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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
 Posted - 20 Nov 2009 : 20:23:08
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Hi, all. Baleful Avatar, Ed ran at least one "library campaign" (a 13-week, one-four-hour-play-session-a-week adventure) set in Cormyr, years ago, using the PCs as Highknights to do NCIS/BONES/CSI investigations (long, long before any of those television programs was thought of, of course) within the realm.
Ed's REALMS OF MYSTERY short story, "The Grinning Ghost of Taverton Hall," echoes what that campaign was like (I didn't play in it, but I dropped by briefly to watch short stretches of two of the play sessions). There were plots and subplots galore, of course, but some of them centered around wayward nobles murdering rivals and upstart wannabe nobles whom they had trade dealings with, that went sour, and other nobles who were plotting treason and killing anyone who got even a whiff of their plans, all complicated by husband-hunting young noblewomen, some enterprising blackmailers (commoners seeking to pry money out of indiscreet nobles), various ambitious lone courtiers trying to manipulate noble families, a band of merchant thieves just trying to rob anyone and frame everyone else for everything they did . . . oh, it was a happy traffic jam, believe me, with the PCs (low-level, starting-their-careers Highknights, all of them) caught in the middle. A GREAT setup for a campaign...or for that matter for a short story anthology that I think Ed should suggest to the Books Department folks.
Unless, of course, they still covertly read this thread. Folks?
love,
THO |
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Knight of the Gate
Senior Scribe
USA
624 Posts |
Posted - 20 Nov 2009 : 20:37:23
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quote:
Originally posted by Baleful Avatar
Dear Ed and THO,
Have either of you, or anyone you know of, ever tried or thought about running a campaign where all the PCs were War Wizards or Highknights, In Cormyr, or the equivalents in other realms of FR, doing a combination of BONES or NCIS casework, and James Bond-style counter-espionage?
The notion has struck me, and I just want to explore any pitfalls or glitches or complications or things to gaurd against/not miss, in making this really work for the players in my new Realms campaign (haven't decided yet on pre- or post-Spellplague). Any other scribes who read this, please comment and pitch in on whatever's said. I'm interested in the "defending the society and playing within its rules" aspect more than the usual "adventurers haul out swords and spells, and just hack and blast bad guys" aspect.
Thanks!
My current campaign is run along these lines, and I'd love to expound, but I don't want to overtake Ed's scroll. If you want to, start a topic in Running the Realms, and I (and no doubt, others) would be happy to chime in. |
How can life be so bountiful, providing such sublime rewards for mediocrity? -Umberto Ecco |
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 20 Nov 2009 : 23:38:16
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I recall Ed mentioning in a GenCon seminar a few young nobles who needed to clear their names with the Crown (establish themselves as loyal, not traitors as the rest of their kin were regarded; one of them was a Cormaeril), who started working with a Highknight and a War Wizard, as undercover "agents" (informants and spies among the nobles, reporting back to the Crown).
BB |
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Sandstorm
Seeker
Canada
80 Posts |
Posted - 21 Nov 2009 : 04:48:47
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Good evening to both Ed and to THO. I recently linked up with this site after it was greatly recommended to me, and have been participating in a thread in which several Candlekeepans have been aiding me in my current dilema.
I have no doubt that this has been proposed countless times before, and so feel free to copy and paste. Ha ha. It seemed to be ridiculous to think that I could pose this question to the very likes, but the others told me to go ahead and that you dont mind, so here goes.
I spent the last few years on my first work, in which I wrote a novel that I had planned to set in Faerun. With the rise of the Spellplague and such, I figured it might be a good idea to look into whether or not I should edit my story to incorporate it, and after a resounding yes, I was also told that my lack of writing experience will have my work disregarded as a whole.
This makes sense to me, and I am not wholly disheartened, but am rather rejuvenated with my new adventure of writing something solely my own, and will attempt to get this new story published elsewhere before going back to my one true goal in submitting something worthy of the REalms.
My question hence lies in what sort of publishing company should I seek out, and whether you have any suggestions. The story I've since been writing is adult oriented and not for kids, yet does hold a touch of fantasy. The only mystical creatures it holds are dragons, though you do get a feeling for the imaginary throughout.
