Yes, there was a column in DRAGON years back ("First Quest," or am I misremembering the name?) and Ed did one of them on his introduction to D&D. It began, as I recall: "Play with me," she breathed . . .
I'm adding yet another question to my ever-growing queue, and this is one that I think may be good for a lot of people...
One of the few high points in the FRCG is the amount of detail and such in the Returned Abeir section. It's quite obvious that that section of the book is pure Ed; his world-building is what makes that area usable.
It occurs to me that Returned Abeir could easily replace one of Toril's undescribed landmasses, rather than replacing something that may not be to everyone's liking but is a part of official canon. The shape isn't right, but since those other landmasses are mostly just blobby shapes on a map, I think that's easy enough to ignore.
However... I'd want to use it as Laerakond, and I'd want to use it in the pre-Sellplague Realms. So all the "Returned" aspects have to be tweaked. I'm thinking the Dawn Titans could be banished/exiled deities, perhaps even one of the groups of Seven Lost Gods. The missing part of the dragonborn kingdom is a bit harder, but maybe it could be an earthquake or the result of an awakened nastybad, perhaps even a Dawn Titan.
So, here's the question, friend Ed: if you had to make that continent work as part of the 1370-ish era, how would you do so?
Having just had knee surgery to reconstruct my ACL I was wondering about surgery in the Realms. How advanced is it? Are any cities/nations known for specialities? Obviously in a magical world the more common method may be to seek help from the local temple or respresentative of your diety. Additionally are limb braces known in the Realms? I seem to remember lots of limb replacement (normal and magical) examples described in various resources. What I am curious about though are devices to overcome muscle/ligament/bone injuries or degradation (knee braces etc)that would allow one to continue to be active and proficient in a very physical profession (warrior, farmer etc.). Would the Church of Gond or other artificers produce such devices? How efficient and effective would they be?
Ian Franks
"So I thought to myself who gives a damn if all the jobs are gone, I'm going to be a Pirate on the River Saskatchewan!", The Arrogant Worms
... Would the Church of Gond or other artificers produce such devices? How efficient and effective would they be?
Is it not what we saw in Temple Hill ? Where Fendel, a gnomish tinker priest of Gond, build a hand in order to replace Corin's one which was cut in a battle.
I also remember a veterinary cabinet in The Empire of Shade - Anauroch. That's to say that if animals are subjects to surgery, it means that surgery "level" about humans should not be far away from the first one. no ?
No real interest about your question but we find a Knive kit for surgery (among other aims) in Aurora's catalogue
"Today is a good day to smile", Fillow Big'n'Book Mahlemiut 'Lead-dog', Son of Garl, Wanderer of the Masked Leaf and Namer of Oghma.
I feel for ya, brother. Just caught a great joke on 'Burn Notice' last night:
"Wanna hear a funny story about my divorce?" "Yeah." "So do I."
Back on topic. I'd like to hear Ed's recounting of his first D&D game as well. I've heard many times about how Faerûn came about and how the rules fit the world pretty well, but not on the details of that first encounter.
I actually DO know everything. I just have a very poor index of my knowledge.
Hi again, all. I'm told that the first part of what I believe is a four-part interview with Ed (conducted by Jeremy Jones, a prof at Wofford) is up at the KOBOLD QUARTERLY website, as part of (ahem) "Ed Greenweek." Geez, I was thinking of asking Parliament in Canada and Congress in the United States to create a national holiday in Ed's honour (after all, he creates WORLDS, yes?), but now someone's gone ahead and given him a whole WEEK. It'll go to his head. Gasp - - the horror - - he might even break down and buy a suit! love to all, THO
I haven’t been able to locate much information on the Cormyrian fortress of Castle Crag (other than a little information in the 2nd edition FR boxed set). Sadly, there was no entry in the Cyclopedia of the Realms from the original FR “grey box” set. I also checked Volo’s Guide to Cormyr but couldn’t find much information in this sourcebook either. I was wondering if you could provide me with some information on this structure (its appearance, the military strength housed within, commanding officer, etc.) circa 1357-1358 DR (pre-Time of Troubles)?
