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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
 Posted - 16 Jun 2010 : 07:02:14
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IIRC, there is a Draconic Magister of Mystra mentioned in the the tome of the same name. Isn't a Magister just a specialized chosen? I never really understood the difference. Also, what about Liches? I always felt Larloch had some special task set-aside for him by Mystra.
And now for a question, and you may not even have to bother Ed for the answer THO:
Is there a Cormyrian term/Faerūnian name for the Velociraptors in the Stonelands? I'm writing something for the next compendium, and 'velociraptor' doesn't sound very fantasyish, and just plain 'Raptor' may get folks confused with the Avians of the same name. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 16 Jun 2010 07:06:27 |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jun 2010 : 08:13:31
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
And now for a question, and you may not even have to bother Ed for the answer THO:
Is there a Cormyrian term/Faerūnian name for the Velociraptors in the Stonelands? I'm writing something for the next compendium, and 'velociraptor' doesn't sound very fantasyish, and just plain 'Raptor' may get folks confused with the Avians of the same name.
While Ed will likely have more, I will note that in times past, when discussions about the dinosaurs of the Stonelands have arisen, the Great Bearded One has simply called them velociraptors. In addition, Ed has said:- " ... ostrich-sized or smaller velociraptors (bird-like, darting and hopping predators, of the sort featured so prominently in JURASSIC PARK: see fleshraker and swindlesplitter under Dinosaur in the MM3)."
...
So, perhaps you could simply use those MM3 names, should no Realms-specific version be forthcoming. |
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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Zandilar
Learned Scribe
Australia
313 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jun 2010 : 09:29:34
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Heya,
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hi again, all.
Yes, there have been dragons who, according to Ed, "worked with" Mystra, but I don't know if they were Chosen or not.
Hmmmm... Interesting. Any chance Ed might elaborate? Or am I about to slam into an NDA? 
quote:
In theory, being a Chosen burns EVERY mortal out, if they go on long enough, but that "long enough" or rather "too long' varies greatly from individual to individual. Remember the elves who "burned out" fairly quickly, versus, say, Elminster who held out for a long time?
I have typed and deleted several things regarding this in the last five minutes, and in the end settled on a question that's tangentially related. Is it possible to become immortal via the use of magic, but not by "ascending" to become something different (like a celestial), or becoming undead (lich, vampire, etc)? And if it is, does this inherently cause a slow decline into madness too?
quote:
NDAs cover most specific examples of these because TSR or WotC has the lore, and thus owns it, but has not (yet) chosen to publish it.
My personal reading of this is that some TSR and/or WotC staffers down the years have been uncomfortable with this sort of lore because it gets "too close" to real-world religious beliefs, and so have chosen to just not use it/de-emphasize this facet of the Realms (which is, of course, their perfect right).
I have to say, this made me chuckle. But I won't elaborate on it, as it's a tangled mess of my own opinions on religion and censorship that I can't make much sense out of, which would surely offend some scribe or other, and doesn't really belong here anyway. |
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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Zireael
Master of Realmslore
Poland
1190 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jun 2010 : 10:02:44
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quote:
I have typed and deleted several things regarding this in the last five minutes, and in the end settled on a question that's tangentially related. Is it possible to become immortal via the use of magic, but not by "ascending" to become something different (like a celestial), or becoming undead (lich, vampire, etc)? And if it is, does this inherently cause a slow decline into madness too?
I guess I know at last why Sammaster went mad.
On topic: it is possible - Khelben and Elminster did it for one, and Srinshee (and some others I can't remember), and a lot of mages are looking for it. I think the madness thing depends on the person and the length of time involved. |
SiNafay Vrinn, the daughter of Lloth, from Ched Nasad!
http://zireael07.wordpress.com/ |
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Kyrene
Senior Scribe
South Africa
757 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jun 2010 : 12:34:16
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quote:
Originally posted by Zandilar
Heya,
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hi again, all.
Yes, there have been dragons who, according to Ed, "worked with" Mystra, but I don't know if they were Chosen or not.
