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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
 Posted - 26 May 2006 : 00:30:30
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
JK, SPELLJAMMER and its “crazy physics” was the brainchild of Jeff Grubb, who invited his good friend Ed aboard to write LOST SHIPS, the first SJ supplement.
However, Ed IS a member of SFWA, and hobnobbed with all the hard sf types “back in the day” - - such as Larry Niven (creator of the Ringworld). I know Ed is familiar with Dyson Spheres and many of the other postulated configurations for “created” worlds, and enjoyed reading multigenerational spaceship tales from Heinlein’s classic ORPHANS IN THE SKY onwards. I know Ed has read all of Clarke’s fiction (he was asked to interview Sir Arthur at the ALA Annual Conference in Orlando, a few years back), and that would of course include RAMA - - but Ed’s father is a physicist, and I seem to recall seeing him on a black-and-white university television show (archived from its original broadcast, back in the late 1960s) talking about a space-travelling cylinder being a “configuration with good possibilities” for an “artificial planetary body for humanity to expand into” (and demonstrating this with a toilet paper tube [which in Canada at least is a cylinder of white cardstock]!). So Ed’s father would probably be his influence in this matter, not Sir Arthur.
love,
THO
I didn't know that!
See? Ask and ye shall be answered!
I have corresponded (once) with Sir Arthur, so for those who play "degrees of separation," he gives me two degrees of Lord Dunsany. Thanks to Ed, I suppose that anyone who participates on this scroll has a maximum of three degrees of Lord Dunsany (and three degrees of HPL, too, through me, if not Ed and several others).
I digress.
Thanks, Lady Hooded One. I did indeed finish Rendezvous With Rama yesterday, and I was very impressed. May Deneir grant that someday I shall write a line as powerful as the last one in that novel!
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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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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 26 May 2006 : 01:57:43
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Ed replies:
No. If those losses had occurred in Waterdeep or right outside the walls, yes. However, this was an expedition to elsewhere, a “glorious struggle to save all the Realms” about which the Moonstars have been whispering much stirring misinformation, in Waterdeep, since it occurred. The only Watch and Guard members who participated were those who volunteered (wanted) to go, and the result has been that those who didn’t have all ‘moved up’ in the ranks. They “know” most everyone who “went off to war” died, but that doesn’t make them not want to be in the Watch or Guard at all: it makes them want to stay at home in Waterdeep and “do their proper jobs” more than ever! (So, no penalty.) Now, if you or I (or Khelben!) started wandering around the city now, calling on Watch and Guard members to join our new “expedition to war elsewhere,” I’d suspect we’d face a VERY stiff penalty, yes.
Thanks Ed
I wonder if Blackstaff will deal with Khelbens recent loss of status (At least on the eyes of some of Waterdeeps residents) |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 26 May 2006 : 02:00:16
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Hello again, fellow scribes of the Realms. Herewith, Ed responds to Kuje’s question: “Hiya Ed, I was wondering if you could expand on the reference to the use of numerology in the Tashalar entry in the FRCS. What do they use? Dates/months/years? Their names? Both? How do they do readings? Um. I'll leave you to expand on that because I'm kinda surprised to see a reference to that as a divination tool. :)”
Ed replies:
The main fortune-telling tools in the Tashalar are decks of plaques (thin rectangles of polished ivory, abalone, jade, and other sustances; the poor may use wood, but metal cards aren’t believed to “work,” and are sold only to outlanders, to be used by children in play, or as adornments or ‘shop samples’) akin to tarot cards, and DMs and players can use real-world tarot decks if they want to, but I envisaged my own decks of cards that are all different [“major arcana” if you will], and have no suits. Most decks have 44 cards, and most Tashtan adults have their own personal deck (children watch and learn with “family decks”). Teenagers ‘coming of age’ are often given decks by their parents, either treasured “family vault” decks formerly owned by now-dead ancestors, or new ones (some folk believe the watchful sentience of the dead comes with their cards, and may influence the living to take vengeance, complete unfinished tasks, right wrongs, and so on).
These are known as “oro decks.” One card is an “oraun,” and multiple cards are “oro.” Children can and do play a variety of “for fun” card games with them, but adults keep them out of sight when not in use, and use them only for divination: “scrying the oro.”
