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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 09 Mar 2015 : 23:25:14
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And hello to everyone once more! xaeyruudh, Karen did her maps from Ed's originals, which used triangles for settlements: little tiny ones for hamlets, larger ones for towns, big ones for cities, and multiple ones (overlapping, so they look like a cluster of towers) for very large and important cities. Capitols of important realms also got the cluster symbol...so Sheirtalar got one for that reason. Which Ms. Fonstad dutifully picked up on. Conundrum solved. love, THO P.S. I understand that some scribes will think Sheirtalar isn't populous enough to warrant the symbol. Please bear in mind that all sorts of designers over the years have altered population figures apparently on whims, without ever consulting Ed about it. Sometimes apparently without even reading the printed canon words of Ed about, say, Waterdeep and its seasonal shifts in population. (According to Ed, Sheirtalar had a population of 77,000 to 79,000 for most of the 1360s DR. And stood amid a populous hinterland.) |
Edited by - The Hooded One on 09 Mar 2015 23:29:57 |
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xaeyruudh
Master of Realmslore
USA
1853 Posts |
Posted - 10 Mar 2015 : 00:49:25
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Thank you, thank you!
I wondered about the symbol maybe representing capitals, but it's rarely used and virtually no other capitals have it... Suzail, Skuld, Alaghon, Ordulin... all just the usual city symbol. No biggie, I'm not complaining. I have lofty ambitions of working on a new electronic/globe atlas when I get a new computer, but I'll need to invest in SageTime infrastructure for my To Do list first.
Thanks also for the 1360s population numbers for Sheirtalar!
There's a small collection of places which appear on the inside-cover map of Cormyr in the 2e Cormyr book (#9410) which I haven't seen on other maps (other than a very similar map on page 26 of Marco Volo: Journey) and I'm wondering if these were the author's inventions or if he got them from Ed. Apologies if this has been asked before; I seem to recall that it might even have been me who touched on this previously.
Black Mountain (High Dale - Hooknose Crag vicinity) -- A "Black Peak" is referenced in Dwarves Deep, located in the same place, and I'll take that source as overriding the Cormyr book since Ed wrote it. Valley of Broken Sky (Storm Horns, east of Eagle Peak) Cave of Wickedness (Storm Horns, near Castle Kilgrave) Chala's Mine (northern Storm Horns, perhaps facing the High Moors?) Chonis' Temple (Storm Horns, east of Eagle Peak) Crevasse of Lost Fortune (Storm Horns, west of Suzail) Valley of Crushed Bones (Thunder Peaks, north of Thunder Gap, west of Lake Sember) Temple of Eternal Death (Storm Horns, south of Skull Crag) Lightning Peak (Storm Horns, south of High Horn, near the High Road) Mine of Cursed Gold (Storm Horns, west of Skull Crag) Shore of Sorrow (Storm Horns, overlooking the Farsea Marshes) Spotter's Peak (Storm Horns, near Castle Crag) Tempest Valley (Storm Horns, due north of Eveningstar) Twin Peaks of Urlspur (Thunder Peaks, overlooking the Moonsea Ride) Warm Waterfall (Storm Horns, north of the High Road between Tyrluk and Eveningstar)
Not asking for a rundown of all of them at once, of course! I think maybe just a yes/no about whether Ed has more info on each of them, and then we scribes can ask about them individually as curiosity strikes us. I know I'm curious about the Lost Fortune. |
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 10 Mar 2015 : 01:57:30
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Tempest Valley, Chala's Mine, and the Warm Waterfall are three I'm definitely interested in. Nice catch on these by the way Xaeyruudh, something I definitely missed. ;) |
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 10 Mar 2015 : 02:37:29
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quote: Originally posted by The Hooded One
And hi again. Artemas, so far as I know, TSR never discussed an Al-Qadim novel line with Ed. I do recall Jeff Grubb saying that setting was planned as a limited-run sub-line, then extended when it proved very popular in Europe, so it might have been planned with too short a "window" for a novel line. Just guessing on that, though. love, THO
Thanks! I loved Al-Qadim and would really have enjoyed some novels set in the region. My fingers will always be crossed. |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
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Edited by - Artemas Entreri on 10 Mar 2015 02:39:36 |
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 10 Mar 2015 : 02:40:58
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quote: Originally posted by xaeyruudh
Thanks also for the 1360s population numbers for Sheirtalar!
