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Zandilar
Learned Scribe
Australia
313 Posts |
 Posted - 29 Apr 2005 : 08:09:37
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Heya,
quote:
Originally posted by RevJest
I suspect that the royal sisters have longer lifespans than the average human, given their mother's seeming good health and beauty at her advanced age. After all, when your Grandfather is ...
I don't think this really is a factor. Not unless their grandfather isn't human.
I do know to whom you are refering, but I might point out that his lifespan has nothing to do with his genetics, but more to do with the power he carries inside him. Neither Tanalasta nor Alusair have anything to do with the deity that protects and extends the life of their grandfather - Tanalasta was quite devoted to Chauntea (who is the most likely deity to have helped Tanalasta give birth so easily under extremely trying conditions), and I believe Alusair follows Torm.
As for the seeming longevity of Filfaeril herself, I don't know. Perhaps she has something in her blood that preserves her (though it has been said that her beauty is slowly fading), or maybe she just has the latest concoctions available from the Church of Sune. 
Really, what it comes down to is I don't know, and I'm just making speculations. But even with an extended life span, they're still human and therefore they would still mature at the same rate... Well you'd hope so anyway, or else people would notice and start to make all kinds of assumptions as to why this 37 year old human looks and behaves like a 20 year old! Also you'd be asking why is Azoun V still in nappies at oh 7 years old. |
Zandilar
~amor vincit omnia~
~audaces fortuna iuvat~
As the spell ends, you look up into the sky to see the sun blazing overhead like noon in a desert. Then something else in the sky catches your attention. Turning your gaze, you see a tawny furred kitten bounding across the sky towards the new sun. Her eyes glint a mischevious green as she pounces on it as if it were nothing but a colossal ball of golden yarn. With quick strokes of her paws, it is batted across the sky, back and forth. Then with a wink the kitten and the sun disappear, leaving the citizens of Elversult gazing up with amazed expressions that quickly turn into chortles and mirth.
The Sunlord left Elversult the same day in humilitation, and was never heard from again. |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 29 Apr 2005 : 10:05:47
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I just have to give Ed further Kudo's on his Thor analogies. The one epic "Ragnarok" storyline that Walt Simonson wrote (THE FIRST TIME Odin disappeared) lost so much of its impact as other writers used Ragnarok as a plot device to "spice things up" when Thor's sales were down.
It reminds me of all the RSEs, obviously, becuase each one may be well written idividually, but taken as a whole, they have so much less impact. |
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khorne
Master of Realmslore
Finland
1073 Posts |
Posted - 29 Apr 2005 : 12:41:13
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quote:
Originally posted by RevJest
quote:
Originally posted by Zandilar
quote:
Originally posted by SiriusBlack
First off for Zandilar:
If I recall correctly, Alusair was born in 1335 DR. Thus, she's approaching the big 4 0. Can't wait to see how she handles that or a nephew who is popular with the young ladies in a decade or so.
That would make her 37 in 1372 DR. So, time is also running out for her to have a child of her own (without going into full details, pregnancy becomes more risky, and more prone to problems the older a woman gets). I know Tanalasta had a miraculously easy pregnancy for her first one (at 37 or so herself), and especially in the manner in which she gave birth (I suspect divine assistance)...
I suspect that the royal sisters have longer lifespans than the average human, given their mother's seeming good health and beauty at her advanced age. After all, when your Grandfather is ...
- RJ
When their grandfather is who? |
If I were a ranger, I would pick NDA for my favorite enemy |
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Krafus
Learned Scribe
246 Posts |
Posted - 29 Apr 2005 : 14:51:21
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Hello Ed and THO,
I was rereading my old copy of Spellfire yesterday, and I suddenly recalled a passage from it, or maybe Crown of Fire, where, IIRC, Elminster mentioned Shandril facing hourly visits from the likes of Manshoon, Ghalaster of Thay and another very powerful spellcasting villain. My question is, who is/was Ghalaster of Thay?
Thank you for your time, both of you. I love being able to ask questions of the Realms' creator... |
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 29 Apr 2005 : 14:51:24
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quote:
Originally posted by khorne
When their grandfather is who?
khorne,
Check out this thread. It contains the information as to who is being referred to.
SB |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 29 Apr 2005 : 15:01:14
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Ed, just a quick question based on your home campaigns...
We know that from some of your previous postings at other locations online, the Lowlantern Lutes were "last seen busily fleecing rich Sembians." You also stated that they "presumably are still at it."
I was just curious as to whether they've been encountered by the Knights of Myth Drannor (or anyone else) in your home 'Realms' campaign since?
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 29 Apr 2005 : 16:14:03
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| Also don't forget, for those discussing the age factor, that Ed still uses longevity magic, which has mostly been written out in 3/3.5e. :) Potions, fountain, etc. |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4689 Posts |
Posted - 29 Apr 2005 : 22:30:33
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Well waiting for other reply, I wish to ask an additional question.
It is clear that Lolth, may the light take her, has killed or transformed all of her male Clerics/Priests in the transition from 2nd to 3rd Edition. There however stays the question of "What of the Children"
I know I am asking for a game revision answer that are not normally within your preview, that the bean counters decide such matters.
