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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2011 : 15:55:38
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Hi again, all. A proper answer will have to come from Ed, of course, but to start answering Damian's questions about Dawngleam (by paraphrasing my campaign notes from Ed): two consistent profitable cargoes to import into Suzail are:
1. Textiles (woven cloth of superior make and attractive hues/patterns, for Cormyrean tailors and seamstresses to fashion into garments). Importing finished garments can be much more profitable but is always riskier, because Cormyreans prefer local sizings and styles to "outland strangeness," abandoning this preference only for fairly rare fads (one or two instances a decade) and fashions (a fashion as defined here just being a long-lasting fad).
2. Good wines. Cormyr makes its own wines, but not enough to meet local demands, and some of it is poor (beer is far more often made in the Forest Kingdom). Some of that poor wine makes it into fortified wines (like sherry), but nobles and rising or wealthy merchants and others who have the coin and opportunity to become connoisseurs (take the time to "educate their palates") vastly prefer robust wines of superior quality, and fortified wines made with good wines, not poorer vintages. So such "slakes" as firewine are consistent bulk sellers in Cormyr; an importer can't go wrong.
So saith Ed, filtered through me. I await specific answers to your queries, once Ed is "over the hump" of his current rush writing job. love, THO |
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althen artren
Senior Scribe
USA
780 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jan 2011 : 01:12:52
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Couple questions came up while trying to research the 5 Prefects and the 3 in Darkness.
The Sharn raised the Sharnwall to stop the Phaerimm. Did they know and intentionally raise the barrier in such a way as to keep out the Shade enclave as well?
Draindoom creates magic dead areas as it is recasting itself. Wouldn't have this meant that Anauroch would have been magic dead and should still have magic dead mega-areas as of 1375 since not all the senior Phaerimm casters should have been destroyed?
During the Weeping War, Phaerimm worked their way in Myth Drannor. (How did they breach the sharn wall?) Drow hampered the efforts of Cormyr and the Dales to send help to the beleagured elves. Are these two instances connected on a very deep, NDA way?
I ask because the Phaerimm attacked the elves in Evereska and I think it was the same year that drow helped Kymil Nimesin attack Evermeet. It seems that the 3 in Darkness are all connected by a intense hatred for the elves of the surface. There are a couple of other instances where I think in the GHotR that drow, phaerimm, and other subt. races all attack elves and elven interests within like 100 years of each other. (At least according to my yet incomplete research into Khelben's timeline and the Elves timeline in General.) And yet, this all seems separate from the Anti-Seldarine and Malkizid mechanations.
Is there anything there, or am I putting togeter a bunch of dots that are too far away from each other to put together?
(Edit): Also, is there any info you can give us on the Ring of Samular?
(Edit x2) Can u give any info on the dead members of the 7 Wizards? Or are they all still NDA? |
Edited by - althen artren on 10 Jan 2011 01:16:30 |
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Zireael
Master of Realmslore
Poland
1190 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jan 2011 : 10:50:23
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quote: Originally posted by althen artren
Something tells me that is beholder nation question will somehow connect the the Manshoon/beholder mating question from the Knights book as well.
Manshoon mated with a beholder?! |
SiNafay Vrinn, the daughter of Lloth, from Ched Nasad!
http://zireael07.wordpress.com/ |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jan 2011 : 11:14:35
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Ed, yet another question for my own queue... Message plates. Little metal plates that are enspelled to record a message from someone, and to include (at least in the comic) an image with the message. They were in the AD&D comic, and early in the book Cormyr, Vangey uses one. I'd like to know more about them, including game terms (2E or 3E are fine).
As always, thanks for your time! |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jan 2011 : 18:39:39
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quote: Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis
*activates palte* "Hi, this is Ed. Leave your message after the beep, and i'll get back to you...." LOL, Wooly, I think they have invented the answering machine in FR!!!
