Allow me to introduce you to some of the Realms' most unexpected vampires. Here I share 1... 2... 3! 3 vampires for your games, ha-ha (I couldn't resist)! ;}
Curious what a vampire dragon might look like? How about a mimic?
@TheEdVerse When a mage from another world without the Weave or an equivalent (perhaps one from the Inner Planes) comes to Toril, are they forced to cast through manipulation of the Weave instead? Or can they cast with their own methods as usual?
@TheEdVerse
They can cast with their own methods. (Some spells may not work, or may vary in effects or duration.) The Weave is the "superhighway" conduit to accessing the raw energies of the world, but you can walk. Or take a dirt road through the fields.
With the NDA official lifted (in place since 1991), we just brought Susprina's story to YouTube! I'm so happy to finally be able to talk openly about Elminster's Mysterious Drow Apprentice, and what wonderful tale it is!
@TheEdVerse Dragon Heist states that a Dragonward is keeping dragons outside of Waterdeep (besides Aurinax). But I'm finding sources of multiple dragons in Waterdeep in the 14th and 15th centuries. (Most sources from 3e). Is the Dragonward a new addition in 5e?
For example, apparently a steel dragon in the guise of a human (Jalanvaloss) lives in Waterdeep, and a blue dragon came to a Raptoran sorceress in Waterdeep seeking help. Did these characters circumvent the dragonward or is this a retcon? Thanks in advance.
@TheEdVerse
I created the Dragonward before D&D existed (1968, if I recall correctly).
Tokens (enchanted items) and other means exist to circumvent or slip through the ward, and some of them have been covered in published Realmslore down the years. So, no, not a 5e addition.
TBeholder> @TheEdVerse This. It puzzles me when adventurers are common, but no mediators/brokers, only inns with dark corners… http://www.weregeek.com/2007/12/07/
TheEdVerse> @TBeholder Heh. You haven't played in the Realms with me as DM. Annoying go-betweens, courtiers, and "fixers" are everywhere. ;}
TheEdVerse> @TBeholder But I've had my share of fun in dark corners. Hur-hur.
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
@TheEdVerse Thinking of giving my player the options to graze the edge of warlocks Crypt. I was curious, in case they get captured or go into it, what the undead there do for fun?
@TheEdVerse
The many liches who serve Larloch trap intruders, enspell them to become agents for their many schemes, and send them back out into the world compelled to carry out their commands.
The liches are carrying out Larloch’s wishes, but also competing endlessly with each other, vying for more influence with Larloch. Considering his fate at the hands of the Srinshee, they’re in for a surprise.
I will be covering this in a future video (on my YouTube channel, and in more depth on my Patreon).
@TheEdVerse hey... I was looking for data on Gorstag, Shandril's boss back in Highmoon. I noticed Lords of Darkness (2e) mentions an adventurer, Gorstag, who said once "Save your breath for running".
Is it the same Gorstag?
@TheEdVerse
It is.
His life-tale is long and interesting. I'll do a video on it, in time. :}
If you haven't seen last week's #realmslore, please watch my video on the goddess, Murdane!
Only ever having appeared briefly in Grand History of the Realms and Faiths and Pantheons, Murdane is a deity that fans have been wondering about for years. :}
@TheEdVerse A curiosity has beset me in just what exactly are the architectural hallmarks of Thay, are Arches common? Do they fall for the wizards favoured tower motif?
@TheEdVerse
Arches are. See THAY Land of the Red Wizards, the book Alex Kammer, Alan Patrick, and I did (on DM's Guild, hardcover, soft, or e-). I cover Thayan architecture therein. Thayan mages have walled compounds with, yes, internal towers (attached to mansions).
Could you eat it? Like, crashed mind flayer ship, those ship tentacles sure look tasty!
@TheEdVerse
Sure. The tentacles are REALLY tough (like a thick callous) and bitter; properly marinated, taste like burnt almonds (LOTS of flesh, so bring friends).
Cook THOROUGHLY, or mind-links will survive, and mind flayers who controlled the tentacles will control YOU.
@TheEdVerse, what are the popular colors worn by priestess and priestesses of Eilistraee?
@TheEdVerse
Throat to wrists & ankles: black with silver highlights (shoulders, nipples, elbows, knees, thighs) to represent moonlight.
Cloaks and overmantles: midnight blue (deep rich blue, one shade darker/more purple than royal blue, with random scattered TINY stars=sparkles).
@Michael75535436
Thank you so much. Do you know of any depictions of these followers in art? I ask because I want to make my Eilistraeean character look as authentic as possible.
@TheEdVerse
Not that I can recall. Most artists went straight to the nekkid drow ladies dancing in a circle under the moonlight. I have my rough sketches somewhere in those two shipping containers...
