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Zandilar
Learned Scribe
Australia
313 Posts |
 Posted - 08 Apr 2007 : 10:58:51
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Heya,
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
This is assuming, of course, that Storm possessed the same level of mastery with her special abilities that she displays later in life.
I'm not going to respond to everything, but I do want to point out that Sleep or Charm Person require either 1 level of Sorcerer, 1 level of Wizard, or 1 level of Bard. Going by a bog standard human, the minimum age for being able to cast them would be 16 for Bard and Sorcerer, and 17 for Wizard.  I wasn't thinking she'd be using her full Chosen powers, just that by the time she was having adventures, she would have had some kind of magical aptitude. (We know that Storm must have had some magical ability fairly early - there is a short story (it was in the Best of Ed anthology, IIRC), for example, involving Storm, Dove, and Laeral while they were still very young, still with Elminster - and they all had some magical aptitude then, even Dove.) |
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 - 08 Apr 2007 : 14:54:48
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Hello again, all. This time Ed responds to WalkerNinja, re. this: “Ed, I've got a party of 6 characters. They found 6 rather simple crowns buried in the tombs of orcish kings at Xul Jarak (the Sons of Gruumsh Module). So far, they rather enjoy wearing them, and found it fortuitous that they had 6 members and 6 crowns (maybe it’s fate!) Honestly, I think it’s pretty cool.
I've got three questions about crowns and crown wearing.
What would ceremonial burial crowns of the ancient orcish Thar dynasty look like? (each crown is valued at 200gp in the module, but is otherwise undescribed).
These adventurers will be headed to Cormyr soon. Are there any laws against the wearing of crowns by non-royal/noble persons in Cormyr?
These companions have a badge, but no sanctioned heraldric device. Would the heralds have issues with crown wearing by non-royal/noble persons?”
Ed replies:
Great questions! Okay, in order: orc crowns of Thar would look like this: a broad (3 inches “high”) head band of beaten gold (as a coating on a much harder metal), with the front having three “teeth” (flat-topped protrusions, like the crenelations of a castle battlements), the central tooth being taller and wider than the other two. So: heavy, not ornate or finely-worked, very visible, and sturdy. No gems, no engraving, no words or symbols etched anywhere. Good gold, but only a thin layer, hence the low value.
There are no laws in Cormyr prohibiting anyone wearing crowns (or the coronets of nobles, or the circlets of young princes or princesses) EXCEPT for wearing such a symbol OF CORMYR, if you’re not entitled to it.
In other words, a pretender or bastard offspring putting on a state crown of Cormyr (even an old crown that’s been long lost, or one taken from a tomb or Palace effigy) is committing an act of treason (penalty to be determined by the reigning monarch, or failing that, any living legitimate Obarskyr or member of a succeeding royal family, or failing that the Royal Magician, or failing that a Council of most senior nobles [[all Dukes, to begin with]]).
So anyone else, who shows up wearing any sort of crown that isn’t a crown of Cormyr, is okay (though they may earn some hard looks until onlookers, Purple Dragons, War Wizards, and Heralds are certain it isn’t a crown of Cormyr). In this case, they’ll be fine: at a glance, the crowns of Thar are far too “heavy and crude” in appearance to be mistaken for anything of Cormyr.
The Heralds will only be troubled by non-royal/noble persons wearing crowns they’re not entitled to; if adventures show up wearing crowns that are either of unknown origin (which is what those crowns of Thar will be to all local and Crown heralds; only High Heralds will be able to readily identify them, without asking where they came from), or that are theirs by known right of conquest or discovery (in other words, if said wearers are known to have slain King X of Y, and are now wearing the regal crown of Y), they will be assumed to be “all right” by all Heralds unless accusations are made otherwise. So if a local herald asks one of the adventurers where the crown came from, and figured out from the reply that it is of an extinct line of rulership in Thar, that’s fine; it’s not the lawful regalia of any current ruling house of Thar, and so can be worn as a trophy in the same way that some orcs affix the skulls or heads of foes to their shields or helms or shoulderplates of armour as “look who I felled!” adornments. Perhaps not in the best of taste, but not illegal.