Actually, they operated more like a voicemail than an answering machine -- someone would take the plate, record their message into it, and then the plate would be conveyed to the recipient, who activated it and heard the message, and saw an image of the speaker.
As I recall from the comic, they could play the same message multiple times, and I believe that all the magic was in the plate itself -- so it didn't require spellcasters on both ends. I recall that Priam Agrivar sent one to his half-sister Kyriani, and I'm pretty sure that Vajra viewed it later -- it's been a while since I read that one; I don't even recall what issue it was. Priam was a paladin and Vajra was a fighter, so neither of them could have used magic for the message to be recorded or viewed.
I don't recall these ever being described in game terms, so I'd like to know their capabilities, and of course any other lore about them Ed could offer. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
Edited by - Wooly Rupert on 10 Jan 2011 18:40:48 |
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crazedventurers
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1073 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jan 2011 : 18:40:17
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quote: Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hi again, all. A proper answer will have to come from Ed, of course, but to start answering Damian's questions about Dawngleam (by paraphrasing my campaign notes from Ed): two consistent profitable cargoes to import into Suzail are:
1. Textiles 2. Good wines.
Thank you muchly gives me a start to work with the players and their emerging mercantile empires and I'll conjure up a few other merchants and nobles to tangle with when they start to compete in 'trade wars'
A quick follow up question re textiles:
Is the quality of the local wool and linen that Cormyr produces inferior to that of other places (hence the imports) or is it a matter of taste and fashion first?
Or is technology more advanced elsewhere (spinning/weaving machines etc) which produces better quality textiles?
Best wishes
Damian
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So saith Ed. I've never said he was sane, have I? Gods, all this writing and he's running a constant fantasy version of Coronation Street in his head, too. . shudder, love to all, THO Candlekeep Forum 7 May 2005 |
Edited by - crazedventurers on 10 Jan 2011 18:51:51 |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2011 : 00:22:06
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quote: Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I don't recall these ever being described in game terms, so I'd like to know their capabilities, and of course any other lore about them Ed could offer.
As would I. And I don't remember seeing any particular rule-related details for them either.
Though, I've long suspected that they might in fact reflect a little of the individual who enspelled them. Kinda like the sensory stones in PLANESCAPE. |
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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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2011 : 00:26:51
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Hi again, all. Sage and Wooly, all I can recall Ed saying about these, other than their rarity, was that they simply CANNOT be used to communicate incantations, command words, spells . . . and any spell symbols, glyphs, explosive runes, runes in general, or the like. Attempts to "record" such things simply fail. If a message was prepared for a message plate that said, "When you reach the inner door, touch it and say "GREAT GOOGLY-MOOGLIES" to get it to open without blowing you up," (obviously, I'm inventing this example) what the plate would record would be: "When you reach the inner door, touch it and say ". . . [silence] . . ." to get it to open without blowing you up." love, THO |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2011 : 00:33:12
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And hello AGAIN. Just got an e-mail from Ed about many, many things. Damian, here's the relevant stuff about the textiles:
Cormyr produces cloth (and finished clothing) of above-average to excellent quality, but their usual mix of livestock (wool) and crops (with so many mouths to feed; the naval traders sailing around the Inner Sea, and Sembia next door, have seemingly BOTTOMLESS appetites; Sembia has far too little agricultural land to feed itself, and the Moonsea has poor growing conditions, so the Dales can't feed everyone) makes local Cormyrean cloth expensive . . . versus cheaper, just as good or better, and fashionably exotic "outland" fabrics. Cormyrean peasants usually make all their own clothes, but prize scarves, gowns, and blouses of "flashy" foreign make. Almost all Cormyreans have a prejudice in favour of their own, Cormyr-made weathercloaks and winter woollen wear (leather gloves and aprons, too), but otherwise prize - - and usually pounce on - - "outland stuff" for most other garments.
