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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
 Posted - 24 May 2007 : 15:36:04
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Skeptic, your question: "Projects already announced (like KoMD trilogy, Grand history of the realms, Undermountain, etc.) or other projects ?" is quite understandable, but it's also one of those "Ed can't answer for NDA reasons" queries. Which stance, of course, is really an answer in its own right. 
love,
THO |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 24 May 2007 : 16:05:59
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| My thanks on the SaY06 update. Will wait to see if it appears or if either of you get word on what happened with it. |
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 - 24 May 2007 : 16:24:53
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
And an apology to all scribes: I may have misled you regarding the Spin A Yarn 06 story. Ed certainly sent it off back in October, but never received any word that it had been received (nor a bounceback of his e-mail). Exhibiting remarkable foolishness, I trusted the WotC website search function to check for it (nothing in Nov or Dec, but a hit in January), and never surfed to the actual page, to read its electronic version (I read the original when visiting Ed). Now it doesn't even show up in the search strings, so I guess it was a mislabeled flag - - or it DID get put up, but has since been lost.
Hmm. Stay tuned.
love to all,
THO
I had a feeling it may have been something like that, which was why I suggested the web error earlier.
Anyways, I'm looking forward to any news. My thanks THO.
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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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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 25 May 2007 : 02:02:48
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Hello, all. This time I bring a lore reply from the Master of the Realms to scribe Jamallo Kreen, regarding this post: “Ahem. A series of questions, Ed, if you don't mind: will you please describe for us the process of wine-making in Faerun and in the Utter East from grapes to drinking jack (or tankard or mug or -- rarely -- glass)? Wine bottles are repeatedly mentioned in Realms fiction, and I think corks have also been mentioned, but putting wine into bottles and then corking the bottles is a very advanced and sophisticated (if simple) technology, yet it exists in Faerun, doesn't it? What about in the Shou empire? Are there certain regions which are known internationally for producing fine wines? Are "vintage years" ever declared and marked on the bottles, or is the year always marked -- or never? Is wine aged in wooden casks, and if so, do some areas still use amphorae? Do wine bottles have standardized paper (or parchment or whatever) labels, unique to a particular grower or reegion or shipper? If wines are labelled, are wines from some regions or of some varieties more highly prized than others? When grape wine is transported by ship or by caravan, perhaps across hundreds of miles in varying weather conditions, how is it shipped? (In a game mechanical context, in the Conan RPG book on piracy, loot is classified according as various forms of "cargo," and in most cases a cargo common in one region is considered "uncommon" and thus ten times more valuable in some other region. Does that translate well to the Realms, i.e. if a pirate in the Dragon Reach nets a cargo of local Cormyrean wine, is he going to have a more valuable wine if he sells it in Chessenta, or is he just going to have a hold full of vinegar?)
In "civilized" cuisines, is it commonly recognized that some wines, or types of wine, go better with some foods than with others? (I insert an aside here, in light of this week's episode of "Desperate Housewives," and considering what is coming out of Maztica nowadays: a celebrated wine expert once compiled a list of foods with suggested wines to accompany the food, and the list included this entry: "Chocolate -- No wine goes with it.") To venture a bit aside, since some brandies most definitely "go" with" chocolate, is the distillation of wine into spiritous liquors practiced in Faerun, or are the various liquers sipped by the gossips of Cormyr something less than eighty proof? Aurora sells distillation equipment in her catalog's wizard's section, but has anyone ever thought to distill wine, and if so, when did that momentous breakthrough first occur? If alcohol is distilled, is it recognized as an external wound cleaner and an antiseptic (a "blood purifier," perhaps), or does it remain an alchemical curiosity?”
Ed replies:
A large series of questions, indeed. :}
I’ve covered most of these queries elsewhere in many places over many years, so I’m going to give a fast, “light” version of specific replies here; the important thing to remember is that wine-making is just as varied and sophisticated in the Realms as it is in the real-world (minus all the most modern plastic and metal apparatus), okay?
In general, wine is grown locally on poor soils (clay, hillsides, etc.) just as in the real world, grapes are gathered and pressed (by treading barefoot on them in vats), then poured through loose-weave cloth screens to get rid of most of the skins, then doctored with honey (for sugar), blending, etc. and left to ferment in wooden casks, and later (usually after harvest, as winter draws in) “aired” into pans for further blending or treatment, and transfer into smaller travelling casks and containers (such as, yes, amphorae and other clay vessels, glass bottles, “handkegs,” and so on). Wine is usually drunk by the mug (wooden or ceramic) in poor rural areas, flagon (metal cup), jack (horn or horn-shaped metal or ceramic container, the latter sorts often fashioned with “feet” to let it stand upright), or tallglass (drinking-vessel made of blown glass).
