devising and using new spells).
love to all,
THO
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Edited by - The Hooded One on 09 May 2008 03:09:48 |
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Longtime Lurker
Seeker
51 Posts |
Posted - 09 May 2008 : 03:14:01
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Quick campaign question for Ed or THO: if I need to build a sturdy, year-round-habitable but modest home in the Dales VERY QUICKLY, and can't call on magic, how should I do it? Type of construction, whom to call on, how much expect to pay?
Thanks!
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crazedventurers
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1073 Posts |
Posted - 09 May 2008 : 18:13:19
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hello again, all! I bring another Ed Realmslore:
A handful of communities keep warrens and fish ponds to “farm” meat and fish for the table <<SNIPPED>>
Wizards get involved in such work rarely.
Across the Realms, a wizard MIGHT develop a pest-banishing or crop fertilizing magic if commissioned to do so, but it isn’t the sort of magic that most arcane spell users and creators would think of trying to create, or be comfortable developing. They would have to “work up to it” by crafting, handling, and mastering spells that brought them closer, step by step, to this sort of nurturing (as opposed to what they are more used to: spells of short or instantaneous duration that cause damage or an effect that is often violent and usually a single-step transformation as opposed to initiating or boosting natural growth or development.
Thank you for the response
re wizards and their lack of 'nuturing', is this a deliberate 'out of game' design choice to differentiate between priests and wizards so that each class is 'special'? or is their an 'in-game' reason? i.e. an agreement between Mystra and Chauntea/Lathander? (or probably a bit of both??  )
I am suprised that Sembian/Amnian/insert other very wealthy merchant farmers have not had developed large scale wizardly spells that they can control for their own profits (GM foods anyone?) without 'troublesome' priests sticking their prayer books and doctrine in the way? If I was a very wealthy Sembian land owner who did not care too much about the environment and only about profit, then why not get the house wizard to create an 'instant fertiliser' spell to increase crop yields and not have to worry about resting fallow land therefore increasing profits?
If a non-Chauntean wizard did manage to create an 'instant fertiliser' spell that covered lots of ground (several acres) very quickly and effectively with no (or miniscule) damaging ecological effects how would the Church of Chauntea react? Would they see this as a 'threat' to their doctrine? and if so what steps would they take to ensure this spell was not used? Am wondering how radical Chauntea's faithful might get?
(I know that if 'instant fertiliser' was severely damaging then all/most of the nature faiths as well as the Harpers et al would do their best to ensure the spell is removed from use.)
Cheers
Damian
who is off to ponder a campaign arc based around Sembian backed wizards stepping onto the toes of the Chauntea faithful with less than subtle fertiliser spells 
ps How would Tolgar Anuvien react to what certain Harpells are doing with livestock? IIRC from Streams of Silver by Bob, a Harpell wizard was raising minimals and then making them full size for slaughter and consumption? (Was this a Bob idea or something from the home Realms campaign that you might have mentioned to Bob if/when he asked for info on the Harpells?). |
So saith Ed. I've never said he was sane, have I?
Gods, all this writing and he's running a constant fantasy version of Coronation Street in his head, too. .
shudder,
love to all,
THO
Candlekeep Forum 7 May 2005 |
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crazedventurers
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1073 Posts |
Posted - 09 May 2008 : 18:26:50
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Well Met Ed and THO
A question about Tolgar Anuvien if I may?
We know that from Volo's Guide to the North he wields Chauntea's Mace of Fire and Sword. I thought that Chautea's faithful saw unrestrained magical fire as an anathema to their faith and something that should be avoided at all costs?
Am wondering about the contradiction?
Cheers
Damian
who has lots of Chauntea related questions banging around his brain today - and believes that Chauntea is one of the more interesting Gods in the Realms and needs more Lore coming to light especially their planting and harveting rituals/festivals and 'bountyful prayers'. |
So saith Ed. I've never said he was sane, have I?
