| Author |
 Topic  |
|
The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
|
|
The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
 Posted - 05 Nov 2009 : 02:27:46
|
Hi, all.
Menelvagor, we're just trying not to be one-note predictable. We certainly haven't stopped being, ah, filthy-minded. Believe me. 
Icelander, I'm almost certain you haven't missed anything that's in the book. As I recall, a LOT had to be left out of that book, being as the RPGA notes Ed was handed to do that project from amounted to a little over 4 million words. John Rateliff was the editor on RB, but I think Ed was "editing down" before he handed anything in, to keep the book manageable (it was a balancing act between including enough to please long-time Living City participants, and giving a newcomer - - a non-RPGA member, for instance - - something readily useful in basing a campaign in "the Bluff"). So there's probably lots in Ed's notes. I recall gnome painters and rope, cord, and "finethread" (embroidery thread) makers, myself, from the Knights' adventures in Scardale, investigating ship cargoes brought from the Bluff.
I've handed your query on to ed, of course, to see what he turns up.
althen artren, I'd say the redeemed drow run the gamut of world-views and attitudes, from a few wild-dwelling brigands and a few urban "mystics" (turned to mumbo-jumbo cult-like mock ceremonies, divinations, and drug use to induce visions to use for guidance) on the two extremes, to everything in between from wanting to function as a dark-skinned human among humans, in a city, to wanting to establish elf-only realms in which they occupy positions of importance (among other "breeds" of elves). However, that's just my reading of the probable situation; Ed's will probably be different, and I hope he'll provide it in the fullness of time.
And that's all from me for now. Life is getting busy again...
love to all,
THO
|
 |
|
|
The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 05 Nov 2009 : 02:37:03
|
Oh, where are my MANNERS?
I'm SORRY, AlorinDawn! Welcome back; Ed and I have been getting steadily older (the days pass . . . and I just can't stop them!) and weary from time to time with the various loads of life, but in general we're both busy, optimistic, happy people who want our glasses more than half full, and keep right on refilling them, whenever we can.
We haven't abandoned the Realms, we won't abandon the Realms, and we're constantly striding ahead into new stories and new fun. Promise.
Why, just last night I had some new fun involving a feather boa, some stretchy rubber tie-downs, and a few dog toys that I put to uses that would have astonished some dogs I know...
love,
THO |
|
|
|
Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 06 Nov 2009 : 03:12:37
|
Dear Ed and THO,
I remember Ed once mentioning a minor noble of Cormyr who secretly, while abroad, hired tutors and became enough of an accomplished wizard to face down and surprise a War Wizard at a confrontation.
Who was that noble, and what was the confrontation about? (I remember it happened at the noble's family country mansion or castle.)
Thanks!
BB |
|
|
|
Afromania
Acolyte
32 Posts |
Posted - 06 Nov 2009 : 03:13:10
|
Heya "THO" and Ed :)
I'm a "new" reader of the realms (aside from the Drizzt books, all, which i grew up with) and so I'm rather ignorant of what's going on around me. I checked around the people and the FAQ section but some things I could not find answers for.
I'm currently reading the Elminster series (in the beginning of the 3rd right now) and so my questions are pretty much only around that one:
1. When, as much as we can tell, did Elminster got the power of Spellfire? It seems to me (again, a new reader) like he uses some sort of spell-reflecting ward right on the first or second book of the series, but is it Spellfire or is it some "normal" magic ward of reflection?
2. How come you haven't put more about Elminster's life between "Elminster in Myth Drannor" and "Elminster's Temptation".
Not that I can tell, but it seems like a lot of interesting things might have happened (not to mention, i always enjoyed the "creation" of strong mages - their studying years and so on, which you seem to skip or speak of in a rush in this series at least). I find that the Elminster in the 2nd book is not the same one that in the 3rd book. Obviously, 300-400 years passed, and that changes a man - or even an elf for that matter - so why not expand about these parts?
3. How long can one take to grow up to be a capable wizard? After living 400 years or so he still seems like he could use a good apprenticeship of sorts (hence, the dark lady in the 3rd book). And that's one of the greatest mages in the realm? Comparing him to some other mages I've read stories about - he's not that impressive considering the time he had to become impressive. Why did you make it so?
