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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
 Posted - 30 Nov 2023 : 13:39:11
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On Szass Tam as a Warlock's Patron
The Entire State of NJ — 03/05/2023 1:59 PM
@Ed Greenwood Thanks as always for answering questions. Question for you about Szass Tam. Is he someone who would take on Warlock's as a Patron, and if he were to, who would he be likely to take on as a Warlock,what goals would he be likely to try to achieve through them, and how would he likely interact with them?
Ed Greenwood — 03/05/2023 2:13 PM
No. Maybe later on, but right now, Szass is too busy and too paranoid. |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 30 Nov 2023 : 13:43:20
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On how House Ousstyl jump in Menzoberranzan
A Bear of Very Little Brain — 03/06/2023 8:08 AM
@Ed Greenwood I'm not certain if there is a proper answer, or if you're the one who has it and can say it, but in 1372 DR House Ousstyl in Menzoberranzan is the 52nd house, and then in 1480 DR it's listed as being the 19th house, and my question is: how on earth did they manage that jump?
Ed Greenwood — 03/06/2023 12:49 PM
The short answer is: many wars among the houses above them. We see at the beginning of the classic novel HOMELAND how the losing side in a Menzo house war is exterminated, and it follows that everyone else in the city "moves up one place" in the rankings. Well, over a century in bloodthirsty Menzo, lots of wars mean lots of houses going down. And if Ousstyl wins just a few wars ("few" so they stay strong), they'll move up that way, too. |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 30 Nov 2023 : 14:50:28
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On getting help to review and author NDAs
JacobJ — 03/07/2023 2:53 AM
@Ed Greenwood Do you get help reviewing and authoring NDAs, or have you become so practiced at them that you take that task on yourself? I'm actually amazed at how (seemingly) narrow you've managed to keep some of your NDAs given everyone you work with would want to lay claim to the whole Forgotten Realms if you let them!
Ed Greenwood — 03/07/2023 9:38 AM
NDAs are set by the copyright holder; the Realms NDAs I've signed were issued to me by TSR and later Wizards of the Coast. I review mine, and the few I've issued, I've written. I would be far more restricted by NDAs if the original Realms agreement between me and TSR didn't exist. I can't get into specifics of particular NDAs because they usually include language that forbids such discussion ("The first rule of Fight Club..."). |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 30 Nov 2023 : 14:56:18
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On anything notable on Piergeirons Palace's inner courtyard
Agneus — 03/05/2023 7:10 PM
@Ed Greenwood Hello! Is there anything notable on Piergeirons Palace inner courtyard (anything first time visitors would notice)? Also do Waterdhavians still call the palace Piergeirons around 1492 DR or has that name grown out of fashion by that point? Thanks in advance for your answer.
Ed Greenwood — 03/07/2023 10:32 AM (Part 1)
In 1492 DR, the Open Lord’s residence and seat of administrative government in Waterdeep is still known as Piergeiron’s Palace. The Masked Lords have debated renaming it several times, and in 1481 DR got around to formally dubbing it “Waterdeep House,” but EVERYONE ignored that, and went right on calling it Piergeiron’s Place—including the Lords themselves.
Originally, the Palace simply stood in a sea of cobbles, with no surrounding walls. Then in the late 1300s (after the onset of the Spellplague), it got a front arc of ornate iron walls and gates (akin to real-world Buckingham Palace in London, England), and some statues got erected within that: a merfolk riding a standing wave, to symbolize the friendly relations between the “dryshore” humans and the merfolk of Deepwater Harbor; and a statue of Ahghairon frowning warningly out at the city, hands clasped atop a staff in the same classic pose swordsmen use when grounding a vertical hand-and-a-half sword an resting their chin on their hands, that are weapped around the pommel.
Then came the Second Sundering, and it caused great physical damage to the Palace, which was rebuilt as a thinner building connected (castle-like) to a curving row of towers connected by walls thick enough to have rooms and a long central corridor within them (the configuration the Palace has in the 1490s DR, and as shown on the “brown 5e map” of the city). This version of the Palace encloses a courtyard, and it should be noted that the Open Lord’s apartments and the chamber in which the Masked Lords habitually meet and vote survived the damage and rebuilding (they are the same as in Piergeiron’s time).
This “ring-wall” of the Palace has two narrow (a horse with rider can fit through, but that’s it) north and south doors, normally closed, locked, and barred from within) doors, known imaginatively enough as the North Door and the South Door, and it also has, at about the center of its eastern curve, a Grand Gate...