Any direction you'd be able to point me in would be of great help, and I thank you both for your time.
e-mail:doc_holiday4@hotmail.com |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 21 Nov 2009 : 05:05:27
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quote:
Originally posted by Sandstorm
Good evening to both Ed and to THO. I recently linked up with this site after it was greatly recommended to me, and have been participating in a thread in which several Candlekeepans have been aiding me in my current dilema.
Actually, we prefer the term scribes. Or Candlekeepers, I suppose. 
...
Interestingly, this raises a question for Ed. Do you have any other specific terms you use to describe the inhabitants of Candlekeep?
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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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Sandstorm
Seeker
Canada
80 Posts |
Posted - 21 Nov 2009 : 05:10:17
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| Keepers of the Candles? Ha ha. |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2009 : 03:31:01
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Hi again, all. I bring Ed’s swift response to Sandstorm’s query about novel writing:
Hi, Sandstorm. What follows is my opinion more than anything else, and please bear in mind that it’s a snapshot of an always-changing position (i.e. the marketplace, and all details of publishers’ aims, wants, intent, and so on, alter constantly). Also, please don’t be offended if I speak simply and bluntly here; you may already know or suspect much of what I say here, but as I don’t know “what you know,” I’m starting from the basics.
First off, yes, any future Realms novel published by anyone except Bob Salvatore or me is going to have to be set post-Spellplague. Rare and fleeting flashbacks MAY be permitted to “set up” a tale, but the current Realms book editors tend to frown on flashbacks, and the line is really concentrating on stories wholly set in the “now” (post-Spellplague) Realms.
Secondly, you’ve been told correctly about the slim to nonexistent likelihood of getting an unsolicited Realms novel published. It’s not primarily that you’re a first-time writer; it’s that you’re crashing head-on into a policy adopted by the publisher of the Realms (and to get published, one must always “fit in” with a publisher’s current plans, so trying to break or get made an exception to their policy is usually doomed). This policy, which can be found in their writers’ guidelines on the WotC website, states flat-out that the publisher doesn’t currently accept ANY novels set in any of the D&D “worlds” (the Realms, Eberron, etc.) except novels they ask specific writers to write for them.
In other words, Wizards contacts Writer X, asks for a novel on (I’m inventing here) flying stone statues, the writer prepares an outline that gets accepted (usually after being tinkered with), a contract is signed, and the writer sits down and writes the book. There aren’t many “novel slots” open right now, and Wizards tend to contact writers they are already familiar with (such as those who’ve written books for them before, or who have written short stories Wizards have published in one of their anthologies before - - which is a way of demonstrating the writer can write good stuff, deliver it on time, and work cordially with the editors).
If you send your own (as in, “plot invented on your own”) Realms novel to Wizards, it will be rejected without even being read.
It’s my guess [[please note that word “guess”]] that this admittedly-disappointing policy is the company legally protecting itself against lawsuits from Writer A, who is angry that they submitted a novel featuring (I’m inventing again) Calimshan being conquered by a band of adventurers and a new kingdom being founded there by those same adventurers, when Wizards soon after publishes a book that features the very same plot, by someone else (Writer B). This published book would be an honest coincidence, founded in the fact that all fans of the Realms know it in some detail, and could very well come up with similar ideas independently of each other. The policy allows the publisher to argue in court that they didn’t copy Writer A’s book because they didn’t even read it, and point to their policy; subpoenaed staff members need only swear under oath that they followed the policy and didn’t read Writer A’s book, and the case is dismissed. Again, this is just my reading of the situation.
Yes, it costs all of us some potentially great Realms stories that we don’t even know about, but It Is The Way It Is. The time when I, the creator of the Realms, could call up the publisher of the Realms and ask to write a novel about whatever I felt like writing about, without telling them what that topic would be and getting permission, is over twenty years and one publisher ago.
All of which brings us to what you should do instead of submitting your Realms book and having it get shredded unread. Yes, keep it (print it out as well as keeping it on computer or diskette or flash drive, but show it to NO ONE, because doing so is technically “publishing” it). Perhaps, one day, after you’re a bestselling fantasy author, Wizards will enthusiastically agree to look at your long-hidden Realms novel.
In the meantime, you should indeed start writing stories that are all your own, set in a setting NOT owned or previously published by anyone else. Adult-level (yes, I know you don’t mean porn, you mean not aimed at kids) fantasy is a very popular genre these days, yet publishing in general is under intense economic pressure in these current hard times.
