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Jakk
Great Reader
Canada
2165 Posts |
 Posted - 24 May 2010 : 23:45:07
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quote:
Originally posted by Jorkens
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
I'm not Ed (but can do a feeble impersonation when at my best), but here are some responses to your questions:
<snip>
quote:
Originally posted by Jorkens
In Susk "The Silent Sword":
The sword was held some twenty years ago by a prince Abadda of the Fallen Kingdom. From what I have read the two lands bearing that name existed much earlier. Was this term used for a third area or was the kingdoms in existence at a later date in Ed's early Realms?
Eric Boyd dealt with this in a write-up he did of the "Unicorn Blade" (see Volo's Guide to the North). It was originally slated for his "Eye of Myrkul" DUNGEON adventure but I think it got cut for length. Fellow scribes will no doubt point you in the right direction.
<snip>
-- George Krashos
Thanks, George, I will have to see if Boyds work was ever made public.
<snip>
I'm also interested in any lore that might have been cut from "Eye of Myrkul" (and the rest of that adventure series); Jorkens, can you PM me (or start a new scroll if the lore warrants it) with what you find? Thanks in advance.  |
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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createvmind
Senior Scribe
490 Posts |
Posted - 25 May 2010 : 07:28:44
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Hello All,
So Ed, what is an astral diamond, is it from the astral plane and if yes how is it created, are there masses within the astral plane that generate such force if it is in the diamond family so to speak? What is/can it be used for, are they very rare and expensive?
Thanks |
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Sill Alias
Senior Scribe
Kazakhstan
588 Posts |
Posted - 25 May 2010 : 07:39:10
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| Come to think of it, I do not know about the stones and gems with magic or other special qualities. Is there any info about that? |
You can hear many tales from many mouths. The most difficult is to know which of them are not lies. - Sill Alias
"May your harp be unstrung, your dreams die and all your songs be unsung." - curse of the harper, The Code of the Harpers 2 ed.
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 25 May 2010 : 08:10:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Sill Alias
Come to think of it, I do not know about the stones and gems with magic or other special qualities. Is there any info about that?
Have you read Volo's Guide to All Things Magical? It contains some specific info related to gem-lore in the Realms. ['Tis available as a free PDF download at WotC too, if you weren't already aware]
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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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Jorkens
Great Reader
Norway
2950 Posts |
Posted - 25 May 2010 : 11:03:41
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quote:
Originally posted by Jakk
quote:
Originally posted by Jorkens
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
I'm not Ed (but can do a feeble impersonation when at my best), but here are some responses to your questions:
<snip>
quote:
Originally posted by Jorkens
In Susk "The Silent Sword":
The sword was held some twenty years ago by a prince Abadda of the Fallen Kingdom. From what I have read the two lands bearing that name existed much earlier. Was this term used for a third area or was the kingdoms in existence at a later date in Ed's early Realms?
Eric Boyd dealt with this in a write-up he did of the "Unicorn Blade" (see Volo's Guide to the North). It was originally slated for his "Eye of Myrkul" DUNGEON adventure but I think it got cut for length. Fellow scribes will no doubt point you in the right direction.
<snip>
-- George Krashos
Thanks, George, I will have to see if Boyds work was ever made public.
<snip>
I'm also interested in any lore that might have been cut from "Eye of Myrkul" (and the rest of that adventure series); Jorkens, can you PM me (or start a new scroll if the lore warrants it) with what you find? Thanks in advance.
As its cut information it is probably owned by WotC and thereby unavailable, but on the other hand, as its not published it might not be anything wrong with Ed giving an answer about the original (and by now probably un-canon)Prince in question. But if I hear anything I will send you a mail. There is probably not enough interest to warrant a new scroll. |
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Menelvagor
Senior Scribe
Israel
352 Posts |
Posted - 25 May 2010 : 14:40:54
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| A question regarding the Shadow Weave: Using the Shadow Weave increased Shar's power and 'cheated' Mystra out of the power she was supposed to 'recieve', yes? If so, would every user of the Shadow Weave be considered evil, for helping Shar? Would it be possible for a good-aligned individual or for a priest/ess of Mystra to use the Hsaodw Weave without repercussions? |
"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'." |
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3243 Posts |
Posted - 25 May 2010 : 16:19:39
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quote:
Originally posted by Menelvagor
A question regarding the Shadow Weave: Using the Shadow Weave increased Shar's power and 'cheated' Mystra out of the power she was supposed to 'recieve', yes? If so, would every user of the Shadow Weave be considered evil, for helping Shar? Would it be possible for a good-aligned individual or for a priest/ess of Mystra to use the Hsaodw Weave without repercussions?