F&P is not clear enough to me as to if the son or daughter accepts members of the other sex as Clerics or Priest/ess . Perhaps you could provide your or an official ruling on this matter? |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 30 Apr 2005 : 00:16:13
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Si, Ed replies to your query: “If we take the armed forces of Cormyr and Waterdeep as examples (since I know Ed likes specifics in questions) what sort of insignia do they use for Ranks, length of service Marks (if any) and Decorations for valour on their uniforms/armour?”
Ed speaks:
Sorry, Si, but the Watch and Guard of Waterdeep are currently NDA (something [cough] to do with Waterdeep products and web support appearing this summer, so you [cough] shouldn’t have to wait TOO long). Moreover, a BIG current NDA is going to trammel my pen when replying to you about the stalwarts of Cormyr, too, but let me say this much:
When in battle armour, Purple Dragons display nothing that demonstrates length of service. They do have identifying rank marks, and they do win ‘dragonstars’ (medals, consisting of a decoration pendant dangling from an ornate metal chain, some chains being worn around the neck and some over the shoulder [so the pendant hangs low on the chest next to one arm or the other]) for valour, but these are worn only on ‘state dress’ occasions (revels, when courting or being wed, and when at Court), NEVER in battle. Often Obarskyrs haven’t worn crowns or circlets when armoured and in the saddle. As for specifics: sorry, NDA right now. I really am sorry, and in a little more than a month hope to be able to tell you a little bit more.
So saith Ed. Ho-ho, your probe strikes into something SECRET . . .
curiouser and curiouser, as the actress said when unbuttoning buttons not her own - -
ahem.
love to all,
THO
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crazedventurers
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1073 Posts |
Posted - 30 Apr 2005 : 11:06:41
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was he the one that could build golems the size of mountains? (or somewhat similar quote?)
Damian
quote:
Originally posted by Krafus
Hello Ed and THO,
the likes of Manshoon, Ghalaster of Thay and another very powerful spellcasting villain. My question is, who is/was Ghalaster of Thay?
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So saith Ed. I've never said he was sane, have I?
Gods, all this writing and he's running a constant fantasy version of Coronation Street in his head, too. .
shudder,
love to all,
THO
Candlekeep Forum 7 May 2005 |
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Krafus
Learned Scribe
246 Posts |
Posted - 30 Apr 2005 : 18:19:39
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quote:
Originally posted by crazedventurers
was he the one that could build golems the size of mountains? (or somewhat similar quote?)
Damian
IIRC, that was some Red Wizard called the Masked One in the Shadows of the Avatar trilogy who wanted to unseat Szass Tam and become Zulkir of Necromancy. Maybe it's Ghalaster's secret identity (I hope not). |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 01 May 2005 : 02:05:37
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Well met again, fellow scribes. Ed replies to The Sage in the matter of Zhentil Keep currency:
Hi, Sage. Zhentil Keep has been a trading center from its founding, and so home to all manner of imported currency and rough-smelted trade bars (being as the wealth of metal mines north of the Moonsea flows through it), down the years.
It’s also had various local mintings of coins, most of them crude stampings of a portcullis gate on one side and a diamond-shaped gemstone on the other, the coins being rough-edged and irregular.
Since the recent rebuilding of the Keep, a few copper and silver coins and a lot of gold coins have been minted. The copper and silver are mere coatings on iron, and are deemed worthless by most folk outside Zhentil Keep, but the gold coins are made of the ‘real thing’ (a slightly reddish gold, found mainly northeast of Glister, though there are rumors to be vast amounts of smelted gold buried under or near the Citadel of the Raven).
The details that follow apply only to these most recent mintings:
copper coin: square, pierced by central hole to allow stringing, the four sharp corners snipped off. One side: the Wingless Dragon (scaled serpent with fanciful head) biting its own tail; head faciing anticlockwise, curls around central hole. Other Side: ten tiny four-point stars, encircling the central hole. Known as a ‘fang’ in the Keep and in the Dales, but elsewhere as ‘dung-pieces.’
silver coin: triangular, pierced by central hole to allow stringing, all corners remain (silver usually wears off quickly). Both sides: six four-pointed stars encircle the central hole.
Known as a ‘talon’ or ‘naal’ (pronounced “NAH-ull,” probably a distortion of the word ‘nail’) in the Keep and the Dales, but everywhere else as a ‘dung-flea bit’ or just a ‘flea-bit.’
gold coin: square, with corners surviving, but two parallel sides bow inwards symmetrically (concave), for easy grasping by thumbs (no central hole).
One side: three crenelated castle turret-tops, central one slightly taller than the others.
Other side: Wolf head, side-on with nose to the dexter and with three drops of tears or blood falling away beneath it.
Known formally as a ‘glory,’ but called a ‘Weeping Wolf’ everywhere (even in Zhentil Keep).
So saith Ed. Ask, and ye shall (eventually) receive.
love to all,
THO
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Lauzoril
Seeker
Finland
71 Posts |
Posted - 01 May 2005 : 10:00:43
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To Ed, via marvelous Lady Hood.
Greetings Ed, it took a while but now I've finally (amongst other projects) read both language versions of the Making of a Mage. And there are few things to comment.
First of all, the translation is done incredibly well, nothing is missing. Names and such have been translated as accurately as possible, either kept same or those whose surnames describe something have been translated e.g Trumpettower. Overall, almost a literal translation. Only few of the puns have been converted to a more finnish equivalent like helmhead became something which hasn't definition in english.
Near the end where Berghal, the cheese merchant first sees El and Mystra in the sky, he mentions the eating snails thing. In Fi version it has been changed to mushrooms.