(Part 2)
…(a two-wagon-width main gate of two broad metal-sheathed doors, of which only the more southern one habitually stands open in daylit hours; with just one panel open, an average wagon can pass in and out flanked by two people standing side-by-side on both sides of the wagon, none of them quite touching).
The visitor entering this courtyard through the Grand Gate will notice four features.
The front double doors of the main Palace building are flanked on the south by an exact replica of the merfolk statue, in green-black stone (serpentine stone) and standing twelve feet tall, upon a granite pedestal of 6 feet in height (the original was destroyed in the Second Sundering’s ravages), and on the north by the 9-foot-tall statue of Ahghairon (the original; it survived the Second Sundering unscathed) on a 6-foot-tall granite pedestal. Neither bears an inscription.
The courtyard also holds a long hitching-rail of stone obelisks pierced with holes, through which have been threaded copper-painted alloy bars to take reins and tethers, that flanks the inside of the curving ring-wall from the Grand Gate north all the way to the North Door.
And at a point that’s both halfway between the Grand Gate and the North Door, and halfway between the ring-wall and the Palace proper, there’s a round stone fountain fed by a spring from below, an old Palace well now repurposed as water for mounts, gulls and pigeons galore, and thirsty passersby (there are bronze cups, replaced hourly for health reasons, chained to the edges of the stone surround, right where the springs bubble up; this isn’t a “shoot jets of water” fountain, but a bubble up about a handspan above the rest of the water fountain, which drains way through piping to be pumped throughout Castle Ward (and if you’re thinking this is a great access point to poison Castle Ward, you’d be right, which is why there have been Palace guards and a Watchful Order duty magist posted to keep watch over it since it was completed). |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 30 Nov 2023 : 23:16:11
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On the place of the the Shadows of the Avatar trilogy within the Realms
Cdawg — 03/07/2023 11:10 PM
Something I wanted to ask Ed was the place of the the Shadows of the Avatar trilogy within the Realms. It has some oddities as it does not seem to line up with the Avatar trilogy. Midnight seems to appear as the risen goddess of magic before the end of the time of troubles. Ao makes a personal appearance in Safehold, which seems to not be considered by later sources (and has a personality). Even in some of the later books, which lists the Realms novels you wrote, omits the Shadow of the Avatar trilogy. What is going on with that? And why the messy timeline?
Ed Greenwood — 03/08/2023 12:07 AM
I was asked to write the Shadows of the Avatar to "fix" the Avatar trilogy's lore, and to write views of what it felt like to live through the events of that time. So (the "latest written rule") it supercedes the Avatar lore. Book listings in flyleaves at that time were limited to titles in print and available, and due to cash flow problems, that trilogy's printing history was "one and done," so they weren't put on some lists. And continued to be omitted from later lists for two reasons: lack of institutional memory (new staffers not knowing about earlier books, so just grabbing lists from a previous book and adding the newest at the end) and style: you almost never do an exhaustive list unless everything's in print, because you want a short one-page list, not pages and pages in a perback listing a catalogue that readers will just sigh and flip past and grumble that the novel could have been that many pages longer. |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 02 Dec 2023 : 09:52:19
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On the idea for naming years in the Calendar of Harptos, come from (creatively speaking)
5eForechecker (Ruf) — 03/10/2023 6:18 AM
A question in the Forgotten Realms Discord made me wonder:
Where did the idea for naming years in the Calendar of Harptos, come from (creatively speaking)? Also who got to create the most names, besides yourself? #128516;
(Apologies if this was already asked)
Ed Greenwood — 03/10/2023 10:30 AM
I came up with the idea as a 5-year-old, starting to create the Realms, after reading a Fritz Leiber fantasy tale in which he used a "It was the Year of the" sentence. I crafted the Roll of Years and coined a hundred or so names. Years later, Steven Schend drove to my house to spend a weekend concocting more, collaboratively. And later still came the collaboration George Krashos has posted about here. |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 02 Dec 2023 : 10:06:26
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On do the Seldarine perhaps come from some divine lineage
Nameless801 — 03/10/2023 10:37 AM
@Ed Greenwood we were having this discussion over in #128218;realmslore. The Seldarine are among the few gods to have surnames (or what seem like suenames). Corellon Larethian, Sehanine Moonbow, etc. The exceptions are Angharradh, who was created by 3 other goddesses, and Sheverash. And Deep Sashelas is just Deep Sashelas. Is there a chance you could shed light on these names? Are they actually surnames (do the Seldarine perhaps come from some divine lineage?), or are they just part of the overall deity name?
