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Barastir
Master of Realmslore
Brazil
1600 Posts |
 Posted - 25 Feb 2019 : 13:40:25
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
On how big dragons can get:
They include a gargantuan gray great wyrm, Ralauthoarindulglaw the Mountain, so large its wings cant lift it off the ground, and whose hide has been adorned down the years with fused-on sheets of rock and boulders, so that when lying at rest, it resembles a rocky ridge or mountain spur. Elminster says Ralauthoarindulglaw is about a quarter of a mile long, and about sixty feet tall at its foreshoulders, when on all fours.
(...)
So Ralauthoarindulglaw may in fact fall far short of being the largest living dragon.
Considering this dragon is more than a thousand feet long and only 60 feet tall at its shoulders, it must be almost serpentine, no? Besides, is anywhere a description of a gray dragon, or is this mention only for describing its color, and is it unique?
EDIT: Could someone who has an active twitter account ask those questions there, please?  |
"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 25 Feb 2019 13:41:47 |
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Zeromaru X
Great Reader
Colombia
2481 Posts |
Posted - 25 Feb 2019 : 14:15:59
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| I have conveyed your question. Hope Ed can answer it! |
Instead of seeking change, you prefer a void, merciless abyss of a world... |
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Zeromaru X
Great Reader
Colombia
2481 Posts |
Posted - 25 Feb 2019 : 20:23:11
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quote:
Originally posted by Barastir
Considering this dragon is more than a thousand feet long and only 60 feet tall at its shoulders, it must be almost serpentine, no? Besides, is anywhere a description of a gray dragon, or is this mention only for describing its color, and is it unique?
EDIT: Could someone who has an active twitter account ask those questions there, please?
Ed said this:
It is almost serpentine, and as mentioned, can't fly. Nor does it go raiding; it sleeps, dreams, ponders, entertains itself by devising and trying new magics, and husbands/shepherds its (herd) food supply.
Gray dragons are also known as fang dragons (the name I gave them when I created them and added them to the game back in 2e days), and are an official dragon type described in many places.
#Realmslore
Zero's note: AFAIK gray dragons are in the Draconomicons. If you don't dislike 4e sources, I know for sure they are in Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons |
Instead of seeking change, you prefer a void, merciless abyss of a world... |
Edited by - Zeromaru X on 25 Feb 2019 20:27:31 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36809 Posts |
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Barastir
Master of Realmslore
Brazil
1600 Posts |
Posted - 26 Feb 2019 : 11:13:55
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| Cool! I know of fang dragons from 2e, BTW. Thank you, Zeromaru X, and thank Ed for me, if possible! |
"Goodness is not a natural state, but must be
fought for to be attained and maintained.
Lead by example.
Let your deeds speak your intentions.
Goodness radiated from the heart."
The Paladin's Virtues, excerpt from the "Quentin's Monograph"
(by Ed Greenwood) |
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Zeromaru X
Great Reader
Colombia
2481 Posts |
Posted - 26 Feb 2019 : 14:36:26
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On draconic language
@3eels (22 feb, 2019)
@TheEdVerse What honorifics and titles would a green dragon in the Forgotten Realms give herself, or be given to her by a cult dedicated to her worship?
@TheEdVerse (23 feb)
From cultists: Deadly Lady of Deception, Dread Queen of the Forest, She Of The Emerald Scales, Lady Breath Of Death, Emerald Empress.
Bestowed on herself: Oum Kouram ["Peerless Ruler" in Auld High Wyrmish], Oum Or ["Supreme One: in Auld High Wyrmish]
#Realmslore
@ZeromaruX
I'm going to shamelessly steal your draconic words, if you don't mind. Guessing, Oum is peerless/supreme, right?
Is this High Wyrmish the same "Aragrakh" language mentioned in the 3e FRCS?
@TheEdVerse
By all means! ;}
Oum is indeed peerless/supreme/the best exemplar
Aragrakh is a later, more everyday and widespread language; Auld High Wyrmish is an ancient formal tongue used in early dragon spells. ("Auld"=old, and there was a 'low' Wyrmish, called just "Wyrmish")
#Realmslore
@ZeromaruX (24 feb)
So, if we make a language tree, this would be like:
Auld High Wyrmish / Wyrmish > Aragrakh > current standard draconic (does it has a draconic name?) / Abeiran draconic (that is a little bit different from the standard).
