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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
 Posted - 09 Nov 2004 : 22:15:00
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Hello, all. Ed makes another reply:
Torkwaret, Steven’s already dealt admirably with your first question; of COURSE you can still have baneliches around if you’d like to use them in your campaign.
Here are some banelich names from my notes: Clarth Hornhaeld, Khorvan Jaeleth, Harlrhys Moksoun, Haursar Rhallowglas, and Laumbur Yuthlekh.
As for burnbones, to quote the rules: “The early days of the Banedeath did not go well for Cyric, the (then) new god of the dead, and many of his fledgling clerics were slaughtered at the hands of powerful Banites. Cyric soon after empowered select members of his clerical faithful with a portion of his power -- so much power, in fact, that these clerics’ mortal forms dissolved into nothing more than mere bones and the fiery power of the Dark Sun. These new undead, burnbones, are similar to the blazing bones found in the ruins of Myth Drannor in appearance, but that is where the similarity ends. Burnbones tend to wear the symbol of Cyric on themselves (as a holy symbol, for instance) as a sign of their devotion.”
In other words, they’re paranoid, fanatical worshippers of Cyric who appear as walking skeletons sheathed in everburning flames. They do fiery damage by their touch, and heat damage to all creatures within ten feet (the flames never consume their bones, and they’re a lot more powerful than skeletons). They retain the spellcasting abilities (but no actual casting needed; they just point a finger and the spell issues forth) they had in life (as priests of Cyric of 12th or greater level). Cast spells return in 24 hours, spells can’t be interrupted, and they can cast a spell with one hand and attack with the other in any given round. Curing spells harm them. Burnbones are detailed in the 2nd Edition D&D Realms boxed set TSR1120 Ruins of Zhentil Keep (the cover of the box shows three adventurers confronting a burnbones).
Cyric controls them personally if he desires, so there’s no need to hunt down these rules; make their specifics whatever you want them to be, and blame the result on Cyric’s presence.
So saith Ed. We Knights never faced a burnbones, but we did tangle with more than one blazing bones. Not nice creatures. REALLY not nice creatures.
love to all,
THO
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Torkwaret
Seeker
Poland
82 Posts |
Posted - 09 Nov 2004 : 23:33:02
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Thank you o wizened sage Ed and you o fair Lady Hooded One for this very helpful answer !
Yet I have one more very short question - Dear Ed do you know of any demon lords connected with the Demonlands and Impiltur ??
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...Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin... |
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Karth
Seeker
USA
81 Posts |
Posted - 10 Nov 2004 : 07:50:39
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quote:
Ed sez... I still rock, eh? Good to know. :}
Hey man: I'm here to help... ;)
quote:
Seriously, you’re welcome. I love doing this, as you might well have guessed by now. As for the street keys, some I can share, some I can’t (I shared the key to Marsember here already, for example
For which: many thanks. I am making good use of it now in service to a group of players, @1367 DR, on a Vangy-sanctioned hunt for a drug-dealing Maskaran priest, who is also a field agent of the Arcane, out of Luskan. It promises to be a rather colorful wade through the slime, no small thanks to you and yours... ;)
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Enough so a DM can ‘wing it’ if players send their characters into a city.
Exactamundo, as a wise and just man once said. That is precisely what is needed. It is a shame that stat blocks are more prevalent than solid Realmslore, of late, in Wizards products.
Yes, I know all the well-framed 'commerce' arguments. Just affably bitching up the chain of command, as it were. I am heartily glad that we have your kind and generous aid here, to offset what is NOT getting officially published. You are a treasure, Ed. Thanks...
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However, it looks like it’s going to take me years to nail down such coverage in print. So I’m glad you’re a patient waiter. :}
“Patient waiter, I’ll have what the gentleman over there is having . . . elf maiden covered in fresh cream, isn’t it?”
You're a man of simple but admirable pleasures, sir...
I will indeed wait patiently. If you require a suggestion to get things a-rolling: Loudwater. Yes, I have the Volo's guide and other existing canon stuff, so we can assume that. Thing is: it's amazing how often my players end up there, in ones and twos. I'd love to read what you have on it. In addition to streets and the other basic 'wing it' stuff: what do you see as the timeline of Zhent infiltration there through the 1360's and 70's and what are the Harpers, Lords Alliance, locals and foreign 'grey societies' (like the Shadow Thieves or Kraken Soc.) doing to oppose or help them?
