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Steven Schend
Forgotten Realms Designer & Author
USA
1715 Posts |
 Posted - 19 Sep 2009 : 20:01:46
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
So I'm rereading The Lord of the Rings right now (inspired by playing a lot of Lord of the Rings Online)... I just finished The Two Towers. And it occurred to me while reading it that Treebeard and his buddies deciding to guard Orthanc is much like Turlang and his buddies guarding the site of fallen Hellgate Keep. Was this intentional?
Utterly unintentional and coincidental, alas. Turlang and Co. were just the best group within the local arena suited to be guardians/defenders around the fallen keep. I could have made it something for the Mistmaster to do, covering the area with a massive illusion, but there's NDA reasons why that didn't happen. And besides, the Mistmaster is cooler when you don't nearly know as much about him or what he's up to, IMO. |
For current projects and general natter, see www.steveneschend.com
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Jakk
Great Reader
Canada
2165 Posts |
Posted - 20 Sep 2009 : 00:14:07
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I'm not surprised, but I still can't believe that there are NDAs regarding Hellgate Keep. Of course, if I'd had a hundred years of timeline jump to play with, Hellgate Keep would be the first set of ruins restored... by something bigger and nastier than Grintharke. At least rebuilding the place mysteriously would justify keeping the NDA shields up.  Or have I just stumbled onto something sinister here? 
Edit: I had forgotten about that, having had a very busy week at work; Post Number 900! 
Second Edit: I just re-read Steven's response, and I thought of something evil... what if the destruction of Hellgate Keep *is* the illusion, and the Mistmaster is not as benevolent as he seems to be? Maybe this whole thing with the Gatekeeper's Crystal and the expansion of the High Forest is one big programmed illusion... 
 I wasn't born paranoid... RSEs have made me this way, starting with the ToT, so it's been a twenty-year process. Hope for the best and expect the worst; that way all of your surprises are pleasant ones. |
Playing in the Realms since the Old Grey Box (1987)... and *still* having fun with material published before 2008, despite the NDA'd lore.
If it's comparable in power with non-magical abilities, it's not magic. |
Edited by - Jakk on 20 Sep 2009 00:20:44 |
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Draenar
Acolyte
Canada
9 Posts |
Posted - 02 Oct 2009 : 06:42:38
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Greetings to you, Steven. I read and loved Blackstaff and Blackstaff Tower (a little while ago, but I wasn't active around here at the time). Also (though this was *quite* some time ago), the City of Splendors boxed set was the first FR product I bought that really inspired me and captured my imagination. I ran a game for a time where the PCs became the Companions of the Blue Axe, and it was a fun, freewheeling Waterdeep sort of game. (Of course, since Azure Edge's wielder was a dwarf, I'd wanted him to survive through the Spellplague, so I've had to do some justifying for Blackstaff Tower to not cause problems.)
Anyhow, I have a couple of questions that I hope you can answer, for my current, post-Spellplague game. Firstly, after Maaril's presumed death, and the transformation of his tower into a ballistic rocket, do you know/can you tell me who ended up with the dragonstaff of Ahghairon? (If the answer is NDA, or just unknown, I think I'm going to give it to his dragon cohort, Khavalanoth. Assuming dragons are able to wield it....)
Secondly, I'm hoping to work the sharn and Rhymanthiin into my game. I've been reading some of your previous replies regarding these subjects, though I may have missed some. My questions are: Did the Miyeritaran dark elves leave the sharn gestalt after the events of the Lady Penitent series? It's my impression that (certain) good dark elves are no longer subject to Corellon's Judgment, but I'm not sure if the chance to resume mortal lives had already passed, nor if they would want to. Regardless, in the years leading up to the Spellplague, who would make up the sharn gestalt? Perhaps some individuals who could not leave the gestalt without dying or going insane? But I wouldn't expect that to constitute enough sharn remaining to be considered a species, rather than a handful of individuals (if that makes any sense).