@TheEdVerse Hi Mr. Greenwood #128513; I'm a still a bit new to DnD, but I read you're sometimes able to answer questions. I've been reading up on lore for the Baelnorn. My character has reason/need to learn all she can about them & how they're made. Could I leaner it in Candlekeep?
@TheEdVerse
I created the baelnorn, and everyone else saw them first in the Ruins of Myth Drannor boxed set. Yes, there are several tomes in Candlekeep that cover how elves become baelnorn. It is almost always a voluntary choice, to enter a lich-like state to exist beyond death as a guardian (in Myth Drannor, of family crypts, but elsewhere they serve as guardians of living kin, of communities they love, or of sites important to them, such as temples, groves sacred to a deity they are close to, and so on; some even function as trapmakers, or loremasters training living elves, particularly in spellcraft).
One usually becomes a baelnorn through participation in a High Magic or divine ritual (and it is these rituals that are recorded in rare and well-hidden books, such as those found in the reached-via-portals-only, bedrock-surrounded Inner Chambers of Candlekeep). They invariably require the assistance of other spellcasters.
The other ways of becomimg a baelnorn are via dedication rituals after achieving actual lichdom (phylactery and all) or through the divine boon of one of the Seldarine, usually granted only after fervent prayer or when an elf the deity has noticed and approves of the service of is stricken and dying, and to save them the Seldarine makes them a baelnorn.
@groudon466
Are there any child baelnorns? The thought is strange, but just whimsical enough that an elven deity might have made a child into one in a moment of inspiration or desperation, no?
@TheEdVerse
It's possible, but highly unlikely. I don't know of any. Ethically and practically, a baelnorn should be one who's lived a long life (so, experienced, competent veteran) and is fully aware of the "forever" choice they're making. NOT someone whose life is before them.
@TheEdVerse @larianstudios I am just so confused by Baldur's Gate 3 and want some clarification on Balduran's race. Was he an elf or a human?
@TheEdVerse
He was human. (See his entry in the FR Wiki.)
@zasheenda
Thanks for replying! Actually, that's exactly why I am asking, because we have a debate over his race while editing the FR wiki. The Baldurs Gate 3 has murals painting him as an elf, while no former DND material specified his race. Should the @baldursgate3 change the mural then?
@TheEdVerse
Murals can reflect an artist's ideals (an elf making the mural wanted to claim him as an elf?), but although Balduran wasn't my creation, he's definitely been a human from his beginnings as a character; that featured in discussions re. his getting Gate investors.
@TheEdVerse This is a good question. On top of that, would the river Ashaba be deep enough and wide enough to support shipping in and out of the Scar? #realmslore
@TheEdVerse
By the 1490s DR, navigation on the various tributaries above the Pool of Yeven is only by very small open boats and nutshells (coracles), or barges, poled to hold against the current, or paddled to move with it. Below the Pool, barges and the equivalent of real-world “York boats” and catamarans (two identical hulls, platform between with rudder), where the river was wider, but still shallow, and slower-moving than above the Pool.
Hey @TheEdVerse , could you explain if there is a relationship between the damphir and hexblood races with faerun? I'm running a dnd campaign in faerun and two players will use these races. I want to introduce them in a natural way, but I don't know how to fit them. You help me?
@TheEdVerse
The most straightforward way is to have the same hag who created the hexblood be the hag who has a pact with the dhampir. Likely a night hag, and it has to be “predatory” and the dhampir must share its hunger. (As a DM, I always favor a hunger for dreams, as it leads to maximum storytelling possibilities.)
@CaiqueSuika
@TheEdVerse still on damphir theme:
It's possible (lorewise) for a Halfelf who got turned on a Damphir, but retained his good nature to keep his bond with his moonblade?
@TheEdVerse
Yes. If his good nature is retained, and he's done nothing to disgrace his house (like feed on his kin without their permission) or any mission/purpose baked into the moonblade, that is.
Hi @TheEdVerse ! One of my players asked me a question I wasn’t sure how to answer. What’s stopping a gunslinging Paladin from asking Gond to make gunpowder work again? Smokepowder gets dispelled and can leave one at the mercy of powerful spellcasters, which could be “fixed”!
@TheEdVerse
Nothing at all is stopping the paladin from asking. The question is, will Gond do so?
And I'm thinking the answer is no.
Gond will save THAT "big change" for when it will tip the balance of power in his favor in the next crisis among the gods.
@smolbep
If gunpowder is neutralized by a spell Gond had Mystra incorporate into the weave, does that mean that gunpowder would work in a dead magic zone?
@TheEdVerse
Yes. Gunpowder will flash and/or explode (if confined, as in a firearm or "bomb") in a dead magic zone. One more reason why Azuth's main task, work also carried out by his Chosen and Mystra's, is to eliminate dead magic zones by "reweaving" the Weave.