So saith Ed. Who will of course furnish you a proper reply to your root question as soon as he can (right now, he's "beyond busy" again). love, THO |
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Eldacar
Senior Scribe
438 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2011 : 05:56:07
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Being as I am currently in Queensland, Australia, and with the flood madness going on at the moment (I'm not in any danger myself, though - given that I live on a hill, if the water reaches me I'm going to build an ark and start collecting animals), I thought I'd pose a question relating to natural disasters (again, floods in particular) in the Realms (as opposed to explicitly magical disasters).
Specifically, any major occurrences of them around 1365-1375 DR throughout Faerun (IIRC, the Shadovar messing with the High Ice was causing severe weather problems around 1370-1372 DR), and what the usual response is for people hit by the problem. For example, in Cormyr, if there happen to be floods capable of wreaking severe damage to both towns, cities, villages and the populace in general, are wizards dispatched to try and control the direction of the water (or removing it entirely)? Or can they do little more than get people out and wait for everything to subside?
By contrast, what happens in other areas, such as Waterdeep, the cities of the Sword Coast, and the like? Do they evacuate people, are there magical defenses in place, or something else? I can't imagine the Blackstaff standing aside and doing nothing if Waterdeep was flooding or in danger of being hit by a tsunami, for example, or Elminster watching Shadowdale wash away in floods. |
"The Wild Mages I have met exhibit a startling disregard for common sense, and are often meddling with powers far beyond their own control." ~Volo "Not unlike a certain travelogue author with whom I am unfortunately acquainted." ~Elminster |
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2011 : 14:33:36
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Hello Ed!
first of, a great start into this new year for you and yours.
Now, I know that your to-do-list is a never ending one and the same it is with your question-to-answer-list from this chamber here in Casndlekeep. However, I would like to give you one more question to answer, in hopes to get a quick answer. Here it comes:
I was wonderinmg if you might tell me what the street in Arabel is called that leads from the East Gate to the High Horn Gate. The Arabel-map in the 2nd Ed. Sourcebook 'Cormyr' (TSR 9410) shows that this street runs pretty much straight east to west through the entire city. I'd believe this important and many traveled way must have been given a name, though I cannopt find on in my books. So I turn to you for help.
Thanks for your reply on this,
Ergdusch |
"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
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Alisttair
Great Reader
Canada
3054 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2011 : 14:41:43
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Another question for Ed: If someone wanted to open up a coffee shop (similar to our world's Starbucks, or maybe Tim Horton's) in Waterdeep, what sort of expenses and other hurdles can be expected? What are the chances of a steady clientele (I'm guessing it would mostly be from the nobility)? |
Karsite Arcanar (Most Holy Servant of Karsus)
Anauria - Survivor State of Netheril as penned by me: http://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/172023 |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2011 : 15:10:35
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Hi, Ergdusch, I can help you with your question. The streets in Arabel have been named and renamed many times over the years, as the city has broken free of Cormyr, been reconquered, local personages have risen and fallen out of favour, and so on. However, that main central avenue you speak of is quite clearly labeled on my 1979-era Ed-drawn "home Realms campaign" map of Arabel as:
Thalonder's Ride
(known in daily usage merely as "the Ride" to local citizens)
There you go. Anything to keep a fellow wayfarer in the Realms from getting lost in Arabel. Not that it's huge or hard to STAY lost; it's just that there are some back alleys a traveler wouldn't want to blunder into unprepared. love, THO |
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Bakra
Senior Scribe
628 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2011 : 15:16:54
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quote: Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hi, Ergdusch, I can help you with your question. The streets in Arabel have been named and renamed many times over the years, as the city has broken free of Cormyr, been reconquered, local personages have risen and fallen out of favour, and so on. However, that main central avenue you speak of is quite clearly labeled on my 1979-era Ed-drawn "home Realms campaign" map of Arabel as:
Thalonder's Ride
(known in daily usage merely as "the Ride" to local citizens)
There you go. Anything to keep a fellow wayfarer in the Realms from getting lost in Arabel. Not that it's huge or hard to STAY lost; it's just that there are some back alleys a traveler wouldn't want to blunder into unprepared. love, THO
hmmm, Would these back alleys have names? |
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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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2011 : 16:12:13
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quote: Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hi, Ergdusch, I can help you with your question. The streets in Arabel have been named and renamed many times over the years, as the city has broken free of Cormyr, been reconquered, local personages have risen and fallen out of favour, and so on. However, that main central avenue you speak of is quite clearly labeled on my 1979-era Ed-drawn "home Realms campaign" map of Arabel as:
Thalonder's Ride
(known in daily usage merely as "the Ride" to local citizens)
There you go. Anything to keep a fellow wayfarer in the Realms from getting lost in Arabel. Not that it's huge or hard to STAY lost; it's just that there are some back alleys a traveler wouldn't want to blunder into unprepared. love, THO
That was a fast one! Thank you, THO. You did me a great favour.
