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Athenon
Acolyte
USA
43 Posts |
 Posted - 08 Jun 2006 : 05:51:18
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Greetings Ed and THO!
Is it an oversite that Wizards has not scheduled an "Elminster Speaks" seminar at GenCon the last couple years, or do they for some reason not like channeling of the Old Sage? Thanks for hours of entertainment reading this forum. |
Will Maranto
Representing the Realms in the Wilds of Northern Louisiana |
Edited by - Athenon on 08 Jun 2006 05:52:06 |
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Scarabeus
Acolyte
Canada
27 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jun 2006 : 06:50:14
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Good point, Scarabeus. Very good point.
I think Ed would acknowledge the paradox but at the same time point out he was speaking of infallible predestination, whereas what Mielikki did was meddling: trying to set up mortals to do thus-and-so, but not necessarily guaranteeing they'll do it, or guiding them along the way (after the initial commandment), or escorting or protecting them. (Who knows how many other matings she's tried to arrange, in hopes one of them "bears the right fruit"?)
I see. Very good point either. Now I understand the philosophy. So in a way, any event set in motion does not necessarily reach a set predestination. But the odds of reaching it can be tempered with in many ways and to a very high degree. The line is thin indeed. Your example makes me think of Jherek in Threat from the Sea.
I guess it can be compared to an author writing a book. Like an overlord he set a story in motion up to it's conclusion. But even if the odds are high for the final product to happen that way, you never know what unknown forces (hummm ... let's say an editor  )may have in store.
-Scarabeus |
Edited by - Scarabeus on 08 Jun 2006 07:13:52 |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jun 2006 : 01:45:52
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Hmm, yes, let's say that, indeed. 
Hello again, fellow scribes. This time, Ed makes answer to this query, from WalkerNinja: “In the 2E boxed set, great effort was taken to show how members of different regions viewed each other (i.e. Dalelanders think "X" of Sembians). I note that Cormyr is mostly made up of ethnic Chondathans and Tethyrians. How Cormyreans of different human subraces view each other? Is there any racial tension between these groups, and do stereotypes exist about/between them?”
Ed replies:
No, because the divisions in Cormyr are so strongly class-based (nobles versus commoners) and geographic (Arabel and Marsember have revolted against the rule of the Dragon Throne often, and resent “smug Suzailans,” while most of the rest of Cormyr regards the folk of Marsember as “decadent, crooked slavers and smugglers, more like those pirates of Westgate than REAL Cormyreans” and the people of Arabel as “greedy backcountry thicknecks who bully the Court into giving them far too much coin and attention and their own way, by threatening to revolt every summer or so!”). These divisions are usually submerged in the “we must all stand together” national pride that comes from worrying about Sembian expansion constantly, and the recent war against the Devil Dragon (see DEATH OF THE DRAGON), and that national pride overrides any racial tensions. Remember that Cormyr is a trading nation (and so constantly sees a lot of outlanders from afar in its major settlements and along its major trade-roads; see my reply to Sarkile in an “omnibus” reply on page 17 of the 2005 vintage of this thread), and that any hatred or fear of these strangers is weak in cities (for whom such cosmopolitan living is the norm) and in the rural backlands, gets lumped in with the resentment of the big cities seen in the ballad “The Cormyte’s Boast” (see p. 165 of VOLO’S GUIDE TO CORMYR), which epitomizes that nationalistic spirit I mentioned in my preceding sentence. Moreover, much racial intolerance is rooted in unfamiliarity, and service in the Purple Dragons (plus the postings of Dragons all over the realm), and visits to the festhalls of the large cities, both bring Cormyreans into the (sometimes intimate) company of “other races,” and break down those attitudes quickly.
So saith Ed. Who has written elsewhere in the past that while geogrpahical rivalries and even hatreds are just as strong in the Realms as in the real world, racial tensions among human sub-races are much less - - because almost all humans grow up rubbing shoulders with dwarves, elves, and other intelligent races markedly more different from themselves than a human from several kingdoms away whose dress, customs, and skin colour differs from theirs.