Yes, bottles are corked, or stuffed with whittled wooden corks; either sort is then sealed with wax, and sometimes then “oversealed” with pitch.
So yes, all of this goes on in the Realms. I disagree that this is a “very advanced and sophisticated technology.” Modern real-world practitioners and especially “wine snobs” have made it so, but they’re really refining or arguing over the details of very simple processes that have been done for centuries, and can be done by anyone (albeit with many “exploding bottle” and “tainted wine” disasters until one learns what to do and not to do); reeds will serve as tubing, wine won’t go bad if it’s not kept too long (and most wine in the Realms is drunk “raw” or within the same summer and autumn as it’s made), and so on. Hey, if my Dad could make wine (with me helping, as a child) and my aunts help on the farm doing it when they were four, five, and six years old, respectively, in an era before thermometers, electricity, the ability to make vacuums, and so on (as a “light sideline chore that can be entrusted to children,” it can’t be THAT sophisticated, right? And before anyone dismisses that with a comment that “the wine must have been utter swill,” I respond: occasionally, but usually it was as good or better than most of the fine wines I’ve sampled all over the world or have in my own cellar. [And believe me, I can play the “piquant and amusingly presumptuous, but with a nutty nose and a disarmingly candid bouquet of dried lavender; my refined palate detects just a hint of crisp winter mornings and a bottom of well-ripened peach” game with the best of them.]
Now with all of that said, plunging back into the Realms: the Shou empire goes in for sweeter and strong fortified drinks (the fruit, berry, and honey equivalents of zzar and mead); what many of us real-world types would term “liqueurs.” In the Heartlands, lots of “clarry” (blended wine dregs) and “winter wine” (in winter, bring out the wine to let it freeze, in containers that won’t shatter, then rake out the ice, so as to remove water and make the result stronger in alcohol) is drunk, but there are areas of upland Tethyr, Turmish, and the Tashalar known for producing fine vintages. These are indeed more highly regarded (and highly priced) than other wines, but the accent is more on prizing individual vintners whose output you come to like (and the Realms has no appellations controllees or the equivalent, passing rules about labelling or what can go in to wines).
Some producers mark years on the bases of bottles, more for “use first against spoilage” reasons than for anything else, though certain vintages are regarded as superior to others - - but although the wealthy do amass wine cellars, vintages are seldom large enough to last long (a twenty-year-old wine is more a memory than something sold for large sums, and everyone in the Realms regards wine as something for drinking and enjoying, not investing in [as a collector, over time] or rhapsodizing over).
So there are no “standardized” labels and agreed-upon definitions, though most wine is marked with a wax “vintner’s mark” (like signet-ring impression) and there will be chalk marks of the realm of origin and usually of the year. If the wine is considered special by the producer or the seller, it may get a fancy, stuck-on-with-wax paper label proclaiming it to be “Belarar’s Boldest” or whatever.
Most wine that is transported long distances is carried by ship or wagon, in casks of various sizes, from the handkeg to large one-to-a-wagon casks (and some palaces and city guild warehouses have gigantic, immobile vats into which smaller containers are emptied, for later local tapping). Again, some areas have prized wines (something that changes with wars, storms, and fashions) that are more valuable elsewhere because of scarcity and perceived quality (or snob appeal, as in “anyone of TRUE quality among the nobility of Waterdeep is ONLY drinking thus-and-so this season! Be just as grand as they are by laying down coin for some yourself!”). In general, to answer your specific example, local Cormyrean wine might fetch a few sp/cask more if sold in Chessenta, but no more than that [both lands produce abundant and generally good local wine, but nothing widely considered outstanding across Faerûn], and it will be a hold full of vinegar if it’s kept too long at sea in hot weather, or dumped on one of the Pirate Isles for a season in an attempt to sell it at the tail end of winter, when cellars are running low and good “fresh” drink is scarce, UNLESS that storage is in a cave, or buried in peat out of the sun, or otherwise controlled in temperature and humidity to acceptable ranges.