The crown-adorned adventurers may well catch the eyes of a lot of ladies (and young men searching for heroes to look up to). Not to mention more than a few thieves. :}
So saith Ed. Who’s given us all a vivid mental picture (and the obvious adventure hooks) at the end, there. Good points to have cleared up, Cormyr fans!
love to all,
THO
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 08 Apr 2007 : 15:00:19
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quote:
Originally posted by Zandilar
Heya,
I'm not going to respond to everything, but I do want to point out that Sleep or Charm Person require either 1 level of Sorcerer, 1 level of Wizard, or 1 level of Bard. Going by a bog standard human, the minimum age for being able to cast them would be 16 for Bard and Sorcerer, and 17 for Wizard. I wasn't thinking she'd be using her full Chosen powers, just that by the time she was having adventures, she would have had some kind of magical aptitude. (We know that Storm must have had some magical ability fairly early - there is a short story (it was in the Best of Ed anthology, IIRC), for example, involving Storm, Dove, and Laeral while they were still very young, still with Elminster - and they all had some magical aptitude then, even Dove.)
Well, I'm not all that up on stats and such, but I do believe experience still counts for a great deal when using such abilities -- especially at such a young age. And, again, I'll note that Ed has said in the past that the 'young' Storm was considered the "wildest of the sisters", which does tell us a little about why Elminster often found it difficult to 'tame' her. That suggests youthful inexperience and, perhaps, that she was maybe a little tempted to experiment, unsupervised, with the powers at her command. And that's likely to have caused some problems at some time... especially since Storm had a tendancy to often run away.
For me, that's an convenient set-up for a youthful and inexperienced Storm to quickly find herself in a deadly situation which she can neither fully control or properly respond to.
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
Edited by - The Sage on 08 Apr 2007 15:01:22 |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 09 Apr 2007 : 01:48:07
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Hello again, all. A few quick responses this time.
First: createvmind: You’re very welcome. Keep the questions coming.
Second: Kuje, Ed agrees that it’s been far too long since he last shared with Candlekeep scribes a new selection of Realms curse words, specific to region or race or deity. Begging duly noted. He WILL get to it.
Third: to AlorinDawn, re. this: “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???”
Ed replies:
Increasingly, as my aging brain overflows (it reached “full” some years back), I can’t keep track of it all. I simply can’t.
I certainly wanted to, but I find Realmslore created by other folks than me in recent years just isn’t “sticking” in memory. I have to go back and check it again and again, and often consult with the Lore Lords of the Realms (Steven Schend, Eric Boyd, George Krashos, Brian Cortijo, and several others) to make sure I haven’t missed passing mentions or simply forgotten licensed product content (such as the various computer games).
When play in the Realms began, I used to write out salient points of all play sessions in longhand in an endless series of examination books (my father taught in a university, and “blank” examination books had to be rounded up and destroyed, except that like anyone who grew up fatherless in the lean Second World War years in rural Ontario, he held the view that one NEVER throws away unused paper [or string, or . . .]). All PC names I wrote in block caps for ease of finding them at a glance, and typical notes would run something like this:
“[Realmsdate]: FLORIN, ISLIF, and JHESSAIL went to the Old Skull to dine and meet incoming caravan for news. TORM to Lharessa’s for some paying fun, observed known Zhent agent (tall man with scarred ear, pale yellow eyes) departing through back door; did not pursue. FLORIN thought one caravan merchant might be THE SIMBUL in disguise, but “he” smilingly evaded questions. F, I, J left the inn late, and when walking to the Twisted Tower across meadow were attacked by six (?) black-clad men who gated in, and had sleep-venomed daggers. Slew four, but bodies “winked” out. Two fled through gates, JHESSAIL reduced to 4 hp and “slept,” brought to Old Skull for healing.”
(et cetera): these notes mentioned all magic items gained, lost, and used up, all PC and important NPC deaths, quotable quotes by PCs and others, NPC capsule descriptions (“red eyes, limps, untidy”) in the margins.
Now, when my recall is gone, I can re-read the notes and often be jogged into remembering whose house we were playing at, the weather, what we ate, strange things worn (or taken off!), and even jokes. And yes, I had to scribble darned fast.
Often, when THO sends me a question, my brain instantly tells me, “Oh, yes, you’ve covered that, in print [and it’ll tell me in DRAGON or in a TSR/Wizards product] or on the Wizards website, or in the home campaign.” And then my brain stops, and smiles at me, and I growl, “When and where?”
. . . And answer comes there none.
So I have to sit down and start LOOKING, growling ever more heartily. Yes, things would work better with a searchable electronic index. I have pdfs of most older Realms products that I can search (individual product by individual product) for occurrences of specific words or names, but that’s it. And I have less than no time to generate such a thing - - when there are always deadlines looming and money to be made (writing is how I feed myself, remember) and NEW Realmslore to proffer to Realms fans.
And that (big cheesy grin) is how I “keep track of it all.”
(However, certain longtime GenCon attendees will remember a night at the Safe House when a waitress who was also a devoted Realms fan stopped by my table, yanked her top up to bare her upperworks, and asked, “Remember these, Ed?” . . . And I did. After eight years, with her name and birthday and favourite character, which I obediently drew where she asked me to. Of course, she’s probably washed it off by now.)