I saw no answer to this one from your two questionsand I do not know if Cormyr sourcebook is part of those you have already read.
So, I wanted to tell you that I saw few Castle Crag data in the Cormyr sourcebook (TSR9410). round one column p.24, 33, 34, 43, 56, and in the Major Cities' Statistics
"Today is a good day to smile", Fillow Big'n'Book Mahlemiut 'Lead-dog', Son of Garl, Wanderer of the Masked Leaf and Namer of Oghma.
Dear Ed and Lady THO, A campaign question arises: Just inside a city gate for, say, Suzail or Waterdeep or any other walled city with not too much sprawl outside the walls, there will inevitably be shops that just-arrived people will blunder past or up to. I'd imagine that a fair amount of newcomers ask "where is?" questions, and that shopkeepers would either go nuts or resign themselves to answering - - and probably shift the wares they sell to be "handy things a new arrival needs or wants to buy, right away." And perhaps provide washrooms? Water-troughs for tired mounts or pack animals? My question is: could Ed - - or, THO, if Ed is still busy, Ed's notes - - give us any examples of one or two shops/shopkeepers (names, brief outline of what the place looks like and sells) one might encounter if entering Suzail through, say, that northeastern city gate, the one closest to the Palace? Thanks!
In Dragon 253 in the Worms of the North series Raulthim has his lair on the isle of Axard. Is Axard the same isle where Rethgaard lies or a smaller isle further north unmarked on most maps?
Additionally Raulthim is described as occasionally trading with the Halfling family of Taerseer in Holgerstead. Is there a story behind this family as Ruathym seems an odd place for halflings to settle.
Thanks for any info you can provide.
Ian Franks
"So I thought to myself who gives a damn if all the jobs are gone, I'm going to be a Pirate on the River Saskatchewan!", The Arrogant Worms
I seem to recall a long-ago GenCon Realms seminar with Ed Greenwood and Jeff Grubb at which they explained that halflings (and to a lesser extent gnomes) are "in darned near every human city or town" working as launderers, chimney sweeps, spice grinders and providers, fine-part forgers (who make the little metal innards of locks, etc.), dishwashers, darners and menders of garments and so on. I also remember, years ago in this thread (2004? 2005?) Ed answering questions on what could be found on Ruathym. Sage? Wooly? Kuje? Other elder scribes? I seem to having a senior moment . . . (Or is that a "dwarf after his helm got deeply dented in battle" moment?) BB
I seem to recall a long-ago GenCon Realms seminar with Ed Greenwood and Jeff Grubb at which they explained that halflings (and to a lesser extent gnomes) are "in darned near every human city or town" working as launderers, chimney sweeps, spice grinders and providers, fine-part forgers (who make the little metal innards of locks, etc.), dishwashers, darners and menders of garments and so on. I also remember, years ago in this thread (2004? 2005?) Ed answering questions on what could be found on Ruathym. Sage? Wooly? Kuje? Other elder scribes? I seem to having a senior moment . . . (Or is that a "dwarf after his helm got deeply dented in battle" moment?) BB
Aye. There's a few bits in the '05 compilation files as I recall. Around March, I think.
Rethgaard - Stone fortress built by the seagoing dwarves of Haunghdanner - mapped in FR 5 Savage Frontier - Text insinuates occupied by Northmen.
Thanks for the pointers for info regarding Rauthym (Didn't seem to be able to find it though). I found the halfling presence strange because I thought it was a little far afield even for the hin.