A weird world-building question for you, @TheEdVerse. How would the Githyanki view Thay and it's Red Wizards? Both seem to work on a sort of structured meritocracy (or mageocracy in Thay's case) and both serve an undead ruler aspiring to godhood.
@TheEdVerse
This happened in the "home" Realms campaign: Githyanki being openly contemptuous of the "childish clumsiness" and misuse of power among the Red Wizards, as opposed to being dedicated unwaveringly to a cause/mission.
Hi, @TheEdVerse for #Cooking in the #ForgottenRealms i'm working on Kedgeree next - beef, ham, taters, and parsnips in green simmersauce. Where in the realms is it most commonly eaten? It sounds like something from the Dalelands and Silver Marches. Also, what is a good garnish?
@TheEdVerse
It’s most commonly eaten along the Heartlands overland trade routes (Scornubel, Elturgard, Berdusk, Iriaebor, easternmost Amn, the Sunset Vale, Priapurl, Elversult, and Teziir), though it’s spread to the Dales, the Silver Marches, the Vilhon Reach’s southern shore and the lands south of that, as far as (and including) the Border Kingdoms. It’s still spreading, via caravan merchants, along the trade routes.
Rosemary is one good garnish, and so is lemon pepper (but go easy on the latter).
{The green simmersauce is like real-world green curry.}
@Cederhill
I wonder if there is anything akin to South Carolina style hash which has an interesting history.
@TheEdVerse
If you mean South Carolina Barbecue Hash, yes, but…I’ve eaten so many variants, I’d better specify: in the Realms, such a hash is thick, not runny, and includes all the “bits and pieces” of hogs, like tongue and the rest of the head meat and brains, kidneys, and hearts (but not trotters; they went into other dishes). Like South Carolina hash, this sort of hash in the Realms has potatoes and usually onions (or leeks, or shallots) in it, as well as mustard, garlic, and some hot spices—but the seasoning mix varies widely from cook to cook; this is a way to use up leftovers.
In the real world, I’ve usually had such a hash served over rice, and this would be done in the Realms, too, but often in the Realms this dish is served over green beans or cabbage or other greens (like diced artichokes or even sunchokes) that are otherwise bland and bulky. Tomatoes may even get included, though this is detested by some diners.
This hash in the Realms goes by various local names, the most popular of which include Hoghall (shortened from Hog’s-all-for-the-dining-hall), brownback, yellowfire, and goldcloak.
Soooo would it be heresy to name this sweet little new cat Guenwhyvar even though she's not a black cat? #129300;
Quick! @TheEdVerse ! I need the names of some other famous cats in the Realms!
@TheEdVerse
Sure! Grabbing just the female names from my notes I can find in a hurry
A tressym pet of Storm Silverhand’s: Little Anvil
Syluné had three or four cats at a time for most of her time dwelling in Shadowdale, including: Midnight Bones, Sharranthra, Bellszarra (inevitably shortened to “Bells”), Ladydaggers, Tigg, Quillaquerra, Phaera Furrdragon, Arqueene, Rallarue, and Tantamma
Queen Filfaeril had at least two cats at a time throughout her marriage to Azoun IV, and they included: Yanthra, Stillfeather, (inevitably shortened to “Whisper”), Dazaerre, Lady Talons, and Skweeve
Lord Piergeiron of Waterdeep had one cat at a time, and his included: Lioness, Baerabravva (said to be named for a catlike, purring, plump unwed noble aunt who courted Piergeiron aggressively), Taela, and Troona
Manshoon had one cat at a time in the days before he rose to power in Zhentil Keep, and this line of feline pets included: Tzingazaerra, Houloone, and Reljaws
Balduran of Baldur’s Gate is known to have kept cats, including: Lady Tiger, Azeera, and Ithquil
Sharantyr of the Knights of Myth Drannor had two cats at a time in the 1360s DR, including: Daeradaggers, Malynx, and Tuthtuth
...and that's all I can find at this time of night, with my real cat clawing me to come to bed. ;}
@thebeardedfan1
Also, what are the origins of the tressym?
I lost all my Forgotten Realms books in a housefire and I am sure there was an entry for them in a module.
TheEdVerse
I introduced them in The Haunted Halls of Eveningstar module (along with the Lock Lurker).
I was wondering @TheEdVerse if there is some equivalent to John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, who creates sandwich in order to gamble late into the night?
In both Cormyr and Waterdeep, there have been nobles who long ago adopted the custom of eating “handpies” (think Cornish pasties: savory pastries filled with cooked meals) filled and seasoned to their tastes and not overly messy to eat (so, thick syrupy sauces or none at all, not watery/runny) so they could pursue various pastimes away from their home dining halls (or country lodge feasting tables). However, none of these are celebrated for innovations in the thinking of “present-day” Realmsfolk, either during the 1300s DR or the 1400s DR; cities across Faerûn adopted handpies as street food for laborers and shopkeepers centuries ago.
