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HunterOfStorms
Acolyte
Australia
21 Posts |
 Posted - 18 Jul 2006 : 04:50:56
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quote:
Originally posted by ddporter
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
quote:
Originally posted by HunterOfStorms
...For example are there any gems/minerals which are considered particularly lucky, potent or sacred by the clergy as relating to their own god specifically...
Faiths & Avatars by Julia Martin and Eric Boyd notes what gemstones are used by deities to pass on their 'favor'. See the individual deity write-ups.
-- George Krashos
A web enhancement found here http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20020504a has more info.
Thanks ddporter, the last few pages of the Faiths and Pantheons web enhancement covers what I'm after. |
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RodOdom
Senior Scribe
USA
509 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jul 2006 : 04:55:47
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Dear Ed and Lady THO,
The Realms is criss-crossed by immense spans of roads and trails. At night when people retire from travelling do roads serve land-bound monsters? Do roads connect monster populations in a significant way? Would a goblin in the Vast Swamp be able to direct a lost traveller to Suzail? (assuming the goblin is in an unusually civil mood.)
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Edited by - RodOdom on 18 Jul 2006 04:59:14 |
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Alaundo
Head Moderator
United Kingdom
5695 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jul 2006 : 08:38:26
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Well met
Ahhh, found this scroll floating around the corridors...
quote:
Originally posted by EricKRod
Mr. Greenwood,
I was just wondering what your original intentions were with this dale that had been destroyed so long ago. Was the Dusklord really evil and consorting with demons? Or were the other dales feeling threatned?
I had planned in my FR campaign world to have a very powerful Paladin of Lathander, who claimed a tie to the bloodline of the Dusklord, to return to the dale at the head of an army of followers and priests of Lathander and Chauntea. His goal is to start a new begining by naming the land 'Dawndale' and reseeding the ground with the aid of the priests of Chauntea. At the North end of the dale he will place a keep, run by his cousin a priest of Lathander. At the south end of the dale, near the woods edge, his other cousin, a powerful Ranger, will be in charge.
Not knowing enough of the background behind the Dusklord, I was wondering if you could enlighten me?
Thanks,
Eric in Vegas
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Alaundo
Candlekeep Forums Head Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
An Introduction to Candlekeep - by Ed Greenwood
The Candlekeep Compendium - Tomes of Realmslore penned by Scribes of Candlekeep
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Chosen of Moradin
Master of Realmslore
Brazil
1120 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jul 2006 : 17:56:32
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Dear Hooded Lady, and valorous Ed of the Green Wood. I´m here now, bringing a question of one of my players, the noble druid Pavel Uthlain, of the Circle of Leth (yes, a Uthlain druid... things´re staying weird in the Dale... )
How exactly is the flora and fauna of the Great Dale? What trees, herbs, mammals, predators, birds, flowers, and the like, someone could find in this region? There is some specific lore about plants with medicinal atributes there?
Thanks in advance... |
Dwarf, DM, husband, and proud of this! :P
twitter: @yuripeixoto
Facebook: yuri.peixoto |
Edited by - Chosen of Moradin on 18 Jul 2006 19:17:59 |
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DMJutti
Acolyte
USA
7 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jul 2006 : 19:10:34
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| Hey Ed, I have a chosen of Talona in my campaign that ive been playing for about 4 years now. After long toiling with visions from his god and retrieving components and more power he is finally ready to unleash a disease rain upon Waterdeep. I dont want this to be too easy of a thing to do and i definitely want consequences to lead to further intrigue perhaps including some of the more famous character known to dwell in waterdeep whose attention my PC might attract. Can you give me some of the possible consequences of doing something like that and maybe some ideas on what certain characters would do (Khelben, Piergeiron??)Thanks |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2006 : 02:15:09
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Hi again, all. Scribe Chyron asked: “Do bards serve as the top critics as well as creators? For example who in the realms would be among the most notable Drama, Music, and Food critics (The ones nobles and common folk alike might bend an ear to)? Would these be other Bards due to their wide variety of knowledge or is the domain of ‘criticism’ left to others (sages, or scholars, etc)?
Is the ‘best’* food imbued with magic? Are the Julia Childs, Jamie Olivers of the realms required to be dabblers (i.e. Bards or other casters) to be considered among the top artisans of feasting fare? Is this something that is only reserved for/accessible to the nobles?
(*Best being subjective I know…but I wonder if nobles might see ‘enchanted’ food as being above standard or even rare edible fare as the enchantment might make it more pricey and exclusive).
