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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
 Posted - 14 Jul 2013 : 17:11:50
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
So saith Ed. Who, as a child growing up in the Sixties, saw some things in person that most folks have to go to the Internet to see these days. 
love,
THO
Perhaps we should get together, my Lady, and discuss those things. In detail.   |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
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paladinnicolas
Seeker
92 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jul 2013 : 17:20:29
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| Thanks a lot Ed and THO! |
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Lord of Bones
Seeker
United Kingdom
78 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jul 2013 : 18:22:30
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| Ed and THO are as always among the finest of people. Sincere thanks to you both. |
Come watch the Gentleman's Guide to Gaming!
http://www.youtube.com/user/clackclickbang
On my channel I review and dissect role-playing games with great gusto. Please do take a look and let me know what you think. |
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paladinnicolas
Seeker
92 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jul 2013 : 20:44:01
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| Dear THO, in light of one of Ed's latest answers I'd like to ask him if not even some religious orders, churches or faithful have vows of chastity and/or attitudes towards sex that resemble those of traditional Christianity. Thanks! |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jul 2013 : 22:10:31
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Hello again. paladinnicolas, heeeere's Ed:
Yes, many paladins and other orders within faiths, priesthoods, and lay worshippers in the Realms have attitudes towards sex that "resemble those of traditional Christianity."
(It'd be hard to say otherwise, considering the huge range of beliefs and practices that 'traditional Christianity' has embraced over the centuries.)
Yet I understand what you're getting at.
Many paladins, priests, and devout faithful in the Realms will find themselves in "situational chastity" at various times in their lives; conditions (such as being unwed) in which religious teachings expect them to remain celibate. Paladins and church investigators (internal police, if you will) often take vows that closely restrict their behaviour.
By "devout faithful" here, I mean individuals who have chosen to follow one faith more closely than the others. Most people in the Realms must make far more personal moral choices than monotheists do - - because in any moral choice or daily decision, rather than having the commandments or priestly advice of one church, they can turn to this faith to support Choice A, that faith to support Choice B, and so on.
The answer of mine you're referencing shouldn't really be construed to say that faiths in the Realms are all about what "traditional Christians" might term "loose" behaviour. In that answer, I was speaking of what we modern real-world folk call "pornography" (and folk in the Realms don't), not of behaviour.
Or to put it another way, in our modern real world strong links are made between "lax morals" or "licentious" behaviour, and pornography - - and in the Realms, people don't think that way; they mentally separate depictions of sex and thinking about sex from engaging in sex, and attach different ranges of morality to both. (And lest anyone reading this think that the Realms is a slavering hotbed of knee-deep porn, let me assure you that this sentence is almost as likely to be uttered in the Realms as it is in our real world: "Not in front of the children.")
What IS clearly different in many societies in the Realms from our real-world historical Christianity is that women are treated in the Realms far more as equals. Why? Because I wanted it that way and designed it that way, when it was my fantasy world alone, before D&D® existed.
So saith Ed. Dispelling differing interpretations when necessary, and letting them stand when it makes games richer.
love,
THO
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paladinnicolas
Seeker
92 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jul 2013 : 22:42:58
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| Dear Ed and THO, thanks for everything! Both of you are really kind for answering our questions! |
Edited by - paladinnicolas on 14 Jul 2013 22:55:14 |
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Sightless
Senior Scribe
USA
608 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2013 : 00:05:00
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| Dear Ed and THO, let me begin by saying that I am attempting to be brief here with this question, and thus, am asking in rather broad terms. If this is for whatever reason unexceptible, I can increase my specificity. My question therefore is, what can you provide in regards to the general composition of the soil around the Spine of the World? I deeply appreciate any information you can provide, respectfully, Sightless. |
We choose to live a lie, when we see with, & not through the eye.
Every decision, no matter the evidence, is a leap of faith; if it were not, then it wouldn't be a choice at all. |
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Joebing
Learned Scribe
USA
202 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2013 : 01:33:02
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quote:
So saith Ed. Who, as a child growing up in the Sixties, saw some things in person that most folks have to go to the Internet to see these days.
