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Silverstar1610
Acolyte
United Kingdom
4 Posts |
 Posted - 11 Jul 2007 : 15:10:50
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Hi Ed,
I'm new to the forum, and I haven't ranged over it very widely. I'm also not yet a great scholar of Realmslore, so this question might have been answered elsewhere. If so, sorry, and a prod in the right direction would be greatly appreciated :)
What would be involved in a Sunite wedding ceremony?
Thanks in advance for any response. |
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2007 : 15:14:08
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Another Cormyr question, if I may.
I figure that wagon shipping between Cormyr and Sembia is heavy and fairly constant (except when deep winter snows hamper). But how frequent is overland shipping in the other direction: from Sembia west (both to the Sword Coast, and just "around the end of" the Lake of Dragons to the south shore of the western Sea of Fallen Stars. Or is it all, despite Westgate and piracy, waterborne, with westward caravans all mustering in Teziir and the other ports on the southern shore?
Thanks! |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2007 : 15:40:08
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quote:
Originally posted by Silverstar1610
Hi Ed,
I'm new to the forum, and I haven't ranged over it very widely. I'm also not yet a great scholar of Realmslore, so this question might have been answered elsewhere. If so, sorry, and a prod in the right direction would be greatly appreciated :)
What would be involved in a Sunite wedding ceremony?
Thanks in advance for any response.
It has not and I hope Ed answers this because some of us are still begging for more info on the ceremonies of the deities. Yeah, I know Ed, it's a old subject but some of us want that 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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Drunken Master
Acolyte
USA
39 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2007 : 15:46:52
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Well met, Ed & THO,
I have a question regarding one of my favorite adventures ( and one of the first ones I ever ran): the "School of Wizardry" adventure from the FR Gray Box. I'm updating the adventure and using it in my 3.5 Myth Drannor campaign, and after having searched the web and various FR sources, I can't find a definitive answer as to just which school old Azimer the lich lairs under. Is there an "official" location for this adventure, such as The Irithlium or Six Tyryl Towers? AND, can you supply any additional lore about Azimer other than what is presented in the adventure?
Thanks!  |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2007 : 16:16:43
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quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
quote:
Originally posted by Silverstar1610
Hi Ed,
I'm new to the forum, and I haven't ranged over it very widely. I'm also not yet a great scholar of Realmslore, so this question might have been answered elsewhere. If so, sorry, and a prod in the right direction would be greatly appreciated :)
What would be involved in a Sunite wedding ceremony?
Thanks in advance for any response.
It has not and I hope Ed answers this because some of us are still begging for more info on the ceremonies of the deities. Yeah, I know Ed, it's a old subject but some of us want that info! :)
Indeed. Unfortunately, wedding ceremonies are one of the many neglected ceremonies/rituals that Ed's never had much opportunity to detail, officially, through the Realmslore. He did share with us partly detailed ceremonies involving the faiths of Sharess and Lliira however. They're in his compiled replies here at Candlekeep. And there is also the Tymoran ceremony in Ed's Spellfire.
Additionally, Silverstar1610, here's another bit from Ed, taken from the FR Mailing List in Oct. '03, that may prove useful in the time between now and Ed's reply -
"[I]t depends on the faith and the individual church. Formal marriages (i.e. with written contracts and witnesses, as opposed to a simple private ceremony followed by a party if the couple want it/can afford it) are rare among those who don’t have significant wealth or land to pass on. Some faiths assume a marriage is forever (most of these have been amended to “until death,” to prevent undead terrorizing the living by insisting on returning to the house and climbing into bed with them), but most ARE, as you speculate, based on “for as long as love lasts.” In some places and faiths, this leads to a swinging lifestyle, but in most places, the public disapproves of those who abandon spouses without good moral reason (the only difference I see between most of the Heartlands of the Realms and the prevalent real-world modern Western society view is that in the Realms, short-term or seldom-consummated affairs aren’t seen as sufficient “moral reason” to end a marriage). Spouse-beating, however, IS. One is expected to remain with a spouse, and tend them in illness or dying. (And yes, there are a fair number of caravan merchants who have wives in various cities, usually without one knowing about the others, though a few even write back and forth, or journey with the merchant from time to time, to visit each other.)