Ditto! |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
Amazon "KindleUnlimited" Free Trial: http://amzn.to/2AJ4yD2
Try Audible and Get 2 Free Audio Books! https://amzn.to/2IgBede |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 10 Mar 2015 : 13:57:36
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You're welcome. According to Ed, Sheirtalar (a place of slender towers, most 5-6 storeys high, and white-walled [stucco] buildings, with many awnings, some of them stretching across streets to provide plentiful shade) became more and more crowded throughout the 1360s, and diseases started to spread. Several gangs of wealthy officials and merchants started poisoning each other, rumor linked these deaths to the diseases, and wealthy citizens decided to decamp to build their own compounds in the surrounding countryside of Lapaliiya (of which Sheirtalar is the capitol). Their servants and many of their clients followed them, dispersing a lot of the city's population into Lapaliiya around the city (many to the northeast because streams were more plentiful there and several aging farmers were happy to sell their farms and retire rich). They serviced Sheirtalar from their new country homes, hence the city's population dropping to 52,135 by the time of Serpent Kingdoms. Hope this little lord tidbits makes things clearer. love to all, THO |
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Eltheron
Senior Scribe
740 Posts |
Posted - 10 Mar 2015 : 21:00:48
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My brother's developing a druidic-ranger type character who is also something of an herbalist and foodie. So this question is for him, as he doesn't have an account here.
In the various regions of the Dalelands, do we know much about the available root vegetables, edible fungi, and cooking herbs that could be collected with relative ease (in nature, or cultivated easily) by a commoner human or elf (not imported or brought in by merchants)? We do have some lore on the Underdark edibles, but he was curious about what's available on the topside.
Thanks in advance, THO and Ed, or anyone who could point me to an info page.
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"The very best possible post-fourteenth-century Realms lets down those who love the specific, detailed social, political and magical situation, with its thousands of characters, developed over forty years, and want to learn more about it; and those who'd be open to a new one with equal depth, which there just isn't time to re-produce; and those repelled, some past the point of no return, by the bad-taste-and-plausibility gap of things done to the world when its guardianship was less careful." --Faraer |
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Marco Volo
Learned Scribe
France
204 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2015 : 08:50:28
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Well met to you all,
I was wandering if Ed could share with us some lore about Dragon Coast climate and weather.
Thanks Ed, THO and Candlekeep, the Realms-place to be.
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Xnella Moonblade-Thann
Learned Scribe
USA
234 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2015 : 14:37:59
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To our Gracious Lady THO and Revered Master Ed of the Greenwood, well met again. I have another query and was hoping you could answer it (or maybe one of the other scribes would know and save you some effort). I'm quoting this from a scroll I started in the General Forgotten Realms Chat.
quote: Originally posted by Xnella Moonblade-Thann
Seeing as my forum search has turned up nothing more than what I have found in Elminster's Forgotten Reams, and my collection of sourcebooks for Waterdeep seem to have nothing at all, I figured I'd ask my fellow scribes. Besides the 1 academy mentioned in Elminster's Forgotten Realms (Mother Tamra's House of Graces in Castle Ward), are there other "schools" in Waterdeep where a person can learn manners, caring for one's self (including keeping clothing looking good and personal care), social maneuvers (dancing, etiquette, etc.), and other necessary skills for the upper classes or those who wish to emulate the nobles?
What do you have for information (if any) on known academies (or would finishing schools be a more proper term) in The City of Splendors? Or, if you don't have any info, who among the scribes (authors and designers) would know?
Many thanks, and sweet water and light laughter until next we meet! |
"Sweet water and light laughter until next we meet." - traditional elven farewell
Please forgive any spelling and grammer errors, as my android touch-screen phone has no spellchecker. If I do make a grammer mistake, please let me know and I'll try to fix it.