Mechanically speaking, a character can use the Shadow Weave by taking the feat. The feat's prerequisites are that you either have a Wisdom of 15 or Shar is your patron deity, but from that point forward, all magic you access is from the Shadow Weave. You can be a good-aligned character and use the SW against Shar's forces, but Mystra would gain no 'benefit' from the casting of your spells.
In regards to clerics of Mystra, game-wise (mechanics) there wouldn't be any repercussions, but story-wise (fluff) there probably would be great repercussions. To give a real-world comparison, it would be akin to an Hasidic Jew having a luau with a Kalua pig roast.
Edit: Ahem, yes... Just realized I was in Ed's questions scroll. All of the above are my own personal opinion.  |
I actually DO know everything. I just have a very poor index of my knowledge.
Ashe's Character Sheet
Alphabetized Index of Realms NPCs |
Edited by - Ashe Ravenheart on 25 May 2010 16:21:22 |
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Zireael
Master of Realmslore
Poland
1190 Posts |
Posted - 25 May 2010 : 19:53:05
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| Just remembered. Ed, could you tell us something about Alashar Crywinds? I know she was the wife of Telamont and mother of all 12 Princes, and that supposedly one of her sons killed her... but, was she a bard or something? Her description in Netheril Boxed Set led me to thinking I'd love to stat her... |
SiNafay Vrinn, the daughter of Lloth, from Ched Nasad!
http://zireael07.wordpress.com/ |
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Zandilar
Learned Scribe
Australia
313 Posts |
Posted - 26 May 2010 : 00:33:45
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Heya,
quote:
Originally posted by Ashe Ravenheart
Mechanically speaking, a character can use the Shadow Weave by taking the feat. The feat's prerequisites are that you either have a Wisdom of 15 or Shar is your patron deity, but from that point forward, all magic you access is from the Shadow Weave. You can be a good-aligned character and use the SW against Shar's forces, but Mystra would gain no 'benefit' from the casting of your spells.
This is the thing I've never understood. How can Shar control something that isn't in her portfolio? I guess the answer is, "she doesn't". She gains no benefit from the Shadow Weave, because it is not something she gains power from. All it does is make her spell casting followers who use the Shadow Weave (and lets face it, not all of her clergy use it), a little harder for agents of Mystra (and other gods, and life and good in general) to counter.
On the other hand, Mystra being the goddess of magic and spells (as well as just the Weave) would still gain power from the spells cast and developed and the magic used by Shadow Weave users. Her portfolio does not specify that the magic and spells must be Weave magic, and Weave spells.
In my opinion, this was/is a huge plot hole that no one seemed to have spotted (because it really destroys a lot of the reason for Shar to have ever developed the Shadow Weave (if she really even did that, it may well just be something she discovered and then claimed she had made), since it's still not completely free of Mystra's influence). Either that, or someone overlooked several things in Faiths and Pantheons on an editorial level (by not specifying Mystra's dominion only over Weave magic and spells, and by not putting the Shadow Weave into Shar's portfolio).
Was this all just an editorial mistake? Or am I right in my assessment of the two weaves and their relationships to Shar and Mystra? Is that something Ed can answer for us? |
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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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 26 May 2010 : 03:19:54
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Hi again, all.
Zandilar, Ed tells me that he would love to provide answers for the Shar/Mystra/Weave/Shadow Weave matter - - but he can't, because it's specifically and explicitly NDA'd.
So he said this to me, instead:
Please convey my regrets to Zandilar that I can't Elucidate All.