My thanks and good eating to you both :)
Ed replies:
Many bards, priests, and sages do act as critics, but in rural areas of the Realms, most folk pay attention to the opinions of particular local “elders,” and in cities, various “high society” types set themselves up as esthetes and are either jeered out of acting thus, or heeded. So there are “notable” critics only in the local sense, and endless war between various noble “aging aunts and uncles” who speak out, in cities; the trend-setters among the younger generations (who of course often disagree sharply with the “mossbrained” opinions and tastes of the “graybeards”) in those same cities; and travelers such as Volo (and, yes, bards and minstrels, but more often eloquent and successful merchants, who publish and sell chapbooks of their travel accounts and opinions, spreading “their judgments” of matters culinary and cultural.
So, no, bards don’t serve as top critics (except to “captive audiences” of students in academies they may be tutoring at).
And no, the best food is NOT imbued with magic, because of centuries of fear and abhorrence of magical tinkering with food (poisoning foes, transforming foes, or just tricking foes into eating dung, vomit, and glass shards, and other disgusting or harmful substances that were temporarily transformed into something more appetizing). Just about every society shunned magical meal preparations (except for specific and sharply limited tasks such as peeling and ingredient mixing), and so the prevailing attitude across the Realms now is admiration of cooking done without magic (though no one is going to cavil at someone who uses a spell to get drenched wood burning as a cooking-fire in a rainstorm, or thaws out frozen food in a blizzard).
However, your suspicion is correct: some nobles DO see “enchanted” food as being exclusive, rare, and special because it’s forbidden or frowned on, and pay wizards (and especially sorcerers who can work magic without a lot of obvious casting preparations) handsomely to prepare food magically at private feasts and revels. Of course, nobles who love such fare claim it has taste that “more mundane” food can never achieve.
So saith Ed. Who has certainly described some wild revels in Realmsplay, down the years, and (in censored, toned-down form) in more than a few short stories and novels set in the Realms, too.
love to all,
THO
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2006 : 03:41:01
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And let us not forget the spell Quimby's Enchanting Gourmet, from the old FRA...  |
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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GothicDan
Master of Realmslore
USA
1103 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2006 : 03:55:19
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| Turtle Soup? |
Planescape Fanatic
"Fiends and Undead are the peanut butter and jelly of evil." - Me
"That attitude should be stomped on, whenever and wherever it's encountered, because it makes people holding such views bad citizens, not just bad roleplayers (considering D&D was structured as a 'forced cooperation' game, and although successive editions are pointing it more and more towards a me-first, min-max game, the drift away from 'we all need each other to succeed' will at some point make it 'no longer' D&D)." - ED GREENWOOD |
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Asgetrion
Master of Realmslore
Finland
1564 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2006 : 05:06:05
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quote:
Originally posted by RodOdom
Dear Ed and Lady THO,
The Realms is criss-crossed by immense spans of roads and trails. At night when people retire from travelling do roads serve land-bound monsters? Do roads connect monster populations in a significant way? Would a goblin in the Vast Swamp be able to direct a lost traveller to Suzail? (assuming the goblin is in an unusually civil mood.)
I am definitely not Ed, but I would guess that humanoid monsters sometimes do use roads that are not regularly patrolled or do not have "heavy traffic" (frequent merchant caravans that have too many guards to take on, for example). On the other hand, if there is a possibility for a succesful ambush (lonely travellers, for example) they probably won't use the road, but stick to the woods or travel within eyesight of the road (or use scouts, if there is no "concealment").
I suspect a goblin would not even know the word 'Suzail', let alone know where it lies. Probably he would point at the direction of the nearest monster lair to that hapless traveller  (I have been there, I know ;) The goblin would know the nearest human settlements, but hardly knew their names ("The one with a lot of soldiers", and so on), unless he had had some peaceful contact with humans previously. It might also have been possible that their tribe had prisoners who told this information. |
"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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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1796 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2006 : 05:09:25
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I cannot be a French Canadian and remain unmoved by Ed's last gastronomic addition. My comments are in blue!! (like the fleur-de-lys, joualvert!)
Certainly. Elves have created and refined a huge variety of incredibly complicated “special feast dishes” (some involving cantrips that allow dry ingredients to be “breezed” [a human observer would probably describe this as ‘swirl-mixed’] in midair), so I’ll confine myself here just to a modest selection of plain ‘everyday’ fare. Please note that the drinking of wines is common with most meals,
So elves are really French people in disguise hey? hmm... I had my doubts, but I shall play them as such from then on!
both dry wines with the main fare and sweet dessert wines to finish - - and that (to elves; humans and halflings may find them potent indeed) most wines aren’t nearly as readily intoxicating as most human wines are, to humans.
Now I'm confused... they drink wine with their meals (i.e. French folks) but they can also STAND THEIR LIQUOR?!? (i.e. like Cape Breton girls?!?)