Yes, many Faerûnian cuisines recommend certain sorts of wine for cooking (drizzles, sauces, marinades, and soup ingredients) as well as accompaniments to food. (And re. the wine expert’s list tale you cite: balderdash. There are in fact books covering which wines go best with which chocolates!) Following that aside: there are indeed distilled liquors in Faerûn, and most of the said drinkables consumed in Cormyr and Waterdeep are decidedly strong (though there are also mild, low-alcohol, very sweet “dessert” sorts for hot days and light repasts). When distillation started is lost in the mists of time; it may well have been practiced by one of the races that came to Faerûn in early eras. The Realms enjoys the full range of distilled spirits as drinkables, and they and “pure” alcohols are indeed widely used as external wound cleaners and antiseptics (the Faerûnian term is “purges” or “taint-purges”). I can’t recall if a scene I wrote years ago, of a sword-wound being “sluiced clean” with drink, was edited out before print, or not - - but I do recall writing it. :}
So saith Ed. Who did indeed have a formidable cellar (I believe it’s mostly been drunk or given away now, as both he and his wife take medications that alcohol doesn’t play well with, these days), and lives near several superb wineries.
love to all,
THO
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Edited by - The Hooded One on 25 May 2007 02:06:50 |
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Mandras
Seeker
Estonia
51 Posts |
Posted - 25 May 2007 : 08:14:34
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Hello again Ed.
Thanks for Your reply about Baldur´s Gate merchant guilds. The data is truly appreciated.
Another question, if I may:
I am considering DM-ing a campaign in Amn and it´s surrounding regions (Southern Sword Coast mostly) and I am in a dire need for interesting, not well known, evil-aligned secret organization or cult to be used as main antagonist for PC-s.
The Cult I am looking for should be non-religious (it could be pseudo-religious as is the Cult of the Dragon), nor highly magical in nature (its leadership should not include high-level mages), it should be centered around humans (leader is human) and should have considerable mercantile and monetary powers. It would help if the main philosophy of the cult is strange or weird.
As my players have read a lot of Forgotten Realms materials I am looking for something that has not been published before or is mentioned very briefly in official materials.
Are there any such organizations that match my description active in Amn region?
Best Regards,
Mandras |
"The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple."
Oscar Wilde |
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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
Posted - 25 May 2007 : 19:10:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Foxhelm
quote:
Originally posted by Jamallo Kreen
I've a question regarding the Archivist class. Ed's made it abundantly clear in the past that divine spells must come for Powers (gods or powerful demons or devils), so how does the Archivist fit into the scheme of things? Is he a cleric of Oghma or Thoth or whomever, or does he cast arcane versions of divine spells, or has he sussed to the fact that all magic on Toril is Weave- (or Shadow-)weave based, and that it is possible to go through the motions of a divine spell and obtain a spell-like effect without the intervention of either deities or demons? Inquiring DMs want to know!
It has been explained with the article here:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070509
Eytan Bernstein is explaining all of the alterntive class with these articles. Included are Archivist orders to Savras, Oghma and Thoth. Including uses Archivist without using the class.
Thanks. That article was written by Eytan Bernstein, and detailed as it may be, it doesn't necessarily reflect Ed's opinion on Archivists in the Realms.
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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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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
Posted - 25 May 2007 : 19:32:02
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hello, all. This time I bring a lore reply from the Master of the Realms to scribe Jamallo Kreen, regarding this post: “Ahem. A series of questions, Ed, if you don't mind: will you please describe for us the process of wine-making in Faerun and in the Utter East
(snip)
Ed replies:
A large series of questions, indeed. :}
I’ve covered most of these queries elsewhere in many places over many years, so I’m going to give a fast, “light” version of specific replies here; the important thing to remember is that wine-making is just as varied and sophisticated in the Realms as it is in the real-world (minus all the most modern plastic and metal apparatus), okay?
(snip)
So saith Ed. Who did indeed have a formidable cellar (I believe it’s mostly been drunk or given away now, as both he and his wife take medications that alcohol doesn’t play well with, these days), and lives near several superb wineries.
love to all,
THO
I tremble in awe at thy knowledge (and thy speed this week!). Many thanks. Now my players will know that something other than mushrooms can be made into wine. 
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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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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
Posted - 25 May 2007 : 19:59:37
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Someone having penned a separate scroll about various named sea-going vessels of Faerun, I am inclined to ask what sorts of spelljamming ships one would likely find on the surface of Faerun (excluding built-for-the-sea ships with spelljamming helms)? What might a small city-state or one of the Border Kingdoms have as its initial built-for-wildspace spelljamming ship? Would it likely be the sort which can land on water and land, or just one or the other?
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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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createvmind
Senior Scribe
490 Posts |
Posted - 25 May 2007 : 21:17:08
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Hello All,
Ed I've been going over my little glossary of words and don't recall where I read the term "White arms" which signifies bladed weapons, is this a term you created? If yes what is the term for blunt weapons and piercing weapons or ranged weapons and who made it up, is it common throughout Faerun or only in certain areas?