Is this right?
@TheEdVerse
Yes. The current dragon language is called "Draconic" by almost all non-dragons and quite a few dragons, too. When speaking IN Draconic, the language itself is called "Glav" which is the word for "speech/converse" (pronounced like "Glad" with the "d" replaced by the end of "have"). The dragons of Abeir (incl. Laerakond) call their tongue "Aklave" (AK-lavv to rhyme with have, not with save or enclave), and Glave and Aklave are so similar that a speaker or writer fluent in one can use the other with little difficulty.
#Realmslore
Zero's notes:
For those curious about the differences between Glav and Aklave, you can check the links below. As Ed said, differences are minimal (mostly pronuntiation, and a few "new" words the more social dragonborn have created):
http://slushlush.com/2013/04/a-draconic-primer/
http://slushlush.com/2015/10/lonely-planet-vayemniri-or-more-draconic-for-you/ |
Instead of seeking change, you prefer a void, merciless abyss of a world... |
Edited by - Zeromaru X on 26 Feb 2019 15:17:01 |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11850 Posts |
Posted - 26 Feb 2019 : 20:34:13
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| wow, thanks for the links to Erin's primer on draconic and vayemniri. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6361 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2019 : 19:28:04
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On Elvish words for Winter and Garden
@FRAltDimensions - 10th March 2019
@TheEdVerse Hi Ed, I was wondering if you had an elvish word for Garden. In particular i'm trying to come up with a name for Winter's Garden as a place. I think Aug might refer to Winter but i'm struggling to find a word for garden.
Kind Regards
@theEdverse
Sure. Elves in the Realms have several words for the cold season and for gardens (depending on how tended and what for, but I'd go with "loress" for winter and "tlarranen" for garden, and they'd probably be combined as "loresstlar."
#RealmsloreEd Greenwood added,
FR Alt Dimensions
@gkrashos
Mar 11
Replying to @TheEdVerse
In a previous reply on 17/2/19 you said that "oth" was the elvish word for Winter. Can we assume that "loress" works for "cold season" generally or is it a racial version of Winter (i.e. used by the wood elves)?
@TheEdVerse
Mar 11
Yes. "Oth" is the macro 'cold time of year' whereas "loress" is 'nature's cold season' for gardeners/growing things. When speaking of blizzards, closed roads, and dying of exposure, say "oth," but when speaking of hibernation, dormancy, and cold-resistant plants, say "loress." :}
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Dalor Darden
Great Reader
USA
4211 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2019 : 20:42:59
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| so this is a posting of what has already been said...not a place to ask questions? |
The Old Grey Box and AD&D for me! |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6361 Posts |
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Sunderstone
Learned Scribe
104 Posts |
Posted - 14 Mar 2019 : 00:02:27
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On Madeiron Sunderstone;
@TheEdVerse Was Madeiron Sunderstone, the big hearted giant he appears in the final book of the Double Diamond series? Was his strength extra ordinary? In Waterdeep 3.5 sourcebook, it states he is descended from a Giant Demigo
Ed Greenwood
@TheEdVerse
Feb 22
Replying to @MarvelF89471649
YES to both. ;} And you can see him in CITY OF SPLENDORS, the novel @e_cunningham and I wrote together about Waterdeep, too. (If you haven't read the rest of Elaine's books, RUSH to do so. She brings Waterdeep to life PERFECTLY!)
#Realmslore
Marvel Fan
#8207;
@MarvelF89471649
@TheEdVerse If their was a strongman contest in the Realms (human/demi-human) like the MetRX World's Strongest Man contests, who would be the top contenders? Thanks!
Ed Greenwood
#8207;@TheEdVerse
Replying to @MarvelF89471649
Depends on time and place you speak of. For instance, Waterdeep in the 1350s DR: Madeiron Sunderstone would be a contender. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36809 Posts |
Posted - 14 Mar 2019 : 02:08:05
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| I've got several more Ed responses to put here, myself, but free time has not been in copious supply. |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
771 Posts |
Posted - 20 Mar 2019 : 00:27:02
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So, I've just discovered #AskElminster is apparently a thing (boy is it ever).