Hooded One: *tugs leash firmly* I am not so bold as to suggest I can accomodate your imaginary two hours, as such. However, non-stop serial events over that time-frame can be arranged, if you think you can remain conscious that long...  
Ah, but you seem to be acquiring a new line of admirers far beyond the scope of poor Wooly, Sirius and myself. I wouldn't want to unduly distract you from your burgeoning legend-in-the-making... 
Thanks as always, dear lady.
Cheers,
-Karth
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 10 Nov 2004 : 09:26:16
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Shall the hallowed halls of Candlekeep be reduced to naught more than a festhall?
[::sigh::] This modern generation has no respect for simple dignities.  |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 10 Nov 2004 : 14:42:16
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Ahem, Bookwyrm, what is this talk of brothXXX festhalls? I accept no coin, and thus . . . well, anyway . . .
Karth, I believe Loudwater is under heavy NDA protection at the present time because of the RPGA (Green Regent). Are there any scribes reading this who can enlighten me on this, one way or the other? I’m not a member and never have been, but Ed’s a Charter Lifetime member, and although he regards Ian Richards (current RPGA head) as a friend, I also know he’s out of touch with the current RPGA program.
Me, I miss his diabolical chuckles as he penned yet another silly cert that he knew would drive HQ nuts (“A cert that forces Azoun to trade his armor and swords for yours on sight, because you hold the Ancient Acorn of Thargoth? What the @#$#%^^$&! was Ed DRINKING?”). :}
Ah, those were the days.
love to all,
THO
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 10 Nov 2004 : 15:06:43
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Hello, all. This just in! I bring a reply from Ed to kuje regarding Larloch:
It’s certainly true that the 3e philosophy is that PCs can do (or at least attempt) everything. However, this reminds me of the old “I killed the god!” and “Our party wiped out the dragon in two rounds, no problem!” 1st edition arguments. Plus ca change . . .
Hunting Larloch could make the basis for a fascinating high-level campaign, but the DM must run it as if Larloch is amused by the PC attempts, and thus doesn’t swat them (much) the moment they begin trying, or it’ll be a very SHORT campaign (“You attack Larloch? Okay. WHAM. Right, everyone roll up new characters . . .”).
In the same way as too many PC dragonslayings depend upon the dragon being played as a dumb brute, it’s highly unlikely that any PC party will have the sheer power to take down Larloch - - and in any war of attrition against his many, many liches and modified powerful undead minions (forty blazing bones over here, a demi-lich over there, various hulking gigantic undead concoted of many battle dead yonder,deceptions galore ("That wasn't Larloch, that was your KING enspelled to look like Larloch! NOW you're in trouble!"), traps that release disease, poisoned this, poisoned that [like, ahem, the PCs’ drinking water] etc. etc.), a party of PCs would have to be stupid indeed not to figure out that destroying Larloch just isn’t worth the effort.
Like most gods in most situations, Larloch doesn’t NEED to stand and fight when it’s not to his advantage. Like gods, he doesn’t need to sleep, and most PCs do. So he’ll just have his minions harry them until they're stumbling-exhausted, and then throw MORE minions at them. Larloch isn’t insane or stupid enough to need to show up in person to gloat; subtly controlling things from afar is what he DOES, and enjoys. So PCs can expect to find themselves attacked by civil authorities in whatever realm they’re in, and then brigands, and then a few guilds, never being allowed to sleep without yet another undead attack - - and even zombies and skeletons can wear you down when they come in waves, dozens daily, for day after night after month.
And if the PCs DO win their ways through all the liches to Larloch, “he” will almost certainly be just another lich (loaded with explosive spells) set up as a decoy, with dozens of hidden liches waiting to pounce on any surviving PCs who ‘celebrate’ after they take Larloch down. As the REAL Larloch watches (magical scrying) from afar.
Myself, as DM, I’d be wondering: “Such a glorious game, so many opportunities laid out before your PCs to devote your time to, and THIS fixation is the best you can come up with? Are you SURE you’re adventurers?” :}
So saith Ed. I take the view that if a DM tells you that a city your PCs are visiting is surrounded by a ring of hills, it requires a lot of PC insanity to try to destroy the hills “just because they’re there.” Consider Larloch a hill, part of the furniture of the Realms Ed has presented to you, not a target. Sounds like the very worst sort of power-gaming to me, and although we all need an outlet to just SMASH something once in a while, I’d hesitate to call this approach “roleplaying.”
love to all,
THO
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 10 Nov 2004 : 16:26:29
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| Thanks Ed. :) |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 11 Nov 2004 : 16:25:21
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Dargoth, some months ago (on Page 44 of this thread) you asked about the locations of some artifacts in the Realms.