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 26 May 2007 : 01:03:45
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Hi again, everyone! This time I bring you Ed’s response to Zandilar and Jamallo Kreen’s followups to his earlier answers to their earlier questions. First, Zandilar queried: “Quick little follow up here... What is the correct term for the male equivalent to "mistress"? Master doesn't seem right to me, since the term inherantly implies superiority (I'll bite my tongue on any further comment on why that is so, suffice it to say it's fairly obvious).
Thanks again for the answers, by the way!”
Then Jamallo Kreen posted: “The question remains, though, as to what a male who was the bedmate (but not husband) and the possible social inferior of a woman would be called? I'd think that in Cormyr and Waterdeep (especially) folk would be unwilling to introduce some bloke as "Lord Antsinpants" only because he's intimate with a woman who may very well have a title of her own. (As in my earlier post, "Her Royal Majesty, the Simbul of Aglarond ... and boy toy.") Do please enlighten us further, Master of the Green Wood, and dear Lady Herald.”
Ed replies:
Heralds use “consort” as the polite, formal, upper-class term for a male bedmate of at least a season’s standing (Lady X and said guy have been together for an entire summer or winter, and it’s now a day or more into the folllowing season).
Otherwise, the term “gallant” is used (regardless of the social standing of the male). Gallant is also preferred when “said guy” is legally married to someone else in the same realm, or when “said guy” and “Lady X” both have OTHER frequent companions. A herald or well-trained servant would use “gallant” whenever an escort is someone he hasn’t seen before (so even if it’s just for this evening, or just for this social event). Remember, there’s no disapproval attached to this, so Lady X can attend a highsunfeast (luncheon) with one gallant, an afternoon “entertainment” with another, evenfeast with a third, and a revel with a fourth, and NO ONE will think her “loose” or promiscuous (unless she goes out of her way to publicly act in a lewd manner, and of course at most revels such behavior is expected and excused), because unless she and her gallant publicly couple at an event, it is NOT assumed that they will necessarily be bedding each other; many noble friends “take” each other to events just as friends (some husbands are jealous of this, but most are not, and expect it to occur).
The one exception to the “gallant” terminology is when the “said guy” is of the female’s immediate family line (i.e. closer than cousins). This sort of courtesy escort (no matter how amorous the couple may act towards each other) is referred to as a “shield.” A herald uncertain of the status of a male escort will simply refer to him as a “companion.”
So a Waterdhavian herald might declaim, “the Lady Naryel Margaster and gallant” (if he doesn’t know the male’s name), or “the Lady Naryel Margaster and her gallant, Guildmaster Malutt Mauksoun,” or (if the male has been squiring her around for a year, and her husband has died or been missing from some years) “the Lady Naryel Margaster and her consort, Guildmaster Guildmaster Malutt Mauksoun,” or (if the male is her son or uncle) “the Lady Naryel Margaster and her shield, Lord Marthus Margaster.” If the Lady Naryel is enjoying the companionship of a man who doesn’t happen to have any title of his own (for example, a mere prentice in the Guild of Fine Carvers rather than the master of the guild), his name will simply be announced after the word “gallant.” It is customary for heralds to readily accept and announce pseudonyms, even when they know the name is false.
So saith Ed. Who I hope has now thoroughly nailed down this topic.
love to all, gallants and otherwise,
THO
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3741 Posts |
Posted - 26 May 2007 : 04:48:31
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| -Hello, all. I have a query converning the Elven deity Angharradh, the Triune goddess. Primarily Moon Elves, and Half-Moon Elves worship her as an actual deity, and not as an aspect, different persona, or misrepresentation of Sehanine Moonbow, Hanali Celanil and/or Aerdrie Faenya. Why is this? Why do most Elves, particularly Sun Elves, do not believe that Angharradh exists, and that she is a deity in her own right? (That is, of course, if she actually is a deity in her own right!) |
(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know)
Elves of Faerûn
Vol I- The Elves of Faerûn
Vol. III- Spells of the Elves
Vol. VI- Mechanical Compendium |
Edited by - Lord Karsus on 26 May 2007 04:51:32 |
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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
Posted - 26 May 2007 : 18:35:53
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Thanks, Master Ed and Lady Hooded One, for the additional information, especially that heralds and servants will knowingly use someone's pseudonym when announcing them. Which leads to yet more questions! If a servant answering a door or introducing guests becomes aware that one or more of them intend to do harm to some member of the household, what do they do or say to alert the household? If the household lacks its own guards or house mage, how do they alert the Watch to a clear and present danger within a house, especially if they can't (or won't) just bolt and run because they view themselves as guardians of the household? Mel Odom and James Lowder have given us descriptions of servants who are blasted by magic for trying to protect their masters, but not every menacing "guest" is going to be a high-powered mage, most will be blade-wielding thugs or assassins.