Ed Greenwood — 03/10/2023 10:44 AM
They are bynames (nicknames), not surnames. And in the case of Corellon, is because Corellon subsumed Larethian (literally consumed another deity named Larethian, and assumed his powers), whereas for Sehanine, “Moonbow” was her nickname, bestowed lovingly, and she loved it and proudly adopted it.
Ed Greenwood — 03/10/2023 10:55 AM
(Oooh, the gods have taken it away...) |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 02 Dec 2023 : 10:10:41
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On most Cormyrian trade is overland
JoeChang — 03/08/2023 10:07 AM
Hi @Ed Greenwood , in the Corymr ADnD 2nd edition sourcebook it says "The majority of the trade that passes into Cormyr arrives through Gnoll Pass, High Horn, or along the Way of the Manticore through Wheloon." Is the writer implying most Cormyrian trade is overland? From my admittedly modern-world perspective most of the trade into Corymr should be maritime.
Ed Greenwood — 03/10/2023 10:56 AM
In earlier times, and when Sembia was at war, the majority of trade goods entering Cormyr did arrive in the port of Marsember, aboard trading cogs, with Suzail also receiving more tonnage landed annually than any overland route.
However, at other times, the goods streaming along the Way of the Manticore in often nose-to-tail caravans bring in the most trade goods. |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 02 Dec 2023 : 10:19:09
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On Candlekeep and the Oghamnite dogma
Augustoc, Femboy Warlock — 03/08/2023 5:01 AM
Ed, according to Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast, the worship of Oghma is one of the most common ones in Candlekeep, but the activities of that place seem to fly right into the face of oghamnite dogma.
Candlekeep hoards knowledge and refuses entry to those who can't afford its very steep admission "fee".
Oghma teaches that knowledge is to be shared, and should never be hidden from the world (even in fairly extreme cases, where a certain oghmanite is shown to defend even sharing spells that could be disastrous if the knowledge of them fell into the wrong hands)
So... how does this make sense? Can you explain this?
Ed Greenwood — 03/10/2023 10:57 AM
Certainly. Deneir, Oghma, Milil, and other deities that value the preservation of lore in written form acknowledge the peerless value of a as-secure-as-we-can-make-it depository. That’s Candlekeep (with Herald’s Holdfast as a secret backup, and some other even more secret backups beyond that).
Preached dogma is one thing, and real-world considerations are another. (Ever heard: “We come in peace! Shoot to kill.”) The scribes of Candlekeep make copies for purchasers, and outsiders are allowed access to precious records of Candlekeep; that’s “knowledge shared.”
Candlekeep doesn’t run on Oghmanyte dogma. Mystra wouldn’t allow that, and Azuth wouldn’t, and Deneir wouldn’t, and Milil wouldn’t, and Oghma couldn’t prevail against any two of those deities. So Oghma can’t force his will on Candlekeep—and he values preservation of lore above all else, and preservation of lore is what Candlekeep is all about. So he picks his battles, and Candlekeep remains Candlekeep. |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 02 Dec 2023 : 10:21:42
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On "The Wizards Three" and the Elminster Series
JacobJ — 03/08/2023 3:49 AM
@Ed Greenwood Were you already working on The Making of a Mage when you were publishing "The Wizards Three" stuff in Dungeon Magazine, or did those initial articles start you working on the Elminster Series?
Ed Greenwood — 03/10/2023 10:57 AM
No. The Wizards Three was an editorial assignment (I was a Contributing Editor of The Dragon when the series began, and Kim Mohan asked me to write articles that would keep Krynn and Oerth in the public eye alongside the Realms). Much later, Brian Thomsen, head of Books Department at TSR, asked several authors to write novels about what he wanted to establish as our signature characters, and he chose the titles: “I, Strahd” and “Elminster: The Making Of A Mage.” So “Making” was an assignment, too (and I wrote it in 16 days: 8 consecutive 2-day weekends).