My general advice is: keep telling the story as the most important thing, with detailing the setting (and sharing those details with the reader) secondary. No one cares who married so-and-so or tamed a dragon three centuries back or who the fifth king of yonder fallen kingdom was, if the story doesn’t grab them. Read fantasy, LOTS of fantasy, and read other genres, too (thrillers and mystery and horror). See how writers pace their tales, how they “grab” the reader, how they describe without over-describing and getting bogged down (or to put it another way, how much they leave to the reader’s imagination to fill in), how they avoid making the storytelling seem too modern or mundane or hitting the wrong tone, and so on.
Some writers find that doing short stories first is the best way to get comfy with their new world and telling stories in it. Very, very few people can make even a paltry living just writing short stories these days, but it does give practice in meeting deadlines, dealing with editors, handling someone else wanting your story heavily rewritten, and so on, without it taking you years because you’re having to revamp a full-length novel. The best markets right now are probably REALMS OF FANTASY and THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION; both have websites and can be bought on newsstands (or try a large public library). Don’t try to write for a magazine without reading a few issues to get an idea of length and tone the editor wants, and what topics (sort of stories) have just been told. In a wider sense, looking into a library interloan for a recent copy of the SFWA (Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America) BULLETIN and looking at the “markets” column to see what editors ask for, in magazines and anthologies of original stories, is a good idea to try to get a grasp of the market. So is perusing recent issues of LOCUS (it has a website, too: www.locusmag.com), which show you what’s being published (the actual magazine, as opposed to the website, also tells you what’s been bought by publishers, that will appear in a year or two, and gives copious reviews of current books).
That “learning your market” advice goes for writing novels, too: it’s simply idiotic to try to send your book to a publisher who’s not interested in publishing whatever you’ve written. That includes, by the way, checking to see if a publisher accepts “unsolicited” submissions at all (meaning, in this case, books or queries about books sent to them by writers, rather than by literary agents acting for writers - - and for many writers, finding an agent who will represent them, so they can get their book even LOOKED AT by a publisher, is another hurdle they have to find a way over even before getting a publisher to accept a book; there are simply too many hopeful wannabe writers, and already-published writers, out there for most publishers to read the avalanche of stuff sent to them, so they use agents to whittle down the flood, in the same way that some companies demand job applicants have university degrees that aren’t really necessary for the jobs they need filled, just to cut down on the number of people they’ll have to interview). So you may end up doing this: 1. Write Book. 2. Find An Agent Willing To Represent it. 3. Wait for a Publisher to “Bite” on your Book after Agent sends it to them. 4. Agent Fights With Publisher to get a Contract for your Book. 5. Start the Editing and Rewriting Process.
Yes, my hair went gray and is now going white. Writers need lots of PATIENCE.
To start your deciding on possible publishers, what follows is a very abbreviated and simplified overview of North American publishing companies (I mean American, really; Canadian publishers - - and I speak as a Canadian who’s been making a living from my writing for about thirty years now - - just don’t have the money to offer you decent payment for a fantasy novel, or to promote it enough so that it will sell well). I’ve left out gaming publishers because almost universally fiction written for them is “work for hire” (they own it, and you don’t, so you’ve just given them your fantasy setting, usually for not much money).
If your fantasy book is primarily feminist or dominated by female (human or close-to-human) characters, DAW might be interested in your fantasy novel. If your book is militaristic in tone and content, Baen Books might be the best place to send it. If it’s primarily a romance (a fantasy or sf romance), Luna Books (an imprint of Harlequin) might be the best place to send it.
Otherwise, there are the “big New York publishers,” and then the smaller ones (that is, both smaller publishers and big publishers that only have small fantasy “lines”). First of the “bigs” is Tor Books, because they publish the most titles every year, and try to cater to every sort of fantasy and sf reader, publishing almost every “flavour” of book (so you have the biggest chance). Then there’s Del Rey, then Bantam (Bantam Spectra), Eos, Ace, and then things start to get smaller, with Harper, Simon & Schuster, Warner Books, Night Shade Books and so on; again, finding an “annual survey” issue of LOCUS that counts all the titles published in a year by various publishers, and then checking out the websites of those publishers and what’s said about them in LOCUS and the BULLETIN, will give you some grasp of who’s out there that you should be aiming to get your book published with.
