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Ethriel
Learned Scribe
USA
272 Posts |
 Posted - 22 Jul 2005 : 21:02:02
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Email to: TheHotStudSerpent@Waterdeep.com
Subject: Wizards of the Coast.
Message: make them continue Elaine's novels. Use force if necessary.
*Ahem* Wow, I've got a close name to a moon elf female!....should I be disturbed at all? I mean...moon elf female...
Though is it possible to answer any of the other questions? (On Arilyn/Foxfire and with Azariah's mother...the 'Othello' comment was interesting I thought)
And kinds words? Least I can do for hours of entertainment, Elaine! |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jul 2005 : 04:05:09
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quote:
Originally posted by Ethriel
Though is it possible to answer any of the other questions? (On Arilyn/Foxfire and with Azariah's mother...
Oops! I forgot about the Arilyn/Foxfire question, which is something to which I CAN give a definitive answer. The solstice celebration was an important step in Arilyn's process of figuring out who she was--and from there, what and whom she wanted. So no--there was no lingering affair. She and Foxfire were friends who came together only that once.
I'd still like to write a story about Azariah's mother someday, so I don't want to go there just yet. :) |
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Raelan
Acolyte
USA
49 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jul 2005 : 07:31:41
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quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly RupertI'm one of the 17 who read (and still has!) all of the Spelljammer novels.
Thanks for sharing. I just need three more to report in, and you'll all be accounted for. 
Here's one more. |
"I am convinced that one of these days I will be able to run a regular game that doesn't fall apart due to scheduling conflicts. I am also convinced that, on this day, hell will freeze over." |
Edited by - Raelan on 23 Jul 2005 07:32:36 |
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Alchemist
Acolyte
2 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jul 2005 : 16:30:08
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Ms. Cunningham,
Thank you for all the work you've done. You're a truly fine artist, and have given me hours of pleasant escapism. And don't worry, I'm not going to ask when we might see our favorite characters or be introduced to intriguing new ones. When they come, they'll be brilliant and we will all love them.
However, I would like to ask one thing. Reading through these posts, I see that you are a performer and composer. Are there any professional (or even unprofessional) recordings of either? I think it would be great to read ELFSONG while having Elaine Cunningham playing in the background.
Thanks from this first time poster. |
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jul 2005 : 20:35:57
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| On the subject of fake 'reviews', one of the howlers that gets me is the term 'the reader', which means, of course, 'me'. My experience is the experience of all! What's the clinical name for that delusion? |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jul 2005 : 23:47:52
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quote:
Originally posted by Faraer
On the subject of fake 'reviews', one of the howlers that gets me is the term 'the reader', which means, of course, 'me'. My experience is the experience of all! What's the clinical name for that delusion?
I have a few suggestions, but none of them would get past the filters. |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jul 2005 : 23:58:55
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Hi, Alchemist. Welcome to Candlekeep!
My focus was always music education, and performance was primarily church music. There are a few tapes (I still have a nice cassette that was done at the Saunders Theatre in Cambridge one year when I sang the mezzo solos on a Bach cantata with the Harvard/Radcliff chorus and orchestra) but no professional recordings. One of my larger regrets in life is dropping out of music when I was in my mid-twenties. I haven't sung for years, and I play Celtic harp just for my own enjoyment. For a while I was playing around with a MIDI system, doing arrangements and composing Realms-related pieces, but I haven't done that in ages. So the short answer is, no, I really don't have any music in shareable format. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2005 : 02:06:39
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quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham
There are a few tapes (I still have a nice cassette that was done at the Saunders Theatre in Cambridge one year when I sang the mezzo solos on a Bach cantata with the Harvard/Radcliff chorus and orchestra) but no professional recordings.
That's something I would have liked to experienced first hand -- the cantatas are part of my favorite Bach pieces.
quote:
One of my larger regrets in life is dropping out of music when I was in my mid-twenties. I haven't sung for years, and I play Celtic harp just for my own enjoyment. [...] So the short answer is, no, I really don't have any music in shareable format.
Classical music has always been a part of my life. I don't think I could ever drop out, even if I wanted to.
The quartet I'm a member of (I play the piano) released a CD recording of a live performance we did during our tour of London late last year. It has sold quite well here in Australia, but overseas orders haven't been particularly high. Exposure seems to be the main problem -- London and Jarkata are the only two places we've placed outside Australia.
quote:
For a while I was playing around with a MIDI system, doing arrangements and composing Realms-related pieces, but I haven't done that in ages.