Thanks in advance. |
BRITANNUS (shocked): Caesar, this is not proper.
THEODOTUS (outraged): How?
CAESAR (recovering his self-possession): Pardon him Theodotus: he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature.
-- Caesar and Cleopatra, Act II, George Bernard Shaw |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 02 Oct 2009 : 15:14:19
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| Just an FYI -- Steven has dropped off the internet for this month, so he shan't be back in to answer questions until November. |
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! |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
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Draenar
Acolyte
Canada
9 Posts |
Posted - 02 Oct 2009 : 22:40:49
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| Well, that was good timing on my part, then. |
BRITANNUS (shocked): Caesar, this is not proper.
THEODOTUS (outraged): How?
CAESAR (recovering his self-possession): Pardon him Theodotus: he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature.
-- Caesar and Cleopatra, Act II, George Bernard Shaw |
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crazedventurers
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1073 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2009 : 14:13:24
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Hello Steven
Hoping your month or so of internet abstinance has proved fruitful?
Are your plans to write further novels proceeding well?
Kind regards
Damian |
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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Steven Schend
Forgotten Realms Designer & Author
USA
1715 Posts |
Posted - 13 Dec 2009 : 17:30:37
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
Note, however, that it may be longer than a month, depending on Steven's productivity level for October. 
And November....and December....
Sorry to be an absentee here, but I'm swamped with a number of things pending. My visits to Candlekeep are likely to be very brief and infrequent for 2010, mainly due to no direct work in the Realms and the expected arrival of my wife's and my first child in late January. I'll drop by when I can and talk about what I can, but I expect that most of my online time will be going to my own blog/website (in the sig below). Still, the Realms and Candlekeep will always be in my heart. I promise not to be a stranger.
Steven |
For current projects and general natter, see www.steveneschend.com
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Steven Schend
Forgotten Realms Designer & Author
USA
1715 Posts |
Posted - 13 Dec 2009 : 17:41:31
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quote:
Originally posted by Draenar
I ran a game for a time where the PCs became the Companions of the Blue Axe, and it was a fun, freewheeling Waterdeep sort of game. (Of course, since Azure Edge's wielder was a dwarf, I'd wanted him to survive through the Spellplague, so I've had to do some justifying for Blackstaff Tower to not cause problems.)
No problem; just replace Azuredge with some previously unknown item crafted by Ahghairon for Warlord Laroun during her lifetime--a shield, blade, or some other weapon likewise tied to the City. See how easy it is?
quote:
Anyhow, I have a couple of questions that I hope you can answer, for my current, post-Spellplague game. Firstly, after Maaril's presumed death, and the transformation of his tower into a ballistic rocket, do you know/can you tell me who ended up with the dragonstaff of Ahghairon? (If the answer is NDA, or just unknown, I think I'm going to give it to his dragon cohort, Khavalanoth. Assuming dragons are able to wield it....)
Officially I have to quote NDA on that answer, alas; as the tower's gone, it's fair game as to what each GM does with the dragonstaff, in my opinion.
quote:
Secondly, I'm hoping to work the sharn and Rhymanthiin into my game. I've been reading some of your previous replies regarding these subjects, though I may have missed some. My questions are: Did the Miyeritaran dark elves leave the sharn gestalt after the events of the Lady Penitent series? It's my impression that (certain) good dark elves are no longer subject to Corellon's Judgment, but I'm not sure if the chance to resume mortal lives had already passed, nor if they would want to. Regardless, in the years leading up to the Spellplague, who would make up the sharn gestalt? Perhaps some individuals who could not leave the gestalt without dying or going insane? But I wouldn't expect that to constitute enough sharn remaining to be considered a species, rather than a handful of individuals (if that makes any sense).
I can't fully answer that question re: the dark elves as it's not mine to answer. I'll just have to say that even if every dark elf still a part of the sharn gestalt after Blackstaff returned, there would still be a sharn collective gestalt.