Quaffs/Slakes (non-alcoholic):
Sprucebark quaff (cleanses palate/freshens breath before meals and after)
Spruce Beer hey? wow! I 'could' tolerate the stuff, if sweetened enough... [read: if hedged out by a Magic Circle vs. Chaos] but who knew elvish mouth tissues could withstand such tonic action! 
Mintwater
various berry-juice drinks (unfermented)
Vegetables (eaten raw, sometimes diced and fried with herbs and other vegetables):
Cress
Leek (also chives, hotwhips [spring onions], searshoots [wild Faerûnian vine onions]: these last are a staple of elven cuisine, and if left to dry until fall, can grow as hot as garlic, but never give elves “garlic breath”)
Well duh! if they keep swishing their mouth with that devilishly tart or perhaps bitter Spruce Beer, nothing can stick! It's a wonder if they don't suffer from oral acid burns!!!
Parsley
Coushoots (the green, growing “new” shoots of certain forest vines, such as Chokevine and Thaelthorn)
Greenspear (asparagus, a staple with many elves, both raw and steamed with herbs)
Oh!!!  So that's why elves can still be tracked by scent! I get it! the Spruce Beer, the Asparagus, the Spruce Beer... THEN the smelly pee break!
various ferns, from fiddleheads to stewed broadleaves
Brownbuds (brown Faerûnian wild forest radishes)
Fruits:
Many sorts of berries
Rhubarb
They ARE French!!! that's my fave 'compote' (i.e. puree...) If made in a 'compote' (i.e. apple sauce style), Rhubarb is the BEST thing on EARTH or TORIL!!!! 
Roseapple (a mild-flavored apple-like fruit that grows at the thorny junctures of a particular sort of forest vine, the “rosethorn,” that grows abundantly in the Heartlands)
Soups (usually served cold):
Leek
Turtle
Blalatha (certain mushrooms, diced and then boiled)
Now that's just funny!
Darblalatha (certain mushrooms, diced, then fried with leeks, and then the mixed result is boiled)
LOTFLMAO!!!!!!!
Haendur (simmered glow worms, seasoned with particular sharp-tasting leaves)
Blackbark (literally, the stewed bark of four or five different sorts of forest bushes; tastes and looks a little like a thick beef stew)
Snake (four sorts, beheaded and then boiled until skins separate from flesh; skins, like heads, are discarded)
Meat and Fish Dishes (some elves eat flesh, some do not):
Seared Rabbit
Thaenwing (spiced-and-diced grouse, partridge, quail, and woodguth [wild turkey]; most elves are revolted at the thought of eating owls, whom they deem “intelligent souls,” and believe dining on raptors brings misfortune on oneself and one’s kin)
Silvereyes (fish stew, of silverflash and other small forest stream fish)
Sornstag (roasted hotspice [equivalent of curried] venison)
Surkyl (beaver: belly-slashed to insert leek and herbs, then rolled in clay and fire-baked, to remove hide and quills with hardened mud shell)
Hooroun (moose, always marinated with particular herbs to counteract the natural seasonal tastes of spruce in winter and spring [when moose have been eating evergreen tips] and swamp in summer and fall [when moose have been grazing on swamp vegetation])
Lulleth (muskrat and equivalents [from shrews and voles to “branchcats,” which are a tree-climbing Faerûnian cross between a mink and a raccoon], usually simmered into a thick stew; most elves dislike boar, but when they do eat it, treat it in this same way)
Groundsnake (beheaded and roasted on skewers over a fire)
OK: deer, moose, beaver and... MUSKRAT?!?! do you have Quebecer hicks as friends? if so, you're lucky, 'cause it's a dying breed that once held MUCH woodlands lore [pauses to dispel any remaining mirth, and takes a moment of silence to remember all the brave New France 'coureurs des bois' - i.e. 'runners of the woodlands' - who learned their skills with the various Indian tribes, and passed down their know-how to their sons, who settled farmlands but still had a bit of that hunter's/nature lover's gleam in their eyes, which helped fill their kid's plates with game meats when times were hard, or not!   
Trail Food:
various nuts and dried berries
mintnut cheese
Taece (fire-dried tiny forest-stream fish, that look a little like brown, finger-length sardines, contain a lot of fat, and are “crunched” [eaten whole, bones and all])
Marruth (sometimes disparagingly called “root pies” by dwarves and humans): pastries into which cooked spiced and herbed mashes of vegetables have been baked, and then let cool, and then rolled into rallow leaves (heavy, oily, waterproof broadleaves) to keep them from rotting, and carried for eating cold when on the move
Desserts:
Mint jelly
tarts made of various berries, sweetened with a mash of berry juices
I could go on at length, but I’m afraid I haven’t the time just now to set down a lot of detailed recipes, so I hope this helps. Elven cuisine is more sophisticated than human, though it uses almost no non-forest ingredients, so if you have to improvise, look at some of the dishes whipped up on, say, IRON CHEF and think of “forest-friendly equivalent ways” of making some of them.