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Now plugging away on mass conversion to 5e, as well as my imprint J. Halk Games.
http://www.facebook.com/JHalkGames
First adventure on DM Guild: Lair of Elaacrimalicros |
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Joebing
Learned Scribe
USA
202 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2013 : 01:34:22
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quote:
So saith Ed. Who, as a child growing up in the Sixties, saw some things in person that most folks have to go to the Internet to see these days.
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Now plugging away on mass conversion to 5e, as well as my imprint J. Halk Games.
http://www.facebook.com/JHalkGames
First adventure on DM Guild: Lair of Elaacrimalicros |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2013 : 01:58:50
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Hi again, all. Sightless, I can answer your question speedily, because this is something I can quote Ed’s 1982 notes about:
The Spine of the World is a soaring, jagged mountain range honeycombed with caverns, ancient phreatic tubes, and melt-channels. Volcanic when it was upthrust tens of thousands of years in the past, it has been inactive and frozen for all of living memory in the Realms. Ice-filled caverns in its heart lead down into a frigid area of the upper Underdark.
The northern flanks of the Spine range are largely what we would call granite and gneissose rocks (known as “hardstone” and “koegalk” in the Realms respectively), while the southern slopes are granite flanked by layers of limestone - - that over the years break off or wash away, leaving much “wash till” downslope, and creating narrow “stacks” or knife-edged side-peaks, in front of the massive central granite peaks of the range.
(In many ways, the Spine resembles the real-world Pyrenees range in Europe.)
Large lakes are few, passes are rare, of high elevation, and mainly hidden under ice (deep, permanent ice cloaks most of the northern slopes of the Spine), and what water does flow is under the ice sheets, crushed into liquidity by the great weight of the icepack, to burst forth from many mountainsides as spectacularly high, but small-volume waterfalls. Many of which over time cause “plunge valleys” (the Faerûnian Sword Coast human term for what our real-world French call “cirques;” that is, valleys whose upper ends are semicircles of precipitous cliffs.
Veins of the ores of most valuable metals (iron and copper being most common, but silver is abundant at the eastern end of the range), and coal, are found in the Spine, but what can be easily reached and worked by dwarves has been worked out long ago, leaving behind a warren of mines now infested with orcs and a wide array of monsters, with rich veins now found only inside the loftiest peaks, and along the ice-entombed northern slopes of the eastern end of the range.
What remains undiscovered is, however, rich enough that panning for gold in the various streams and rivers that flow south from the Spine has always yielded up abundant metal - - though the local inhabitants have always made such prospecting perilous in the extreme. To this day, large new iron deposits are being found in the hill country south of the Spine.
So saith Ed, way back then. Hope this is of help.
love,
THO
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Edited by - The Hooded One on 15 Jul 2013 04:17:07 |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2013 : 04:02:30
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
That DOESN’T mean every village high street or every kitchen in the Realms is awash in dirty drawings or fornicating couples (trios, sextets, whatever), ...
Call it, I suppose, a kind of temporarily perverse curiosity, but I'm wondering just where in the Realms a sextet of fornicating couples would be found? |
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 - 15 Jul 2013 : 04:18:05
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Why, in the perfumed pleasure-dens of Calimshan, of course.
Your velvet-skinned and willing tour guide,
THO |
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Kris the Grey
Senior Scribe
USA
422 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2013 : 04:45:15
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Eh gads - this thread has been a rush of useful info these past few hours! Great stuff. Thanks as always to Ed for the lore and to the ever charming THO for bringing it from Ed to us.
Since Realmsian sexual mores seem to be among the themes this evening, the family lawyer in me can't help but be a tad curious about a couple of things related to sex and relationships in the Realms...
First, is there a large difference between rates of infidelity (and expectations of monogamy) between the higher and lower classes and city and country dwellers on the Realms in the same way there was here on Earth in the Middle Ages/Renaissance?
Second, you note that many of the restrained attitudes about sex common in Europe during the period owing to the predominant religious and social customs here on Earth are absent from the Realms (in sort of the same way pagan/polytheistic Greece and Rome had a more casual attitude towards sexuality). You also reference (although perhaps in a tongue in cheek way, Lol) "trios, sextets, whatever" in passing. This leads me to wonder how common the modern trend of polyamorous 'open marriages' and casual group sex (what they called 'swinging' back in the sixties, Lol) are in Realms relationships.