Ed Greenwood, @TheEdVerse, 16 Mar 2019
So this is all your fault, @MissMartinsen :} Starting out semi-serious, but likely wont stay that way after the first ten or so. Q: Through great striving and much personal sacrifice, my adventuring band slew an eye tyrant. I harvested its eyes, but after a dozen days of riding to reach the nearest city, they were beyond rotting, and no alchemist wanted me within a dozen streets of his shop, let alone to buy my dripping, reeking bag, whose discharges stained everything kale-vomit green. I burned the bag, and the smoke killed my horse, a passing dog, and a bystander. What should I do NEXT time?
Elminster Saith: Select ye hardier bystanders. Nay, but seriously, find and pluck at least six leaves from a sarruth bushbroad blue-green leaves, dagged edges, come to a sharp point, the bushes grow wild up and down the Sword Coast from Fireshear to Tashluta, and east across the Heartlands as far as Raurinand boil them in any ditch water, it need not be clean. A translucent jelly shall result; coat thy raw monster entrails, flesh, hide or what have ye in this, and it shall keep for a tenday. The treatment can be renewed to last longer.
Ed Greenwood, @TheEdVerse, 17 Mar 2019
Q: Im smitten with a nymph, and want to woo her. My intentions are honourable! How should I proceed?
Elminster Saith: With great care, respect, a love of nature, no fire nor axes about thy person, and a good thick blindfold. Worn over thine eyes, not hers. Feel not overboldly, or tis a club yell be feeling, likely right in thy feels.
The Gryphon King, Larry Dixon, @LarryDixonTGK, 17 Mar 2019
@TheEdVerse #AskElminster My paramour is really into exotic creatures. I'm thinking of dressing as a gryphon for romantic intentions. Can you forsee any troubles with this?
Ed Greenwood, @TheEdVerse, 18 Mar 2019
Unless shes really into pain and blood loss, and has ongoing healing magic at work, Id go with soft rubber-tipped faux beak and talons, rather than shapeshifting to get temporary real ones. They play hell with cushions and draperies, too.
Ed Greenwood, @TheEdVerse, 18 Mar 2019
Q: My spouse is an adventurer, and returned from his latest dungeon foray covered in a blue-glowing fungus that not only sticks to his skin, but CRAWLS slowly all over it. If plucked or scraped, it brings his skin with it! What should I do?
Elminster Saith: Procure ye some elverquisst or seawine, and pour it liberally all over the creep-thluk, for that is what thy spouse has. The growth will become drunk, and curl up at all edges to have a good writhe; pluck it off, drop it into a hot skillet, and fry in boar fat or ox-tallow, with a little dill and wild onion. When the glow fades, tis done. Delicious. Thy urine will glow blue for a night and a day after dining, and if collected in a clear vessel, can be used as a dim-lamp for that time.
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AJA
YAFRP
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6669 Posts |
Posted - 20 Mar 2019 : 03:20:56
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
Ed Greenwood, @TheEdVerse, 18 Mar 2019
Q: My spouse is an adventurer, and returned from his latest dungeon foray covered in a blue-glowing fungus that not only sticks to his skin, but CRAWLS slowly all over it. If plucked or scraped, it brings his skin with it! What should I do?
Elminster Saith: Procure ye some elverquisst or seawine, and pour it liberally all over the creep-thluk, for that is what thy spouse has. The growth will become drunk, and curl up at all edges to have a good writhe; pluck it off, drop it into a hot skillet, and fry in boar fat or ox-tallow, with a little dill and wild onion. When the glow fades, tis done. Delicious. Thy urine will glow blue for a night and a day after dining, and if collected in a clear vessel, can be used as a dim-lamp for that time.
 This is brilliant!
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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TBeholder
Great Reader
2431 Posts |
Posted - 20 Mar 2019 : 05:55:01
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Roavrae, a blended wine of a particular boiled cave moss mixed with the internal juices of a specific Underdark spider, the roave (a plentiful small black scuttling spider; five can fit on a typical adult human palm).