I was pleasantly surprised and satisfied of the quality of the conversion and look forward for more since they plan to translate all your Elminster books. I only wondered why they hadn't made an author profile of anykind to the end of the book.
Even my mother read the book and liked it, despite barely knowing&understanding the FR setting.
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"Death to the enemies of Bane."
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 01 May 2005 : 10:32:29
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Well met again, fellow scribes. Ed replies to The Sage in the matter of Zhentil Keep currency...
Thank you Ed, and to you as well Grand Lady. This humble sage appreciates every chance he can get to peck at the mind of the 'Old Bearded One'.
I'm also glad to see that my original thinking on the Zhentish currency system wasn't too far off the mark.
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2005 : 01:11:07
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Hello, again, all.
Zandilar, Ed confirms my explanation of Alusair’s ‘forced sex,’ and adds an answer of sorts (sigh) to your comment: “Vangerdahast didn't pull Caladnei out of thin air, she must have been there in the background for a while - perhaps as one of the senior War Wizards? I mean, there'd be plenty of people who would be miffed at Caladnei leap frogging over them from nothing. So how well did Alusair know Caladnei prior to... hmm... Cormyr: A Novel? Was Caladnei even around prior to that novel? And if not, how is it that Vangerdahast expected the Obarskyrs (let alone the nobles) to accept her as his replacement?”
Ed speaks:
Ah, yes. I slipped a LITTLE about Caladnei’s past into ELMINSTER’S DAUGHTER, but Vangey’s process of magically watching her from afar, covertly testing her, watching her some more, offering her the job, accepting but not accepting her refusal, getting the Obarskyrs to accept her, and so on - - as well as his motives for choosing a successor at last, and specifically choosing HER, is something I’d like to show fictionally, some day. If the opportunity ever arises.
I’m not sure if it will, but (ahem) I have plans. I hope they can be made to dovetail with those of a certain other scribe, but I can’t say more just yet. No matter how much I want to.
You are of course correct: Vangey did not choose Caladnei impulsively, by any means.
So saith Ed. Darn those NDAs and the need not to screw up future possibilities, even if they’re not NDA’ed yet. Ah, well: I hope in the fullness of time we shall all see . . .
Oh, to Chosen of Moradin, Ed says: Merith has gained only two levels in each class, in the ‘home’ campaign, but modify him to whatever you need him to be, in your own.
love to all,
THO
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2005 : 04:53:59
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
So saith Ed. Darn those NDAs and the need not to screw up future possibilities, even if they’re not NDA’ed yet. Ah, well: I hope in the fullness of time we shall all see . . .
I have this horriable image of Eds office having dozens of Filing Cabniets full of FR NDAs! |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2005 : 05:21:04
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quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
So saith Ed. Darn those NDAs and the need not to screw up future possibilities, even if they’re not NDA’ed yet. Ah, well: I hope in the fullness of time we shall all see . . .
I have this horriable image of Eds office having dozens of Filing Cabniets full of FR NDAs!
HAHAHAH. :) That made me chuckle. |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
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Baalster
Acolyte
19 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2005 : 06:20:53
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quote:
Originally posted by kuje31
quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
So saith Ed. Darn those NDAs and the need not to screw up future possibilities, even if they’re not NDA’ed yet. Ah, well: I hope in the fullness of time we shall all see . . .
I have this horriable image of Eds office having dozens of Filing Cabniets full of FR NDAs!
HAHAHAH. :) That made me chuckle.
I would think it was sorted by date, and was standing next to the liquor cabinet. So every time one expired, an instant celebration was initiated.
Speaking of which, my question about Whitehorn, White Peaks and the Ride barbarians, page 43/2004 is creeping up to it's 10 month anniversary. Did they hit one of them dreaded NDAs as well, or did it force Ed to dig deeper into his pile than usual.
Many thanks,
Baalster
of Whitehorn (www.alandfaraway.org)
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The North is indeed as they say in the Vilhon Reach - a land of "hard, brutal men in leather and furs who swing overhasty swords." |
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Garen Thal
Master of Realmslore
USA
1105 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2005 : 07:37:01
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Ed doesn't have room for filing cabinets in his house. Or liquor cabinets. Just books. Shelves and rows and hollow walls full of books. Drawers under the beds full of books. And sliding panels to hide more books.
This year at Gen Con I may pass him some blueprints my brother came up with to hide them in the floor. I'm sure he still has more books than he does places to put them... |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2005 : 07:42:15
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quote:
Originally posted by Garen Thal
This year at Gen Con I may pass him some blueprints my brother came up with to hide them in the floor. I'm sure he still has more books than he does places to put them...
I might want to take a peak at them myself...  .
If my digital camera was still working, I'd be able to demonstrate how crowded my own home is, with books, other books, and well... more books.
As it is, the baby's nursery now also doubles, partly, as a library for Realmslore...  .
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2005 : 08:02:48
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
As it is, the baby's nursery now also doubles, partly, as a library for Realmslore... .
Are you SURE thats a good idea? You do know that Infants have the Weapons foucs: Projectile Vomiting Feat dont you? |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2005 : 14:04:03
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quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
As it is, the baby's nursery now also doubles, partly, as a library for Realmslore... .
Are you SURE thats a good idea? You do know that Infants have the Weapons foucs: Projectile Vomiting Feat dont you?