Hmmmm... Interesting. Any chance Ed might elaborate? Or am I about to slam into an NDA?
Zandilar,
You may want to peruse* Ed's answer to my query regarding Alasturan Malatheer in last year's scroll.
*Also read very carefully what he's not saying due to the NDA. |
Lost for words? Find them in the Glossary of Phrases, Sayings & Words of the Realms
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jun 2010 : 16:37:44
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The beast, with the name "Fleshraker" attached, was used in a Realms adventure run at a GenCon with a WotC staffer DMing.
BB |
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Malcolm
Learned Scribe
242 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jun 2010 : 20:51:06
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Dear Ed and THO,
Did Ed create the Company of the Unicorn? Was it one of his library campaign PC groups?
Thanks! |
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Zandilar
Learned Scribe
Australia
313 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jun 2010 : 00:36:18
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Heya,
quote:
Originally posted by Zireael
I guess I know at last why Sammaster went mad.
On topic: it is possible - Khelben and Elminster did it for one, and Srinshee (and some others I can't remember), and a lot of mages are looking for it. I think the madness thing depends on the person and the length of time involved.
They don't fit within the parameters I was setting, I see I wasn't clear enough. Srinshee was originally a baelnorn (undead), and is a Chosen of Mystra. Khelben and Elminster are both also Chosen of Mystra, which is how they came by their "immortality".
It's even arguable whether or not Chosen are actually immortal, or simply very long lived. The Silverfire/Weave will eventually burn them completely out, a process that varies in length of time. Some Chosen of Mystra have died very quickly because they were "burned up", and others slide towards insanity and presumably death over a very long period of time (Elminster, et al).
So to clarify my parameters - are there any people (spell casters or not) in the Realms who have attained immortality without becoming undead, without ascending to become something else (celestial, fiendish, deity), and without becoming Chosen by a deity?
@Kyrene:
Very interesting. Thanks for pointing me back at that one.
Though I'm a little surprised about something, which didn't register at the time when I first read that post. Why wouldn't a Song Dragon retain their abilities in dragon form? It isn't like a dragon is incapable of casting spells, after all... |
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. |
Edited by - Zandilar on 17 Jun 2010 00:41:05 |
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Knight of the Gate
Senior Scribe
USA
624 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jun 2010 : 02:58:07
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quote:
Originally posted by Zandilar
Heya,
quote:
Originally posted by Zireael
I guess I know at last why Sammaster went mad.
On topic: it is possible - Khelben and Elminster did it for one, and Srinshee (and some others I can't remember), and a lot of mages are looking for it. I think the madness thing depends on the person and the length of time involved.
They don't fit within the parameters I was setting, I see I wasn't clear enough. Srinshee was originally a baelnorn (undead), and is a Chosen of Mystra. Khelben and Elminster are both also Chosen of Mystra, which is how they came by their "immortality".
It's even arguable whether or not Chosen are actually immortal, or simply very long lived. The Silverfire/Weave will eventually burn them completely out, a process that varies in length of time. Some Chosen of Mystra have died very quickly because they were "burned up", and others slide towards insanity and presumably death over a very long period of time (Elminster, et al).
So to clarify my parameters - are there any people (spell casters or not) in the Realms who have attained immortality without becoming undead, without ascending to become something else (celestial, fiendish, deity), and without becoming Chosen by a deity?
@Kyrene:
Very interesting. Thanks for pointing me back at that one.
Though I'm a little surprised about something, which didn't register at the time when I first read that post. Why wouldn't a Song Dragon retain their abilities in dragon form? It isn't like a dragon is incapable of casting spells, after all...
The Sarrukh are (functionally) immortal. There are a handful still alive from the Days of Thunder. The only human to have done so that I can think of is Dornal Silverhand, though that's splitting hairs: He's not a 'Chosen' of Mystra, but he lives on because she wishes him to.
