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Jindael
Senior Scribe
USA
357 Posts |
 Posted - 13 Apr 2006 : 14:51:53
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| Ed's last two posts (Via THO) have very strong Kung-Fu. I love reading about this sort of thing. Please pass my thanks along to Ed if you would please, and thanks to you Nynshari for starting this. |
"You don't have a Soul. You are a Soul. You have a body."
-- C.S. Lewis |
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Metis
Acolyte
11 Posts |
Posted - 13 Apr 2006 : 19:24:24
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Dear Ed,
I had a question about Tethyrian architecture. Trademeet is described as having this style of architecture, and I imagine most cities in Tethyr display it as well. However, I haven't been able to locate any descriptions of this architecture, and there is little artwork, unlike Calishite architecture which also appears in several places within Tethyr.
Any bits you can share on Tethyrian architecture, artwork that might appear within a Tethyrian cities architecture, etc., would be most welcome. |
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Nynshari
Acolyte
17 Posts |
Posted - 13 Apr 2006 : 21:24:10
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Thank you sooooo much for your replies to my questions. I really appreciate it. 
I'm sorry if I was unclear about this paper - it is supposed to simply be a paper to describe the mythology of the Realms, just as if it were a paper on Greek mythology or Norse mythology. I never had any intention of saying that there was any connection at all between anything in the realms and earth things and nothing along those lines had even crossed my mind for this paper - but I was told by my prof (well, he 'suggested', which actually means 'do it', lol) that I should find out if there was and that, if there were, then to include that information in the paper. Since I had to ask, I asked about the places I'm specifically writing about (because those are the places that I like, not because I see any specific connection). I apologize if I gave the wrong impression; I promise I had no intention of claiming anything that wasn't true or saying you did something that you didn't - that's why I asked  And I also apologize if I offended you by the way I asked - I honestly never meant to imply that you purposefully modeled anything, but just to ask what my prof said I should ask.
Sorry again, and thanks again for your answers.
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Nynshari
Chaos is Life
Chaos is Creativity
Chaos is the Essence of Our Souls |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 14 Apr 2006 : 00:22:33
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Hello again, all.
Ed’s family is descending on him for Easter, so he’s rushing to get some replies in, just in case his postings get interrupted by having a nine-year-old granddaughter who thinks computers were created to be her personal toys crawling all over him.
First, to Lord Rad, Ed says thus:
THANK you. I love that scene. One of my little whimsical asides, a moment of “meanwhile” off to the side of all the action and frenetic intrigue and word-fencing that dominates that novel. I love doing these, and they often get amputated by editors, but - - if not overdone - - to me they seem like the rewards of reading, the little moments of reflection and seeing things from unusual angles, eavesdropping on offbeat events (and making the night forest seem just a little more real). I’m very glad you like it.
Secondly, to David Lázaro, Ed speaks:
David, I’ll reply properly to you (re. themes) the moment I have the time, but two swift notes: no, Silverymoon and the Silver Marches aren’t yet out of NDA (sigh). As for the Arcane Brotherhood introducing drugs: they are conveyed to Brotherhood agents in the city, and introduced into specific food and drink consumed by particular individuals, to make them forget having ever met particular Brotherhood agents before, and forget what befell during those encounters (so they won’t raise the alarm or launch attacks when said agents [not the same ones doing the cooking and pouring, of course] encounter the drug-affected individuals again.
The widespread smuggling and selling “to all” (in powdered spices, wines, and sauces, so as to affect those who consume them) is to spread the memory-loss effects randomly around the citizenry, in an attempt to “hide” specific sources of memory loss and therefore the Brotherhood’s activities.
The drugs are brought into the city mixed into, yes, “legitimate cargoes” of powdered spices, wines, and sauces. The spiked stuff goes to Brotherhood agents, the unadulterated spices, wines, and sauces go to innocent vendors for resale to the citizenry.