The decks are shuffled and dealt in a variety of arrays to try to discern different things about the future. Most arrays use 16 cards or less, and the “next sixteen,” separated out from the deck face-down, are turned over AFTER the array is read, and examined. Most of the scenes on oro cards have elements that can be counted, such as eyes (of creatures depicted on the card), leaves or coins or hands or weapons depicted in the scenes, and so on. All visible instances of a particular element in these “next sixteen” cards are totalled to derive a meaning; counting instances of another element yields another meaning or potential answer (an even number of eyes may mean one thing, and a total above, or below, or equalling the number of full decades the person “laying out” the cards has lived may mean another - - and so on.
I could spend about a year (if I had the time to spare, and we both know the truth about that) just listing meanings of the various oraun and of the arrays, to say nothing of what meanings the appearances of particular oro cards in specific spots in an array are said to have, AND to say nothing of these numerological meanings. The astrological mention in the FRCS, by the way, refers to yet another divination method, that combines: the year and month of the card-user’s birth, the ascendant constellation or star at the time of the reading, and the stars visible in the scenes on oraun in the array (NOT the “next sixteen” or the rest of the deck). So I’m not going to say more about this now, other than to note that matters of health (including “will I survive this day’s battle?”) are usually examined by means of a seven-card array, and matters of romance with a nine-card array.
So saith Ed. Who is finally facing the can of worms opened long ago, but not noticed (here and publicly, at least) until Kuje made his post. Kuje, Ed put a few of these plaques among treasure we Knights found early on, and we puzzled over them for almost a YEAR before finding the right NPC to ask about them. Not that knowing that is likely to make you feel better.
And a note to Kentinal: sorry, the Promenade is NDA'd right now. Ed will hang on to your question, though, until such a time as that NDA fades.
love to all,
THO
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 26 May 2006 : 02:12:09
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Hmmm thanks Ed and THO..... Hmmm but now I'm confused because that sounds like tarot and astrology and numerology combined together.....
But my thanks. |
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 26 May 2006 03:50:47 |
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Scarabeus
Acolyte
Canada
27 Posts |
Posted - 26 May 2006 : 07:09:21
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
In 2nd Edition there's much more information about Song Dragons, by Ed, under their old (and better) name of Weredragons.
Indeed.
Foxhelm and Scarabeus... see the Halls of the High King module for Ed's original take on weredragons.
My Thanks milady, Great Sage and Kuje. I must admit I did not made the connection. I'll check Hall's of the High King, which I plan to play (with a few modifications) and by pure coincidence began to read yesterday. And, of course, I'll wait eagerly for Dragons of Fearun.
P.S. : Thanks Evil Knight. I've check the entry. Quite a temper this lady had. I wonder what kind of offspring a Silver Dragon and a Song Dragon might produce 
- Scarabeus |
Edited by - Scarabeus on 26 May 2006 07:41:39 |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 27 May 2006 : 00:17:05
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Hi again, all. This time, the Sage of the Greenwood looks at RevJest’s recent query: “In the supplement "The North", on page 12, it states that a stone plaque was found on the Star Mounts with the inscription: "iqebaest Vhalraetaerl". Can you shed some light on what this means, and what it's all about?”
Ed replies:
I’m afraid not. That NDA still firmly applies. Sorry.
Sigh. Oh, well, can’t win ’em all. Yet I can’t offer scribes NO Realmslore at all, so here’s another exchange of lore: createvmind: “What type of orcs were present in Faerun prior to the Orcgates being opened in -1075? I'm asking cause to the Imaskari now out and about would orcs be an unknown race to them, or did they travel to the orc world during their reign?”
Arivia promptly replied: “Mountain orcs existed previously to the opening of the Orcgates, and reportedly did not have much contact with the East. See Races of Faerun.”
And createvmind responded: “I knew some type of orc was present just didn't remember where info was, thanks Arivia.”
Ed chimes in:
Arivia is right, as usual. Question ably answered.
Well, still no Realmslore. Let me dig into my inbox again. Ah, yes, Ed’s reply about elven breeding, and KnightErrantJR’s response: “I must say . . . I missed all of those elven subraces . . . and I thought Snow Elves and Ghost Elves were a stretch . . .”
Yes, thankfully Ed is giving us a peek behind the scenes from his (unpaid, off-site) days as a Contributing Editor of The Dragon (or mayhap it was a little later, when he was a Creative Editor of DRAGON), and the proposed races he mentioned were rejected articles.
Purple Dragon Knight chimed in: “Sh*t-Eater hey? ha ha ha! I'm glad to see that even the most noble of gaming groups always have their "direct-descriptive" moments!”