In her post, she has put her fingers on most of the "Hey, wait a minute; why - -?" problems associated with the way all of this has been presented, thus far, in published Realmslore.
I'm sure it will be scant consolation to her to know that others have pointed and exclaimed, just as she has, in the past. There IS a grand explanation (the work of many hands), and I hope one day we can all read it.
In the meantime, DMs should fall back to the "your mortal PCs can never know the truth anyway" position, play up the air of mystery, and go on with their campaigns. (More or less because that's all we can do, in the present situation.)
So saith Ed. Who sounds as frustrated as you did, Zandilar.
Oh, well . . .
Back to identifying taverns and cheeses and wines and ales and sausages! 
love,
THO |
Edited by - The Hooded One on 26 May 2010 03:21:06 |
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Joran Nobleheart
Senior Scribe
USA
495 Posts |
Posted - 26 May 2010 : 03:32:04
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| Hello! I was curious about something, as usual. Joran's daughter Arella likes to stay at The Raging Lion Inn when she visits Waterdeep for an extended period of time, especially since it's more out of the way and seems kind of private the way it reads on location and all that. I was wondering if you could tell us basically how much it costs to spend the night there in a nice room. I've been guessing at 2 gold a night, but with its location of North ward, I doubt if that's very accurate. Is there a scale we can use to guage prices based off of the Ward of the city that the PCs are in? Thanks! |
Paladinic Ethos
Saint Joran Nobleheart |
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Menelvagor
Senior Scribe
Israel
352 Posts |
Posted - 26 May 2010 : 04:53:11
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| I just had a 'Hey, wait a minute!' moment. It is unclear from what you said regarding Alusair whether she would have had sex with a half brother of hers. Would she? And if so, why is it that in Cormyr: a Novel, when she finds out Brace is her half-brother it see ms she's not willing to have sex with him? |
"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'." |
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Amarel Derakanor
Seeker
97 Posts |
Posted - 26 May 2010 : 07:08:56
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Well met, everyone!
A recent poster asked about distances in the Realms (not in this thread), and that got me thinking.
How do people in the Realms measure distances?
I mean, we have our miles, kilometers, meters, inches, centimeters, and so on, but are they used in the Realms as well? I have a feeling that they are not. I also have a feeling that this has been asked about before, and, if so, please ignore this question...
My thanks to Ed, THO, and all Scribes, for the Realms, and for Candlekeep. |
Edited by - Amarel Derakanor on 26 May 2010 07:10:40 |
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Jakk
Great Reader
Canada
2165 Posts |
Posted - 26 May 2010 : 08:00:29
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hi yet again.
Gelcur, you've noticed one of the simplifications that had to happen to squeeze even a little bit of Undermountain into that first box.
Much of the interior of Mount Waterdeep, "above" Undermountain, is honeycombed with rooms and passages. The uppermost of these are occupied by Waterdeep's City Guard, who even have griffon "flight decks" opening out of the sides of Mount Waterdeep (as well as the associated stables, armories, et al).
<chop>
THERE you go. Old Realmslore so long ago suppressed that there isn't even an NDA to prevent me revealing it.
Bwoohahahahaha!
love to all,
THO
So... if there's no NDA, is it possible for these maps of the "upper" sub-levels to be released? I'd even settle for just a cross-sectional map of Mount Waterdeep showing the relationships of the upper levels to the rest of Undermountain... the whole thing, even just in cross-section, would of course be glorious... but I expect that there are NDAs regarding the unpublished lower levels...  |
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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Jakk
Great Reader
Canada
2165 Posts |
Posted - 26 May 2010 : 08:15:58
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hi again, all.
Zandilar, Ed tells me that he would love to provide answers for the Shar/Mystra/Weave/Shadow Weave matter - - but he can't, because it's specifically and explicitly NDA'd.
So he said this to me, instead:
Please convey my regrets to Zandilar that I can't Elucidate All.
In her post, she has put her fingers on most of the "Hey, wait a minute; why - -?" problems associated with the way all of this has been presented, thus far, in published Realmslore.
I'm sure it will be scant consolation to her to know that others have pointed and exclaimed, just as she has, in the past. There IS a grand explanation (the work of many hands), and I hope one day we can all read it.