Formal marriages always have SIMPLE clauses outlining what happens to lands and goods when a union ends, and many weddings involving nobility insist on both parties formally and in writing (with priests using magic to make sure the participants aren’t being magically compelled to act in a certain way, blackmailed, or coerced by drugs or other means) ending the marriage, not just one—so spouses who hate each other can keep each other bound in marriage (unless one manages to have the other killed, a risky proceeding because in Cormyr, Sembia, Waterdeep, Silverymoon, and most other “civilized” places, the slayer of a spouse forfeits all property to the government).
Again, there are faiths (those closely tied to nature in particular) who conduct and recognize both “forever” and “short-term” marriages (usually “two summers,” “three summers” or “ten summers”), which may of course be renewed. The clergy of Siamorphe from time to time conduct “overnight” marriages, allowing one-night stands to be legal and divinely approved, but always publicly renounce this practise when angry kin complain to governing authorities . . . only to quietly resume it again, elsewhen."
'Twas also included in the '04 compiled replies from Ed.
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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 11 Jul 2007 16:18:46 |
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Silverstar1610
Acolyte
United Kingdom
4 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2007 : 16:34:03
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The Sage,
Thanks. I haven't ploughed my way through all of the threads yet, so I hadn't come across that bit of information yet :)
Kuje,
This is the kind of thing I'm fascinated by, the everyday details of the common folks' lives. And I've often wondered why it's so hard to find details of clerical ceremonies and so on, so I guess, now I know!
The reason I'm asking is because of a character of mine on a NWN persistant world, who married a Sunite paladin. Due to the circumstances of their lives at the time, they had a very brief, short, simple ceremony, but I'm intrigued as to what sort of ceremony they would have had if things had been different.
Hello to everyone, and thanks for being so friendly, by the way :)
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Zandilar
Learned Scribe
Australia
313 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2007 : 00:35:16
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Heya,
I was just musing about a story I have just finished writing (fan fiction that's not likely to see the light of day anywhere - it's not a shining example of my work, I'm afraid), when I realised I'd forgotten to include the protagonist's familiar at any point in the story - despite including one in her write up.
So thus my questions - why is it that almost all of the wizards and sorcerers of note in the Realms don't seem to have familiars? I can think of one or two notable exceptions (Tessaril Winter, Lady Lord of Eveningstar), but as a general rule, familiars seem fairly rare. Is this simply because the only wizards and sorcerers we see write ups for, or who make appearances in stories don't have them, but really familiars are quite common? Or is it because they really are rare?
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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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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2007 : 01:02:15
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quote:
Originally posted by Zandilar
Heya,
I was just musing about a story I have just finished writing (fan fiction that's not likely to see the light of day anywhere - it's not a shining example of my work, I'm afraid), when I realised I'd forgotten to include the protagonist's familiar at any point in the story - despite including one in her write up.
So thus my questions - why is it that almost all of the wizards and sorcerers of note in the Realms don't seem to have familiars? I can think of one or two notable exceptions (Tessaril Winter, Lady Lord of Eveningstar), but as a general rule, familiars seem fairly rare. Is this simply because the only wizards and sorcerers we see write ups for, or who make appearances in stories don't have them, but really familiars are quite common? Or is it because they really are rare?
Well, going through the 3/3.5e NPC's, almost all of the sorcerers/wizards have a familiar. I know that they were rare in the 1e/2e lists but now there's tons of them. :) |
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 Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2007 : 02:40:17
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Hi again, fellow scribes. Ed responds to Zandilar this time, specifically her query: “Heya, A quick question, but probably not a quick answer...
How do people become clerics (or druids, or rangers, or paladins, or any other class that derives it's power from divine favour)? Do people just decide to become a cleric and enroll in the local priest school? Or do they receive some sign from their deity, some calling that they can't ignore? If it's the latter, I suppose it would vary from deity to deity, but are there any sort of common themes to the calling/sign?
Edited to add: Oh, and is it possible for a divine related class character to serve more than one deity? I'm looking at Qilue here, but she's quite different to your run of the mill PC type.”
Ed replies:
The short answer to your first question is: it varies. Usually the person (growing up in a world where many deities exist and are worshipped, remember) has reached puberty and started to receive vivid dream-visions from various divine servants. If they respond to some visions (desire to see more, and ask local clergy or deity-tied persons such as temple guards, paladins, hermits, and so on about the visions or about a particular deity) in the right ways, more are sent, and the person chooses to respond. No one is “forced” into worship or holy service.