Oh, you’d be surprised (or perhaps not) at how earthy, crude, and blunt we can all be at times (e.g. the famous: “You suck!” with the response: “And not particularly well . . .”). Ahem.
However, that’s still rather paltry Realmslore for waiting scribes, so here’s another question (this time from RodOdom), and reply:
“Dear Ed and Lady H., This came up in a recent game: how do Halruaans regard the Chosen of Mystra? There probably is no more Mystra-centric society around than Halruaa. But they are also quite insular. How do they feel about not having Halruaans among the Chosen?”
Ed saith:
The Halruaans regard the Chosen of Mystra as servants of the Divine One, and so obey and revere them. As humans most in tune with the Weave, the Halruaans DON’T envy the Chosen or think it strange that there are no Halruaans in the ranks of the Chosen: they don’t presume to understand or second-guess the deeds and thoughts of Holy Mystra.
Certain Halruaans have great personal pride (most evidenced by fighting for status and power against other Halruaans, within Halruaa) but the Chosen are regarded as part of the “great splendor” of Art that empowers and graces all Halruaans, NOT as “humans who got to be more powerful than us, and that we therefore resent.” Halruaan thinking is more along the lines of “the Chosen are particularly apt-at-Art and noble-of-spirit humans who undertook a great burden for the betterment of us all.”
So saith Ed. Ah, that’s better: a snippet of real Realmslore. Ed will return with more next time.
love to all,
THO
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RodOdom
Senior Scribe
USA
509 Posts |
Posted - 27 May 2006 : 20:03:45
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| Thanks so much Ed and THO. That bit of lore is going to make a currently ongoing game richer ! |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 27 May 2006 : 23:57:25
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This is from Khondar to Ed, he/she accidently posted it in the wrong forum.
"I intend to run (sometime in the near future) a campaign where the player characters are all mercenaries employed to guard a merchant caravan which crosses the realms. This traveling scenario, hopefully, will allow me to introduce many different plots into the game without having the PCs try to save the world. I plan on using many different game modules, both 2E and 3E – Realm specific and non. I have all the 2E books for the Realms – and a few 3E ones as well, mainly for the lore. So any specifics from Candlekeep Sages, such as ‘Gold and Glory’, where Mercenary, or better yet – Caravan, information can be found is highly appreciated.
Now - My question for Ed – what is the general makeup of a caravan? I’m guessing there are the following; Caravan Master, Wagon Master, Horse Master, & Guard Master – and that, I assume, would be the bare minimum of ‘essential’ people.
Could you please elaborate on your take of a ‘long journey type’ caravan. Its makup, essential personel, ect. What materials would be brought along – i.e. wagon repair material, a blacksmith, ect.?
Thanks for any help!" |
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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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2006 : 00:00:44
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And in reply to Khondar's post. :) I'd check out the Spellfire trilogy for caravan info/scenes and Ed has given us some info on caravans through the years and one of them was in a recent post.
I'd download the 2006 Word file, that is in the my sig, and use the find/search feature in Word to do a search for caravan. Also, you could do the same for the 2004 and 2005 files but use the ToC/Index for those first before looking through the long html/pdf's of Ed's answers. |
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 28 May 2006 00:01:42 |
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Khondar
Acolyte
USA
33 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2006 : 00:04:20
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Thanks Kuje!
I need to pick that trilogy up - one of the few I haven't read.
Mr. Khondar |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2006 : 01:33:57
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Hello again, fellow scribes. This time Ed tackles this, from Foxhelm: “I was just curious if you could give me some details about Song Dragons, as I am thinking of creating a Song half dragon character and need more details. Unless it is NDA with Dragons of Faerun.
Like what is the colour of their electrically charged gas? Does it spark with juice?
With Kuje's info, I am curious about Half Song Dragons. Is it possible for them to occur naturally? (Creature father/Song Dragon Mother) Or do they just result from mystical sources. (Like the Dragon Disciple Prestige Class.) If so, is Narnra a Half Song Dragon whose draconic nature was suppressed by some method (like a spell from her mother?)
What is the character classes that Song Half Dragons tend to favour? Is it like the Copper Dragons they look like? (In RoDragons, Copper Dragons tend to favour the Rogue and the Bard. With the notes in Monsters of Faerun and their name, I can see the bard.)
This is just some of the questions that have popped up now. I hope you can answer some of these unless they are NDA due to DoF. Thanks.”