On another note, Elves *are* technically immortal, IIRC: They choose to cross over to Arvandor upon reaching great age and tiring of the world. I'm not sure that they would die of old age alone, and I can't recall of ever hearing of an elf that did. |
How can life be so bountiful, providing such sublime rewards for mediocrity? -Umberto Ecco |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jun 2010 : 03:55:02
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IIRC, all the 'surviving' Sarrukh are liches. I could be rememebring worng - been a while since i read that source. Either way, they are /were EXTREMELY long-lived. The Terraseer certainly was around a LONG time.
As for the question - I would think that becoming 'Immortal' would preclude some sort of ascension, wanted or not. Thats how it worked in OD&D - the 'Immortal' level was like AD&D demigods, or 3e's demi-powers, or 4e's Exarchs. you reached it, you ascended, that was that.
I had a thread a long time ago on the WotC forum where I created a table that showed how magic and aging were related, and the higher level mage you were the slower you aged. The highest level you could achieve, IIRC, was 95% and still be human, and you could live to about a thousand or so. In order to get that last 5% required having a divine benefactor... like becoming a Chosen.
That was all based on the original premise that Magic (the Weave) = Life, so the more 'infused' you became with the Weave's energies the longer you could live. BTW, I wrote long before I became very familiar with the Realms, and before I read anything having to do with Silver Fire. If that doesn't prove Ed's world had a working logic behind it, I don't know what does.
quote:
Originally posted by Blueblade
The beast, with the name "Fleshraker" attached, was used in a Realms adventure run at a GenCon with a WotC staffer DMing.
BB
Thanks for that - I remember an FR-based adventure in Dragon magazine with raptors as well. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 17 Jun 2010 04:07:35 |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jun 2010 : 04:00:00
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Well said, Markustay! Very well said...
Malcolm: yes, the Company of the Unicorn was one of Ed's library mini-campaign PC groups. He named it, named all the PCs and statted them up and drew pictures of what they looked like, then handed them to registrants to play, over a 13-week sequence of 4-hour play sessions.
Ah, the halcyon days of yore (and my  )...
love,
THO |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jun 2010 : 04:05:40
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. . . And I've just been reminded that preregistration for GenCon events ends on June 19th (yes, just THREE days away), which means if you want to nail down being part of Spinning this year's Yarn with Ed (and other Realms luminaries and stalwart fans who always how up), you have three days left.
Ed promises me he'll sing, and do a few dance steps, and a little vamping, as usual, and I've promised him I'll look into the legal limits Indiana puts on floor shows...
So get your tickets now!
Don't wait until tomorrow - - it will have its own fresh crises to distract you from what's REALLY important!
Now, darlings, now . . .
I kneel and beg you, breathily . . .
Nowwwwww....
love,
THO |
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Knight of the Gate
Senior Scribe
USA
624 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jun 2010 : 05:09:04
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
IIRC, all the 'surviving' Sarrukh are liches. I could be rememebring worng - been a while since i read that source. Either way, they are /were EXTREMELY long-lived. The Terraseer certainly was around a LONG time.
As for the question - I would think that becoming 'Immortal' would preclude some sort of ascension, wanted or not. Thats how it worked in OD&D - the 'Immortal' level was like AD&D demigods, or 3e's demi-powers, or 4e's Exarchs. you reached it, you ascended, that was that.
I had a thread a long time ago on the WotC forum where I created a table that showed how magic and aging were related, and the higher level mage you were the slower you aged. The highest level you could achieve, IIRC, was 95% and still be human, and you could live to about a thousand or so. In order to get that last 5% required having a divine benefactor... like becoming a Chosen.
That was all based on the original premise that Magic (the Weave) = Life, so the more 'infused' you became with the Weave's energies the longer you could live. BTW, I wrote long before I became very familiar with the Realms, and before I read anything having to do with Silver Fire. If that doesn't prove Ed's world had a working logic behind it, I don't know what does.
quote:
Originally posted by Blueblade
The beast, with the name "Fleshraker" attached, was used in a Realms adventure run at a GenCon with a WotC staffer DMing.
BB
Thanks for that - I remember an FR-based adventure in Dragon magazine with raptors as well.
