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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
 Posted - 04 May 2019 : 00:52:31
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
It's Im-PULL-tur.
Sorry, I'm going to need a timestamp to verify that.
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AJA
YAFRP
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KanzenAU
Senior Scribe
Australia
763 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2019 : 12:33:11
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Hi Eric, though I've been off the forum radar for some time now, I've still been slowly consuming FR lore in the background for a while now working towards a future campaign around Waterdeep, and something that keeps sticking in my mind is the Hall of Whirling Blades.
As far as I can tell, the only mentions of it in the lore are Demihuman Deities and your Environs of Waterdeep article. My question is regarding the Battle of Whirling Blades mentioned in the 3rd edition City of Splendors sourcebook - all three of these titles are by you, and I can't help but think there must be a link in there somewhere... or not, and it was an intentional duplicate use of names (such things do happen, after all).
Is there any link between the Hall of Whirling Blades in the foothills of the Sword Mountains and the Battle of Whirling Blades fought against orcs pouring out of the Sword Mountains back in the Orcfastings War? And if so, would you be willing to expand upon that at all?
My best guess is that the dwarven temple had been used as a base by forces from Waterdeep prior to the Orcfastings War (who renamed it as the Hall of Whirling Blades for the blade-barriers there), but they were overrun by orcs in the so-called Battle of Whirling Blades, ultimately abandoning it (and orcs have laired there since).
The paragraph in City of Splendors on the Orcfastings War has captured my imagination for some time, and I must know more... |
Regional maps for Waterdeep, Triboar, Ardeep Forest, and Cormyr on DM's Guild, plus a campaign sized map for the North |
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rodrigoalcanza
Seeker
Brazil
67 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jul 2019 : 00:19:41
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Hi Eric, your answer on another topic made me very curious to hear your opinion. I don't know if you ever talked about it. Which D&D edition do you think best represents the essence of Realms?
IMHO, I loved the 2nd Edition, especially with the Players' Option (2.5). This edition was very much in tune with the Realms lore. But I also really like the 1st and 3rd editions. The third took care of many aspects of the game, including epic levels. My problem with the third was that the rules wanted a lot of balance, and that hurt the lore. (chosen, magister, spellfire, mantles, and many special spells created in the 2nd edition were not cool in the 3rd edition).
The 5th edition has a good D&D feeling, but it has few rules and Realms lore supplements. To this day I played very little the fifth edition. So I'm not sure.
Sorry for my english. |
Edited by - rodrigoalcanza on 29 Jul 2019 02:03:02 |
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Balfrin
Acolyte
3 Posts |
Posted - 11 Aug 2019 : 11:59:19
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Hi Eric,
I have a question about one of the subkingdoms of Deep Shanatar, Torglor. I know the patron deity was Diirinka, but I could not get any information about the dwarven clans that lived there...
Is there any information about the clans of Torglor? If not, do you think Clan Ironledger would be a good choice, as a clan member, Vronia, now lives as a Runecaster in the only remaining dwarven city of Iltkazar?
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
2067 Posts |
Posted - 11 Aug 2019 : 16:02:28
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Hi
Honestly I don’t really care much about which edition. I’ve always told my kids you can play DND with a single d20. Tell me what you want to do and I’ll tell you what to roll. It’s that simple. Critical successes and critical failures will be spectacular.
What annoys me is when changes in rules leads to Realms-shattering events. The stories should flow from the setting, not the rules.
Alll that said, I thought 1e was great as used in the old gray box. I’m most comfortable with 3.5e. It’s very expressive and there’s tons of material to work with, but it’s also a pain in the ass to design. Nothing wrong with 5e but I don’t know it well. I don’t like 4e mostly because of the dramatic changes that accompanied it.
Just my opinion,
Eric
quote:
Originally posted by rodrigoalcanza
Hi Eric, your answer on another topic made me very curious to hear your opinion. I don't know if you ever talked about it. Which D&D edition do you think best represents the essence of Realms?
IMHO, I loved the 2nd Edition, especially with the Players' Option (2.5). This edition was very much in tune with the Realms lore. But I also really like the 1st and 3rd editions. The third took care of many aspects of the game, including epic levels. My problem with the third was that the rules wanted a lot of balance, and that hurt the lore. (chosen, magister, spellfire, mantles, and many special spells created in the 2nd edition were not cool in the 3rd edition).
