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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
 Posted - 29 Mar 2007 : 15:39:48
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Hi, Zandilar! Glad you got Ed's reply; he COULDN'T reply to you earlier than he did, because of NDAs and internal design decisions at WotC that were still "slowly being made" (one of the real curses of this "answering things" gig I got him into, here; sometimes he knows he can't tackle a topic until something he's not allowed to talk about has happened - - and sometimes even revealing that this sort of delay exists is itself "Revealing Too Much"). Welcome back, please keep "looking in" on this thread from time to time, and let this be a reminder to all scribes that Ed will get to all questions eventually, if he doesn't die or events in the publishing line don't make the queries obsolete before he gets there. Promise.
love,
THO |
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AlorinDawn
Learned Scribe
USA
313 Posts |
Posted - 29 Mar 2007 : 21:07:02
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Ed & THO,
Thanks so much for the great reply on the "beasties" I inquired about. This time I pose a little more complex of a question. Having DMed on and off in the Realms for the last 20 years and detailing quite a bit of the Realms I still find it challenging at times to make location A seem much different than location B. Can you lend any tips to a fellow DM to help in these regards such as what basics you use to differentiate places and folks from the next.
Ed... I will attempt to pick your brain on Realms lore aplenty at Pentacon if you have the time to answer a few questions. Looking forward to meeting you. |
Edited by - AlorinDawn on 29 Mar 2007 21:08:22 |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 30 Mar 2007 : 01:24:43
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Hi again, everybody. This time Ed responds to this recent post from MaxKaladin: “I thank Ed profusely. I note that the answer implies that many governments issue charters. I'd previously been under the impression that this was not a typical practice, but one confined to fairly powerful and centralized states like Cormyr.”
Ed replies:
You’re welcome. And you’re right, too: charters were until recently issued by only a relatively few places (including Cormyr, some duchies of Tethyr, Impiltur, and some of the cities of Chessenta). The general attitude of other places was anger at the issuance of such instruments, as they were viewed as one government meddling in the affairs of another land by conferring some sort of legitimacy on “lawless brigands” who might stray far afield and try to use the charter as a justification for their adventuring behavior in those “other places.”
Gradually, however (aided and abetted by the Heralds), more and more rulers have come to see the usefulness of such charters as controls upon the behavior of otherwise unpoliced (as in, beyond the resources of the local state to follow and try to control) adventurers, and in the last decade we have seen two trends: many independent cities and hitherto disinterested countries (such as Sembia) start to issue their own charters, and lands begin to formally accept as valid the charters issued by certain other “friendly” lands. This hasn’t much made it into print, for two reasons: space has increasingly been at a premium in published products, and so has been filled with more directly adventure-relevant (or longterm-campaign-useful locale details); and various designers have wanted to keep things as vague as possible so as to give individual DMs the maximum freedom to shape politics in their own Realms campaigns without potential disagreements with players who may buy and read the published products and feel “cheated” by a DM who changed something from “canon lore.”
Wars could of course change the situation overnight; the rise of an orc horde or border skirmish or something like the Tuigan Crusade could mean a charter cheerfully accepted today will be seen as worthless tomorrow.
As always, have fun. :}
So saith Ed, adding another little stone to the Great Wall that is the Realms.
To AlorinDawn: great latest question! Ed will get to it soon, as he thinks it's a very useful one to answer for a lot of DMs. And he's looking forward to talking with you at Pentacon. He doesn't mind devoting a lot of time to talking Realms with anyone, because, in his words, "Hey, along with shopping, gaming, and eating too much, that's what cons are FOR." 
love to all,
THO
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The Red Walker
Great Reader
USA
3567 Posts |
Posted - 30 Mar 2007 : 03:17:16
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What does Ed do for fun when he is not reading???
His writing just seem so fun and uninhibited that it seems he must be influenced by "outside" forces!!!
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A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka
"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -
John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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althen artren
Senior Scribe
USA
780 Posts |
Posted - 30 Mar 2007 : 05:10:34
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Originally posted by THO and ED:
I would love to read your novel-in-progress, BUT: I have seventeen major projects of my own to do before the end of 2007, about twice that many little ones, probably about a dozen new, not-yet-released books to read and blurb (write those little quotations on the covers that say things like “Best book I read this morning!”) and there’s this little matter of World Fantasy judging, which could very well mean I have to read about 5,000 (yes, five thousand!) fantasy poems, short stories, scripts, novellas, novels, etc. between now and late October.