There *are* a few living (as in not undead) Sarrukh. The only named one that I recall was Pil'it'ith: Recalling that, however, I remember that he was- you guessed it- Chosen of Sseth.
I dig your table of 'Magic=Life': I had always just taken it as read that one of the things that enabled an Archmage to ascend to such power was to come to a near-perfect understanding of the relation between their own physical form and the Weave, which had the sid-effect of either extending natural life, or of opening the door to lichdom/ other undeath/ transformation to other forms. |
How can life be so bountiful, providing such sublime rewards for mediocrity? -Umberto Ecco |
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Menelvagor
Senior Scribe
Israel
352 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jun 2010 : 13:31:56
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Wait a sec. So Magic (The Weave) equals life? How does this fit in with this?
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One:
khorne, Ed and I have talked about this, and it's more the stresses of the Weave wearing out both bodies and minds of mortals
Do mortals bodies wear out from too much life infused in them, then? Since undeath is usually seen as the opposite of life, does this imply that undead are bound with 'negative magic/weave' if that is possible? If so, it may explain why Larloch cannot touch Silver Fire without being destroyed, in Tears So White.
This also explains why elves have a connection to the Weave and live longer - it's a cause/effect connection: Elves are connected to the Weave, so they live longer, since the Weave is life. But this implies that any mage should (naturally) live longer than a regular member of the same race. It also implies that with the collapse of the Weave during the Spellplague, if a new one isn't in place, Elves would live less, as would mages.
Are these assumptions correct? Or have I got it totally wrong (I am aware I may be over-simplifying)? |
"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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Garen Thal
Master of Realmslore
USA
1105 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jun 2010 : 19:13:25
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
. . . And I've just been reminded that preregistration for GenCon events ends on June 19th (yes, just THREE days away), which means if you want to nail down being part of Spinning this year's Yarn with Ed (and other Realms luminaries and stalwart fans who always how up), you have three days left.
Ed promises me he'll sing, and do a few dance steps, and a little vamping, as usual, and I've promised him I'll look into the legal limits Indiana puts on floor shows...
So get your tickets now!
I'll echo the Hooded Lady's sentiments with a reminder: Spin A Yarn is a paid event this year ($2.00), so Wizards will be collecting tickets at the door. Which means failure to sign up now, or to have a generic ticket in hand, could mean that you have to wait on The Line at the GenCon ticket counter, and no one wants that, does one?
Spin A Yarn information (for those of you with GenCon Registration accounts) is here.
And now back to your regularly scheduled beardness... |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jun 2010 : 00:34:16
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quote:
Originally posted by Menelvagor
Wait a sec. So Magic (The Weave) equals life? How does this fit in with this?
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One:
khorne, Ed and I have talked about this, and it's more the stresses of the Weave wearing out both bodies and minds of mortals
Do mortals bodies wear out from too much life infused in them, then? Since undeath is usually seen as the opposite of life, does this imply that undead are bound with 'negative magic/weave' if that is possible? If so, it may explain why Larloch cannot touch Silver Fire without being destroyed, in Tears So White. <snip>
First, we must seperate Ed's original vision for the Realms from what has come later - in canon, the Weave =/= Life.
But if you read ALL of Ed's FR novels, you will see a subtle meta-plot running through everything - a logical pattern to the world, and it is all based on the weave = Life. And yes, Negative energy (Now Umbral/Shadow Energy) is it's opposite. Shadow vs. Weave, Shar vs. Mystra - a running theme (and nothing new, BTW).
Positive energy has been renamed Radiant Energy (which I also like), and negative energy is Umbral or Shadow energy. In my games I have renamed them Arcane and Eldritch energies, respectively. What that means is that in the new terminology, the Weave would be composed of Arcane/Radiant Energy, and the Shadow weave would be composed of negative/Umbral Energy. So 'Silver Fire' is actual a purified form of Radiant Energy (as is Spellfire, and Bluefire - all versions of Arcane energies, and all closely related). I believe there are also Black and red versions of the fire, IIRC, and I would assume they draw upon Shadow instead.