Gods, all this writing and he's running a constant fantasy version of Coronation Street in his head, too. .
shudder,
love to all,
THO
Candlekeep Forum 7 May 2005 |
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A Gavel
Seeker
USA
53 Posts |
Posted - 10 May 2008 : 01:24:05
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Hello Ed and Lady THO,
I am intrigued by the possibility that Ed's "home" Realms campaign includes not just plane-hopping, but world hopping. Have the Knights or other Realms-based PCs ever visited Aglirta/Darsar, Castlemourn, Embersea, or any other fictional settings (Ed's or those of other writers)?
Thank you. |
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althen artren
Senior Scribe
USA
780 Posts |
Posted - 10 May 2008 : 04:47:59
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My Dear Lady Hooded One:
Adversity?
My, you are a master of understatement. Keep the questions coming, you say?
Surely we can do that.
Any permanent aches or pains from the gunshot wound?
Can any information about ?Elfhold? (I believe I saw the name, maybe I'm wrong) within the Hullack forest be shared? Also, wasn't there a Starym stronghold within the Hullack forest?
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 10 May 2008 : 09:31:50
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quote:
Originally posted by BlackMoria
Some questions for the esteemed Ed.
I'm certainly not Ed but I'll have a stab at these.
quote:
Lately, I have been planning a campaign in the Narfell region and look for inspiration in the region's past.
Narfell and Raumathar were mighty empires which destroyed each other. Given the fact that Narfell is peopled by barbarian tribes and not numerous (about 30,000 for the entire region) at the present, some 1300+ years after the war, what was the general nature of the war between the two nations? What forces (political, religious, philosphical)prompted both sides to go at each other with a fury that both nations destroyed each other?
I'm assuming that you've got the "Grand History of the Realms" sourcebook and have read the entry I wrote for -150DR as well as the lineages of both realms.
There were in fact two big wars between the two realms, the first started in -622 DR and lasted until -605DR and the second was the "Great Conflagration" which lasted from -160DR to -150DR and saw the mutual destruction of both kingdoms.
The period in between was punctuated by relentless skirmishing, assassinations and war by proxies.
The roots of the conflict lie in the long-ago Orcgate Wars when many Nar and Raumviran tribes were employed as mercenaries by the Mulhorandi. They were separate peoples, the Nars having their origins in the same stock as the present-day barbarians of the Ride. Sages say that these barbarians are the fallen successors to a prominent human kingdom that spanned the lands north of the Moonsea after the fall of the dragons kingdoms and before the founding of Netheril. It is thought that the Nars were an offshoot tribe that travelled north and east and settled their present-day lands in c. -5500DR.
The Raumvirans had lived in the region south of the Lake of Mists for millenia and gave fealty to Imaskar from c. -7700DR onwards. Imaskari control over the regions north of Shalhoond (the Great Wild Wood) began to wane from -6422DR onwards and with the withdrawl of the Taangans to lands further east following the beginning of the Imaskari Middle Kingdoms period, the Raumvirans grew in number and were effectively independent of Imaskar, sending them tribute only infrequently.
In -5000DR, the Raumviran chieftain Shemen led his tribe north and west, settling the lands now known as Rashemen. This was the first real contact between the Nars and the Raumvirans and ties of blood and marriage soon developed between the two peoples.
During the Orcgate Wars, the Mulhorandi used tribes of Nars, Raumvirans and Sossrim to waylay the orcs from the north and from the mountains to the east (present-day Sunrise Mountains), seeking to divert and pre-occupy them and preventing them from concentrating their strength into a great horde that may have spelled the ruin of Mulhorand if it had mustered and marched south.
In the raids and skirmishes undertaken by these "barbarian" human mercenaries, the achievements and battle prowess of the Nar chieftain Diergan "the Tall" of the Crell tribe and his Raumviran counterpart Untharl Nhalass stood apart from all others. Their rivalry and mutual dislike for the other culminated in the death of Untharl at Hordren's Cleft (present-day Gorge of Gauros) when Diergan and his riders failed to come to the aid of a beleaguered Untharl and his small retinue when they were waylaid by an orc band five times their number. So it was that the first seeds of enmity between Nar and Raumviran were sown, and the warriors of the Nhalass tribe vowed vegeance against the Crell with blood oaths that bound both them and their progeny for all time.