SWEET AO! TRAPPED TO THE PITS OF THE ABYSS.!!!
I almost feel guilty asking more questions knowing all that workload.... almost.
Hey does anybody know if there is a question limit per post? I don't
want to breach any protocols here.
Hello ED. I kind of expected running into a lot of NDA's with my questions, no problem. So I came up with more ?'s
Is there any more charater history you can share on Abarat the Alabaster?
In FOMD, it seems that some fluff was edited out about the destruction of the mythral in the Yuirwood because it doesn't show in the battle record or in the beginning chapters. What do you remember?
Illitran Starym made a deal with Moander so he could pull his family's moonblade without getting killed. In my version of the
realms I have Moander ridding piggyback in Illitran's mind and then
taking up residence in the moonblade, using its magic to keep him alive and shielding him from danger.
At the time of the Claiming, would Moander have been strong enough to survive a situation like this?
Would Corellon be "aware" of any alteration of a working of High Magic like this, and would he have reacted?
Would mortal magic or elven high magics be able to detect him in the moonblade if he is trying like hell to hide?
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althen artren
Senior Scribe
USA
780 Posts |
Posted - 30 Mar 2007 : 05:17:56
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Part 2 of said list of questions.
Have you ever given out a description of your Netheril? I have read
on the boards that your version was different, but haven't really
seen anthing on how different.
A mechanics question on mythallars. Are they a weave "accelerator" taking the local weave and making it stronger? Are they a displacement device and stealing the weave from somewhere else? OR might they be powered by Faerzress (which would explain in my minde the destruction of the phaerimm homeland in the Underdark.) Or is all this still classified?
Do you have any more Uvaeren Library storage methods you could share with us?
Would Belluth's be crafted in the same way as rings or wands or could they considered to get their own creation feat in 3ed? |
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RodOdom
Senior Scribe
USA
509 Posts |
Posted - 30 Mar 2007 : 05:25:07
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Dear Master Ed and Lady THO,
I'd like to ask of Ed a different sort of query. I apologize if it's out of bounds (hopefully not.) On Wikipedia and other sites I see some really stunning photos of natural landscapes of our real world and I wonder where in the Realms I may encounter a similar place. If I may present a single picture and ask where it reminds Ed and THO of:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Sugarloaf.JPG |
Edited by - RodOdom on 30 Mar 2007 05:29:39 |
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1796 Posts |
Posted - 30 Mar 2007 : 06:11:33
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Wow!! good catch Rod! I can almost see that Twisted Tower down there... a bit to the left... 
(I'm sure Ed saw it too... ok... I admit... I wanted to beat him to the punch! ) |
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RodOdom
Senior Scribe
USA
509 Posts |
Posted - 30 Mar 2007 : 06:55:12
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| Thanks ! (Fingers crossed that his ISP connection can handle images.) |
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Zandilar
Learned Scribe
Australia
313 Posts |
Posted - 30 Mar 2007 : 09:51:15
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Heya,
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hi, Zandilar! Glad you got Ed's reply; he COULDN'T reply to you earlier than he did, because of NDAs and internal design decisions at WotC that were still "slowly being made" (one of the real curses of this "answering things" gig I got him into, here; sometimes he knows he can't tackle a topic until something he's not allowed to talk about has happened - - and sometimes even revealing that this sort of delay exists is itself "Revealing Too Much"). Welcome back, please keep "looking in" on this thread from time to time, and let this be a reminder to all scribes that Ed will get to all questions eventually, if he doesn't die or events in the publishing line don't make the queries obsolete before he gets there. Promise.
Oh I know he's a busy boy, and I know there's problems with NDAs and the like.  It is just that I'm too chaotic for my own good, and am prone to wandering into and out of fandoms as my whim takes me... Which meant that unless I was very lucky (and I was, thank Tymora! ), I would have missed the answer completely! So I'm back for a while (this time I actually subscribed to the topic, so I'll get nagged when there are new posts - that might make me stick around longer)...