Did you draw from any particular earth-based works to inspire you, or did you create these pieces from scratch? I only ask mainly because I'm curious, but also because I'm working on a project that involves such a topic for Candlekeep...
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 26 Jul 2005 : 01:23:02
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage Did you draw from any particular earth-based works to inspire you, or did you create these pieces from scratch?
I'm not sure what you mean by composing "from scratch." They're not filk-style songs with new words set to familiar melodies, if that's what you mean. The melodies, lyrics, and arrangements are all original.
I don't have time for composition these days, but I do a simple harp arrangement from time to time. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 26 Jul 2005 : 02:26:03
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quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham
I don't have time for composition these days, but I do a simple harp arrangement from time to time.
Supposedly (although I never experienced it myself), the African beganna harp is the hardest harp instrument to play. How you ever tried it?
What type of harp do you use for your compositions?
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 26 Jul 2005 : 12:45:35
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
Supposedly (although I never experienced it myself), the African beganna harp is the hardest harp instrument to play. How you ever tried it?
What type of harp do you use for your compositions?
Nothing so exotic as the beganna. According to Encarta, that's only played by Ethiopian priests and aristocracy. A past-life regression psychic once told me I'd been a Masai warrior in a former life, but I don't think I've ever been to Ethiopia...
I play Celtic harp--more specifically, a Lyon & Healy Folk Harp. |
Edited by - ElaineCunningham on 26 Jul 2005 12:47:49 |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 26 Jul 2005 : 14:18:56
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quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham
Nothing so exotic as the beganna. According to Encarta, that's only played by Ethiopian priests and aristocracy.
The London Symphony Orchestra acquired one as I recall, as did the NYSO -- although they have three.
quote:
A past-life regression psychic once told me I'd been a Masai warrior in a former life, but I don't think I've ever been to Ethiopia...
quote:
I play Celtic harp--more specifically, a Lyon & Healy Folk Harp.
Ah. I personally don't have the patience required for learning to play the harp. The piano is difficult enough  .
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 26 Jul 2005 : 16:06:02
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham
Nothing so exotic as the beganna. According to Encarta, that's only played by Ethiopian priests and aristocracy.
The London Symphony Orchestra acquired one as I recall, as did the NYSO -- although they have three.
Heretics and upstarts, the lot of them.
quote:
I personally don't have the patience required for learning to play the harp. The piano is difficult enough.
I had twelve years of piano lessons way back when, but I haven't played in years. Harp is actually a much better instrument for me, as you don't use your pinkes much. Mine are curved inward, which was extremely problematic for piano.
Perhaps we should return to the Realms and spare the moderators the trouble of admonishing us for this digression.  |
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Crennen FaerieBane
Master of Realmslore
USA
1378 Posts |
Posted - 26 Jul 2005 : 23:24:28
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These past few messages have made clear to me one thing: Those blessed with creativity really get it all. :) Singing, Harp, and completely novels? That's not fair to the rest of us! :)
Keep up the great work, Ms. Cunningham. I am reading Evermeet for the 3rd time. I don't know if anyone's commented on this (though I am sure they have), but great inclusion of the Elven Man-o-War and the Imperial Fleet. Makes me smile everytime I read it.
C-Fb |
Still rockin' the Fey'ri style. |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jul 2005 : 01:20:59
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Thanks, CFB. Readers are actually quite divided on the issue of Spelljamming information in Evermeet. Some liked the addition, others didn't.
::shrugs:: Whaddaya gonna do. Can't please everyone, and other songs from same album.
As for the rest, it's more a matter of interest and training than anything else. I started music lessons when I was seven, and kept going until I earned an undergraduate degree in music education. Writing came later in life, and now it's what I do for work. Again, if you keep at something for hours on end, day after day, eventually you're going to gain a certain degree of facility. The "creative process" is a lot less mysterious than it might appear. |
Edited by - ElaineCunningham on 27 Jul 2005 01:33:17 |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jul 2005 : 02:18:52
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quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham
Perhaps we should return to the Realms and spare the moderators the trouble of admonishing us for this digression.
Bah! I don't have any problem with this current shift in the discussion   .
Kidding aside, I do want to thank you for answering my questions though. It always pleases me to learn about the specific musical talents of some of my favorite writers .
And now, back to the Realmslore...