In the meantime, DMs should fall back to the "your mortal PCs can never know the truth anyway" position, play up the air of mystery, and go on with their campaigns. (More or less because that's all we can do, in the present situation.)
So saith Ed. Who sounds as frustrated as you did, Zandilar.
Oh, well . . .
Back to identifying taverns and cheeses and wines and ales and sausages!
love,
THO
Of all the explanations waiting to be revealed in all of Toril, that's probably the one I want the most... even more than the explanation of the inconsistency of the death date of Thatoryl Elian, and (yes) even more than the explanation of those pyramids of Ascore and their link to the dire oaks surrounding(?) Wulgreth's pyramid. Of course, that mystery involving Mystryl's surviving Chosen is one I'd like to figure out for myself... but I haven't the faintest idea where to look.
As I patiently await hints from Ed on that last matter (the more vague, the better, in this case), I'm having a great deal of fun building Osse with fellow scribes here at Candlekeep.
Once again, thank you, Ed and THO, for your time and all you do to make Candlekeep such a wonderful place to visit. |
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 - 26 May 2010 : 08:30:13
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quote:
Originally posted by Amarel_Derakanor
Well met, everyone!
A recent poster asked about distances in the Realms (not in this thread), and that got me thinking.
How do people in the Realms measure distances?
I mean, we have our miles, kilometers, meters, inches, centimeters, and so on, but are they used in the Realms as well? I have a feeling that they are not. I also have a feeling that this has been asked about before, and, if so, please ignore this question...
My thanks to Ed, THO, and all Scribes, for the Realms, and for Candlekeep.
Re: lengths and distances:- the fingerwidth/finger, handwidth/hand, handspan, and pace are well-established Realms measures. Foot, yard and mile may or may not be translations or conversions of the appropriate Faerűnian terms; I’d personally tend to do without feet, generally avoid 'yard' in favour of 'pace,' but keep 'mile' as it's so common in the published lore. Of course, heights are often given comparatively rather than by units: as high as four men, more than a bowshot distant, and so on.
There's much less published on units of weight and volume. I'd like to read more... and Ed will probably have more to say on this. |
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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sfdragon
Great Reader
2285 Posts |
Posted - 26 May 2010 : 15:26:23
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| Is it possible for ED to write a Life and times of Elminster for one of the next Eye on the REalms articles?? |
why is being a wizard like being a drow? both are likely to find a dagger in the back from a rival or one looking to further his own goals, fame and power
My FR fan fiction
Magister's GAmbit
http://steelfiredragon.deviantart.com/gallery/33539234 |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 26 May 2010 : 16:03:57
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In a word, sfdragon: No.
Or to answer you more properly: the topics of the Eye articles are approved by Wizards (from a list submitted by Ed; there's even been one instance of an approved, accepted article being discarded and replaced because of changing plans at the company), and written in advance - - so there's somewhat less than a year of them "in the can," so to speak.
Those are the "mundane" reasons. As far as content goes, there IS an upward wordcount limit for Eye articles, and there's no way even a laughably oversimplified overview of El's life would fit in them.
Any such life would of necessity be a "look back," which is an approach the publisher is currently avoiding.
If you put a request for El's life to Wizards directly, they'd probably point you at Ed's novels and say: "There. Read those. That's where you'll find out about Elminster's life." (As in: no matter how fragmentary their coverage is, that's the appropriate means by which we'll see Elminster's life, because they easily allow for certain lore to be kept secret - - as opposed to rulebook/sourcebook definitive stats and detailing.)
So we're back to "no."
Sorry! I'd love to read a proper treatment of Elminster's life, too!
love,
THO |
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Zireael
Master of Realmslore
Poland
1190 Posts |
Posted - 26 May 2010 : 16:20:54
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quote:
Originally posted by Menelvagor
I just had a 'Hey, wait a minute!' moment. It is unclear from what you said regarding Alusair whether she would have had sex with a half brother of hers. Would she? And if so, why is it that in Cormyr: a Novel, when she finds out Brace is her half-brother it see ms she's not willing to have sex with him?