Anyway, now I've had a chance to chew over some things, there really was only one thing that I'd like to hear Ed's reasoning for from the second post on the topic of Eilistraeeans on November 6th 2006...
Ed said:
quote:
There is no Eilistreean prohibition on marriage (or sex) among either lay worshippers or clergy, and never has been. There are many female drow clerics who prefer to remain single, either because a lesbian or other facet of their personalities makes them most comfortable being partner-less (as opposed to having a steady partner of either gender), or because they see married life as a distraction (or time-stealer) from their whole-hearted devotion to the Goddess.
I ask:
Wouldn't a lesbian tendnacy mean the priestess concerned would seek out the company/companionship/love of another female rather than remain celibate? Or are you saying that Eilistraee doesn't approve of lesbianism? Given how permissive the Realms are (and the parenthetical comment regarding steady partners), I'd say the latter isn't true... but I'm curious as to why you'd attribute the desire to remain celibate to a lesbian tendancy? (I'm a lesbian myself, and I know it doesn't make me want to be celibate! )
Thank you (both) again! |
Zandilar
~amor vincit omnia~
~audaces fortuna iuvat~
As the spell ends, you look up into the sky to see the sun blazing overhead like noon in a desert. Then something else in the sky catches your attention. Turning your gaze, you see a tawny furred kitten bounding across the sky towards the new sun. Her eyes glint a mischevious green as she pounces on it as if it were nothing but a colossal ball of golden yarn. With quick strokes of her paws, it is batted across the sky, back and forth. Then with a wink the kitten and the sun disappear, leaving the citizens of Elversult gazing up with amazed expressions that quickly turn into chortles and mirth.
The Sunlord left Elversult the same day in humilitation, and was never heard from again. |
Edited by - Zandilar on 30 Mar 2007 09:52:39 |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 31 Mar 2007 : 01:05:54
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Hi again, all. This time Ed responds to Jamallo Kreen, re. a post that made reference to a DUNGEON #88 article “about a broken Netherese portal system,” as follows: “Ed, reading that article thoroughly prompts a significant question (for my campaign, anyway): the article gives the laws and rules for mid-1372, but in 1360, when Azoun called his Crusade, did wizards who were enrolled in mercenary companies or who were passing through on their way to join the Sembian or Hillsfar forces have to register themselves? If so, who would have been the registrar, Vangey being somewhat busy at the time?”
Ed replies:
No, neither wizards nor any other participant in the armies gathering to fight in the Crusade had to register with anyone. The Wizards of War were indeed very busy, because they “kept tabs on” everyone moving around or through Cormyr, with an eye to three things: preventing brigandry; preventing traitor nobles from assembling private armies or strike forces in all the confusion, to work mischief then or later; and training young lads and lasses and retraining greybeards (as new militia reinforcements who would have to help defend and patrol the kingdom once the bulk of the Purple Dragons had marched off on the Crusade) in HOW to stand sentinel, report suspicious things and movements of specific persons and wagons to superiors, how to “tail” and spy on folk without being seen, and so on.
As it happened, it was a great training exercise, and resulted in a lot of “common citizens” becoming far more intimately familiar with the topography of the wilder stretches of their nearby surroundings than they would otherwise ever have become (so people needing to hide; or tryst with others; or conceal stolen goods, bodies, or other things; or “drop” items and messages for others, all acquired valuable information to aid them in doing so - - as did some would-be poachers, who learned where certain trails went because they finally had a legitimate excuse to walk down them, and so on). All in all, a good (though tense) time was had by all.
So saith Ed. THE Master of Realmslore, as always.
love to all,
THO
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4688 Posts |
Posted - 31 Mar 2007 : 02:54:15
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quote:
Originally posted by Zandilar
Wouldn't a lesbian tendnacy mean the priestess concerned would seek out the company/companionship/love of another female rather than remain celibate?
I think I can offer a simple reply that THO and ED would agree with.