4. Would you say, as the author, that the Elminster series is the way to start reading about the great mage that he is?
Have i wronged you by starting with that series and not another one involving him in the future? I am after all new to the larger realms, and so, missing the "future Elminster" to see the progress of his as leading to greatness.
Sorry if i ask questions that have been answered before, truly the threads of questions to Ed are too vast for anyone with time-limit on his hands (hey, we're not all Chosen!) to read through and seek his answers one by one.
Also, I'm no book criticizer - just part of my persona is to doubt and question all that is to be doubted and questioned, and so i question Elminster's "greatness" - especially since I've not read about his future self (or well, current self for the ones up-to-date).
-And thanks for your hard work "THO" and Ed, it seems to pay off seeing this community that you and the moderators (and all the authors and whatnot) created here. I am appreciating it more by the second and it makes me want to read more, play more and think more Realms. |
"He's going after Obould. All by himself," Bruenor growled.
"I would not want to be Obould, then," the halfling said with a grin |
|
|
|
Malcolm
Learned Scribe
242 Posts |
Posted - 06 Nov 2009 : 03:18:50
|
I'm not Ed, obviously, but I seem to recall Ed saying he'd like to tell a LOT of stories of Elminster, but TSR and now Wizards haven't given him the opportunity to tell Elminster's story right up through the ages.
And all the Chosen have silver fire, that works a lot like spellfire. Elminster I think also has spellfire, but didn't have it for the first few centuries of his life. He DID have psionic powers (that he used in that first fight in the village where he was born).
But enough from me. Ed and THO can both say more, SO much better than I can . . . |
|
|
|
Kajehase
Great Reader
Sweden
2104 Posts |
Posted - 06 Nov 2009 : 08:11:00
|
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
How so?
She's been "divinely touched," one may put it, to ...ahem... like pain. A lot. |
There is a rumour going around that I have found god. I think is unlikely because I have enough difficulty finding my keys, and there is empirical evidence that they exist.
Terry Pratchett |
|
|
|
Kajehase
Great Reader
Sweden
2104 Posts |
Posted - 06 Nov 2009 : 08:22:01
|
quote:
Originally posted by Ashe Ravenheart
quote:
Originally posted by Kajehase
Greetings Ed, another question that's perhaps not entirely FR-related from me again (sorry)
I've been on a Jacqueline Carey-trip lately (strongly recommended to those who like long novels where the author allow the plot to develop at its own pace, and who don't mind some occasionally very detailed sex-scenes - quite often between characters of the same gender), and one of the things I really like about her first trilogy is the way it has a leading lady who is completely and utterly unsuited to be the heroine of your typical epic fantasy series: (no magic powers [or well... that statement could be discussed, but no obvious magic powers as a D&D-player would recognise it], would probably have a hard time beating your average 14-year-old boy in a hand-to-hand fight, and would probably rather go shopping for new clothes than gallivanting 'round the alternate Europe she lives in). So to bring this post on to topic - has Ed ever considered writing (or even written) a story or novel about a similarly fish-not-so-much-out-of-water-as-out-of-the atmosphere-character?
Not to step on anyone's toes, but you might want to check out Ed's Falconfar Saga.
*facepalm* Well. I have read book one, and will definately be getting parts two and three soon enough...
And thanks to Ed and THO for the answer.
Continuing on the Carey-inspired track, though. In the series, one of the major festivities of the country in which the main characters hail from (a sort of alternative renaissance France, sans Christianity [in this reality, only the jews became Yeshuites, funnily enough], for those who hasn't read any of the books) is a celebration inspired by a typical explaining-the-turning-of-the-seasons myth: at the hour of midnight, someone dressed as the Sun Prince enters and "weds" the Winter Queen, who turns from an old crone into a young woman. Are there any similar myths to this told in Faerūn? (For instance, Auril kidnapping Chauntea, causing snow and cold to cover the land, but then in the spring, Lathander/Amaunator rescues the Earthmother. To take inspiration from two of the many similar real-world myths on that theme).
(And sorry about the excessive use of paranthesis. I'm working on it. I really am. ) |
There is a rumour going around that I have found god. I think is unlikely because I have enough difficulty finding my keys, and there is empirical evidence that they exist.
