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Arivia
Great Reader

Canada
2965 Posts

Posted - 27 Jul 2009 :  20:17:13  Show Profile
Random question that occured to me while reading the news:

Ed, what are auction houses like in the Realms? Additionally, what's art patronage and industry like? Are there popular or celebrity painters, sculptors, etc, and do they take their works to auction?
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Joran Nobleheart
Senior Scribe

USA
495 Posts

Posted - 27 Jul 2009 :  20:23:04  Show Profile  Visit Joran Nobleheart's Homepage Send Joran Nobleheart a Private Message
Hmm... so it seems that Joran's different than the rest of the Cormyrian landed nobles. Perhaps I'll have to amend that and give Joran a fine mustache and goatee (like the one I have). Thank you!

Paladinic Ethos
Saint Joran Nobleheart
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader

USA
3243 Posts

Posted - 27 Jul 2009 :  20:25:20  Show Profile Send Ashe Ravenheart a Private Message
Or, it may be his way of 'rebelling' against the established nobility (not the crown, of course, but the snivelling nobles and their fashions)!

I actually DO know everything. I just have a very poor index of my knowledge.

Ashe's Character Sheet

Alphabetized Index of Realms NPCs
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 27 Jul 2009 :  21:47:45  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message
The place where I waved from was actually at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River - but I skirted both Lake Eerie and Lake Ontario. I had decided to take the 'scenic route' around the Lakes, taking something called "The Seaview Trail" (which only occassionally allowed a view to the water). I stopped at that particluar place because it was interesting (and I had to go... ya know...), and it had a GREAT vantage point - there was some old historical plague there saying it was a French Fort called "La' Lookout" or some-such.

I ended up there because I went to Morris Town to see my son... and then found-out when I got there he was about three hours south in Morrisville!

However, I would not have gotten to see what was probably one of the most beautiful parts of my country if not for that blunder, so it wasn't a waste (and I had dinner with my son, rather then lunch).

quote:
Originally posted by Kuje

I'm glad Mark didn't come through Rochester on Saturday. It was nasty here and we got hit by two tornadoes! First time in almost 80 years that one has touched down within Rochester's city limits/suburbs.

Darn Mark, you could have came by and visited. :)

The road I was on was closed because of those Tornados!

I was told there were ten of them, and the Econo-Lodge I got stuck at (because the storm became so bad I couldn't see anymore), was FILLED with people who got stuck because of that freakish storm.

BTW, I had tried to stay in Buffalo when that storm broke-out, but EVERY room in the city (and outside of it) was filled with Lawyers! It appears the Barr exams are held there that weekend, and Lawyers converge there from all over the world to take it.

I have seen the ultimate in evil... a city of Lawyers...

Drow have NOTHING on them.

And they were even scarrier then the Tornados... and probably more destructve...

"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone


Edited by - Markustay on 28 Jul 2009 01:40:22
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Herkles
Seeker

82 Posts

Posted - 27 Jul 2009 :  23:20:37  Show Profile  Visit Herkles's Homepage Send Herkles a Private Message
I have a question for Ed.

Do any of the deities have any saints in the realms and if so could one give a couple of examples of them? Also what of holy texts, do any deities have any holy text associated with them? Also what about other ways of worship such as ancestor worship? is that practiced in any of the religions in the realms? I can see it applying to races like elves or dwarves, but not sure if it is in the realms or not.

Edited by - Herkles on 27 Jul 2009 23:29:15
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Joran Nobleheart
Senior Scribe

USA
495 Posts

Posted - 27 Jul 2009 :  23:21:51  Show Profile  Visit Joran Nobleheart's Homepage Send Joran Nobleheart a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by Ashe Ravenheart

Or, it may be his way of 'rebelling' against the established nobility (not the crown, of course, but the snivelling nobles and their fashions)!

Good point! Maybe it's a seasonal thing he does... beard in the winter, clean shaven in spring/summer?