Going one step further, this means that someone entering a 'magic dead zone' would start to feel uneasy, getting physically ill over time, and eventually (days? months?) die from it. That is 'Edwardian' and not canon... the canon versions don't have as much logic behind them, unfortunately.
And YES, to finally answer your question, IT IS CANON that someone traveling to the Positive Energy Plane (Now radiant Energy) would die from "too much life". The physical body of a mortal cannot handle that much energy, weather good or bad. Think of it like trying to pump 100 million watts of power into a 9-Volt battery. Some have speculated that it is something of a cancerous effect - cancer literally being 'life run amok'. But we need not be so scientific about it - just think of it as a person 'burning up' inside from all that energy - energy which must be held in check by a well-disciplined mind (which is why the mind is the first to go - it is the barrier that keeps the mortal from being burned-up immediately).
Hope that made some sense, and I hope I didn't get it wrong - I'm sure THO or Ed will be around to correct me if that is the case.
Edit: Druids, BTW, don't take sides - they strive to maintain a balance between the two forces. They understand that too much of either throws nature out of kilter, and strive to keep that from happening. So do many of the eastern priesthoods (Yin & Yang) - death and rebirth are all part of the natural cycle. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 18 Jun 2010 00:38:48 |
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Menelvagor
Senior Scribe
Israel
352 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jun 2010 : 06:45:37
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But is this true for all undead? Are all undead only 'alive' by using Umbral/Shadow Energy? Doesn't this mean that all undead 'strengthen' Shar's power, just as all mages 'strengthen' Mystra's? And if so, how can a creature comprised of negative (Umbral/Shadow) energy channel positive (Radiant=Weave/Magic) energy? I cannot believe that all undead drew on the Shadow Weave.
EDIT: Completely unrelated question: Ed, do you know if you'll be helping Elaine with her new novel, The Serpent's Daughter, about Azariah Craulnober? |
"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'." |
Edited by - Menelvagor on 18 Jun 2010 07:03:46 |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jun 2010 : 07:46:05
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AFAIK, the process of creating Undead does, indeed, contribute to Shar's power. I think the mindless, shambling-around type do not contribute anything after they are made.
Just as a Mage who no longer uses magic (and I know of at least one canon one of those) no longer contributes to Mystra's power - it is the usage of those energies that contributes to a God's portfolio, not merely their static existance.
Now, if that same Mage still prayed to Mystra, thats an act of worship, and contributes in a different fashion. Just as particularly smart Ghoul could contribute to Shar through worship, but not through its state of being. For a ghoul, an act of worship could simply be dedicating his next meal to Shar.
quote:
Originally posted by Menelvagor
I cannot believe that all undead drew on the Shadow Weave.
Good point.
In other settings no, it doesn't work that way, but I think in FR it should... not sure though. I think the Weave acts as a 'filter' for 'pure magic' - that has been proven in other canon. If the Weave were not in-place reducing the shear power of Toril's magical field to tolerable levels, I don't think undead would survive very long.
Now, that makes no sense in the wake of the Spellplague - all undead should have been obliterated when the cerulean wave swept past, but as I stated earlier, the 'Weave = life thing' is NOT WotC canon - it is setting proto-canon. Plus their own shadow-existence may very well have provided them some protection from that cataclysm. Kinda like the way water and oil don't mix.
What would be really funny is if in some cases that same wave of energy accidentally brought undead back to life. I can think of a couple of Liches that would be pretty pissed-off. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 19 Jun 2010 01:49:28 |
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Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3287 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jun 2010 : 08:45:50
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| Don't forget the Necrotic Keyword. Lots of Undead deal Necrotic damage. |
"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 - 18 Jun 2010 : 14:32:23
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Heya,
quote:
Originally posted by Menelvagor
EDIT: Completely unrelated question: Ed, do you know if you'll be helping Elaine with her new novel, The Serpent's Daughter, about Azariah Craulnober?