I have to figure that sexual fidelity still matters quite a bit as it relates to paternity, child rearing, and all that (as was discussed on another thread hereabouts), but your comments lead me to wonder how much sexual mores differ from Earth to the Realms (noting that the Realms obviously has wildly different cultures of course - so we can't generalize about all of them). Even things as common prostitution might be considerably impacted by a significant change in mores. On Earth (in Europe, in the period) virtually all prostitution was men (married or single) seeking variety or, more likely, just an outlet for 'excess' sexual desire outside of marriage. In a society where women have a greater degree of sexual equality and relationships need not be only for procreative purposes, then the use of prostitution by couples (for their own shared variety) might make up a measurable (if still minor) percentage of the clientele in the trade (especially in cities with great wealth and flexible social standing).
Anyway, let's just say being a divorce lawyer means you see a lot of things in practice (although maybe not as many as Ed might have seen in person in the 60's THO, Lol) and I'm wondering what in vogue here in the first decades of the 21st century is in vogue there in the 1300's and 1400's. |
Kris the Grey - Member in Good Standing of the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors, the Arcane Guild of Silverymoon, and the Connecticut Bar Association |
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Lord of Bones
Seeker
United Kingdom
78 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2013 : 09:03:27
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Hello again to the lovely Ed and THO
Another series of questions, one of which raised by a player of mine and the other two of my own devising:
1.) Along the same lines as the Ghaunadaur rebels question, is it possible for priests of malevolent faiths such as Bane, Bhaal, Myrkul and Talos to become 'heroes' in their locality? It seems likely, as even a Bhaalist/yte might object to a local village being razed by a flurry of beholders when that village regularly pays dues to the church, largely for protection. With this potentially being the case, do you have any short tales or names and deeds of unlikely heroes of darker backgrounds who may (or may not) have changed their ways after performing an altruistic or even self-preservationist action?
2.) I vaguely recall Hillsfar and the Red Plumes being somewhat human-supremacist. Do we know what caused this prejudicial outlook and whether there are any notable spokespersons in the Martin Luther King (and even Malcolm X) style who fight for the rights of their people, peacefully or violently?
3.) They're practically a world away from one another, but how would you describe the relationship between Thay and Halruaa, given the magocracies that rule over both? Has Thay ever attempted to establish an enclave that far out of their comfort zone, and if so, what could they offer Halruaans that their already more benevolent structure could not provide?
Many thanks to you both.
Matthew |
Come watch the Gentleman's Guide to Gaming!
http://www.youtube.com/user/clackclickbang
On my channel I review and dissect role-playing games with great gusto. Please do take a look and let me know what you think. |
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Memmorath
Acolyte
Finland
8 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2013 : 12:49:46
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hello again, all.
Memmorath, I can make a start on answering your last question. Although the process for attaining the training and experience necessary for being deemed a Red Wizard has varied from zulkir to zulkir over time, and from school to school of magic, in general it starts like this: existing Red Wizards take apprentices, and when either the apprentice or the "master" thinks the apprentice is ready, the apprentice takes service with ANOTHER Red Wizard of a different background and outlook. When that tutor (NOT the apprentice) thinks the apprentice is ready for 'advanced' training, they inform a higher-ranking, veteran Red Wizard, who tests the apprentice - - and decides on what service (as in, mission out across Faerun) or further training the apprentice needs. After the mission or training has been accomplished, a different high-ranking, veteran Red Wizard tests the apprentice, and informs the zulkir if they believe the apprentice is ready to be admitted into the school as a Red Wizard (or, in the case of "troublesome" apprentices, given another mission, quietly eliminated, or sent to another school of magic/zulkirate as an apprentice (either highly placed, or put at the bottom with novices of the new school).
At least, this is how Ed once explained it to we Knights, speaking in character as several NPCs, back in the days when the Realms hadn't yet been published as a setting (i.e. long before the original boxed set or FR6 Dreams of the Red Wizards had ever been written).
I hope this is of help.
love,
THO
I thank you for the insightful answer on this, but regarding my other question, about the different zulkirs, (unless it is under NDA) would it be possible to have some knowledge about the Thayvian Zulkirs?