The person then “steps forward” to contact a temple, passing preacher, or undertake a vigil at a known holy site to receive more guidance (a vigil will result in more vivid dreams or a manifestation [visible sign, such as Lathander’s holy glow coming briefly into existence around the person’s head and upon the altar or holy stone, marker, or site]). They then make contact with the organized church, and each faith has its own way of taking in supplicants - - in some cases, it varies from temple to temple.
And yes, it IS possible for a “divine related class character to serve more than one deity.” It’s rare, both due to the nature of worship/devotion and the rarity of close divine “sharing,” and it MUST be a matter of extensive roleplaying. As a result, the DM must want to explore this as much as the player, so for it to successfully be incorporated into a campaign, the DM must have the say over whether or not he or she wants to explore this (allow it). “Serving two masters” is never easy, and should result in ongoing moral dilemmas, tests, and the occasional tug-of-war between the two deities over the deeds and loyalties of the character. It can form a great “heart” for a one-on-one (one player and one DM, or at most two players and a DM) campaign, however.
So saith Ed. THE Creator, and therefore the expert on the deities of the Realms. (Though Eric Boyd and Julia Martin, to name just two, are no slouches in this regard either.)
love to all,
THO
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Zandilar
Learned Scribe
Australia
313 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2007 : 08:49:50
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Heya,
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hi again, fellow scribes. Ed responds to Zandilar this time, specifically her query: “Heya, A quick question, but probably not a quick answer...
<snip answer>
Oh yes, thank you very much! Just the sort of answer I needed.  |
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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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2007 : 15:43:41
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Ed,
There's some confusion about the Undermountain sourcebook. I've seen it both privately and publicly. So I'm asking: is the new sourcebook part of FR canon? A lot of people are confused if it is or is not since it doesn't have the FR logo and its a generic 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 |
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Ladejarl
Seeker
Norway
55 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2007 : 16:27:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
Yeah, I know Ed, it's a old subject but some of us want that info! :)
Hear, hear! With vanilla sprinkles. |
"There should be much less violence, and more nudity and kinkiness in the world." |
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AlorinDawn
Learned Scribe
USA
313 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2007 : 18:01:00
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Ed,
Do you plan to attend GenCon this year? When do you intend to do the Spin a Yarn deal if so? A friend of mine and I were considering heading over to Indy for a day on Saturday and hoped we would be able to stop by and say hello to you (and demand Realms lore at sword point if necessary!) |
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Drunken Master
Acolyte
USA
39 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2007 : 21:20:39
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| Spin a Yarn is scheduled for Saturday, August 18th; mid-afternoon, I forget exactly when. I will be attending for sure. |
Erik Nowak
Graphic Designer, Blackdirge Publishing |
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
2067 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2007 : 21:39:29
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quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
Ed,
There's some confusion about the Undermountain sourcebook. I've seen it both privately and publicly. So I'm asking: is the new sourcebook part of FR canon? A lot of people are confused if it is or is not since it doesn't have the FR logo and its a generic sourcebook.
Yes, afaik.
Grand History of the Realms will refer to the key event that most folks are upset about.
--Eric |
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http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/ |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jul 2007 : 00:30:37
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quote:
Originally posted by ericlboyd
quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
Ed,
There's some confusion about the Undermountain sourcebook. I've seen it both privately and publicly. So I'm asking: is the new sourcebook part of FR canon? A lot of people are confused if it is or is not since it doesn't have the FR logo and its a generic sourcebook.
Yes, afaik.
Grand History of the Realms will refer to the key event that most folks are upset about.
--Eric
Rich Baker also confirmed this over in his Q&A scroll at WotC on the 15th June:-
"Yes, Halaster is no more. You'll see an entry to that effect in the Grand History when it comes out."
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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 13 Jul 2007 00:33:21 |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jul 2007 : 14:49:09
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Hello again, fellow devotees of the Realms. I bring you once more the words of the Master, this time a response to createvmind’s recent query: “And it's not even my birthday, thank you so much. And yes I am all about realmslore, a fiend for it in fact so on that note, what mutated kinds of trolls and troll blooded creatures dwell within the Trollbark Woods and Troll Mountains is what I want to know? Figured I'd approach it from a different angle since still patiently awaiting a reply on how trolls keep up with the "arms/magic race."”