This raises the question of spider-killing again. |
People never wonder How the world goes round -Helloween
And even I make no pretense Of having more than common sense -R.W.Wood
It's not good, Eric. It's a gazebo. -Ed Whitchurch |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
771 Posts |
Posted - 21 Mar 2019 : 00:51:49
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
This is brilliant!
(addendum)
Nicole Martinsen, @MissMartinsen, 18 Mar2019
I do hope that glowing ammonia urine wont hurt the environmentif used in ones vegetable garden, will it cause future plants to grow or else sprout said creep-thluk?
Ed Greenwood, @TheEdVerse, 19 Mar 2019
Too much urine kills plants, grass, even trees! However, in moderation, and especially mixed in a "manure tea," it's just fine for helping plants to grow (NOT glow ;} ), and no, won't cause creep-thluk. ;}
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AJA
YAFRP
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36809 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2019 : 02:15:43
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On rock & metal music in the Realms:
24 Feb 2019
@Jon_4L
is there anything like rock or metal music in Faerun? If so, what is it called, who started it, where can one find equipment for playing it in Faerun, and which higher entity would enjoy it most or have it in their provinces/portfolios?
@TheEdVerse
Metal music, no. Rock, yes, though we real-worlders would call it prog rock or New Age because of its sounds, which would be soft and flowing, because the only instruments capable of sustain (like an electric guitar) are elven/half-elven. I can see elves of the Realms being able to play and sound like Enya, Loreena McKennitt, Genesis, and ELO. Note: the instruments that would be used are NOT amplified or electric.
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36809 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2019 : 02:17:08
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On elves remaining in Cormyr since the time of the Lord of Sceptres:
24 Feb 2019
@jayeedgecliff
3st and final
Is there any reason to find it unlikely that an elven family whod lived under the Lord of Sceptres wouldnt still (well, descendants at the very least) remain in Cormyr by the time of 1e grey box?
@TheEdVerse
No, theres no reason at all that members of an elven family whod lived under the Lord of Sceptres wouldnt still be dwelling in Cormyr by the late 1350s DR. They would have had to maintain low profiles on some occasions (e.g. the invasions and civil wars), and avoid some human bigots whod harshly treat elves (including some Cormyrean nobles, Purple Dragons, and war wizards). Trained wolves might still be a livelihood in mountainous westernmost (and easternmost) Cormyr, and bordering the Stonelands, but deer mounts would be food for too many humans to last long, and have a small clientele of users and purchasers (almost exclusively elves). Breeding, raising, and training horses, donkeys (and breeding mules), and/or dogs would indeed be far more likely livelihoods for such families today.
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36809 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2019 : 02:18:03
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On divine heritage:
Feb 21
@Jon_4L
can you give some background on divine heritage? Say someone was the son of a god and a mortal, and that son had a son, etc, and they were all adventurers. Would they always be born with enough power to be above level 1, or is there a point where a level 1 is born?
@TheEdVerse
Most sentients in the Realms BELIEVE the offspring of a god and mortal will be special in some way, yes, but the truth is that everything varies when it comes to the divine. SOME offspring of gods and mortals are special (are demigods, or have wild talents, or are better than a mortal in some way). But not all. (I.e. its up to an individual DM or storyteller, not something there can be a hard-and-fast, reliable rule about.) |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36809 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2019 : 02:19:34
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On elven diversity:
24 February 2019
@jayeedgecliff
couple of complex questions. Ill split them up to keep Twitter from going mad.
1th
How diverse are the elven cultures from one another?
I get the impression that Wild, Dark, and Sea are all pretty unique. Moon & Sun are their own joint thing with the sun beingp retty obnoxiously snotty.
But within this. Is there a sociological difference between a Wild Elf from the Moonshaes vs Elvencourt, say?
And to what extent do elves try to retain a distinctive cultural identity when living among other races? For example is a Cormyrian Moon Elf family who doesnt reclusively keep to the deep forests going to be more humany than a Moon family from Evereska?
@TheEdVerse
Id say your overview impression is spot-on for the Realms. An elf tends to trust another elf, even one obviously of another sort, over non-elves because they know the strange elf fundamentally understands them; elves in general see life and their place in the world the same way.
In general; in specifics, elves are as diverse as humans.
