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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
 Posted - 23 Aug 2005 : 02:47:52
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A BIG request to Ed
How easy is it to come across the FR specfic spells that have appeared in the FR 3.X source books?
For example how easy would it be for a character to track down someone who had a copy of Laerals Cutting Hand, Halasters fetch, Aganazzars scorcher etc
Thanks in advance |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
Edited by - Dargoth on 23 Aug 2005 02:57:39 |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 23 Aug 2005 : 05:30:24
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Hiya Ed,
Who is the mother of Malark, that is kin to Alicia of the Moonshaes? :) And how is she related to Alicia? Of course, anything else you can say about this would be interesting to read about. |
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 |
Edited by - Kuje on 23 Aug 2005 06:39:01 |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 23 Aug 2005 : 06:19:38
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Greetings Ed,
This has to do with Rhauntides, or rather... his wife and apprentice.
What do we know (besides her being the wife of Rhauntides and his apprentice as well as the few details mentioned in Volo's Guide to the Dalelands and The Dalelands supplement) about Shaunil Tharm herself?
Additionally, what is her current status? We know only from the FRCS that she left on a "secret mission" (in 1371 DR), but she's not been heard from 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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tauster
Senior Scribe
Germany
399 Posts |
Posted - 23 Aug 2005 : 10:27:46
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
Greetings Ed,
This has to do with Rhauntides, or rather... his wife and apprentice.
What do we know (besides her being the wife of Rhauntides and his apprentice as well as the few details mentioned in Volo's Guide to the Dalelands and The Dalelands supplement) about Shaunil Tharm herself?
Additionally, what is her current status? We know only from the FRCS that she left on a "secret mission" (in 1371 DR), but she's not been heard from since.
that´s something i too really would like to know. in fact, anything about rhauntides would be great! what about examples of his adventures? i´m aware that a complete list of what he has done is probably not possible (and of no real use fo dm´s, as it doesn´t allow "elbow room"), but some of his exploits would be great. ...for example: how did he come to own and command fourteen golems??? |
Edited by - tauster on 23 Aug 2005 10:38:35 |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 24 Aug 2005 : 00:55:58
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I've had a few musings re Rhauntides (and you get some indirect hints re this guy - I think - in Secrets of the Magister) and tweaked the description in Highmoon re Shaunil Tharm when FRCS was in development (originally, he just died, Shaunil wasn't mentioned and he left the belt of stars to the monk guy ...). I've evn conceptualised an adventure which deals with just what Shaunil Tharm is up to ...
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 24 Aug 2005 : 01:52:24
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
I've had a few musings re Rhauntides (and you get some indirect hints re this guy - I think - in Secrets of the Magister) and tweaked the description in Highmoon re Shaunil Tharm when FRCS was in development (originally, he just died, Shaunil wasn't mentioned and he left the belt of stars to the monk guy ...). I've evn conceptualised an adventure which deals with just what Shaunil Tharm is up to ...
-- George Krashos
Interesting.
Did you work up any ideas regarding Rhaun's left over tower itself... or was it always meant to end up in the hands of the monk and become a sanctuary for the Old Order?
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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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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 24 Aug 2005 : 03:06:11
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No the monk development was solely an idea of the 3E design team - they forgot about Shaunil Tharm (and the fact that the 'belt of stars' is a pretty awesome item) and so after 'revision' she was sent off on her mysterious quest.
My musings since then focus on Shaunil, where she's going, why she's going, just what the current Magister thinks about the events and which lich servant of Larloch has been despatched to intercept her ...
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Asgetrion
Master of Realmslore
Finland
1564 Posts |
Posted - 24 Aug 2005 : 11:26:26
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Awww, Wooly, you edited out the stirring library stuff before Ed (the librarian, remember?) could see it! (Sniff)  
I'm desolated . . .
love?
THO
I do apologize, my lady, but I wasn't comfortable with the political commentary inherent in the original statement. I didn't want to see Ed's thread devolve into a debate on real-world politics.
Wooly, don't you remember what our colleagues in U.S.A did, when HarperCollins tried to censor Michael Moore's "Stupid White Men" 
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"What am I doing today? Ask me tomorrow - I can be sure of giving you the right answer then."