Paladinic Ethos
Saint Joran Nobleheart
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 27 Jul 2009 :  23:58:17  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Joran, more lore coming your way when I can (got your message). I would stress that your PC can be clean-shaven if he wants to, because of course many nobles LIKE to be mavericks, or set fashions rather than follow them, or yes, rebel against parents or kin. :}
Which lets you do just what you'd prefer, either way.
love,
THO
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 28 Jul 2009 :  00:09:04  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
panics,
ED has indeed visited Quebec City, and loves it. These days he usually stays in a B&B-like co-op hotel situated on the same park that has the American Consulate on one side, and the Chateau on the other (the hotel is on the third side, the river [actually, the drop to the Old Town] being the fourth. But he's been known to stay at the Chateau, too. Lovely bistros.
I like the cannonball embedded in the tree, and Ed loves to play solitaire with the nuns at their museum. ;}
love,
THO
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Zandilar
Learned Scribe

Australia
313 Posts

Posted - 28 Jul 2009 :  00:45:57  Show Profile  Visit Zandilar's Homepage Send Zandilar a Private Message
Heya,

quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
So saith Ed, reigning expert on Cormyrean facial fashion (ask him sometime about the Calishite and Tashlutan fashion for setting cabochon-cut polished gems into the cheeks of wealthy females).



That sounds very painful! Consider him asked.

How do they do it? Is it just in the skin, or are they set in the bone of the cheek (given that's where the skin/flesh is thinnest)? Is it just a single gem, or a pattern of multiple gems? It is totally a fashion thing, or is there some other cultural significance/meaning to it (and if so, what is it)? And is there something equivalent that the men do?

Zandilar
~amor vincit omnia~
~audaces fortuna iuvat~

As the spell ends, you look up into the sky to see the sun blazing overhead like noon in a desert. Then something else in the sky catches your attention. Turning your gaze, you see a tawny furred kitten bounding across the sky towards the new sun. Her eyes glint a mischevious green as she pounces on it as if it were nothing but a colossal ball of golden yarn. With quick strokes of her paws, it is batted across the sky, back and forth. Then with a wink the kitten and the sun disappear, leaving the citizens of Elversult gazing up with amazed expressions that quickly turn into chortles and mirth.

The Sunlord left Elversult the same day in humilitation, and was never heard from again.
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Aysen
Learned Scribe

115 Posts

Posted - 28 Jul 2009 :  03:31:53  Show Profile  Visit Aysen's Homepage Send Aysen a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by Zandilar

Heya,

quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
So saith Ed, reigning expert on Cormyrean facial fashion (ask him sometime about the Calishite and Tashlutan fashion for setting cabochon-cut polished gems into the cheeks of wealthy females).



That sounds very painful! Consider him asked.

How do they do it? Is it just in the skin, or are they set in the bone of the cheek (given that's where the skin/flesh is thinnest)? Is it just a single gem, or a pattern of multiple gems? It is totally a fashion thing, or is there some other cultural significance/meaning to it (and if so, what is it)? And is there something equivalent that the men do?



I couldn't help but notice that LHO didn't mention which set of cheeks were inset with gems on wealthy females ....although if it were the nether-more cheeks, simple horseriding and sitting would be mightily uncomfortable if not impossible. Still, its not the most wince-inducing description Ed's fertile imagination has conjured up, and if one's really wealthy, well there's always palanquins!

Btw, thanks LHO for the little tidbit about the merfolk-cooker and Torm's lack of restraint
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createvmind
Senior Scribe

490 Posts

Posted - 28 Jul 2009 :  04:44:22  Show Profile  Visit createvmind's Homepage Send createvmind a Private Message
Hello All,

Ed does Mystra herself safegaurd the true names of her chosen preventing their enemies from gaining advantage through truename magic?
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Joran Nobleheart
Senior Scribe

USA
495 Posts

Posted - 28 Jul 2009 :  10:30:15  Show Profile  Visit Joran Nobleheart's Homepage Send Joran Nobleheart a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One

Joran, more lore coming your way when I can (got your message). I would stress that your PC can be clean-shaven if he wants to, because of course many nobles LIKE to be mavericks, or set fashions rather than follow them, or yes, rebel against parents or kin. :}
Which lets you do just what you'd prefer, either way.
love,
THO

All right, thank you milady. I'm really looking forward to seeing what comes back. And again, I hope you didn't mind the message. If so, I humbly apologize and beg your forgiveness.