Ed replies:
Foxhelm, I’m afraid I’m going to hide behind NDAs for now on all of these questions, in part because of DRAGONS OF FAERUN and in part because of some future hopes regarding Narnra. However, I’m keeping this question in my stacks of questions to deal with, because after DoF is released (and a little later, after something else that must for now remain mysterious sees print), I will probably be able to reveal a lot more, either in a Realmslore web column or here at Candlekeep. Good questions, but we must all be patient for now in the matter of their answers.
So saith Ed. Master of Realmslore AND the Mysterious Hint.
love to all,
THO
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createvmind
Senior Scribe
490 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2006 : 02:52:18
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Hello Again,
Are there any plans to reveal what is in Myth Rhynn in the Wealdath, if no NDA could you give us a snippet of what may be or have "recently-1372 to current" traipsed/reside through/in the corrupted Mythal and it's ruins? |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2006 : 04:31:33
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Hiya THO,
Could you check your messages? I sent a private matter to you that I'd like Ed to comment on, if possible. :) |
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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RodOdom
Senior Scribe
USA
509 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2006 : 16:48:32
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Dear Ed and THO,
In the Realms adventuring seems to be the path for meteoric social advancement for many men and women of common birth. Is there anything that prevents virtually any young person with a dagger or cantrip from running off in search of adventure? On a larger scale, what problems would hordes of wandering, hungry adventurers with foreign loyalties present to local rulers and how do they deal with those problems?
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RodOdom
Senior Scribe
USA
509 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2006 : 16:50:10
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| P.S. there are only so many dungeons to go around! |
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createvmind
Senior Scribe
490 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2006 : 17:37:31
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| I think the mortality rate of adventurers is quite high, traps, dungeons, encounters with the multitude of creatures, backstabbing and just being plain hoodwinked when joining a "band" seeking fortune. The second part of your question I'm sure has a more diverse answer probably per region , I would like to see the answer too. |
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TheHermit
Seeker
USA
60 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2006 : 17:42:42
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quote:
Originally posted by RodOdom
Is there anything that prevents virtually any young person with a dagger or cantrip from running off in search of adventure?
The prospect of sudden, violent, painful death would be a dealbreaker for many, one would think. |
- "Glitz & Klax's Potions & Elixirs"/"The Sandmen", Inside Ravens Bluff, The Living City; 1990; TSR, Inc.
- "The Far Guardians' Traveler's Mission", Port of Ravens Bluff; 1991, TSR, Inc.
- "Signs Painted", Polyhedron #70; April, 1992; TSR, Inc.
- Communications Director, Coliseum of Comics, Orlando, FL - http://coliseumofcomics.com/ |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 29 May 2006 : 00:36:58
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Hi, again, all.
Wandering_mage recently posted this query: “I have heard and read about the Naturalist guild in the Fall of Myth Drannor and some say that there is a Cormyrian guild of Naturalists. Now due to geographical closeness, and the probablity being pretty good that there were survivors from the first Naturalist guild of Myth Drannor (whether by traveling at the fall of Myth Drannor or something like that) are both guilds (new and old) related? How closely related are they if not directly? Are there any guild member families that have worked to rebuild the Naturalist guild from Myth Drannor in Cormyr to continue the work of their earlier family members? Any information you have would be very interesting to know. Thank you very much for your time.”
Ed replies:
My pleasure, Wandering_mage. Here goes . . .
The Cormyrean Guild of Naturalists is related to the extinct (long, long ago shattered and disbanded) Myth Drannan guild only in name. (Yes, despite what some members of the modern Cormyrean guild may claim.)
The modern Cormyrean guild is a professional fellowship of men who study animal and plant life with the aims of understanding natural cycles fully, and thereby exploiting natural substances (from plant saps and distillates to beast ichor and organs) to make scents, medicines, poisons, spell inks, dyes, sealants, preservatives, cooking herbs, and so on (the simple use of pelts, edible animals, and edible plants is too widespread for the guild to influence or claim any special expertise over). The Cormyrean guild is now evolving “guild families” simply because the chief skill of members is accumulated knowledge, and members’ children are the best assistants (aside from fellow guild members), but neither guild has been well-established enough, for long enough, to permit the existence of strong, generation-to-generation “guild families.”
So saith Ed, Who Knows All (or at least Fakes It Pretty Well).