Ed replies:
Fair enough. I checked my long-ago notes, and updated them, and came up with this: trolls galore, led by double-sized, double-hit dice, two-headed trolls. There are also regenerating (conditions and limits: just like trolls) chokers (see MM) dwelling up in the trees, in uneasy co-existence with the trolls (the chokers have constructed “highways aloft” of vines, toppled and intertwined branches, and so on, trap-nets to drop on foes, and similar perils). There are also leaf- and moss-eating giant slugs of dull green mottled with brown, that move slowly along trailing edible-by-many-things slime, and can be “steered” and used as carry-beasts by the trolls. The Woods also hold a few deepspawn, hidden in deep caverns, that hungry trolls can devour the spawn of (when other food is scarce or extreme harsh winter weather makes travel too difficult), and the high valleys of the mountains are home to a rare species of slow-moving flatworms known as “tree-worms” because of where they are found. These creatures are easily plucked and harvested, but are nauseating when eaten - - except to a troll. Trolls merely find them bland, boring sustenance fare, but can use them to survive because if the head is left intact, a flatworm regenerates the rest of its body at about half the rate a troll does (so when devoured by the trolls, they “grow back” so they can be eaten again).
Aside from insects and plants of various sorts, the Woods and the forested high valleys of the Mountains are devoid of life (notably birds and the “small furry critters” of most woodlands): the chokers and trolls long ago exterminated them. There are also no human woodcutters, so the Woods feature some truly monstrous trees (valuable if they can be harvested, perhaps by magic, and transported well away from the Woods in a hurry).
So saith Ed, the ever-affable provider of Realmslore. Geez, createvmind, those two locales sound like great places to stay well away from. Your adventurers will know that, right? 
love to all,
THO
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Pardan
Acolyte
31 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jul 2007 : 15:11:00
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Hello Ed and Hooded One,
For the campaign I am soon starting to play in, I wanted to create a cleric of Sharess, since the goddess has always been one of my favourites (mostly for the strange link between her role as a fierce warrior and as a hedonist, but also because, simply said, i love cats!).
Now, I don't want her to conform to the archetype many might have in mind when they think of the clergy - someone who jumps into bed with anyone.
Rather, I want her to be fierce in combat as well as in the pursuit of pleasure but also highlight her wisdom and her innate goodness, someone who also might live a life of promiscuity but still has wise and kind words for anyone, trying not to hurt those she cares about.
Now i wonder how exactly to put thos together in a way that still fits the deity. If you had some advice for me, I'd be delighted. |
Do not knock on Death's door - ring the bell twice and run away.
He hates that. |
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Tormtar
Acolyte
20 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jul 2007 : 17:26:03
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Dear THO and Ed, yet another question for the pile; this time of the Dwarven variety.
It's stated that Ghellin, the last King of Tethyamar, died in exile in 1369DR, would it be possible to let us have some rough ideas of whether or not he had any heirs and who/where they might be? |
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createvmind
Senior Scribe
490 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jul 2007 : 19:39:04
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Thats perfect, I have treasure taken by trolls over the generations amassed in various locations underground that a crafty ogre-mage has long traded various troll leaders items that help them resist fire and acid. I am now looking to establish an underground trade between these regional trolls and the amassed ogre army in Murann. So my players will truly feel they took on some varied and unique versions of what they assumed were just ravenous simple monsters that will be backed by far more shrewd creatures seeking to keep their business partners around.
Thank you very much. |
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1796 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jul 2007 : 02:01:47
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Dear Ed,
While I understand the need for NDAs and all, I think the cat is out of the bag on the King of Undermountain... so... isn't it high time you say a few words for our dearly departed Halaster?
(way to put you on the spot, I know... it's just the way we Purple Dragons like it, with official pomp and all...  ) |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jul 2007 : 02:57:51
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Hi again, all. This time I bring unto your waiting eyes Ed’s response to scribe Thauramarth, specifically to this question: “Dear Ed, In (url="http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=9569"]another thread[/url]) Markustay brought up the question as to which degree the I3-5 Desert of Desolation series was canon. I know that the module was basically a compilation module of modules which had been written before the Forgotten Realms became a TSR-published setting. Some additional material was written to fit the original modules into the Forgotten Realms (reference to Elminster, Durpar, etc.). Although I would never say that it seems a bit like a square peg and a round hole (I'd say the hole was hexagonal), it seemed a bit odd that the first module to be marketed as "Forgotten Realms" would be set in a very peripheral region, which since has not received all that much attention. Were you involved in the creation of the additional material, and if so, can you shed some light on how this interesting decision was reached?”