I could go on gabbing for pages and pages and not be much more helpful to you, because everything I say is subjective and will soon become dated (editors die or retire or get fired, publishers merge imprints or shut them down or get out of publishing fantasy, and so on and on), and what worked for me might not work for you, and so on.
So I’ll stop now, and await your inevitable followup questions.
Hear me loud and clear: I feel your pain about not getting your Realms book done and then just getting it published. There are DOZENS of Realms novels I would have liked to have written and got into print before the Spellplague, and there are still dozens more Realms books I want to do before I die (hopefully many years from now). Yet you will be a better writer if you do your own original work, not relying on the setting you obviously love. And if you get famous and bestselling enough on your own, that’s the very best way to maybe, just maybe, getting that Realms book published, somewhere down the road.
Let’s talk. :}
So saith Ed. Who has written or co-written almost 180 books since he started, hit the New York Times bestsellers lists, won a shelf-full of awards, and of course created the Realms.
I’m a freelance editor these days (not very active, thanks to my mysterious day job), but I can add little details here and there to what Ed says, Sandstorm. However, so we don’t blather on and on, it’s best if you follow Ed’s lead: ask specific things you want to know more about, and we’ll try to answer. One tip: type “Predators and editors” into the exact phrase box of a Google advanced search to see what’s what with some good and bad literary agents. It’s a jungle out there (yes, writing the book is the EASY part).
love,
THO
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2009 : 03:37:46
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Oh, and Sage, in answer to your query about what terms Ed uses for the inhabitants of Candlekeep, he sent this:
In the Realms:
scribes, monks, scholars, seekers (as in "seekers after knowledge"), lorekeepers, loremasters
In our real world, about this site:
scribes, good folks, true Realms fans, loreseekers, loremasters, my friends
So saith Ed. That made me feel warm and welcome, inside.
love to all,
THO |
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Joran Nobleheart
Senior Scribe
USA
495 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2009 : 03:41:12
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| I really liked that too. I hope very much to have the chance to meet Mr. Greenwood in person to thank him for all he's done for me and my friends. Lady THO, I hope you'll pass that along for me, please. |
Paladinic Ethos
Saint Joran Nobleheart |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2009 : 08:29:38
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Oh, and Sage, in answer to your query about what terms Ed uses for the inhabitants of Candlekeep, he sent this:
In the Realms:
scribes, monks, scholars, seekers (as in "seekers after knowledge"), lorekeepers, loremasters
In our real world, about this site:
scribes, good folks, true Realms fans, loreseekers, loremasters, my friends
So saith Ed. That made me feel warm and welcome, inside.
love to all,
THO
Thanks Ed, and to you as well Lady Hooded One.
Interestingly, of the "In the Realms" choices, I think I prefer 'seekers' and 'lorekeepers' -- if only because they're a deviation, somewhat, of the more standard and well-known terms like 'scribe' and 'scholar' for example. |
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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Malcolm
Learned Scribe
242 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2009 : 18:49:19
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Dear Ed and THO,
Where in Suzail would a visitor or citizen be able to find a well-known, long-established firm or family or individual armorer who can construct really splendid-looking helms (with crests and dragonheads or masks or ornamental horns and so on), or who can alter "my favourite helm" to look like such a helm?
And, of course, the name of that source of helm gussying-up would be? 
Thanks! |
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Sandstorm
Seeker
Canada
80 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2009 : 19:13:07
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Well, it's not every morning you sit down with your coffee only to find that you've got a response froM Ed Greenwood and Company awaiting you, so this is truely invigorating let me tell you. I would first like to say thank you for your time, and give my thanks and praise to Ed (insert any omnipotent title he would so enjoy here) Greenwood as well!
I realize the uphill struggle that is this publishing process and to have such encouragement from sources such as yourself is truly rejuvenating. Normally, whenever I need inspiration or motivation for my writing, I sit myself down on the edge of my bed and gaze over my book collection, imagining what it would be like to have my new emblazoned under the heading of Forgotten Realms. That's my dream. I look over all the wonderful and inspiring works i've read by all the fascinating and talented authors, (though to be truthful, I get a shudder whenever my eyes fall open the volume that is Elminster in Hell... I had to hand that one off to my buddy Kevin halfway through and say "I need a break... read this and give it back to me...") Ha ha. Wow did that book ever take a lot out of me. The one that highlights itself for me is actually Philip Athans' The Watercourse Trilogy. I don't by any means try and emulate his style in my own, but the way in which that series was written, I will never get oer it. No book has ever conjured images in my head and made me swim with both delight and revulsion as did that series. I have suggested it to those who don't even understand the concept of Fantasy Fiction, let alone know what a Gensai is.