Also, one new question. Is there any specific information available (in addition to what is on forgottenrealms wiki about Eltab) regarding Demon Lord Eltab's various imprisonments, and why this particular demon has been managed to imprison so many times, despite his considerable powers? And more importantly, how to free him? (I read somewhere about maps of Eltabbar and if these maps get destroyed, it weakens the prison and eventually Eltab would break free...)
Anyways, thanks again!
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Edited by - Memmorath on 15 Jul 2013 12:51:17 |
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Barastir
Master of Realmslore
Brazil
1600 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2013 : 14:06:49
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Hi Ed and THO,
I have a question about Tabra, from Bargewright Inn. Is there new lore about her, after what was published in the 2e in the Volo's Guide to the North, and reproduced in the box The North: Guide to the Savage Frontier? Have she survived the Spellplague, and is she still alive in the times of 4e Realms? Thank you in advance!
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"Goodness is not a natural state, but must be
fought for to be attained and maintained.
Lead by example.
Let your deeds speak your intentions.
Goodness radiated from the heart."
The Paladin's Virtues, excerpt from the "Quentin's Monograph"
(by Ed Greenwood) |
Edited by - Barastir on 15 Jul 2013 14:09:24 |
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Lord of Bones
Seeker
United Kingdom
78 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2013 : 14:14:42
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quote:
Originally posted by Lord of Bones
1.) Along the same lines as the Ghaunadaur rebels question, is it possible for priests of malevolent faiths such as Bane, Bhaal, Myrkul and Talos to become 'heroes' in their locality? It seems likely, as even a Bhaalist/yte might object to a local village being razed by a flurry of beholders when that village regularly pays dues to the church, largely for protection. With this potentially being the case, do you have any short tales or names and deeds of unlikely heroes of darker backgrounds who may (or may not) have changed their ways after performing an altruistic or even self-preservationist action?
Just an addendum: We're familiar with the people of Zhentil Keep probably seeing Banites / Cyricists as their rightful rulers, but are particularly looking for examples of clerics of evil faiths who have somehow convinced through genuine deeds a community of their decency, whether it's there or not.
 |
Come watch the Gentleman's Guide to Gaming!
http://www.youtube.com/user/clackclickbang
On my channel I review and dissect role-playing games with great gusto. Please do take a look and let me know what you think. |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6643 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2013 : 17:06:50
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quote:
Originally posted by Barastir
Hi Ed and THO,
I have a question about Tabra, from Bargewright Inn. Is there new lore about her, after what was published in the 2e in the Volo's Guide to the North, and reproduced in the box The North: Guide to the Savage Frontier? Have she survived the Spellplague, and is she still alive in the times of 4e Realms? Thank you in advance!
Her story was advanced by Eric Boyd in the Netheril chapter of "Lost Empires of Faerun" (p.101). How she came out in the 4E firmament is unknown.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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paladinnicolas
Seeker
92 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2013 : 21:00:15
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| Dear Ed and THO, I've always wanted to ask this: I think I read once that in Ed's games Manshoon was more powerful or dangerous than the way he is portrayed in Realms products. Is this correct? If so, how? Has he ever been able to challenge Elminster concerning power? Thanks! |
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xaeyruudh
Master of Realmslore
USA
1853 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2013 : 21:06:55
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
Call it, I suppose, a kind of temporarily perverse curiosity...
Only temporarily? That's a shame.
I am inspired by Jeremy's recent successes with yes/no questions, and I mean to make a more extensive list of my own, but at the moment I'm curious about a particular name.
One of the cards in the Horde box mentions a Convent of Mitras in Almorel.
Who is Mitras?
In quicker form:
1. Should I be asking someone else about Mitras, due to him/her/it being their invention rather than Ed's?
2. Is Mitras the name of a deity/power, in 1e/2e/3e terms? (not an exarch or some other murking of the idea brought into play by 4e.)
2a. If so, is Mitras a current deity, or a "dead" or forgotten power?
2b. If not, is Mitras a saint or some other powerful mortal elevated to the divine in the minds of common folk?
3. If Mitras is a deity of some sort, is it an alias of a Faerunian power? Chauntea, Deneir, Gond, and Ilmater have temples in Almorel (apparently without aliases).
I've always assumed that convents house nuns, but a quick check of wikipedia tells me it isn't/wasn't necessarily so.