And a postscript to Neriandal Freit: ahh, all this talk of rolling down hills, bathing nude in babbling creeks, indulging in lustfulness . . . you tempt me sorely. You do. I just may take you up on that. Up, indeed.
love to all,
THO
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cloraxe
Acolyte
Canada
1 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jun 2006 : 17:14:00
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Hi Ed,
This question really doesn't have anything to do with the Forgotten Realms. I was just wondering if you were ever planning a trip back to Brookbanks. I would love to continue that campain that you started in the lower room. I still have my character that you created for me.
Hope all is well,
Mike |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2006 : 21:11:02
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Hi again. Kentinel recently posted: “A question about "The Promenade", looking at 176 where there is clearly indicated that many live there (very few numbered or described). What was the population then and what is it now? The question seeks to understand how Eilistraee communities work/evolve.”
Ed replies:
Due to the secrecy of the priestesses (born of their very real fears for security, in a hostile Underdark close to Skullport, where worshippers of Vhaeraun and others who might hate or desire to eliminate or at least raid them are often seen), no one can be certain about how many folk dwell in the Promenade. Laeral judged not more than 170 lay worshippers (that is, not including the actual clergy) at most, and the number was generally closer to 60 or so, which is about what it might be now.
“Now” meaning before [NDA].
You’re not looking at a community of Eilistraee as much as you’re looking at an abbey or monastery that just happens to be underground, so my answer can’t hope to address any trend or process within Eilstraeean communities in general. Most such communities have grown in population and then declined again more recently, as worshippers have spread out, no longer feeling as threatened and therefore no longer banding together so strongly. However, [NDA] may bring about [NDA].
In one sense, NDAs prevent me from giving any really useful answer, and in another, the question is too broad to receive a useful answer. It’s like trying to understand how real world Christian communities work/evolve: there are so many different communities, on different continents and following different sorts of Christianity, that the communities can be as different as chalk and cheese. The same follows for Eilistraee: despite the fact that she can personally appear to faithful to express her will and her tenets (and so avoid a lot of the sectarian violence or disputes that mar our real world), she can still be worshipped in very different ways, and her followers dwell in all manner of communities. The Realms is polytheistic, remember; scribes won’t get the “real feel” of the Realms so long as they persist in thinking of the majority of Realms inhabitants (as opposed to just the clergy, fantatics, and the minority who dwell in lands dominated by one or just a few faiths) as worshipping “One True God.” Everybody believes in, and worships (if only in appeasement) LOTS of gods.
So saith Ed. Who understands the desire all scribes have to better understand the Realms, but wants to keep underlining the fact that it’s a complex place, with no clear, juicy “here’s the Secret Way All Things Work” private lore to share with scribes.
The more complex, nuanced, everchanging, and confusing it is, the more “alive” it is. The more abstract and simple it is, the easier it is to handle. That’s the teeter-totter all designers balance on, and Ed’s stance farther from the pivot point on the complex side is one of the things that has kept the Realms alive as a published game setting for more than twenty years now.
P.S. to cloraxe: Ed says:
Sure it's a Realms question: that campaign WAS set in the Realms with me as DM, after all. I do plan to drop in to Brookbanks some day (my parents only live five miles or so away), but probably just for a 'flying visit' to see my old co-workers. My life is just too blamed busy for more than that, right now, and the years are passing . . .
So they are. Ed's now thirty years older than most high-school students (he realized with a shock yesterday, whilst giving a talk to an audience of students about being a writer).
love to all,
THO
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jun 2006 : 01:46:29
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Hello again, all. Dargoth recently mused in this thread: “I wonder if Blackstaff will deal with Khelbens recent loss of status (At least on the eyes of some of Waterdeeps residents)”
Ed makes reply:
I can’t, of course, reveal any of the contents of Steven Schend’s completed, accepted, and soon to be published novel BLACKSTAFF. So I’m afraid you’re just going to have to wait to learn the answer to your query.