-- Askarran of Selgaunt, Master Sage, speaking to a curious merchant, Year of the Helm |
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Asgetrion
Master of Realmslore
Finland
1564 Posts |
Posted - 24 Aug 2005 : 11:47:01
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Most respected Ed and The Hooded One,
This aged scribe has several (hopefully) simple, silly and straight-forward questions:
I would like to ask you about what sort of trees grow in upcountry/rural Sembia, such as near the Cormyrean border?
Would a skilled carpenter, specialized in making beautifully carved furniture (tables, chairs, signs, stairposts etc.), find enough "quality resources" in this area? Or would he import all his wood from the Dales, or Cormyr? Is it possible for rare trees to exist in rural Sembia, such as Weirwood? What would be "the Dream Material" (=tree) for such a carpenter to work on?
Is there water/brooks/streams (either flowing to the sea or the Darkflow river) in this area for water-wheel mills?
One more question about the walled compounds... are fields/farms also surrounded by the compound walls? Or are the fields surrounded by walls at all?
Many thanks, once again! |
"What am I doing today? Ask me tomorrow - I can be sure of giving you the right answer then."
-- Askarran of Selgaunt, Master Sage, speaking to a curious merchant, Year of the Helm |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 24 Aug 2005 : 18:49:53
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Hello, all. Just back from GenCon (Ed got back VERY late last night). Very nice tribute to Ed (thanks, Steven, Thomas, and Rich!), cool Ed mini, and a quick answer for Steven: Krash is correct: "Hlammach" is right, and always has been. So, no worries. I'll try to get back on his regular schedule of answers tonight (he'll fall silent Saturday attending Canadian Gaming Expo with Gary Gygax and Robin Laws, though).
love to all,
THO |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 25 Aug 2005 : 02:11:34
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Hey THO and Ed, glad to see you're both back .
Quick question:- Will Ed be providing us with a "report" of his adventures at Gen Con? For those of us who couldn't attend, I think we'd all be keen to hear what he has to say about his time there...
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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 |
Edited by - The Sage on 25 Aug 2005 02:12:36 |
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Gray Richardson
Master of Realmslore
USA
1291 Posts |
Posted - 25 Aug 2005 : 02:28:43
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Hi Ed & lovely Hooded One!
Here is a question that intrigues me: How is mail handled in the Realms? Is it easy to correspond with someone in another city? How difficult is it to get a letter from say Westgate to Waterdeep or from Calimport to Mulsantir? Or even within the same city.
Is it all private couriers? Or do any of the governments of the Realms have anything approaching a postal service?
Is letter writing common? Or rare and pricey? How much time (in general) does it take for a letter to travel?
Oh, and I just want to mention that I picked up City of Splendors today and when I saw the dedication, it brought a little tear to my eye. Thank you Ed (and lady THO!) for all you do!  |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 25 Aug 2005 : 02:31:07
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quote:
Originally posted by Gray Richardson
Hi Ed & lovely Hooded One!
Here is a question that intrigues me: How is mail handled in the Realms? Is it easy to correspond with someone in another city? How difficult is it to get a letter from say Westgate to Waterdeep or from Calimport to Mulsantir? Or even within the same city.
Is it all private couriers? Or do any of the governments of the Realms have anything approaching a postal service?
Is letter writing common? Or rare and pricey? How much time (in general) does it take for a letter to travel?
Oh, and I just want to mention that I picked up City of Splendors today and when I saw the dedication, it brought a little tear to my eye. Thank you Ed (and lady THO!) for all you do!
Ed answered some of these last year. It's one of the November 3rd posts. :) And it's to Blind Ranger. |
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 |
Edited by - Kuje on 25 Aug 2005 02:31:48 |
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Scarabeus
Acolyte
Canada
27 Posts |
Posted - 25 Aug 2005 : 03:15:07
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quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
Hiya Ed,
Who is the mother of Malark, that is kin to Alicia of the Moonshaes? :) And how is she related to Alicia? Of course, anything else you can say about this would be interesting to read about.
Who is this Malark and in wich book did you read about him ? |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 25 Aug 2005 : 03:31:59
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quote:
Originally posted by Scarabeus
quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
Hiya Ed,
Who is the mother of Malark, that is kin to Alicia of the Moonshaes? :) And how is she related to Alicia? Of course, anything else you can say about this would be interesting to read about.
Who is this Malark and in wich book did you read about him ?