Remember, the Realms existed before D&D, and was “the world of a thousand thousand stories” running in my head for almost a decade before the game. All “Making” forced me to do was delve into the details of Elminster’s youth, and deepen what I’d worked out about the kingdom of Athalantar. |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 02 Dec 2023 : 10:26:00
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On the Ruins of Moontassel
Lucio — 03/08/2023 7:26 AM
@Ed Greenwood Can you tell us some info about the Ruins of Moontassel? It only mentions a wild magic zone, an old school of magic, a lich and automatons...One thing already picks my interest on knowing more about it... all of three I couldn't help myself to ask for more ^ ^
Ed Greenwood — 03/10/2023 10:59 AM
(Part 1) It certainly seems as if something of interest happened there, doesn’t it? ;}
The wild magic zone is a relic of a huge spell-battle that befell in Moontassel, and that spell-battle (in which two mages were transformed into beasts forever and nine more died horribly) marked the end of The Glowing Hand, the school of wizardry established there, when warring groups of mages fought each other to mutual destruction. One side, the tutors and apprentices of the school, had passed under the mental influence of the lich, Aumun Veltraunt, who acted as librarian and castellan (caretaker) of the school, and as “a hobby” created worker automatons (think necroton-like giant metal spiders or mechanical crabs). Veltraunt was really building his own army of guardians and beasts of burden, and he was influencing the thirty-some-strong school populace to be his own strike force of wizards that he was soon going to direct against such targets as Cormyr and select Sembian cities, to covertly conquer through strategic assassinations and spell-mind-control to “take over at the top.”
The force that attacked the school were Sembians who’d foiled one of Veltraunt’s planned assassinations: the killing of Mrorel Tranzhon, a Sembian investigator who’d been tasked with investigating The Glowing Hand to make sure it wasn’t a front for foes of Sembia. These Sembian wizards were very concerned with what the found in the minds of the assassons Veltraunt had sent, and were determined to hit the school hard before it had time to grow stronger. They misjudged the strength Veltraunt had already instilled.
(Part 2) For his part, the lich wanted to see what his created force could do on its own (how strong it truly was, without him directing it and hurling spells as reinforcements). So when the attack came, he threw up his wards (his auntomatons were foci for them, among other secrets) and just sat and watched, from his underground lair (the cellars of the school).
Where he remains today, guarded by his automatons and continuing his crafting of magic items and new, more powerful automatons. His school was destroyed above his head in the battle, but the wild magic zone that still rages there provides a good shield against the wider world—and Veltraunt has perfected “snatch-teleport” spells that can grab arriving wizards or individuals loaded down with magic items, and whisk them into a “run” of trap-rooms and prison chambers in his lair, yet leave his wards up to prevent other intruders from following them.
Veltraunt is powerful enough to have prevented the Thultanthans from noticing him, behind the wild magic zone’s swirling chaos. He can also separate his body into head, torso with legs, and his arms, and each of them can fly about and act on its own (emitting spells he casts, and his voice, and serving as hosts for him to see and hear out of). |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 02 Dec 2023 : 10:53:26
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On training to become a paladin in the Realms
Savn — 03/07/2023 10:49 AM
@Ed Greenwood What does training to become a paladin look like in the realms? Are hopefuls trained in topics such as ethics and religion alongside martial matters?
Ed Greenwood — 03/10/2023 11:00 AM
Specific training varies with each faith and even from order to order of paladins serving the same faith, but yes, aspirant paladins are trained in the tenets of the faith, the will of the deity, and the doctrine of the church (the code of conduct the regular clergy are expected to daily follow). |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 02 Dec 2023 : 10:55:52
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On Volo's investigations starting a war
JoeChang — 03/06/2023 8:08 AM
@Ed Greenwood Has Volo's investigations ever started a war?
Ed Greenwood — 03/10/2023 11:01 AM
Volo would say ‘no,’ but I’m not so sure. |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 02 Dec 2023 : 10:59:11
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On why are diamonds so important for spells like Resurrection
Kamuai — 03/03/2023 11:50 PM
@Ed Greenwood Hello, I'm pretty sure it's been answered before but I can't find it. Why are diamonds so important for spells like Resurrection? What about Diamonds makes them so important for restoring life?
Ed Greenwood — 03/10/2023 11:02 AM
Diamonds are formed when carbon deposits are compressed by high temperatures and pressure, either along a fault line that’s building tension, or near a magma flow that’s growing in volume or pushing forward. The carbon is forced into crystalline form. This reordering of a substance into a new form is akin to the reordering of death into life in a particular body, a “magical association” if you will. Clear or nearly-clear (unflawed) crystals are among the best material components for such magical effects—and are certainly the most numerous and widely-available of the best material components. |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 02 Dec 2023 : 11:02:36
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On King/Queen bear more authority than coronals for elves
cherrycoke2l — 03/04/2023 12:33 AM
Hello, a question on elven royalty. We know that most elven realms were ruled by coronals, however Evermeet was ruled by a king and a queen subsequently (and a council before and after that). Do titles of King/Queen bear more authority for elves than coronals? Would the elven title of king/queen be comparable to a real life emperor, and elven title of coronal to that of a real life king (as in, the former having more prestige than the latter)? I'm aware of the lengthy process of the selection of Evermeet's rulers via Moonblades, I'm just wondering if there's any other reason why they're called king/queen rather than coronal like in other elven realms.