I’ve found my old notes, and can enlighten you somewhat (I doubt Ed will, because he wants such things to either be widely-known “temple treasures” or surprises for a PC party):
In the city of Waterdeep, there’s a deck of many things hidden behind a loose stone somewhere in the older, deeper chambers of Castle Waterdeep (don’t ask how we found THIS out).
There’s a Staff of the Magi ‘hidden’ as one of the four posts of a canopied four-poster bed in Alustriel’s guest bedchamber in her palace in Silverymoon. There’s another Staff of the Magi somewhere on a rooftop in Suzail (dropped there during an aerial night battle above the central streets south of the Promenade). And somewhere in the Ghost Holds, on the finger of an undead skeleton that can’t operate it, there’s a ring (finger-ring) that can make the user blink and emit a flame blade, and summon (teleport) yet another Staff of the Magi from an unknown elsewhere to the ring-wearer’s hand.
I know this was a long time coming, but I hope it’s of help.
THO
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 11 Nov 2004 : 16:47:55
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
In the city of Waterdeep, there’s a deck of many things hidden behind a loose stone somewhere in the older, deeper chambers of Castle Waterdeep (don’t ask how we found THIS out).
And what card did your character draw, dear Lady Hooded One?  |
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lordhobie
Acolyte
USA
10 Posts |
Posted - 11 Nov 2004 : 22:16:32
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Ed,
Well met - a quick question regarding characters you create for tournament modules and so forth (e.g., Ravvas, Autamma, Rindal, et al., from "Into the Forgotten Realms" in Dragon #95):
Do you create these characters 'from whole cloth,' as it were, or are they figures from the campaign in a larger sense; i.e., do these characters, or their heirs, influence the Realms in the 'modern day?'
Thanks to Ed and THO!
Lord Hobie |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 11 Nov 2004 : 23:06:36
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Dargoth, some months ago (on Page 44 of this thread) you asked about the locations of some artifacts in the Realms.
I’ve found my old notes, and can enlighten you somewhat (I doubt Ed will, because he wants such things to either be widely-known “temple treasures” or surprises for a PC party):
In the city of Waterdeep, there’s a deck of many things hidden behind a loose stone somewhere in the older, deeper chambers of Castle Waterdeep (don’t ask how we found THIS out).
There’s a Staff of the Magi ‘hidden’ as one of the four posts of a canopied four-poster bed in Alustriel’s guest bedchamber in her palace in Silverymoon. There’s another Staff of the Magi somewhere on a rooftop in Suzail (dropped there during an aerial night battle above the central streets south of the Promenade). And somewhere in the Ghost Holds, on the finger of an undead skeleton that can’t operate it, there’s a ring (finger-ring) that can make the user blink and emit a flame blade, and summon (teleport) yet another Staff of the Magi from an unknown elsewhere to the ring-wearer’s hand.
I know this was a long time coming, but I hope it’s of help.
THO
Ah thanks Hooded one
*chuckle*
I think there may even be a couple of questions even older than that one I remember asking Ed a question back in April/May about various FR religions views on different social issues (I recall it was one of my more large requests so he may not have had the time to answer it yet)
Now if we could only clone Ed 6 or 7 times!
Anyone know any Kaminoans?
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“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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The Blind Ranger
Acolyte
USA
15 Posts |
Posted - 11 Nov 2004 : 23:26:45
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Hmm, that's interesting, Dargoth, then we'd have thousands upon thousands of Stormtroopers spinning volumes of Realmslore!
I wonder what the Emperor would think?
Ever grinning,
The Blind Ranger |
I see what I need when my sight is not enough. |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 11 Nov 2004 : 23:35:03
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quote:
Originally posted by The Blind Ranger
Hmm, that's interesting, Dargoth, then we'd have thousands upon thousands of Stormtroopers spinning volumes of Realmslore!
I wonder what the Emperor would think?