Terry Pratchett |
|
|
|
Marco Volo
Learned Scribe
France
204 Posts |
Posted - 06 Nov 2009 : 09:09:58
|
Hello folks and Ed !
I'm sorry about my english but I'm a dirty frenchman so, forgive my mistakes.
I don't know if these questions have been asked, so I shoot by the way :
I would know the secrets of the Haunted Halls of Eveningstar, i e :
- Mellomir was he inside ? What has he doing inside ?
- How many levels exist ?
- Can we learn more about the dwarves that have bought the Halls for Rivior ?
- What Bhaal was exactly doing in the Haunted Halls during the Trouble Time ?
Can you give to the Forum a map of the levels of the Halls ? It would be so nice... I'm sure I'm not the only that have dream of a miracle like this
I know how I'm make great demands on Ed, but Nothing ventured, nothing gained... |
|
|
|
crazedventurers
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1073 Posts |
Posted - 06 Nov 2009 : 11:28:04
|
quote:
Originally posted by Marco Volo
- Mellomir was he inside ? What has he doing inside ?
- How many levels exist ?
- Can we learn more about the dwarves that have bought the Halls for Rivior ?
- What Bhaal was exactly doing in the Haunted Halls during the Trouble Time ?
Can you give to the Forum a map of the levels of the Halls ? It would be so nice... I'm sure I'm not the only that have dream of a miracle like this
Hello MV your English is perfect.
Dreaming is a pastime we should all do more, alas I fear that the map of the Haunted Halls will always remain a dream for most of us as it is owned by WoTC and is unlikely to get published.
What can we answer:
We know from previous replies that there are two main levels of the Halls, plus the Kobold redoubt and Whispers Crypt which Ed expanded upon. It is also mentioned that Halfling Inc. an adventuring band, destroyed a gate (portal) in the lower halls (I have always assumed this was in a secret hard to find and beholder guarded sub-level rather than part of the second level, similar to how Whispers Crypt is?)
The dwarves built (the now wind torn and ruined) Rivior Keep that stands at the top of the Starwater Gorge, which Rivior left as a trap filled murdering place to kill his enemies whilst he moved into the Halls proper. His most notable enemy Enchara, warrior Queen of Esparin, killed Rivior and his followers and later married into the Obarskyr line (and so Esparin was absorbed into Cormyr).
re Bhaal this purely conjecture on my part; Bhaal took refuge in the Halls for two reasons, one to rest and heal after his trials so far and two to find something(s) of great power. What I think was that he was hoping to find the aforementioned gate still in working order allowing him to leave Faerun and get back to the planes (and/or other gates that allow travel to to other places on Faerun/other planes). I am sure he was after whatever magic he could find as well to bolster his current mortal form. (In my campaign there was a small secret long abandoned temple built by the fire knives in the well at Riviors Keep dedicated to Bhaal).
Mellomir: I would like to hear more about him from Ed as well.
Hope this helps
Cheers
Damian |
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 |
|
|
|
The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 06 Nov 2009 : 13:28:35
|
quote:
Originally posted by Kajehase
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
How so?
She's been "divinely touched," one may put it, to ...ahem... like pain. A lot.
Ah. I knew it! The Lady Hooded One is, in actuality, the Lady of Pain. And the Cage... Ed's* basement. 
*So would that make Ed, Aoskar?  |
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 |
|
|
|
arry
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
317 Posts |
Posted - 06 Nov 2009 : 18:13:40
|
Be careful Sage, you're stepping pretty close to worship of LHO/Lady of Pain and we know what happens to those that do  |
Edited by - arry on 06 Nov 2009 18:14:10 |
|
|
|
Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 06 Nov 2009 : 20:27:47
|
Marco Volo, I doubt Ed will legally be able to give us a map of the Haunted Halls, being as it was officially published in a TSR "module" adventure, back in the day. I'm sure Ed submitted his original (more extensive) map to TSR back then, got paid for it, and therefore TSR owns it.
Right, Ed? THO?