And so I write... This is my goal, and one I do not take lightly, nor do I underestimate the farfetchedness of that dream. I will strive forth regardless of those slim chances, and so I hope you take solace in knowing that the aid you have given me and the support you have offered is not to no end. I have thanked you once, I have thanked you twice, and I shall a thousand times I am sure.
As for my queries, the one I currently have is the writing 'agencies'. Let's say I wanted to send my work in to Baen Books, or to Eos. Is there a suggest writing agency that I should go through? Do these publishing companies have standing relationships with particular agents that would better suit my interests? Or is it just a matter of "you're represented, therefore we shall speak with you". If it is the former, and that I should seek out particular agencies, how would I go about ascertaining this information? I CAN tell you that the book I am currently writing is dark, but not TOO dark, has some brutality in it and the action it does have is 'assassin, lurking amidst the shadows before striking out his unsuspectingg victims body, type of stuff. So my first task would be, which company enjoys this style of story? Then find out what sort of agency credits that?
Also, you mentioned that there are often times publishers who request certain fictions for their future publishings, and so I will seek out those listed companies you mentioned and try and find what I can, but I'm quite engaged in the path i've set myself on with this current story. I'll try not to be bullheaded and over confident in my work, and bend to the wills of the hierarchy, but if I'm able to stick to my gut instinct and keep my current ideas direction, then WONDERFUL :)
~Sandstorm (also, where do you get your 'The Hooded One' title from? Sandstorm has a lot of relevance to the past book I wrote, just curious as to where yours is from)
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2009 : 20:58:07
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Hi again, all.
Sandstorm, I call myself "The Hooded One" here at Candlekeep because I'm keeping my identity secret, for real-world work-related reasons (nothing sinister, it's just that my current employer has a policy whereby every single posting I make here would have to be pre-approved by superiors who know nothing about roleplaying games or the Realms, and have a natural tendency to deny communications and keep secrets; imagine a 6-month delay in every reply I made to you, and you can see why I prefer to be anonymous, instead).
As an editor active in publishing, I can handle your followup questions. It's true that some editors at publishing houses have friendships (or hatreds) for specific agents, and vice versa, but in general it's the story they're putting before the publisher for consideration that determines whether or not a deal gets made.
In other words, so long as you avoid the scam or "problem" agencies I mentioned identifying through Predators and Editors, your choice of literary agent should be whoever agrees to represent you that you feel most comfortable with. Large, long-established agencies have more clout with publishers, but also have large client lists, which mean you may be far down their priority list, as a new, first-time client...whereas a small agency (or lone agent), just starting out, may have a lot of time to devote to you but little influence with publishers.
So, no, don't try to pick an agency to be the best match for the publisher you'd like to have publish you.
Again, check out the websites of Baen and Eos, see if it says anything about writers' guidelines, and if some are offered, FOLLOW THEM (it's like a school test; if you ignore instructions, you lose marks in their eyes). They should say if the publisher "doesn't accept unsolicited manuscripts" or "isn't accepting X or Y at this time."
You are quite right to devote almost all of your time and attention to the story you're now working on. If it's great, getting the right agent and publisher will be relatively easy. If it's mediocre, every step along the publishing road is harder.
Good luck!
love,
THO |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2009 : 21:00:57
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Me again.
Joran, of course I'll pass that along to Ed, right away. I hope you get to meet Ed too. He's sort of a big amiable bearded friend to everyone . . . and none of us can ever have too many friends.
love,
THO |
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Joran Nobleheart
Senior Scribe
USA
495 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2009 : 23:13:15
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Me again.