Seconded. /And yeah, I'm really obssessed with Alusair/
I'm also waiting for an answer about Alashar Crywinds. |
SiNafay Vrinn, the daughter of Lloth, from Ched Nasad!
http://zireael07.wordpress.com/ |
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Jakk
Great Reader
Canada
2165 Posts |
Posted - 26 May 2010 : 17:22:59
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
In a word, sfdragon: No.
<snip> As far as content goes, there IS an upward wordcount limit for Eye articles, and there's no way even a laughably oversimplified overview of El's life would fit in them.
Any such life would of necessity be a "look back," which is an approach the publisher is currently avoiding.
If you put a request for El's life to Wizards directly, they'd probably point you at Ed's novels and say: "There. Read those. That's where you'll find out about Elminster's life." (As in: no matter how fragmentary their coverage is, that's the appropriate means by which we'll see Elminster's life, because they easily allow for certain lore to be kept secret - - as opposed to rulebook/sourcebook definitive stats and detailing.)
So we're back to "no."
Sorry! I'd love to read a proper treatment of Elminster's life, too!
love,
THO
Wordcount: To properly cover Elminster's life, I think we're looking at something the size of the Wheel of Time... or at least the Sword of Truth... and while I have no doubts in Ed's ability to churn it out, I equally have no confidence in it being accepted for publication, for the following reasons (already mentioned by THO)...
Retrospective: IMHO, the publisher is doing its level best to make the Realms a continuous "snapshot of the present"... once the past is past, forget about it and move on. I'm reminded of a famous quote here: "Those who do not learn from the past are condemned to repeat it." I guess that's why we see RSE after RSE... 
Secrecy: I have no problem with stats not being published; the publication of stats is what got us into all of this in the first place. Stats should be the province of the DM in any case, apart from race, gender, alignment, class(es) (but not specific levels), and significant equipment. It's the lore that I object to being withheld. Of course, present publisher mindset is exactly the reverse; part of me is somewhat surprised that we don't see stat blocks as sidebars in the novels. But then, that's why I don't play 4E. It has far less to do with what happened in the world than with the way in which those happenings have been carried out and (so far) followed up on (or not).
The good news for Ed, Paul Kemp, and the other wonderful novelists writing for WotC is: I'm continuing to read the novels (for the most part), and not just because of the absence of stat blocks. Now that I'm not struggling to keep up with the flow of Realms game material (which I miss, strangely), I have more time to read Realms novels, so I'm catching up; prior to the release of 4E, the only 3E-era Realms novel I had read was Elminster in Hell... loved it!
(I can't wait for Elminster Must Die!... and no, I haven't read any of the early-release bits; I'm waiting until I have the whole book in my hands.)
Anyway, this almost-rant is over. What's done is done, and that seems to be WotC's in-universe attitude as well... *sigh* |
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. |
Edited by - Jakk on 27 May 2010 07:54:11 |
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Zandilar
Learned Scribe
Australia
313 Posts |
Posted - 27 May 2010 : 00:48:42
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Heya,
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Please convey my regrets to Zandilar that I can't Elucidate All.
In her post, she has put her fingers on most of the "Hey, wait a minute; why - -?" problems associated with the way all of this has been presented, thus far, in published Realmslore.
It is one of the reasons why I've largely ignored the Shadow Weave in my Realms (actually, it doesn't exist).
quote:
I'm sure it will be scant consolation to her to know that others have pointed and exclaimed, just as she has, in the past. There IS a grand explanation (the work of many hands), and I hope one day we can all read it.
In which case, since the Weave is gone in 4th Edition and Mystra is dead, I expect we'll never find out. Unless Wizards decides to retcon 4th Ed Realms entirely, of course...
Or if those hints that seem to point to Mystra's return aren't just wishful thinking on my part. (And to be completely cynical, I won't expect any major changes to the Realms until Wizards release 5th Edition - we all know that's coming sometime.)
Killing Mystra killed the Weave. It also killed the Shadow Weave - even more evidence that it was never a separate entity in the first place.
quote:
In the meantime, DMs should fall back to the "your mortal PCs can never know the truth anyway" position, play up the air of mystery, and go on with their campaigns. (More or less because that's all we can do, in the present situation.)