There is no indication of Lesbian tendency, the Dark Maiden has no restriction or slant to personal choices, some will like males, some will like females, some will choose to be celebate to more concentrate of service to Eilistraee. It struct me as simple as that. |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
Edited by - Kentinal on 31 Mar 2007 02:55:23 |
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Zandilar
Learned Scribe
Australia
313 Posts |
Posted - 31 Mar 2007 : 10:50:26
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Heya,
quote:
Originally posted by Kentinal
I think I can offer a simple reply that THO and ED would agree with.
There is no indication of Lesbian tendency, the Dark Maiden has no restriction or slant to personal choices, some will like males, some will like females, some will choose to be celebate to more concentrate of service to Eilistraee. It struct me as simple as that.
Okay, I'm not sure you saw what I saw... Here's Ed's quote again, with bolding and underlining to clarify where the confusion lies...
quote:
There is no Eilistreean prohibition on marriage (or sex) among either lay worshippers or clergy, and never has been. There are many female drow clerics who prefer to remain single, either because a lesbian or other facet of their personalities makes them most comfortable being partner-less (as opposed to having a steady partner of either gender), or because they see married life as a distraction (or time-stealer) from their whole-hearted devotion to the Goddess.
See what I'm addressing now?
The sentance literally says that many priestesses remain single because a lesbian (or other) facet of their personality makes them most comfortable being partnerless.
Knowing what I know of sexuality in the Realms (I'm probably best known here for my questions about it, I should say! ), this sentance is very out of place. I was merely looking for clarification on the wording. |
Zandilar
~amor vincit omnia~
~audaces fortuna iuvat~
As the spell ends, you look up into the sky to see the sun blazing overhead like noon in a desert. Then something else in the sky catches your attention. Turning your gaze, you see a tawny furred kitten bounding across the sky towards the new sun. Her eyes glint a mischevious green as she pounces on it as if it were nothing but a colossal ball of golden yarn. With quick strokes of her paws, it is batted across the sky, back and forth. Then with a wink the kitten and the sun disappear, leaving the citizens of Elversult gazing up with amazed expressions that quickly turn into chortles and mirth.
The Sunlord left Elversult the same day in humilitation, and was never heard from again. |
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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
Posted - 31 Mar 2007 : 18:42:02
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hi again, all. This time Ed responds to Jamallo Kreen, re. a post that made reference to a DUNGEON #88 article
(snip)
Ed replies:
No, neither wizards nor any other participant in the armies gathering to fight in the Crusade had to register with anyone. The Wizards of War were indeed very busy, because they “kept tabs on” everyone moving around or through Cormyr, with an eye to three things: preventing brigandry; preventing traitor nobles from assembling private armies or strike forces in all the confusion, to work mischief then or later; and training young lads and lasses and retraining greybeards (as new militia reinforcements who would have to help defend and patrol the kingdom once the bulk of the Purple Dragons had marched off on the Crusade) in HOW to stand sentinel, report suspicious things and movements of specific persons and wagons to superiors, how to “tail” and spy on folk without being seen, and so on.
As it happened, it was a great training exercise, and resulted in a lot of “common citizens” becoming far more intimately familiar with the topography of the wilder stretches of their nearby surroundings than they would otherwise ever have become (so people needing to hide; or tryst with others; or conceal stolen goods, bodies, or other things; or “drop” items and messages for others, all acquired valuable information to aid them in doing so - - as did some would-be poachers, who learned where certain trails went because they finally had a legitimate excuse to walk down them, and so on). All in all, a good (though tense) time was had by all.
So saith Ed. THE Master of Realmslore, as always.
love to all,
THO
Thank you for the timely answer, Ed, which, OF COURSE (!) prompts another question: was there a "baby boom" in Cormyr nine months after the Crusaders left? 
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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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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 31 Mar 2007 : 19:23:41
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Quoth Ed (after a roar of laughter):
Why, YES.
And an even larger one, a little later, nine months after the victorious surviving Cormyrean Crusaders returned home.
(No comment needed, I believe.)
love,
THO |
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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
Posted - 31 Mar 2007 : 20:00:38
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Quoth Ed (after a roar of laughter):
Why, YES.
And an even larger one, a little later, nine months after the victorious surviving Cormyrean Crusaders returned home.