So, yes, there are sociological differences between wild elves from different regions. They embrace/live closely with the natural environment in the same way, being different only so far as flourishing in that environment and enriching it (maintaining it in ways that improve it, rather than exhaust it) is different from microclimate to microclimate/place to place. Yet the layers of local slang, fashions, shared perceived wisdom built up from shared experiences, aims, politics, and view of non-elves around them will necessarily be different. All sentient races have a tendency to establish pecking orders among themselves, though longer-lived races like elves do it more gently than humans, but among elves this is based far more on individuals and far less on groups, meaning a wild elf from one place wont start out by thinking herself superior or inferior to a wild elf from another locale.
Like humans, elves (and dwarves) seem to have an innate pride/stubbornness that the more flexible (hence, blend in) halflings and gnomes have less of. This will cause elves to try to retain a distinct cultural identity in direct proportion to how threatened/unaccepted/badly treated they feel. They will blend in more with humans who accept them, and stay aloof and proudly elven more with humans who treat them like non-humans.
Moon elves are generally welcomed but exotic in Cormyr; i.e. most human Cormyreans will respond to their grace and beauty with smiles and either shyness or friendly converse and aid, so the elves will relax and respond in kind. If specific moon elves and humans interacting with each other are in close-to-nature settings, they will be more alike because dealing with an environment familiar to both and welcoming to both. In an urban setting where humans are dominant (e.g. Suzail, Marsember, and Arabel) the moon elves will over time become more humany to blend inunless, on an individual level, they feel more threatened/unwelcome; they will respond to such treatment by leaving the setting or being more defiantly elf-like (music, dancing, flamboyant dress, filling their personal dwelling-places with not just living plants, but soil and a full-range forest-like growing environmentoften causing flooding for human dwellers on the floor below, if there are any). |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36809 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2019 : 02:21:34
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On Cormyrian street foods:
28 Feb 2019
@jayeedgecliff
So I was wondering what the delightful @TheEdVerse can tell us about the street foods of Cormyrs cities. Also, any (in)famous trays/carts to keep eyes for in particular ... Suzails own CMOT Dibbler?
@TheEdVerse
Well, there's the rat tarts El and his friends were munching in Hastarl, in Athalantar. That scene was cut from El: Making Of A Mage, but is still up on the Wizards website (or was). I did a street foods web article years back, too. Then there are all the Volo's mentions. Hmm. Let's recap: sausages and savory meat tarts (palm-sized pastries with diced meat and gravy in them, everything from eels to pigeons to roast boar to rabbits and voles; whatever's locally handy) are "walkabout street food" in many cities, and are sold from carts, market stalls, and through shuttered serving-windows in many, many cities across the Realms. In Cormyr, specifically: grouse and hare pies dominate in Arabel, eel and fish pies in Marsember, and beef and boar pies in Suzail (you can get just about anything in any of the three cities, but the listed ingredients are most popular and easily found for sale). Sword Coast ports now also offer what's always been popular in the Shining South: pickles, either spicy or not, served in a fried or baked pinched-pastry shell (think "Cornish pasty"). And many places in the interior of Faerun offer various flavored flatbreads (think naan), sometimes rolled around pickles or strong-spiced cheese or slices of smoked fish (smoked in smoke, not modern real-world lox or chemical-bath "smoked"), And that just scratches the surface. Deep-fried prawns, fruits, rice-and-meat balls, rice-and-fish balls...in a cosmopolitan port, you can usually get just about anything. :}
#Realmslore |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36809 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2019 : 02:23:14
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On spellscarred:
5 Mar 2019
@Jon_4L
a few Spellscarred questions:
1. Are any still alive and unchanged?
2. What happens when they bear children?
3. How long does their transformation take?
4. Is Scar Company still around?
@TheEdVerse
1. Yes. In some tiny locales across Faern, some Spellplague effects are still happening. Many beings bear recent spellscars, and many who bear old ones havent died of old age yet.
2. Their children may have a wild talent or have the gift to wield the Art or be a sorcerer, or have some other unusual ability ... or not. Just as with non-spellscarred, genetics varies from birth to birth. Giving birth almost never changes the spellscarred state of the mother.
3. As with everything else genetic, transformation time varies. Many spellscarred dont externally show (no deformities). If you mean time to master their spellscars to manifest arcane powers, that varies wildly. Some never do.