Thirdly, to Nynshari, Ed responds:
Goodness, no, you didn’t upset me, Nynshari; no apologies necessary. I just wanted to make it very clear that I wasn’t deriving things directly, so that no scribe reading your questions and my responses could take it as “proof” that I borrowed X from here and Y from there.
I know all about professorial “suggestions.” :} Years agao, I even had one prof who used to wink, grin, and mime bringing a lash down on our behinds when she sweetly issued her “just a suggestion - -” epistles.
One of the most fascinating aspects of building the pantheon, for me, was to have it more or less balanced between power levels and the various alignments, but in constant flux, with events “really happening” to the gods, and their power directly related to the in-Toril power and influence (not quite the same thing as numerical strength of, but related) of their worshippers. This of course makes tinkering with the deities a neverending, “living” part of any ongoing Realms campaign.
And lastly, Ed responds to Faraer’s query: ““Hey, 'Feasthouse' median Realmsian for 'restaurant'? What's Realmsian for 'doggerel'?”
Ed speaks:
In the Realms, the most popular term for restaurant (there are local variants) is either “feast hall” or more often “feasting hall” (to avoid confusion with “festhall”) or “feasthouse” in Common, but “skaethar” in Chondathan, a word that has crept into Common to serve as the ‘formal’ word as opposed to the everyday slang term (I suppose, to put things in Modern English terms, “skaethar” would correspond to “dining establishment” and “feasthouse” to “eatery”).
And “doggerel” in the perjorative sense is either “horoloro” (pronounced “HAUR-oh-LORE-oh”), formally, or “bardspit” (“bardsquall” is bad, usually off-key or even tone-deaf, singing). Doggerel in the affectionate, “Oh, this isn’t really worthy poetry, but it’s catchy and witty and serves the need of the moment” sense is “bright-words” or more formally (only if it follows a rhyming scheme), “tarnrhyme” (after a long-ago bard called Tarn, who’s remembered for little four-line ditties like: “Wind and rain before highsun/Will clear before the day is done/Love that presses hot and swift/Will fall away like a lover’s shift”).
So saith Ed, Grand Linguist of the Realms. (I’m trying hard to resist saying most cunning . . .)
Ahem. (Wooly, get busy! I’m a busy woman, and that’s a LOT of whipped cream. Next time don’t order the family-sized dessert! And take the darned stems off the cherries next time!)
love to all,
THO
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Charles Phipps
Master of Realmslore
1425 Posts |
Posted - 14 Apr 2006 : 00:36:25
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Hey Ed,
I'm working on depicting a Bhaal cult for my group and since you were kind enough to talk about influences above, I was curious if you could tell me whether I have the implications right. Bhaal is 'Death' and while being worshipped by Assassins, I certainly don't think he's only worshipped by them. I was imagining that he'd be a fairly widely worshipped god of nonhumans and primitive tribesmen with lots of areas where human sacrifice is extemely common or individuals want to bring themselves luck in battle (while Tempus is certainly the god of war, I imagine that a person who simply wants the death of his enemies is almost certainly as respectful to Bhaal).
While it may be linking it too much with the Earthly Baal (whose unrelated) would a Gorgon as a 'Holy Animal' (the Stone inducing bull than the serpent haired women) be appropriate for worshippers of death?
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My Blog: http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 14 Apr 2006 : 03:19:43
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Ahem. (Wooly, get busy! I’m a busy woman, and that’s a LOT of whipped cream. Next time don’t order the family-sized dessert! And take the darned stems off the cherries next time!)
love to all,
THO
But more whipped cream means more time spent removing it! I thought that was a good thing!  |
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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
Posted - 14 Apr 2006 : 03:33:18
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I can supply at least a little information on some of the architectural questions I recently asked. The two passages in quotation marks below come from Jungles of Chult by James Lowder and Jean rabe (FRM1, TSR 9389), p.12f. The passages refer to the Temple of Ubtao in Mezro, which, being literally god-built, and in a city hidden from the rest of Toril for the past 500 years, is probably not representative of the architecture in the rest of the world. Still....
quote:
I know that stained glass windows are known in Faerun, but what about flying buttresses and the pointed arches of Gothic architecture -- are they used?
and
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Are true hemispherical domes in use outside the pseudo-Arabian areas such as Calimshan and Zakhara?