George Krashos — 03/04/2023 4:36 AM
There is an alternative to coronal - iylitar - that was a more ancient equivalent denoting a ruler of a major elven kingdom. Laranlor/laranla was used for rulers of minor kingdoms (such as Ardeep). As to why Zaor and Amlaruil were king and queen respectively, that’s a good question. Harbromm of Citadel Adbar was similarly a king, when we know that in earlier times dwarves used arcorm and then arcrown. Maybe it’s a result of that most insidious thing: humanity and their preponderance across Faerûn. But Ed will let us know.#128522;
Ed Greenwood — 03/10/2023 11:03 AM
Originally, “coronal” meant “community leader,” and only later gained the pomp and etiquette to go along with the obedience and reverence. It’s not and has never been inferior in status to “king” or “queen.”
Evermeet used king and queen, and as George pointed out, Harbromm was a “king,” for the same reason George suspected: human influence. Not that either elves or dwarves wanted to adopt human terms as superior to their own, but rather, styling themselves so gained human understanding and the right treatment/diplomatic respect, rather than confusion or any human dismissal of the authority of a coronal (or a dwarven arcrown) as “some backward title used by savages.” Elves and dwarves don’t care what their rulers are called; they care about the examples and behavior their rulers display. |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 03 Dec 2023 : 06:25:11
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On the outcome of KarselTyn Lylyl-Lytherraias's discussion with Queen Moonflower about the acceptance of good drow on Evermeet
DaBroni (actually a CR 0 spider) — 03/05/2023 8:53 PM
Hi Sir @Ed Greenwood ! Do you know what was the outcome of KarselTyn Lylyl-Lytherraias's discussion with Queen Moonflower about the acceptance of good drow on Evermeet?
Ed Greenwood — 03/10/2023 11:04 AM
Queen Amlaruil Moonflower knew that the older sun elf families would never accept drow into Evermeet, but individuals of any race can be admitted “at the king’s pleasure” or “at the queen’s pleasure,” no matter how much this may displease other citizens of Evermeet, even the High Council, which is how Karsel’lyn Lylyl-Lytherraias came to be on Evermeet (albeit secretly). Should someone attack, cast magic upon, or attempt to bind or confine such a “Royally Accepted” individual, the face and badge of the monarch accepting them appears before them, glowing in midair and accompanied by a fanfare.
Queen Amlaruil promised Karsel’lyn Lylyl-Lytherraias that individual good drow would be admitted if she approved of them, but there would be no “immigration of all good drow” and word spread about it. The Royal Council that governed after her continued the acceptance of the nine good drow Amlaruil Royally Accepted, but this infuriated such sun elf conservatives as Imdarm Rylstarnan and Huelve Onthalone as deeply as it had in Amlaruil’s day. They never attacked any Royally Accepted, but they spied on them both openly and covertly, (vainly) awaiting any moment they could deem “treason” or betrayal of Evermeet.
(Ahoy @Ninjanurse29 …new drow lore!) |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 03 Dec 2023 : 06:41:59
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On city/cities that evokes the "feel" of Berdusk
Alyxx (they/them) — 03/03/2023 6:33 AM
Good evening @Ed Greenwood!
I know it's never the right move to look for real-world equivalents of Realmstuff, but as a DM I find my mind is most engaged and inspired by visual references. So, my question: Is there a city/cities, present or past, that you'd say evokes the "feel" of Berdusk? Whether in architecture, layout, or simple vibes?
Ed Greenwood — 03/10/2023 11:05 AM
If you turn the brown and russet tiles and stone grayer, and remove the distinctive domes, real-world Florence might do pretty well for the architecture, size, and surroundings (even to the rivers running through). |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 03 Dec 2023 : 06:48:36
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On what is Mask up to
Kamuai — 02/28/2023 10:30 PM
@Ed Greenwood What is Mask up to now a days? He have any plans or is he just taking it easy in Shadow Keep?
Ed Greenwood — 03/10/2023 11:06 AM
“The returned” Mask is a loner, and loves subtle scheming and manipulation. He is all about plans: that is, schemes to manipulate mortals of Toril, through other mortals he whispers to in their dreams. He’s no longer interested in thefts except to keep the worship of thieves, so he will aid thieves on the run to “get away,” but when they contemplate and plan thefts, they’re on their own (though Mask will watch them to gain entertainment).