(No comment needed, I believe.)
love,
THO
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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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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 01 Apr 2007 : 01:11:05
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Hi again, fellow scribes. This time Ed continues to tackle recent queries (don’t worry, he hasn’t forgotten that there are 2004 questions not yet answered, and he has them all, believe me), and this time responds to Zandilar’s question: “Anyway, now I've had a chance to chew over some things, there really was only one thing that I'd like to hear Ed's reasoning for from the second post on the topic of Eilistraeeans on November 6th 2006...
Ed said: [[There is no Eilistreean prohibition on marriage (or sex) among either lay worshippers or clergy, and never has been. There are many female drow clerics who prefer to remain single, either because a lesbian or other facet of their personalities makes them most comfortable being partner-less (as opposed to having a steady partner of either gender), or because they see married life as a distraction (or time-stealer) from their whole-hearted devotion to the Goddess.]]
I ask:
Wouldn't a lesbian tendency mean the priestess concerned would seek out the company/companionship/love of another female rather than remain celibate? Or are you saying that Eilistraee doesn't approve of lesbianism? Given how permissive the Realms are (and the parenthetical comment regarding steady partners), I'd say the latter isn't true... but I'm curious as to why you'd attribute the desire to remain celibate to a lesbian tendancy? (I'm a lesbian myself, and I know it doesn't make me want to be celibate! )
Thank you (both) again!”
Ed replies:
Hi, Zandilar. No, I wasn’t saying anything at all about being celibate. Reading the Eilitraee worship scene I slipped into SILVERFALL, even in the toned-down state that saw print, should suggest very much otherwise. :}
Nor was I saying anything about Eilistraee disappoving of lesbianism. That would be very odd, given the number of lesbian worshippers She has. :}
I meant only this: that it has been observed that many female drow clerics who venerate Eilistraee have chosen to remain “single,” where the definition of “single” means “not having a steady partner of either gender.”
My “lesbianism” comment in that sentence is there to point out an obvious reason why many such females haven’t taken a male partner: they don’t want to because they are lesbian (rather than, say, “bi”), and don’t dwell in a society where there’s a social need to take a male partner for protection, or to conceal their natures, or for any other reason.
Most of these single Eilistraeean clerics (lesbian or not) haven’t taken a lone steady female partner because they have found themselves part of a “family” of many fellow female drow clerics of the Dark Dancer (again, as seen in that scene in SILVERFALL), and so they have a dozen to a score of partners, rather than just one (again, lesbian or not).
I am not saying that as they grow older they won’t take partners; I’m saying that at any one time, when one looks at the clergy of Eilistraee, one will see a large proportion of female drow clerics who are, at that time, “unpaired.”
And yes, obviously a lesbian tendency would indeed mean the priestess concerned would seek out the company/companionship/love of another female. No priestess of Eilistraee “has to” be celibate, and many priestesses of the Dark Dancer live with many fellow priestesses, and haven’t settled on “just one” (other priestess or other female or male lay worshipper) as their lifemate, bedmate, or anything else.
So saith Ed. Who wrote a lot of specific, detailed, and explicit lore on these ladies that several TSR editors found TOO explicit, and “sat on” (which of course means: no, he can’t just post it here, as it belongs to TSR/Wizards). However, all scribes should gather from this that there are heterosexual, lesbian, and bisexual female drow clerics of Eilistraee, and that regardless of personal nature in matters sexual, many female drow clerics of Eilistraee live and work with other female drow clerics of Eilistraee in long-term-stable groups. One can imagine that within some of these groupings there is a lot of sex taking place, and often - - but I’d like to remind all scribes that it’s wrong to “automatically” assume such things about any stable group, such as: a family, a band of adventurers, or even a real-world football team. Just because they work together and stay together for years, it doesn’t follow that, if I may stoop to a colloquialism for a moment, they’re “all bonking each other.”
love to all,
THO
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 01 Apr 2007 : 01:55:36
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Just because they work together and stay together for years, it doesn’t follow that, if I may stoop to a colloquialism for a moment, they’re “all bonking each other.”
love to all,
THO
Wow, that's the first Moonlighting flashback I've had in ages. |
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Eladrinstar
Learned Scribe
USA
196 Posts |
Posted - 01 Apr 2007 : 05:10:17
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Well, my question was just partially answered, but this one isn't a priestess of Elistraee. She is lesbian though. This character is a female human fighter, Waterdhavian, common born. No she isn't a creepy wish fulfillment thing, she is just an experiment on the limits of my role-playing. I have played characters vastly different than me. But never before have a played a homosexual character. I chose lesbianism, because being a straight male, this is the most comfortable I can get.