In the year following the disastrous seaborne invasion of Mulhorand by the forces of Narfell led by the Nentyarch Ulthas "the Darkwing" in -623DR, the Arkhan of Raumathar, Darthen III led a great gathering of the horsetribes west around Lake Ashane and into the heartland of Narfell. The forces of Narfell, seriously weakened by their losses suffered in the ill-fated invasion of Mulhorand, were bolstered by legions of drith ("demons" in the Nar tongue) summoned from the Abyss. These demons were gathered into a great bloodthirsty tide of destruction that met and defeated the forces of Raumathar and pushed them back into their own lands. Calling on ties of kinship the Arkhan Darthen rallied the warriors of Rashemen to his banner and the war came to a deadly stalemate with the Nar forces pushed back behind the river north of the Falls of Erech. The river defences of Raumathar held firm for many years despite many invasions and attempted sorties by the Narfelli armies who now openly counted demons in their ranks.
The tide of war turned in -610DR when Darthen III and his first son and heir Rhendar were slain in battle near present-day Mistbridge. Darthen's successor Umathar VI, known as "the Grim" for his countenance and bearing, held the river defences for a full five years before dying of unknown causes in the field (some say that he was poisoned by traitorous Raumathari tribal chieftains who had been corrupted by the Narfelli or feared them enough to remove Umathar and seek to sue for peace). The following three Arkhans of Raumathar, the last three sons of Darthen III, were all slain in -605DR by demonic assassins and the forces of Raumathar were finally dislodged from their defences and pushed back into their lands, seeking to take a stand west of Winterkeep.
It was at the Battle of Flamewinds in the waning days of -605DR that Vayloss, the champion of the Talanthil tribe, led the forces of Raumathar to a comprehensive victory over the demon armies of Narfell, personally slaying the Narfelli warleader Ornathal and unleashing mighty elemental magic to scatter and defeat their enemies. This crushing defeat saw the surviving forces of Narfell retreat back to their lands and a cessation of overt hostilities.
In the centuries that followed the two realms skirmished constantly each unable to muster sufficient strength to mount a major attack against the other. Narfell at this time was also in constant conflict with the elves of Lethyr (present-day Forest of Lethyr), now reduced to a scattering of clans moving constantly within the forest but adept at woodcraft and stealth and able to tap into a powerful legacy of guardian High Magic created by their ancestors when the realm was mightier and younger. It is thought that over time the elves all left for Evermeet or Cormanthyr to the west but sages note that the warriors and demon allies of Narfell never walked openly in those woodlands despite it being held by most that the elven presence had gone from the forest by the Year of Whispering Winds (-504DR).
Raumathar was also beset at this time by rival tribes of horsemen from beyond the Quoya Desert known as the Suren who raided the eastern fringes of Raumathar relentlessly for well over a century, causing no real harm or risk to the realm but demanding the attention of the horsetribes.
The death of Mystryl and the brief faltering of the Weave that accompanied Karsus' Folly in -339DR caused great turmoil in Narfell. Many demonic servants found their magical bonds of servitude shattered by the death of the deity of magic and turned on their masters in an orgy of slaughter and ruin. Known in the realm as the Time of Turning, this event took Narfell to the brink of destruction and it took well over a century to regain its strength and eradicate the pockets of demons who had created their own enclaves within its borders. From that time onward, demons continued to march with the armies of Narfell but in lesser numbers and with more powerful bindings and safeguards. Demonic servitors for anything other than military use and select breeding programs became uncommon and frowned upon.
quote:
Originally posted by BlackMoria
Was it a genocidal conflict (in that both sides literally tried to destroy each others populations rather than both sides attempting to destroy the other side's armies and subjugate the population and annex the land)?
It seems genicidal given some 1300+ years after the event, Narfell and the remnants of Raumathar have low population figures and have never again come close to their former glory of empire but if that was wrong, why did neither nation recover to any state of recognized nationhood after the war was over?
The Great Conflagration was indeed a genocidal conflict for the demonic taint, interbreeding and debasement of the Narfelli people had seen them degenerate into a megalomanical society obsessed with spreading the "purity" of their society to surrounding lands. Sages agree that insanity in the nobles and rulers of the land was a widespread as centuries of dealing with denizens of the Abyss had wrought terrible changes to all echelons of Narfelli society, and so they set their sights on destroying their ancient enemies the Raumathari.