While Miyeritar's dark elves were the largest single contribution to the sharn gestalt, they're hardly the only species/beings in there. Also, regardless of the Lady Penitent's events, remember that not every dark elf would be willing to change back from sharnform; some might even see it as their duty to help defend Rhymanthiin as a sharn.
Also, remember one thing--the sharn over the millennia have rescued folks up against extinction/destruction, offering them life in the sharn gestalt instead of certain death. With all the destruction that occurred before, during, and after the Spellplague, who's to say what's now a part of that gestalt? (I.E. Anyone wishing that some remnants of Halruaa or the Old Empires or anything else stayed in their Realms has a back-door option.)
Hope that answers your question, Draenar. Be well.
Steven |
For current projects and general natter, see www.steveneschend.com
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 14 Dec 2009 : 00:07:27
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quote:
Originally posted by Steven Schend
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
Note, however, that it may be longer than a month, depending on Steven's productivity level for October.
And November....and December....
Sorry to be an absentee here, but I'm swamped with a number of things pending. My visits to Candlekeep are likely to be very brief and infrequent for 2010, mainly due to no direct work in the Realms and the expected arrival of my wife's and my first child in late January. I'll drop by when I can and talk about what I can, but I expect that most of my online time will be going to my own blog/website (in the sig below). Still, the Realms and Candlekeep will always be in my heart. I promise not to be a stranger.
Steven
Great to have you back Steven, however briefly.
Can we also assume a new and more secure Codex forum will be an element of your online time? |
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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skychrome
Senior Scribe
713 Posts |
Posted - 14 Dec 2009 : 14:24:09
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quote:
Originally posted by Steven Schend
Sorry to be an absentee here, but I'm swamped with a number of things pending. My visits to Candlekeep are likely to be very brief and infrequent for 2010, mainly due to no direct work in the Realms and the expected arrival of my wife's and my first child in late January.
That'll be a great experience Steven! Enjoy (even though you will feel like a Zombie due to lack of sleep at the beginning - but it is so very worth it!)! |
"You make an intriguing offer, one that is very tempting. It would seem that I have little alternative than to answer thusly: DISINTEGRATE!" Vaarsuvius, Order of the Stick 625 |
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althen artren
Senior Scribe
USA
780 Posts |
Posted - 14 Dec 2009 : 21:44:44
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SES,
I have a 7-month old boy along with my 4 year old.
My advice to you:
When they old enough, let them cry it out to sleep.
Well rested babies sleep better at night.
NEVER let them sleep in bed with you.
I can bring a good title of baby-sleep book to the
site if you wish it. And I will supply any advice from
my fatherhood experience if asked. |
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Bruce Donohue
Learned Scribe
Canada
131 Posts |
Posted - 16 Dec 2009 : 18:07:55
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Hello Steven,
Congratulations to you to start off with. How does it feel to be a Daddy? Merry XMAS and Happy New Year to you in advance.
When you were writing Blackstaff, or maybe your were just channeling, lol lol... what made you come up with the idea to include Ashemmi and Sememmon?
Bruce |
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Kes_Alanadel
Learned Scribe
USA
326 Posts |
Posted - 21 Dec 2009 : 18:12:45
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Well met Steven,
Just popping in to wish you and yours a very Happy Yule. I wish you good tidings and prosperity for the next year!
~Kes |
Ack! I seem to have too much blood in my coffee stream!
When did 'common sense' cease to be common? |
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Menelvagor
Senior Scribe
Israel
352 Posts |
Posted - 31 Dec 2009 : 19:47:07
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| Steven, what was the end of Lady Ildacer, leader of the Eternal Srinnala? I quote from The Fall of Myth Drannor: "Major Guir, a hulking mezzoloth nearly twice Lady Ildacer's size, felled her; she disappeared in a golden diamond-shaped field of magic as she lay dying." |
"Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?
Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly.
How much less them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation in the dust, are crushed before the moth?" - Eliphaz the Temanite, Job IV, 17-19.