Kuje, I’m afraid there’ll be a slight delay in my seeing your message. Hamilton reports that he’s suddenly having Java problems with his account (Yahoo upgraded something?) that gives him a blank white screen whenever he tries to see his messages: so he can’t select and open any of them!
love to all,
THO
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TheHermit
Seeker
USA
60 Posts |
Posted - 29 May 2006 : 01:45:32
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Ed,
In the entry for Essembra in Volo's Guide to the Dalelands, the statue of the Mantled King is mentioned as having been enchanted by a mischevious wizard. But the promised detail is never given, as far as I can find. Have I missed it all these years, or was it something that got caught by the heavy hand of editing?
Thanks to you and THO,
Joe Littrell |
- "Glitz & Klax's Potions & Elixirs"/"The Sandmen", Inside Ravens Bluff, The Living City; 1990; TSR, Inc.
- "The Far Guardians' Traveler's Mission", Port of Ravens Bluff; 1991, TSR, Inc.
- "Signs Painted", Polyhedron #70; April, 1992; TSR, Inc.
- Communications Director, Coliseum of Comics, Orlando, FL - http://coliseumofcomics.com/ |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 29 May 2006 : 03:27:21
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Kuje, I’m afraid there’ll be a slight delay in my seeing your message. Hamilton reports that he’s suddenly having Java problems with his account (Yahoo upgraded something?) that gives him a blank white screen whenever he tries to see his messages: so he can’t select and open any of them!
love to all,
THO
I swear, it's a conspiracy. :) Ed's busy, Yahoo is mental, it's just all a mess. :) |
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 - 30 May 2006 : 00:42:57
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Hi again, scribes. This time, Ed replies to two questions. First, from Verghityax: “Dear Ed and Lady Hooded One, A long time ago I asked you about the placement of some locations in Elturel and not so long ago the same about Iriaebor. You said that this information was under NDA. My current question is: is this info still under NDA? If yes, how long may it take for this info not to be under NDA anymore?”
Ed replies:
Yes, both of these queries are still under NDAs, and I’m afraid I have no idea how long they’ll continue in force (their durations depend on publishing and licensing decisions made by Wizards of the Coast, and I sometimes learn about such decisions when all other scribes do: when a product appears, from a computer game manufacturer or Wizards, and I peruse it). As of right now, I’m guessing (and, please note, this is a GUESS) that I will know how much longer I’ll have to wait, or even if I’ll be able to answer you at all, about one of the two cities in late 2007 or early 2008. As for the other city, I simply don’t know. Sorry. I can assure you this is as frustrating for you as it is for me.
So saith Ed. Who now makes reply to this, from Jamallo Kreen: “I add my voice to those who request Ed to record some Realms music. I really want to hear this ballad of the Veiled Dancer!”
Ed speaks:
My singing voice is largely gone, thanks to a throat operation (and no, I’m not a smoker), but there may still exist a cassette tape of me singing two Realms ballads (one was Trollsong, that appeared in print in a Volo’s Guide), that I sent to Karen Boomgaarden so she could practice “singing it properly” with a female friend and a guitar, for presentation at a GenCon (where they did indeed perform it, in one of the “quad” rooms upstairs in the old MECCA in Milwaukee, to a packed audience. I’d be happy to adopt a Realms persona (perhaps Mirt, or someone else in the Realms who sounds like a husky Leonard Cohen :}) and butcheXXX ahem, essay a few ballads of the Realms, but there’s never any darned TIME to do such things. I have fourteen major projects on the go right now (slow down? and how am I supposed to feed my family and pay my taxes? I’m a game writer, and we get paid table scraps!), and they all involve typing brilliant prose at a computer keyboard, not singing. Er, yet. :}
So saith Ed, Master Sage Most Overworked of the Realms. And owner of far too many books and far too few shoes (that last being, admittedly, a feminine opinion).
love to all,
THO
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 31 May 2006 : 02:44:15
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Hi again, all.
This time, Ed makes partial reply to Dagnirion’s query: “Could you share with us some Elven folksongs? Titles, lyric, translations- whatever you have would be appreciated.”
Ed speaks:
This is going to have to be a partial answer, because I stopped work on elven music when TSR decided (rightly) that using Tolkien’s elf tongues was a no-no, and we were going to have to invent our own from ground up, grammar and all (up until then, I’d been building my own dialects by coining words, but using Tolkien’s linguistic structure). I know where my old notes are but lack the time to dig them out now, to finish any lyrics or tunes.