Or do what I did, and make a solution, to the hells with canon.
(That doesn't stop me from being interested in canon lore, though so... I keep asking. )
quote:
So saith Ed. Who sounds as frustrated as you did, Zandilar.
I can completely understand why.
quote:
Back to identifying taverns and cheeses and wines and ales and sausages!
Now you've made me hungry. Probably something to do with me not eating breakfast (so far) this morning.
Thanks Lady THO for reminding me to eat. :) *wanders off to find some food* |
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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Sill Alias
Senior Scribe
Kazakhstan
588 Posts |
Posted - 27 May 2010 : 03:48:37
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quote:
Originally posted by Zandilar
Heya,
quote:
Originally posted by Ashe Ravenheart
Mechanically speaking, a character can use the Shadow Weave by taking the feat. The feat's prerequisites are that you either have a Wisdom of 15 or Shar is your patron deity, but from that point forward, all magic you access is from the Shadow Weave. You can be a good-aligned character and use the SW against Shar's forces, but Mystra would gain no 'benefit' from the casting of your spells.
This is the thing I've never understood. How can Shar control something that isn't in her portfolio? I guess the answer is, "she doesn't". She gains no benefit from the Shadow Weave, because it is not something she gains power from. All it does is make her spell casting followers who use the Shadow Weave (and lets face it, not all of her clergy use it), a little harder for agents of Mystra (and other gods, and life and good in general) to counter.
On the other hand, Mystra being the goddess of magic and spells (as well as just the Weave) would still gain power from the spells cast and developed and the magic used by Shadow Weave users. Her portfolio does not specify that the magic and spells must be Weave magic, and Weave spells.
In my opinion, this was/is a huge plot hole that no one seemed to have spotted (because it really destroys a lot of the reason for Shar to have ever developed the Shadow Weave (if she really even did that, it may well just be something she discovered and then claimed she had made), since it's still not completely free of Mystra's influence). Either that, or someone overlooked several things in Faiths and Pantheons on an editorial level (by not specifying Mystra's dominion only over Weave magic and spells, and by not putting the Shadow Weave into Shar's portfolio).
Was this all just an editorial mistake? Or am I right in my assessment of the two weaves and their relationships to Shar and Mystra? Is that something Ed can answer for us?
Maybe it is not place to post wild ideas, but I think the reason it is her portfolio is that Weave partially was made from her essence, so she found ways to corrupt it and use the darkness of this weave to claim it as her portfolio with her portfolio of darkness. But since the origin of the Weave is bound to Mystra, including the fact that Mystra and Weave is one, it was still part of her. Paralyzed, cancered and rotting, but still part of her. Shar could just create it without understanding the nature of her creation. |
You can hear many tales from many mouths. The most difficult is to know which of them are not lies. - Sill Alias
"May your harp be unstrung, your dreams die and all your songs be unsung." - curse of the harper, The Code of the Harpers 2 ed.
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Malcolm
Learned Scribe
242 Posts |
Posted - 27 May 2010 : 20:56:26
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Sill Alias,
Correct or not, I think that's a BRILLIANT explanation! Bravo!!!!
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althen artren
Senior Scribe
USA
780 Posts |
Posted - 27 May 2010 : 21:37:20
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If you have any info on the top of your
head, Ed, do you have any info on the
archwizard Oberon the variator? I am writing
up an Netherese enclave for the Osse project
elsewhere on the boards.
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Jakk
Great Reader
Canada
2165 Posts |
Posted - 27 May 2010 : 23:16:29
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Hello Ed,
I'm also writing (indirectly) regarding the Osse project... I'm working on a sahuagin realm off the northwest coast of the continent and while reading through a borrowed copy of Sea of Fallen Stars by Steven Schend, yourself, et al., I was sidetracked by the shalarin... more specifically, the mystery of their origin.
quote:
From Sea of Fallen Stars, page 99:
The shalarin originally migrated to Serôs through an undersea gate from their home in the Sea of Corynactis. Some sages theorize that this sea is either on the far-off planet of Karpri in Realmspace or on the other side of the planet Toril!