New laptop, still trying to sort my "scrolls" on its shelves...and when will this cursed thing stop doing things I tell it not to? |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2015 : 14:53:47
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Hi again, all. Xnella, I can tell you from play that the nobility prefer live-in tutors and seldom grace the halls of any academy except (in rare instances) "houses of the sword" (weapons training/practice), but that wealthy "wannabe noble" families use such establishments heavily. They come and go in Waterdeep, but there tend to be twenty to forty at any given time, teaching everything from etiquette and fashion sense to the intricacies of fine print in trade treaties, and I believe Ed furnished a big list of them to Wizards recently (during his time as a consultant) and so that data is NDA...but we'll see what I can get him to cough uXXX ahem, divulge. love, THO |
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xaeyruudh
Master of Realmslore
USA
1853 Posts |
Posted - 14 Mar 2015 : 02:26:11
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Wondering if Elminster or the Knights have any interesting tales about Golkont the Hawk-Mage, introduced in the FRE1 Shadowdale adventure. |
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Xnella Moonblade-Thann
Learned Scribe
USA
234 Posts |
Posted - 14 Mar 2015 : 08:17:01
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quote: Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hi again, all. Xnella, I can tell you from play that the nobility prefer live-in tutors and seldom grace the halls of any academy except (in rare instances) "houses of the sword" (weapons training/practice), but that wealthy "wannabe noble" families use such establishments heavily. They come and go in Waterdeep, but there tend to be twenty to forty at any given time, teaching everything from etiquette and fashion sense to the intricacies of fine print in trade treaties, and I believe Ed furnished a big list of them to Wizards recently (during his time as a consultant) and so that data is NDA...but we'll see what I can get him to cough uXXX ahem, divulge. love, THO
Thank you, THO! I am curious as I have an idea of a character who's aspiring to eventually become a noble after coming into a LARGE sum of wealth...I don't think the nobles would appreciate her acting like a country bumpkin... |
"Sweet water and light laughter until next we meet." - traditional elven farewell
Please forgive any spelling and grammer errors, as my android touch-screen phone has no spellchecker. If I do make a grammer mistake, please let me know and I'll try to fix it.
New laptop, still trying to sort my "scrolls" on its shelves...and when will this cursed thing stop doing things I tell it not to? |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6669 Posts |
Posted - 15 Mar 2015 : 10:50:57
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This one's for THO - a while ago you posted the following:
We Knights once, while underground, stumbled on a carved dwarf face in a cavern wall. Torm (the thief of the party, not the deity he was named for) fiddled with it, it did indeed prove to be a door we could open, and the small, spherical chamber (carved-out-by-dwarves cavern) behind it was a dwarf museum of sorts: fragments of broken weapons mounted in stone bases which were graven with the name of the dwarf who wielded that weapon, and brief accounts of their battle deeds.
I wrote down one of them:
Hadrorn of Clan Frundyn Third of that name Tuskbeard, Thaela's brother Bold in battle, leaper onto the heads of dragons His doom in the end, after six wyrms vanquished Follower of Stormaxe, trusted shield Another light lost. Worthy of mourning.
(Ed translated the Dethek for us, and of course wrote it in the first place. A curved shard of axeblade was mounted in the top of Hadrorn's stone.)
Where was this encounter? In the North, the Inner Sea lands, somewhere else? Thanks in advance.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 15 Mar 2015 : 14:42:08
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Hi, George. That dwarf museum cavern was in a labyrinth of apparently natural caverns under the eastern and of the northern arc of the Greypeak Mountains, about a day's walk west of Weathercote Wood. We have since discovered a similar small and better-hidden "memorial" cavern in an extensive Underdark-connected series of worked caverns and passages (natural caverns enlarged by mining in the past) under the Desertsmouth Mountains (specifically, under the peak that juts out eastwards the most, just south of the headwaters of the Ashaba). Both caverns have stones remembering dwarves of many clans, not one clan exclusively. love, THO |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6669 Posts |
Posted - 15 Mar 2015 : 17:25:21
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Ah wonderful. You wouldn't happen to have noted any of those other dwarven clan names?
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 15 Mar 2015 : 20:25:43
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Can't find my play notes on the Greypeak cavern right now, but from memory I jotted down three in all: Frundyn, Thundren, and one other I can't recall (it'll come to me, but I'm getting old). However, I have the notes from exploring the Desertsmouth cavern right here, and those dwarf clans are: Brightstone Coldaxe Halurkh Morthiir Rathstone (all small, little-known families, or at least little known outside dwarfdom). Hope these are helpful. love, THO
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6669 Posts |
Posted - 15 Mar 2015 : 22:53:18
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Wonderful once again. Hmm, I wonder if those Desertsmouth Mtns clans had any affiliation with the Iron House and Tethyamar ...?
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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xaeyruudh
Master of Realmslore
USA
1853 Posts |
Posted - 18 Mar 2015 : 15:05:28
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A few queries regarding Elturel in the still-awesome Forgotten Realms Adventures book:
Does the tor on which the High District sits have a name? Actually maybe it's probably had several names as it changed hands. Most recent name, in the 1350s/60s?
Most recent name for the spring that descends from the hill?
Who is Shandeir's dragon? (And am I right in guessing that she would be an ally of the Harpers and the Knights?)