The 5th edition has a good D&D feeling, but it has few rules and Realms lore supplements. To this day I played very little the fifth edition. So I'm not sure.
Sorry for my english.
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http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/ |
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
2067 Posts |
Posted - 11 Aug 2019 : 17:01:16
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Hi,
I don't think I ever detailed any clans of Torglor. The most information I created was in Drizzt Do'Urden's Guide to the Underdark, page 106.
Underdark, page 141, doesn't add much.
It's quite possible that no clans of Torglor still exist. I don't see a reason Clan Ironledger couldn't have been one of the clans.
I would suggest that at least a couple of shield dwarf clan names survive (in some form) among their derro descendants, perhaps twisted by the madness of the derro and the passage of time.
--Eric
quote:
Originally posted by Balfrin
Hi Eric,
I have a question about one of the subkingdoms of Deep Shanatar, Torglor. I know the patron deity was Diirinka, but I could not get any information about the dwarven clans that lived there...
Is there any information about the clans of Torglor? If not, do you think Clan Ironledger would be a good choice, as a clan member, Vronia, now lives as a Runecaster in the only remaining dwarven city of Iltkazar?
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http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/ |
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
2067 Posts |
Posted - 11 Aug 2019 : 17:27:49
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The first reference to the Orcfastings War comes from Pages from the Mages, page 84. The Hall of Whirling Blades is listed by implication in Demihuman Deities, page 69. The detail, such as it is, comes from Environs of Waterdeep (web enhancement), pages 13-14.
I did intend for the Hall of Whirling Blades and the Battle of Whirling Blades to be linked, albeit obscurely.
My thought was that Haela's followers emerged from their temple-hold during the initial days of the Orcfastings War to find themselves at the middle of the horde streaming down the eastern slopes of the Sword Mountains. (The orcs were equally surprised, and were not prepared for a crazed contingent of dwarven berserkers in their midst.)
Although the heroics of Haela's followers were ultimately futile, their efforts stalled the orcs just long enough that the outlying defenders of Nimoar's Hold weren't completely caught by surprise and overrun.
After the death of the dwarves, the Hall of Whirling Blades was occupied by orcs, who have claimed it nigh-continuously to the modern era.
--Eric
quote:
Originally posted by KanzenAU
Hi Eric, though I've been off the forum radar for some time now, I've still been slowly consuming FR lore in the background for a while now working towards a future campaign around Waterdeep, and something that keeps sticking in my mind is the Hall of Whirling Blades.
As far as I can tell, the only mentions of it in the lore are Demihuman Deities and your Environs of Waterdeep article. My question is regarding the Battle of Whirling Blades mentioned in the 3rd edition City of Splendors sourcebook - all three of these titles are by you, and I can't help but think there must be a link in there somewhere... or not, and it was an intentional duplicate use of names (such things do happen, after all).
Is there any link between the Hall of Whirling Blades in the foothills of the Sword Mountains and the Battle of Whirling Blades fought against orcs pouring out of the Sword Mountains back in the Orcfastings War? And if so, would you be willing to expand upon that at all?
My best guess is that the dwarven temple had been used as a base by forces from Waterdeep prior to the Orcfastings War (who renamed it as the Hall of Whirling Blades for the blade-barriers there), but they were overrun by orcs in the so-called Battle of Whirling Blades, ultimately abandoning it (and orcs have laired there since).
The paragraph in City of Splendors on the Orcfastings War has captured my imagination for some time, and I must know more...
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http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/ |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 14 Aug 2019 : 00:43:47
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quote:
Originally posted by ericlboyd
The first reference to the Orcfastings War comes from Pages from the Mages, page 84.
Dragon Magazine #69, p.69, Eric.
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AJA
YAFRP
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
2067 Posts |
Posted - 14 Aug 2019 : 03:23:17
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
quote:
Originally posted by ericlboyd
The first reference to the Orcfastings War comes from Pages from the Mages, page 84.
Dragon Magazine #69, p.69, Eric.
Sigh. I knew that when I wrote it but then I was too lazy to edit it to say "first reference in a sourcebook".