Ed replies:
No, unlike the “Realmsification” of Doug Niles’s Celtic setting into the Realms (swapping his prepared continent for my Moonshae Isles) I wasn’t involved at all in “fitting” those particular modules into the Realms.
I know that TSR was concerned that a swift and steady flow of material for the Realms should and indeed must appear to make sure the Realms “caught on.” The company had the existing example of Gary Gygax as a “creator bottleneck” (he was too busy running the company to write Greyhawk material as fast as it was needed to feed public demand, or as fast as he wanted to; longtime D&D gamers will remember how long we all waited for the promised Castle Greyhawk). They certainly didn’t want me to become another creator bottleneck, and were largely unaware of how much lore I had built up and how quickly I could work.
Starting in 1986, I hurled tons of material at TSR, and (largely through the hard work of Jeff Grubb) it became the original boxed set and FR1 in short order; Steve Perrin was handed my magic items and spells package (it became FR4), and Paul Jaquays was given the “North” stuff pruned out of FR1 (which became FR5).
My campaign had vast, sprawling old-style dungeons (e.g. Undermountain) and “mini-dungeons” (a tomb or cellars of a ruin consisting of a few rooms, that could be explored in one or two four-hour play sessions). I did not have a lot of written-up adventures to hand TSR, because my “home” players were used to a far different style of play (heavy roleplaying, many subplots, a huge cast of supporting characters, lots of “loose ends” that led to future adventures, the PCs choosing where to go and what to do, NPCs reacting to PC activities, and politics, trade, and “day jobs” playing a far larger role than dungeon-delving).
That “32-page dungeon crawl” lack was a hole TSR wanted swiftly plugged. As the sales of the Realms “took off,” that hole was filled by grabbing anything and everything (later example: The Great Khan Game), slapping the FR logo on it, and getting it out there.
I have never been a staff member of either TSR or WotC, though in some years of my freelancing I wrote as many SKUs as a staff designer, and I have been a behind-the-scenes consultant (paid and unpaid, at various times) from 1986 on. I have never had any direct say in what Realms products were published (when, how, format, who wrote) except to make copious suggestions, provide truckloads of lore beforehand so it can be “turned into” products, or creating or handing over lore when asked to by a designer or fiction writer who’s been handed a project and wants to know if I have anything already written that can be of use . . . and so on.
I happen to like those modules, as adventures (with some design reservations). I don’t like overtly real-world historical ties and “style” in the Realms, for reasons I’ve stated many times down the years, and “my” Realms would never have had pyramids, obvious Egyptian or Arabian references, and so on.
However, TSR bought the Realms as a “home” setting for the 2nd Edition of the game, with the deliberate intent that it accomodate all styles of play (pirate sea adventures, “Lost World” explore jungle ruins adventures, Arabian Nights adventures, cloud castles (and battling skyships) in the air adventures, knights battling the knights in the castle next door adventures, adventures in large cities with sewers and thieves’ guilds and haughty nobles - - and so on and on. Wherefore it’s not surprising that some real-world stuff appeared in the Realms. As some of the popularity of the Realms can be attributed to “hosting” these styles of play, I can’t complain.
After all, here we all are 20 years after TSR start publishing the Realms as a product line, and 40 years after I started creating it. Pull up a tankard, put your feet up, and watch the still-unfolding fun . . .
So saith Ed. Who now, with beard gone gray, finally LOOKS as old as Elminster. (Though to quote the Shakespearean T-shirt he often wears: “Though I look old/Yet I am strong and lusty.”)
love to all,
THO
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jul 2007 : 03:01:32
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And a postscript, from Ed to PDK:
Purple Dragon Knight, I would LOVE to say more, but legally I can't even confirm the existence of the cats or the bags. :}
Let me say this much: you ain't seen NOTHING yet!
Ed then retreated to his third Knights novel, shaking his head and saying, "Oh, I want to say more . . . OH, I want to . . ."
love,
THO |
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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jul 2007 : 18:46:39
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hi again, all. This time I bring unto your waiting eyes Ed’s response to scribe Thauramarth, specifically to this question: “Dear Ed, In (url="http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=9569"]another thread[/url]) Markustay brought up the question as to which degree the I3-5 Desert of Desolation series was canon.