In the meantime, a peek at the (brief) scenes involving Khelben in CITY OF SPLENDORS will give you a strong hint as to how much Khelben would care about any loss of social status (and has he lost any, really?).
Khelben will also have a cameo in SWORDS OF EVENINGSTAR (the first Knights of Myth Drannor novel, out in August of this year), but its events are set in the past.
So saith Ed. Creator of Khelben, who reported to me that he enjoyed Steven’s novel immensely, and can’t wait for the next one.
love to all,
THO
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jun 2006 : 06:00:56
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Thanks Ed
One of my players will be running a Illuskan (Northsmen) barbarian in my next campaign so Ive been reading some of the material old 1ed/2ed material on them and have a few questions......
How closely do the Northsmen resemble the Viking/Danes? (They come across as being very "Vikingesque" in FR2)
Are Northsmen PCs and NPCs likely to be treated with a level of hostility in the Sword Coast region due to their history of raiding?
In FR2 Moonshae it says the Northsmen ussually raid the Folk Kingdoms in the Moonshae islands but they also launch raids against targets on the Sword Coast. Presumable modern fortified cities like Neverwinter, Luskan, Waterdeep and Baldurs Gate would be to powerful so where have the Northsmen raided in recent years?
Under the Gods of the Northsmen in FR2 it says that after a particularly successful battle the Northsmen have been known to sacrifice prisoners to Tempus. This would seem to conflict with Tempus code of conduct in F&P. Are those Northsmen who practicing Human sacrifice actually worshiping Gargos instead of Tempus? or Do the Northsmen worship a heretical version of Tempus dogma? (ie Heretic of the Faith)
Thanks in advance |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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RodOdom
Senior Scribe
USA
509 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jun 2006 : 18:03:10
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Dear Ed and Lady THO,
Is there one name that covers the peninsula that the Vast and Implitur is on? Thank you.
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jun 2006 : 01:31:34
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Hi, all! createvmind recently asked: “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?”
Ed replies:
Although it’s looking increasingly less likely that published Realmslore will get around to exploring Myth Rhynn, there are in fact TWO NDAs (one rooted in Wizards’ Book Department, and the other part of a computer game license) preventing me giving any lore-answer about Myth Rhynn at this time. I have no real idea how soon I’ll know otherwise, though I can speculate: 2008. Perhaps.
So saith Ed. Who’s up to his proverbial beard-roots in Realms work as I post this. We’rw working him hard, scribes, rest assured! (See? This whip is brand-new; I had to replace it, I wore the last one out on Ed’s backside, in less than a year . . .)
love,
THO
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Neriandal Freit
Senior Scribe
USA
396 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jun 2006 : 01:34:01
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Ed, simple question..
Someone stumbles into your vast libaray of Realms lore and happens to read stuff. Oops, some of it happens to be NDA!!! Ahh!
What happens?:P
(I thought it was time for a fun question) |
"Eating people is wrong...unless it's on the first date." - Ed Greenwood, GenCon Indy 2006 |
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EytanBernstein
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
704 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jun 2006 : 04:55:39
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People forget that NDA really stands for Non-disclosure Assassins. Those are the people who get sent in this sort of thing. Ed might have another solution.
quote:
Originally posted by Neriandal Freit
Ed, simple question..
Someone stumbles into your vast libaray of Realms lore and happens to read stuff. Oops, some of it happens to be NDA!!! Ahh!
What happens?:P
(I thought it was time for a fun question)
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http://eytanbernstein.com - the official website of Eytan Bernstein |
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Macresto
Acolyte
Denmark
17 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jun 2006 : 11:45:01
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Greetings
I currently run a campaign that will eventually end with the characters being the reason why humans were allowed to settle in the Dalelands and thus the reason for the raising of the Standing Stone. (I like it big!)