So saith Ed. Who can relate dozens of such stories. Some of them involving me. 
love to all,
THO
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 09 Apr 2007 : 01:53:04
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| Woop on the curse words. :) |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 09 Apr 2007 : 02:08:18
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Second: Kuje, Ed agrees that it’s been far too long since he last shared with Candlekeep scribes a new selection of Realms curse words, specific to region or race or deity. Begging duly noted. He WILL get to it.
Neat!
I'm especially curious about deity-related swears and curse words, particularly for clergies of those deities that aren't regularly assumed to use such terms.
As for regions... Could Ed possibly spare a few extra tidbits on specific swears and curse worlds that perhaps may find some frequent use throughout the [or in particular] Border Kingdoms, for example?
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
Edited by - The Sage on 09 Apr 2007 02:09:48 |
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Zandilar
Learned Scribe
Australia
313 Posts |
Posted - 09 Apr 2007 : 02:09:28
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
For me, that's an convenient set-up for a youthful and inexperienced Storm to quickly find herself in a deadly situation which she can neither fully control or properly respond to.
What I disagree with is your initial premise - Jealous catty women would attack Storm and take away her ability to bear children.
It would be far more likely that a whole town would react to her strangeness, and it would be a mixed mob on her tail - after her because of their fear of her. (Remember that magic is fairly common in the Realms, and therefore there'd be a greater tollerance for it, so she'd have to have actually done something to set them off - though maybe living a long time would do it, but then we're not really talking about her teenaged adventures, then, are we?)
In any event, if we're talking by strict DnD rules, all we need to worry about is the DC of the spell, and we're only talking about commoners. No finess needed, just cast the spell and pray to Mystra it gets most of them (in the case of Sleep anyway). |
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 09 Apr 2007 02:15:30 |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 09 Apr 2007 : 02:21:24
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quote:
Originally posted by Zandilar
What I disagree with is your initial premise - Jealous catty women would attack Storm and take away her ability to bear children.
Well, there are literary examples that have shown "jealous catty women" gathering together into a mob of their own and attacking other women for engaging in some of the same activities Storm has been said to have engaged in from time to time.
Though, I should point out that I didn't mean to imply that women would solely be responsible for the attack on Storm's person. Rather, they would simply further agitate the whispers already spreading about Storm's 'strangeness' as a means of inciting the common folk of the town to either wound or permanently remove Storm from their village.
quote:
(Remember that magic is fairly common in the Realms, and therefore there'd be a greater tollerance for it...
Greater tolerance to 'some' types of magic, yes. Though, as I pointed out earlier, villagers seeing Storm as still youthful after her many years of adventures between visits to the town, would likely raise a few suspicious eyebrows -- especially if powers of longevity aren't something these villagers are accustomed to.
I don't think it's a good idea to assume that most magicks and magical types at use in the Realms will automatically be fairly well known to most common folk. There are many kinds of magic in the Realms. And as such, most common folk would likely only perceive magic through two ways:- something immediately recognisable and accepted [normal magic], or something unknown and foreign [strange magic].
quote:
...so she'd have to have actually done something to set them off - though maybe living a long time would do it, but then we're not really talking about her teenaged adventures, then, are we?)
Again, we already know some common folk were suspicious of Storm, simply because they were uncertain about her supposed longevity. This was noted in Seven Sisters. The fear the commoners felt often made them 'draw away' from Storm -- that may have been enough to 'set them off.'
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
Edited by - The Sage on 09 Apr 2007 02:27:05 |
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AlorinDawn
Learned Scribe
USA
313 Posts |
Posted - 09 Apr 2007 : 22:00:15
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Ed & THO,
Since you are jummping back into the arena of curse words/phrases and exclaimations for this or that religion, would you kindly consider covering the topic for any of the Gnomish religions?
Thanks |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 10 Apr 2007 : 02:22:04
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Hello again, fellow scribes. Ed is pleased to answer Penknight this time, re. this recent query: “I realize that I have asked a great deal of questions about Myth Drannor and all, but I would like to ask another question about Cormyr if I may, ma'am. In and around Cormyr, do they speak with 'thees' and 'thous', or is it more like every day speech here? Also, how articulate are they? How does the speech of Cormyr differ from, say, Waterdeep and the rest of the Realms? Thank you kindly, ma'am; and also thank you, Mr. Greenwood. I appreciate your time.”