Aaaah... the true secret to French cooking. It's not to follow a recipe: it's to start with something, smell it, and "FEEL" it... then to add a little of this, a little of that... walk to the garden to cut a bit of this, and pluck a little of that... then to throw these things into the mix... then sprinkle a pinch of sugar on the mix (a pinch of sugar ALWAYS enhances something: don't let anyone tell you otherwise!) and taste, then keep adding, and keep stirring. Hey, I made my wife like tofu, which I didn't like, but now likes [thanks to one such experiment: try to pan-fry it with a generous amount of Bovril (tm) - i.e. a local Canadian 'beef broth concentrate' - it's AMAZING, and looks like strips of AAA sirloin steak... it fooled my 58 years old French father! (who hates tofu!)] |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2006 : 05:51:32
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I've told my wife that there is no non-dessert foodstuff on this earth that can't be improved by being cooked or soaked in meat juices!
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2006 : 06:00:16
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Quick question for Ed: Something that has been bugging me ever since the release of FR4 The Magister (yes, more than 15 years now - we lorelords of the Realms tend to do such things often) - is "Whisper's Rod of Transportation" linked in any way with Whisper of the Zhentarim (soon to be showcased in "Swords of Eveningstar", plug, plug)? If so, how could he make one given his lowly magical abilities as statted (not that stats count for much)?
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1796 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2006 : 06:24:00
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
I've told my wife that there is no non-dessert foodstuff on this earth that can't be improved by being cooked or soaked in meat juices!
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RodOdom
Senior Scribe
USA
509 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2006 : 14:06:18
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quote:
Originally posted by Asgetrion
I am definitely not Ed, but I would guess that humanoid monsters sometimes do use roads that are not regularly patrolled or do not have "heavy traffic" (frequent merchant caravans that have too many guards to take on, for example).
But are even the most busy roads used and patrolled at night?
quote:
Originally posted by Asgetrion
I suspect a goblin would not even know the word 'Suzail', let alone know where it lies.
What I asked, in an admittedly unclear way, is whether monsters would be so familiar with the roadways as to get around in Cormyr.
For example, would a goblin would know how to get from the Vast Swamp to his cousins in the Marsh of Tun by using the kingdom's roads? |
Edited by - RodOdom on 19 Jul 2006 14:48:55 |
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createvmind
Senior Scribe
490 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2006 : 19:19:47
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I don't think Goblins think in such terms if you are speaking of these creatures in particular, a more intelligent monster probably could navigate in such manner. As stated earlier the goblin would know "Big human tribe live in great stone wall place,....that way. Lorga not go that way or Lorga get dead quick."
Now if the goblin had good luck and a bit of skill and had managed to traverse a route from Vast Swamp to Marsh of Tun a number of times it would know it's way. Now as to being able to tell someone how to travel as it did, that would be the difficuly. "Lorga not know Marsssssdof Ton, Lorga know great muddy water place, many snakes and mean scaly men there.... What? Why you talk funny words, you try to do magic on Lorga!?! ....Ohhhhh ixxakaley is where place, why you not say where scaly men place first time. Hey you give Lorga pretty knife now? Huh..... Ohhh hee hee, Lorga make sure you no forget pretty knife you give Lorga. Yes, yes...Lorga see scaly men all places in great muddy water, many, many, many, many, many scaly men near big black tree....... Black tree in muddy water! You not listen to Lorga when he say first time!"
Basically you wouldn't really WANT to try and get directions or converstaion from average goblin, very similar to being victim of feeblemind spell. You could simply tell goblin take you to it's understanding of what you ask and pray to the gods for the best. |
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Chosen of Moradin
Master of Realmslore
Brazil
1120 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2006 : 19:31:54
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quote:
Originally posted by createvmind
I don't think Goblins think in such terms if you are speaking of these creatures in particular, a more intelligent monster probably could navigate in such manner. As stated earlier the goblin would know "Big human tribe live in great stone wall place,....that way. Lorga not go that way or Lorga get dead quick."
Now if the goblin had good luck and a bit of skill and had managed to traverse a route from Vast Swamp to Marsh of Tun a number of times it would know it's way. Now as to being able to tell someone how to travel as it did, that would be the difficuly. "Lorga not know Marsssssdof Ton, Lorga know great muddy water place, many snakes and mean scaly men there.... What? Why you talk funny words, you try to do magic on Lorga!?! ....Ohhhhh ixxakaley is where place, why you not say where scaly men place first time. Hey you give Lorga pretty knife now? Huh..... Ohhh hee hee, Lorga make sure you no forget pretty knife you give Lorga. Yes, yes...Lorga see scaly men all places in great muddy water, many, many, many, many, many scaly men near big black tree....... Black tree in muddy water! You not listen to Lorga when he say first time!"