My question is, how do Realms-inhabitants react to homosexuals, particularly her scenario?
Another related question. I friend tells me Llira is lesbian. Where is this stated? Or did he make it up? |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 01 Apr 2007 : 05:18:03
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quote:
Originally posted by Eladrinstar
My question is, how do Realms-inhabitants react to homosexuals, particularly her scenario?
Another related question. I friend tells me Llira is lesbian. Where is this stated? Or did he make it up?
Ed has discussed homosexuals repeatedly in the last three years. His replies are indexed in my sig. Most likely you are going to have to do a search/find for sex or sensuality.
And no, your friend isn't making it up. Faiths & Pantheons, or it's in Faiths & Avatars, says that Lliira had relations with one of her female clergy during the Time of Troubles. It's in F&P, I just checked. :) |
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 01 Apr 2007 05:24:18 |
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Uzzy
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
618 Posts |
Posted - 01 Apr 2007 : 13:25:29
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| I would have thought that the gods would be beyond such terms, really. Lliira (Two L's, Two I's) would likely have had relations with both male and female gods and even clergy, along with Sune, Sharess etc. Although yeah, Lliira is specifically mentioned as having relations with her High Revelmistress, Chlanna Asjiros, during the Time of Troubles. Her subsequent death at the hands of Loviatarians led to the creation of the Scarlet Mummers. |
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Zandilar
Learned Scribe
Australia
313 Posts |
Posted - 01 Apr 2007 : 13:27:34
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Heya,
First of all, thanks again Ed (and my lady Hooded One) for the answer re: Eilistraeean priestesses. Excellent and interesting as usual. I have nothing more to say/ask, your reply cleared up everything very nicely!
quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
quote:
Originally posted by Eladrinstar
My question is, how do Realms-inhabitants react to homosexuals, particularly her scenario?
Another related question. I friend tells me Llira is lesbian. Where is this stated? Or did he make it up?
Ed has discussed homosexuals repeatedly in the last three years. His replies are indexed in my sig. Most likely you are going to have to do a search/find for sex or sensuality.
And no, your friend isn't making it up. Faiths & Pantheons, or it's in Faiths & Avatars, says that Lliira had relations with one of her female clergy during the Time of Troubles. It's in F&P, I just checked. :)
I'd just like to add here that deities aren't humans (or any other kind of mortal), and the usual rules don't apply to them. Even among mortals there's a spectrum of sexuality... Nothing is black and white even here on Earth.
In any event, it isn't fair to call Lliira a lesbian just because she once had a sexual relationship with a female - for all we know, she's bisexual. (I'd actually put my money on her, and pretty much every deity, being both gender bending and omnisexual!) |
Zandilar
~amor vincit omnia~
~audaces fortuna iuvat~
As the spell ends, you look up into the sky to see the sun blazing overhead like noon in a desert. Then something else in the sky catches your attention. Turning your gaze, you see a tawny furred kitten bounding across the sky towards the new sun. Her eyes glint a mischevious green as she pounces on it as if it were nothing but a colossal ball of golden yarn. With quick strokes of her paws, it is batted across the sky, back and forth. Then with a wink the kitten and the sun disappear, leaving the citizens of Elversult gazing up with amazed expressions that quickly turn into chortles and mirth.
The Sunlord left Elversult the same day in humilitation, and was never heard from again. |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 01 Apr 2007 : 15:27:08
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Enthusiastic agreement.
I know that "omnisexual" nature of deities is also Ed's view (and, hey, he created the world and most of its deities). One divine ability is the ability to shapeshift and/or control the forms of one's avatars, so there's nothing in the essential natures of most deities to prevent them appearing as of either gender (or both, or none), or for that matter any species. Most CHOOSE not to "jump around" all that often, just as we real-world mortals tend to have habits re. the clothing we wear (few men search out Victorian-style petticoats to wear to the office every morning, but they COULD).