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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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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
Posted - 26 May 2007 : 19:39:25
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Well met!
On another scroll (http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6087) we learn that Velsharoon and Thayd were most likely either Imaskari or students of Imaskari survivors who stayed on the surface of Faerun (or maybe Halruuans who were sprung from Imaskari racial stock). I found this a shocking insight. Ed, would you please give us some (brief) background information on Thayd's and Velsharoon's early life and magical education?
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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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createvmind
Senior Scribe
490 Posts |
Posted - 26 May 2007 : 19:58:55
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| If a servant notices an assassin I doubt servant gets the chance to act upon this, by servant I assume you mean no class levels of relevance, assassin noticed by servants probably doesn't get too many jobs to begin with :) |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 27 May 2007 : 01:35:33
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Hello again, all. This time around Ed responds to a query, from Jamallo Kreen, to whit: “Well met! I've been reading The Further Adventures of Beowulf this week, and I have a question about the wintery scenes at the beginning of "B and the Wraith": when writing it, Ed, were you influenced by Algernon Blackwood's "Wendigo"? You both seem to have captured (what I imagine is) the true feel of a northern, wintery clime, whether Canada or Scandinavia.”
Ed replies:
No, although I’m familiar with Blackwood and even more familiar with the various Canadian aboriginal “horror of the wilds” tales he drew on (from, hey, growing up Canadian, knowing a lot of native people, and sitting around a lot of campfires in my youth hearing all the scary tales). When writing those scenes (which I had to edit down severely, BTW) I was influenced by my own numerous Boy Scout experiences of tramping through dark, unknown Canadian woods by night, in snowstorms. A thin crust of ice atop deep, fluffy, wallowing snow . . . or the soft, gentle, deceptively deadly warmth of downy flakes of beautiful, endlessly-falling snow swirling amid the dark treetrunks . . . ask THO sometime about walking nude (except for boots) in the winter snow, from warm cabin to another where someone she wanted to seduce was sleeping . . . :}
So saith Ed. Yes, I remember that occasion well. No, Ed was not the “someone,” but he did see me, through a window. There’s something invigorating about making love in the snow, IF YOU BRING A BLANKET TO LIE ON. Otherwise, body heat melts snow and rapidly leaves you wet and steaming, and rapidly thereafter wet and hypothermically shivering . . .
love to all,
THO
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1796 Posts |
Posted - 27 May 2007 : 03:09:14
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
There’s something invigorating about making love in the snow, IF YOU BRING A BLANKET TO LIE ON. Otherwise, body heat melts snow and rapidly leaves you wet and steaming, and rapidly thereafter wet and hypothermically shivering . . .
love to all,
THO
Ah, your words are as if they were backed by real experiences, and not mere imagination. This canadian knight can tell. |
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Cahir
Acolyte
Poland
2 Posts |
Posted - 27 May 2007 : 17:31:49
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Hello, I have some questions for Mr. Greenwood about mountain ranges in Faerun.
I'm in the middle of writing a series of articles about mountains of Faerun (in form similar to Volo's Guide series), but I'm lack of info about number of mountain ranges height. Some of them are fully detailed, but some are not, and in many cases I have difficulties to determine how high they are. So, I would be very grateful if You provide me some informations about height of following ranges:
* Adder Peaks
* Mountains of Alaoreum
* Aphrunn Mountains
* Azzirhat
* Cloven Mountains
* Cold Mountains
* Curna Mountains
* Desertmouth Mountains
* Dragonback Mountain
* Dragonspine Mountains
* Dragonsword Mountains
* Earthfast Mts.
* Earthspur Mts.
* Easting Peaks
* Fairheight Mts.
* Firepeaks
* Galenas
* Galuil Mts.
* Giantspires
* Giant's Belt Mts.
* Gnoll Peaks
* Graypeak Mts.
* Hazur Mts.
* High Moon Mts.
* Icerim Mts.
* Imperial Mount of Shoonach
* Jotunhammer Mts.
* Spiderhanut Mts.
* Lonefang Mts.
* Lost Peaks
* Luo Peaks
* Manymists Mts.
* Mistcliffs
* Moondark Mts.
* Mount Hotenow
* Mount Thulbane
* Mountains of Copper
* Nether Mts.
* Orcskull Mts.
* Orsraun Mts.