Not that I'd lost my way, but I will most certanly walk the right path in future times, I'd say.
All the best, Ergdusch |
"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
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Veritas
Learned Scribe
209 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2011 : 18:21:39
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Hello lady Hooded and Ed the Sage.
Although time travel and meeting ones past self is something of a tired trope and one not popular in the Realms, I can't help but think that there would be few characters who could so engagingly 'team up' with himself as Elminster. Particularly of course a much younger Elminster and his cranky older self. The thought of Ed spinning such a tale positively gives me the shivers (in a good way).
However it may well be one idea Ed (among many others) has previously concieved of. What does the good Ed think of the chances of such a tale being forthcoming? Perhaps some short story written in his "copious free time."?
My best to both you and Ed. -V
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Edited by - Veritas on 11 Jan 2011 18:22:03 |
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sfdragon
Great Reader
2285 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2011 : 20:39:22
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Quick question
What was the line Elminter said to his daughter in ELminster's Daughter about thievery and what was the year of it......
and who said that line about Feaerun will always have it's meddling mages, the full line an the year
Favorite lines ever
My attention is to short to go open up the books for those, I'd have to stop and read them......
Now someone tell me why I haven't gotten around to reading the road to neverwinter yet..... I think I'm afraid of it.... don't tell RAS.... |
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 |
Edited by - sfdragon on 11 Jan 2011 20:42:39 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
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HunterOfStorms
Acolyte
Australia
21 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2011 : 23:46:31
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Happy New Year Ed and THO!
Ed, I have a purely fluff question inspired somewhat by the recent textiles query. What, if any, textile trade exists between elven and human communities? Do elves have a preference for certain materials that are distinct from human preferences? Also, when it comes to colours, are there different names for gem hues compared with actual gemstones themselves? To clarify: we might call a particular shade of green or blue - emerald and sapphire respectively, based on the most common hues we associate with such gems. Do elves have particular names for things like emeralds, sapphires, pearls or rubies and do they use such names for colours or are there completely different names for such colours in things like textiles? If so, examples, pretty please?
cheers, Hunter
its all about the fluff! |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2011 : 00:03:28
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quote: Originally posted by Mr_Miscellany
Hello Ed an THO,
Are there any common phrases or sayings that are unique to the War Wizards that have come in and out of use down the centuries of the Brotherhood’s existence?
Something like, “the mage who stands alone, dies alone” or “remember how the Brotherhood almost fell” or "remember Authkor's folly" or similar, that would be used by one War Wizard when speaking to another as a warning, a reminder or as a ‘take head and reconsider before you do what I think you’re about to do’ sort of statement?
If there are, do any of these sayings hint at past War Wizards and/or some difficult moments in the history of the Brotherhood?
THO do you recall hearing the War Wizards ever use such phrases during play?
Thank you BOTH very much! :) And Ed, I know you’re very busy. If you can recall a phrase or two along with maybe a name of a mage attached to it then I can try to fill in the rest for my own NPC write-ups of War Wizards. Thanks again!