Ed's and Elaine's new Waterdeep novel. :) |
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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Gray Richardson
Master of Realmslore
USA
1291 Posts |
Posted - 25 Aug 2005 : 05:17:34
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quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
quote:
Originally posted by Gray Richardson
Here is a question that intrigues me: How is mail handled in the Realms?
Ed answered some of these last year. It's one of the November 3rd posts. :) And it's to Blind Ranger.
Ah! So he did Kuje, many thanks!
I'm embarrased to have asked a question Ed has already answered--and I swear I searched your file and the Realms List before posting my question. I simply used the wrong search terms: I searched for the words "letter" and "mail", when neither word actually appeared in Ed's post. That is the exact answer I was looking for, can't manage to get a quicker answer than that! Thanks again Ed & Kuje! |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 25 Aug 2005 : 06:00:41
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quote:
Originally posted by Gray Richardson
quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
quote:
Originally posted by Gray Richardson
Here is a question that intrigues me: How is mail handled in the Realms?
Ed answered some of these last year. It's one of the November 3rd posts. :) And it's to Blind Ranger.
Ah! So he did Kuje, many thanks!
I'm embarrased to have asked a question Ed has already answered--and I swear I searched your file and the Realms List before posting my question. I simply used the wrong search terms: I searched for the words "letter" and "mail", when neither word actually appeared in Ed's post. That is the exact answer I was looking for, can't manage to get a quicker answer than that! Thanks again Ed & Kuje!
It's okay and I have a good memory for FR lore, as you know. It's also my fault because I did promise Alaundo that I would sit down and make a table of contents for the 04 replies. I better make a note of that and actually DO SO! :) |
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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Athenon
Acolyte
USA
43 Posts |
Posted - 25 Aug 2005 : 18:00:44
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Ed,
I really enjoyed the "Ed Greenwood Roast" at GenCon. Thanks for always being so gracious! Was the Hooded Lady in our presence?
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Will Maranto
Representing the Realms in the Wilds of Northern Louisiana |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 26 Aug 2005 : 04:48:56
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Hello once again, fellow scribes. Ed is (briefly) back on the job, with this response to The Sage:
Well, ’tis hard for me to give a report of my adventures at GenCon. There are NDAs, and then there’s the privacy of my friends whom I hang out with, drink with, eat with, and even plot and scheme with. Most of the juicy stuff I must perforce omit. Leaving me with a Swiss-cheese-hole-riddled remnant that isn’t much use to anybody.
However, let me try. I did a podcast with Calye Calhoun and Mike Stackpole. I gave away loads of El . . .
Hmm. I can see this is going to be utter chaos. Let me start again. Adult gamers: I did not seduce your daughters at the con. Any of them. Yes, I kissed a lot of people (Ed Stark and I even kissed, on a dare from Mary-Elizabeth Allen, and were rewarded with her helpless, delighted mirth). I received the adulation of thousands, including a RCA Dome security guard (!) and a U.S. Army recruiter (!!). Kidding aside, I’d like to thank everybody who attended my “roast” (Peter Archer, who served as Master of Ceremonies, termed it a tribute because “it’s impossible to roast someone who can’t be embarrassed”). To Will Maranto and many other scribes from Candlekeep who said hello and gave me their thanks and good wishes: thank YOU. None of it (the Realms, all this fun here at Candlekeep and there at GenCon) happens without you. I love meeting fellow gamers at GenCon (my first GenCon was Number Eight, then I didn’t go again until Thirteen, then Seventeen and every year thereafter - - so I’ve met a lot of you, some of you for years upon years now). Seeing your smiles and hearing your stories and praise and even brickbats recharges my batteries and keeps me going.
For those who missed the roast: there was free food. The “original” TSR-photocopied Realms map, tattered and annotated, was trotted out for display by its loving keeper, Julia Martin. Julia cried (I love you, Lady Unicorn). I was lauded in absentia by my longtime friends Steven Schend (whose BLACKSTAFF, I say again, is going to be a Do Not Miss BLOCKBUSTER of a Realms novel: tell your friends, and buy often and buy early) and by Jeff Grubb (you can read the text of Jeff’s remarks at his always-superb blog, grubbstreet@blogspot.com). Thomas Reid, Rich Baker, Peter Archer, and Phil Athans all said nice things about me. Mary-Elizabeth Allen provided a list of warnings for gamers when encountering me (so the gloves are off, now: you Have Been Warned). Bob Salvatore said nice things about me, on the verge of tears. I enjoyed it all very much, and want to publicly thank everyone for making me feel very wanted. I saw a lot of good friends in the audience (The Hooded One even glanced in for a moment or two, suitably disguised), and felt like everyone was my friend. No, I didn’t get any of the chocolate-dipped strawberries. I was too busy signing Elminster mini stat cards.