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 18 Mar 2015 : 15:25:30
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quote: Originally posted by xaeyruudh
A few queries regarding Elturel in the still-awesome Forgotten Realms Adventures book:
Definitely one of my favorite 2E Realms sourcebooks! |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
Amazon "KindleUnlimited" Free Trial: http://amzn.to/2AJ4yD2
Try Audible and Get 2 Free Audio Books! https://amzn.to/2IgBede |
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 18 Mar 2015 : 17:25:52
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quote: Originally posted by George Krashos
Wonderful once again. Hmm, I wonder if those Desertsmouth Mtns clans had any affiliation with the Iron House and Tethyamar ...?
-- George Krashos
Exactly as I was wondering. hehehe |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 22 Mar 2015 : 18:14:00
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Iron House? Don't know. Tethyamar: must have done, deduced from all of the accumulated evidence/remnants we've found. More when/if I can pry it out of Ed. Who is busier than ever these days (this morning, he was writing something non-Realms that had four dwarf detectives in it). And cleaning up his office. Which tends to accumulate stacks of papers and books every time you turn your back on some corner of it. Why is that, I wonder? love, THO
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Barastir
Master of Realmslore
Brazil
1600 Posts |
Posted - 23 Mar 2015 : 13:40:12
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Dear THO,
I've posted this question more for you than for Ed, have you noticed it?
"I got curious about these winged races [the Knights have encountered], how are they? Only winged versions of the regular races (like the winged elves or minotaurs in D&D), or entirely different races? (...)"
Thank you for your attention, and sorry if I'm insisting too much, I know you have a lot to answer... |
"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 23 Mar 2015 16:52:49 |
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xaeyruudh
Master of Realmslore
USA
1853 Posts |
Posted - 24 Mar 2015 : 05:50:06
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Jeremy's Cormyr ideas thread has been pushing me to write something lately, and a few questions have arisen. If they don't have answers, or they're behind NDAs that's fine... I'm fine with making things up as I go... I'd just like to minimize the screams of "that doesn't work" from the 1-2 people who would actually suffer through reading something I write.
Where does Filfaeril Selazair grow up? Suzail I'm hoping? If it is in Suzail, has the location of the house been determined?
Who are her parents? The one(s) she lives with, I mean. Apologies if they've already been named in a novel... nothing is turning up in my searches.
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6669 Posts |
Posted - 24 Mar 2015 : 10:20:13
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quote: Originally posted by xaeyruudh
Jeremy's Cormyr ideas thread has been pushing me to write something lately, and a few questions have arisen. If they don't have answers, or they're behind NDAs that's fine... I'm fine with making things up as I go... I'd just like to minimize the screams of "that doesn't work" from the 1-2 people who would actually suffer through reading something I write.
Where does Filfaeril Selazair grow up? Suzail I'm hoping? If it is in Suzail, has the location of the house been determined?
Who are her parents? The one(s) she lives with, I mean. Apologies if they've already been named in a novel... nothing is turning up in my searches.
Ed will tell you. Only he knows. Even the heralded "Cormyr Lineage" doesn't say.
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Caladan Brood
Senior Scribe
Norway
410 Posts |
Posted - 25 Mar 2015 : 20:13:52
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Dear THO (can I say dear?) and by extension Ed, two questions from me.
1) Earlier in the thread I asked if Ed was involved with the upcoming PC game Sword Coast Legends. THO said "no", but in one interview somewhere, a developer said that Ed indeed has been consulted for the game. Has something changed? Maybe THO just didn't know? Or are the developers actually lying?
2) As per this thread, I was wondering if there exist House sigils for the noble families of Cormyr - yes, there are a few out there, but do we know all of them? What are the coat-of-arms of House Bleth, for example?
Thanks!! and another ! |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2015 : 07:16:44
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Hello THO and Ed,
Ed, was Vangerdahast the type to do any commonplacing?
I realize he was a busy dude and probably smart enough to remember nearly all he ever read or saw, I am just curious if he ever felt compelled to jot things down on a daily basis, even if the topics were trivial things like recipes or perhaps certain traditions or styles of doing things in Cormyr that even his vaunted mind could not quite get a handle on.
If not, did he require the services of information gatherers?
As ever, thank you both very much. |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 28 Mar 2015 : 21:42:09
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Hello again, all.