Does anything canon (and not NDA) exist regarding the location of the Sea of Corynactis? Or is this another of Steven Schend's "loose ends"? |
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. |
Edited by - Jakk on 27 May 2010 23:20:10 |
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The_Silversword
Seeker
USA
58 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2010 : 00:31:13
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
In a word, sfdragon: No.
Or to answer you more properly: the topics of the Eye articles are approved by Wizards (from a list submitted by Ed; there's even been one instance of an approved, accepted article being discarded and replaced because of changing plans at the company), and written in advance - - so there's somewhat less than a year of them "in the can," so to speak.
Those are the "mundane" reasons. As far as content goes, there IS an upward wordcount limit for Eye articles, and there's no way even a laughably oversimplified overview of El's life would fit in them.
Any such life would of necessity be a "look back," which is an approach the publisher is currently avoiding.
If you put a request for El's life to Wizards directly, they'd probably point you at Ed's novels and say: "There. Read those. That's where you'll find out about Elminster's life." (As in: no matter how fragmentary their coverage is, that's the appropriate means by which we'll see Elminster's life, because they easily allow for certain lore to be kept secret - - as opposed to rulebook/sourcebook definitive stats and detailing.)
So we're back to "no."
Sorry! I'd love to read a proper treatment of Elminster's life, too!
love,
THO
I really enjoy Ed's Eye on the Realms articles. I'd love to be able to read the ones that were discarded, those are probably some of the best ones! I have a feeling that WotC wants it to be more crunch than fluff, usually seems to go that way, but Ed still manages to sneak little bits of lore here and there. Speaking of which, I was wondering if we could get some more info on Starfall, a hallucinogenic herb mentioned in the Flame Door article, like where its grown, color, taste, etc.? |
I survived the Spellplague and all I got was this stupid sig. |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2010 : 02:21:14
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Hi again, all.
Jakk, I think the Sea of Corynactis is indeed one of Steven's lore touches. According to Ed, he and Eric and others provided little tidbits of lore, or Steven picked them up and included them, but that sourcebook was "one of Steven's masterpieces, taking the Sea of Fallen Stars and making it into an entire new campaign adventure setting."
(An opinion with which I heartily concur.)
love,
THO |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2010 : 02:22:35
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Silversword, off your query goes to Ed. I suspect he does have more on Starfall.
love,
THO |
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2010 : 02:40:35
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Jakk, I've actually asked Steven that question, since I share your love of SoFS. He said that it was his intention to just have the gate be to the Outer Sea somewhere, but that it had never gotten set in canon.
Personally, I've always preferred the idea that the Sea of Corynactis was in another sphere entirely, since otherwise the shalarin gods shouldn't have a problem following them. If you do want it in the Outer Sea, there's an existing locathah civilization off Zakhara (iirc, they're the ones who made the no-longer-sunken city of Dhiliz [sp?], but I'm afb atm) that we know almost nothing about and could become the shalarin homelands.
Of course, if either Ed or Steven want to add more, I'd love to see it. Really love, actually, since SoFS is probably my favorite Realms product ever, and I'd love to see more about it. |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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Jakk
Great Reader
Canada
2165 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2010 : 03:15:37
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Hoondatha: Steven's reply fits perfectly with my intentions (but I agree re: the shalarin gods). See the "Project Isle" scroll for forthcoming updates on this. In brief, my thought is to have the other end of the gate somewhere between Osse and Katashaka.
It may be that the shalarin gods couldn't follow because Seros has a fairly all-inclusive racially-independent pantheon of its own... there is also the fact that, by the time the portal was opened permanently, the shalarin still in Corynactis had all but ceased to follow their own gods; that would prevent the shalarin gods from making the voyage, if all of their portfolios were covered by the Serusan pantheon... just a thought.
I'd also love to see anything else Ed or Steven can contribute regarding this region, particularly the sahuagin (esp. the malenti) and the shalarin. |
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. |
Edited by - Jakk on 28 May 2010 03:19:19 |
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Questions for Ed Greenwood (2010)
Topic Locked