Which brings me to the Elminster mini.
The Underdark set is going to include an Elminster figure, but as a surprise to us all, Wizards gave away three minis at the show: the Dark Naga (hey, a critter I invented!), Guenhwyvar, and a “Greenwood paint” version of Elminster: a 1,500-figure limited edition just for GenCon, with El repainted to match the costume I’ve worn to many GenCons as Elminster. I personally signed and gave away 500 of these, and I’m told a signed Elminster was going for $150 US on eBay on the Monday after the con. Sigh; if I’d known that, I could have kept ten to sell myself and covered the cost of my hotel room! :}
It’s a nice mini, and it was a nice gesture, and I got mobbed during my signing session largely because of the figs. Congratulations to the librarian who sleuthed out one of my written-under-another-and-very-fanciful-name romances and brought it to me to sign. You and you alone, it seems, know My Secret (well, that one at least :} ).
Which brings me to secrets, and indeed, a semniar full of them.
To those who missed me at the Secrets of the FR Seminar, I’d like to thank Eric Boyd for “being me,” and to explain to everyone that I was double-booked, and the “other” booking involved a brief meeting with Hasbro and Hollywood brass hats (NOTHING to report, move along, move along, no speculations or questions, please!) and a lunch with my other publisher, Mr. Tom Doherty (who IS Tor Books), along with fellow Tor authors and good friends Margaret Weis and Jean Rabe. I’m sorry everything happened at once and that I couldn’t do both.
To those who participated in Spin A Yarn: thanks a lot. Or is that thanks a heap? Boy, what an impressive pile of steamingXXX er, adventuresome and frankly lewd plot elements (plus a sprinkling of nice and useful ones). Expect another near-novella, late in 2006. Mary-Liz drew the line at a character farting bubbles of chocolate, as I recall. Everyone laughed, I threatened to sing AND burlesque strip - - and some audience members actually cheered . . . which means I’ve said enough. More than enough. I have promised not to fellate that particular microphone again, but hey: all of the others in the world are still fair game!
I’m participating in several future projects that I can say nothing about, one quite possibly involving a scribe here at Candlekeep, but I can say: Castlemorn should FINALLY be published around November. I hope. I have seen much of the art, and it is GORGEOUS. Bastion Press is developing it for Studio 2, and I retain high hopes for it. I’m not expecting huge sales (no one aside from Wizards and White Wolf is selling great numbers of printed paper RPG products, these days, though I’m salivating for Monte Cook’s huge fantasy city, due out next year), but I do hope it will be useful to some of you as a setting (or add-on expansion kingdoms) for your campaigns.
I had lunch or dinner or drinks with many friends, as usual only had a few snatched half-hours to shop the exhibit hall (and so missed a lot), was happy to see several friends advancing in their efforts to break into publishing fantasy fiction, and as usual enjoyed my share of costume moments (notably Star Wars stormtroopers teasing the Army recruiters, and a very young lass in the Circle Centre Mall glowing with teary happiness when she saw three tall, handsome gamers in full Warrior of Gondor costumes and turned around to triumphantly tell her mother: “You said it was just a movie! It was REAL! See? REAL!”).
To the LOVELY (and, ahem, very real) young lady in the boots and feathers and basque and not much else who sat in my lap and asked me to get to “know her deeply,” I want to let her know that she is VERY beautiful, I was flattered, and if I didn’t happen to be happily married (to a formidable lady indeed, who was present at the show, cleverly disguised with my 4-day badge), I just might have said yes.
To the other lovely lady who served as a luncheon table for several sour-cream-dip-devouring gamers (including, yes, me): thank you, you taste nice and are very pleasing to the eye (what a costume!).
To the three young ladies who ran out of money: I hope you got home safely. It’s okay to spend your food money if you know you’re going to run into me at GenCon (I’ll see you get fed), but please don’t dip into your “trip home” money. The exhibit hall is why credit cards were invented.