4. Oh, yes. Due to what Scar Company is charged to do, and does, the wider Realms (those not near the Chasm) see little of them, but that doesnt mean they dont exist.
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36809 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2019 : 02:26:07
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On how Zhents are viewed:
8 Mar 2019
@HadrienCamus
Hello sir,
My players arrived at Waterdeep and are currently repaying a favor to a Zentharim Officer (5e setting). Could you perhaps help me with something I couldn't find in the books, which is what is the general point of view on the Zenths?
I read they considered themselves as a mercenary family, us vs. the world mentality, ultimate goal is more power and money, but they do have that Bane affiliated past and such, are they even a legal organisation these days?
Thank you for your time
@TheEdVerse
In Waterdeep (it varies elsewhere in the world, depending on how heavy a military presence the Zhents have had locally; Dalesfolk and Sembians and Moonsea North individuals tend to have a darker view of the Zhentarim), which is a tolerant, crossroads trading center, the Zhents are viewed as tough customer traders who drive hard bargains, have military might enough to enforce their contracts and not be bullied, but are otherwise just a very large mercantile shipping and trading cabal among many others. Ruthless, with constant rumors of unethicality, and bad folks to make enemies of, but if you dont intend to double-cross them or compete with them, but can instead arrange trade deals so theyre mutually beneficial, then folks you can trust in (they wont go out of business, they wont change their names and slip out of deals but go right on operating as someone else, they wont go to a lot of trouble swindling anyone because they dont have to, and so on). Which is why theyre a playable faction in Adventurers League play; theyre not seen as an evil criminal organization or pushy conquerors-to-be. Over a century ago, in the Dales or the Vast or the Moonsea North or Sembia, most folk regarded Zhents as both of those things. And worse, thanks to the beholders and monster steeds and priests of Bane.
#Realmslore |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36809 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2019 : 02:26:54
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On the operating costs of an orphanage:
8 Mar 2019
@Not_Jez
I know private orphanages are kind of a thing of the past in Waterdeep but is there a rough estimate for the operating costs for a small orphanage?
@TheEdVerse
So, you would reach your rough estimate by: costs for housing the orphans: building, building upkeep, and taxes (Waterdeep gives tax breaks for temples, which is one reason temples do this, the main reason being divine divine directives, and the selfish reasons being cheap temple labor and supply of future trained priests). The orphans clean and cook and do minor maintenance repairs, under supervision, and their supervisors/minders (the official role titles are usually masters or mistresses, as keepers has fallen out of favour) are the priests, who are paid/supported by the temple (out of temple offerings given by the devout). So it usually comes down to food costs, and the food is usually filling, and adequate, but not fancy, so 1 sp/head/tenday might cover ALL the overhead (building maintenance, candles and firewood or coal, lamp oil, laundry; the works). For a non-temple, private orphanage in Waterdeep, double costs to 2 sp/head, and then round down to a little less, and thatll cover taxes (they could petition the Lords for a tax break) and occasional payments to guilds for skilled repairs like plumbing and mason-work. Its not frowned upon for orphans to building fires, clean, cook, serve themselves, do dishes and laundry, and maintain their orphanage; its expected. (The Realms has no child labour laws, nor attitudes to support them.) With that said, a private orphanage owner seeking profit couldnt rent out the labour of orphans in the Deep because of the citys guilds forbidding it, but could in non-guilded cities (there are few!). Also, that 2 sp/head estimate does build in a modest profit for operating the orphanage (a rainy-day fund if its a non-profit). Those who want to make REAL profits might end up with a 3, 4, 5 sp/head rate or more.
#Realmslore
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36809 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2019 : 02:28:08
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On Cormyrian embroidery:
10 Mar 2019
@sanishiver
Dear @TheEdVerse,
I hope this tweet finds you healthy and happy.
To your knowledge, is their any part of Cormyr in 1491 DR that is popular among Heartlands merchants for its embroidery?
Thank you very much. 😁
@TheEdVerse
Hi, Jeremy! I'm hanging in there, and you're very welcome! Embroidery is something done to make coin by folks huddled in their homes for long hours, especially in cold winters, as root-crop stews and teas simmer on the hearth.