Ian Franks
"So I thought to myself who gives a damn if all the jobs are gone, I'm going to be a Pirate on the River Saskatchewan!", The Arrogant Worms
Hi again, all. The fourth and final part of Ed's interview is up at the Kobold Quarterly website. It's the longest, wherein Ed says the most about writing... love to all, THO
Hi again, all. The fourth and final part of Ed's interview is up at the Kobold Quarterly website. It's the longest, wherein Ed says the most about writing... love to all, THO
And just to have all the links made pretty and in one place...
Hi again, all. The fourth and final part of Ed's interview is up at the Kobold Quarterly website. It's the longest, wherein Ed says the most about writing... love to all, THO
While the entire article series has been awesome, I found this last part to be among the most useful. There's a lot here from Ed that I've found has helped me to understand something about my own attempts at writing.
Words are indeed tools. And they're what I use to build my own worlds. But I'd also like to think that some of the energy that goes into my using those tools effectively, comes directly from everything I read from Ed.
He's a source for inspiration, no matter what he does!
Hello again, all. I bring, from Ed's notes, a tentative answer to this recent query from Malcolm: "Just inside a city gate for, say, Suzail or Waterdeep or any other walled city with not too much sprawl outside the walls, there will inevitably be shops that just-arrived people will blunder past or up to. I'd imagine that a fair amount of newcomers ask "where is?" questions, and that shopkeepers would either go nuts or resign themselves to answering - - and probably shift the wares they sell to be "handy things a new arrival needs or wants to buy, right away." And perhaps provide washrooms? Water-troughs for tired mounts or pack animals? My question is: could Ed - - or, THO, if Ed is still busy, Ed's notes - - give us any examples of one or two shops/shopkeepers (names, brief outline of what the place looks like and sells) one might encounter if entering Suzail through, say, that northeastern city gate, the one closest to the Palace? Thanks!"
Here we go . . . with an answer set JUST before the Spellplague erupts (from Ed's notes, extracted by me and given a swift edit and revision by Ed, who is seeing to a hundred household chores that he's let slide for almost a year, including clearing a path through the basement so he can finally take down the family Christmas tree and all its decorations after FOUR YEARS; yes, that's how busy he's been):
For the last two decades, three merchant families have run various shops and stalls near that gate, shifting around in terms of actual premises as rents (and their fortunes) have gone up and down. They are:
The Landaeyrs ("Lahan-DAY-urs"), consisting of four sons, six daughters, Emra Landaeyr who keeps to the back rooms, overseeing and cooking and keeping the family accounts, and her husband - - the main public face of the family, Ansraeve ("Ann-SRAY-vvve") Landaeyr, a tall, thin, jovial and wisecracking man who cheerfully gives directions and contact information (most of it correct) and whose family-run shops are always crammed, chaotic, dimly-lit dust-heaps of sundry goods, from candles and bits of rope and wire to pots, pans, tools, and crocks ("handy household items," in other words). Whenever it's open (usually dawn to well after dusk) their shop always sells large mugs of hot beef broth-and-onion soup, mug and all, for 1 cp. They usually have "stones" (we real-worlders might call them small, slim bricks) of imported cheese and imported pressed dates for sale, too, but aside from occasional jars and vials of spices from the docks, no other food. Their shops tend to be known simply as "Landaeyr's."
Havrath Hrungoun: this short, fat, sly, fast-talking "wheeler dealer" of a man lives alone except for a man-mountain of a bodyguard, the slow-witted (but VERY observant, and a deadly accurate thrower of handy items to bring down fleeing shoplifters) Goroth Marl. Hrungoun sells broadsheets, love poems ornately written on scrolls, sweets (including chocolates, the most popular being tiny statuettes of King Azoun and Queen Filfaeril; he calls the former "bites" and the latter "lickables"), brightly-decorated bowls and decanters and ewers, and other "gift" wares. He employs a small army of street youths to hawk the broadsheets and to "talk up" his shop everywhere in the streets, performing the only Suzailan equivalent of hard-sell, loud radio ads (of the used-car dealer "so come on down to" sort). Hrungoun is cheerfully crooked, sells booze and drugs (and purported love potions that will either "make her wild for you" or "make you a rampant bull, all night long") from under his counter, and also provides a secure short-term "lockup" service for valuables (and, it's rumored, for slaves and kidnapped persons). He's also a panderer, providing willing bedmates for visitors to the city. These latter two services he manages with the help of his three shifty sons (and their wives and children) who live in various modest homes across the city, and whom Hrungoun supports - - so although none of them trust him (no sane person trusts him), they work loyally for him.