Jungles of Chult: "Nine stories tall, the temple boasts flying buttresses, rows of stained glass windows, and a glittering dome of pure gold."
The arch leading into the Temple is not described in detail, but since the building is based upon triangular units, it may be pointed like a Gothic arch -- or it may not be. żQuien sabe? as I said elsewhere.
quote:
Are mosaic walls and/or floors common?
Jungles of Chult: "The king's audience hall is a huge, triangular chamber with stained glass and a mosaic floor depicting the entire city of Mezro; tiny figures on the floor reflect the movement of each citizen and visitor."
I think that this mosaic floor ought not to be considered representative of the rest of the Realms because it reflects a particular aspect of Ubtao-worship -- the belief that one's life is a maze.
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atlas689
Learned Scribe
123 Posts |
Posted - 14 Apr 2006 : 04:08:39
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Hi Ed and Lady Hooded One,
As I just recently finished the two novels Evermeet and Cormyr (which i absolutely could not put down, even read while eating), a question popped in my head. I love the style of the novels about a famous land or city with the two different storylines at once. One of the past leading up to current times and one of the present. I was just wondering if there where any plans on any more novels being written in the style about more famous/notable lands or cities (such as Cormanthyr, Vassa, Thay, Silverymoon, etc.)? Also, as i was writing this a second question found its way into my thoughts. In the book Evermeet there is talk and even communication with the Elven Imperial Navy(spaceship fleet). As the Forgotten Realms series is just of Toril I was wondering if there were any plans on a book of Faerun's first ship to be in the Imperial Navy or if the Magic on Toril is not yet developed and advanced enough to be even taken into consideration by the Navy? Please respond but if you do not, I do understand for I am sure you are a very busy (and talented)person!
-Atlas |
Soldiers fight, thieves steal, bards sing, wizards cast, sages think, assassins kill. Good or Evil we all have a job. So tell me this. What the hell are nobles and merchants for?
From: Thoughts of an Old Sage
by: An Old Sage (anonymous) |
Edited by - atlas689 on 14 Apr 2006 04:17:07 |
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David Lázaro
Acolyte
Spain
37 Posts |
Posted - 14 Apr 2006 : 04:14:49
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Thanks Ed for your answer about the drugs of the Arcane Brotherhood. I think I'm beginning to see how that might work.
So those drugs are most probably magical in nature and have effects that make the movements of the Brotherhood agent's easier around the North. I've read again the passage on the sourcebook about this (must be the 20th time or so, heh) and it says that the drugs are of Thayan origin. I see lots of possibilities for introducing the drugs, so the initial plan seems a good one.
I see that the Arcane Brotherhood interests around that time consisted in gathering intelligence for their purpose making commerce with the Silver Marches difficult for anyone but them. The part that I still don't grasp is why Valindra Shadowmantle wants to ‘destabilise’ the Marches with the drugs. It would be much easier for her to leave things as they are and get the benefits of easier movement of their agents in the open to close that market to other cities. Forcing a destablised Marches there would result in less of a market and thus less benefits.
It could be that she is planning a direct invasion; the sourcebooks speaks of ‘talking over’ the zone. But that seems difficult because, as I see it, Luskan main strength lies in the sea. They have used direct attack continuously against other cities of the Sword Coast. But they are not so strong by land so moving east doesn't seem as a good idea.
To put it more clearly, my question would be: what could be on Valindra's mind? What is her goal and check mate movement of her strange scheme? |
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Asgetrion
Master of Realmslore
Finland
1564 Posts |
Posted - 14 Apr 2006 : 12:32:13
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Milady and Ed,
I loved the religious lore in Power of Faerűn, and I hope that one day we will see Faiths of Faerűn that will feature "everyday facts" about religions, ceremonies/chants, religious legends/stories, propaganda, etcetera.