'Tis true! And as soon as the little scribe starts crawling, anything he or she lays hands on will be pulled down, crumpled, wrinkled, and gummed... |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
Edited by - Wooly Rupert on 02 May 2005 14:04:38 |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2005 : 14:26:53
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
As it is, the baby's nursery now also doubles, partly, as a library for Realmslore... .
Are you SURE thats a good idea? You do know that Infants have the Weapons foucs: Projectile Vomiting Feat dont you?
'Tis true! And as soon as the little scribe starts crawling, anything he or she lays hands on will be pulled down, crumpled, wrinkled, and gummed...
Sounds like Sage will need to Laminate his FR collection  |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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Zandilar
Learned Scribe
Australia
313 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2005 : 14:34:30
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Heya,
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hello, again, all.
Zandilar, Ed confirms my explanation of Alusair’s ‘forced sex,’
*nods* Lots to think about on that. I know "fantasy" is not supposed to work the same way as "reality", but that kind of behaviour is what I would see to be a serious character flaw, and wouldn't exist without good reason. The more I think about it, the more Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder fits her. That would imply that others also suffer from this illness - after all, I understand that the symptoms of the disorder do vary widely from person to person. (Which is one possible reason why this is "normal" for Alusair and not for anyone else.)
Needless to say, the healer part of me thinks she needs curing. (Comfort, understanding, a sense of peace and safety, the sharing of her burdens - or however mental illnesses are treated in the Realms*... Of course, by bog standard 3.5e rules, Heal cures mental afflictions. The SRD description of the spell includes "insanity" as one of the adverse conditions Heal will cure, but it's unclear whether "insanity" means all insanity (naturally occuring ones included) or if it just means magically induced insanity.)
The fact that Alusair seems so uncontrolled about it is why I've latched onto the mental illness idea so strongly. If I'm totally wrong about this, let me know... I don't, after all, have the ability to read Ed's mind and know everything he does.
(People who are into that kind of thing as a lifestyle choice don't tend to be uncontrolled, in fact they tend to be the most controlled because they know that not everyone is into that kind of stuff. They don't really want to hurt people (just enhance enjoyment/pleasure with pain for example) or force a person into doing something they really don't want to do (that's what safewords are all about, after all) - if you see what I'm getting at. Sanity is encouraged, as well as informed choice and mutual pleasure (I'm not niave enough to think that everyone is sane about it or interested in anyone's pleasure but their own... In those cases, IMHO, there's usually some kind of underlying mental illness involved - or that person is really twisted and evil somehow). I can't imagine it would be too much different in the Realms (with the obvious exception being the evil clergy/followers of Loviatar. ).
Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor nor a psychologist (though my girlfriend is, and I have another friend who is also), and I'm not in the (BDSM) scene myself (I'm almost vanilla to them!) - but I did edit a BDSM scene magazine for a while, and have aquaintances who are both in and on the periphery of the scene. So I like to think that I know something of what I'm talking about. )
quote:
Ed speaks:
Ah, yes. I slipped a LITTLE about Caladnei’s past into ELMINSTER’S DAUGHTER, but Vangey’s process of magically watching her from afar, covertly testing her, watching her some more, offering her the job, accepting but not accepting her refusal, getting the Obarskyrs to accept her, and so on - - as well as his motives for choosing a successor at last, and specifically choosing HER, is something I’d like to show fictionally, some day. If the opportunity ever arises.
I’m not sure if it will, but (ahem) I have plans. I hope they can be made to dovetail with those of a certain other scribe, but I can’t say more just yet. No matter how much I want to.
You are of course correct: Vangey did not choose Caladnei impulsively, by any means.
I was looking at the article in Dragon Annual 5(?) the other day (After the Dragon, I think it's called), and caught a mention of Vangerdahast watching a human female deep in the King's Forest casting spells (an event aparently witnessed by Giorgi Wyvernspur, no less, who saw the two of them also disappear together)... I am thinking that (aside from FRCS), this may be the very first reference to Caladnei ever. (I had read the article before, but I wasn't looking at Caladnei at the time, and was more looking at what was happening in Cormyr... Doesn't help that I had to have a friend lend me his copy of the magazine to read it again.)
quote:
So saith Ed. Darn those NDAs and the need not to screw up future possibilities, even if they’re not NDA’ed yet. Ah, well: I hope in the fullness of time we shall all see . . .
I hope so too.
*Hmm... Tangental question: So how are mental illnesses treated in the Realms (if Heal won't cure naturally occuring ones)? I know there are insane asylums around... But that's about as much as I know. |
Zandilar
~amor vincit omnia~
~audaces fortuna iuvat~
As the spell ends, you look up into the sky to see the sun blazing overhead like noon in a desert. Then something else in the sky catches your attention. Turning your gaze, you see a tawny furred kitten bounding across the sky towards the new sun. Her eyes glint a mischevious green as she pounces on it as if it were nothing but a colossal ball of golden yarn. With quick strokes of her paws, it is batted across the sky, back and forth. Then with a wink the kitten and the sun disappear, leaving the citizens of Elversult gazing up with amazed expressions that quickly turn into chortles and mirth.