4. Is this convent inhabited by men or women?
5. Is there a name for their order?
6. Is this order limited to this one convent, or do they have other convents/monasteries, perhaps in the other Raumviran settlements around the Lake of Mists?
7. Is Mitras a uniquely Raumviran figure, or is he/she/it venerated by the tribes of Narfell or the steppe, or by the dwarves?
Come to think of it, it does sound like a dwarven name. |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2013 : 22:43:18
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Hi again, all.
Kris the Grey, re. these: "First, is there a large difference between rates of infidelity (and expectations of monogamy) between the higher and lower classes and city and country dwellers on the Realms in the same way there was here on Earth in the Middle Ages/Renaissance?
Second, you note that many of the restrained attitudes about sex common in Europe during the period owing to the predominant religious and social customs here on Earth are absent from the Realms (in sort of the same way pagan/polytheistic Greece and Rome had a more casual attitude towards sexuality). You also reference (although perhaps in a tongue in cheek way, Lol) "trios, sextets, whatever" in passing. This leads me to wonder how common the modern trend of polyamorous 'open marriages' and casual group sex (what they called 'swinging' back in the sixties, Lol) are in Realms relationships."
I can make a start on answering these, myself, because (strangely enough ) these are topics Ed and I and many gamers have discussed, on many occasions, so...
Yes, the nobility of Amn, Cormyr, Sembia, and Waterdeep ALL engage in what the Sixties real world called "swinging," and the expectations of monogamy are lower than among commoners. If you define infidelity as sex outside a marriage without the approval of the married partners involved, it's higher among commoner than among the upper monied classes/nobility (because they expect it and either consent and participate, or tacitly consent by turning a blind eye and not minding).
These are, of course, generalizing statements, and often break down when it comes to specific individuals, who may well NOT approve. Among nobles and "wannabe noble" social climbers, there have always been a strong cohort of those who gossip deliciously about such things, publicly disapproving - - but in private enthusiastically participate, if they get the chance.
Or, to put it another way, human nature is alive and well in the Realms as it is in our real world.
love,
THO |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2013 : 22:47:15
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Hi again, all.
Lord of Bones, re. this: "I vaguely recall Hillsfar and the Red Plumes being somewhat human-supremacist. Do we know what caused this prejudicial outlook and whether there are any notable spokespersons in the Martin Luther King (and even Malcolm X) style who fight for the rights of their people, peacefully or violently?"
I can answer the first part of this query. The cause is the elven rule of Hillsfar for many years, and the human faction that rebelled against this (even spreading rumors that certain elves were in cahoots with the "beast men" [ogres] of Thar to "keep humans down," so as to turn the opinion of other local humans against the elves.
(To proceed from here to answer properly, however, Ed will have to take over. Accordingly, off your question has already gone to him.)
love,
THO |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2013 : 22:54:05
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...and this one, Lord of Bones, is just my opinion, but re. this: "They're practically a world away from one another, but how would you describe the relationship between Thay and Halruaa, given the magocracies that rule over both? Has Thay ever attempted to establish an enclave that far out of their comfort zone, and if so, what could they offer Halruaans that their already more benevolent structure could not provide?"
I personally would say there's nothing Thay could offer Halruaa, who have mastered a broader and richer mastery of magic than Thay achieved (Szass Tam and certain zulkirs personally achieved more, but didn't share). Thay tried to establish a trading enclave more or less by force, and were effortlessly rebuffed and rebuked. (This comes from Ed, because it was something staff designers asked.) I would think that most Halruaan elders view Thay as a stellar example of magic gone wrong or misused.
(However, we'll see what Ed says, in the fullness of time.)
love,
THO
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2013 : 22:58:05
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....And finally (for now), Memmorath, re. these: "I thank you for the insightful answer on this, but regarding my other question, about the different zulkirs, (unless it is under NDA) would it be possible to have some knowledge about the Thayvian Zulkirs?
Also, one new question. Is there any specific information available (in addition to what is on forgottenrealms wiki about Eltab) regarding Demon Lord Eltab's various imprisonments, and why this particular demon has been managed to imprison so many times, despite his considerable powers? And more importantly, how to free him? (I read somewhere about maps of Eltabbar and if these maps get destroyed, it weakens the prison and eventually Eltab would break free...)"