(snip)
Ed replies:
No, unlike the “Realmsification” of Doug Niles’s Celtic setting into the Realms (swapping his prepared continent for my Moonshae Isles) I wasn’t involved at all in “fitting” those particular modules into the Realms.
(snip)
I happen to like those modules, as adventures (with some design reservations). I don’t like overtly real-world historical ties and “style” in the Realms, for reasons I’ve stated many times down the years, and “my” Realms would never have had pyramids, obvious Egyptian or Arabian references, and so on.
However, TSR bought the Realms as a “home” setting for the 2nd Edition of the game, with the deliberate intent that it accomodate all styles of play (pirate sea adventures, “Lost World” explore jungle ruins adventures, Arabian Nights adventures, cloud castles (and battling skyships) in the air adventures, knights battling the knights in the castle next door adventures, adventures in large cities with sewers and thieves’ guilds and haughty nobles - - and so on and on. Wherefore it’s not surprising that some real-world stuff appeared in the Realms. As some of the popularity of the Realms can be attributed to “hosting” these styles of play, I can’t complain.
After all, here we all are 20 years after TSR start publishing the Realms as a product line, and 40 years after I started creating it. Pull up a tankard, put your feet up, and watch the still-unfolding fun . . .
So saith Ed. Who now, with beard gone gray, finally LOOKS as old as Elminster. (Though to quote the Shakespearean T-shirt he often wears: “Though I look old/Yet I am strong and lusty.”)
love to all,
THO
Well met! I found the comment about pyramids surprising. My players may soon be headed East and South, and now I'm wondering, Ed, do you have any pyramids and/or ziggurats in your home campaign? If not, what do you substitute for them?
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I have a mouth, but I am in a library and must not scream.
Feed the poor and stroke your ego, too: http://www.freerice.com/index.php.
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2007 : 01:48:51
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Hello again, fellow scribes. A swift answer from Ed this time, to a query from Pardan: “Hello Ed and Hooded One,
For the campaign I am soon starting to play in, I wanted to create a cleric of Sharess, since the goddess has always been one of my favourites (mostly for the strange link between her role as a fierce warrior and as a hedonist, but also because, simply said, i love cats!).
Now, I don't want her to conform to the archetype many might have in mind when they think of the clergy - someone who jumps into bed with anyone.
Rather, I want her to be fierce in combat as well as in the pursuit of pleasure but also highlight her wisdom and her innate goodness, someone who also might live a life of promiscuity but still has wise and kind words for anyone, trying not to hurt those she cares about.
Now i wonder how exactly to put those together in a way that still fits the deity. If you had some advice for me, I'd be delighted.”
Ed replies:
Sure, happy to help. The key to playing a “true to the Realms” cleric of Sharess is that such people are the ultimate sensualists.
That doesn’t necessarily mean sex (although eventually a veteran cleric of Sharess will have had sex in unusual places, with more than just partners of both genders and her own race, and involving various kinks and athletic positions - - though not necessarily all together in the same encounters - - just for the experience).
Rather, it means that the cleric of Sharess loves to feel and experience things. So she’ll walk out naked into fierce storms, to stand and feel the rain or snow lashing her. She’ll thrust her hand (briefly) into flames. She’ll try new cuisine, with odd combinations of sweet and bitter.
She’s all about experiencing things in life. This does NOT mean she’ll necessarily be foolhardy (“Stick a knife in me. I want to feel what it’s like.”) or reckless of the safety of others. Nor will she want to offend against local laws or make things difficult for companions because of her behaviour. If she knows (or it seems likely) it’s illegal to have sex draped all over the statue in the public square, she won’t try to do so. It does mean that she won’t wear underwear (except for “play” purposes), and that her outer garb, even when it covers her from ankles to throat (usually it will bare rather more, to let her skin feel life around her directly), will have slits or unbuttonable darts or the like, so it can readily be hiked up or parted. Again, not just for sex, but so that if she has to sit on a stone wall or tree bough waiting for someone, she’ll be able to arrange her clothing so that her bare skin is in contact with that surface. NOT for “public display” of her body (the garments may well conceal her skin completely from observers), but so that she can feel the bark or stone directly. For the same reasons, except in unbearably hot situations, a cleric of Sharess will always prefer to sleep nude, with someone, skin on skin, even if no sex is going to occur. (This does NOT mean she’ll be foolish enough to deliberately go into battle nude or badly covered, when armor is available - - but it does mean that in an emergency she’ll snatch up useful items or weapons, not waste time on getting dressed. It also does not mean she’ll insist on trying to sleep with a sick or wounded person, when her presence will cause them discomfort, but it does mean that she isn’t embarrassed about climbing into bed nude with anyone or anything. Lonely half-orcs and the maimed and disfigured love clerics of Sharess.)