"Yea, though he live a thousand years twice, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?" - Ecclesiastes VI, 6.
"There are no stupid questions – just a bunch of inquisitive idiots."
"Let's not call it 'hijacking'. Let's call it 'Thread Drift'." |
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Steven Schend
Forgotten Realms Designer & Author
USA
1715 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jan 2010 : 15:47:35
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quote:
Originally posted by Bruce Donohue
Hello Steven,
Congratulations to you to start off with. How does it feel to be a Daddy? Merry XMAS and Happy New Year to you in advance.
When you were writing Blackstaff, or maybe your were just channeling, lol lol... what made you come up with the idea to include Ashemmi and Sememmon?
Bruce
Hi Bruce. Dunno how it feels to be a daddy yet; ask me again next month.
As for Ashemmi and Sememmon, I included them for two reasons. I wanted some edge to Khelben's allies in the story, not just a litany of expected and predetermined former apprentices and the like. I also, in discussions with Ed, determined that they'd never shared much of the stage in fiction and I wanted to show them as a potential power couple only a few shades darker than Khelben and Laeral.
Steven |
For current projects and general natter, see www.steveneschend.com
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Steven Schend
Forgotten Realms Designer & Author
USA
1715 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jan 2010 : 15:48:44
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quote:
Originally posted by Kes_Alanadel
Well met Steven,
Just popping in to wish you and yours a very Happy Yule. I wish you good tidings and prosperity for the next year!
~Kes
Thanks very much. Enjoying the new year so far...
Steven |
For current projects and general natter, see www.steveneschend.com
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Steven Schend
Forgotten Realms Designer & Author
USA
1715 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jan 2010 : 15:51:30
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quote:
Originally posted by Menelvagor
Steven, what was the end of Lady Ildacer, leader of the Eternal Srinnala? I quote from The Fall of Myth Drannor: "Major Guir, a hulking mezzoloth nearly twice Lady Ildacer's size, felled her; she disappeared in a golden diamond-shaped field of magic as she lay dying."
That's one of the open-ended fates I left in FOMD for GMs to decide on their own. If you want a bigger hint as to her fate, reread pages 6 and 7 of FOMD. I don't want to say any more for fear of spoiling things for folks.
Steven |
For current projects and general natter, see www.steveneschend.com
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sfdragon
Great Reader
2285 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jan 2010 : 18:55:21
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| happy new year Steven |
why is being a wizard like being a drow? both are likely to find a dagger in the back from a rival or one looking to further his own goals, fame and power
My FR fan fiction
Magister's GAmbit
http://steelfiredragon.deviantart.com/gallery/33539234 |
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sfdragon
Great Reader
2285 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jan 2010 : 19:02:04
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okay I have a question now.
can you ask Wotc about writing an article for the city of hope?? |
why is being a wizard like being a drow? both are likely to find a dagger in the back from a rival or one looking to further his own goals, fame and power
My FR fan fiction
Magister's GAmbit
http://steelfiredragon.deviantart.com/gallery/33539234 |
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Menelvagor
Senior Scribe
Israel
352 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jan 2010 : 17:45:20
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| So would Ashemmi and Sememmon be alive after the Spellplague? And how would they feel about Ashemmon's death (I'm assuming he's their son)? |
"Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?
Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly.
How much less them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation in the dust, are crushed before the moth?" - Eliphaz the Temanite, Job IV, 17-19.
"Yea, though he live a thousand years twice, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?" - Ecclesiastes VI, 6.
"There are no stupid questions – just a bunch of inquisitive idiots."
"Let's not call it 'hijacking'. Let's call it 'Thread Drift'." |
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Steven Schend
Forgotten Realms Designer & Author
USA
1715 Posts |
Posted - 04 Jan 2010 : 16:48:22
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quote:
Originally posted by sfdragon
okay I have a question now.
can you ask Wotc about writing an article for the city of hope??
Yes I can, and I have asked certain staffers at GenCon, but I've not heard much from them in a while on the matter.