--Eric |
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http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/ |
Edited by - ericlboyd on 14 Aug 2019 04:17:45 |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 16 Aug 2019 : 02:18:49
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quote:
Originally posted by ericlboyd
Sigh. I knew that when I wrote it but then I was too lazy to edit it to say "first reference in a sourcebook".
"More Pages From the Mages" was one of the articles that contributed to my love of Ed Greenwood, before I even made the connection that the author of those old Dragon articles with all the evocative name drops and lore was the same guy as the Old Grey Box and The Forgotten Realms. "Tymor Threeshields" was such an amazingly awesome name that I stole it for most of my early PCs (most of whom died or DM-cheated their way through the adventure in the old DnD red box and the old solo module Ghost of Lion Castle).
But even with all that I tried to look up the reference in Dragon #62 first so, lazy or not, you're still a step ahead of me.
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AJA
YAFRP
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
2067 Posts |
Posted - 17 Aug 2019 : 11:09:30
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None exists that I know of for 5e. Haven't had a chance to revisit Waterdeep in a long time from a design standpoint, but maybe someday
--Eric
quote:
Originally posted by Mankyle
Hi there Mr. Boyd
I'm nos doing for my own use an interactive pdf of waterdeep using the awesome Maps of the wards that come with Waterdeep Dragon Heist.
I'm linking locations in the map to their respective descriptions but I'm having important voids regarding some (or most) of waterdeep's noble families.
Of course, the Cassalanters, Gralhunds and Rosznars (plus some details about the Moonstars such as the matriarch and her half drow nephew) are well described in W:DH and W:DotMM, but I wanted to know if there is something akin to the Waterdeep City of Esplendors Web Enhancement.
It is very old but I still find it useful from time to time.
I would love a document with a short description of each noble family plus Adventure seeds and NPC names.
Thanks from Spain
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http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/ |
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
2067 Posts |
Posted - 17 Aug 2019 : 11:11:27
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quote:
Originally posted by JasonDGraham
Is there any other source material or novels that mention the Savants of the Dark Tide / Sargauth Swimmer beneath Waterdeep? Any notes on what's happened with them in the 100+ years since City of Splendors?
I don't think anyone has played with them since.
I doubt much has changed, to be honest. They are ageless swimmers in the deep, so you can probably use the material as written for 1375 DR in the current era.
--Eric |
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http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/ |
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Balfrin
Acolyte
3 Posts |
Posted - 18 Aug 2019 : 18:20:22
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Hi Eric,
Thank you so much for your answers and the great idea about the Derro Clannames.
After all these years, I still enjoy your books every day!
I have a question about Mithbarak:
Why would a servant of Tiamat have captured Mithbarakaz on the Astral Plane? Is there some ancient knowledge about the dragons hidden in Iltkazar? Maybe something related to the daggers of Ochir Naal, maybe some adamantine fragment of the axe of Erek-Hus? |
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
2067 Posts |
Posted - 20 Aug 2019 : 04:02:16
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quote:
Originally posted by Balfrin
Hi Eric,
Thank you so much for your answers and the great idea about the Derro Clannames.
After all these years, I still enjoy your books every day!
I have a question about Mithbarak:
Why would a servant of Tiamat have captured Mithbarakaz on the Astral Plane? Is there some ancient knowledge about the dragons hidden in Iltkazar? Maybe something related to the daggers of Ochir Naal, maybe some adamantine fragment of the axe of Erek-Hus?
Hi Balfrin,
I don't know why that story was selected in Underdark, as I had not revealed the reason for the imprisonment in DDGttU. That said, it's not unreasonable, and I think you have some good ideas.
The simplest answer is that a servant of Tiamat wanted to take out a silver dragon, and saw the opportunity.
The more complicated explanation is probably due to information held by Mithbarakaz that the church of Tiamat wants. For example, it might have something to do with the Wyrmskull Throne, or it might have something to do with the hoard of Dheubpurcwenpyl. |
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http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/ |
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KanzenAU
Senior Scribe
Australia
763 Posts |
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Baltas
Senior Scribe
Poland
955 Posts |
Posted - 27 Sep 2019 : 14:02:32
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Hi Eric,
I have question about Shaundakul. In Faiths and Pantheons, it is mentioned "his existence may date back to the time of the Rus, forbears of the Rashemaar".
Does this mean Shaundakul was worshipped by the Rus, possibly even his faith originating among the Rus?