Ed replies:
A pleasure, Penknight. In Cormyr, “thees” and “thous” tend to be used by heralds; folk trying to be “flowery” (such as poets, minstrels, bards, cryers, and some courtiers and amateur orators and “advocates” [nascent lawyers; folk paid to eloquently speak for those unable to unwilling to do so, before magisters, at trials, and to courtiers] seeking to give an impression of being learned or cultured or long-established); and older folk, the grandsires and great-grandsires [and granddams and great-granddams].
Most folk in Cormyr are quite eloquent, but more plain-spoken (see my novels SWORDS OF EVENINGSTAR and ELMINSTER’S DAUGHTER, the “modern-Realmstime” scenes in CORMYR: A NOVEL that Jeff Grubb and I wrote together, DEATH OF THE DRAGON that Troy Denning and I co-wrote, and for that matter, the forthcoming SWORDS OF DRAGONFIRE, for examples). Rural Cormyreans tend to speak more slowly and softly than folk of Marsember and especially Suzail - - which have the swift, loud, and sharp tones of any larger city in the Heartlands, like most of Sembia and Waterdeep - - but only the northeast (Arabel and beyond) has a broad, “backcountry” [ some modern real-world people might say “hick”] sound that some Suzailans sneer at.
So saith Ed. Note that his reply here touches on AlorinDawn’s recent (and still unanswered) query about accents, and his (ditto, ditto) question about making areas seem different during play, too.
love to all,
THO
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Iakhovas
Acolyte
Germany
13 Posts |
Posted - 10 Apr 2007 : 05:54:04
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quote:
Originally posted by AlorinDawn
Ed & THO,
Since you are jummping back into the arena of curse words/phrases and exclaimations for this or that religion, would you kindly consider covering the topic for any of the Gnomish religions?
Thanks
Oh yes, and could you include dwarven and elven as well? Thayan and Calishite exclamations will be most welcome, too.
Also Ed, I've checked for my FR campaign the various coinage used in Faerûn and the only ones I've got are Waterdhavian, Sembian, Cormyrean, some underwater currency used in the Moonsea area, old Cormanthyr coins and Gond bells. I found this info in the FRCS. However, it is not complete.
If you would be so kind as to tell what the names and the descriptions of coins minted in the following nations/city-states:
1. Thay
2. Halruua
3. Aglarond
4. Calimshan
5. Amn
6. Tethyr
7. Lantan
8. Silverymoon
9. Damara
10. Impiltur
11. The Vast
12. Chult
13. Luskan
14. Westgate
15. Darkhold
16. Shade
17. Rashemen
18. Chessenta
19. Mulhorand
20. Neverwinter
21. Moonshae Isles
22. The Shaar
23. The Moonshaes
And on and on .... *sheepish grin* I'm a huge fan of using (some would say) "nice but useless" lore in all my games. I make my PCs go to money changers when they travel, so it would also be nice to know the ongoing exchange rate (if there is one).
Thanks for your time. |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 10 Apr 2007 : 06:25:46
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This 2006 file, at the end, has a list of coins that has been posted on Keep more then once. :)
http://www.candlekeep.com/library/articles/misc_lore_2006.htm |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 10 Apr 2007 : 06:53:51
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Actually, I've got a few more references to include with those I previously added to Faraer's original listing. They're picked up from recent novels [Erik's Depths of Madness for example] and such.
I may just send them to you Kuje and you can include them in the compiled reply files in time for the next Candlekeep Update.
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 10 Apr 2007 : 07:17:38
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| Sure, or I can resend that file to Alaundo with the updated info. :) |
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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Wenin
Senior Scribe
585 Posts |
Posted - 10 Apr 2007 : 13:06:31
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There are several references in sourcebooks about how the Citadel of the Raven is used to defend against attacks from Thar. Looking at the lay of the land, it doesn't seem like that should be the case, unless the Stojanow River is a very hazardous crossing for orc & ogre armies. However the northern route that would take an army through the Citadel has its own hazards, barbarian horsemen, and a longer march.
What are the factors that make the Citadel of the Raven a good defense against armies from Thar? |
Session Reports posted at RPG Geek.
Stem the Tide Takes place in Mistledale.
Dark Curtains - Takes place in the Savage North, starting in Nesmé. I wrapped my campaign into the Hoard of the Dragon Queen, but it takes place in 1372 DR. |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 10 Apr 2007 : 15:40:23
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AlorinDawn, I'm afraid Ed's "Gnome Talk" work is NDA'd at the moment (although you MAY in the fullness of time see it on the Wizards website).
Wenin, your query about the Citadel arises purely as a result of the "redrawing of the maps" that occurred in 3e. If you consult Ed's original maps, it's much clearer as to why the Citadel was the base of operations (for mounted patrols to accompany caravans against raiders out of Thar, remember, NOT massed armies duking it out with massed armies of orcs and ogres) for defending the cities of the Moonsea northshore.