The Sunlord left Elversult the same day in humilitation, and was never heard from again. |
Edited by - Zandilar on 02 May 2005 14:55:14 |
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Verghityax
Learned Scribe
131 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2005 : 20:23:49
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Dear Ed,
I have a very urgent matter. I'm just writing a text about Auril and since my text about Akadi has been published on our site already few months ago, the readers are pressing on me for another deity and my boss is also pressing on me to get the deity. And here is my plead - sometime ago in 2004 Lady Hooded One has posted some of Ed's texts on swear words and rather more holy words of priesthoods of few deities (as far as I remember it was Lathander's, Bane's and Red Knight's) - could Ed spare a moment to give me some of swear words or the holy ones of Auril's priests? |
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The Blue Sorceress
Learned Scribe
107 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2005 : 21:57:18
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Hello Mr. Greenwood and the ever popular Lady Hooded,
I'm a horseback riding enthusiast (I've been riding since I was five and am currently on my college equestrian team) and part of what has always bothered me about various dungeons and dragons games I've played in is that there is very little in terms of information about horse breeds and their various uses. Most people I know are content to know that their mount is a heavy warhorse or what have you, but as a detail-oriented horsewoman, I've always been quietly frustrated that there's little information on these matters available.
If you could, I'd be most grateful if you would tell me if there are any Realms-specific horse breeds and/or what the equivalents of some of the popular real world breeds are and where they come from?
-Blue |
Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely.
I see your walrus and raise you a carpenter |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2005 : 03:16:54
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Hello, all. Ed sent along a little more for Zandilar:
Hi again. Yes, my Lady Hooded has clarified things correctly, from my point of view: by ‘forced sex’ I mean that Alusair takes out her fury in barefisted brawling with her young blades (or other men, if none of ‘her’ young nobles are around), with the full intent that this will lead to sex. Sometimes this involves one partner holding the other down, but just as often, it seems Alusair wants to ‘cut loose’ and feel a little pain and race around breathing hard before intimacy, that’s all. It’s “her kink,” if you will. I guess I’d better choose my terms more carefully: in Canada, “forced sex” is by definition consensual, and used when partners want to roleplay hunting, chasing, pouncing on, and using superior strength during sexual play (involuntary would, yes, be rape; re. that, read on . . .).
Your posts have highlighted two issues I am exploring with Alusair: the mental effects of almost constant battle on someone young (Alusair, of course), and what it means (morally and mentally) when someone with royal authority gives you an order: Alusair ordering someone to fight her, and then respond to her advances (note that young nobles joining her ‘blades’ KNOW this goes on - - in other words, they “know what they’re getting into,” and hence could be said to not being ordered to do something they weren’t already expecting and wanting to do; it’s just that they’re afraid of hurting Alusair in the fighting and really enraging her and reaping the results - - and they’re afraid of HER: one of the most ‘driven’ and fierce people they’ve ever met). To most young nobles of either gender, the two scariest people in the kingdom are Vangerdahast and Alusair, with any parents or family members they may fear running a distinct second.
(So while a blade might not want sex or the fight that precedes it at a particular moment, or not be expecting it, they know what they’re letting themselves in for when they become blades; many young male nobles chose not to ‘ride with the Steel Princess’ [or ‘the Steel Rose’], possibly for this reason. On the other hand, even if Alusair ‘takes’ them very much against their will, it’s rape only by our modern definitions; in Cormyr, her word (right now) is LAW, and these are her subjects. Again, this isn’t something I’m justifying or even - - for obvious reasons - - explicitly exploring in Realms fiction or published game lore, just an issue I’m waving gently in the background [subtext] for readers to think about if they notice it, and want to. The last story in my forthcoming short story collection charges head-on right at this issue; I’m awaiting the fallout with interest.)
Alusair very rarely fights fists-to-fists with women, probably because she doesn’t want to hurt or frighten someone who’ll only be bewildered, who won’t fight back (and therefore deprive her of any satisfactory outlet for her own anger), and who will probably only scratch and bite and pull hair in self-defense, if pushed to extremes (the sole exception is Myrmeen Lhal, who understands Alusair perfectly and WILL provide both the fighting and the sex; and yes, Myrmeen IS a true bisexual). Tanalasta, when both she and Alusair were young, was a perfect example of the scratch and bite school, and Alusair knows full well that most females she’d dare show this side of herself to have been raised to do little else. Filfaeril and Laspeera are examples of people she’d not dare do this in front of, or want to involve (so of course both of them know all about it, but don’t speak of it with her; they will, freely, if SHE ever raises it). Bhereu and Thomdor were examples of men who’d give Alusair the fight and then use their brawn to hold her helpless, refusing her all sex except a loving family kiss (perhaps this is where she learned to like doing this, when very young and tomboyish). BTW, Alusair mistrusts all intimacy with females she doesn’t know, because she’s always secretly suspected Vangerdahast of using magic to shapechange himself into such, to gain access to her. This belief is mistaken, and probably arose from her dreams (and why she’d think Vangey would take female human shape and not a younger, more handsome and well-endowed male human shape, to seduce her, I’ve NO idea; this just developed years ago in roleplaying with the Knights - - and yes, it was Sharantyr whom Alusair was confiding in, by a fireside, after fighting and sex).
It would be wrong to see Alusair’s sparring with Caladnei in such a way. The Steel Regent is testing her Mage Royal’s fighting skills, keeping them both sharp, and hoping to improve Caladnei’s “dirty-fighting” by showing her tricks and ‘training away’ her non-aggressive hesitations. If either or both of them becomes sexually aroused by their sessions, they deliberately hide it from each other.