Ever grinning,
The Blind Ranger
Dont you mean thousands upon thousands of Manshoons |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 12 Nov 2004 : 20:35:48
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Hello, all. Ed doth make reply to lordhobie:
Hi. Over the years (and various game editions), I’ve created bands of tournament PCs from whole cloth, originally to tailor their levels to the adventure challenges, and thereafter because many players return to GenCon after GenCon (to give just one example) to play in my events year after year, and like to ‘pick up’ their favourite characters. Many, many people have played the parts of members of the Baron’s Blades band (personal bodyguard of Baron Uldonner Erendin, the Baron of Hawkhill in northeasternmost, mountainous rural Amn [no, you won’t find Hawkhill on any Realms map) more than once, unfolding such puzzles as “Spellstorm” and “Lord Ravelstan’s Left Nostril.”
As they clearly enjoy running ‘the next episode’ in the exploits of these characters, I’ve been careful to stick to characters I use just for tournament play, so as to keep them ‘unencumbered.’
So saith Ed. Ah, yes, the gruff, lecherous old Baron (all bluster and walrus moustache and great big goblets of highly-fortified wine) and his frighteningly beautiful, and even more frighteningly capable, daughter . . .
Now, THEY should be in a television series. Move over, Addams Family.
THO
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 13 Nov 2004 : 14:56:35
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I have a question for the Hooded Lady. No, not about leashes. :}
How does Ed Greenwood choose what projects to write? And who decides the plot of one of his novels? |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 13 Nov 2004 : 15:20:35
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As it happens, Blueblade, I’ve just been e-talking to Ed about pretty much this very thing, so I can give you a swift answer.
Ed has a long, long list of ideas: stories he’d like to tell, interesting questions (“What if the Simbul and Alustriel went after the same guy to be their lover? And he was being manipulated by Shar?”), and topics about the Realms or Aglirta that he knows have been neglected thus far.
However, Ed makes his living writing, these days. Which means he has to sell what he writes. So editors, who buy writing, really make most of the decisions. Ed is in the category of bestselling writers who seldom, if ever, have to write something ‘on spec’ and then try to sell it; he’s almost always accepting an assignment from someone (who tells him length, deadline, tone [for kids/adult, humourous/serious, etc.] and content [put these characters together here, and there has to, ahem, be a cucumber in the story], and only then writing the tale.
When it comes to the Realms, Ed has a large amount of input in discussing what should go into stories, and after an editor approves an outline, is pretty much left alone to tell the story himself. If the result isn’t what the editor wanted, the editor will demand a rewrite, sometimes several, and then of course (because Realms writing is “work-for-hire”) can change literally every line after Ed turns it in. Some Realms writers get heavily line-edited, and some get off lightly. Ed’s in the latter group because he’s a good writer, has a professional attitude (if asked to change something, he usually does without argument), is the world’s reigning expert on the Realms (so it’s hard for an editor to tell him with a straight face that, just to invent some examples, he’s presented Azoun IV wrongly, or misunderstood the nature of nobles in Waterdeep), and by now knows pretty much what WotC editors are looking for, and so delivers it (self-censors, if you will).
So deciding on the plot of a novel begins with: “Hey, Ed, how’d you like to write a novel about X? With Y and Z showing up in it? We need it to . . .”
Ed then replies, “Okay, but remember that X is currently A, so do you want this to be light and humorous? Should Y and Z be . . .”
There’s brief discussion, Ed promises to whip up an outline and send it, the editor suggests changes, agreement is reached, and Ed goes to work. When the editor reads the first draft, they’ll point out plot holes and confusing passages, AND say, “I was looking for more pathos (or whatever) in Chapter Q, so could you . . .?” Out of that comes the second draft, or sometimes just a few-paragraphs e-mailed ‘tweak’ of Chapter Q, and the latest masterpiece is done.
BRW, Ed rarely has less than four novels (and/or major gaming products) on the go at once.
So there you have it. love to all,
THO
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 14 Nov 2004 : 18:54:30
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Thanks, Hooded Lady. Okay, here’s another quick one: if two of these mysterious editors e-mail or call and leave messages for Ed on the same day, so he comes home and reads or hears them both more or less together, and they both want him to write something now, or first, or for the same deadline, what would he pick?
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 14 Nov 2004 : 19:12:11
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A good question, Blueblade. I was on the line with Ed when you posted, so here like lightning is his reply:
Every busy person has to deal with lots of tasks and make up priorities, whether they sit down and do it consciously, or admit it, or not. Writers are no different. I usually have about a dozen projects on the go at once, in some sense or another (even if it’s just ideas jotted down that I’ll do more with ‘in an idle moment,’ whatever THAT is), so I very much have to prioritize.