Basically you wouldn't really WANT to try and get directions or converstaion from average goblin, very similar to being victim of feeblemind spell. You could simply tell goblin take you to it's understanding of what you ask and pray to the gods for the best.
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Dwarf, DM, husband, and proud of this! :P
twitter: @yuripeixoto
Facebook: yuri.peixoto |
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Skeptic
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1273 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2006 : 22:36:31
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quote:
Originally posted by THO in Ed's 2004 thread
It's very important that gamers not follow their real-world (usually monotheistic) thinking when considering Faerunian situations: the Realms is pantheistic, and "everyone knows" ALL the gods (at least of one's own race) "really exist." Unlike our real world, there's no denying that the folk praying to another god next door aren't just as correct as "we" are, because often "we" will also be praying to that other deity soon (if only for appeasement). The faith lies in believing this or that personal, dream-vision-induced, or priestly interpretation of the deity's will or intentions or prohibitions, not in believing the god exists.
One of my player is asking me what exactly you mean by “everyone knows” and “really exist” ?
There is a subtle difference with “knows” and “everyone in the world believe”, what is the most correct one for describing it ? (Ex. “Earth is flat, Earth is round”). If it’s the first, which proofs are shown to them to make them knows ?
Let’s say it’s prayers' visibles effects: knowing that with spells, a wizard could mimic easily many “divine powers” (like raising dead with a Wish); wouldn’t it be possible for common folks to think that there is no Gods and only “wizards who thinks are doing faith-based miracles” ?
Let’s say it’s ToT : Some would argue that seeing Gods walking the land was the ultimate proof, but I doubt Ed were taking it into account in this answer. In the opposite case, it means that the relationship between mortals and Gods really changed during this RSE, if it’s the case, I would like to hear Ed about it.
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Edited by - Skeptic on 20 Jul 2006 05:41:20 |
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2006 : 23:00:52
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That puts me in mind of a question I'd been meaning to ask.
Ed, could you describe the experience of a worship ceremony by a worshipper? (implicit question: is it a profane, essentially social ritual, or do the worshippers experience the presence and myths of the god? or is there a lot of variation?) |
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Kaysae
Acolyte
14 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2006 : 23:59:08
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Greetings, Ed of the Greenwood!
I have lurked here for a while and I finally have a question to ask, hopefully you have an answer! First, however, I just want to say how much I appreciate the lore you impart here at Candlekeep. I've enjoyed every scroll.
Now, my query. What are the benefits of taming the Stonelands, other than stemming the tide of monsters, Zhents, and the Shadovar? Does it offer anything in the terms of resources? I mean, what incentive is there that fortifying the eastern-most fringe of the territory wouldn't accomplish?
Looking at Elminster's Ecologies and your descriptions of the Stonelands here at Candlekeep, I have to ask, is the Barony just a ruse by the Crown to get adventurer's to harass the opposing forces therein? It seems like (barring Epic magic) an impossible task. It almost seems easier and more efficient to wall off the entirety of the Stonelands and lob in barrels of smokepowder day in and day out.
Thank you again! |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jul 2006 : 01:03:05
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quote:
Originally posted by createvmind
I don't think Goblins think in such terms if you are speaking of these creatures in particular, a more intelligent monster probably could navigate in such manner. As stated earlier the goblin would know "Big human tribe live in great stone wall place,....that way. Lorga not go that way or Lorga get dead quick."
Now if the goblin had good luck and a bit of skill and had managed to traverse a route from Vast Swamp to Marsh of Tun a number of times it would know it's way. Now as to being able to tell someone how to travel as it did, that would be the difficuly. "Lorga not know Marsssssdof Ton, Lorga know great muddy water place, many snakes and mean scaly men there.... What? Why you talk funny words, you try to do magic on Lorga!?! ....Ohhhhh ixxakaley is where place, why you not say where scaly men place first time. Hey you give Lorga pretty knife now? Huh..... Ohhh hee hee, Lorga make sure you no forget pretty knife you give Lorga. Yes, yes...Lorga see scaly men all places in great muddy water, many, many, many, many, many scaly men near big black tree....... Black tree in muddy water! You not listen to Lorga when he say first time!"
Basically you wouldn't really WANT to try and get directions or converstaion from average goblin, very similar to being victim of feeblemind spell. You could simply tell goblin take you to it's understanding of what you ask and pray to the gods for the best.