More hints of this is with the "Windwalker" artifact of the Rus - the same name as Shaundakul's Specialty Priests. |
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
2067 Posts |
Posted - 27 Sep 2019 : 15:17:09
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quote:
Originally posted by Baltas
Hi Eric,
I have question about Shaundakul. In Faiths and Pantheons, it is mentioned "his existence may date back to the time of the Rus, forbears of the Rashemaar".
Does this mean Shaundakul was worshipped by the Rus, possibly even his faith originating among the Rus?
More hints of this is with the "Windwalker" artifact of the Rus - the same name as Shaundakul's Specialty Priests.
Yeah, that's what I was hinting, without stating so definitively. Give the DM a direction to go in if they wanted.
--Eric |
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http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/ |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 27 Sep 2019 : 17:18:46
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quote:
Originally posted by Baltas
Hi Eric,
I have question about Shaundakul. In Faiths and Pantheons, it is mentioned "his existence may date back to the time of the Rus, forbears of the Rashemaar".
Does this mean Shaundakul was worshipped by the Rus, possibly even his faith originating among the Rus?
More hints of this is with the "Windwalker" artifact of the Rus - the same name as Shaundakul's Specialty Priests.
yoink, stealing... that actually makes some sense. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Baltas
Senior Scribe
Poland
955 Posts |
Posted - 27 Sep 2019 : 20:21:12
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- ericlboyd
Thanks for conforming it Eric, I wondered it for years
sleyvas
I'm glad I inspired you here  |
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AlorinDawn
Learned Scribe
USA
313 Posts |
Posted - 13 Nov 2019 : 00:19:00
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Eric - I can't seem to find any info on the orc kingdom of Graknar that you mentioned in the Sages & Mages podcast when discussing the High Forest. Can you point me in the direction of the lore and/or provide more info here on it please?
Thanks |
Edited by - AlorinDawn on 13 Nov 2019 00:19:49 |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 13 Nov 2019 : 02:56:47
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It's Gairackdar and it's the name of the domain of the orc tribes living in the High Forest as noted in FR5 Savage Frontier, suitably expanded upon.
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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lsls
Acolyte
34 Posts |
Posted - 24 Nov 2019 : 07:48:36
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Hi Eric,
The duration of Karsus's Avatar spell in Netheril sourcebook was "unlimited" and in P&P was "limited". The P&P came out later so it replaced the former.
My question is what will be the states of Mystryl (didn't sacrifice herself) and Karsus (wasn't destroyed by the godly power) after the end of the spell? |
Edited by - lsls on 24 Nov 2019 07:54:32 |
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echochonristic
Acolyte
USA
1 Posts |
Posted - 03 Dec 2019 : 09:16:24
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Hi Eric,
Thank you so much for answering questions in this thread - it's been a lifesaver!
I've made the mistake of allowing a PC to be the heir of Morwen Daggerford, and now I'm dodging lots of questions about the Daggerford area while frantically Googling.
As far as I've pieced together, the rough guide to the recent lineage is Conan, father of Pryden, father of Merovy (deceased), Pwyll, and Brownwyn, with Pwyll becoming Duke of Daggerford in 1356 after Pryden's death.
Then in ~1480 Duke Maldwyn rules Daggerford, meaning there should be a generation or two in between.
Is there a definitive answer for what happened between the Pwyll and Bronwyn generation and the Maldwyn and Morwen generation?
Thank you so much for your time! |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 03 Dec 2019 : 14:34:11
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quote:
Originally posted by echochonristic
Hi Eric,
Thank you so much for answering questions in this thread - it's been a lifesaver!
I've made the mistake of allowing a PC to be the heir of Morwen Daggerford, and now I'm dodging lots of questions about the Daggerford area while frantically Googling.
As far as I've pieced together, the rough guide to the recent lineage is Conan, father of Pryden, father of Merovy (deceased), Pwyll, and Brownwyn, with Pwyll becoming Duke of Daggerford in 1356 after Pryden's death.
Then in ~1480 Duke Maldwyn rules Daggerford, meaning there should be a generation or two in between.
Is there a definitive answer for what happened between the Pwyll and Bronwyn generation and the Maldwyn and Morwen generation?
Thank you so much for your time!