* The Peaks of Flame
* Raurinshield Mts.
* Scimitar Spires
* Smoking Mts.
* Spines of Surkh
* Thunder Peaks
* Stormsword Mts.
* Sunset Mts.
* Tching Mts.
* Storm Horns
* Trollclaw Mts.
* Unthangol Mts.
* White Peaks
I would be gratful for any sort of info about height of mountains listed above
Best Regards
Cahir_____ |
Then they summoned me over to join in with them to the dance of the death. Into the circle of fire I followed them, into the middle I was led. |
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createvmind
Senior Scribe
490 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2007 : 01:05:25
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Hello All,
Ed I'm under the assumption that the spell "Spititual Weapon" works in Faerun as a sort of extension of ones soulbond with their deity, thus I believe that you can't have more than one cast at a time, not 3 flying about flailing away, am I correct? |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2007 : 01:53:15
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Hi again, all. This time Ed tackles a bevy of short and somewhat related queries.
First, from Penknight: “Oh, I forgot to ask something that I have recently been wondering... are there plans for a 3.5 version of Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue to be released?”
Ed replies:
I am not now and never have been a salaried employee of either TSR or Wizards of the Coast, so I’m seldom privy to upcoming planned products (though I’m supposed to know all about future Realms releases; evidently some staffers know I’m supposed to be informed and others don’t). However, to the best of my knowledge, I don’t believe an “Aurora’s” is planned for 3.5 (the evidence Kuje cited about certain items that would probably be in it already appearing in other 3rd edition sourcebooks is support for this). However, I could get a surprise on this one, perhaps even tomorrow. :}
So saith Ed. To his last line, I’d add, “but don’t hold your breath,” if I’d been answering you.
On to AlorinDawn’s wider question: “Do you feel that WotC will continue to strongly support the Realms? Do you know if the sales of Realms publications are increasing decreasing, or staying the course? While I know you can only guess, I'd like to hear your thoughts on the matter. Thanks”
Ed replies:
You’ve understood my situation perfectly: I can literally only guess. We have all seen how quickly conditions can change (witness the Paizo magazines and the DL license), and it’s a truism of life that the changes will never cease. From its inception, fantasy roleplaying gaming has been no exception to that; so expect there to be more changes in the future, and you shouldn’t be disappointed.
NDAs of course prevent me from speaking in specifics, but I can say that it’s highly likely that there will be future Realms products, because I’ve been working on some of them. :}
So saith Ed again. Who now turns to this, from Skeptic: “Could Ed suggest an "From the archives" series to WoTC for the new Digital Initiative?”
Ed replies:
I can, will, and have. We’ll all just have to wait and see what the result is.
So saith Ed once more, keeping it short and sweet (because he really doesn’t have anything more to impart, yet).
And lastly, to createvmind's latest query, Ed replies:
Correct. ONE Spiritual Weapon spell active at a time, per caster, maximum. Oh, you can prepare multiples, and you can cast multiples, but the moment the second one "takes effect," the effect is a collapse of all of the caster's Spiritual Weapons and a backlash effect on the caster's soul. Result: probable unconsciousness (DM to adjudicate saving throw and DC to avoid), and unable to use any divine magic spells (or "reach" the deity when praying, including for more spells) for some time. The rash caster has bruised their soul, and temporarily can't handle attempts to use the bond. "Blackouts" if they try (including curative magics, although beneficial magics cast on them BY OTHERS will work).
And there you have it, scribes. Back with more Realmslore next time. And to Purple Dragon Knight, about the snow and the blanket: of course. All of my experiences are real.
love to all,
THO
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Edited by - The Hooded One on 28 May 2007 01:57:40 |
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Penknight
Senior Scribe
USA
538 Posts |
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createvmind
Senior Scribe
490 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2007 : 03:17:46
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| Excellent, Thanks. |
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Marquant Volker
Learned Scribe
Greece
273 Posts |
Posted - 29 May 2007 : 04:12:32
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Greetings Lady THO and Master Greenwood
I am intrigued about the armaments used in the Sword Coast's various ships either they be vessels of war,trading vessels or other(whalers?)
Some nations own Carracks and Galleons, are those equiped with smokepowder weapons?(cannons or other?)
If yes which nations have the knowledge of that technology? Do those nations expand the use of smokepowder in other parts of their military?
If not what is the way of sinking such an floating behemoth?.
Thanks in advance!