Azariah huh? Someone did tell the Serpent to keep the dingos away from her? Must have, since it seems she grew up. |
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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Auzoros
Seeker
Australia
97 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jun 2010 : 02:15:58
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quote:
Originally posted by Zandilar
Heya,
quote:
Originally posted by Menelvagor
EDIT: Completely unrelated question: Ed, do you know if you'll be helping Elaine with her new novel, The Serpent's Daughter, about Azariah Craulnober?
Azariah huh? Someone did tell the Serpent to keep the dingos away from her? Must have, since it seems she grew up.
LOL...Elaith Dingobane  |
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Ousia
Acolyte
Denmark
9 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jun 2010 : 05:39:07
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Hi fellow fans of the Forgotten Realms,
I have some questions on Eveningstar and I hope that you can help me.
1. When was Eveningstar founded?
2. Who founded Eveningstar?
3. Why was Eveningstar founded?
4. Which year was Tessaril Winter appointed Lord of Eveningstar?
5. Who was Lord in Eveningstar prior to Tessaril and who served as herald?
Regards
Kaare (Denmark)
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To be updated |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jun 2010 : 14:49:19
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Hi again, all.
Menelvagor, you asked (in part): "Ed, do you know if you'll be helping Elaine with her new novel, The Serpent's Daughter, about Azariah Craulnober?"
Ed replies:
Well, in the sense that we're good friends and chat from time to time, either on the phone or via computer, I can "help" by being there if Elaine wants to talk about anything at all.
But if you mean plot or write material for the book, by no means; Elaine is a superb writer who doesn't need any help from me. Sometimes I help various Realms creators with lore (if they ask) or brainstorming, but most folks are more comfortable forging a tale on their own, and I love sitting down to read a tale of the Realms that's brand new. With Elaine, I never, ever have to worry about something "not feeling like the Realms," so I can just relax and enjoy. Elaine "gets" the Realms as if we share a brain.
Okay, banish all those icky mental visions of Ed and Elaine carving up a brain across a kitchen table to make fat munchable sandwiches. "Pass the Dijon mustard, m'lady?" :}
So saith Ed. Who is hard at work on Yarn-Spinning goodness of his own, having taken two days off to do a little plumbing work in his basement and move about 7,000 books of his collection to do so...
love to all,
THO |
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Jakk
Great Reader
Canada
2165 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jun 2010 : 01:58:06
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
IIRC, all the 'surviving' Sarrukh are liches. I could be rememebring worng - been a while since i read that source. Either way, they are /were EXTREMELY long-lived. The Terraseer certainly was around a LONG time.
On this note: Ed, is there anything you can tell us about living sarrukh (on or off Toril) circa 1375 DR?
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
I had a thread a long time ago on the WotC forum where I created a table that showed how magic and aging were related, and the higher level mage you were the slower you aged. The highest level you could achieve, IIRC, was 95% and still be human, and you could live to about a thousand or so. In order to get that last 5% required having a divine benefactor... like becoming a Chosen.
That was all based on the original premise that Magic (the Weave) = Life, so the more 'infused' you became with the Weave's energies the longer you could live. BTW, I wrote long before I became very familiar with the Realms, and before I read anything having to do with Silver Fire. If that doesn't prove Ed's world had a working logic behind it, I don't know what does.<snip>
I like this... and the demise of the Weave with 4E explains why elves don't live as long any more... not that either change is happening in my Realms... but I have a question for Markustay now: Might that "Magic and Aging" table be available to the scribes of Candlekeep?  |
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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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3243 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jun 2010 : 02:04:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Jakk
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
IIRC, all the 'surviving' Sarrukh are liches. I could be rememebring worng - been a while since i read that source. Either way, they are /were EXTREMELY long-lived. The Terraseer certainly was around a LONG time.
On this note: Ed, is there anything you can tell us about living sarrukh (on or off Toril) circa 1375 DR?
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
I had a thread a long time ago on the WotC forum where I created a table that showed how magic and aging were related, and the higher level mage you were the slower you aged. The highest level you could achieve, IIRC, was 95% and still be human, and you could live to about a thousand or so. In order to get that last 5% required having a divine benefactor... like becoming a Chosen.