The Realms has a substantial body of both "temple-approved" (clerically acknowledged) myths and colloquial legend (tavern and old wives' tales) about deities taking various forms to trick or test mortals, or to best one another.
So, yes, it's best not to label fictional Realms deities with real-world sociological terms. :}
love to all,
THO |
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Eladrinstar
Learned Scribe
USA
196 Posts |
Posted - 01 Apr 2007 : 16:10:57
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| Thank you Hooded One and Kuje (and Ed Greewood for making the info in the first place.) |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 02 Apr 2007 : 02:03:29
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Hello again, all. A number of matters, this time. First, to the Red Walker’s query: “What does Ed do for fun when he is not reading???
His writing just seems so fun and uninhibited that it seems he must be influenced by "outside" forces!!!”
Ed and I both had a good chuckle over that. His usual replies to this are: “Skydiving sex,” and “Being a stunt man in porno movies,” but the truth is: Ed loves to eat and to drink fine wines (and certain beers), but now has a heart condition and diabetes (writers who sit for hours a day at the keyboard be warned!), and so now drinks very rarely, and eats lightly and in a healthy manner. His fun consists of: reading, writing, and chatting or gaming with witty, intelligent people. Sounds very boring, but that’s the truth. No drugs, ever (except heart and diabetes medications, and, literally, a few glasses of wine a year), and the orgies of his youth are also few and far between, now, too. He and I have lots of fun teasing each other, mind you (something Ed does with lots of friendly females), but ’tis just that: teasing.
Second, To RodOdom: no, your wiki-photo-related request isn’t out of bounds at all, and Ed will be eager to answer it. Soon.
Third, to althen artren’s query: “Hey does anybody know if there is a question limit per post? I don't want to breach any protocols here.”
I reply thus: not as far as Ed and I are concerned. However, please don’t expect Ed to reply to each and every question in a multi-query post at the same time. Some easy answers (like this one, above) will be dealt with swiftly, and others may wait years (so neither Ed nor I have “forgotten” the questions in your two posts that aren’t answered in THIS post, and Ed will get to them, in the fullness of time).
To this althen artren query: “Have you ever given out a description of your Netheril? I have read on the boards that your version was different, but haven't really seen anything on how different.” I can reply for Ed:
Ed handed in “his” version of Netheril to TSR, and they own it, which means details of it now can’t be made public anywhere without the permission of Wizards of the Coast. Neither Ed nor Wizards have any interest in publishing lore that contradicts what is now official, so Ed has contented himself with providing additional lore, down the years, that has found its way into such tomes as LOST EMPIRES OF FAERUN. More may come out in various ways in the years to come, but don’t expect to see any “sudden exposé” lore-flood.
And to althen artren’s subsequent, linked queries: “Illitran Starym made a deal with Moander so he could pull his family's moonblade without getting killed. In my version of the realms I have Moander ridding piggyback in Illitran's mind and then taking up residence in the moonblade, using its magic to keep him alive and shielding him from danger.
At the time of the Claiming, would Moander have been strong enough to survive a situation like this?
Would Corellon be "aware" of any alteration of a working of High Magic like this, and would he have reacted?
Would mortal magic or elven high magics be able to detect him in the moonblade if he is trying like hell to hide?”
Ed makes reply, thus:
Yes, Moander would have been strong enough to do this. No, Corellon would not be aware of “any” alteration of a working of High Magic, only of the vast majority of them. In other words, if Moander (or anyone else) altered a High Magic that wasn’t itself active at the time, and did it in precisely the correct manner, they would escape notice (for a while, at least).
By the preceding sentence, I am saying two things: the vast majority of meddlings WOULD be noticed, because they wouldn’t be done in “exactly” the right way to avoid attracting the deity’s attention; and, no one can alter a High Magic as it’s being cast or as it’s being discharged/taking effect without being noticed (in other words, if you change a SPELL in any other state than “hanging” [cast previously, but waiting to be triggered and “go off”], you’ll be noticed). It follows that meddling with magic items that have an ongoing existence is easier to get away with - - in the short term.