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 29 May 2007 : 15:04:29
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Hi again, scribes. This time Ed responds to createvmind’s query: “Hello All, I have a rather simple question I think, how many pages of writing does one get out of a jar of ink, do you have any exotic inks you cold speak with cost possibly, I know you mentioned something about squid ink before I think. Trying to determine when my dear PC will run out of ink since he's always writing things down yet never buying more ink.”
Ed replies:
My various PAGES FROM THE MAGES articles in DRAGON (and the later 2nd edition sourcebook of the same name, plus VOLO’S GUIDE TO ALL THINGS MAGICAL) detailed spell ink formulae for many magical (as in, suitable for writing down spells) inks. In the Realms, squid or octopus ink is one of the “base” ingredients for “better” inks, usually with the blood of some sort of mammal as a “fixative” to bond other ingredients into the ink and make it stable in hue and lasting on the page. Vegetable dyes are another base for inks, but they tend to yield inks that fade more readily, don’t “keep” as long in the bottle, and lighten in hue (as well as fading away) on the page, as well as being susceptible to smudging if the page gets damp, even years after the writing (or printing) is done.
The facetious answer to your main question is: “Well, it depends on how big the bottle is!” and the ancillary factors are: How long is it left unstoppered at a time (to dry out)? and: What sort of writing is done with it? Does a page have a sentence or two on it, or is it COVERED in closely-written ink characters?
However, let’s assume the writer is careful about stoppering the bottle when not actually writing, uses good sharp quills (so, thin but clear lines, not lots of big ink blots) and writes a “hand” of average size (16 to 20 point, in modern computer font jargon). Let’s also assume the “classic” glass ink bottle (flat bottom, round, tapering sides, meant to fit in a wooden inkwell in a desk, but provide a tube or “stem” for the quill to be tapped or scraped against, and large enough to fill an average man’s palm).
Okay, now I can answer the question: about 40 pages of fairly closely-written text. As few as 30 if there are lots of large, dark “titles,” ink illustrations, and so on; as many as 55 if a third of the pages contain lots of white space and therefore fewer lines of text. If the PC is writing down spells, one to a page (or pages, but never more than one spell sharing a page) for magical stability, and the spells are less than third level (in other words, short and without a lot of symbols), 30 pages per bottle. Third to sixth level spells, 25 pages per bottle. Higher level spells, 20 pages per bottle. (Note that “illuminated” text, gold leaf, adorned pages, “swash” calligraphy script, and the like will all “drink” ink, and lower final page-count).
There are “tall bottles” of ink used by professional scribes (picture a modern glass tumbler, made of very thick glass, or those airtight glass cylinders-with-caps-held-on-with-wires found in some bulk food stores, sold for storing pasta) that hold about thrice what an inkwell does. They will yield about 100 pages per bottle.
Certain inks can be “stretched” by adding ingredients (soot, black polish, squid ink, and so on) to a partial bottle of ink, so long as a pinch of certain ground substances, or drops of blood, are added as a “fix” (blending agent).
So saith Ed. Who in the “home” Realms campaign kept all of us Knights busy for years glomming on to stuff in our travels and adventures, to see if it could later be used in making spell inks. Don’t get him started, createvmind! He LOVES creating exotic spell ink formulae!
love to all,
THO
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 29 May 2007 : 15:21:48
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Dear Lady THO,
My ever-diligent network of spies tells me Ed was seen in Toronto this past weekend at MiniMike, the house party/con that devolved from the famous MikeCons held (in part, as one of the "two Mikes") by Hugo-winner Mike Glicksohn, and there was much chatting about future projects.
So, can you divulge anything here (or can Ed) about what he'll be writing these next few months? If NDAs forbid, I of course understand, but any hints and scraps and hand-wavings would be welcome. I'm always interested in knowing what Amazon calls "the mysterious mind of Ed Greenwood" is up to. 
Thanks! |
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AlorinDawn
Learned Scribe
USA
313 Posts |
Posted - 29 May 2007 : 15:23:40
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quote:
Originally posted by Marquant Volker
Greetings Lady THO and Master Greenwood
I am intrigued about the armaments used in the Sword Coast's various ships either they be vessels of war,trading vessels or other(whalers?)
Some nations own Carracks and Galleons, are those equiped with smokepowder weapons?(cannons or other?)
If yes which nations have the knowledge of that technology? Do those nations expand the use of smokepowder in other parts of their military?
If not what is the way of sinking such an floating behemoth?.
Thanks in advance!
Greetings Marquant Volker,
While I'm obviously not ED, I will add this; hiring a ship's mage is likely cheaper and doesn't require part of the crew to be trained to use smoke powder devices. Evocation spells like the trusty ole' fireball and summoned monsters are some ways to sink a ship that comes to mind i.e. burn the ship to it's wake or punch a hole in the hull.