Textures, temperatures, tastes and smells; clerics of Sharess are all about these things as they go through life.
They are also about pleasure. Again, not just sex, but footrubs and backrubs and scratchings, of both themselves and others (IF they know that whatever activity they’re contemplating brings pleasure to those others). Combing out hair, stroking, masturbating themselves and others, and “grooming” (and yes, in the Realms this can mean literal picking of lice or other crawlies off bodies) and other such activities are all activities good clerics of Sharess do without hesitation or distaste (part of the training of novices is to make them embrace this way of thinking and living).
A cleric of Sharess is NOT ashamed of her body or natural processes (defecation, et al; in battle, being drenched in the blood or fluids of an enemy won’t bother them, and sucking poison from a wound or holding the innards of wounded self or ally in place won’t bring any distaste). If, for example, a Sharessan cleric feels an itch between her shoulderblades, she won’t hesitate to bare them and either ask someone to scratch her (perfect strangers if they seem safe, or a companion) or rub herself against a tree as a cat does.
That’s why some clerics of Sharess, of high rank, wear garters (bands worn tight and high up on the thighs) adorned with burrs, thorns, patches of silky fur, and so on - - not because they are closet masochists or secret worshippers of Loviatar or Ilmater, but for the ongoing sensations. Such garments are kissed reverently when put on and taken off, because they are in themselves offerings to the goddess.
And yes, many clerics of Sharess signal enjoyment of sensations by purring.
It is important to note that clerics of Sharess are sensualists rather than hedonists; they want to experience pain and discomfort as well as pleasure, and aren’t primarily concerned (as a hedonist is) with maximizing their personal pleasure. So a cleric of Sharess wants others around them to experience life to the full, too, and maximize THEIR pleasure and enjoyment of it. That’s where the wisdom and understanding of others, and consideration for their feelings in the things your cleric says and does, comes in. A cleric of Sharess is NOT interested in embarrassing or scandalizing anyone, but is interested in getting them to “unwind” and “relax” and “try new experiences.” Something as simple as a new sort of food dish, for example.
If a cleric of Sharess is traveling with, say, a paladin of Torm who makes it clear he’s NOT interested in sex and regards any attempt to remove his armor as a dangerous distraction, the cleric of Sharess will not make overtures to him. She will secretly wear dildoes to gain her own pleasure, and offer to wash the paladin’s hair and his underarmor padding (and scratch his itches) when he disrobes at night, making it clear that she intends no seduction by these friendly aids, and going only as far in these activities as he wants her to. She will NOT be a constant tease, a flirt who bares herself to tempt him.
In another setting, with folk who enjoy such behavior, she may be the world’s wildest flirt (eating food off the bared body of someone else is a favourite activity, and in fact some temple rites of Sharess involve “calming” homophobes among the novice clergy by having them dine in private with another postulate of the same gender, where all foodstuffs must be eaten off the body of the other participant, so they’ll get over difficulties with being unable to separate sensual pleasures from sexual matters). Clerics of Sharess enjoy a good drink, but dislike becoming drunk, because it deadens their faculties for experiencing the world around them (and their memories of having done so).
If a cleric of Sharess is raped, she would NOt welcome the experience, may hate it, and will probably fight hard to avoid it or escape it (if possible), and try to see that the rapist subsequently gets punished - - but she will also try to derive as much physical enjoyment as she can while it’s happening. In like wise, if she is wounded in battle, she wants to feel the pain, even while she might desperately want and seek healing. Which is why heat, cold, and floggings are usually experienced by novice clerics of Sharess (again, outsiders may mistake them for Sharrans or devotees of Loviatar, but this is mistaken; they are merely trying to experience all things, and sometimes the whip will be of stinging nettles, but the next time it may be made of feathers - - it’s tasting the full range of experiences that clerics of Sharess are all about).