However, I can give you a list of elven ballad titles, from my long-ago (1978) play session notes wherein the Company of Crazed Venturers took in a performance by Mintiper at a tavern in Neverwinter:
Laeryn’s Lament
My Love Green And Growing
Blood of My Sisters
The Moondapple Stag
Knights On The Ride
Thorn Of Rose
Winterwillow [an instrumental]
Greenhallow Mantle
Stone Fall, Tree Rise
The Lady Laughing
So saith Ed. Who will keep your question in the pile to remind him to get at those lyrics and give you more. Someday.
love,
THO
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Verghityax
Learned Scribe
131 Posts |
Posted - 31 May 2006 : 15:42:22
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Dear Ed and Lady Hooded One,
I've just got one quickie about Red Raven Mercenary Company. Is Rayanna the Rose still the leader of the group? And what impact had the war brought to Cormyr by the Devil Dragon on the Red Ravens? |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jun 2006 : 03:36:58
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Back in January, Jamallo Kreen asked: “This is a question that others than Ed may be better able to answer: Since half the job in getting a new technology (or magic) developed is being aware that it can be done in the first place, what is the DC to be aware it is possible to create a spell like Iolaum's Longevity?
Is it possible, based upon rumors, Netherese remains, and Volo's gossip, to figure out what were the basic Epic seeds of Iolaum's Longevity? If so, what would be the DC to know this in the 1360s and 1370s DR?
I'm not asking about the whole formula, only the general framework, which will require research per the rules.”
Ed replies:
I’m afraid there’s no hard-and-fast specific-DC-number answer to this one, Jamallo Kreen. It varies from individual to individual, depending on these factors:
• The individual arcane spellcaster’s personal past experience with the Art (what I have done before, what has been done to me, what I have practiced, what I’ve seen “go wrong,” and what thinking I’ve done about all of my experiences, as well as my attempts - - if any - - to devise new spells, or variants of existing spells, in the past)
• The individual arcane spellcaster’s observations about the Art (what magics I’ve seen worked by others, what training I’ve had [and can I go and discuss new spell ideas with a more experienced spellcaster right now?], what I’ve observed at MageFairs, what books I’ve read or speeches [or drunken ravings, for that matter] I’ve heard)
• The current “state of the Art” (what can spells do right now? are there known “impossibilities,” areas of great interest or competition, brilliant new practitioners rapidly advancing a certain sort of spell?) I see you already have this factor in mind (your mention of “the 1360s and 1370s DR”).
• The individual arcane spellcaster’s brain (do I get “flashes of inspiration”? can I vividly remember my dreams, and in those dreams do I see unknown magics worked? do I often get inspired by chatting with other spellcasters, or getting angry, or at moments of bliss or prayer - - and if so, do I often have the opportunity, and use such opportunities, to “get myself going” on thinking about magical possibilities?)
All of these factors affect a possible DC. Years back, I explored how to structure and “build” (2nd Edition) arcane spells from already-known spells and known properties of material components, in VOLO’S GUIDE TO ALL THINGS MAGICAL, and those approaches are still useful in 3.5e.
Of course, it’s easy to “wing” a DC by basing it on the DC of a known spell, if what’s being contemplated, or the problem being considered, is similar to the effect of a spell already known to the published D&D rules, and / or already known by the PC.
To answer you specifically about Iolaum's Longevity: no. Characters in the Realms don’t have any idea what “Epic Seeds” are. What could be deduced from Volo’s gossip and other lore-sources (assuming those sources aren’t seriously in error, and we all know what Volo’s like, and how often someone’s distortion gets picked up and embellished and repeated, spawning ever-larger errors) is ONE approach to crafting a new spell, not necessarily “THE” or THE ONLY approach. A DM must take “known” DCs and apply them to the research and spell-structuring approaches of PCs to arrive at DCs for the “milestones” along the way (which is publishing-speak for all the sub-deadlines scattered throughout a long process). The “warmer” the PC is to what the DM decides is the “right” process or spell elements, the easier the DC; the “colder” the PC’s approach is, the harder. Sorry to be so “basic” in my reply, but in the home Realms campaign I never have to worry about stuff like this: it’s all roleplayed, so if “Eureka!” and “Watson! I need you!” moments arise, success is happening, and if they don’t . . . success isn’t. :}
So saith Ed. Who has run fascinating “locked in my spell-chamber researching magic” sub-campaigns in the Realms that had no monster-fighting or dungeon-delving - - and I can assure you that they were just as compelling as the save-the-Realms-with-our-blades-cleaving-huge-dragons adventures.
love to all,
THO
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jun 2006 : 04:11:08
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
(snip)
All of these factors affect a possible DC. Years back, I explored how to structure and “build” (2nd Edition) arcane spells from already-known spells and known properties of material components, in VOLO’S GUIDE TO ALL THINGS MAGICAL, and those approaches are still useful in 3.5e.