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Killashandra
Acolyte
South Africa
24 Posts |
Posted - 03 Aug 2005 : 17:13:18
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Hi Elaine! I have a few questions... (wow, you didn't expect that one did you? )
I was going to trawl through all the pages, but I got to about page 7 and gave up, so if these questions have been asked, forgive me. Also, if my grammer and spelling sucks, English is my second language.
1. Are Elaith and <insert Azariah's mother's name here> still togethere or have they split up?
2. Does Elaith know about his son?
3. Does Arylin know about Elaith's son? And by the same token, has she received Danilo's manuscript yet?
If you can't answer any (or all) of those because of cannon concerns, it's cool, but if you don't ask, you'll never know  |
He's not evil, he's just...alternativly aligned.
A Kiwi fruit: Take a hamster, shave it's hair so that only stubble remains, cut off it's head and feet and there you go! |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 04 Aug 2005 : 02:26:27
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quote:
Originally posted by Killashandra
1. Are Elaith and <insert Azariah's mother's name here> still togethere or have they split up?
Azariah's mother has never been named. As for their relationship, Elaine has said that she would like to focus a story on that particular episode of Elaith's life, since we do not know that much.
quote:
2. Does Elaith know about his son?
No. See Elaine's quote below.
quote:
3. Does Arylin know about Elaith's son? And by the same token, has she received Danilo's manuscript yet?
Here's what Elaine said back in April 2004 -
quote:
She hasn't received it yet.
In the Epilogue, Khelben thanked Danilo for sending him the manuscript for review and mentioned that he was sending it to an elven scribe -- and that Danilo shouldn't expect it back any time soon.
Part of the backstory -- stuff not included in the novel -- is an agreement Danilo had with Khelben and with some of the elven contributors that no one would see the manuscript or know of its contents until it received certain approvals. This collection of stories contains several revelations about the Moonflower family that Arilyn will find exceedingly interesting -- for example, it'll be news to her that she has a half-brother. I suspect that when she finally gets the manuscript, she'll be a little unhappy with Dan for holding back this information for so long. But she understands the concept of honoring your word once it's given, and she'll no doubt get over it.
An even more interesting question is how Elaith will react when he learns he has a son -- and than, when he learns that Danilo has been aware of the hidden prince's existence since 1371.
And also -
quote:
Amnestria bore a son in secrecy, and placed him in secure fosterage. Only her brother, Prince Lamruil, and her human husband, Bran Skorlsun, know the identity and the location of this hidden son. Whether or not Elaith learns of his son's identity is completely up to WotC. I've often expressed my interest in writing a book about Elaith, and this would be a likely plot element.
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 05 Aug 2005 : 18:48:27
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Hi, Killashandra. I share your philosophy about questions. As I tell my kids, "If you DON'T ask, the answer is always 'no'..."
And thanks for the cut-and-paste answers, Sage. These still accurately represent the situation. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 06 Aug 2005 : 01:41:39
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quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham
Hi, Killashandra. I share your philosophy about questions. As I tell my kids, "If you DON'T ask, the answer is always 'no'..."
I was always told the answer is "maybe" .
quote:
And thanks for the cut-and-paste answers, Sage. These still accurately represent the situation.
Not a problem EC .
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 06 Aug 2005 : 20:24:22
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So Elaine . . . hypothetically, lets say you get the green light to write an Elaith novel, since that seems perhaps more likely than another Danilo and Arilyn story . . . would said hypothetical story be able to at least give us some more peripheral information on Danilo and Arilyn (for example, if Elaith finds out about his son and the fact that Danilo knows about him).
And I just though of this . . . with all of the questions you fielded over the years about Drizzt and Liriel meeting, I think it might be more interesting for Elaith to run into her, though I wouldn't be holding my breath. |
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ode904
Learned Scribe
Finland
193 Posts |
Posted - 06 Aug 2005 : 22:52:13
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Heh me too. I can imagine it:D!
Liriel + Elaith=?
hmm.. It could be interesting...
But I can guess also it's not going to happen :( |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 06 Aug 2005 : 23:15:37
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quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
So Elaine . . . hypothetically, lets say you get the green light to write an Elaith novel, since that seems perhaps more likely than another Danilo and Arilyn story . . . would said hypothetical story be able to at least give us some more peripheral information on Danilo and Arilyn (for example, if Elaith finds out about his son and the fact that Danilo knows about him).
And I just though of this . . . with all of the questions you fielded over the years about Drizzt and Liriel meeting, I think it might be more interesting for Elaith to run into her, though I wouldn't be holding my breath.