To the Indianapolis policeman who stupidly drew his gun on a group of young gamers: no, I don’t happen to work for Homeland Security or the FBI or CIA. Good thing for you. If you’re angry to read this and discover I fooled you, consider: everyone’s still alive, no one got any bullets fired into them, and those “dangerous young terrorists” turned out to be harmless kids after all. Who may just grow up to pay your pension, if you live long enough to retire. Consider this, too: I only needed that snap of command in my voice to stop you, not a gun. It’s an approach you might want to try.
To the other policeman who helped me give directions to the young lady in the harem costume without straying from friendly politeness or letting your eyes rove from her face: superbly done, sir. Class act. I hope the first policeman learns from you. Fast.
To the servers (waiters and waitresses) at the Marriott who so enthusiastically and professionally put up with us gamers year after year: thanks. To Yvette, for remembering my name and my wife’s needs for an entire year: awed thanks.
To The Sage, who asked for all this: I’m sorry I can’t give descriptions of tournaments, because I never have time to play in any, this last decade or so. I shouldn’t mention my chatter and greetings to all the friends and gaming colleague acquaintances I see once a year at GenCon, without their permission (though I will say it was a pleasure to really get to properly meet Keith Baker and his wife Ellen for the first time), and I certainly can’t divulge all the business that goes on at a GenCon (more than an entire day was consumed with such fun, this year), so I’m afraid any “report” I give is going to be a little stunted. I urge you to check out the many sites on the Net where folks have posted pics of GenCon (the Best in Show costume this year was awesome; those wings really flapped), not just for the costumes (and there were some doozies, especially for male viewers whose retinae don’t easily become detached), but for the “feel” of the crowds and the exhibit hall. The GenCon staff is really starting to click, with many of the little glitches and problems gone or swiftly smoothed over this year.
Oh, yes: and to the member of the Indianapolis Colts who came looking for Bob Salvatore’s autograph on Saturday: get in line, bud, get in line. You may get the big bucks and the TV coverage, but yonder’s a REAL star.
One last thing: some of you may soon be pleasantly surprised at the quality of the second D&D movie. I have it on good authority that the third one (yes, there will be a third one, and not all that far into the future, either) will be even better.
Right now, I have to pack, and get to the Canadian Gaming Expo. As my deadlines slip still farther. Mary-Liz said she was going to spank me for that, but decided I’d enjoy it too much, so now she’s NOT going to spank me, as punishment. Oh, life is hard. :}
So saith Ed. Who is indubitably Ed, and like so many folks said at the roast: a kind, generous, honest FRIEND to so many. Who neglected to mention that he did his usual “rescue crying gamers who’ve lost money or event tickets or game stuff they can’t afford to buy a second time” act several times this year, that I saw. I also saw him calmly autographing body parts. He’s getting very good at signing his name neatly around nipples. 
(Must be all that practice on me.)
love to all,
THO
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 26 Aug 2005 : 05:33:59
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
To The Sage, who asked for all this:
Thanks Ed, I appreciate that .
quote:
I also saw him calmly autographing body parts. He’s getting very good at signing his name neatly around nipples.
Hah! I've tried that... And it just doesn't work    .
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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 |
Edited by - The Sage on 26 Aug 2005 05:38:47 |
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Kajehase
Great Reader
Sweden
2104 Posts |
Posted - 26 Aug 2005 : 06:55:53
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Welcome back from GenCon Ed and dear Lady Hooded One.
I want to ask about something that came up in a different thread: How widespread is the use of skis, skates, snowshoes, sleighs, and similar implements and vehicles in the Realms. There's not much mention of them in the books I've read (although Kuje reports that the Rashemi use some of them), but as someone living in a country where cross-country skiing is one of the national sports (win the 50-kilometers race in the Olympics or make the deciding move in a relay and you can be set for life), and the use of the above-mentioned modes of transportation have been a part of the culture a long time, I just have a hard time imagining the people living in the northern parts of Faerûn (particularly the Uthgardt, Reghedmen, Ulutiun, and northern Illuskans) not making use of them during the snowy season. |
There is a rumour going around that I have found god. I think is unlikely because I have enough difficulty finding my keys, and there is empirical evidence that they exist.
Terry Pratchett |
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Chosen of Moradin
Master of Realmslore
Brazil
1120 Posts |
Posted - 26 Aug 2005 : 13:56:32
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Hello, Mr Ed and dear Lady Hooded!