To quote Ed (from the notes he furnished TSR back in 1986, which had earlier been given to we players as part of a "player pack" of background info):
The Citadel has been primarily a base and retreat-refuge, not a fortress any foe musters an army against and comes looking to besiege. Thar was more of a land of rivals all raiding on their own than it was ever a regimented realm with any sort of organized military. Its warriors generally took to the field in more of a "vast, howling mob" that was to be feared for sheer numbers and savagery than tactical skill or cunning. Such musterings were rare; usually Thar was the source of endless raiding bands, all operating independently of each other (and in recent years, preying on mining caravans). If the caravans stayed too close to the mountains on the east, the orcs infesting those mountains swarmed and annihilated them - - so most went far to the west, and tried to dodge the far less numerous ogre raiding bands.
That last sentence should make it clear why the Citadel was and is useful, situated right where it is. And why, by controlling it, Zhentil Keep was able to acquire most of the wealth and dominance among the northshore Moonsea cities.
Iakhovas, I understand your hunger for lore, but Ed has actually covered much of the coinage you ask about, here at the Keep. Follow the link Kuje has helpfully provided, and there's quite an impressive list already provided. Coinage, like matters of the gods, seems to be something Candle-bearing scribes can't get enough of, and keep asking about.
love,
THO |
Edited by - The Hooded One on 10 Apr 2007 15:44:23 |
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Wenin
Senior Scribe
585 Posts |
Posted - 10 Apr 2007 : 16:43:33
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Ah, I see my base assumption that the Citadel was made to defend the lands south of it from invasion was where I went wrong.
Thanks!! |
Session Reports posted at RPG Geek.
Stem the Tide Takes place in Mistledale.
Dark Curtains - Takes place in the Savage North, starting in Nesmé. I wrapped my campaign into the Hoard of the Dragon Queen, but it takes place in 1372 DR. |
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Penknight
Senior Scribe
USA
538 Posts |
Posted - 10 Apr 2007 : 23:24:13
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Thank you very much! That information was exactly what I was looking for. quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hello again, fellow scribes. Ed is pleased to answer Penknight this time, re. this recent query: “I realize that I have asked a great deal of questions about Myth Drannor and all, but I would like to ask another question about Cormyr if I may, ma'am. In and around Cormyr, do they speak with 'thees' and 'thous', or is it more like every day speech here? Also, how articulate are they? How does the speech of Cormyr differ from, say, Waterdeep and the rest of the Realms? Thank you kindly, ma'am; and also thank you, Mr. Greenwood. I appreciate your time.”
Ed replies:
A pleasure, Penknight. In Cormyr, “thees” and “thous” tend to be used by heralds; folk trying to be “flowery” (such as poets, minstrels, bards, cryers, and some courtiers and amateur orators and “advocates” [nascent lawyers; folk paid to eloquently speak for those unable to unwilling to do so, before magisters, at trials, and to courtiers] seeking to give an impression of being learned or cultured or long-established); and older folk, the grandsires and great-grandsires [and granddams and great-granddams].
Most folk in Cormyr are quite eloquent, but more plain-spoken (see my novels SWORDS OF EVENINGSTAR and ELMINSTER’S DAUGHTER, the “modern-Realmstime” scenes in CORMYR: A NOVEL that Jeff Grubb and I wrote together, DEATH OF THE DRAGON that Troy Denning and I co-wrote, and for that matter, the forthcoming SWORDS OF DRAGONFIRE, for examples). Rural Cormyreans tend to speak more slowly and softly than folk of Marsember and especially Suzail - - which have the swift, loud, and sharp tones of any larger city in the Heartlands, like most of Sembia and Waterdeep - - but only the northeast (Arabel and beyond) has a broad, “backcountry” [ some modern real-world people might say “hick”] sound that some Suzailans sneer at.
So saith Ed. Note that his reply here touches on AlorinDawn’s recent (and still unanswered) query about accents, and his (ditto, ditto) question about making areas seem different during play, too.
love to all,
THO
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Telethian Phoenix
Pathfinder Reference Document |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2007 : 01:31:56
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Well met again, gentles. This time Ed tackles a question from AlorinDawn: “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 replies:
Well, I can try. :}
These work for me, because I’ve always used an “acting, roleplaying” style. I’m constantly describing what the PCs’ surroundings look like, and I’m always acting NPCs (yes, with “funny voices”). In general, if you remember to have rainstorms (and describe them), mention the sunrises and sunsets, and so on, you underscore for players that time is passing. If they’re on the move, be sure to describe the landscape unfolding, from time to time. Caravan masters and some tavernmasters and innkeepers may tend to “speak the same Common, the same way” in many places in the Realms (just as, say, staying at Real World Hotel Chain A can be very similar in New York, Toronto, and Berlin), but other places do have accents and “manners of speaking.”