Createvmind, you can be my DM anytime.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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createvmind
Senior Scribe
490 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jul 2006 : 01:46:56
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Wow, Thank you so much, just a glimpse of the realms infusion I have gained from all of you great writers and sages.
Thanks again. |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jul 2006 : 14:46:02
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Hi again, fellow scribes of Realmslore. This time, Ed tackles RodOdom’s post: “Dear Ed and Lady Tho, Here's another question about names. The ruler of Halruaa is known by the title "Netyarch". The great druid of the Great Dale has the title "Nentyarch". Is there a link between the two names?”
Ed replies:
Yes, there’s (only) an etymological, historical link.
The title “Tarnentyarch” was an archaic word for “leader, speaker of decrees” as Netheril rose to greatness, and through usage the word (corrupted to “Nentyarch”) became a Netherese title, roughly equivalent to “sheriff” or “district supervisor.” In other words, a Nentyarch was an official who kept order, settled disputes, and disseminated information over a specific (and fairly small; so there were many nentyarchs, and the rank wasn’t exalted) geographical area.
Many folk fled in various directions during Netheril’s fall, and the title (corrupted again, into “Netyarch”) was obviously adopted by the ruler of Halruaa (perhaps the largest and most successful diaspora ‘colony’). In uncorrupted form, it obviously also found its way to the Great Dale.
So saith Ed. Tireless painter-in of all the little uncoloured details of Realmslore.
love to all,
THO
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RodOdom
Senior Scribe
USA
509 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jul 2006 : 19:59:57
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| That answer made my day. Thank you! |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jul 2006 : 03:43:58
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Our pleasure, RodOdom!
And hello again, all.
This time Ed tackles atlas689’s quintet of questions: “1. Are there any future plans for any books on Netheril such in the format that of the novels of Cormyr or Evermeet were written from either you or any other author?
2. Not much is known of Barauble of Cormyr before he was seen in the elven forests of Cormyr. I know that he is from Netheril, but what of his life in Netheril is known to us?
3. Elaith Craulnober has obviously massed a huge fortune in Waterdeep, Mirt seems also to be extremely well off also but who has the greater and the more valuable keepings?
4. In City of Splendors the novel Madeiron Sunderstone is mentioned as Piergeiron's body gaurd, what is known of him other than the few worded description given to him in the novel.
5. In the novel Farthest Reach when the whereabouts are questioned about Elminster and the Knights of Myth Drannor, it is said that they are on a mission along with the Simbul to do something with the Shrinshee, is this the possible storyline of the upcoming book Swords of Eveningstar?
Tempus thanks you!
-Atlas”
Ed replies:
A solid roster of queries, atlas689, and kindly scribes have ably leaped into action to deal with them already. So I’ll bat cleanup, as follows:
1. I don’t know, but I doubt it. (I don’t decide what novels are being written about the Realms, and am not privy to the plot details of many books being worked on by writers whose names don’t happen to be Ed Greenwood.) However, I have a pretty good idea of how many titles are scheduled and who’s hard at work on what, and there don’t seem (to me) to be too many slots unaccounted-for - - which leads me to suspect that there aren’t plans in, say, the next three years to deal with Netheril. You are familiar with the out-of-print Arcane Age mass market paperback trilogy that dealt with Netheril, yes?
2. Not all that much. The large, grim-looking shield I’m raising and hiding behind is an old, battered, yet still-valid NDA. Isn’t its silence heavy, and somehow menacing? But let me hint: he was assigned (ordered into) to the role he ended up in. I leave you to speculate by whom.
3. Skeptic has directed you to the relevant reply (page 16 of this year’s thread), but to be more specific: Mirt is a LOT wealthier than Elaith, but Elaith doesn’t realize it and probably wouldn’t believe it, because the bulk of Mirt’s business as a landlord is well hidden beneath several layers of apparent building owners and sub-owners (whereas his moneylending business is conducted very openly). Mirt also sponsors many small businesses in a completely confidential manner, and does “banking” for several guilds in a highly profitable sideline that’s even more secret. Elaith has the larger profit-per-transaction and is making more gross profits in recent years (because more of his business is criminal, hence high-margin), but Mirt has a huge head start as a landlord and in money-laundering business investments for Elaith to overcome. In terms of influence, Elaith can command more fear - - but Mirt is a Lord of Waterdeep AND much better-known and more liked. So Elaith’s lifespan will make him the eventual winner (if he stays alive and stays interested in Waterdeep), but for now Mirt wins any shrewd wealth comparison of the two in a walkover. Not that either of them is particularly interested in any direct competition (both see the other as a convenient “cover excuse” for a lot of things, and Mirt’s formerly deep apprehension that Elaith is out to wreck or covertly rule Waterdeep has faded; he now correctly sees the elf as caring about Waterdeep’s future).