Before THAT can take place, they need to travel a long way (they are now south of Thay). Allthough my campaign's explanation for the Standing Stone obviously isn't loyal to official game lore I would like the rest of my campaign to be strictly within the boundaries of official lore.
Therefore I would like to ask Ed the following question:
How would you describe the layout of the realms just a few years prior to the raising of the Standing Stone.
Cities, countries, races, religion, geography. Anything has interest.
I would like to thank Ed for taking his time to provide us all with all these little gems of Lore and of course the good people running this site.
My very best regards...
Macresto |
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createvmind
Senior Scribe
490 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jun 2006 : 22:32:14
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Thanks Mr Greenwood,
Since I've hit the NDA wall, are the Troll Hills and more exactly the ridge line from Lizard Marsh to Trollbark Mountains NDA as well. Because I would like to know what if any minerals and gems I could mine out of there if I were able to evict the trolls and any other possible tenants. Are there other tenants within those mountains?
And are the Bowshot, The Way Inn, Liam's Hold and Gillian Hill still there, occupied along the Trade Way?
Thanks in advance. |
Edited by - createvmind on 13 Jun 2006 02:03:35 |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jun 2006 : 14:47:23
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Hello again, scribes. This time Ed makes reply to RodOdom’s queries: “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?
P.S. there are only so many dungeons to go around!”
Ed speaks:
createvmind and TheHermit quite rightly pointed out that fear of death, and a known high mortality rate amongst adventurers (after all, what do you think most peddlers and caravan merchants stopping at the local tavern talk about, after monster sightings and politics of lands distant enough to be “safe” discussion topics?), discourage many.
Folk in the Realms live in a world where violence is very real, most folk have seen monsters (even if only in cages or as carrion), and there’s much talk of spectacular uses of magic, dragons swooping out of the sky to tear castles or ships at sea apart, and so on.
As for preventions of runaways: having an accepted social place, and the support and aid of family (with a reliable supply of food), is a big one. Lots of bored or dissatisfied younglings TALK about running off and having splendid adventures, and they may dream about it nightly - - but very, very few of them ever dare to do it. My next novel, SWORDS OF EVENINGSTAR, will show you one of the rare success stories, and how another obstacle (“You need a charter to bear arms here in Cormyr, or it’s the dungeons for you!”) is overcome by those younglings. Yet they are one of the rare exceptions. Most runaways aren’t like Shandril: they don’t “fall in” with companions who treat them well, they don’t have something like spellfire up their sleeves, and they don’t survive for long. And you can be sure that fearsome tales of the gruesome deaths of those who did run away are preached by priests of Chauntea and other deities who want youths to stay at home and remain with their families, and by minstrels and anyone else seeking to “entertain,” everywhere.
As for the problems adventurers present to rulers: lawlessness and an armed challenge to their authority, of course, guilty of “driving monsters to where they savage innocent folk” and “raiding a few hogs and andering livestock” at the very least. The aforementioned charters are one way strong rulers regulate adventurers; most rulers regard adventurers as dangerous brigands or even rebels who must be slain, disarmed, exiled, imprisoned, or at the very least given “honest work” (go slay that dragon for us all, or become my envoys to those distant and dangerous orc holds). Adventurers are also handy scapegoats to blame anything bad on (poor harvest? the gods were angry with yon adventurers, and wanted to be sure they kept moving by having too little to fill their bellies! murders or monster depredations? the work of yon adventurers, or their carelessness in riling up lairs of beasts but not killing them all! . . . and so on), and the very best sort of strike force to manipulate into a fight with known local problems (gangs, cultists, thieves’ guilds, and rebels). They can also be hired as your new mercenaries, and promptly given the most dangerous patrols or forays (after all, they’re completely expendable).