Which brings me to your question: “Well, how old is Alusair? You make it sound almost as if she and Caladnei were still teenagers.”
They aren’t in calendar years, no - - but both of them have been so swept up in life-shattering changes and in constant fighting or and/or adventuring that they’ve largely lacked opportunities for self-reflection, learning, and ‘growing up.’ (Something ELSE I’m exploring for alert readers: just how much some adventurers ‘never grow up.’) They’ve been on a whirlwind in which they kept on reacting to, and participating in, violent events, relying on known and trusted companions, travelling constantly, and not really maturing the way other women would (they became veteran combatants, but that’s a very different thing). This is, of course, already changing - - fast and forever, for both of them. Which is why it’s going to be so much fun to watch them both.
Just to switch back to the violent sex and your followup words about “the SM part of BDSM” and “consensual BD or D/s.” Both of the latter exist in the Realms, as I signalled by my depictions of Ilmater and Loviatar (safely ‘removed’ one step from mortals, and hence ‘okay’ by TSR’s strict Code of Ethics), but for obvious reasons we’ve never delved into them much.
I occasionally slip a paragraph-to-three teasing bondage and whipping mini-scene into novel drafts for my editors to discover with shrieks (and remove, usually after sharing it around the office), but it’s always been teasing, never intended to make it into print. (This practise, by the way, has led Peter Archer of WotC to jokingly refer to the mythical book of “Edtime Stories,” which WotC JUST can’t quite afford to put on the schedule this year . . . but perhaps next year . . . [next year, of course, never quite arriving].)
And yes, I could probably write every effective porn, but I don’t want the Realms to be about that, just as I don’t want it to be slavish detailings of gory monster-slaughterings. I want it to be about growing and developing characters and their relationships with each other. There’s something magnificent about a wrinkled old lady (a commoner) daring to reach out and kiss the hand of Azoun IV as he strides through her village - - and of him raising her to her feet, asking her name, bowing to her in courteous greeting, and then kissing her full on the mouth in reply (and then setting his spies to learn her birthday, so he can send her a surprise gift a year later). Going along for the ride every time Azoun’s roving eye falls on a chambermaid, however, is rather LESS than magnificent, as I hope even horny young scribes will agree.
So saith Ed. Whew, getting a little WARM in here, isn’t it? I’ll just console myself with MY memories of Azoun. Ummm-hmmmm. He got rather a surprise with me, as I recall, though he did term it a “delight.” Heh-heh. [Hums a purring little tune.]
love to all,
THO
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2005 : 03:43:22
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
I occasionally slip a paragraph-to-three teasing bondage and whipping mini-scene into novel drafts for my editors to discover with shrieks (and remove, usually after sharing it around the office), but it’s always been teasing, never intended to make it into print.
*chuckle8
I guess the editor didnt read The Temptations of Elminster to closely |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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Mumadar Ibn Huzal
Master of Realmslore
1338 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2005 : 07:36:33
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quote:
Originally posted by The Blue Sorceress
Hello Mr. Greenwood and the ever popular Lady Hooded,
I'm a horseback riding enthusiast (I've been riding since I was five and am currently on my college equestrian team) and part of what has always bothered me about various dungeons and dragons games I've played in is that there is very little in terms of information about horse breeds and their various uses. Most people I know are content to know that their mount is a heavy warhorse or what have you, but as a detail-oriented horsewoman, I've always been quietly frustrated that there's little information on these matters available.
If you could, I'd be most grateful if you would tell me if there are any Realms-specific horse breeds and/or what the equivalents of some of the popular real world breeds are and where they come from?
-Blue
In me e-archives I came upon an article probably by Toby Mekelburg detailing some horsebreeds of the Realms. I'll post it in a seperate thread here. |
Edited by - Mumadar Ibn Huzal on 03 May 2005 07:39:56 |
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Zandilar
Learned Scribe
Australia
313 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2005 : 09:15:37
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Heya,
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hi again. Yes, my Lady Hooded has clarified things correctly, from my point of view: by ‘forced sex’ I mean that Alusair takes out her fury in barefisted brawling with her young blades (or other men, if none of ‘her’ young nobles are around), with the full intent that this will lead to sex. Sometimes this involves one partner holding the other down, but just as often, it seems Alusair wants to ‘cut loose’ and feel a little pain and race around breathing hard before intimacy, that’s all. It’s “her kink,” if you will. I guess I’d better choose my terms more carefully: in Canada, “forced sex” is by definition consensual, and used when partners want to roleplay hunting, chasing, pouncing on, and using superior strength during sexual play (involuntary would, yes, be rape; re. that, read on . . .).
Okay. That's totally cleared things up for me right there. Thanks. "Forced sex" is not a term we use here, at least not to my knowledge.
I guess I haven't completely grown out of the knee jerk reaction I used to have about such topics when I was younger.
quote:
Your posts have highlighted two issues I am exploring with Alusair: the mental effects of almost constant battle on someone young (Alusair, of course), and what it means (morally and mentally) when someone with royal authority gives you an order: Alusair ordering someone to fight her, and then respond to her advances (note that young nobles joining her ‘blades’ KNOW this goes on - - in other words, they “know what they’re getting into,” and hence could be said to not being ordered to do something they weren’t already expecting and wanting to do; it’s just that they’re afraid of hurting Alusair in the fighting and really enraging her and reaping the results - - and they’re afraid of HER: one of the most ‘driven’ and fierce people they’ve ever met).