For what it's worth, my Daggerford lineage is as follows:
Pwyll (b. 1332) reigns from 1356-1385
Derander (b. 1357) reigns from 1385-1430 (son and sole heir of Pwyll)
Harcondyl (b.1393) reigns from 1430-1478 (second son of Derander)
Maldwyn (b.1424) reigns from 1478
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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TheIriaeban
Master of Realmslore
USA
1289 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2019 : 17:34:39
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Howdy Eric,
I am currently working on expanding upon what Volo had on Hardbuckler (48 pages so far) and it occurred to me that there would very likely be some interaction between the village and Aurora's catalog. Specifically, since Hardbuckler is out in the backwater of the Realms, I was thinking of having a deal created between Hardbuckler and Aurora where anyone that had something in storage could renew their storage term (i.e. pay for another year) at any Aurora's shop. That would be particularly attractive to adventuring groups since they could stay out where they are and not have to make a pilgrimage (so to speak) to Hardbuckler just to keep their stuff in storage. Given the write up in Cloak and Dagger, do you know when Aurora first opened her shop and how long it took for her to expand it out to the reach it has now? Thank you. |
"Iriaebor is a fine city. So what if you can have violence between merchant groups break out at any moment. Not every city can offer dinner AND a show."
My FR writeups - http://www.mediafire.com/folder/um3liz6tqsf5n/Documents
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2020 : 14:38:26
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quote:
Originally posted by ericlboyd
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Eric, a few months ago, I managed to lay hands on some old issues of Polyhedron. In issues 125 and 126, you wrote about Tulrun of the Tent. However, in issue 126, there appears to be some missing text. There's a big illustration which I believe caused some of the text to be either dropped or obscured, instead. On page 25 of issue 126, under Abode, the last line before the illustration is "There is even an armory, drill room, and small hunting". The next column resumes with "them to Waterdeep." It appears to be part of an adventure hook.
Can you supply the lost text, and/or do you know where I might find it?
Yeah, there is lost text. I can't find my electronic copy at the moment. (It may be old enough that it's on my 12-year-old Mac in an incompatible format.) George might have a copy. George?
--Eric
Eric, did you ever stumble across that electronic copy? |
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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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
2067 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2020 : 15:19:02
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No, unfortunately. I'm going to have to rewrite it for something I'm working on, so I'll share when I do.
--Eric |
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http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/ |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2020 : 15:46:57
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quote:
Originally posted by ericlboyd
No, unfortunately. I'm going to have to rewrite it for something I'm working on, so I'll share when I do.
--Eric
Well and good. I've copied what was in Polyhedron to Word, so if you need that as a starter, I'm happy to share. |
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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Grumpy Hamatula
Acolyte
22 Posts |
Posted - 12 Feb 2020 : 02:06:54
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Hi, Eric,
I have a question for you regarding Under Illefarn Anew, particularly part of its Dragonspear Castle lore.
I noted that on p. 95, you identify Baazka as a pit fiend in service to Azazel. Prior to reading this material, I don't believe I had seen anything that specified whom Baazka served, though I was aware of the existence of the rebel dukes detailed in Dragon #91.
Out of curiosity, did you base Baazka's affiliation with Azazel on published lore? If so, where might I find it? If not, might you be willing to share your inspiration for the choice?
Many thanks! |
Edited by - Grumpy Hamatula on 12 Feb 2020 02:07:51 |
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
2067 Posts |
Posted - 18 Feb 2020 : 00:24:50
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Because I wrote a whole adventure set in Dragonspear Castle involving Azazel. It's called "Dragonspear Rift: Unto the Breach."
Haven't released it yet.
:-)
--Eric
quote:
Originally posted by Grumpy Hamatula
Hi, Eric,
I have a question for you regarding Under Illefarn Anew, particularly part of its Dragonspear Castle lore.
I noted that on p. 95, you identify Baazka as a pit fiend in service to Azazel. Prior to reading this material, I don't believe I had seen anything that specified whom Baazka served, though I was aware of the existence of the rebel dukes detailed in Dragon #91.
Out of curiosity, did you base Baazka's affiliation with Azazel on published lore? If so, where might I find it? If not, might you be willing to share your inspiration for the choice?
Many thanks!
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http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/ |
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Questions for Eric L Boyd