Jeremy, Ed sent me a reply to your queries, and here it is:
Vangerdahast never wrote anything down for his own purposes (too paranoid). The War Wizards kept many written records in their "intelligence" work, but Vangey never contributed to them. Yes, he had spies working for him - - and spies spying on the spies. So, yes, he required the services of "information gatherers." :}
Caladan Brood, as for your question 1: I don't know. Perhaps Ed consulted without knowing he was consulting for that game (i.e. he was providing lore for Wizards, not knowing what it would be used for); I'll try to find out, but this could quite likely be NDA. As for your question 2: Yes, Ed has notes of most if not all Cormyrean house sigils (though I don't think he has them all drawn), but I doubt he can share them. I recall that the BADGE (not coat-of-arms, but a simplified heraldic device worn on retainers' livery, armsmens' tunics, etc.) of House Bleth is three parallel curving purple talons on a black field, from play in the "home" Realms campaign, but we Knights tied very few badges to specific houses; just a few of those we ran afoul of, and so wanted to remember clearly.
xaeyruudh, I think Ed does have (brief) notes re. Filfaeril's parentage, but I'm not sure what's NDA and what he's free to share. I've nudged him to see what he can share.
And that's all for now. Stay tuned to the font of Realmslore for more, of course... love to all, THO |
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hashimashadoo
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1155 Posts |
Posted - 29 Mar 2015 : 00:10:37
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I know Ed had an 'Ask Me Anything' session just over a week ago and he was asked by Terrorblades if he had any influence on Sword Coast Legends. Here's his response:
"Can't say. :} NDA. And no, DON'T read "Oh, that means he does! He doesn't! He's never heard of Sword Coast Legends!""
I know that he definitely was consulted though for Dungeons and Dragons Online when they did the Cormyr expansion. |
When life turns it's back on you...sneak attack for extra damage.
Head admin of the FR wiki:
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/ |
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xaeyruudh
Master of Realmslore
USA
1853 Posts |
Posted - 29 Mar 2015 : 02:29:12
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Thank you! I'm making up what I need, based on the knowledge that I'm not missing any major published lore on the Selazair family. It'll be great to hear more from him when the time comes, but I'm not picky.
Also, thanks for the info that it's not in the Cormyr Lineage, George! |
Edited by - xaeyruudh on 29 Mar 2015 02:31:08 |
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VikingLegion
Senior Scribe
USA
483 Posts |
Posted - 01 Apr 2015 : 15:51:20
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Greetings The Hooded One,
I'm a newcomer to this wonderful site, and was recently directed to this thread by another member. I have an extreme fondness for the monk class and was curious as to what kind of representation it had in Faerun, without the need to travel to Kara-tur in the far east. I started a topic titled Monasteries in Faerun as a means to gather information http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=20083&whichpage=1
What started out as a general discussion on monasteries morphed specifically into the Monastery of the Yellow Rose and its surrounding environs. Of particular interest to me is who built this compound? We have several speculations from the thread, but I'd love to hear if Ed can shed some light on the matter with something a little more concrete:
1. The Disciples of St. Sollars - probably the least likely theory, as several sources imply, or outright state, the monks moved into this pre-existing complex. While they have added on to it, and continue to delve further into the catacomb system, they did not originally erect the building(s).
2. Frost Giants - an intriguing concept. I've not yet seen any mention on the actual dimensions of the buildings, hallways, etc. I won't be reading either of the novels (The Rite and Rise of the King) for quite some time, I wonder if either of them mention the physical characteristics of the monastery, whether or not it is built on a scale far bigger than necessary for human occupation. That would be the key information on accepting or rejecting this theory.
3. Tribe of the White Worm - this was my own speculation - a progressive barbarian chieftain convinces his people to give up their nomadic ways and settle down in the area, although I'm not sure how or where they would've acquired the woodworking and masonry skills to build a permanent settlement so quickly. A successor later down the line would condemn this leader for making the people soft, and return his tribe to their previous, free-ranging ways, thus abandoning the structure for later occupation by the monks. I only cling to this possibility because "Citadel of the White Worm" is a confirmed previous name of this edifice. Why would it be called as such if anyone other than the tribe of the same name were its previous residents? I suppose the aforementioned frost giants could also be remorhaz-worshipers. Seems a bit weak, but feasible I guess.
4. Barroch the Bandit Lord - "The 1st-edition campaign setting also puts Barroch's Hold, the "fabled citadel of the first great bandit lord of the Inner Sea" (credit to BadCatMan) Did these bandits build this outpost as a fortress/homebase from which to conduct raids and hole up in when "the law" sought to strike back at them? What happened to them? Did they just die out over time without leadership to replace Barroch? Were they ousted by the Tribe of the White Worm?
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