So Mask is manipulating busily. And taking great pleasure in thwarting and twisting all schemes launched by Shar. |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 03 Dec 2023 : 06:59:23
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On names of plants or flowers for children
Sheepy — 02/18/2023 11:47 AM
@Ed Greenwood Do any races/cultures in the Realms favor names of plants or flowers for their children? If so, what can you tell us about these names and the associated plants?
Ed Greenwood — 03/10/2023 11:07 AM
This is going to be an ongoing answer, as I come to the many, many examples, but here’s a beginning, all feminine given names:
“Rose” for humans and halflings and gnomes, “Estel” being Gnomish for ‘rose.’
“Fern” for humans, which is also “Vaerevven” to elves.
“Lily” for humans and halflings, which is “Ithlil” to elves.
And here’s one masculine given name:
“Sormrel” for elves, which is also their name of the lupine or bluebonnet. |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 03 Dec 2023 : 07:04:18
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On Elminster's 2 other daughters. Filfaeril Obarskyr and Laspeera Inthré
Emmissary — 02/18/2023 12:22 PM
@Ed Greenwood Elminster has a daughter, whom he conceived with a dragon. (Because you know he has that kinda swagger.) But allegedly has 2 other daughters. Filfaeril Obarskyr and Laspeera Inthré. Does he not claim them which is why they are allegedly his? Or is there more to this? Also it doesn't mention their mothers in the stuff I have seen on them. Based on the information on them, there is ties to Cormyr. Does this make Elminster like the Ben Franklin of Cormyr?
Ed Greenwood — 02/18/2023 12:39 PM
That was poetic license on El's part. What he meant was that he's one of their blood ancestors, several generations back. So they're more-than-several-greats-granddaughters, not literal daughters. But he regards them as his daughters, to befriend and support and nurture and aid, NOT romance (or order around), and in tender moments speaks of them as his daughters.
He didn't sleep with their mothers and conceive them, he slept with someone in their family tree, and remembers. Why did he bed-hop? Well, he "was there for" several ladies in Cormyr, as part of the rebuilding of the realm in the time of Duar (happily married nobles who couldn't conceive; El secretly stepped in and took care of that, at Mystra's direction, because she wanted a strong realm to continue because it was a place that had War Wizards, and she wanted that to continue). And he didn't watch over Fee and Laspeera out of creepy personal instincts, he watched over them per Mystra's instructions: Laspeera is an accomplished mage in a position of ruling power, and Queen Fee is an undeveloped "wild talent" (she has the Gift) and as a ruler has to be watched over to make sure a Zhent or Red Wizard or other wizard of fell intent doesn't slyly offer her magical power and training by means that will bring her under his or her mental influence, so Cormyr can be led astray (again, because of the War Wizards). |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 03 Dec 2023 : 08:54:50
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On Mellomir of Arabel
Cdawg — 02/16/2023 9:20 AM
Hi Ed. Mellomir of Arabel was listed as a 27th Level wizard back on FR Adventures, which not only placed him as uncommonly powerful, but rivaling the likes of Khelben and Elminster. What was his real story, and can you provide any details about his special protective spell?
Ed Greenwood — 03/10/2023 11:09 AM
Mellomir was a genuinely nice person who helped many common folk in small ways almost daily; he was called “the Kind Wizard” by many. He reverenced Azuth above all, and Azuth watched over him to keep him alive, showing him how to craft his “Mellomir’s Mantle” protective spell, which combined the ironguard spell with an immunity to magic missiles and other force damage spells, and immunity to all damage from acid, heat and fire. It also “drank” all natural and magical lightning, so they didn’t harm Mellomir but rather gave him temporary, extra hp equal to the damage they would have done. The Mantle also lessened bludgeoning damage and thunder damage by half. Many folk have searched for this spell since Mellomir’s disappearance, shortly before the Spellplague (his wanderings make it hard for anyone to be certain when he was last seen, and where, so his fate is unknown).
Mellomir was a sage, who studied magic, beginning under Vangerdahast when young, then several wizards in Silverymoon, then briefly under Laeral Silverhand, and then under some wizards of Amn and Tethyr before meeting a manifestation of Azuth, who bade him wander and see the world and work magic and learn more that way (which led him to the Lady Saharel, in Saherelgard, among others). |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 03 Dec 2023 : 08:58:17
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On the River Til near Tilbrand
LegacyGamingCoRyanHiller — 02/23/2023 8:51 AM
I was hoping to ask about the River Til near Tilbrand?