I would also like to see something along the lines of Five Nations (an Eb***** sourcebook - I cannot even pronounce the heretic name on this sacred board ;) Something that would be an "All Regions" sourcebook, featuring local art, architecture, foreign relations, local factions, vocabulary, "local things you know", "things other nations know about your land", fighting styles, food & drinks, trade issues, local legends/stories (adventure hooks?), fashion, landmarks, prominent merchants/NPCs, and such. If not delving "too deep" on each issue, I think this sourcebook would be possible to do.
Actually, Five Nations manages to feature most of those issues in about 20 pages per region
No prestige classes or too many feats - just juicy and fluffy Realmslore :) |
"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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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 14 Apr 2006 : 14:47:33
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quote:
Originally posted by atlas689
In the book Evermeet there is talk and even communication with the Elven Imperial Navy(spaceship fleet). As the Forgotten Realms series is just of Toril I was wondering if there were any plans on a book of Faerun's first ship to be in the Imperial Navy or if the Magic on Toril is not yet developed and advanced enough to be even taken into consideration by the Navy?
The Elven Imperial Navy has an outpost on Evermeet. As a nation, Evermeet is not really large enough to have much of a space fleet, and their need for local defense also draws resources from what could otherwise be a space fleet.
As for other nations, several have had -- or currently do have -- a presence in space. In Kara-Tur, both Shou Lung and Wa have active space navies. The Netherese explored spelljamming, but didn't do much more than poke around in Realmspace. The Thayans have developed a rather unique type of spelljammer. And some Halruaan skyships are equipped with spelljamming helms.
Most of this comes from the now-defunct 2E space setting Spelljammer. Though the line died out years ago, there were many spelljamming references in established Realmslore. In 3.x, there are still references, but they are minor and quickly glossed over.
I'm pretty knowledgable about Spelljammer, so if you've more questions about it, feel free to PM me or drop me an email. |
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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
Posted - 14 Apr 2006 : 20:55:23
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quote:
Originally posted by Akashayana
Hey there again.
If possible, I'd like to ask Mr. Greenwood if he would reveal a bit more than is currently printed on the Raurin Desert. Not its gloriously devastated ancient history, but rather how it and its surrounding mountain ranges have developed since. I am especially curious about the creatures and general ecology of the area.
Has the wrath of the Mulhorandi gods made the area completely uninhabitable? Do desert folk reside therein despite the dragons, sandstorms, and frequent lightning strikes?
Any information would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you.
-Tlazcotl
I'd like to know what the purple mineral is which colors the sands and the 1st Imaskarcana? |
I have a mouth, but I am in a library and must not scream.
Feed the poor and stroke your ego, too: http://www.freerice.com/index.php.
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Edited by - Jamallo Kreen on 14 Apr 2006 20:56:12 |
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ddporter
Acolyte
26 Posts |
Posted - 14 Apr 2006 : 21:36:08
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Dear Hooded One,
Speaking of Spelljamming, did the Knights of Myth Drannor or Crazed Venturers ever have any spelljamming adventures? |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 15 Apr 2006 : 00:47:16
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Hi again, fellow scribes. First, a quick note to The Sage, about how soon the state visits Realmslore columns may appear on the WotC website from Ed:
You’re very welcome, Sage, and here’s the situation: how quickly and in what order the columns appear is up to Wizards, of course, but there SHOULD be 9 columns between the end of The Lost Ship 2-parter and the first of the two State Visits duo.
So saith Ed. Secondly: on March 30th, Jamallo Kreen asked Ed “a heap o' questions about architecture which may well have been answered previously. If so, I would appreciate being directed to those answers, please.”