(snip)
And Volo's Guide to All Things Magical (formerly a suppressed work  ) is available for free from the Wizards downloads page. It's one I'd heartily recommend. Even though it was 2E, it still holds plenty of great Realmslore, and much of it can be easily adapted to 3E.  |
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I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
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RevJest
Learned Scribe
USA
115 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jun 2006 : 19:24:45
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Master Greenwood,
Two questions in regards to the previously mentioned Volo's Guide to All Things Magical.
1. If Elminster doesn't know how to create a safehold, how did he acquire his?
2. Who or what is The Sorceress in Grey? Can you tell us more about her?
Regards,
RJ
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jun 2006 : 00:34:29
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Hello again, all. This time Ed tackles Jamallo Kreen’s end-of-March queries: “Re. Ed's novel "Shadows of Doom" from the 'Shadow of the Avatar' trilogy: I read the section set in Spellgard (Saharelgard) and it has sparked a few questions which I hope Ed will please answer: During the Time of Troubles, how did Saharel keep her magic functioning normally when it was ferblondget everywhere else? Also, she states that she doesn't have the heat-draining ability of other liches. I notice that descriptions of archliches do not emphasize a connection to the Negative Energy Plane which other liches possess. Do they have such a connection, and if not, what "fuels" them instead?
Finally, does Spellgard have Netherese inscriptions which would contribute to a character's Spellcraft knowledge even without having a conversation with Saharel? I eagerly await your brilliantly illuminating responses, Ed!”
Ed answers:
When reading this reply, please remember that there are “many roads” to lichdom, endless variations in the process of attaining unlife whilst retaining one’s own mind and arcane spellcasting abilities, and that the game rules (in every edition) have of necessity simplified down to one sort of “classic” lich, one sort of archlich, and so on: almost any “lich” encountered (listen in, DMs!) can be subtly different from “most other” liches in how it takes damage, “regenerates”, its unlife (if at all), and so on. That was one of the points edited out of my writings in the (original, 2nd Edition) LORDS OF DARKNESS, although careful readers of that text can see that some hints are still lurking there.
Okay, here we go . . .
During the Time of Troubles, there were some “bursts” and “shockwaves” of magic going wild, and divine magic had its ongoing problems, but for the most part, in most places, cast spells functioned normally (newly memorized spells were another matter; they had higher chances of functioning, when later cast, in unexpected and unforeseen ways). This was due to the Weave still functioning; there may have been ‘no one home’ at its heart, but the Time of Troubles didn’t go on long enough for the vast, intricate tangle of power flows to collapse entirely (remember, the Weave is a way of harnessing and channeling the natural power flows [wind, heat convection currents, tides, kinetic, etc.] of the planet), and/or Ao quietly “held it up” for the duration.
All of this means that a lone, isolated undead of great arcane power, doing very little in the way of active spellcasting as she remains “at home” within an ancient fortress-city, experienced little problem with her magic. The nickname of “Spellgard” comes from its magical defenses, which are rooted in many magic items hidden within and behind its stone walls (both interior and outer), and linked in a spellweb of Saharel’s own devising: in short, a miniature local Weave. If this is ‘set,’ as it always has been, to try to cling to its own shape and survive as a durable, flexing cage in the face of magical attacks or floods of magical chaos, the physical structure survives (rather than collapsing) - - and so does Saharel, sitting in the middle of it. And being very careful to work a minimum of small-scale magics, when absolutely necessary, so as to do nothing to threaten the stability and survival of her web.
Archliches don’t have a negative plane energy connection, and don’t need one (neither do skeletons or zombies; unlife doesn’t require negative energy, only level-draining powers do). The spells that transform living beings into archliches are strong, and can persist for thousands of years when an archlich “shuts down,” going motionless and falling into dream-torpor (archliches who try to remain awake and alert when, say, entombed or buried alive, will eventually go mad if they don’t lapse into dream-torpor). Archliches can (but don’t need to) eat, drink, or breathe. The spells that sustain their unlife will, whenever possible through contact, automatically absorb trifling amounts of sunlight, heat energy, and magical discharges of all sorts (spell effects, fields, the emanations from glyphs, etc.) to maintain themselves; an archlich who feels loss of control and strength in a hand (as the bindings of unlife start to fade and the hand begins to collapse) can cast a spell and thrust that hand into it; many archliches conjure a continual radiance of some sort and center it on a limb to carry around a personal, non-burning source of illumination (that they don’t need for vision, but that may aid mortal creatures needing light to see) and at the same time ‘renew’ (re-invigorate) their unlife. Please note that “trifling” in the seemingly-endless preceding sentence: this is what robs the grasp of an archlich of the “chill touch” power of a “classic” lich: Saharel can embrace you and will feel cool against your skin because her body is colder than your living one and is indeed “stealing” a tiny amount of surface heat from your body, but she can’t take enough (unless she casts a spell to do so) to cause you hp damage (remember, all living creatures radiate excess heat from their bodies constantly, so infinitesimal losses don’t have to be, and aren’t reflected in the game rules).