For me, what I’ve promised trumps all. I’m only as good as my word, and if I’ve made a firm promise, formal contract or not, I do everything I can to fulfill it. That’s good business sense as well as my personal creed; there’s no worse pariah in publishing than an author who NEVER makes deadlines. (They call them “DEADlines” for a reason. :} )
Leaving that aside, here’s how I choose.
Realms first. My first love, my greatest creation, the baby I’ve put thirty-seven years of work into thus far, my headspace HOME.
Second, what friends ask me to do. I value my friends, and will drop everything if I can to help out a friend. Yes, it wins brownie points, but that’s not why I do it. I do it because it makes me feel good, like keeping my word, and I don’t want to do writing/designing at all if it’s not going to make me feel good.
Third, something new. A challenge. A very short deadline or a confined format or style are my least favourite challenges, but they make the list. The challenges I love are interesting topics.
Four, everything else. Drafting a constitution for a local ratepayers’ association. Crafting legal agreements and policy statements for a local library board. The necessary but unexciting donkeywork.
And that’s it for me. Pretty simple.
Now, Blueblade, if you were trying to slyly find out what I’m working on right now, halfway through November 2004, my reply must be: four novels and the planning of three more, articles for magazines, columns for websites, eight short stories, three gaming sourcebooks, and two projects that must remain mysterious as of this writing. Plus procedural rules for meetings for that ratepayers’ association, and some “here’s something interesting at your library” columns for a local newspaper. Plus my annual Christmas story to be read aloud at a library in another town, and the annual Spin A Yarn frolic for the WotC website. Oh, and some ticklish correspondence, too. Plus dust-jacket blurbs for books by other writers.
I’m also reviewing two Realms novels right now, and will be writing suggestions/don’t-forget-this notations very soon.
So saith Ed. It’s been said before just how blamed BUSY the man is, and this just demonstrates it again.
love to all,
THO
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RevJest
Learned Scribe
USA
115 Posts |
Posted - 14 Nov 2004 : 19:53:32
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| I wonder what Ed finds more difficult: Remembering Realms lore, or remembering the details of all the non-disclosure agreements he's had to sign? |
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 15 Nov 2004 : 01:25:06
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
I’m also reviewing two Realms novels right now, and will be writing suggestions/don’t-forget-this notations very soon.
Which two?
SB who has to try. |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 15 Nov 2004 : 16:37:32
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Nobly tried, SB.
Ed would say only this:
Well, Sirius, one of them is in your poll, and one isn’t. Both are by staffers or ex-staffers of TSR and WotC, both are largely set in the Heartlands, and both (from what I’ve seen thus far) should be very good reads.
So saith Ed. About whom * I * now know a ‘book secret’ that I’m not going to breathe a word about, yet. Heeheehee (ah, such a mature and urbane reaction; SB, tug my leash, will you? I’m sure Wooly won’t mind, as long as he gets to watch )
love to all,
THO
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 15 Nov 2004 : 20:24:25
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Nobly tried, SB.
Ed would say only this:
SB bows. Simple and to the point is sometimes best. I'm pleasantly surprised to get a reply. Thank you to EG and yourself.
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Well, Sirius, one of them is in your poll, and one isn’t.
What's that line, curiouser and curiouser?
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Both are by staffers or ex-staffers of TSR and WotC,
Good
quote:
both are largely set in the Heartlands, and both (from what I’ve seen thus far) should be very good reads.
Oh, even better. I love the Heartlands.
quote:
So saith Ed. About whom * I * now know a ‘book secret’ that I’m not going to breathe a word about, yet.
Sigh, and here I thought I was done with teasers after dealing with certain entities for the AACR, Chapter 7. 
quote:
[Heeheehee (ah, such a mature and urbane reaction; SB, tug my leash, will you? I’m sure Wooly won’t mind, as long as he gets to watch )
WR a voyeur? No, I would never have guessed.
quote:
love to all,
THO
Happiness until next met,
SB |
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 16 Nov 2004 : 14:52:20
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Another question for Ed:
This Castlemorn setting you wrote, that still hasn't been published yet but will be.