So saith Ed. Who whilst roleplaying various ruling NPCs in the home Realms campaign has done (or tried to do) all of those nasty things to adventurers. Including us.
love to all,
THO
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RodOdom
Senior Scribe
USA
509 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jun 2006 : 16:55:19
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| Most enlightening, thank you! |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jun 2006 : 01:19:20
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Hi again, all. And now, Ed tackles this, from Neriandal Freit: “Ed, simple question: Someone stumbles into your vast library of Realmslore and happens to read stuff. Oops, some of it happens to be NDA!!! Ahh! What happens?:P (I thought it was time for a fun question)”
Ed replies:
It is indeed time for a fun question! I’ll go get the wheelbarrow and shovel, to bury the remains. ’Tain’t pretty when mere mortals read That Which They Were Not Meant To See, and their brains blaze up like bonfires, their eyes pop and sizzle and run down their chins like wet-cooked eggs, and the smoke and tongues of flame billow up out of their ears and vacated eyesockets, heading for the nearest ceiling in a roaring hurry, until all that’s left above the neck is a blackened, collapsed shell. Even Volo can’t salvage anything for one of those horrible recipes of his.
This doom only strikes down those who KNOW they’re perusing NDA material, of course. Like all the cartoon characters who run off cliffs and don’t fall until they look down and notice they’re sprinting along on empty air, they’re safe as long as they’re innocent.
Yet I can’t take that chance. There’s only so many gamers who buy Realms stuff, and Wizards doesn’t want me to decrease the supply of customers - - so I have to control access to the library. By putting it deep in my unlit, low-ceilinged, haunted basement, the Cellar of Grim Doom, where glowing (and no doubt radioactive) spiders scuttle, boxes upon boxes of books sag back into the dirt from which they came, and unlabelled boxes of faint pencil scratches upon thousands of scraps of rotting paper contain my vital Realms writings. To translate requires teams of highly-trained scientists (and I just don’t let anyone in a white lab coat who comes to the door in past me; instead, I misdirect them to the local cathouse where the local highly trained amorous grannies distract them for a year or so each).
Unless, of course, The Hooded One is visiting. No man alive (and precious few women) wins past HER distractions. She’s famous at a certain university for distracting some policemen who were trying to enter a domicile in search of someone who didn’t want to be found, by sitting down and (blocking a stairway) licking herself like a cat (yes, legs thrust out in succession so her tongue could reach certain warm regions, with the same air of languid, aloof disdain). However, that was years ago and her back is no longer quite so supple, she tells me (never mind under what circumstances she tells me).
There are also, of course, the house gargoyles and certain other defenders, including [NDA]. Whoops, now I’ve let them out, and they’ll no doubt [NDA] and [NDA] and, I suppose, [NDA] too. Darn. Guess it’s better not to stumble into my vast library, after all. I mean, look how it’s affected ME! :}
So saith Ed. Reminding me of an episode that I shall be proud of for the rest of my life. (Especially the comment from the oldest cop: “Geez, lady, will ya stop it? I’ve gotta wear these pants for the rest of my shift, ya know! Gawd, will ya stop? Please? Awww!”) Sigh. No, I can’t bend like that anymore. Which is why I need males.
love to all,
THO
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The Cardinal
Senior Scribe
Canada
647 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jun 2006 : 01:32:55
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 *shakes head* I normally wouldn't take up valuable space here with Needless prattle but For once the Cardinal is Gobsmacked and Speechless.
Regardless Let Ed Know to Keep up His Good Work, and May you, THO continue to keep us scribes informed. |
It has to be Certain, the Gods Hate Me. For whatever irrevokable Fate, I have been made the walking Joke. Either that, or Beshaba is overlyfond Of Me.
-Unknown |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jun 2006 : 01:38:41
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Hey Ed,
I've always wondered if you could tell us more of Kyrial Alathar Pellinore, son of Chiros Pellinore. Third Lord of Everlund and proud servant of Tyr.
This guy always interested me ever since I saw him mentioned a few times in the Spelljammer black boxed texts in some of the Spelljammer material but I've never really seen any FR logo'd material on this person.