BB |
|
|
|
The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 06 Nov 2009 : 20:29:56
|
That's exactly right, Blueblade. Sorry, Marco Volo. Damian (crazedventurers) did a great job addressing your other queries, and both your questions and Damian's replies have gone off to Ed, in hopes that he'll reveal more - - especially about Mellomir.
love,
THO
P.S. Sage, you're a VERY good guesser. Except about Ed's basement. So good, in fact, that if ever you make it to Ontario, Canada, you and I may just have to meet, and take turns tying knots and plying the whip, if you take my meaning. Worry not; I don't scar easily. 
love,
THO |
Edited by - The Hooded One on 06 Nov 2009 20:36:12 |
|
|
|
The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 06 Nov 2009 : 23:21:11
|
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
P.S. Sage, you're a VERY good guesser. Except about Ed's basement. So good, in fact, that if ever you make it to Ontario, Canada, you and I may just have to meet, and take turns tying knots and plying the whip, if you take my meaning. Worry not; I don't scar easily.
love,
THO
The Lady K whispered to me last night, that she would have no problem with this, so long as she was also involved.
I suppose stamina is just the issue of concern, now. |
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 |
|
|
|
Elfinblade
Senior Scribe
Norway
377 Posts |
Posted - 06 Nov 2009 : 23:56:12
|
Now now boys and girls, put aside the whips and the gimpsuits and lets tackle some realmslore shall we? :)
Mr. Greenwood, Lady Hooded.
In our rather extensive and ongoing campaign, that by the way had it's 10 year anniversary the other day, we have a troupe of entrepreneurs and occasional adventurers who at this moment have their interest in: Fish! We've tackled coffee and tobacco export before. But right now i am in need of some mundane lore on freshwater or saltwater fish/crustaceans from Chessenta to Chondath.
I notice from the map that there is a great lake in Chessenta called The Akanamere. Do you have any information to pass along about certain fish habitats in said lake, which kind of fish/crustaceans would be liable to support a large fishing/export operation? Also, what kind of preservation would be the preferred method, i.e. Salting, drying etc for long transport hauls across the plains between Chessenta and Chondath?
Hail to thee lord of realms.
-Stig-
(EDIT: I forgot to mention, we still play pre-spellplague, in the year 1360. So if you would be so kind as to zone back in time to that particular year concerning my queries i would be much obliged) |
Edited by - Elfinblade on 07 Nov 2009 00:20:07 |
|
|
|
The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 07 Nov 2009 : 00:09:03
|
Hi again, all.
Sage, of COURSE Lady K must be a full participant in any, er, hanky-panky that may ensue. 'Twouldn't be llicit, otherwise. As for stamina . . . there's no need to RUSH. We'll have lots of time for tea and chat and, ah, recovery. I know some tricks involving my fingertips that are likely to be timely . . .
(There, Menelvagor; explicitly steamy enough for you?)
Ahem. I DO have a Realmslore reason for posting, now, too. To whit, Ed's response to this earlier query, from Blueblade: "Dear Ed and THO, I remember Ed once mentioning a minor noble of Cormyr who secretly, while abroad, hired tutors and became enough of an accomplished wizard to face down and surprise a War Wizard at a confrontation.
Who was that noble, and what was the confrontation about? (I remember it happened at the noble's family country mansion or castle.) Thanks! BB"
Ed replies:
You remember matters well, Blueblade! The noble is Lord Erephrand Downshield (the Earl of Downshield), the son of Roryn Downshield, who was ennobled by Azoun IV very early in Azoun's reign for personal loyalty to the king (read: defeating an assassination attempt and taking wounds in the process). Erephrand is a mild-mannered, middle-aged, single man who rode with Alusair and has his own fierce personal loyalty to her. He's not a rebel or any sort of foe of Cormyr, he simply dislikes the meddling of the Wizards of War, whom he regarded as the REAL traitors to the realm, under Vangerdahast. When young and vigorous and busy making many trips to, and later extended stays in, Suzail on his father's business (enriching the family through shrewd trading deals and investments in the prosperous, ever-expanding Sembian economy of the time), he discovered that he had a natural, hitherto hidden talent for the Art, and decided to hire tutors and take some training so as to be able to hold his own against passing hedge-wizards, overbearing minor priests, and, yes, overly officious War Wizards (of lesser magical accomplishments; he never intended nor expected to be a match for a group of wizards or a senior War Wizard). Again, let me stress that Erephrand Downshield is NOT a rebel. He simply wanted the confidence of knowing his own abilities, and of being able to control them, to hold his own in defending his shousehold and his family interests - - rather than having the War Wizards clamp down on him the moment his facility for magic was discovered.