In all candor, I haven't had the time to work out just what a hypothetical Elaith story would entail. Several non-hypothetical projects have been demanding all my time and attention. ;) Besides, I've learned not to put too much time and creative energy into a FR story until I get the go-ahead to write it. As a freelance writer, I can only guess at what else is going on in the Realms, and anything I might come up with is very likely to run contrary to something in the pipeline.
But I can say with absolute certainly that I have no intention whatsoever of ever placing Elaith and Liriel in the same scene.
Heh, what do you know--a definitive answer. :) I know protocol demands a mysterious smile and vague response such as "always in motion, the future is. . . " where possible Realms stories are concerned, but every now and there someone asks a question to which the only possible answer is, "Not in this lifetime." :)
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 07 Aug 2005 : 03:36:59
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| But you have to admit . . . it would be interesting . . . if volitile. Thanks for the answer Elaine. |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 07 Aug 2005 : 12:58:10
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quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
But you have to admit . . . it would be interesting . . . if volitile.
Volatile is a good word, because what happens when I even TRY to contemplate the notion is very similar to certain clandestine chemistry experiments carried out in my long-ago youth. Put two incompatible chemicals in a beaker, and you get a nasty-smelling fog. That describes quite well what happens to my brain when it tries to toss Elaith and Liriel together: a small, extremely dense cloud of mist settles in, obscurring any attempt to observe the details of their meeting. I get the same result when I try to envision Arilyn and Liriel together.
Danilo is the only character who'd get along with just about everyone else. He'd want to take Matteo out drinking to see if he could get him to cut loose some, but other than that... |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 07 Aug 2005 : 16:04:09
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| Of course Danilo already met her . . . so we know what happened there. Sorry for making your brain hurt, lol. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 07 Aug 2005 : 16:46:52
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quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham
Danilo is the only character who'd get along with just about everyone else. He'd want to take Matteo out drinking to see if he could get him to cut loose some, but other than that...
That could be a fun scene... Danilo takes Matteo out, gets him a bit drunk, and then he and Tzigone start having fun with the poor drunk jordaini! |
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Alchemist
Acolyte
2 Posts |
Posted - 13 Aug 2005 : 22:49:50
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Dear Ms. Cunningham,
I apologize for not replying to your response you had for my question about recordings of your music. I was disappointed, but I suppose being a professional musician would sap the joy out of it... and would take you away from your wonderful writing.
I just wanted to drop a line and say that I just received and read Game of Chance in Dragon. I had to smile to myself as the beginning of the story reminded me of my favorite TV show, Las Vegas. As the story unfolded, it couldn’t hold a candle to the one-hour dramedy, but the initial thought got me seeing James Caan as an older Elaith Craulnober. I continued this stream of thought and began to see the Serpent's end as similar to Sonny Corleone's. Obviously not machine guns and a tollbooth, but...
Anyhow, great read! Very interesting twists. Azariah is definitely her father’s daughter.
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Crennen FaerieBane
Master of Realmslore
USA
1378 Posts |
Posted - 18 Aug 2005 : 14:54:39
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Ms. Cunningham,
Just a quick question in regards to Evermeet:
When you refer to the King Killer star are you refering to the actual Spelljammer? The reason I ask is because I know you used Spelljammer references (which I loved) in the book and in the Spelljammer campaign worlds it is known that when the Spelljammer itself actually visits worlds, empires are threatened and nations fall into chaos.. was just wondering if that's what you were going for...
Thanks!!!
C-Fb |
Still rockin' the Fey'ri style. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 18 Aug 2005 : 17:22:01
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quote:
Originally posted by CrennenFaerieBane
Ms. Cunningham,
Just a quick question in regards to Evermeet:
When you refer to the King Killer star are you refering to the actual Spelljammer? The reason I ask is because I know you used Spelljammer references (which I loved) in the book and in the Spelljammer campaign worlds it is known that when the Spelljammer itself actually visits worlds, empires are threatened and nations fall into chaos.. was just wondering if that's what you were going for...
Thanks!!!
C-Fb
While the Spelljammer is big, I doubt it would be the King Killer star. I don't see how the Spelljammer's mere presence in a system can cause planetary chaos, for one thing (being in-system is not the same as actually visiting a world).
Another, more important factor is that mystical properties are attached to actual stars and celestial bodies -- not temporary, sporadic interlopers.
At least, that's my thinking. |
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Questions for Elaine Cunningham
Topic Locked