So, surprisingly to many, it's the folk who live along the High Road in mountainous westernmost Cormyr who produce the most and best embroidery (and lacework). Mainly the stretch from Skull Crag south, purely because there are more folk living there than in the northerly run to High Horn. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36809 Posts |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11850 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2019 : 16:21:55
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
Ed Greenwood, @TheEdVerse, 18 Mar 2019
Q: My spouse is an adventurer, and returned from his latest dungeon foray covered in a blue-glowing fungus that not only sticks to his skin, but CRAWLS slowly all over it. If plucked or scraped, it brings his skin with it! What should I do?
Elminster Saith: Procure ye some elverquisst or seawine, and pour it liberally all over the creep-thluk, for that is what thy spouse has. The growth will become drunk, and curl up at all edges to have a good writhe; pluck it off, drop it into a hot skillet, and fry in boar fat or ox-tallow, with a little dill and wild onion. When the glow fades, tis done. Delicious. Thy urine will glow blue for a night and a day after dining, and if collected in a clear vessel, can be used as a dim-lamp for that time.
OMG I don't think I've laughed so hard in a while.
BTW, there is rumored to be several other uses for urine instilled with creep-thluk essence. When administered (via drinking, not "waterboarding") to a darkling, one of the Ellefolk (also known as "Shadow Elves" or Arak), gloamings, gloura, or a Shadar-Kai, it induces a temporary state which encourages extreme honesty and/or bouts of uncontrollable depression. Whether this is true of all such beings, only a portion of them, or simply a falsehood is unknown. When a gallon or more of such urine is poured into the pool of an illithid elder brain, its said to cause all illithids that it commands to have problems concentrating and to complain of an odd "taste" in their mouths. Also, collected samples of said urine are prized by myconid communities, who swear that it aids in producing more "pungent" progeny. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11850 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2019 : 17:31:23
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
Ed Greenwood, @TheEdVerse, 18 Mar 2019
Q: My spouse is an adventurer, and returned from his latest dungeon foray covered in a blue-glowing fungus that not only sticks to his skin, but CRAWLS slowly all over it. If plucked or scraped, it brings his skin with it! What should I do?
Elminster Saith: Procure ye some elverquisst or seawine, and pour it liberally all over the creep-thluk, for that is what thy spouse has. The growth will become drunk, and curl up at all edges to have a good writhe; pluck it off, drop it into a hot skillet, and fry in boar fat or ox-tallow, with a little dill and wild onion. When the glow fades, tis done. Delicious. Thy urine will glow blue for a night and a day after dining, and if collected in a clear vessel, can be used as a dim-lamp for that time.
OMG I don't think I've laughed so hard in a while.
BTW, there is rumored to be several other uses for urine instilled with creep-thluk essence. When administered (via drinking, not "waterboarding") to a darkling, one of the Ellefolk (also known as "Shadow Elves" or Arak), gloamings, gloura, or a Shadar-Kai, it induces a temporary state which encourages extreme honesty and/or bouts of uncontrollable depression. Whether this is true of all such beings, only a portion of them, or simply a falsehood is unknown. When a gallon or more of such urine is poured into the pool of an illithid elder brain, its said to cause all illithids that it commands to have problems concentrating and to complain of an odd "taste" in their mouths. Also, collected samples of said urine are prized by myconid communities, who swear that it aids in producing more "pungent" progeny. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
771 Posts |
Posted - 28 Mar 2019 : 03:24:19
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( #askelminster continued)
Ed Greenwood, @TheEdVerse, 19 Mar 2019
Q: Ive just rented upper room lodgings, and have twice seen a light in one room from the street below, but found it dark and deserted when I ascend to it. What should I do? Is the room haunted?
Elminster Saith: Thy chambers are in all likelihood haunted by the presence of a secret door, and are in clandestine use by the bearer of the lamp ye see. If ye are lonely and desire the thrill of personal peril, seek to catch them. Otherwise, find and spike shut the secret way, or rent elsewhere. Better lost coins than a lost life. Despite what priests say, not every light in the darkness is a good thing.