Ed Greenwood — 03/10/2023 11:11 AM
The River Til is a clearwater (drinkable) river that rises in the Yuirwood and flows south to the sea at Tilbrand. It is fast-flowing until a set of rapids at the point where it passes between two most southerly arms of the Yuirwood, descends through an “edge” of rocks spanning perhaps a quarter of a mile, and thereafter is a much broader, slower river that begins to wind (through gently-rolling grasslands that are readily arable) ere reaching its mouth. (These rapids would be the best site on the Til for a water-powered mill, but there’s no evidence that anyone has ever built one.)
The river is named for the moon-elven adventurer “Til” Nuavrevantil (“Noo-AW-vurr-ON-till”), who perished on its banks (somewhere near the sea) in a battle with a beholder (and three undead beholders it controlled) in 26 DR after a forty-year career of leading an adventuring band, the Smiling Sword, all over the lands that are now Unther, Mulhorand, Threskel, and Chessenta.
The waters of the Til hold many edible fish (notably dunfin, trar-tench, and the flat-bodied and non-slimy, but otherwise eel-like sarthray), turtles, and soft-shelled crabs. Some fisherfolk have set weirs to take sizeable catches, but their takes have been declining in recent years—and something under the water keeps destroying their nets and barriers.
Until it starts to wind and grows broad, the Til has a largely gravel bottom, and its waters are clear. It is pumped and piped throughout Tilbrand to provide drinking water and sewers that flush back into the river, so wastes are carried to the sea. |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 03 Dec 2023 : 09:01:40
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On themes of extreme longevity on people in the Realms for 50 years
Cdawg — 03/11/2023 3:28 AM
Hi Ed. You have been exploring the effects of extreme longevity's effects on people in the Realms for 50 years. As you yourself have advanced through life, how has it changed or shaped your insight into these themes?
Ed Greenwood — 03/11/2023 5:28 AM
As I've watched more and more family, friends, and co-workers start to show the effects of dementia, or physical disability, or burnout and loss of energy, that's nuanced how I portray worn-out rulers and overwhelmed elderly wizards, and more. |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 03 Dec 2023 : 09:09:37
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On Daurgothoth's plan to become a greatwyrm
Gustavo Tortato — 03/11/2023 1:03 AM
Hey Ed!
I was wondering today after some discussion here on the server, does Daurgothoth have a plan in motion to become a greatwyrm (in the 5e definition of the concept)? Does he even have a developed dragonsight?
Or he already merged with his echoes and is even more powerful than before?
Ed Greenwood — 03/11/2023 10:07 AM
Greatwyrm status is for the common herd, Daurgothoth thinks. He has bigger plans for increased longevity and power, and is hatching them as I write this. I’ll pen a Patreon post about it someday. |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 03 Dec 2023 : 09:27:40
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On Dwarven reckoning of years in the Realms
Doc Webb — 03/11/2023 10:24 PM
Hello! Thank you for all these wonderful, detailed answers. I was curious if there is a Dwarven reckoning of years in the Realms, an equivalent to Dale Reckoning or Northreckoning. I can’t seem to find one. If so, what is it called and what is the equivalent year for the Year of Sunrise (1 DR)? Thanks so much!
Ed Greenwood — 03/12/2023 4:10 AM
There's no commonly-accepted reckoning of years among dwarves, no. Dwarven clans date things by the reigns of clan chieftans ("X befell in the sixth year of Buruin's leadership"), and dwarven kingdoms and stand-alone communities do the same thing: reckon events by "the sixth of Mirtul, in the second year Delvran held the throne" (or mayor's scepter, or council head seat).
Doc Webb — 03/12/2023 4:13 AM
Thank you so much — this is incredibly helpful!
Ed Greenwood — 03/12/2023 4:20 AM
You're very welcome! |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 09 Dec 2023 : 13:36:36
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On anyone named "Tombigbee" in the Realms
Juniper Churlgo — 03/12/2023 1:10 AM
A very random question for Ed. Is there or has there ever been anyone named "Tombigbee" in the realms? If yes, where are they from? Happy weekend!