I´m glad to see you back, and very happy to hear that all was nice to our loved Ed at GenCon.
Well, before start with the questions, I only want to share with Ed that Forgotten Realms was the star in our annual RPG convention here in Brazil and, because of this, we will have 3 sourcebooks and 1 novel translated to portuguese until the end of the year! . To anyone interested in take a look, here is the link:
http://www.devir.com.br/rpg/index_lancamentos.php
and here is the link to the photos of the convention:
http://www.devir.com.br/rpg/index_13_eirpg.php
Well, now, let´s go to the questions :
I´m needing of help to detail/brainstorm two dungeons of Cormyr/Stonelands.
Whisper´s Crypt: Do you have new infos about this place? The Whisper´s spellbooks and potions? If the crypt is empty, or if someone/something lurks there? and,
Carvern of Death: There is some info about the lich Asbaron? Who he is (was?), what he is doing there, what are their motivations, why the Stonelands as place to live (unlive?), what monsters he have in his collection... any info will be apreciated.
Both are discussed in pages 293 and 296 of the FRCS, but have only brief descriptions...
Well, it´s all.
Thank´s in advance
Yuri Peixoto |
Dwarf, DM, husband, and proud of this! :P
twitter: @yuripeixoto
Facebook: yuri.peixoto |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 27 Aug 2005 : 01:37:05
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Hello again, fellow scribes. Ed and I are back for tonight (silence tomorrow, I'm afraid).
This time, Ed replies to Myssa Rei’s question: “While a lot of mortals had risen to divinity -- and ignoring the ascension of people like Cyric, Midnight, and Kelemvor, since they took over major portfolios -- do they immediately become 'true' demigods? Or do start out as 'hero-deities', much like as all those quasideities wandering around in Greyhawk, and gained power only later as their worship grew?”
Ed speaks:
The plain truth is: mortals (and therefore all Player Characters) don’t know and can never know for certain the exact details of anything pertaining to the gods. Even if a supreme priest or even a god tells you something personally, they may not be telling the truth. They may believe they’re imparting the truth, or may be lying, but either way their answer can’t be trusted.
With this said, worship determines the power of a deity, and yes, a deity without sufficient worship is a demigod, and the Realms has always had its own wandering “hero-deities” like those of Greyhawk.
If a mortal steps into an established portfolio (like Midnight “donning the mask of Mystra”), they immediately acquire godly power - - though not necessarily either the knowledge or the wisdom of how to use it properly, or the consequences of their portfolios, existing relationships, and actions - - and will rise and fall depending on what they do and how this affects the amount of worship they receive. If no mortals know about the Mystra “switch,” there’s unlikely to be much change in worship of Mystra until godly events or statements (either by Mystra or her rivals) change how she’s viewed by worshippers.
Please always bear in mind that everyone sane on Faerûn believes in the existence of all the gods, “knowing” them ALL to be real. Worship is the sum total of the prayers, offerings, deeds, and behaviour mortals exhibit when venerating one god over others (and a particular mortal may well daily pray to several gods for different reasons: human sailors, for example, pray to Umberlee, Talos, Beshaba, Silvanus, and Shar for appeasement (Umberlee that currents, waves, and sea winds drown no one and sink not the ship, Talos that no storms wreck, damage, or drive astray the ship, Beshaba that no accidents nor ill luck befall on the voyage, Silvanus that the forces of nature such as gales, tides, and whirlpools be “not wild” during their voyage, Shar that no one be lost at sea), Valkur for success for the ship, all hands, and the voyage, Tymora for good luck, Selûne for unerring navigation, Shaundakul for navigation and safe voyaging, Gond to keep their ship strong and true, Gwaeron Windstrom if they’re going to be trying to find another vessel or hunt down pirates, Helm if they’re going to be doing any exploring, Kossuth to keep away fires aboard while at sea, Oghma that the charts be true (and to guide their hands and measurements if they’ll be drawing new charts of their own at any point during the voyage), Akadi that the ship make good speed and the airs be not foul or becalmed, Auril that cold and ice harm no sailor nor the ship, Istishia that the water not eat away the timbers of the ship nor poison sailors or cargo, Waukeen that the voyage be prosperous (or Garagos if the voyage is a raid, that plunder be plentiful, or destruction visited upon the foe be devastating), Ulutiu that icebergs not bedevil the ship, and even Grumbar (that whatever happens to the ship, sailors may come safe again to land). [BTW, this subject is touched on briefly in the just-published WotC D&D sourcebook STORMWRACK. Page 48, for example, displays the symbols of sea deities.]