A lot of the zulkir lore is NDA, and Ed is still navigating through what is and what isn't, to see what he can say.
As for Eltab, my understanding is that a successful ritual or procedure for imprisoning Eltab "got out into circulation" rather than dying with the wizard who successfully used it, so various mages over the years "had a go" at harnessing the service of this demon. However, Ed will have to confirm...
love,
THO
Anyways, thanks again! |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11690 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jul 2013 : 01:44:21
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quote:
Originally posted by Memmorath
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hello again, all.
Memmorath, I can make a start on answering your last question. Although the process for attaining the training and experience necessary for being deemed a Red Wizard has varied from zulkir to zulkir over time, and from school to school of magic, in general it starts like this: existing Red Wizards take apprentices, and when either the apprentice or the "master" thinks the apprentice is ready, the apprentice takes service with ANOTHER Red Wizard of a different background and outlook. When that tutor (NOT the apprentice) thinks the apprentice is ready for 'advanced' training, they inform a higher-ranking, veteran Red Wizard, who tests the apprentice - - and decides on what service (as in, mission out across Faerun) or further training the apprentice needs. After the mission or training has been accomplished, a different high-ranking, veteran Red Wizard tests the apprentice, and informs the zulkir if they believe the apprentice is ready to be admitted into the school as a Red Wizard (or, in the case of "troublesome" apprentices, given another mission, quietly eliminated, or sent to another school of magic/zulkirate as an apprentice (either highly placed, or put at the bottom with novices of the new school).
At least, this is how Ed once explained it to we Knights, speaking in character as several NPCs, back in the days when the Realms hadn't yet been published as a setting (i.e. long before the original boxed set or FR6 Dreams of the Red Wizards had ever been written).
I hope this is of help.
love,
THO
I thank you for the insightful answer on this, but regarding my other question, about the different zulkirs, (unless it is under NDA) would it be possible to have some knowledge about the Thayvian Zulkirs?
Also, one new question. Is there any specific information available (in addition to what is on forgottenrealms wiki about Eltab) regarding Demon Lord Eltab's various imprisonments, and why this particular demon has been managed to imprison so many times, despite his considerable powers? And more importantly, how to free him? (I read somewhere about maps of Eltabbar and if these maps get destroyed, it weakens the prison and eventually Eltab would break free...)
Anyways, thanks again!
Regarding Eltab and his link to the realm, check out "champions of ruin". There's a ton of detail there. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Barastir
Master of Realmslore
Brazil
1600 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jul 2013 : 12:03:16
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
Her story was advanced by Eric Boyd in the Netheril chapter of "Lost Empires of Faerun" (p.101). How she came out in the 4E firmament is unknown.
-- George Krashos
Thank you very much, Mr. Krashos. So, I'll wait for Ed and THO's answer about the 4e question. |
"Goodness is not a natural state, but must be
fought for to be attained and maintained.
Lead by example.
Let your deeds speak your intentions.
Goodness radiated from the heart."
The Paladin's Virtues, excerpt from the "Quentin's Monograph"
(by Ed Greenwood) |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jul 2013 : 17:13:51
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A couple of things - Ed has addressed the 'relationship' between Halruaa and Thay at least once, as I recall, and it was basically "the Red Wizards are constantly trying to make in-roads into Halruaa, on so many levels, from trade to alliances to outright theft of magical knowledge, all of which Halruaa effortlessly brushes aside and finds almost laughable" (it WOULD be laughable to them, IF Thay wasn't a such a big threat to everyone else).
Thats a lot of para-phrasing there, but thats the gist of it, IIRC.
Regarding Eltab: in my own (uber-noncanon) game, I have a lot of background 'fiendish' stuff going on, and my basic assumption there is this - the fiends that are the most successful at accomplishing their goals are the ones that are the most patient, and do not act too overtly, so as to not attract the attention of 'good guys' who will stick their big, fat noses into their business. In most cases, this means devils are more successful - Demons simply can't control themselves as well, especially as their plans near fruition.
So, the way I see it, Eltab's biggest problem is that everyone knows about him; he needs to learn how to 'lay low' and operate in the background more, using dupes to do most of his dirty work. Unfortunately, his ego usually gets in the way of that. This actually shoe-horns perfectly with what Ed has said above.