I’ll leave the accents for answering your question on accents, but mannerisms can be used even if you deliver every NPC’s speech (regardless of age, gender, or race) in the same (your own) voice. The differences can be heightened if you use different voices, of course.
In general, I make Southern speech faster and more fluid, with a lilt and more pronounced “S” sounds. Think of it as the difference between French or Spanish or Italian or English spoken with a Puerto Rican accent versus clipped Germanic or Scottish (or John Wayne’s “Yup. Nope.”). One FLOWS more than the other.
To this, add local figures of speech. Perhaps, in your Realms, people from Waterdeep always add, “You see? You see again?” instead of “Umm.” to their conversation, whereas folk from Amn instead add. “No?” and Cormyreans say, “Sort of thing” and Sembians say, “Yes?”
So when your party’s fighter would say, “Blast my bones, it’s started to rain.”
A merchant in or from Waterdeep says, “Ah, you see again; it’s started to rain.”
And a merchant of Cormyr says, “Ah, blast, we’ll all be wet again; RAIN, sort of thing.”
And the Sembian says, “Urh. Rain, yes?”
Whereas the Amnian says, “The sky falls on us again, no? Always happens about now, no?”
Now, it’s easily possible to overdo this and drive your players nuts, but if you have TWO OR THREE characters in a new place (preferably with different voices, like a croaking or gravelly old geezer, a sort-spoken chambermaid or tavern lass, and a deep-voiced, hearty innkeeper) ALL use the same mannerism, your players will start to “feel” the new place (as different from the one they’ve just come from).
My longtime players instantly know, when their characters have stepped through a gate, where they’ve arrived, if they can hear locals talking - - just by years of hearing me use local colloquialisms (expressions and uniquely local uses of words, that have other meanings elsewhere; for instance, “Scroll them!” in Amn or Sembia means launch legal proceedings against, or a complaint to the authorities about, “them,” whereas in Waterdeep and Cormyr it means “teach them to write”) and mannerisms.
If you combine these elements with accents, you should be able to vividly nail down “different places” as distinct from each other in your players’ minds (again, travelling merchants, pilgrims, other adventurers, and so on are exceptions to “localspeak”). And if you do what RodOdom’s Wiki photo suggested, and have a few visual aids for players about what places look like (hint: if there’s architecture, make sure big civic and fortress buildings look different from place to place!), that, too, will help them “feel the difference.”
Good luck, and you’re quite welcome re. the beasties. :}
So saith Ed. A superb DM (for us, anyway; I love watching him act, even if he is a ham).
love to all,
THO
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2007 : 01:44:00
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Wenin, I feel I should elaborate a little re. the Citadel of the Raven.
The Citadel wasn't initially built to defend the Moonsea cities from Thar, but rather to safeguard the mining-caravan routes (the main reason for the continued existence of those cities).
However, it has been used to aid in their defense ever since, as a base from which mounted warriors can ride out to either battle armies ("raids in force") heading south before they reach the walls of those cities and manage to isolate them save for naval travel (risky to impossible in winter months, remember, and at any other time of year there are often too few ships at hand to evacuate a doomed city or rush enough reinforcements, food, and weaponry in, in time).
Even more importantly, forces based in the Citadel can sally forth to attack orc or ogre armies from the rear - - and have done so on several occasions, to devastating effect. This made elders in Thar and among the orcs of the mountains very wary of trying to conquer cities (so armies were never mustered; only the boldest local rulers mounted raids). It also made the flind and ogres both believe the Citadel had to be defeated before any attacks on the Moonsea cities could succeed.
So in two ways, the Citadel provided a buffer for those coastal cities, to keep orcs, ogres, and flind from continually surrounding their walls and harrassing everyone dwelling therein.
Sorry for lengthy gabbing. 
love,
THO |
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2007 : 18:31:54
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Another Cormyr question, if I may.
Remember your "quickie" questions, from December? :}
It's something I could easily make up for myself, but I'd love to have "Ed's official" if he's got it.
I'm looking for some local tax collectors and police/Watch for Marsember; names and ranks of a handful of guys and gals who'd operate at street level, actually going into shops to say, "Hey, you haven't paid, so pay up."
Ed? THO? Please...
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 12 Apr 2007 : 00:07:00
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Hi again, Candlelit scribes. I bring you once more the words of Ed of the Greenwood, this time in response to Jamallo Kreen, who asked: “FRCS indicates that most PCs might learn a lot of languages, depending on their species and home region. But those are PCs. How many languages would an average person in Faerun know? Would "Common" even be common among those living in very rural or xenophobic areas?”