Ed Greenwood, @TheEdVerse, 20 Mar 2019
Q: A traveling merchant has rented a room at my lodging-house, paying a month up front, and has been under my roof six nights now; by day, hes out in the city. Hes quiet and courteous, but his skin is purple and his eyes opaque whiteand he goes robed and cowled, and over the lower half of his face wears a metal jaw-plate, like armor, he says to conceal a grievous wound, but I think I espy tentacles around its edges. Should I be worried?
Elminster Saith: Do ye use thy brain? Thy guest is a brain stealer, but is after other fish than thee until its time of departure, when it will harvest thine to silence ye as a witness to its visit. Do NOT hire adventurers or alert the Watch, for thy premises will surely be wrecked in the mayhem that will then ensue; I KNOW adventurers. Instead, seek ye out some gnomes or halflings in a tavern, shop, or club, and tell them ye seek Old Rur Royster. SMILE when ye say this, and have coin ready. Soon enough a gnome or halfling will appear at thy elbow and sell thee a glass hand-vial of murky brown liquid. This is rur vorrek, an acidic poison that burns the skin and passes on a toxin all at once; it cuts brain stealer slime with ease. To thee and I, tis harmful; to a brain stealer, even a small amount is nigh-deadly, having thrice the efficacy with which it harms humans. Hurl the vial at the brain stealer, and RUN. Keep the vials nature hidden until ready to use it. Oh, and as with every encounter in life, never let a tentacled being get behind thee.
Ed Greenwood, @TheEdVerse, 21 Mar 2019
Q: My new neighbour is quiet and withdrawn, and only goes out at night. With a shovel. I followed him, in stealth, to a graveyard where I espied him digging up a recent burial. After his departure, I dug up what hed reburied, and found a dead body, in its shroudbut headless! What should I do?
Elminster Saith: Follow him no more, but by night, securely lock thy door. Some folk take the advice of seek to get ahead in life far too literally.
Ed Greenwood, @TheEdVerse, 22 Mar 2019
Q: A dragon has recently come to Lonelar Peak, and by night flies over all the farms around and dines on livestock at will. If we shelter our beasts in barns, the wyrm tears the buildings apart and devours undeterred. What should we do?
Elminster Saith: Take up mushroom farming until it starves, and relocates. Live underground with thy shrooms, or become its last few local meals. Until then, every trip into town, spread wild tales of the dragon until adventurers hear and come to seek its hoard. Dragons see themselves as supreme, above all others, and free to do as they please. The problem is, so do many other races, including we humans, and all this doing as one pleases inevitably leads to collisions that fail to please anyone.
Ed Greenwood, @TheEdVerse, 23 Mar 2019
Q: One of my friends was boasting of her demon lover, and I got a look at him, and I think hes a demon prince! Should I warn her?
Elminster Saith: If thy suspicions are correct, tis likely too late to warn her of anything; she knows. Ye might seek a moment alone with her and ask if she needs rescuing. Make sure ye are alone, for most demon princes are worshipped by cults. For such mortals, adventurers and even, in non-corrupt realms, lawkeepers can suffice. For the prince himself, I have a few open slots left in my schedule, though if thy friend already bears the princes child, Storm or Alustriel should hear of it. And if hes just a dog of a man with good looks and a sly tongue, give him a few rounds with Mirt.
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AJA
YAFRP
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Misereor
Learned Scribe
164 Posts |
Posted - 29 Mar 2019 : 11:05:43
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
In Spelljammer lore, a cleric can regain 1st and 2nd level spells, even when entirely cut off from their deity.
In the Realms, if a greater doppelganger eats a divine caster type, they can still get spells/abilities of 1st and 2nd level.
This to me suggests that there's a cutoff at 3rd level where the deity actually has to pay attention to grant spells and such. So someone could stay off the divine radar, so to speak, by keeping their castings and such minimal.
You will find the same rule in the 1st edition ToT adventures Shadowdale, Tantras, and WaterDeep. IIRC it comes from one of the early deitiy and demigod supplements that described which divine agents granted which level of spells (I definitely remember that 7th level spells were granted directly by the deity). 1st and 2nd level spells depended on faith and experience alone, meaning that you could play a fallen Clerics who could still cast those level spells.
Also. Why did I first read the title of this thread as "Ed Greenwood on Tinder"?
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Ed Greenwood on Twitter