Well, Ed hath detected several questions in your heap that deserve his own, direct answers (in the fullness of time), but in the meantime, Jamallo, I’m going to happily refer you to Ed’s many extant detailings of Realms architecture, which (outside of the Volo’s Guides and other TSR/WotC sourcebooks, include: the recent 4-part Realms Architecture columns in Ed’s “Realmslore” series on the Wizards website, plus the earlier 8-part Sembian merchant “Realmslore” columns, AND his architecture answers here at Candlekeep: in the 2004 thread (page 2 of the Chamber of Sages), page 16, page 62, and (Northkeep) p74; and in the 2005 thread, page 56. Happy reading!
And now, the Bearded One tackles this, from Lord Rad, about The Pride of the Lion: “I know that he didn't have time in his schedule to write this concluding novel to the Sembia series, but did he get as far as to have any ideas of what the novel would cover and what it would be about? I don't know if he had to pull out in the early stages before the preceeding novels had been written and therefore the overall flow not been established.”
Ed replies:
The series was about half-written, as I recall. After a hilarious conference call or two involving various writers and WotC editors, Dave Gross handled the subject matter that would have been the backbone of my concluding book in his preceding novel. Here’s my brief synopsis of what PRIDE would have been about:
“Thamalon is going to die, and knows it. The book will explore what it is to grow old, with failing personal abilities, and face death. What foes should be reconciled with, or taken down with oneself? What debts should be paid, what legacies established or grand last gestures made? What sort of peace can Thamalon make with various members of his own family (especially his wife and his eldest son)? We’ll watch him try, with varying degrees of success; the Old Lion fighting his last fights. And then he’ll die, and I want to leave every last damned reader of the book in tears as they close it.”
So saith Ed. Makes you wish he had written it, doesn’t it? By the way, as someone in the book industry who has access to BookScan and some warehouse shipping sales figures, I suspect the reason Pride got cancelled was as much a function of WotC looking at sliding sales on later books in the series as it was Ed being too busy, although Ed’s never so much as hinted at that.
love,
THO
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 15 Apr 2006 : 02:27:12
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hi again, fellow scribes. First, a quick note to The Sage, about how soon the state visits Realmslore columns may appear on the WotC website from Ed:
You’re very welcome, Sage, and here’s the situation: how quickly and in what order the columns appear is up to Wizards, of course, but there SHOULD be 9 columns between the end of The Lost Ship 2-parter and the first of the two State Visits duo.
Thanks Ed... I appreciate the details, as always .
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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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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boards
Acolyte
Australia
33 Posts |
Posted - 15 Apr 2006 : 02:58:30
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Another question for the great sage.
Are there any forgotten realms miltary treatises like Sun Tzu's Art of War or Vegetius Renatus, Epitome of Military Science that would be required reading for officers in any profesional army.
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 15 Apr 2006 : 03:02:29
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quote:
Originally posted by boards
Another question for the great sage.
Are there any forgotten realms miltary treatises like Sun Tzu's Art of War or Vegetius Renatus, Epitome of Military Science that would be required reading for officers in any profesional army.
Theres a Red Book of War that appears in the old Grey boxset |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 15 Apr 2006 : 16:55:40
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| I'd bet that the clergy of the Red Knight would have plenty of books on strategy. |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
Edited by - Hoondatha on 15 Apr 2006 16:57:09 |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 15 Apr 2006 : 17:46:30
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Hi Ed,
I'm thought we'd start this off easy and base these questions on the races from the PHB. :) Anyhow, I've been pondering some questions about demihuman and human babies and children.
1) What, on average, are the types of foods, besides breast milk, do humans and demihumans feed thier babies and youngsters? Btw, since I asked about it, does the breast milk from the different demihumans taste different then the breast milk of humans?
2) What is some of the different furniture, and what does it look like, that the demihumans and humans use for babies and children when they are sleeping, being carried around the home or settlements, etc.
3) I'm curious about wet nurses and nannies based on the PHB races.
4) What are some of the toys each race gives thier babies and children to play with? I know there are some games in Aurora's, but can you expand on those?