How easy will it be for me to fit it into the Realms? |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 16 Nov 2004 : 15:26:56
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Hello, all. Blueblade, Ed doth make reply:
Yes, Castlemorn WILL be published (as at least the root sourcebook; as for the rest of the planned product line, we’ll have to see). Think of a long, lumpy potato, surrounded by so-called impenetrable mountains (where many monsters and outlaws dwell) along one side (say, the ‘north’ side). The south side of the potato is a seacoast, and the potato itself is an array of many fascinating kingdoms. The seacoast looks out onto a saltwater bay, created by an arc of breakwater islands, and enclosing a mysterious island shrouded in legends and studded with ruins. The seas outside are ‘trackless,’ and to east and west are cloaked in everpresent mists, strewn with dangerous shoals, and said to contain a city of wizards and some other perils. No sailor can reliably go there and return.
So Castlemorn would work well as part of a continent of Toril distant from Faerun and isolated from it (except by, say, portals). There are differences in the deities, but it’s not as if the Realms hasn’t seen THAT before. :}
Myself, I think the sourcebook (or ANY single tome) is too small to provide the level of detail we’ve managed to build into the published Realms over twenty-five years, so I’m hoping you’ll buy truckloads of the first book so we can do more.
So saith Ed. Who surpriseth me not.
love to all,
THO
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The Blind Ranger
Acolyte
USA
15 Posts |
Posted - 16 Nov 2004 : 17:36:10
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Good Master Greenwood, would you be ever so kind as to poke a hole in the balloon of my stubbornness and let the air of understanding eek out (how's that for allegory?!)...
What sorts of fruit are grown where in Faerûn? I'm mostly interested in the Sword Coast and the North if it helps you to narrow your answer down without devoting over much attention to it (as I know there are many of us vying for your answers here).
Also, is there any significance to Elminster's sigil that you could enlighten us about?
Ever an ally of the Realms,
The Blind Ranger |
I see what I need when my sight is not enough. |
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Baalster
Acolyte
19 Posts |
Posted - 16 Nov 2004 : 20:14:04
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As a followup to my previous question about the Knights of the North, and with reference to THO's previous response that the area is "crawling with Harpers", would it be ok to assume that the Knights would have gained followers, who also could have ended up Knights themselves?
The current (or at least that's what the books says) members are:
* 7th level cavalier Esterelve
* 12 level magic-user Ildil
* 10 level fighter Jhesentel Fyretalen, noted as having weapon specialization in long bow and bastard sword
* 9 level cleric of Tymora Heldel Thasstan
* 11 level magic-user "Zeldar" Zhuirentel Laughingwater, moon elven female
* 9 male human fighters level 4 or less.
Surely their noble cause would attract followers that can match these in both skills and abilities. Thoughts ?
As usual I am devouring the contents of this thread and enjoying every little bit of it. My thanks to the contributors to this thread. I am sure I have the highest frequency of taps on the Refresh button here ...
Baalster
of Whitehorn
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The North is indeed as they say in the Vilhon Reach - a land of "hard, brutal men in leather and furs who swing overhasty swords." |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2004 : 14:47:00
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I have a question for The Blind Ranger, relayed from Ed:
. . . “significance” of El’s sigil how? Magical powers? What his being a Chosen does to it? Or is this “why does it take the form it does/is shaped the way it is”?
And (the Big One :}) which sigil? Elminster has two.
BR? Thanks!
love to all,
THO
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The Blind Ranger
Acolyte
USA
15 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2004 : 18:01:27
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Well blow me down!
Let's start with "What being a Chosen does to it?", and "Why does it take the form it does/is shaped the way it is?" etc :)
And then so far as the "big one" is concerned -- I must be blind *snicker* -- I don't think I've been lucky enough to see anything other than the one printed on pg. 4 of the FRCS, how 'bout that one?
Once again, much obliged,
The Blind Ranger |
I see what I need when my sight is not enough. |
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Foxhelm
Senior Scribe
Canada
592 Posts |
Posted - 18 Nov 2004 : 11:32:34
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I have a couple of quick questions.
1)Have you every added or altered things in the realms in connection to new evidence in history/legend in this world?
2)If you could travel to the realms (With instant knowledge of one realm language and writting at least, and common knowledge) and you can take only what you could gather from your house...What would you take? Also what would you do once in the realms?
Thanks and I hope I haven't taken up your time. |
Ed Greenwood! The Solution... and Cause of all the Realms Problems! |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 18 Nov 2004 : 15:39:17
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Hello, all. Blind Ranger, Ed tells me the fruit answer is going to take a few days. As for the Elminster’s sigil, his words to thee are thus:
Okay, let’s forget I mentioned two sigils for now, all right? Not because I want to keep secrets, but because transmitting a drawing of ‘the other one’ isn’t going to be easy for me right now, and because it’s a LONG story. I’ll tell it, some day - - just not now.