Ed replies:
The average rural person in Faerûn would know the local language of their region or race (and usually a local dialect of that, too, meaning “a subset of words and speech-pattern mannerisms/sayings understood locally but not elsewhere”), and a smattering of Common (or more, depending on how often they come into contact with travelling merchants).
In other words, almost everyone can say “Yes, No, Friend, Foe, Eat, Need, Water, Help, Hurt, Warning, [names of races, from orcs through humans, plus the “big in legend” monsters like skeletons, dragons], now, soon, tomorrow, sunrise, sunset, cold, hot, danger, safe, trap/hazard, too high, too low, let’s dicker, weapon, attack.”
A rural person living in a village on a steadily-used trade-road would know far more, whereas one living a village farther away from the road might not - - but anyone who regularly traveled from remote steadings and hamlets to market, or to stop over at a tavern, in that village on the trade-road would know at least a “rough working vocabulary” in Common (though stay-at-homes in his/her same household might not).
So saith Ed. Creator of the Realms and thoughtful world-builder.
love to all,
THO
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Hawkfeather
Seeker
Brazil
64 Posts |
Posted - 12 Apr 2007 : 01:44:24
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Hello again, Ed (and, of course, THO).
I've been reading (again) the 2nd edition soucerbook "The City of Ravens Bluff". The book says that dwarves (along with elves and humans) created a "steel whose bite was poison to orcs"; it is called orcslayer. I'd like to know more about it. What does it look like? How exactly does it affect orckind (half-orcs, mountain orcs and gray orcs)? It seems that this metal is not magical in nature (just very virulent), so I'm assuming that its effects are very different from the bane ability that can be enspelled on magical weapons. Is skin contact sufficient to harm an orc or is necessary to have blood contact (making bludgeoning weapons useless)? And, please, could you give us some clues about the process of making it and some of the necessary materials?
Thanks in advance! |
Edited by - Hawkfeather on 12 Apr 2007 12:38:55 |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 13 Apr 2007 : 02:34:38
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Hail and well met again, fellow scribes. This time I bring you Ed’s answer to thom, re. this query: “We're having a discussion about tobacco & snuff in another thread; have the Knights ever run across cigar-chomping or snuff-snorting NPCs? If yes, can you give us a rough idea of how much more Ed charged for cigars and snuff as compared to tobacco smoked in pipes?
If you can't remember, then could you please pass this on as a question to Ed? Thanks much!”
Rather than meandering through Knightly memories, when we have THE font of Realmslore at hand, I passed this straight to Ed, and he replies:
As can be seen in the Knights trilogy, the ornrion of the Purple Dragons widely known as “Dauntless” smokes cigars. Several of the Harpers who gathered betimes in Storm’s kitchen also smoked cigars, and many nobles in Waterdeep the Knights saw or met took snuff.
As can be seen in AURORA’S WHOLE REALMS CATALOGUE, imported Maztican cigars are a princely 10 gp each (in 2nd Edition terms); less superb ones (but still sold as outstanding luxuries) from various places in mainland Faerûn are 2-6 gp each; caravan merchants of course sell all manner of inferior “raspers” (from prices starting at 2 sp each, and rising to about 1 gp each) that don’t pretend to be anything special, and are usually sneered at as “rolled old leaves of indeterminate origin.” However, in many villages in the Heartlands, such concoctions, sometimes soaked in the dregs of wine-bottles or small beer jugs, to take on the flavor of those leavings, are what cigars ARE.
Snuff tends to run about 1 gp for enough to fill a large man’s palm (or a biggish snuffbox), and rise to as much as four times that if exotic things (e.g. umber hulk liver, ground dragon tongue) are, or are purported to be, added to the mixture.
So saith Ed. Who does NOT smoke. Elminster does, yes, but Old El is NOT Ed.
love to all,
THO
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Iakhovas
Acolyte
Germany
13 Posts |
Posted - 13 Apr 2007 : 08:03:01
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
As can be seen in the Knights trilogy, the ornrion of the Purple Dragons widely known as “Dauntless” smokes cigars. Several of the Harpers who gathered betimes in Storm’s kitchen also smoked cigars, and many nobles in Waterdeep the Knights saw or met took snuff.