And I'll keep all of that in mind for Joran, who even now was getting ready to suffer through the growing in of a beard. He just rushed off to his keep due to your timely message thanks to a friendly little ring of teleportation and lovingly pulled out his razor, scratching at his cheeks while mumbling about noble customs. Poor guy... paladins do suffer from time to time due to fashion!

Paladinic Ethos
Saint Joran Nobleheart
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe

USA
804 Posts

Posted - 29 Jul 2009 :  18:54:07  Show Profile  Visit Blueblade's Homepage Send Blueblade a Private Message
Dear Ed and THO,
I'm looking for the names of a few families who were very wealthy but NOT noble, in Suzail and/or Marsember, who "went bust" but didn't die out (it's okay if they scattered out of Cormyr).
I can of course easily make some up, but if Ed has anything, I'd rather follow canon.
Thanks!
BB
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 30 Jul 2009 :  19:14:54  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Hi, Blueblade.
I can think of one, off the top of my head, from campaign play: the Narnantheirs. Formerly a powerhouse in weaving and import and export of bulk textiles, the Narnantheir ("Nar-NAN-theer") family is now scattered and poor, with some of the sons living in Suzail's shady districts, living hand-to-mouth.
love,
THO
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore

Canada
1796 Posts

Posted - 31 Jul 2009 :  02:38:06  Show Profile Send Purple Dragon Knight a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One

panics,
ED has indeed visited Quebec City, and loves it. These days he usually stays in a B&B-like co-op hotel situated on the same park that has the American Consulate on one side, and the Chateau on the other (the hotel is on the third side, the river [actually, the drop to the Old Town] being the fourth. But he's been known to stay at the Chateau, too. Lovely bistros.
I like the cannonball embedded in the tree, and Ed loves to play solitaire with the nuns at their museum. ;}
love,
THO

Nice. Love that canonball... dunno why... :)

If he likes the Chateau and feels like celebrating, tell him to try the venison at "Le Champlain" Restaurant, inside the Chateau facing the cliff overlooking the St.Lawrence river... *do* go for dessert, as they bring the whole kitchen on a rolling tray (about a dozen WHOLE cakes, pies, millefeuilles, cheesecakes, etc.) for you to choose AT THE TABLE! (ok, I only did this once; was wearing a tux; and the lady I was dating at the time was very, very, very impressed... bill over $300 and all... very impressed I say! as in, I got my money's worth... and more! )

Edited by - Purple Dragon Knight on 31 Jul 2009 02:43:46
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 31 Jul 2009 :  02:56:50  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Hi again, all.
Aysen, Ed chuckled at your post, but he did indeed mean the cheeks that are part of the face (sorry). So, in answer to this, from Zandilar: "That sounds very painful! Consider him asked. How do they do it? Is it just in the skin, or are they set in the bone of the cheek (given that's where the skin/flesh is thinnest)? Is it just a single gem, or a pattern of multiple gems? It is totally a fashion thing, or is there some other cultural significance/meaning to it (and if so, what is it)? And is there something equivalent that the men do?"
Ed replies:


It is just a fashion thing, originally a "rebellious younger generation" fad that has become an "adornment for many." It is painful. A slit is made in the skin of the cheek, NOT all the way through, and a thumbnail-sized flat chip of stone that's been rounded to remove all sharp edges is put in it. Then GENTLE flame is applied to the stone to cauterize without heating up the stone too much or burning the flesh. When cool, alcohol is used to disinfect (yes, THAT's painful), and then flat-backed, cabochon-rounded gem chips can be slipped into the slit in place of the stone, of hues to match cosmetics, clothing, and other jewelry. SOME women of course went for multiple gems in a pattern, but it never caught on. No, there's no male equivalent. Yet. :}


So saith Ed. Who has just handed WotC artists a cool gift for their use in future illustrations, methinks . . .
love,
THO
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 31 Jul 2009 :  03:09:07  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Hi again, all. Just got a note from Ed which included this, for Menelvagor:


Sorry, no peyot in the Realms. I have always tried to avoid specific real-world elements, and that particular one is strongly associated in the minds of many with Orthodox Judaism, so I avoided putting them into the Realms. That's not to say that there aren't many folk in the Realms who don't have long locks, or curly hair, or wear their hair in various ways for religious or cultural reasons - - just not that specific feature. For the same reason, I'd not put a "punk Mohawk" hairdo, or a Jeep, or a Coke can, into the Realms: the reason being the real-world association (it would jolt many encountering it out of "thinking Realms" into "thinking about the real world").
That's not to say they can't appear in YOUR Realms, of course.

So saith Ed. Who will probably be a VERY busy boy at this year's GenCon, and who has his latest novel (probably a Realms book, folks) more than half way done in first draft, and is having much fun with it. I pressed him for some details, but all he would do is grin and say, "So many nobles are dastardly, aren't they?"
Hmmmm...
love to all,
THO
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 31 Jul 2009 :  03:13:04  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Oh, and I just received THIS, too, from Ed, a belated reply to Thauramarth:

Thanks for the birthday ditty, but it's okay: I DO live in a zoo. Just ask my wife, and the cat. ;}


So saith Ed. Sigh.
love,
THO
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Jakk
Great Reader

Canada
2165 Posts

Posted - 31 Jul 2009 :  03:42:49  Show Profile Send Jakk a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by Herkles

I have a question for Ed.

Do any of the deities have any saints in the realms and if so could one give a couple of examples of them? Also what of holy texts, do any deities have any holy text associated with them? Also what about other ways of worship such as ancestor worship? is that practiced in any of the religions in the realms? I can see it applying to races like elves or dwarves, but not sure if it is in the realms or not.



Not Ed, but I can help out on a couple of these points.
1) Ilmater has a few saints, notably St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred and St. Dionysus; there are others, but I don't have my sources handy at the moment. Ed can probably add some saints of other deities to the list.
2) For holy texts, the best source is the 2nd Edition supplement Prayers from the Faithful (by Ed, of course). Unfortunately, it's not available in PDF on WotC's download page, but you can probably find a used copy somewhere.
3) Ancestor worship is found among the Uthgardt and (IIRC) the witches of Rashemen. Ed can probably add some detail and/or correct me if necessary.
Hope this helps for a start.

Playing in the Realms since the Old Grey Box (1987)... and *still* having fun with material published before 2008, despite the NDA'd lore.

If it's comparable in power with non-magical abilities, it's not magic.
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 31 Jul 2009 :  05:27:48  Show Profile Send The Sage a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by Jakk

1) Ilmater has a few saints, notably St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred and St. Dionysus; there are others, but I don't have my sources handy at the moment. Ed can probably add some saints of other deities to the list.
I'd recommend reading through Steven Schend's compiled replies also [located through the "So Saith Ed" URL in my sig], as he's discussed this topic somewhat as well.

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
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36804 Posts

Posted - 31 Jul 2009 :  15:03:41  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message
The intro and part one of the 2008 Spin A Yarn tale are now available on the Wizards website. Here are the links:

Introducing "Volo Breaks a Hot Tale"
Volo Breaks a Hot Tale (Part One)

I'll also be adding these links to my dedicated Spin A Yarn thread, which contains links to all the prior Spin A Yarn tales.

Candlekeep Forums Moderator

Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com
-- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct

I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 31 Jul 2009 :  15:18:51  Show Profile Send The Sage a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

The intro and part one of the 2008 Spin A Yarn tale are now available on the Wizards website. Here are the links:

Introducing "Volo Breaks a Hot Tale"
Volo Breaks a Hot Tale (Part One)

I'll also be adding these links to my dedicated Spin A Yarn thread, which contains links to all the prior Spin A Yarn tales.

Woot! I can never get enough of Volo.

Are there any extra tidbits you can share about these tales, Ed?