Joran, of course I'll pass that along to Ed, right away. I hope you get to meet Ed too. He's sort of a big amiable bearded friend to everyone . . . and none of us can ever have too many friends.
love,
THO
Thank you so much, my lady. I really do appreciate it more than you realize. The Forgotten Realms have brought a lot of friends to me over the years, both in the books that he writes as well as the countless other authors, and the ones that I meet at the gaming table that have been friends of mine now, more like family really, for the last ten years. |
Paladinic Ethos
Saint Joran Nobleheart |
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NyluenathaStareyes
Acolyte
USA
15 Posts |
Posted - 23 Nov 2009 : 15:24:26
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THO, thanks for that detailed and inspiring post about where to go / who to look for on publishing our very own works of creative fantasy. I've been working on NaNoWriMo along with a friend all this month, writing up my own little attempt at a novella and have always had an interest in writing for fantasy. Actually probably since my first reading of the Shannara series by Terry Brooks, my intro to fantasy literature. Since then, I have sort of lost the idea to pursue that, but this information has definitely sparked a fire in me to actually go for it!
I just would like to personally say thanks for taking the time to feed all of us ravenous Realmsfans out there the great tidbits you've been giving us (and obviously, Ed too!). You're the best! |
Realms fan for life! |
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Rhewtani
Senior Scribe
USA
508 Posts |
Posted - 23 Nov 2009 : 19:05:36
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Wait ... did I hear ... flying ioun stone statues? That begs the question - are there any ioun-esque items that are not small rocks out there?
In my campaign, I had to create ioun spheres for the Ruins of Adventure module. In the novel ioun stones were very important and in the game module, anything and everything was giving out free ioun stones (literally - there was a spectre giving out free ioun stones).
So, it just makes me wonder what else is out there. |
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Malcolm
Learned Scribe
242 Posts |
Posted - 23 Nov 2009 : 19:35:20
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| So, Ed, is this a good time to tell everyone about the long-hidden intelligent ioun stone civilization? Huh? Huh? |
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 23 Nov 2009 : 19:37:01
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Be careful what you jest about, Malcolm! You may think you're just joking, but I'm not so sure Ed won't . . . no, no, I'll not say another word!
At least not in this post!
BB |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 23 Nov 2009 : 19:39:34
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Well, Candlekeep IS all about uncovering lore-secrets. So before I groan and confirm that Malcolm is on to something, let me just ask any interested scribes: what do YOU think the origins and true nature of ioun stones are?
(In the Realms, I mean; Ed and I are both well aware that they come from Jack Vance's Dying Earth tales.)
love to all,
THO |
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Draenar
Acolyte
Canada
9 Posts |
Posted - 23 Nov 2009 : 21:37:02
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I thought they were created by Congenio Ioun, a Netherese arcanist. (That's what the Netheril boxed set said, anyhow.) But I suppose a Netherese wizard wouldn't be above claiming something he merely discovered as his own original creation.
Are you implying that ioun stones are like the Dreaming Jewels of the Theodore Sturgeon book of the same name? Because, even if not... well, my mind's cogs are turning, now. (For anyone who doesn't know the book, they're basically psychic stones that have their own ... existence, I guess, completely separate from the squishy biologicals around them. They're only discovered by accident, since they have no reason to interact with humans in any way.) |
BRITANNUS (shocked): Caesar, this is not proper.
THEODOTUS (outraged): How?
CAESAR (recovering his self-possession): Pardon him Theodotus: he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature.
-- Caesar and Cleopatra, Act II, George Bernard Shaw |
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Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3287 Posts |
Posted - 23 Nov 2009 : 22:33:18
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quote:
Originally posted by Draenar
Are you implying that ioun stones are like the Dreaming Jewels of the Theodore Sturgeon book of the same name? Because, even if not... well, my mind's cogs are turning, now. (For anyone who doesn't know the book, they're basically psychic stones that have their own ... existence, I guess, completely separate from the squishy biologicals around them. They're only discovered by accident, since they have no reason to interact with humans in any way.)
Never Read them. More Novels to check out.
Yet why did I think of Jhaamdath while reading that? |
"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep |
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Zandilar
Learned Scribe
Australia
313 Posts |
Posted - 23 Nov 2009 : 22:45:02
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Heya,
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Well, Candlekeep IS all about uncovering lore-secrets. So before I groan and confirm that Malcolm is on to something, let me just ask any interested scribes: what do YOU think the origins and true nature of ioun stones are?
(In the Realms, I mean; Ed and I are both well aware that they come from Jack Vance's Dying Earth tales.)
love to all,
THO
I've always thought that Ioun Stones were more psionic in nature than magical. Probably because they're crystalline.
Were any of the Creator Races more psionic than magical? I could easily see them dating back that far... I know, that's not very imaginative...