Ed Greenwood — 03/12/2023 4:20 AM
Not that I know of. The closest I can find is Taumbrygg Ree, a gnome grandmother in Athkatla who runs one of the big smuggling rings in that city, is the matriarch of Clan Ree (so the clan is based in Athkatla as long as she is its head), is a Harper “den mother” and a friend of the Seven Sisters, and who has some sort of powerful healing magic. She’s very old, a mass of wrinkles, has an ear to ear (and toothless) grin, and is very smart. She also has a mind of uncommon power: an illithid once slid a tentacle into her ear, to try to extract her brain, she sliced it off with a wicked little knife she sheathes in her hair, behind one ear, it mind blasted her—and she caught that blast in her mind, hurled it back, and added some sort of magical attack that fried the mind flayer’s brain; smoke literally spewed from its eyes as it shuddered and collapsed.
She also likes to sit quietly and sip tea. |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 09 Dec 2023 : 13:42:10
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On individuals with more than a single 9th level spell slot lived within the Forgotten Realms
The Entire State of NJ — 03/11/2023 10:37 AM
Hello Ed! Was a bit curious since there was a discussion here yesterday about it, and it came up that only 2 creatures in official 5e stat blocks from WOTC had more than a single 9th level spell slot, while a few had the ability to cast specific 9th level spells more than once a day (some with the use of items like Orcus). Neither of these individuals with this ability were specifically from the Forgotten Realms setting, so I was curious, if any individuals with similar capabilities lived within the Forgotten Realms?
Ed Greenwood — 03/12/2023 4:25 AM
Sure. Leaving aside the powerful monsters hidden behind NDA, all of the Chosen (and other servitors of Mystra) who are Weavemasters can unleash 9th level spells repeatedly by tapping the Weave to do so. They very rarely do so, for ethical reasons (Mystra and Azuth both frown on such behaviour). |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 09 Dec 2023 : 13:44:55
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On Dimswart Manor
JoeChang — 03/11/2023 9:14 AM
@Ed Greenwood In the novel Azure Bonds we get to meet King Azoun's old comrade Dimswart at his estate. Could you please tell us more about Dimswart Manor? Was the land a gift from Azoun?
Ed Greenwood — 03/12/2023 4:37 AM
The farm of Dimswart Manor was a royal gift, but from King Rhigaerd II, the father of Azoun IV, to Dimswart’s father Palrond, a scribe of the Royal Court who rose to become Rhigaerd’s trusted Clerk of the Privy Purse (head accountant of the Crown, and the man who set up many of the routines, internal rules, and staffing structures that made the Royal Court run smoothly then—and now). Like Dimswart after him, Palrond retired to it, to live out his “graying days” quietly, studying fungi (as Dimswart did after him) and reading salacious novels and chapbooks (which Dimswart did not do after him). |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 09 Dec 2023 : 13:47:15
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On Music language in the Realms
Lucio — 02/16/2023 8:46 PM
Hi Ed, dunno if it's in some FR product already but what is Music language in the realms? How would be a music sheet be written compared to our world?
Ed Greenwood — 03/12/2023 11:58 AM
There's a future Patreon post that will delve into this. Short answer: various forms of written music notation have been used, but died out. More often, spells are used to "record" tunes. |
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questing gm
Master of Realmslore
Malaysia
1449 Posts |
Posted - 09 Dec 2023 : 13:49:52
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On dragons lairing in The Vast in 1356-1365
rweston_DnD — 03/12/2023 6:25 PM
Hi Ed, I would love to hear about any dragons lairing in The Vast, preferably in the grey box Era 1356-1365. Thanks!!
Ed Greenwood — 03/13/2023 5:59 AM
There aren’t many, thanks to the depredations of the male red dragon wyrm (as in “older than ancient”) Vraughahlaraust (“VROG-hal-ah-rost”), who slew and devoured many dragons in the Vast before being destroyed (blown apart magically) by the wizard Mellomir of Arabel in 1384 DR.
However, the copper dragon Bracemeirtrel (“BRAY-sss-mere-trel”) dwells in Procampur in human form, the steel dragon Arhulroedanthe (“Arr-hull-ROE-danth”) lives in Ravens Bluff in human form, the deep dragon Draukulvor (“DRAW-kull-vorr”) has a lair deep under the Glorming Pass in the Earthfast Mountains, and the white dragon Gauthaukrul (“Goth-AWK-rull”) lairs in a cavern on the northeastern flank of Mount Wormlook (so-called because it overlooks the Flacier of the White Worm), in the Earthspur Mountains.
rweston_DnD — 03/13/2023 6:48 AM
Thank you oh great sage, that is wonderful fodder for my next campaign!
Ed Greenwood — 03/13/2023 7:50 AM
My pleasure! Happy dragon marauding! |
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Ed Greenwood from Greenwood's Grotto