Does Everlund have some spelljammers? Does Kyrial captain any spelljammers? Or what's the deal with him? :) So basically, I'm just asking for any general details about him.... |
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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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jun 2006 : 01:39:48
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A question for Ed with regard to Frost Giant deities
Whats the relationship like between Auril, Thrym, Kostchtchie (Demon Lord of Frost Giants) and Zzutam (The wanabe Elemental god from Prince of Lies) in the FR
Does Kostchtchie exist in the Forgotten realms? Or does Thyrm take his place in the Realms? (ie the same way Ghaunadaur has taken Jubliex place in the realms) |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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Neriandal Freit
Senior Scribe
USA
396 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jun 2006 : 02:05:45
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quote:
So saith Ed. Reminding me of an episode that I shall be proud of for the rest of my life. (Especially the comment from the oldest cop: �Geez, lady, will ya stop it? I�ve gotta wear these pants for the rest of my shift, ya know! Gawd, will ya stop? Please? Awww!�) Sigh. No, I can�t bend like that anymore. Which is why I need males.
love to all,
THO
Why do I get this funny feeling that it's either entirely true, or 90% true?
Thank you for the enlightening NDA question Ed, THO  |
"Eating people is wrong...unless it's on the first date." - Ed Greenwood, GenCon Indy 2006 |
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Ulitharid
Acolyte
2 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jun 2006 : 06:29:14
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Question for Ed,
As the game has progressed, new systems have been added without what would appear to be too much fuss in regards to implementing them into standard realmsore(at least imo, though yours might be quite different). However, and this might be a redundent/already asked question, but what about Incarnum and Truespeak in relation to traditional "magics" i.e psionics/magic.
At least to me, they seem to be unique enough mechanically and fluffwise to bypass the current implementation of magic systems in the realms(i.e tapping into the weave/shadow weave) in that truespeak are the primal words of creation, such that a weave of some sorts is completely unnecessary, and one's potential mastery of the multiverse through truespeak is limited only by the potential of the individual in question, as opposed to divine interventia via portfolios.
i also feel the same way about incarnum, in that, while power-from-the-soul is itself not a new idea, the concept behind incarnum and harnessing the essence of souls seems so out of the box, as to be a sin to chain it to the standard boundries of typical magic/deific patronage.
so, i guess to move onto a more specific question rather than detailing my thoughts... how would you handle implementing incarnum/truespeak into the realms(if at all), and what would be the corresponding lore that you'd put behind the "new" systems? |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jun 2006 : 07:47:35
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Wow, that's quite a visual! 
I'll be happy to help you do a reenactment, my Lady!   |
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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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jun 2006 : 08:31:11
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Ulitharid,
True names have been a part of FR for a long time, at least going back to 1e. I assume this is what you mean when you say true speak. :) |
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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Ulitharid
Acolyte
2 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jun 2006 : 15:23:47
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| To an extent, but mostly i mean the system of truespeak as proposed by ToM. i understand that truenames are nothing new =) |
Edited by - Ulitharid on 14 Jun 2006 15:25:50 |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jun 2006 : 00:15:23
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Hello again, fellow scribes. RodOdom asked: “Dear Ed and Lady THO, Is there one name that covers the peninsula that the Vast and Implitur is on? Thank you.”
Ed replies:
No, I’m afraid not.
It’s true that in the latest (3rd edition) projection maps of Faerûn the region wherein the Vast and Impiltur are located LOOKS somewhat like a peninsula. However, in older projections it doesn’t - - and to folk dwelling in Faerûn it REALLY doesn’t, thanks to the mountain ranges curling through it. So the thought of that chunk of mainland being a peninsula never enters their heads (they live on it rather than in the water in the middle of the Sea of Fallen Stars [or several miles straight up above the waves], remember, and can’t “view it from afar” except as this band of land, then a range of mountains, a scattering of independent ports, more mountains, and then another realm over here . . . hence, they’ve never come up with a collective name.