And I'll add a question to the pile - what would happen if a prominent member of a noble family in Cormyr were to be permanently magically shape changed (transformed by an evil cult (actually by their demon lord) as part of a prophecy)? Assuming that they could prove they were who they were (by mind reaming, if not by other means), what sort of reaction might a noble transformed into the form of an evil outsider get from her peers? For this hypothetical, assume that the noble is known as being of good heart and true loyalty, and has never given the War Wizards, or anyone else for that matter, any reason to suspect her of trechery or treason. |
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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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 24 Nov 2009 : 12:03:18
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| I think the origin of IOUN stones is as revealed in Rhialto the Marvellous. The Realms exists in the same multiverse as those stories, and I doubt either Gary or Ed intended any separate nature or source for them. |
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Bakra
Senior Scribe
628 Posts |
Posted - 24 Nov 2009 : 13:41:13
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| I had a DM who made a NPC that was a friend to a cleric of Mystra who mentioned Ioun stones were harvested from the corpse of a long dead deity. |
I hope Candlekeep continues to be the friendly forum of fellow Realms-lovers that it has always been, as we all go through this together. If you don’t want to move to the “new” Realms, that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with either you or the “old” Realms. Goodness knows Candlekeep, and the hearts of its scribes, are both big enough to accommodate both. If we want them to be.
(Strikes dramatic pose, raises sword to gleam in the sunset, and hopes breeches won’t fall down.)
Enough for now. The Realms lives! I have spoken! Ale and light wines half price, served by a smiling Storm Silverhand fetchingly clad in thigh-high boots and naught else! Ahem . .
So saith Ed. <snip>
love to all,
THO
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A Gavel
Seeker
USA
53 Posts |
Posted - 24 Nov 2009 : 15:51:09
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Dear Ed and THO,
I find myself with a campaign need for a lot of shipwrecks in shallow water somewhere along the Sword Coast, preferably the aftermath of a battle NOT part of "The Threat from the Sea" and probably (because I don't want the wrecks to be stripped or heavily covered and decomposed) more recent in Realms history than that time of aquatic/land invasion conflict. Any suggestions, say around the Velen peninsula?
Thank you for anything you can suggest or share. |
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Lenora Ilvastarr
Acolyte
USA
22 Posts |
Posted - 24 Nov 2009 : 15:51:33
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Hail and well met, all. Yet another question to add to the mountain of requests :).
Two of the major products of the halflings in the Purple Hills of Tethyr are wines and pipeweed. Could you please give some examples of these? I suppose I love this area due to its resemblance of the Shire in Middle Earth. Of course, any other info on those who make these would be much appreciated ;).
Thank you, Ed. |
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A Publishing Lackey
Seeker
74 Posts |
Posted - 24 Nov 2009 : 15:54:04
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Hi Ed,
Have you written any Cthulhu Mythos tales or Sherlockians that are currently available? Either unpublished or published but can now be published elsewhere?
No rush on this. A colleague has anthologies in the "let's brainstorm about this" stage, nothing definite.
Thanks! |
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Broken Helm
Learned Scribe
USA
108 Posts |
Posted - 24 Nov 2009 : 15:57:03
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Ed and THO,
Can you name and briefly describe a fancy dessert that might be served at a nobles' feast or Court banquet or high-society get-together, that could survive uneaten but still palatable a day or so later? I'm toying with the idea of something fairly portable and non-messy (the Realmsian equivalents of muffins or cookies, maybe?) that a small item (a ring) can be hidden in, for smuggling out of a place unseen.
Heh heh, and so forth.
Thanks! |
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 24 Nov 2009 : 16:01:07
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Gods, I love this thread! Ideas and more ideas that I can swipe for my campaign...
Ahem.
Dear Ed and THO,
This time I'm after the name of a really high-class cloakmaker (or seller, or alterer) who does business in Suzail. Someone with name recognition like the real-world Dior or St. Laurent or [insert your widely-known fashion designer, whose name will at least be recognized even by someone who cares nothing for fashion and may not even known if the named designer makes gloves or boots or belts or gowns or whatever]. Like Chanel in perfume or Hugo Boss or . . . the Realmsian equivalent, anyway. I'm after someone associated with great expense and almost reverence among fans, not someone derided for scandal or excess.
Thanks!
BB |
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Questions for Ed Greenwood (2009)
Topic Locked