If you're really interested in the idea, pitch it at WotC as something you'd like to see, as I've been gone long enough from Wizards to only be a nigh-faceless freelancer to many assigning work in the D&D worlds. Thus, hearing from readers rather than freelance writers will attract more attention from them.
Steven |
For current projects and general natter, see www.steveneschend.com
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Steven Schend
Forgotten Realms Designer & Author
USA
1715 Posts |
Posted - 04 Jan 2010 : 16:50:35
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quote:
Originally posted by Menelvagor
So would Ashemmi and Sememmon be alive after the Spellplague? And how would they feel about Ashemmon's death (I'm assuming he's their son)?
Afraid I really can't answer either question due to NDAs and not wishing to inadvertantly step on any other writer's toes. Sorry.
Steven |
For current projects and general natter, see www.steveneschend.com
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1796 Posts |
Posted - 04 Jan 2010 : 19:50:30
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quote:
Originally posted by Steven Schend
Hi Bruce. Dunno how it feels to be a daddy yet; ask me again next month.
You'll love it! I've been a dad for two years now. It's amazing to see their little faces light up when they see things for the first time.
So you're about to be a dad hey? should we deduce from this that you have given up the (crazy) life of a writer and immersed yourself fully in the (duller) life of full-time employment doing something (dreadfully) normal? |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2010 : 01:50:11
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| Just stopped in to wish Steven a quick recovery about his broken arm. Winter really sometimes isn't very nice to people. |
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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Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3287 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2010 : 05:48:44
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quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
Just stopped in to wish Steven a quick recovery about his broken arm. Winter really sometimes isn't very nice to people.
Broken arm?!?! |
"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2010 : 06:48:36
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quote:
Originally posted by Brimstone
quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
Just stopped in to wish Steven a quick recovery about his broken arm. Winter really sometimes isn't very nice to people.
Broken arm?!?!
Aye. From what he said, he slipped down the outside stairs. :( |
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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Jorkens
Great Reader
Norway
2950 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2010 : 10:04:06
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| That's to bad. Hope you recover quickly Steven, and that it didn't happen during an important writing period. |
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Steven Schend
Forgotten Realms Designer & Author
USA
1715 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jan 2010 : 18:56:08
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Thanks for thinking of me, folks.
One week ago, I failed my Dex check while rushing out to my car for some work materials I needed for a meeting that day. Slipped on the ice at the bottom of the steps, fell back onto the steps, and broke both radius & ulna in my left arm. Surgery on Wednesday reset the bones and set them permanently to a metal plate in my arm; now I'm -5 vs. metal detectors as well.
Here's hoping the 1-handed method & MacSpeechDictate help me keep ahead of work so I can take the time to enjoy our impending arrival.... |
For current projects and general natter, see www.steveneschend.com
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3243 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jan 2010 : 19:23:17
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quote:
Originally posted by Steven Schend
Thanks for thinking of me, folks.
One week ago, I failed my Dex check while rushing out to my car for some work materials I needed for a meeting that day. Slipped on the ice at the bottom of the steps, fell back onto the steps, and broke both radius & ulna in my left arm.
Ouch! Hope you get better soon.
quote:
Surgery on Wednesday reset the bones and set them permanently to a metal plate in my arm; now I'm -5 vs. metal detectors as well.
And, speak as someone that has a metal plate in their ankle and a titanium rod running through the middle of their femur, plus what was explained to me by a TSA agent pre-9/11*, metal detectors only work for a large amount of metal "outside the flesh". They can't detect anything that's internal.
*I used to also wear a long chain around my wrist that took forever to put on and take off. The agent showed me that if I held my wrist against my stomach and covered the chain with my other hand, the detector couldn't sense the chain. So yeah, 9/11, while horrific, wasn't surprising to me. |
I actually DO know everything. I just have a very poor index of my knowledge.
Ashe's Character Sheet
Alphabetized Index of Realms NPCs |
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Questions for Steven Schend