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 31 Jul 2009 15:22:11
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gomez
Learned Scribe

Netherlands
254 Posts

Posted - 31 Jul 2009 :  16:24:00  Show Profile  Visit gomez's Homepage Send gomez a Private Message
Part One?
So is there a Part Two?
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36804 Posts

Posted - 31 Jul 2009 :  16:51:28  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by gomez

Part One?
So is there a Part Two?




Part two is not yet available. I'll keep updating the links as more parts come available.

Candlekeep Forums Moderator

Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com
-- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct

I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 31 Jul 2009 :  16:52:42  Show Profile Send The Sage a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by gomez

Part One?
So is there a Part Two?
Yes. I recall Ed once saying it was a length enough tale for it to probably be split into parts.

We'll likely see the second part uploaded to the Wizards site at some point in the future.

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 31 Jul 2009 16:55:05
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 31 Jul 2009 :  21:01:50  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
By the looks of that excerpt, assuming Wizards haven't edited a LOT out of the story, there should be more than two parts. Perhaps four. Ed told me it was the longest one yet.
He also hinted that Wizards is planning something new, website and publicity-wise, involving GenCon, but wouldn't say what. I'm guessing that 1) it's still tentative, and that 2) it somehow involves Ed, or he wouldn't know anything about it . . . but we'll just have to wait and see.
He did say he's REALLY having fun with this new novel, and that it is a Realms book.
love to all,
THO
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe

USA
804 Posts

Posted - 31 Jul 2009 :  21:36:16  Show Profile  Visit Blueblade's Homepage Send Blueblade a Private Message
Ah, loving my Volo fix.
I'd love to see Wizards do an "author jam" novel where everyone gets to write a chapter, and it's a Volo comedy epic.
I mean EVERYONE. Steven Schend, Kate Novak, Jeff Grubb, Erik Scott de Bie, Rosemary Jones, Jaleigh, Elaine, Mel Odom, Jim Lowder, Rob King . . . everyone they could lure out of the woodwork who's done Realms fiction before.
Wizards would only have to pay people for what are in effect short stories, plus royalties, and we'd all get a great fun read out of it. Probably more fun than a great book, but hey, give me some side-splitting comic scenes over sturm und drang anyday.
Ed? Are you in? And if so, how the heck do we get to tell WotC editors that we want to see something like this? Suggest it at GenCon?
BB
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Harquebus
Acolyte

5 Posts

Posted - 31 Jul 2009 :  23:01:08  Show Profile  Visit Harquebus's Homepage Send Harquebus a Private Message
Here is a question, and apologies if it has already been asked.

Back in '04 when asked about sexy fun times in the realm you made the following comment:

quote:
I’m not sure if you’ll see a clearly lesbian or gay male character in a novel soon, because the only way to give them that status “clearly” is to engage in protracted sex scenes...


Which has raised a few eyebrows, mine included.

Do you still feel this way? If so why?

Full context here: http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1901&whichpage=53

Edited by - Harquebus on 31 Jul 2009 23:03:19
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 01 Aug 2009 :  00:33:51  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Hi again, all.
Harquebus, you're in luck. Ed and I happened to be back-and-forthing via e-mail when your post came my way, so I handed it along, and got this swift reply:

I do indeed still feel this way, and here's why: in "my" Realms, pre-adoption as a game setting, men could hug or kiss men and women could hug or kiss women without any sexual meaning behind it.
These were expressions of love, familial or friendship or kin or gratitude and expressions of great joy in a success shared, yes, but "confirmations" of overall sexual orientation, no. There were also flirts and effeminate characters, particularly among decadent nobles, and many bisexual characters (please remember, we're speaking of my original fictional Realms, not the published GAME setting).
All of which means to "confirm" a sexual orientation, protracted sex scenes are necessary. Anything less doesn't "confirm" anything IN THE REALMS. Certain readers might view a guy kissing another guy as meaning they're both gay, but I'm not that sort of reader. They could be grandfather and grandson, and it could be deep affectionate love, NOT sexual at all. Others will view grandfather/grandson kissing as evidence of some sort of sexual deviance or exploitation, but it simply isn't so in Realms culture (just as it isn't in, say, Italian real-world culture, though older generations kiss more than younger).
I was, back in 2004, simply making the point that TSR/WotC-published Realms books are never going to be primarily about, or filled with, sex, and that therefore (barring bald statements by a narrator or character about sexual orientation) there isn't going to be enough on their pages for readers to be SURE about a given character's orientation. A writer can hint or signal, and a particular reader can interpret as they please (and often do), but in a fantasy world in which hugging and kissing and even lovemaking may not confirm a sole sexual orientation, certainty is either established by definite statements or overwhelming evidence - - neither of which is going to be editorially welcome in the Realms novel lines.
Or to put it more colloquially, we aren't writing those sort of books. :}
I can readily conceive of a plot where sex, sexual orientation, and the complications of sexual choices will be vital, major elements - - but I doubt Hasbro would want one of their subsidiaries publishing such a book.
If I just show you, say, the Shadowsil tossing her clothes aside and waltzing into Manshoon's bedroom, you can be fairly certain that she wants sex to take place. You CAN'T be fairly certain that she's married to Manshoon, or has or hasn't a spouse or other lovers, or even that she prefers guys in bed. You can choose your preferred interpretation, or even go to great lengths to read over all the published Realmslore to arrive at "the best possible" interpretation, but you can't be SURE.
I know you can't, because I can tell you flatly, outside of published Realmslore, that the Shadowsil was a passionate, troubled voyager through life who bedded men, women, half-elves and elves and drow of both genders, both male and female dwarves, and a female halfling. As well as one powerful shapechanging mage whose true race and nature she was never sure of.
THAT'S my point; in such a complicated setting and with truly three-dimensional characters, certainties are hard to come by, if we can't "show it all." And the stories we're trying to tell, and being allowed to tell, aren't about "showing it all." That is, of course, editorially deliberate: no publisher WANTS to offend some readers by leading them to conclusions they may find unpalatable. Better to leave room for ambiguity, and a reader to make their own choices.
Some publishers go much farther than drawing the line on explicit sex. Some don't want the writer to specify hair or eye color for heroes/heroines, so a reader can more easily identify themselves with the characters.


So saith Ed. Just trying to clear things up - - by leaving things ambiguous.
love to all,
THO
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 01 Aug 2009 :  03:59:09  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Hi again, all.
I come bearing two things: a question for the scribes, and a very short reply from Ed to The Sage re. the Spin A Yarn.
First, the question: anyone have a ticket yet for the Spin A Yarn? Do we know what room it's going to be held in, precisely? Or the "D&D World of the Forgotten Realms" seminar? I probably won't be able to make it to GenCon at all, this year, but if there's a chance, I'd LOVE to be able to give Ed a grin from a doorway . . .
And now, heeeeeeeeeere's Ed:


I'm not sure there's much else I can tell you about this Spin A Yarn tale, other than to reiterate that I incorporated EVERY LAST suggested story element that the long-suffering Shelly Mazzanoble typed into her Mac that didn't break the rules (can't be too X-rated, can't involve Drizzt or any other toys belonging to other writers, and can't use real-world names, trademarks, items, and too-overt references), PLUS those suggestions Kuje sent me from the Keep.
I believe someone else will be my Spin A Yarn "scribe" this upcoming GenCon, as Shelly works on other duties.
Oh, other than to say this story takes place in Waterdeep, post-Spellplague, and that (obviously) Volo is a major protagonist. It's the longest Spin A Yarn tale thus far, it DOES have a plot, and I - - as usual - - had a blast doing it. Though (hint hint) it would be nice, just once, if the Spin A Yarn audience gave me more to work with than the utterly lewd (I'm not offended, you understand, I just can't "go far enough" when writing to handle utterly lewd elements properly, so they end up as watered-down or one-line throwaways or twisted into something remotely politically correct. Don't be shy if you want to give me "pulp" elements like dooms and villains and dastardly plots, as well as all the banana-peel, dropped-drawers humor, okay?


So saith Ed. Whom I will drop my drawers for, AND wave a banana peel at, I promise. Perhaps in the same deft movement . . .
love to all,
THO
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