So there’s constant worship going on for almost every divine being, rumored-to-be-divine being, half-forgotten and misremembered godlings . . . and even slain divine beings linger on as demigods or divine sparks that can “come back” if the right conditions occur. It’s hard to fall from the ranks of demigodhood, once attained: one simply becomes a weaker demigod. Mortals in the Realms are always whispering prayers to “forgotten” gods, in hopes that the grateful deity will give them a lot of aid, swiftly, either out of eagerness to have a new mortal worshipper to command, or simply because they hear and heed the prayer (where a more popular deity may miss or have scant regard for that one prayer, amid the deafening chorus of so many).
If a mortal comes suddenly to the attention of other mortals as someone “divine” (miracles happen at their behest; of course, sometimes this is just a very powerful wizard or sorcerer trying to fool people), and very swiftly receives a LOT of worship from many beings, they’ll soar in divine rank and power accordingly. So, yes, an individual could conceivably go from mortal adventurer, say, to godhood overnight. It’s just EXTREMELY unlikely to happen - - communications (so that a lot of people hear of an event or a “special” person quickly) are poor, and unless very unhappy with their current lot, people tend to dislike and resist change (and so cling to the gods they know, trusting in established, familiar faiths who have priests they see at work around them every day).
In most cases it’s impossible to tell if an encountered NPC is a demigod or a quasideity, and in a good “heavy roleplaying” campaign it can be difficult even for the player of a PC to know if their PC is just a powerful mortal, quasideity, or demigod. After all, if you can do something miraculous, momentarily and unpredictably or even at will, is it really you? Or an unseen deity helping you? The usual “test” for onlookers is: does a slain and badly butchered, burned to ashes, or otherwise “really gone” creature “come back from the dead” by itself, repeatedly? If so, they’ll probably regard that creature as “divine” (unless they can clearly see that it’s a troll, undead of a particular sort, or other known-to-regenerate creature) - - even though the coming back to life may again be the work of a watching deity, or something as simple as a ring of regeneration.
In most cases, however, creatures slowly win power as their worship slowly grows, changing as their faith “catches on” in particular cities or regions, or among particular groups, according to their own deeds (or reputed deeds) or aid (or reputed aid) they’ve rendered mortals. So, yes, the norm is probably a lot of quasideities, and demigods, with “instant lesser gods” being a great rarity. If you’ve read Realmslore from the beginning, however, you can see that the Realms has been caught up in a time of great change, and deities have appeared, altered greatly, and disappeared from the 1st edition “old gray box” until the recent FAITHS & PANTHEONS.
So saith Ed, Master of the Gods. (Not something everyone can put on their resumé.)
love to all,
THO
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Zandilar
Learned Scribe
Australia
313 Posts |
Posted - 27 Aug 2005 : 13:04:19
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Heya,
I know I've got questions in the queue already, but something came to me today and I just had to ask it. :)
Mystra's Seven daughters have always fascinated me (several of them in particular, but all of them as a whole), but something puzzles me.
They're called the daughters of Mystra, but rather than actually being concieved/birthed by an actual avatar, they quickened in the body of a half-elven woman who was only possessed by Mystra... So they don't really have Mystra's blood, though She may have lent her divine essence to the Seven Sisters... Which would mean they're not really her blood daughters.
Then, to complicate things further, we have Qilue. She was quickened within the body of a half elf, then "transplated" into the body of a drow priestess of Eilistraee. I suppose it was some agreement between Mystra and Eilistraee that lead to Qilue being born a full drow, because otherwise she should be a quarter elf just as the other six of the Seven are.
Of course, there's also some argument that could be made that none of the Seven are truely the race they appear to be. They are all something more than human/drow... But if they were really the daughters of Mystra, surely they would all possess DvR 0? A single deific parent usually means the child a demi-deity.