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 29 May 2007 : 15:34:10
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Sorry, got interrupted while posting, and left out the reason I was spurred into querying!
Someone at the party (who struggles to put out a novel every three years or so, BTW) openly scoffed at Ed's ability to produce novels so quickly, saying he must hired people to write for him, and in the course of dismissing this obviously false belief, someone else asked Ed point-blank how many novels he'll have written or partly written or "worked a little on" within the calendar year of 2007, if things go as planned. Not game writing, just novel-length fiction. He replied that not counting The Annotated Elminster at all, he will have worked on "at least six" novels.
I'm going to start with a big assumption: that three of those are ones we already know about: Swords of Dragonfire from WotC, Dark Warrior Rising from Tor, and Dark Lord from Solaris.
If I'm right, that leaves three, all of which MIGHT be direct sequels to the three I just listed.
But then again, they COULD be new Realms novels (or even something else entirely). Hence my begging for hints. |
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Jorkens
Great Reader
Norway
2950 Posts |
Posted - 29 May 2007 : 19:46:08
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quote:
Originally posted by Blueblade
Sorry, got interrupted while posting, and left out the reason I was spurred into querying!
Someone at the party (who struggles to put out a novel every three years or so, BTW) openly scoffed at Ed's ability to produce novels so quickly, saying he must hired people to write for him, and in the course of dismissing this obviously false belief, someone else asked Ed point-blank how many novels he'll have written or partly written or "worked a little on" within the calendar year of 2007, if things go as planned. Not game writing, just novel-length fiction. He replied that not counting The Annotated Elminster at all, he will have worked on "at least six" novels.
I'm going to start with a big assumption: that three of those are ones we already know about: Swords of Dragonfire from WotC, Dark Warrior Rising from Tor, and Dark Lord from Solaris.
If I'm right, that leaves three, all of which MIGHT be direct sequels to the three I just listed.
But then again, they COULD be new Realms novels (or even something else entirely). Hence my begging for hints.
Interestingly enough, I seem to remember Moorcock writing his books in three or four days in his most hectic period during the seventies. If you count the amount of short stories and novels (although generally shorter than Ed's) most of the older sci-fie and fantasy writers were able to write it is staggering. |
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createvmind
Senior Scribe
490 Posts |
Posted - 30 May 2007 : 00:02:44
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| Sorry for not clarifying and thanks for knowing my train of thought, that greatly answers my questions as the person is indeed scribing spells. |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 30 May 2007 : 01:03:20
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Hello again, all. This time Ed answers Jorkens, re. this query: “On the subject of the Nelanther pirates. I just got to thinking; in the 2ed. Campaign setting the pirates were described as consisting mainly of humanoids, whilst later the Nelanther pirates became a human organisation. I am curious as to what where the original pirates in Ed’s campaign?”
Ed replies:
My original pirates were a wild mix of “monster-like” outcast human, orc, and half-orc crossbreeds (like the Davy Jones character in the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN movies, his “hammerhead shark” mate, and so on; human-like crossbreeds who wouldn’t likely be tolerated in most human Sword Coast settlements). The isles were where all manner of outcasts and misfits migrated to, to escape persecution. They were also where Tethyrian outlaws, and losers in various family and political feuds in Tethyr and even Amn hid themselves away.
In the strife surrounding and following the Ten Black Days of Eleint, many Tethyrians were displaced, and fled for their lives. Great numbers of them reached the Nelanther Isles where they slaughtered a lot of the existing pirates, and eventually became pirates themselves. Later, the monster conquests in Murann created a smaller wave of fleeing humans, many of whom also ended up in the Nelanther. So the humanoid to human shift isn’t a rules edition discrepancy; it’s a shift in composition of pirate ranks, over time.
So saith Ed. Creator of the Nelanther Isles and the Realms around them, who can “talk like a pirate” with the best hearties and swashbucklers. I look better than he does, though, when stripped down to just the hat and the floppy boots. 
love to all,
THO
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AlorinDawn
Learned Scribe
USA
313 Posts |
Posted - 30 May 2007 : 01:22:36
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
So saith Ed. Creator of the Nelanther Isles and the Realms around them, who can “talk like a pirate” with the best hearties and swashbucklers. I look better than he does, though, when stripped down to just the hat and the floppy boots.
love to all,
THO
THO,
Oh yeah? I guess you're comming to Pentacon with him to proove that boast, right? |
Edited by - AlorinDawn on 30 May 2007 01:23:41 |
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Questions for Ed Greenwood (2007)
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