That's all of the questions I thought of for now. :) |
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 20 Apr 2006 04:51:28 |
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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
Posted - 15 Apr 2006 : 19:35:51
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hi again, fellow scribes. First, a quick note to The Sage, about how soon the state visits Realmslore columns may appear on the WotC website from Ed:
You’re very welcome, Sage, and here’s the situation: how quickly and in what order the columns appear is up to Wizards, of course, but there SHOULD be 9 columns between the end of The Lost Ship 2-parter and the first of the two State Visits duo.
So saith Ed. Secondly: on March 30th, Jamallo Kreen asked Ed “a heap o' questions about architecture which may well have been answered previously. If so, I would appreciate being directed to those answers, please.”
Well, Ed hath detected several questions in your heap that deserve his own, direct answers (in the fullness of time), but in the meantime, Jamallo, I’m going to happily refer you to Ed’s many extant detailings of Realms architecture, which (outside of the Volo’s Guides and other TSR/WotC sourcebooks, include: the recent 4-part Realms Architecture columns in Ed’s “Realmslore” series on the Wizards website, plus the earlier 8-part Sembian merchant “Realmslore” columns, AND his architecture answers here at Candlekeep: in the 2004 thread (page 2 of the Chamber of Sages), page 16, page 62, and (Northkeep) p74; and in the 2005 thread, page 56. Happy reading!
(snip)
Oh. Erp. Shows how little time I have on the 'Net nowadays. ... A 4-parter on WotC, hmmm? Yes. Ahem. Thank you.
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Feed the poor and stroke your ego, too: http://www.freerice.com/index.php.
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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
Posted - 15 Apr 2006 : 19:43:15
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Lost Empires of Faerun gives the DC for knowing where the old gods of Mulhorrand and Unther were buried. Ed, tell us, please: what (besides horrendous traps and standard rich treasures) might be in those tombs? Is any sentience likely to be left in the mummies of the gods who are no longer worshipped? (Or might they rise as ultra-uber-"ancient dead"?) Were artifacts buried with the gods, or were those retained by the priesthoods? Are there any legendary lost books which might be found inscribed on the walls or buried as scrolls or tablets?
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I have a mouth, but I am in a library and must not scream.
Feed the poor and stroke your ego, too: http://www.freerice.com/index.php.
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RodOdom
Senior Scribe
USA
509 Posts |
Posted - 15 Apr 2006 : 23:51:09
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Dear Ed,
In the Realms you introduced a number of very long-lived characters. Besides the Chosen of Mystra, hidden here and there are mortals who've lived thousands of years, such as the survivors of Netheril. What drives these people to live on? Why haven't they succumbed to ennui? |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 16 Apr 2006 : 04:04:26
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Hello again, fellow scribes of the Realms. This time, Ed replies to this from Asgetrion: “I have some questions about four obscure military/Purple Dragon ranks that have been featured in your novels. Namely, Lancelord, Swordlord, Warcaptain and Boldshield (the first three in Death of the dragon and the last one in Stormlight). I have assumed that Boldshield might be a "unique" rank, and that the others are "battlefield ranks" granted when a more complex command structure (such as during a war) is needed? Am I wrong here?” (a query that was promptly seconded by Sanishiver).
Ed makes reply:
Lancelord: This title, still in current use, doesn’t appear in the POWER OF FAERUN table because it doesn’t ‘fit’ as a strict rank. It means “messenger” or “envoy” of a battlefield commander (of the rank of Oversword or higher, plus any royal, or any War Wizard assigned to serve with a military unit). Some real-world armies would use the term “aide-de-camp” for a lancelord. In short, it’s a temporary service rank that trumps the holder’s everyday rank (or lack of military rank), and puts them a shade below the rank of the person they’re speaking (or running errands) for. So the Lancelord of an Oversword outranks any Constal, but is outranked by any Oversword.
Swordlord: This title, still in current use, also doesn’t appear in the POWER OF FAERUN table because it doesn’t ‘fit’ as a strict rank. “Swordlord” is a title that means “unit commander,” but where it falls in the rank hierarchy varies with the size of the unit, from patrol to army. In other words, Swordlord Heldrar Aeron may be Swordlord of a small local militia patrol and be outranked by a First Sword, but Swordlord Jaeroevan Blackfeather may command a hastily-mustered (in the face of an orc horde attack) Army of the West Reaches, and be more or less equivalent to a Battlemaster.