So we’re left with the crescent moon, horns uppermost, and an oval floating in the ‘bowl’ created by those horns. This is the second sigil Elminster adopted (again, the why is very much part of that long story I referred to; the very short version is that he took this one because Mystra asked him to), he designed it himself, and he chose the crescent moon to echo the symbol of the Harpers (which he’d also designed, earlier) and because it also echoes the sigil of the Srinshee, his first teacher of magic in Myth Drannor, of whom he is very fond. The oval within the crescent symbolizes the ‘Great Watching Eye’ of Mystra, which was one of her favourite manifestations (a semi-tangible form in which she appeared to mortals: a giant floating eye that faded in and out of visibility/prime material plane “existence” and that could vary in apparent size from about nine feet across to about ninety feet across) at that time. (This is of course ‘the first’ Mystra, Elminster’s lover, not her replacement Midnight/Ariel Manx.) Elminster wanted a simple, easily-drawn sigil that pleased his eye, and that meant sweeping elven curves rather than any angular or ‘crossing strokes’ designs.
Thanks to some work Azuth did with Mystra, all of the Chosen of Mystra can use their sigils in some ways that the sigils of ‘just plain wizards’ won’t function unless their ‘owners’ find or create special spells to imbue their sigils with such powers. Such mortals would have to cast one such spell to ‘empower’ each drawn sigil with a particular ability, whereas the Chosen can automatically use the functions I outline below on any drawing THEY HAVE PERSONALLY MADE of their own sigil, no matter where it is in Toril (or rather, Realmspace: in other words, these powers only function when the sigil is in contact with the Weave). These aren’t all of the uses of a sigil, they are merely those Mystra has revealed to her Chosen thus far.
It should be noted that many of the Chosen strongly suspect that Mystra and Azuth can both use their sigils for much greater magical purposes (sending healing through them into the bodies of someone touching such a sigil, sending spells through these sigils into the minds of creatures touching them, either to affect the creature or for the creature to cast as if they had themselves memorized it, and so on). This would explain instances of devout worshippers or servants of Mystra or Azuth touching a sigil in personal emergencies and being healed, rendered invisible or gaseous, enabled to fly, teleported elsewhere, and so on. The deities (but not their Chosen) are also believed to be able to temporarily reshape sigils into writing, so as to send short (or slow, a few words at a time) messages.
As any Chosen of Mystra can, Elminster can use his sigil as a spell focus in the following ways.
Any of his sigils, no matter where the surface (page of a book, tile, or whatever) on which he drew it has been moved (even without his knowledge), are to be considered a known, familiar locale to him for the purposes of his casting clairaudience/clairvoyance ‘through’ the sigil (it becomes the magical sensor of the magic, regardless of distance from him at the time). Such a sigil is also considered a “very familiar” locale, regardless of where it may have been moved to, for the purposes of determining the success of a teleport or teleport object spell.
In the same ‘regardless of distance’ manner, any of his sigils can function as the source (as if the sigil was the caster) for the spells: arcane eye, message, and silent image (remains stationary, anchored at sigil). The arcane eye can move about in the usual manner, or (more often used by Chosen) the sigil itself can function as the sensor.
A sigil drawn directly over the arcane mark placed by another being doesn’t obliberate that mark, but causes it to completely cease functioning until the sigil is removed (this can have implications for the function of a Drawmij’s instant summons or other magics cast by the being who placed the arcane mark).
At will, without casting a spell, a Chosen can cause any of his or her personally-drawn sigils to glow (akin in all respects to a faerie fire spell, with hue and intensity of light governed by the Chosen; the light can be made to pulse or wink in silent communication - - “Two means yes? One means no?”), and this function can work simultaenously with a spell (for example, clairaudience/clairvoyance used by the Chosen). The Chosen can instead cause a sigil to emit a continual flame (cancelling it by will at any time), but this power, though it can ignite things, apparently can’t be made to change colour or pulse.
So saith Ed, who’s just explained quite a few ‘mysterious’ happenings we Knights observed down the years. Hmmm.
love to all,
THO
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Edited by - The Hooded One on 18 Nov 2004 15:51:56 |
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Questions for Ed Greenwood (2004)
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