The confrontation was just that: upon ascending to the lordship (earldom, that is, but I've used the customary colloquial Cormyrean term of "lordship"), on the death of his father, Erephrand politely but very firmly disagreed with the War Wizard who had been serving as his father's "house wizard" on how family business should be conducted. The particular low-level wizard was a rather sneering, superior sort, and Erephrand took some delight in publicly astonishing - - and besting - - him in a minor trading of warning (as in "shot across your bows") magics. Which earned him a swift visit from Vangerdahast, and a quite amicable understanding being reached, involving the installation of a new house wizard. :}
The confrontation took place in the hall (great room or feasting hall, but Downshield Keep has just the one large room, so it's simply called "the hall") of the family seat, which is a three-storey walled stone manor house that boasts a lone crenellated stone tower, located on a lane running north off The Way of the Manticore, about a day's easy ride east of the Wyvernflow (or of Wheloon, if you prefer), about a sixth of a day's ride up that lane, in the heart of the rolling farm and ranch countryside of eastern Cormyr.
Erephrand hasn't yet (just pre-Spellplague) married, and has outlived his father, mother, and one sister, so he might well be the second and last Earl of Downshield - - or he might sire a large next generation of Downshields; we just don't know yet. (However, we do know that he's very fond of Alusair and that he enjoys the company of women.)
So saith Ed. Font of the true, original, and best Realmslore, as ever.
love to all,
THO |
|
|
|
The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 07 Nov 2009 : 00:24:04
|
Hi again, all.
Elfinblade, your great query goes off to Ed, of course, for a proper reply, but from my own notes (given to me years back by Ed, as a result of queries during play) I can tell you:
The Akanamere supports local fisheries in crabs, eels, and the druth or "brown flatfish" (which resembles nothing so much as the detached sole of a leather moccasin or slipper). The eels and flatfish are sun-dried for transport and sale; when soaked in water or shredded into a soup or stew they readily reconstitute, the eels having an odd "nutty" taste and the flatfish having a hearty "smoked bacon"-like flavour but a leathery, hard-chewing consistency.
The crabs are often called "stone crabs" for their usual human-palm size, mottled gray color, and rounded shape, are VERY tasty steamed, boiled, fried, or fire-seared (boiled treats them the worst, and fried the best). They are usually tossed alive into layers of salt in barrels for transport elsewhere, which kills them and preserves them; when bought out of the barrel, soak them for a day to get rid of the salt, or boil them very briefly with kurlath leaves (the broad green leaves of a wild, shady-loving ground plant otherwise useful only for wrapping things in; kurlath sap "cuts" salts of all sorts) to drive out the salt, and then prepare the crabs however you prefer. Stone crabs, when eaten raw, have a taste somewhat like real-world tinned smoked oysters [though they're not at all oily]. They readily "awaken" when cooked with herbs and spices, becoming stronger and more crab-like [[that's a direct quote from Ed, so you'll have to ask him what "more crab-like" really means]].
There. Lightning-fast Realmslore, courtesy of the sheer coincidence of my having found and re-read those particular campaign lore notes yesterday! Enjoy!
love,
THO |
|
|
|
Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 07 Nov 2009 : 03:03:41
|
Icelander,
I just unearthed an important gnome of Ravens Bluff in the notes I took at the "Realms All-Stars" GenCon seminar the year CITY OF RAVENS BLUFF was released. Ed told someone in the audience who asked about adventurers selling exotic weapons in the city that a wealthy gnome artificer, "Uldoth Tannerthar," was a good place to discreetly sell such items without attracting a lot of attention from the authorities.
Tannerthar is (or was, if the bluff got destroyed in your campaign) a landlord who rented out more than a dozen houses scattered all over the Bluff and who "has a hand in several local businesses, including Bantarl Anchors [a local gnome anchor-making foundry], Lhaurauna's Bright Manes & Tails Hoof Physics [maker and seller of medicines for horses, goats, and cattle, and poison antidotes for all], and Calthon's Coachworks [a halfling-owned firm that makes luxurious or serviceable interiors for all manner of coaches]." He's a dandy who dresses in silks, fur-trimmed cloaks, and gorgeous clothes, always twirls jeweled canes, and always has visible bodyguards with him and undercover "sniper" crossbowmen covering him from afar, and he lives in a grand house somewhere in the Bluff. (Where, I don't know; I suspect Ed didn't say, but in any event I didn't write any location down for it.)