4. Arkhaedun has mentioned Piergeiron’s first appearance (in FR1); there was some amplification in both VOLO’S GUIDE TO WATERDEEP and the 2nd Edition CITY OF SPLENDORS boxed set (complete with an illustration of him: he’s the taller guy in the illustration on page 70 of the Campaign Guide booklet). He’s a pretty straightforward guy, with few secrets. Trust me. :}
5. Skeptic and Arkhaedun both took care of this one. “Tears So White” in REALMS OF THE ELVES deals with the whereabouts of the Knights during the events of the Last Mythal trilogy. SWORDS OF EVENINGSTAR is set in the past, specifically during the year the adventuring group that later became famous as the Knights of Myth Drannor was formed, winning their charter and beginning their adventuring careers.
So saith Ed, the original and still-bubbling font of Realmslore.
love to all,
THO
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Sanishiver
Senior Scribe
USA
476 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jul 2006 : 09:06:13
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Seeing Kaysae's question, Sanishiver happily stands by for more Lore about the Stonelands, which he'll happily use in his own "We're almost to the Stonelands...just have to battle these things coming out of Tilverton first!" campaign.
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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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jul 2006 : 03:39:01
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Hi again, fellow scribes. Ed felt he’d been neglecting Wooly Rupert, and so has tackled Wooly’s query: “A discussion in another thread has mentioned something from one of the Elminster's Ecologies books: the existence of dinosaurs in the Stonelands. To some of us, this seems to be an odd place to drop dinosaurs... And, now that I think about it, I'm not recalling any other references to dinosaurs being there. So, in your Realms, are there dinosaurs in the Stonelands? And either way, is there anything you could add about their official presence there?”
Ed replies:
The Sage is quite right to remind us of my Candle04Page38 reply: there once were many dinosaurs in the Realms, but the dragons flourished by dining on almost all of them, leaving only handfuls behind (usually in jungles or other “good cover from flying wyrms” terrain).
The Stonelands are just such terrain, with their knife-edged ridges, deep ravines, caverns and overhangs, and exposed horns and faces of stone. So, yes, there are a few dinosaurs lurking deep in the Stonelands. Almost all are ostrich-sized or smaller velociraptors (bird-like, darting and hopping predators, of the sort featured so prominently in JURASSIC PARK: see fleshraker and swindlesplitter under “Dinosaur” in the MM3), though there are a few deinonychus (MM). They hibernate in deep, “warmrock” rifts (near earth nodes and volcanic flows) and hunt in cover, never leaving the Stonelands or racing along heights of land (for fear of being devoured by dragons; the Zhent foulwings, dark horrors, and other aerial steeds remind the dim-witted dinosaurs of the “death from above” that they now instinctively fear).
So saith Ed, who will recall Torm trying to interest Jhessail in a skewer of dinosaur steaks that she said VERY rude things about. Even Rathan, with the aid of much wine, downed them only with difficulty, finding them “tough, and with a curious dead-mushrooms taste.”
love to all,
THO
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jul 2006 : 04:00:01
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'Lo, gracious Lady THO. A question for Ed to answer as swiftly as he can, please:
Ed, I know you're giving a reading at the Cobourg Public Library this coming Monday - - 2 pm, fellow scribes, and Cobourg's in eastern Ontario, Canada - - and talking to those who attend. Can you reveal if your reading will include excerpts from SWORDS OF EVENINGSTAR?
My book industry friends tell me no ARCs of SWORDS went out for review (at least, not in Canada), but my friend in Customs says at least a box of copies recently "went through" from Wizards to you (bwoohahaha, yes, our eyes are EVERYWHERE!).
Inquiring minds want to know . . . |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jul 2006 : 02:55:54
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Hello again, all.
Blueblade, Ed tells me he wasn't planning on reading from SWORDS, but rather from "a few old favourites." He warns that this is part of the province-wide Summer Reading Club (which Ed helped design, one year, back when he was working for NYPL), and that the audience may be rather young; he'll tailor the reading to his listeners.
This time Ed tackles two queries from Blackwill: “Greeting madame THO and sir Ed, I am a member of a community (ALFA) dedicated to recreating your realms within Neverwinter Nights (2) and sometimes we have strange and funny questions which add flavor to the world we've created. Here goes. Is there any whale catching within the realms? Are there specific types of whale?
What is your personal favorite region in the realms, and why?”
Ed replies:
Yes, indeed, there’s whaling in the Realms (in the western and southern seas that bound Faerûn, almost never in the Sea of Fallen Stars). These days, it’s practiced by Chultans, by pirates in the Nelanther when food is slim or they need to waterproof their hulls, by a handful of Korinna Ffolk and Tashalan seacaptains, and especially by the Northmen.