The closest we come to the Earl of Sandwich (as in, a noble remembered for a lasting food innovation named for him) in the Realms is a certain Lady Calyth “Steeldance” Ebonhawk (pronounced “Kh-AL-ith” and the nickname came from her habit of donning silvered plate armor to dance in at revels, rather than gowns, which kept many dance partners at bay), a woman of spirit and whimsical sense of humor. She liked to eat highly-seasoned pastes of minced meat, with a dessert of cinammon-flavored almond paste, but hated to sit down and interrupt what she was doing to dine, so she had servants follow her with wine to hand her goblets of, as she requested, and wore a belt-satchel containing leaf-wrapped (to guard against spillage; she didn’t eat the leaves) mussel-shells that had been emptied of their mussels, washed and dried, and then stuffed with either the meat paste (think: deviled ham with very-finely-diced pickles) or the cinammon-almond paste). She’d dig out a shell, part its halves with a thumb, use her fingers to scoop the paste into her mouth, lick her finger clean, and go on with her day, slaking her thirst with wine.
These snacks are known as “calyths” to this day, and many noble ladies still do this, though the habit hasn’t spread outside the ranks of Cormyrean nobility (and copycat Sembian “wannabe” nobles). However, many traveling merchants and cooks know what a calyth is.
@JohnMoreyAuthor
Mr. Greenwood, I bow to your excellent worldbuilding. Now I have an idea of what kinds of snack foods to serve in the fantasy casino once it gets running!
@TheEdVerse
Ah! Casino! All the best gambling houses on the Sword Coast, Marsember, and Sembia also serve spiced clams: steamed in the shell, open shells kept warm submerged in poultry broth until served. As served, adorned with a smear of curried thock-sauce (like hummus).
@TheEdVerse Mister Greenwood we the community of @TieflingMelissa have a purely hypothetical question.
Are Tieflings and Kobolds biologically viable? We need a ruling regarding the sudden arrival of 85+ kobolds at her cottage bearing a striking resemblance to her kids.
@TheEdVerse
Yes, of course!
Just as with human-human couplings, not every union results in pregnancy, and certain couples will never conceive, but yes, a tiefling and a kobold can have offspring. Most children "favor" one parent's race over the other, but note that "most."
Out of genuine curiosity, is there another way to ask Mr. Greenwood a question? I'm one of those that really doesn't use any social media of any sort, so another way of posing a query would be fantastic.
So not all Chosen are anchors, right? I’ve been playing BG3 and I assumed Gale was an anchor before he pulled a Karsus 2.0, which would make his whole story (tried to return Mystral’s power and swallowed up with an anti magic bomb) that much worse/more ironic.
@TheEdVerse
Correct! Not all Chosen are anchors. Most anchors aren't beings, but items (the more immobile, the better) like the Athora. Beings are mobile and hopefully hidden-in-nature anchors...but, yes, not all Chosen are anchors.
@CatalogFantasy
One question for Ed Greenwood. Can Weave Anchors (except living beings like the Chosen) have additional or hidden magical abilities/functions (like artifacts and multiple spell-laden magical items) and with some research and experimentation be activated when conditions or command activating words are met. I can see spell glyphs or even Living Spells residing in area that are Weave Anchors.
@TheEdVerse
Oh, yes. Many of them do. The Athora, for instance, makes all of Thay magical. Moonwells, and sacred groves, have their own innate magic. That's the very thing that makes them suitable as Weave Anchors.
@TheEdVerse sorry to bother you for a dumb question, but is Lord Ao's existence common knowledge among the populace of Toril?
@TheEdVerse
There are no dumb questions except the ones folks don't dare to ask!
By the 1460s DR, the populace of Toril knows there're something called "Ao the Overgod," but priests of other gods say little about him, and what they do say is vague and contradictory.
@Lillaeana
I assume that Gale from BG3 knowing as much about him as he does is NOT common then?
Was he known about before the time of troubles by mortals?,
@TheEdVerse
Yes, by sages and the Chosen of Mystra and all deities and many senior clergy of many gods. To other mortals, he was the stuff of minstrels' tall tales.
Dear @TheEdVerse questioning have is it true or not true that Asmodeus actually a titan size snake named Ahriman and with Jazirian created the outer realms?
@TheEdVerse
Not true. Neither.
Asmodeus has occasionally taken serpent shape, large and small.
I'm not sure what you mean by "outer realms," but although he likes to paint himself as a master controller, Asmodeus struggles to even shape, let alone create, the layers of the Hells.
Ed Greenwood on Twitter
Posted - 30 Aug 2023 : 12:48:26