Faerûnian world-views tend to be far closer to the land and localized than ours are, because of the natures of their lives (rural farming or ranching, or locale-based work like mining, logging, or artisan and crafting work out of a fixed-location workshop). Only a relatively small part of the population (rulers and their envoys and advisers, sages, priests of high rank, adventurers and mercenaries, merchant costers and sailors, power groups like the Harpers, and a few other folk that we roleplayers pay a lot of attention to) regularly has occasion (beyond speculating on the latest gossip from far-off lands) to think of their world in terms of strategic overviews (“looking down on a mental map from above”). Most folk think of the Realms in terms of the little bit they know, and trade routes extending in various directions through an increasingly-misty string or sequence of fabled far-off places that they’ve been told those trade routes lead to.
So saith Ed. Bringing a timely reminder of a very interesting point to us all.
love,
THO
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RevJest
Learned Scribe
USA
115 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jun 2006 : 09:31:24
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
It’s true that in the latest (3rd edition) projection maps of Faerûn the region wherein the Vast and Impiltur are located LOOKS somewhat like a peninsula ...
I wonder how the Northmen feel about the island of Gunderlun disappearing from the face of Faerun.
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"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jun 2006 : 03:42:47
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Hello again, all.
Taelohn recently posted: “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?”
Ed replies:
Elminster figured out how to manipulate the Weave to call forth spellfire. Any of the Chosen who became sufficiently attuned to the Weave (by using it for centuries), and took the time to experiment and study, could theoretically duplicate what Elminster did, and end up with spellfire too. Several of them (no, I’m NOT going to reveal which ones) already have. Such Chosen can avoid being blown apart by balancing Weave energies around themselves (and so teleport AND have spellfire). However, it’s important to remember that just because a Chosen of Mystra CAN figure out how to do something, it doesn’t mean they will ever have time or inclination to do so. Most of the Chosen are like very, very busy house painters: they COULD learn to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, but they’re REALLY busy with all of these other projects, over here, that are far more pressing and interesting - - and then this crisis hits, and that one . . . and so the centuries pass . . .
So saith Ed. I’ll also remind everyone here and now of Ed’s many less-than-gentle hints about the sanity of the Chosen who last for so long.
Also, a public service announcement to all scribes: Ed will (probably) fall silent from now until Monday night, because he will have a very good friend (and Realms master) as visitor. Ed tells me that they'll be [NDA] and [NDA], too, and the friend may or may not say more . . . unfortunately, I won't be there, or we'd undoubtedly indulge in some [NDA], too!
love to all,
THO
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Swordsage
Learned Scribe
149 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jun 2006 : 06:53:17
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Very good friend and Realms Master ... Eric Boyd is away in Cambridge UK at the moment ... would it be Steven Schend? Or some other Realms Master we are unaware of?
The Swordsage
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Zeboaster of Ordulin
Acolyte
USA
14 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jun 2006 : 15:05:51
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quote:
Very good friend and Realms Master ... Eric Boyd is away in Cambridge UK at the moment ... would it be Steven Schend? Or some other Realms Master we are unaware of?
Rumor has it that Mr. Krashos is away from Candlekeep for some time. Perhaps it is for a pilgrimage to Places Most Remote?
I note that Ed will be in my beloved home, Ann Arbor, in November as the GoH at U-Con. With both Ed and Eric potentially in town at the same time, I would not be surprised to find myself spying upon various Realms denizens via my tall perch above the University of Michigan campus as the veil between worlds is thinned by the presence of two Realms Loremasters! |
Zeboaster, a distinguised character known for his sarcasm and perfumed beard, is currently in hiding after making one too many witty and/or truthful remarks.
FRA p96 |
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jun 2006 : 22:05:27
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| Whoa! As a fellow Ann Arborite, thanks for the warning. I'm going to have to buy a calender specifically to ink in that weekend... |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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Questions for Ed Greenwood (2006)
Topic Locked