If Corellon had noticed such an alteration, yes, he would have reacted, because he would have “felt” Moander’s divinity, however feeble - - and smelling another god at work on “your own” attracts divine attention like nothing else! :}
And lastly: yes, most magical means would detect Moander’s presence, as “something odd, not part of the founding spells, and STRONG - - stronger than anything should be” in a moonblade. However, only precisely correct means of magical probing (most of which processes would expose the prober to Moander’s influence or mind-attack, or even “possession” [mental takeover, so he’d be riding their mind]) would determine that it was Moander. Moander’s longterm residence in a moonblade would begin to manifest around the blade in terms of rot, decay, and corruption (scabbards rot or rust, swordbelts and baldrics, anything the blade touches or is laid upon weathers a trifle, etc., people who handle or wield it grow skin molds or get diseases, or even suffer flesh-eating diseases).
So saith Ed. Oooh, sounds like FUN.
love to all,
THO
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AlorinDawn
Learned Scribe
USA
313 Posts |
Posted - 02 Apr 2007 : 02:49:11
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ED & THO,
I have another question about Dming the Realms. Having the same characters play on and off in our current campaign since '91 has required the replacement of a number of heads of state due to assassination, death by natural causes, etc., the rearranging and extinction of some power groups and a decent number of human NPCs who are now visibly aging or downright old who were spry and young when first introduced. I have several file folders and plastic boxes of info saved. How the hell do you keep track of it all???
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The Red Walker
Great Reader
USA
3567 Posts |
Posted - 02 Apr 2007 : 03:23:56
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hello again, all. A number of matters, this time. First, to the Red Walker’s query: “What does Ed do for fun when he is not reading???
His writing just seems so fun and uninhibited that it seems he must be influenced by "outside" forces!!!”
Ed and I both had a good chuckle over that. His usual replies to this are: “Skydiving sex,” and “Being a stunt man in porno movies,” but the truth is: Ed loves to eat and to drink fine wines (and certain beers), but now has a heart condition and diabetes (writers who sit for hours a day at the keyboard be warned!), and so now drinks very rarely, and eats lightly and in a healthy manner. His fun consists of: reading, writing, and chatting or gaming with witty, intelligent people. Sounds very boring, but that’s the truth. No drugs, ever (except heart and diabetes medications, and, literally, a few glasses of wine a year), and the orgies of his youth are also few and far between, now, too. He and I have lots of fun teasing each other, mind you (something Ed does with lots of friendly females), but ’tis just that: teasing.
So saith Ed. Oooh, sounds like FUN.
love to all,
THO
Ed & THO
Thanks for the answer, as it was all I expected and more.(Much Much More!!)
It actually explains alot......
I do not think that anyone had every seen Ed and Ron Jeremy in the same room!!
P.S. As someone who is still fairly new to Candlekeep, I appreciate your candor, straight-forward honesty and humorous answers.
You two are very giving of your time and knowledge, and I think that is a wonderful thing!
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A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka
"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -
John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 02 Apr 2007 : 15:12:23
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LOL! Well, Ed's taller than Ron Jeremy, and has a better beard - - and having the two of them together would be darned scary (for some) and deliciously fulfilling (for others).
I'll leave the guessing as to which camp *I* fall into, to all of you.
love,
THO |
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createvmind
Senior Scribe
490 Posts |
Posted - 02 Apr 2007 : 17:03:01
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| Ed looks nothing like Ron Jeremy, thank god, at least from the neck up, that's all I've seen of Ed and seen far too much of Ron from the neck down. :Shudders in disgust: |
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createvmind
Senior Scribe
490 Posts |
Posted - 02 Apr 2007 : 17:08:43
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:Makes an about face..
I've a quick (I hope) question, can a Half green dragon DeathCoil's (from Serpent Kingdom) skin be crafted into any type of armor, something similar to Nightscale (Underdark) and would that be only possible by those crafters in the Underdark who can make Nightscale to begin with? Would the skin being half green dragon grant any resistance to acid?
Ok it's no longer a "quick" question, I also wonder in your way of playing if a person takes breath damage do you damage their equipment as well or just their physical form? |
Edited by - createvmind on 02 Apr 2007 18:58:47 |
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Questions for Ed Greenwood (2007)
Topic Locked