For its part, Raumathar had enjoyed a period of relative peace and stability from -300DR onwards. Karsus' Folly had wrought less devastation to the realm and provided an unlooked for boon of hitherto hidden magic. In the Year of Shattered Portals (-283DR), the Raumathari stumbled upon a trove of Imaskari lore and learning that they seized on with fervour, remembering the power and grandeur of their former masters. Over time the magic of golems and constructs became as prevalent in the realm as the elementalist magic of their forefathers and commencing in the reign of Arkhan Tallos IV, resources were channeled into the creation of a great construct army to be used as sentinels in their border regions.
The events of the Great Conflagration are noted in some detail in my entry in GHotR (p.55). Space did not permit me to go into the minutiae of every clash and battle but it can be said that the decade-long war brought devastation to both sides and realms. At the end, it can be observed that Narfell was "winning" but the final summoning of an avatar of Kossuth brought incredible destruction to the region. The avatar started its journey of destruction in present-day Thay, skirted the woodlands of Lethyr and moved into Narfell proper, trailing devastation in its wake and seemingly immune to attempts to return it from whence it came. It then turned east, avoiding Rashemen, and plunged into the grasslands of Raumathar bringing with it a firestorm of death that was only quelled when the avatar disappeared suddenly on the outskirts of ruined Winterkeep. To this day sages do not understand the reasons why Kossuth's avatar journeyed as it did or what compulsion drove it onward but in the words of the loremaster Eirolon of Procampur, "Fire is always inscrutable and hungry. Do not seek to understand it, but give it the healthy respect you would a dragon or an archdevil. Things are usually safer that way."
quote:
Originally posted by BlackMoria
Assuming empires having large enough population centres to sustain a protracted conflict, there appears to be too few noteworthy ruins with the regions. I would have expected hundreds of destroyed towns and cities. Do such ruins exist or has 1300+ years erased all evidence of empires.
The answer to this question is "a bit of both". In relation to the ruins of Narfell, the druids of the Rawlinswood and the Forest of Lethyr spent centuries cleansing the forest of any evidence of Narfelli habitation and at the same time eradicating pockets of demons that had survived the fall of that realm. The area of the realm was also quite compressed for you have to note that at the time the realm existed, the lands of present-day Damara, Vaasa and what we call "Narfell" in modern times were still encompassed by the ice of the Great Glacier with only the ancient High Magic of the elves of Lethyr making those lands south of the ice sheet habitable. Finally, as the effects of association with demons from the Abyss began to take hold, the Narfelli developed a predilection for constructing underground dwellings. Most of the major population centres had only a small aboveground 'footprint' but miles upon miles of catacombs, vaults etc. Suffice it to say that when in the region now, you always have to be very careful where you dig.
As for Raumathar, the horsetribes developed a sophisticated society but continued to maintain their independent tribal groupings and roam their ancestral territories. Whilst only semi-nomadic, no huge metropolises were built by the Raumathari and much of their building was in timber which has not survived in the present-day Realms.
quote:
Originally posted by BlackMoria
What sort of battle magics did both sides use in the typical battle? Given that empires destroyed themselves, I imagine some very potent and powerful battle magics were employed.
We know the Nars favored fielding demonic forces and Raumathar had their own magic discipline of the battlemages but outside of that, little is know of tactics, favored battle spells, and how each side fought against each other in small skirmishes to large set piece battles. If Ed can give some insight into this, this would be fantastic.
Narfell's armies used to manipulate the weather to create gloomy, overcast conditions. No battle with Narfell was ever conducted in bright sunshine. Their attacks were usually unsophisticated, predicated in the main on demonic shock troops rushing to grapple with their foes while the Narfelli armies proper would concentrate on acting as support troops, using missile fire and magic to whittle away the enemy. Sages state that the Narfelli used some unique spells and magic lost to the present-day such as a spell known as 'Lesthren's Talon' which would transform a foe's arm into that of a demon which would then turn on that creatures seeking to blind, eviscerate or throttle it. Another was 'Bloodfury' which caused any bleeding creature to grow in strength and ferocity for a period but a the cost of some of its own lifeforce.