And, finally, yes: Spellgard does have Netherese inscriptions that will contribute to the Spellcraft knowledge of a character who examines them at length (time to ponder, illuminate them all properly, and see enough of them). There aren’t many, and they tend to be graven into just a few interior walls (look for small chambers, deep within networks of chambers that look like they might have been dwelling-apartments); often the presence or casting of spells that cause radiance will make additional words temporarily “appear” on adjacent walls. In rooms that look like they might have been sleeping-chambers (dome-shaped ceilings, above huge circular platforms), look up: Netherese lying abed in Saharelgard liked to look up, and think about, favorite magics and their possible uses, and put such inscriptions on the ceiling. By the way: Saharel will “know” (be able to feel) when such “hidden inscriptions” are activated, anywhere in Saharelgard. The spellweb that runs through the great fortress is part of her; she can feel awakenings of it and changes to it (destroying parts of it causes her discomfort, but doesn’t directly damage her), and can even “hurl” parts of herself into it if her archlich body is facing destruction, so as to ‘live on’ as an ghostly, able-to-speak-and-briefly-become-visible sentience in her own web, that could even “drift into” a living being and “ride” them as a “whispering in your head” presence, and in that manner depart Spellgard and travel throughout the Realms.
So saith Ed. Who has introduced several rather capricious “unseen passenger” spirits into the ‘home’ Realms campaign, over the years. Sometimes creepy, sometimes hilarious (as in: disembodied voices making sarcastic comments, audible to both parties, during moments of PC-on-NPC romance or lovemaking), and ALWAYS interesting.
love to all,
THO
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VonRaventheDaring
Learned Scribe
USA
197 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jun 2006 : 01:51:15
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Hail Ed, and of course the beautiful hooded one!
I have a question that has been bugging me for a while ed, i read where the different types of gems all react to magic different, and i was curious if there was any gems that responded to psionic powers more so than others in the realms? and if it wouldn't be to much of a bother could you list them for me, thank you. Also i was wondering when you created the lore gems for the elves, were they inspired by psionics at all as they seem to have a psionic theme to me at least. |
"Develop the latent abilities within you for that is your power alone. Psionics is the ultimate art of magic and you are its practitioner. Through lifelong dedication, strive to unite your will with your physical form to become one. Only through the unrestrained union of one’s mind and body can the magic of psionics truly be mastered. Throw off the yoke of any who would impose tyranny upon you. Likewise, do not ever force another to submit to your will. Free your mind, free yourself and you have only just begun the path to true psionic mastery. Free others, open their minds to the Invisible Art, and you will show them way to Auppenser."
---Dogma of the Church of Auppenser |
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Taelohn
Acolyte
36 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jun 2006 : 04:56:53
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Greetings and well met, Ed & THO.
Some time ago, Ed mentioned that he originally intended for spellfire-wielders to be unable to use teleportation magic, or have it used upon them, as it would cause them to explode.
Though I don't remember where it was mentioned (one of the Spellfire novels?), I seem to recall that Elminster (alone amongst the Chosen?) has not only silver fire, but spellfire as well. Is that the case?
If so, how does that coincide with the teleport = explosion bit? Elminster's been teleporting around for centuries... would he have somehow been exempt from this issue? Or was he not given spellfire at all until after the explosion idea was nixed? |
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RodOdom
Senior Scribe
USA
509 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jun 2006 : 19:19:06
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Dear Ed and THO,
One of bits of Realmslore I find really interesting is the ondonti, those pacifistic orcs currently hiding out north of the Ride. My question is, have there been any attempt by elves or humans to "civilize" the goblin races? By peaceful means such as cultural exchange, or even less enlightened methods like conquest? |
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Questions for Ed Greenwood (2006)
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