Warcaptain: “War captains” (as two words) is a collective term for officers, really meaning “battlefield unit commanders, acting and permanent, plus their lancelords, here in this location [usually: at a battle or a meeting] at this time.”
Warcaptain as a single word is the title given to any acting commander, serving because of the death or incapacity (due to wounding, disease, captivity, or magical affliction or curse) of the “real” commander. By “commander” I mean the leader of any official military unit or force (aside from patrols and other usual divisions of an army).
For example, if a large cavalry unit is assembled and dubbed the Riders of High Horn, it will be commanded by an Oversword (or higher rank) who will be known as Swordlord of the Riders of High Horn. If that Swordlord falls in battle, and his Lancelord finds himself the highest-ranking surviving officer of the Riders, the Lancelord will take the title Warcaptain (and instantly cease to be known as a Lancelord; he probably still has a “real” rank, remember), and go on leading the unit. Even if he’s confirmed as the commander by other Purple Dragon commanders, it’s customary for him to continue to be called “Warcaptain” until an Obarskyr officially bestows a new rank on him. Commoners, adventurers, or War Wizards who “step into the breach” and rally leaderless Dragons, give them orders, and so lead them in battle, are by tradition called Warcaptain. If they so serve with distinction, they are given (afterwards) the pay of an Oversword for the day, and either offered a position in the ranks, or knighted.
Boldshield: This title, still in current use, doesn’t appear in the POWER OF FAERUN table because the other militaries compared in that table don’t have an equivalent rank. A boldshield is ranked just above a Lionar, while in his or her district ONLY (and is otherwise just beneath a Lionar in the chain of command). Boldshields are wardens: officers stationed in districts or regions of the realm (usually on the frontiers) that require some military oversight but lack garrisons - - and therefore lack any nearby Purple Dragon officers. Their job is to observe events (including the arrivals and departures of “persons of interest”) in their assigned territory; maintain up-to-date maps (right down to the “game trails” level) of the territory; report anything suspicious or of note to superior Purple Dragon officers elsewhere; brief (and pass on standing orders, sealed orders, and commands from on high) and act as liaison for any War Wizards and Purple Dragon units and personnel entering the territory; and act as a temporary bailiff, lawsword (police), and spokesman for Crown law in the territory, until higher-ranking or properly appointed individuals holding such duties can be summoned. They are regularly (and often: at least once a tenday, and usually twice a tenday, or more when “known trouble” is afoot) visited by lancelords, Highknights, and other Court envoys or Purple Dragon officers to receive their reports, check if they need aid or messages or items sent, and so on. There are only a dozen to sixteen boldshields, and they tend to be stationed in the household of local nobility (to keep an eye on said nobles, whose wealth and activities tend to be magnets for a lot of shady business in frontier locales, even if they aren’t themselves disloyal to the Crown or dismissive of Crown law).
So saith Ed. Who does have things pretty well worked out after forty years, as you can see.
love to all,
THO
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Sanishiver
Senior Scribe
USA
476 Posts |
Posted - 16 Apr 2006 : 10:10:15
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Ed and THO: Right On. I'll be printing your last response up for use in-game on Monday.
Thank you!
J. Grenemyer |
09/20/2008: Tiger Army at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz. You wouldn’t believe how many females rode it out in the pit. Santa Cruz women are all of them beautiful. Now I know to add tough to that description.
6/27/2008: WALL-E is about the best damn movie Pixar has ever made. It had my heart racing and had me rooting for the good guy.
9/9/2006: Dave Mathews Band was off the hook at the Shoreline Amphitheater.
Never, ever read the game books too literally, or make such assumptions that what is omitted cannot be. Bad DM form, that.