Tarpreskur's Conveyances: Naldron Tarpreskur, his wife Tlalla, and his daughters Gontra and Marvroune run a stables (buying, selling, and boarding and tending mounts and light draft beasts), a taxi service of sorts (known as a "fastcoach carry," though it tends to be three-wheeled, two seat open conveyances with rain-hoods like some early real-world cars had), and a small-wares delivery service (same as fastcoach, but for small crates, barrels, baskets, and suchlike of goods that can be easily carried and handled). All of these operate within Suzail's walls only. The tall, laconic, battered-looking Tarpreskur is an expert horse trainer and doctor, an experienced coach and wagon repairer, and he and his family make, repair, and sell rain-hoods for everyone's coaches (that is: hood-shaped awnings, both cloth and supporting framework, that fit over coach seats, and sometimes can be folded down or back, and sometimes have added fasten-on "full weather covers" to keep the conveyance dry when it's just going to be left standing in all weather for some time.
All three of these families are consistently located just within that city gate, and habitually answer questions about the city from arrivals through the gate (doing so eagerly and well, not grudgingly or in a pranksome, deliberately-inaccurate manner).
So saith Ed, with a little help from my whip. Garen Thal and other fans of matters Cormyrean, here's another tidbit from the pen of the master! love to all, THO
Quick aside, any chance Ed can grab and share a random tidbit about the Realms from his basement notes on his way up?
I'm curious about a few things regarding Returned Abeir/Laerakond.
What inspired the shape of that landmass? What was the design process behind the continent?
Ed often designs and writes more than the books have space for. Is there material written and designed for Laerakond that didn't make it into the book? Enough for DDI articles perhaps?
Hi again, all. Here's an extract from a quick e-mail from Ed, re. Dark Wizard's questions, which appear just above:
The shape of the landmass arose because I wanted two dragon-ruled kingdoms separated by a logical natural barrier (so, across the sea from each other, with harsh mountain terrain as the bridge) and because I wanted sea trade, lots of ports, and that same watery barrier (dominance of which is forever strategically important) to separate potentially-warring realms. The river serves the same purpose for the human Sword region. I was given the Dawn Titans, a wordcount, and "put in some dragon rulers; here's why," and from that tried to quickly build a continent that could function as a campaign setting all on its own (so overseas voyages or constructing/finding portals could be a campaign option, not a forced-on-the-DM necessity). Then I just imagined things, as I always do, made sure all the terrain options (jungle, subterranean, icy mountains, monster-roamed temperate forested woodlands, etc.) were included, drew the map, and sent it. Yes, of COURSE there's material written and designed for Returned Abeir/Laerakond that didn't make it into the book. It would have to be rewritten, rounded out, and so on to make DDI articles, IF the copyright owner wants DDI articles using it (yes, I'll be suggesting it, and I see work on detailing Gontal - - my stuff had to be completely pruned to fit the FRCG space limitations - - has started). When I get the chance (busy finishing up the 2008 Spin A Yarn tale right now), I'll answer Wooly's request for more on how I would use that landmass as part of the pre-Spellplague Realms. Promise. Sorry folks, but there's only one of me, and I have to do much more around the house these days as the passing years do their grim work and my wife's health slides.
So saith Ed. Who will, as he promises, return to"full bellow" ASAP. love, THO
Questions for Ed Greenwood (2009)
Topic Locked
Posted - 26 May 2009 : 15:24:15