As can be seen in AURORA’S WHOLE REALMS CATALOGUE, imported Maztican cigars are a princely 10 gp each (in 2nd Edition terms); less superb ones (but still sold as outstanding luxuries) from various places in mainland Faerûn are 2-6 gp each; caravan merchants of course sell all manner of inferior “raspers” (from prices starting at 2 sp each, and rising to about 1 gp each) that don’t pretend to be anything special, and are usually sneered at as “rolled old leaves of indeterminate origin.” However, in many villages in the Heartlands, such concoctions, sometimes soaked in the dregs of wine-bottles or small beer jugs, to take on the flavor of those leavings, are what cigars ARE.
Snuff tends to run about 1 gp for enough to fill a large man’s palm (or a biggish snuffbox), and rise to as much as four times that if exotic things (e.g. umber hulk liver, ground dragon tongue) are, or are purported to be, added to the mixture.
Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue? How come I've never heard of this DnD accessory? Is it hard cover like most DnD manuals? And what exactly does it cover? Some lore of the entire Toril, including info about cigars? Wow! Cool beans ... *going to stop by our local fantasy shop to buy it!*
P.S. Btw, MUCH thanks to Kuje who, without his help in providing me with realms lore, I would be lost. Thank you for taking the time to catalog lore. Candlekeep is so chaotic that it's difficult to search for things in here. That'a one of my pet frustrations about this place. Ah, but I'm ranting. Forgive me. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 13 Apr 2007 : 10:23:03
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For me, flipping thru Aurora's Whole Realms Catalog was always an essential part of character creation.... Even if the campaign was home-brew! It was due to that catalog that my minotaur character developed his trademark love of beer.  |
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 - 13 Apr 2007 : 15:36:19
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quote:
Originally posted by Iakhovas
P.S. Btw, MUCH thanks to Kuje who, without his help in providing me with realms lore, I would be lost. Thank you for taking the time to catalog lore. Candlekeep is so chaotic that it's difficult to search for things in here. That'a one of my pet frustrations about this place. Ah, but I'm ranting. Forgive me.
No problem, that's one of the reasons why I started my files. :) I know, the ToC/Index isn't the best but it's better then nothing....
Note also that some of the items from Aurora's appear in the 3e Arms & Equipment Guide sourcebook. |
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 13 Apr 2007 15:36:57 |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 14 Apr 2007 : 01:02:52
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Hello again, all. This time Ed responds to this interesting query from Athenon: “I've been following Wolfgang Baur's Open Design projects at Live Journal. For those that don't know, he's taking commission from patrons to create adventure products in small print runs and in PDF format. I was wondering if Ed had ever considered doing something like that. It might be a way to get products out that might otherwise not see the light of day through Wizards... Thanks!”
Ed replies:
Yes, I have been following Wolf’s projects (initially hearing of it through Jeff Grubb, and shortly thereafter Steven Schend; hence the blurb from me Wolf quoted) with interest for some time; Wolf contacted me as to the best “in Realms” location for one adventure.
I think (with a great game designer AND editor rolled into one, like Wolfgang Baur, doing it) it’s a brilliant idea and a great service, and the one area in which small operations and PDF have it “all over” traditional print gaming publishing (with the admitted Achilles heel that I face: having too primitive a Net connection for electronic payment, and being in another country with a different currency; I’m waiting for Wolf to visit GenCon or another con in the U.S. I also happen to be attending, so I can hand him a wad of American cash and get signed up for a bunch of these - - not so much because I want to play through them, as it is that I love to watch game design decisions being made and a design taking shape; and if it’s in response to subscriber demands, it will fascinatingly “open” in its unfolding functionings).
Now, with all that said, I for several years wrote custom fantasy short stories (most of them grew into novelettes and novellas, because I’m long-winded) for charity auctions at gaming conventions, handing the finished work AND copyright to the auction winner, after I’d written a tale with their specified character, plot element, and sometimes an item or situation, too, in it. I loved doing those, even though they ate literally months out of my “earning a living” creative time.
However, I completely lack the time to do such a thing myself right now (what with all the novels and game products and articles and consulting I’m doing, to earn a living), and of course couldn’t do anything Realms-related except through Wizards. So, I’ll just watch Wolf, and enjoy . . .
So saith Ed. I, too, like to watch (she purred), when I’m not the one doing things worth watching (she winked).
love to all,
THO
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 14 Apr 2007 : 03:59:53
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Geee, whooo, Pretty Lady Hooded, you sure know how to make things warm in here . . .
Another lore question for the Master: what sort of reputation does Caladnei enjoy, "right now" (published Realms time) with the younger generations of Cormyr's nobles (20-ish to children)? I know nobles don't tend to look too kindly on Mages Royal, but I suspect she's not feared nearly as much as Vangey.
Thanks! |
Edited by - Blueblade on 14 Apr 2007 04:01:02 |
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Questions for Ed Greenwood (2007)
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