That was all based on the original premise that Magic (the Weave) = Life, so the more 'infused' you became with the Weave's energies the longer you could live. BTW, I wrote long before I became very familiar with the Realms, and before I read anything having to do with Silver Fire. If that doesn't prove Ed's world had a working logic behind it, I don't know what does.<snip>
I like this... and the demise of the Weave with 4E explains why elves don't live as long any more... not that either change is happening in my Realms... but I have a question for Markustay now: Might that "Magic and Aging" table be available to the scribes of Candlekeep?
Oooo! and the fact that there's no weave, so it's just raw magic that infuses everything (from the wizard's spells to the fighters sword swings) explains why aging has no penalties! |
I actually DO know everything. I just have a very poor index of my knowledge.
Ashe's Character Sheet
Alphabetized Index of Realms NPCs |
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Zandilar
Learned Scribe
Australia
313 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jun 2010 : 03:07:28
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Heya,
quote:
Originally posted by Ashe Ravenheart
Oooo! and the fact that there's no weave, so it's just raw magic that infuses everything (from the wizard's spells to the fighters sword swings) explains why aging has no penalties!
If this is the reason aging has no penalties, and is also the explanation for elves not living as long... I'm sorry, but it doesn't make any logical sense at all. Yes, I know this is magic we're talking about here and it doesn't have to make sense - but some internal consistency is helpful for the suspension of disbelief. |
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 - 20 Jun 2010 : 17:14:52
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Hi again, all.
Menelvagor, you asked: "But is this true for all undead? Are all undead only 'alive' by using Umbral/Shadow Energy?"
The answer, according to various editions of the game rules, has always been: No. "Many" or "most" undead are linked to the Negative Plane/Umbral/Shadow Energy/whatever a given edition of the game calls it, but not all.
Nor has it necessarily been true that creation of undead increases Shar's power. All previous "incarnations" of the Faerunian pantheon have had deities whose portfolios include undeath, directly, so they would directly benefit. (Shar might well indirectly benefit, both through her own causes/aims/portfolios/influence being augmented, and through linkages between the gods [[some gods serve her, wittingly or unwittingly, and there have always been demigods and lesser gods who are self-sentient aspects of greater gods, from Ed's initial pantheon-creation; that's what Ed's phrase "the Watching Gods" refers to; the "gods behind the gods mortals know"]].
love,
THO |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jun 2010 : 17:24:18
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Also, for everyone concerned with the recent discussion here about the Weave and life: magic isn't life, it's the ENERGIES of life, and the Weave is a way of understanding and harnessing those energies.
To hand all of you a simplified analogy that Ed's find of using: if the energies of life are a raging torrent of falling water, the Weave is a waterwheel and sluice, or way of drawing on and directing some of those energies.
It's not that Toril has a "magical field," it's that it's teeming with life, and therefore life energies. Various forms of "magic" are just ways of concentrating those energies (in the same way as electricity can be drawn from chemical reactions [lemon batteries, anyone?] to provide "sheer power" to do other things. The Weave is one way of understanding how to use and devise your own arcane spells, but after it "falls" (Mystra dies, for she IS the Weave), life still exists, life energies therefore still exist, and therefore there is still magic (just not Weave magic).
Yes, all mortal bodies wear out, over time, due to the stresses of living (in the real world and in the Realms). Too much magic (life energies, focused and intensified) pouring through a body can overload cells and burn them out, shortening the lifespan of that body or ending it, sometimes very swiftly and abruptly (recall various Ed-penned descriptions of smoke issuing from the eyeballs, mouths, noses, and ears of mages struck by hostile spells).
love,
THO |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jun 2010 : 17:29:09
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Hi again. Brimstone, Ed says "you're very welcome" re. Ondal's Stand. He has to chat with Wizards folks re. some future Realms articles, hopefully at GenCon, but hopes to add new canon Realmslore in these small snippets for years to come.
love,
THO |
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createvmind
Senior Scribe
490 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jun 2010 : 17:39:15
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| Is Lockjaw an affliction in Faerun? |
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Questions for Ed Greenwood (2010)
Topic Locked