Does the fact that they don't possess DvR 0 mean they're not the daughters of Mystra? |
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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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 27 Aug 2005 : 15:01:53
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Hi, all. Ed was sending - - oops, no, can’t tell you that. Anyway, on the way out the door to the Canadian Gaming Expo, he was online, caught my e-mail of scribes’ postings, and sent back this answer to Zandilar:
Yes, the Seven Sisters are indeed the daughters of Mystra.
Some of her divine essence (“divine spark” if you prefer; it’s now publicly seen only as the silver fire) passed into all of the Seven at their conception, because Mystra personally possessed the mothers - - so, yes, they DO carry her blood in them, and are therefore her daughters. Mystra’s blood IS the Weave (silver fire energy).
Remember, human standards and definitions don’t precisely apply to the gods. A rock or a potted plant can be the divine “son” or “daughter” of a god. :} The various game rules regarding gods are at best a vague way to describe what mortals have observed of their behaviour. They are NOT complete, clear, and absolute. Or as too many priests I’ve overheard are too fond of saying: “It’s a mystery, my son. A mystery.”
So saith Ed. Who will return on Sunday.
love to all,
THO
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Melfius
Senior Scribe
USA
516 Posts |
Posted - 27 Aug 2005 : 15:49:15
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Whoa, whoa, whoa! Was that a typo, or a slip of something more important? I quote: "...because Mystra personally possessed the mothers..." MOTHERS? Plural?
Does this mean that Mystra possessed Qilué's mother after she was 'transplanted'? Or that maybe some of the Seven had a different mother? |
Melfius, Pixie-Priest of Puck - Head Chef, The Faerie Kitchen, Candlekeep Inn
"What's in his pockets, besides me?"
Read a tale of my earlier days! - Happiness Comes in Small Packages |
Edited by - Melfius on 27 Aug 2005 15:50:44 |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 27 Aug 2005 : 17:54:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Melfius
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Was that a typo, or a slip of something more important? I quote: "...because Mystra personally possessed the mothers..." MOTHERS? Plural?
Does this mean that Mystra possessed Qilué's mother after she was 'transplanted'? Or that maybe some of the Seven had a different mother?
According to the Seven Sisters, only Qilue is the one that has a different mother, kinda. :) |
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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El Magnifico Uno
Learned Scribe
113 Posts |
Posted - 28 Aug 2005 : 01:06:20
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Ed & Hooded One,
Questions about Turmish, since there is a general lack of info out there (even taking into account "The Vilhon Reach" sourcebook) -
1) Was Turmish originally part of your idea of the Realms?? If not, who's the person to pester? If so, here's some more questions...
2) What was your original concept of Turmish?? As in culture, personality, and history.. From what I've read it's a rather mercantile-oriented society with a healthy respect for the environment.. Had you fleshed it out any farther than that?..
3) The city of Alaghon appears to be one of the larger and older cities on the Inner Sea, yet there is very little referring to it other than a big blue dragon camping out for a few years.. Any other juicy tidbits you can toss out?
4) For a group that weilds significant power across the Vilhon Reach and elsewhere, and seems to have been around since the heyday of Myth Drannor, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot on the Emerald Enclave.. Sure they helped kick the snot out Malar, set up shop on an anti-magic island, and generally have made a nuisance of themselves to their immediate neighbors, but is there anything else you can detail on them? Perhaps a few previously undisclosed snippets of history?
** crosses fingers for no NDAs **
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 28 Aug 2005 : 03:14:07
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Ed,
This is from createvmind.
He is wondering what that tentacled beastie is that is in the Fallen Lands. It's the one that is mentioned in Silver Marches that can pull dragons out of the air. |
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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Kajehase
Great Reader
Sweden
2104 Posts |
Posted - 28 Aug 2005 : 11:24:22
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quote:
Originally posted by El Magnifico Uno
Ed & Hooded One,
4) For a group that weilds significant power across the Vilhon Reach and elsewhere, and seems to have been around since the heyday of Myth Drannor, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot on the Emerald Enclave.. Sure they helped kick the snot out Malar, set up shop on an anti-magic island, and generally have made a nuisance of themselves to their immediate neighbors, but is there anything else you can detail on them? Perhaps a few previously undisclosed snippets of history?
You might want to read the Scions of Arrabar-trilogy if you're interested in this group Uno. |
There is a rumour going around that I have found god. I think is unlikely because I have enough difficulty finding my keys, and there is empirical evidence that they exist.
Terry Pratchett |
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Questions for Ed Greenwood (2005)
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