The Raumathari were horse warriors in the main with their sorcerors riding in the ranks with them and focusing on elemental magics. A favourite gambit was to raise a wall of earth elementals around a section of the enemy, cutting them off and crushing them. Another was to plant a line of fire elementals before the enemy and then use air elementals behind them to create a gale of blazing wind that would incinerate their opposition. After the adoption of Imaskari magic, the Raumathari also used armies of constructs built out of stone and/or metal, some of them unique. One type of golem was known as a 'Banedrinker' and had the ability to 'absorb' some of the supernatural abilities of any demons it vanquished. In addition the Raumathari battle mages became adept at creating large numbers of short-term battlefield portals keyed specifically to their construct warriors allowing them to outflank and get in behind their enemies for significant tactical advantages.
I hope that the responses above have been useful to you. I'm keen to read what Ed will add to my musings as he always does it so very, very well.
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
Edited by - George Krashos on 14 May 2008 23:33:50 |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 10 May 2008 : 10:36:51
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quote:
Originally posted by althen artren
My Dear Lady Hooded One:
Adversity?
My, you are a master of understatement. Keep the questions coming, you say?
Surely we can do that.
Any permanent aches or pains from the gunshot wound?
Can any information about ?Elfhold? (I believe I saw the name, maybe I'm wrong) within the Hullack forest be shared? Also, wasn't there a Starym stronghold within the Hullack forest?
Elfhold is detailed in the 3E accessory "Faiths & Pantheons".
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Verghityax
Learned Scribe
131 Posts |
Posted - 11 May 2008 : 19:43:33
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Dear Ed and lovely Lady Hooded One,
Thanks for your previous reply. I've been expecting an NDA assault so I do not feel surprised. I'm going to trod you about Elturel and Iriaebor matter in the end of the year just to check if the evil NDAs are gone
And today I've got a quickie but it has been torturing my curiosity for some time already. What is the origin of the title of Yartar's ruler, the Waterbaron? Does it has something to do with the Three Rivers? |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 11 May 2008 : 20:01:16
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Hello, all. I bring more Realmslore from Ed, this time in answer to Broken Helm’s question: “In the pre-Spellplague Realms, if a Harper was killed by a Malaugrym and was seen by someone trusted by the Harpers (or another Harper) who managed to report the Malaugrym to a Harper right away, how quickly would this word spread among Harpers? How quickly would they tell a Chosen of Mystra, and again, how quickly would other Chosen know?
I'm thinking: Malaugrym revealed, witness speaks of it to a senior Harper or Master Harper within an hour or so, is believed instantly . . . so how swiftly does word get around, after that? Thanks!”
Ed replies:
The best answer, of course, is: it depends. :}
On WHICH senior or Master Harper, where they happen to be and what they’re doing at the time, what magic they have that can be used to communicate with others, etc. In general, they will attempt to inform a Chosen of Mystra or Harpers in Berdusk or any heavyweight Harper they know how to contact right away, without any delay.
That could easily take 1d4 days, and another 1d6 for word to be relayed “back out to the troops,” with most “humble Harpers operating on the ground” being at the high end of that time (so, 8 to 10 days).
However, if powerful Harpers are already working together in the vicinity of the ‘Malaugrym who was seen to be a Malaugrym,’ they could all know about it by the far end of the same day as the report, or even sooner.
The guiding principle here is: everyone involved in the communication chain will strive not to delay spreading the word. The ‘top’ Harpers and the Chosen, who can use magic to speak into the minds of many Harpers, will get details (including mental images of the shape(s) the Malaugrym was using as a disguise) spread around VERY quickly. Yes, Malaugrym have ended up being recognized by their disguise-shape and chased “hard and fast” by Harpers who intend them never to have a moment of peace to shift shape without being seen, until they can be cornered and magically blasted. At least one Malaugrym was recently killed in this way, chased into a wooden hut and hit therein by two blade barriers, as the hut was fireballed and burned down around them.