Knowing what you're getting in for, and actually living it are still two different things. It's like the difference between knowing something on an intellectual level and really knowing something deep in your heart. I certianly would expect she would stop at a "no" and understand that people are not always "in heat" and ready for such games. (That's why the idea of her ordering one of her blades to participate is a concept that makes me a touch uneasy.)
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To most young nobles of either gender, the two scariest people in the kingdom are Vangerdahast and Alusair, with any parents or family members they may fear running a distinct second.
(So while a blade might not want sex or the fight that precedes it at a particular moment, or not be expecting it, they know what they’re letting themselves in for when they become blades; many young male nobles chose not to ‘ride with the Steel Princess’ [or ‘the Steel Rose’], possibly for this reason. On the other hand, even if Alusair ‘takes’ them very much against their will, it’s rape only by our modern definitions; in Cormyr, her word (right now) is LAW, and these are her subjects. Again, this isn’t something I’m justifying or even - - for obvious reasons - - explicitly exploring in Realms fiction or published game lore, just an issue I’m waving gently in the background [subtext] for readers to think about if they notice it, and want to.
Ah. Well now, that is interessting. A conundrum involving the letter of the law and issues of morality. It is morally wrong to force anyone into the act of sex without their consent (both to the forcing and to the sex). This does not change if the law is blind to the crime. While it is in Alusair's power to say "this person is innocent of any wrong doing" even when the person is actually guilty of some morally wrong act, they're just words. Morally bankrupt words, indeed, and the deed is still wrong (morally).
Alusair's not evil, so I doubt we'd see this any time soon in Cormyr about something so morally black and white as rape (lets not get into those people who say yes and consent, then later decide to drag their partners through the mud by accusing them of something they're not actually guilty of). However, there is plenty of room for shades of grey in other areas of law and morality that would be interesting to see.
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The last story in my forthcoming short story collection charges head-on right at this issue; I’m awaiting the fallout with interest.)
Alusair very rarely fights fists-to-fists with women, probably because she doesn’t want to hurt or frighten someone who’ll only be bewildered, who won’t fight back (and therefore deprive her of any satisfactory outlet for her own anger), and who will probably only scratch and bite and pull hair in self-defense, if pushed to extremes (the sole exception is Myrmeen Lhal, who understands Alusair perfectly and WILL provide both the fighting and the sex; and yes, Myrmeen IS a true bisexual).
Re: Myrmeen
*mutters to herself* I was right! Damn, I better start trusting my instincts!
Unfortunately, she's another bisexual who ends up with a man, and has little to no visibility before and none after.  (I know, I know, not totally under your control, I understand.)
(Are there straight women at all in the Realms? I'm begining to think not! Seriously though, my feeling has always been that without taboos on homosexuality, bisexuality would be far more common than either extreme.)
Re: Women fighting
You better believe that if I'm punched, I'll punch back. None of that clawing and biting for me (my nails are too fragile, and do you know how much it hurts when you bend them back or tear them to the quick?! Far better to protect them in the middle of my fists!)... Hair pulling is a valid tactic though, and good warriors know how to keep their hair out of the way (*looks askance at Alusair for this*)... Long flowing hair in a fight is a weakness to be exploited. What I'm trying to say is that the perception of the clawing, biting, hair pulling cat fight is an illusion perpertrated by daytime soap operas, and when pushed we women are more than capable of defending ourselves. The only times I've been involved in fights with girls, they've always used their fists. I have always been perplexed by the perception that women are so "whimpy" that they only scratch and bite and pull hair in a fight.
You also seem to imply here that Alusair is truely an exception. That women are raised to be weak and fragile and know that their place is in the home having children. Cry otherwise if you like, but I'm on to Cormyr! As much as I love the country, it's a patriarchal nation! Where are the women warriors? Where are the noble females who fight for King and Country? Alusair can't be the only noble female of her age that is a warrior, surely?
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Tanalasta, when both she and Alusair were young, was a perfect example of the scratch and bite school, and Alusair knows full well that most females she’d dare show this side of herself to have been raised to do little else. Filfaeril and Laspeera are examples of people she’d not dare do this in front of, or want to involve (so of course both of them know all about it, but don’t speak of it with her; they will, freely, if SHE ever raises it). Bhereu and Thomdor were examples of men who’d give Alusair the fight and then use their brawn to hold her helpless, refusing her all sex except a loving family kiss (perhaps this is where she learned to like doing this, when very young and tomboyish).
It's a matter of how you are raised and how you are trained, each to differing degress depending on who the person is. Tanalasta, in Death of the Dragon, had a couple of really strong fight scenes if I recall correctly - and I don't think she scratched and bit and hair pulled in them.
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BTW, Alusair mistrusts all intimacy with females she doesn’t know, because she’s always secretly suspected Vangerdahast of using magic to shapechange himself into such, to gain access to her. This belief is mistaken, and probably arose from her dreams (and why she’d think Vangey would take female human shape and not a younger, more handsome and well-endowed male human shape, to seduce her, I’ve NO idea; this just developed years ago in roleplaying with the Knights - - and yes, it was Sharantyr whom Alusair was confiding in, by a fireside, after fighting and sex).
Now that is just very strange indeed! I can't see Vangerdahast actually doing something like that. I wonder what he did to give her the impression that he would, though?