So, there's one. 
Over to Ed, now, for corrections, amplifications, and of course to provide Icelander and all of us with two or three other rich and important gnomes of the Bluff...
Well, well, those notes came in useful after all!
BB |
|
|
|
Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 07 Nov 2009 : 03:20:37
|
Heh, it's always fascinating watching the places this thread goes. And that goes for the Realmslore too!
So I take it, THO, you're a fan of Jacqueline Carey's, uh, genre?
And to bring this back around, I have what is hopefully an easy question: how the heck do you pronounce Eaerlann? Up til now I've been pronouncing it as "AIR-eh-lann," but I realized the other day that that's not at all how it's spelled. I have no idea how to pronounce "eae," and so for years I've been subconciously moving letters around, pronouncing it as though it was spelled Aerelann. Which isn't how it's spelled. I was hoping the great wordsmyth might help a poor, tongue-tied player with the proper pronunciation. Thanks! |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
|
|
|
crazedventurers
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1073 Posts |
Posted - 07 Nov 2009 : 03:32:12
|
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
The noble is Lord Erephrand Downshield (the Earl of Downshield), the son of Roryn Downshield,
Excellent, another unbeknownst to us all Noble of Cormyr, with enough Lore to build upon (as with the others on the All about Cormyr Thread )
Thanks Ed for sharing
Kind regards
Damian |
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 |
|
|
|
Marco Volo
Learned Scribe
France
204 Posts |
Posted - 07 Nov 2009 : 15:10:31
|
quote:
both your questions and Damian's replies have gone off to Ed, in hopes that he'll reveal more - - especially about Mellomir.
Thanks a lot THO and Damian for your help and your answers !
I hope Mr Ed. will grant our wishes with his knowledge. |
|
|
|
The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 07 Nov 2009 : 16:18:53
|
Hi again, all.
Hoondatha, regarding these queries: "So I take it, THO, you're a fan of Jacqueline Carey's, uh, genre?
And to bring this back around, I have what is hopefully an easy question: how the heck do you pronounce Eaerlann? Up til now I've been pronouncing it as "AIR-eh-lann," but I realized the other day that that's not at all how it's spelled. I have no idea how to pronounce "eae," and so for years I've been subconciously moving letters around, pronouncing it as though it was spelled Aerelann. Which isn't how it's spelled. I was hoping the great wordsmyth might help a poor, tongue-tied player with the proper pronunciation. Thanks!"
I can step forward to reply, Ed being hard at work at his library job right now. Some of Ms. Carey's writing works for me, and some has pacing problems, but the sex is just fine. I like it outdoors, I like it bondage or not, spanking or whipping or not, and so on (in other words, I could go on being far more explicit than some scribes might prefer, just to say I like it in all sorts of ways ). So, on to Eaerlann . . .
From hearing Ed (who created the place and coined its name [pre-TSR, I'd say, looking at his old pencil maps]) use its name for years, I can tell you definitively that it's pronounced "AIR-hh-lann" (the "hh" being little more than an audible indrawing of breath, softer than an "uh" . . . and the voice lingering on the "an" at the end, in a "go down and hold it, flat" intonation.
And yes, the Elvish "Eae" is usually pronounced "air" (the exceptions being modifying consonants following the "eae" in a name or word; "v" and "y" and "z" all cause the "E" to be sounded in "Eae" so that, for example, Eaeve is pronounced "EE-vh" (again, "vh" being a shorter, softer variant of "vuh"). [[Or to put it far more simply, "Eaeve" would be pronounced by a real-world North American speaker as "Eve."]]
There you go. So saith me.
Call me any time, Hoondatha. [[purrrr]]
love,
THO |
|
|
|
Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 07 Nov 2009 : 16:53:36
|
Heh. It's a good thing you usually attend GenCon incognito, THO, else you'd have quite the devoted pack following you around!