And no matter how compelling a picture string theory paints, if it does not accurately describe our universe, it will be no more relevant than an elaborate game of Dungeons and Dragons. --paragraph 1, chapter 9, The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene |
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1796 Posts |
Posted - 16 Apr 2006 : 18:36:03
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Ed and THO: new Purple Dragon lore sent to my two campaigns' email lists... Player knowledge effective now.
Thank you for all things Cormyrean! |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 17 Apr 2006 : 01:21:12
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Hi again, fellow scribes. Ed replies to this, from Taelohn: “. . .While Midnight's ascension to become (the second) Mystra is well documented, most mentions of the death of Mystryl say that she was "reborn" or "reincarnated" as (the first) Mystra. I suppose I always just assumed that Mystra sort of "sprung into existence" as a new deity.
Does this instead imply that Mystryl bestowed her powers onto a mortal woman, just as she sacrificed herself? Perhaps someone she had vested powers in (like a Chosen)? If so, who was (the first) Mystra in her mortal life?”
Ed speaks:
Taelohn, Rory Weston is quite correct; most of the gods of the Realms were indeed “at one time mortal & "ascended" to the position.” And yes, “forgotten” gods dwindle to demigod status, and can in some cases be eliminated (killed, AND their worship wrested away/portfolios subsumed by other deities) by mortals or by other deities.
In the case of Mystryl, she sacrificed herself, not foreseeing that she’d be reborn. She had no Chosen or preselected mortal vessel, and did not know or intend that she’d “live on.” She simply did what she believed she had to do, to end a threat to the world she loved.
However, the circumstances of her passing prevented other deities from snaring her divine power, and largely prevented its dispersal, and it “fell like a dying star” to earth (or so the priests of Mystra say) to at random strike and “go into” a mindless, drooling mortal woman and infuse her with Mystryl’s divinity, so that she became Mystra. (Of course, clergy of Mystra speak of the woman being present and selected as “divine fate” and not random at all, but this is one of the Holy Mysteries of the Lady of Mysteries that only high-ranking clergy are allowed to discuss in detail; lay worshippers and non-believers won’t get much more out of a priest of Mystra than this: “When Mystryl made the ultimate and most holy sacrifice that defended Toril itself, that which was best of her fell to earth, and struck a mortal woman, and went into her, and Mystryl was reborn as Mystra, as she was fated to do, that we may all have magic that serves us and not the howling chaos of wild magic spellstorms.”
We don’t know anything about the mortal woman who became Mystra other than these things: she was young, she was “mindless” (for reasons unknown; it may have been a birth defect or a later affliction), she was a poor rural unknown somewhere in the northern, western Heartlands being cared for by kin, and she was changed in looks and stature by Mystra’s “going in” to her. I’d say more, but NDAs forbid.
So saith Ed, Creator of All (The Realms).
love to all,
THO
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 17 Apr 2006 : 01:47:48
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
and she was changed in looks and stature by Mystra’s “going in” to her. I’d say more, but NDAs forbid.
So saith Ed, Creator of All (The Realms).
love to all,
THO
Did Ed mean Mystryl in that "going in" part? It seems like he swapped the names by accident. :) |
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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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 17 Apr 2006 : 02:01:51
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Yup, he did.
And I didn't catch it, either.
Ah, perfection is so fleeting . . .
love,
THO |
Edited by - The Hooded One on 17 Apr 2006 02:02:37 |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 17 Apr 2006 : 02:06:13
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Yup, he did.
And I didn't catch it, either.
Ah, perfection is so fleeting . . .
love,
THO
Okies, will change it for my files. I was just making sure because someone would nit pick about that and it would be argued 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 17 Apr 2006 02:09:29 |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 17 Apr 2006 : 02:30:01
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Doesnt a mortal Mystra 1.0 appear in the Arcane Age novels set it Netheril?
I seem to recall that she had some involvement with the Time traveling Netherese character and that she met them on Karsus enclave before its fall |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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Questions for Ed Greenwood (2006)
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