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It would be wrong to see Alusair’s sparring with Caladnei in such a way. The Steel Regent is testing her Mage Royal’s fighting skills, keeping them both sharp, and hoping to improve Caladnei’s “dirty-fighting” by showing her tricks and ‘training away’ her non-aggressive hesitations. If either or both of them becomes sexually aroused by their sessions, they deliberately hide it from each other.
I never did think of it that way. I thought of it as Alusair giving Caladnei a lesson in self-defence (and a blinding headache). (Bear in mind I still haven't read Elminster's Daughter, so I'm refering to the scene in When Shadows Come Seeking a Throne. My seeming knowledge of certain elements of the plot of Elminster's Daughter is due to being spoiled on it. Hopefully I'll get my copy soon.)
And what non-aggressive hesitations? Caladnei has 4 levels as a fighter. 4 levels is enough to specialise in a weapon, and to my mind that's more than enough training to not have "non-aggressive hesitations" in a fight. (I have a scene in the fan fic I wrote where Caladnei does fight with her blade for a short time, and does very well for herself - because that is how I saw her.) Even without the stats/levels, the information on Caladnei in the FRCS baldly states that she was an adventurer prior to coming to Vangerdahast's attention by taking out an orc partol (or something, can't remember the quote word for word and don't have my books with me at the moment). Non-aggressive hesitations in an adventurer would get you dead, quickly.
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Which brings me to your question: “Well, how old is Alusair? You make it sound almost as if she and Caladnei were still teenagers.”
They aren’t in calendar years, no - - but both of them have been so swept up in life-shattering changes and in constant fighting or and/or adventuring that they’ve largely lacked opportunities for self-reflection, learning, and ‘growing up.’ (Something ELSE I’m exploring for alert readers: just how much some adventurers ‘never grow up.’) They’ve been on a whirlwind in which they kept on reacting to, and participating in, violent events, relying on known and trusted companions, travelling constantly, and not really maturing the way other women would (they became veteran combatants, but that’s a very different thing). This is, of course, already changing - - fast and forever, for both of them. Which is why it’s going to be so much fun to watch them both.
Hmm. You see, I see it just the opposite. Being involved and at the center of those kinds of events would mature you quickly. How many friends can you watch die and not change/evolve? Childish fancies are stripped away from you in those moments, innocence dies. And what do you do on those nights when you watch your companions sleeping around the fire? Do you stare out into the night with no thoughts in your head at all, or do you reflect on yourself and your life? It's not such a whirlwind that you have no time for reflection at all.
Yes, you don't grow up the same way that your non-adventerous kin would. You'd grow up faster and differently. The sheltered are the ones that cling to the beautiful dreams of the morrow, those on the road, knowing that darkness lurks, loose those dreams and become something else, something harder.
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Just to switch back to the violent sex and your followup words about “the SM part of BDSM” and “consensual BD or D/s.” Both of the latter exist in the Realms, as I signalled by my depictions of Ilmater and Loviatar (safely ‘removed’ one step from mortals, and hence ‘okay’ by TSR’s strict Code of Ethics), but for obvious reasons we’ve never delved into them much.
I always thought that was rather odd of Illmater, but I guess it really does make sense now that I think about it.
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I occasionally slip a paragraph-to-three teasing bondage and whipping mini-scene into novel drafts for my editors to discover with shrieks (and remove, usually after sharing it around the office), but it’s always been teasing, never intended to make it into print. (This practise, by the way, has led Peter Archer of WotC to jokingly refer to the mythical book of “Edtime Stories,” which WotC JUST can’t quite afford to put on the schedule this year . . . but perhaps next year . . . [next year, of course, never quite arriving].)
And yes, I could probably write every effective porn, but I don’t want the Realms to be about that, just as I don’t want it to be slavish detailings of gory monster-slaughterings. I want it to be about growing and developing characters and their relationships with each other. There’s something magnificent about a wrinkled old lady (a commoner) daring to reach out and kiss the hand of Azoun IV as he strides through her village - - and of him raising her to her feet, asking her name, bowing to her in courteous greeting, and then kissing her full on the mouth in reply (and then setting his spies to learn her birthday, so he can send her a surprise gift a year later). Going along for the ride every time Azoun’s roving eye falls on a chambermaid, however, is rather LESS than magnificent, as I hope even horny young scribes will agree.
Edtime stories... oh my! 
I agree about character development, though. I find that and development of relationships between characters to be the most interesting reading, and it's what I enjoy writing as well.
Lastly, that scene is definitely far more interesting than something more uh... carnal.
Thanks once again for the response.
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Zandilar
~amor vincit omnia~
~audaces fortuna iuvat~
As the spell ends, you look up into the sky to see the sun blazing overhead like noon in a desert. Then something else in the sky catches your attention. Turning your gaze, you see a tawny furred kitten bounding across the sky towards the new sun. Her eyes glint a mischevious green as she pounces on it as if it were nothing but a colossal ball of golden yarn. With quick strokes of her paws, it is batted across the sky, back and forth. Then with a wink the kitten and the sun disappear, leaving the citizens of Elversult gazing up with amazed expressions that quickly turn into chortles and mirth.
The Sunlord left Elversult the same day in humilitation, and was never heard from again. |
Edited by - Zandilar on 03 May 2005 11:41:21 |
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Questions for Ed Greenwood (2005)
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