(I’m distinguishing here between seeking whales at sea to slay them, and fighting off sea creatures that attack ships; many warm shallow waters are plagued by tentacled things that snatch sailors off decks at night, and even drag down or tear apart smaller vessels.)
Here are the main species of whales hunted by whalers:
• The Araun
This huge species is the largest of known Faerûnian whales (many are more than two hundred feet long), and in shape resembles a gigantic cucumber or Zeppelin. It usually drifts slowly through the sea, mouth open wide, scooping up plankton and small fish alike—but it can charge at astonishing speeds to ram and sink ships, if aroused, or [males only] to ‘head-butt’ other araun to establish dominance over a bay or a specific female during spring mating times. Araun females can carry fertilized eggs and fetal whales within themselves for years, giving birth only when conditions are ideal (clean waters, abundant food, lack of bad weather or predators, warm spring or summer conditions). Araun have jet black skin, underlaid by a thick white layer of edible blubber, with huge amounts of quite pleasant, “roast beef”-like meat underneath, that keeps well if kept submerged in salt water or sealed away from air in a barrel that’s been smeared with blubber (araun blubber has a smell like fresh cut grass, and rapidly forms a “skin” like varnish when exposed to air, so it’s doesn’t stay sticky to the touch, but water softens this skin on contact; the blubber can be used for frying, boiled down into a cooking oil or fragrant lamp oil if combined with the right herbs (both for smell and taste, and to alter it so it won’t congeal back into blubber). Araun organs are also edible, the liver and heart being incredibly rich and a prized ingredient in some recipes for beneficial potions; a dead araun can feed a village for months.
• The Daerasluke
This fast, agile, whale likes to play (leaping clear of the water, chasing each other around ships, islands, and undersea obstacles) in pairs or small groups. Daerasluke are slender, 50 to 70 feet long when full-grown, have large front fins and heads like very large flat arrowheads, and are sandy-hued. Under their hides is a thin layer of spongy yellow skin that leaks a yellow oil that can be burned as lamp oil just “as is” (so stabbing a beached or dead daerasluke causes an outflow of oil that barrels and lamps can be filled from). Under this is white, fibrous, “whitefish”-like flesh that’s very oily, but edible; it can be squeezed to “drive out” the oil and the less-oily flesh then eaten (it “fries itself” when cooked), or it can be cooked down or boiled down to separate out a lot more oil if the flesh isn’t wanted for eating. Daerasluke are plentiful, and females usually give birth to six or seven frisky young at once; they may produce two such families in a season if conditions are favourable.
. . .
I’ve cut Ed’s reply in half here to avoid hitting the post size limits, and will post the rest here tomorrow.
love,
THO
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jul 2006 : 07:19:03
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hi again, fellow scribes. Ed felt he’d been neglecting Wooly Rupert, and so has tackled Wooly’s query: “A discussion in another thread has mentioned something from one of the Elminster's Ecologies books: the existence of dinosaurs in the Stonelands. To some of us, this seems to be an odd place to drop dinosaurs... And, now that I think about it, I'm not recalling any other references to dinosaurs being there. So, in your Realms, are there dinosaurs in the Stonelands? And either way, is there anything you could add about their official presence there?”
Ed replies:
The Sage is quite right to remind us of my Candle04Page38 reply: there once were many dinosaurs in the Realms, but the dragons flourished by dining on almost all of them, leaving only handfuls behind (usually in jungles or other “good cover from flying wyrms” terrain).
The Stonelands are just such terrain, with their knife-edged ridges, deep ravines, caverns and overhangs, and exposed horns and faces of stone. So, yes, there are a few dinosaurs lurking deep in the Stonelands. Almost all are ostrich-sized or smaller velociraptors (bird-like, darting and hopping predators, of the sort featured so prominently in JURASSIC PARK: see fleshraker and swindlesplitter under “Dinosaur” in the MM3), though there are a few deinonychus (MM). They hibernate in deep, “warmrock” rifts (near earth nodes and volcanic flows) and hunt in cover, never leaving the Stonelands or racing along heights of land (for fear of being devoured by dragons; the Zhent foulwings, dark horrors, and other aerial steeds remind the dim-witted dinosaurs of the “death from above” that they now instinctively fear).
So saith Ed, who will recall Torm trying to interest Jhessail in a skewer of dinosaur steaks that she said VERY rude things about. Even Rathan, with the aid of much wine, downed them only with difficulty, finding them “tough, and with a curious dead-mushrooms taste.”
love to all,
THO
Wow... I'd forgotten about that question!
Naetheless, I am grateful for an answer. Thanks! |
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Questions for Ed Greenwood (2006)
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