As I said, that is how I've spun most of the 'fiendish intrigues' stuff in my game - YMMV.
On the questions of fidelity, marraige, sexuality, etc - I think most modern gamers don't understand how it 'used to be'. Marriage (as in, an actual official ceremony) was only something the 'rich & powerful' bothered with. That means that up until the rise of the merchant (middle) class, its was mostly for nobility, and mostly just to establish legitimate claims to titles. I still know many folk from 'third world countries' (South Americans) today who do not bother with any sort of official marriage - the poor simply move in with each other, and split-up when they get sick of each other. As for 'cheating' - it isn't really cheating if you never signed anything. In fact, this practice is becoming more fashionable even in our own country (I am starting to think marriage is an out-dated concept at this point).
To put it rather bluntly, people have ALWAYS 'screwed like bunnies'. We need to stop applying our RW sensibilities to this FR issue. It isn't cheating, its just normal human nature, and since they've never had artificial moral codes applied to them, they behave the way humans would behave had they never been weighed-down with all that BS. They simply do not look at these things the way we do - there would be almost zero taboos amongst most FR cultures. For most of them, who you love and who you have physical relations with are two completely separate things. Yes, jealousy does rear its head, because that is also part of human nature, but folks find all sorts of furtive ways to 'get even' (which is also just human nature). The warrior who is 'off on campaign' all the time, wenching and carousing, might actually be stupid enough to believe his loving wife his home pining away for him... but he really should 'do the math' when it comes to his kids.
QUESTION:
And now for a question, because someone mentioned Manshoon: Is/was there anyone ever 'above' Manshoon, pulling the strings (aside from Elminster, of course). In other words, did Manshoon (at any particular time before or after his 'rise') only think he was in-charge, when in fact he was merely dancing to someone else's tune? I am assuming here that this may have changed, for one reason or another (or may still be true, for all we know). |
"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 Jul 2013 00:38:12 |
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Joebing
Learned Scribe
USA
202 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jul 2013 : 17:15:21
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Ed & THO,
Quick questions. Hoping they are not too NDA.
1. Sumbral (from The Whistling Skeleton)...what level was he when he became a lich and where would his lair lie?
2. Are there moving rooms in Candlekeep (a la Stephen King's Rose Red) that appear, disappear, move around?
3. Did the large island NW of the continent of Maztica/Anchorome/etc ever have a name?
4. Does the Underdark connect to the other continents of Faerun under the seas?
5. Are any Janni indigenous to areas such as Zakhara, Raurin, or even Anauroch (pre 4e)? |
Now plugging away on mass conversion to 5e, as well as my imprint J. Halk Games.
http://www.facebook.com/JHalkGames
First adventure on DM Guild: Lair of Elaacrimalicros |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jul 2013 : 18:11:27
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Hello again, all.
Markustay, very well said!!! ("Right on," as the saying popular in my youth had it.)
Joebing, I can make a start at answering...
2. Are there moving rooms in Candlekeep (a la Stephen King's Rose Red) that appear, disappear, move around?
NDA. Sorry.
3. Did the large island NW of the continent of Maztica/Anchorome/etc ever have a name?
Yes. Ed will have to provide it, unless you can reference for me exactly which map you're looking at. Those large islands have had a habit of swimming around...
4. Does the Underdark connect to the other continents of Faerun under the seas?
Emphatic YES.
Ed will, of course, provide better/fuller answers.
love,
THO |
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Joebing
Learned Scribe
USA
202 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jul 2013 : 18:19:59
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
3. Did the large island NW of the continent of Maztica/Anchorome/etc ever have a name?
Yes. Ed will have to provide it, unless you can reference for me exactly which map you're looking at. Those large islands have had a habit of swimming around...
Ed will, of course, provide better/fuller answers.
love,
THO
3rd Edition A scholar's view of Toril, p. 231. Sorry, I meant the one directly west of the same continent, marked as "unknown lands", right above where it says "Western Ocean" |
Now plugging away on mass conversion to 5e, as well as my imprint J. Halk Games.
http://www.facebook.com/JHalkGames
First adventure on DM Guild: Lair of Elaacrimalicros |
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Questions for Ed Greenwood (2013)
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