I'll note, also, that Ed has provided some brief "sayings" previously. You may want to look them over, while you await Ed's reply. |
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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Kajehase
Great Reader
Sweden
2104 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2011 : 06:57:37
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All this talk of Arabel made me remember something: Is Ed aware that "Arabel" was the codename given by the WW2-era German military intelligence service Abwehr to what they thought was one of their best agents (turns out he was actually one of the Brits' best agents), one Juan Pujol Garcia? |
There is a rumour going around that I have found god. I think is unlikely because I have enough difficulty finding my keys, and there is empirical evidence that they exist. Terry Pratchett |
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crazedventurers
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1073 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2011 : 09:56:31
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quote: Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hi, Ergdusch, Thalonder's Ride (known in daily usage merely as "the Ride" to local citizens) love, THO
A-ha as ever one answer leads to another question
Who was/is Thalonder? Someone important enough to get a main thoroughfare named after them? (or just the surveyor/builder who made it?)
Cheers
Damian |
So saith Ed. I've never said he was sane, have I? Gods, all this writing and he's running a constant fantasy version of Coronation Street in his head, too. . shudder, love to all, THO Candlekeep Forum 7 May 2005 |
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Rhewtani
Senior Scribe
USA
508 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2011 : 18:50:43
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On the topic of how Windsong Tower rocketed off and left during the Weeping War and yet seems more or less intact during the Anauroch adventure, Blueblade posted:
quote: As I recall, this has been asked about before at GenCon, and Ed (creator of Windsong Tower, and writer of the original Myth Drannor boxed set) just smiled and said, "Yes, it certainly seems as if it's back, or perhaps in two places at once, doesn't it?" Which sure suggests that there's something "set up" here, that's not yet revealed...
So, can we find out why the tower is seemingly two places at once?
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2011 : 19:59:54
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Hi again, all. Damian, I bring you a lightning-swift Ed answer, about Thalonder:
Ustrin Thalonder was the long-ago rebuilder of Arabel's city walls. He insisted on tearing down buildings in the heart of the city to make a direct path through Arabel, so defenders could move quickly if the city was attacked. (This was something city merchants had long resisted, in favor of keeping the maze of streets that slowed through caravan traffic and encouraged stopovers and local trading.)
So saith Ed. So there you are... Obviously, "the Ride" was that main through street. love, THO |
Edited by - The Hooded One on 12 Jan 2011 20:32:40 |
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The Red Walker
Great Reader
USA
3567 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2011 : 21:49:23
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Lady Herald
What(if anything) can you or Ed share about The Laughing Hero of the North? |
A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka
"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -
John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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Edited by - The Red Walker on 12 Jan 2011 23:53:25 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2011 : 22:48:26
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quote: Originally posted by The Red Walker
Lady herald
What(if anything) can you or Ed share about The Laughing Hero of the North?
I'm guessing he laughed a lot... |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jan 2011 : 00:13:42
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quote: Originally posted by Rhewtani
On the topic of how Windsong Tower rocketed off and left during the Weeping War and yet seems more or less intact during the Anauroch adventure, Blueblade posted:
quote: As I recall, this has been asked about before at GenCon, and Ed (creator of Windsong Tower, and writer of the original Myth Drannor boxed set) just smiled and said, "Yes, it certainly seems as if it's back, or perhaps in two places at once, doesn't it?" Which sure suggests that there's something "set up" here, that's not yet revealed...
So, can we find out why the tower is seemingly two places at once?
I'm sure this has been covered before. I'll check my archives, while we await Ed's reply. |
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 - 13 Jan 2011 : 04:09:27
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Okay, I'll bite: where is Lothen, and what Realms publication(s) is it mentioned in? i'm drawing a complete blank . . . |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jan 2011 : 05:03:52
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quote: Originally posted by Malcolm
Okay, I'll bite: where is Lothen, and what Realms publication(s) is it mentioned in? i'm drawing a complete blank . . .
Lothen is first mentioned in print in the DRAGON #228 "Athalantar" article. |
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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