So saith Ed. Who does not recommend “scorched Malaugrym” as good dining fare.
Love to all,
THO
P.S. Thanks for your lore replies, George. Superb! Off they go to Ed, who I know will agree with my assessment of them.
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Edited by - The Hooded One on 11 May 2008 20:04:12 |
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Daviot
Senior Scribe
USA
372 Posts |
Posted - 12 May 2008 : 02:48:55
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
I'm certainly not Ed but I'll have a stab at these.
Many, many thanks to you, sir. Raumathar and Narfell happen to be two of my favorite ancient lands in the Realms, and your long reply will be useful, I'm sure, to more people than just BlackMoria and I. |
One usually has far more to fear from the soft-spoken wizard with a blade and well-worn boots than from the boisterous one in the ivory tower.
My Tabletop Writing CV. |
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1796 Posts |
Posted - 12 May 2008 : 06:35:41
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
I'm certainly not Ed but I'll have a stab at these.
[snip]
-- George Krashos
Wow George!
That reply was pure gold! for the first time in 20 years of Realmsplay I fully understand the Narfell/Raumathar conflict.
I love you.
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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
Posted - 12 May 2008 : 09:10:55
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I can't resist any longer: I laughed aloud when I saw George "take a stab at it" in the most minute detail. "Stab?" Nay, say rather, "a hit! A palpable hit!"
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I have a mouth, but I am in a library and must not scream.
Feed the poor and stroke your ego, too: http://www.freerice.com/index.php.
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BlackMoria
Acolyte
Canada
36 Posts |
Posted - 12 May 2008 : 19:10:34
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My thanks, George.
That answer exceeded my expectations, to my great delight.
A thousand thanks.
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Kalevala
Acolyte
43 Posts |
Posted - 13 May 2008 : 18:10:29
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hello again.
Kalevala, of COURSE you would use your own descriptions, and Ed apologizes for taking so long to get to your question (he still hasn't managed it, I'm afraid). Yet he WILL provide an answer when he can, so rest easy, Sage.
Right now, Ed is coping with the usual platter-full of problems. Including, just now, the sleepy aftermath of dealing with a restless litter of baby skunks at around 5 am, after finally settling down to sleep at 2 am. 
love to all,
THO
Oh, OK. Just thought that I'd help Ed to ease the load by not having to answer it anymore. Anyway, looking forward to see what he has to say!
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
Actually, Kalevala, if you don't mind, I'd still like Ed to answer your original query. I would like to read what he comes up with.
Not at all |
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althen artren
Senior Scribe
USA
780 Posts |
Posted - 14 May 2008 : 03:13:15
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Thanks George,
I can't believe that I have never saw those pages before.
I must be getting old. |
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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
Posted - 14 May 2008 : 04:53:25
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Seeing George's reference to "The Great Conflagration" made me recall "The Rain of Colorless Fire" on Oerth, which prompts a question for Ed: Do you think that the repeated occurrence of two empires engaging in "mutually assured destruction" in RPG settings is an echo of the Cold War? I've seen the movie Matinee, set during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and I've just realized that you, Gygax, Arnesen, M.A.R. Barker and other "founding parents" of role-playing were pretty much of an age with the kids in Matinee (Omri Katz, et al, John Goodman not included).
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I have a mouth, but I am in a library and must not scream.
Feed the poor and stroke your ego, too: http://www.freerice.com/index.php.
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 15 May 2008 : 01:14:40
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Ed and THO,
a question about "Reptar's Wall," the flying shield Florin has (or had). Could it fly by itself? Or when commanded, by someone not in contact with it? Or when acted on by certain spells? Or did it have to be worn on an arm and controlled, to fly itself and its wearer?
Thanks,
BB |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 15 May 2008 : 01:17:26
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Hello again, all. This time I bring more words of Ed, this time in response to Jamallo Kreen’s very recent query: “Seeing George's reference to "The Great Conflagration" made me recall "The Rain of Colorless Fire" on Oerth, which prompts a question for Ed: Do you think that the repeated occurrence of two empires engaging in "mutually assured destruction" in RPG settings is an echo of the Cold War? I've seen the movie Matinee, set during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and I've just realized that you, Gygax, Arnesen, M.A.R. Barker and other "founding parents" of role-playing were pretty much of an age with the kids in Matinee (Omri Katz, et al, John Goodman not included).”