And thanks for the pronunciation help, I was rather embarrassed when I discovered what I'd been doing. Turns out I wasn't as far from the truth as I thought. |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
|
|
|
Malcolm
Learned Scribe
242 Posts |
Posted - 07 Nov 2009 : 19:14:12
|
THO: So many willing partners, so little time, eh?
Seriously, Ed and THO, I have another Realms question (surprise!). This one concerns Sembia. Does Sembia have any government-related secret strike forces or cabals or even government departments of wizards, who might do the "secret service" MI5/MI6/FBI/CIA investigation and enforcement that Cormyr's War Wizards do?
Thanks! |
|
|
|
The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 07 Nov 2009 : 19:16:42
|
Malcolm, in answer to your first: YES.
In answer to your second: Yes they do, from time to time. I'm actually surprised it's taken this long for someone to think along these lines and ask. I'm not sure how much Ed will want or be willing to reveal at this time, so off your query goes to him, and we'll all see...
love,
THO |
|
|
|
Jakk
Great Reader
Canada
2165 Posts |
Posted - 07 Nov 2009 : 21:06:16
|
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Oh, Jakk, believe me: once he saw the stellar expanding and polishing job our Garen Thal did on the Cormyr lineage, Ed started moving heaven and earth to get it published, somewhere and somehow.
Even though that was a metaphorical heaven and earth, moving it was still a hard and heavy task, and isn't finished yet.
Believe me, we all want to see the Lineage published. Brian Cortijo did the superb job of rounding out the work of Ed, Eric, George, Grant, Tom, Bryon, and several others!
love,
THO
Thank you for the update, THO! I have one (erm... two) teensy questions regarding the logistics (not unpublished content) of the lineage, that I'm hoping Ed can answer.
1) Draxius: Was his lifespan and reign extended after the fact to account for chronological difficulties in previously published lore, or had he lived for so long from the time of his creation?
2) Also Draxius: Spoiler for those who have not read the Cormyr line of succession from the GHotR: Were he and his two predecessors always the same king, or was this a minor retcon? (I'm starting to hate that word, but I've been using the concept a lot in my Realms of late as I eradicate Earth-origin deities (with the exceptions of the Norse and Finnish pantheons) from my Realms.)
Thank you both, Ed and THO, for all of your time and energy spent on enlightening us poor benighted scribes! |
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. |
|
|
|
Baleful Avatar
Learned Scribe
Canada
161 Posts |
Posted - 07 Nov 2009 : 21:29:29
|
Dear Ed and THO,
Are there any half-orcs known and tolerated as members of the royal household (servants, courtiers) in Cormyr? Are there any half-orcs known and tolerated as long-established inhabitants of Suzail?
Thanks!
P.S. As of just pre-Spellplague. Sorry, should have specified. |
Edited by - Baleful Avatar on 07 Nov 2009 21:29:58 |
|
|
|
Menelvagor
Senior Scribe
Israel
352 Posts |
Posted - 07 Nov 2009 : 21:31:46
|
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One:
(There, Menelvagor; explicitly steamy enough for you?)
It's not myself I'm thinking of, my lady! It's all those scribes who need stimulation to their tired brains after some hard work! Malcolm put it perfectly, I think.
Anyway, there is a question to be asked here: What is the greatest desire of El and the Seven? I reaized that in fact, this is a very interesting question. They're quite powerful in the Realms, but as Chosen, they devote their power (though likely not all of it) to Mystra's will. So what would they wish for themselves, if they could? |
"Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?
Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly.
How much less them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation in the dust, are crushed before the moth?" - Eliphaz the Temanite, Job IV, 17-19.
"Yea, though he live a thousand years twice, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?" - Ecclesiastes VI, 6.
"There are no stupid questions just a bunch of inquisitive idiots."
"Let's not call it 'hijacking'. Let's call it 'Thread Drift'." |
|
|
|
The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 07 Nov 2009 : 21:55:05
|
Menelvagor, from years of conversations with Ed, I'd say that if El and the Seven can ever be said to have a single common desire, it is this (from about the 1350s onwards): to have successors they can trust to take over safeguarding the Realms, so they can retire and die. Literally "rest in peace."
Of course, this is MY guess. Off to Ed for confirmation/comment...
love,
THO |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
|
|
Questions for Ed Greenwood (2009)
Topic Locked