Ed replies:
Well, Gary had twenty years on me, Dave’s age I can’t recall (but he's Gary’s contemporary), and Professor Barker is older than Gary.
Moreover, I can’t speak for others. I can only tell you what went on in my head. :}
With those caveats stated, I believe (especially considering the use of phrases like “the Invoked Devastation” and the explicit ‘brought it upon themselves’ story that went with it) that you may indeed be on to something.
I use the word “may” deliberately, however, because although Gary and other game designers may very well have been using fantasy settings and characters to comment on our real world (as Terry Pratchett does, I do, and so on), any fantasy writer or game designer who is familiar with the root classics of fantasy (the god-king epics and ballads and eddas, not just the later chivalrous epics (of Arthur, Amadis of Gaul, Palmerin of England, etc. etc.) and the William Morris and Lord Dunsany tales that led into “modern fantasy” well before Tolkien ignited a literary fantasy genre, is necessarily familiar with many, many instances of “decadent high-flying societies bringing doom upon themselves.”
Atlantis and the downfall of King Arthur are just two examples of this.
I looked to those sort of magnificent tragedies, rather than “Ban the Bomb” or “Dr. Strangelove” or the endless spy thrillers (Le Carré and Fleming anchoring opposite extremes of that genre), as my inspirations when crafting details of the Realms. For instance, in ELMINSTER IN MYTH DRANNOR we see some decadent elves, and the disaster their behaviour is rushing them towards. Some readers have criticized that depiction as showing them “too-human” elves, but I disagree. I deliberately intended to show that what we think of as “human nature” is “universal nature” when it comes to decadence and folly, and we can see elves and dwarves and dragons making the same doon-laden mistakes in the Realms before human empires did. Netheril was an echo of tragedy, not ground-breaking in its scope.
My father was a NORAD radar expert, back in the day, and despite reading and enjoying E.E. “Doc” Smith’s Operation Bullfinch doom scenario in TRIPLANETARY, I never felt all that terrorized by the Cold War. I DID feel enthralled by all the fantasy classics I was discovering, and for me, they certainly had the greater impact.
So saith Ed. Who has been to the Diefenbunker and the old underground command center in North Bay, but has only seen Cheyenne Mountain on television.
love to all,
THO
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Edited by - The Hooded One on 15 May 2008 01:18:36 |
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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
Posted - 15 May 2008 : 04:47:31
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Thank you dear Lady and Master of the Green Wood! I have not seen Cheyenne Mountain, but I have seen the tunnel in Griffith Park, Los Angeles house everything from NORAD to the Stargate Project.
I grok what you have written about the Myth Drannan elves. Perhaps I should look further back than the Cuban Missile Crisis to ... oh ... the Athenian expedition to Syracuse (and didn't that just work out swell for the Birthplace of Democracy -- and tyrannical master of what was an empire in all but name!). It may be the nature of all mortal beings (except perhaps bonobos) to reduce everything to "war and football," as a pin of mine says, or to "Me eat dead gazelle; you eat nuts and berries." There is often a dagger hidden even in the most seemingly generous and humane acts, too. Not to bring the real world any further into this than I have, I can't help thinking that 50,000 "humanitarians" on the border of a rebellious conquered country don't just show up with goodness in their hearts, any more than Athenian envoys were brimming with generosity when they visited a city to "suggest" that its wealth would be safer in the Acropolis of Athens than in their own. One wonders, too, about the motives of the elves who taught magic to the Netherese -- before stealing the Nether Scrolls....
Cogitation, cogitation in the Valley of Decision....
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I have a mouth, but I am in a library and must not scream.
Feed the poor and stroke your ego, too: http://www.freerice.com/index.php.
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 15 May 2008 : 15:24:22
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Totally unsolicited advice to WotC:
Hire George.
That is all.
ec |
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Questions for Ed Greenwood (2008)
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