None of this should make your cleric of Sharess an all-yielding, “Hey man, please hurt me” sort of person, or a happy-go-lucky “got to rush out into that meadow and feel the storm lightning strike me” idiot, nor yet a “oh, look, a cadaver or someone who can’t run fast enough to get away - - time to have sex again!” ruled-by-lusts sort. She can be ambitious, a fierce warrior (the prowling cat) and pride herself on being able to deal death swiftly and deftly, and she can be a capable adventuress, loyal to her companions and eager to win fame and/or fortune and/or reputation, influence, and worldly rank - - nor do senior clergy of Sharess do anything to discourage such interests and drives.
Clerics of Sharess always look on the bright side of everything. If the party gets lost, or drenched, it’s an opportunity to enjoy experiences they might otherwise have missed, not a calamity. If they want to have a group orgy, she’ll be the one making sure everyone feels involved and is fully enjoying it. In any group, she’ll notice the lonely or unhappy (iest) one and try to “fix that.” When someone is confused or grieving or depressed, she’ll be the silent or gently comforting companion. She is the one who wants all of life, no matter how uncomfortable, to be enjoyed.
Enough to go on? Enjoy!
So saith Ed. Who didn’t just quote his notes, I see, but rewrote and greatly expanded what’s in them. And I certainly recognize the two priestesses of Sharess we Knights met and had dealings with, in his words. (By the way, many folk in Silverymoon venerate this goddess, both as lay worshippers and clergy.)
love (and backrubs!) to all,
THO
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2007 : 03:40:21
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quote:
And yes, many clerics of Sharess signal enjoyment of sensations by purring.
That's cute. Great answer, by the way. |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2007 : 05:42:15
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quote:
Originally posted by Tormtar
Dear THO and Ed, yet another question for the pile; this time of the Dwarven variety.
It's stated that Ghellin, the last King of Tethyamar, died in exile in 1369DR, would it be possible to let us have some rough ideas of whether or not he had any heirs and who/where they might be?
See the sidebar for Tethyamar in "lost Empires of Faerûn".
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2007 : 05:45:53
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Hi Ed (and THO)
Whilst I could bug you in private, that would mean that realmslore might not unfold for the yearning masses, so here is my most recent "Realms ???".
I just got back my copy of 'Crown of Fire' from a friend I'd lent it to, and typically I started reading it again. My query relates to Tethgard and the fact that Mirt's ancestor is the watchghost there. Her claims that Tethgard pre-dates Cormyr sounds a bit like ectoplasmic hyperbole, but I'd love to hear anything you have to share on the place and how Mirt's ancestors got from there to wherever Mirt is from.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2007 : 06:56:58
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
Hi Ed (and THO)
Whilst I could bug you in private, that would mean that realmslore might not unfold for the yearning masses, so here is my most recent "Realms ???".
I just got back my copy of 'Crown of Fire' from a friend I'd lent it to, and typically I started reading it again. My query relates to Tethgard and the fact that Mirt's ancestor is the watchghost there. Her claims that Tethgard pre-dates Cormyr sounds a bit like ectoplasmic hyperbole, but I'd love to hear anything you have to share on the place and how Mirt's ancestors got from there to wherever Mirt is from.
-- George Krashos
I believe I asked Ed a similar question a while ago his response should be in Kujes files somewhere (I think it was a 12 to 18 months ago) |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2007 : 08:01:40
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quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
Hi Ed (and THO)
Whilst I could bug you in private, that would mean that realmslore might not unfold for the yearning masses, so here is my most recent "Realms ???".
I just got back my copy of 'Crown of Fire' from a friend I'd lent it to, and typically I started reading it again. My query relates to Tethgard and the fact that Mirt's ancestor is the watchghost there. Her claims that Tethgard pre-dates Cormyr sounds a bit like ectoplasmic hyperbole, but I'd love to hear anything you have to share on the place and how Mirt's ancestors got from there to wherever Mirt is from.
-- George Krashos
I believe I asked Ed a similar question a while ago his response should be in Kujes files somewhere (I think it was a 12 to 18 months ago)
I believe Dargoth is referring to the Jan. 1 '06 reply. See Ed's Apr. 3 '04 reply to Thom, for another brief mention.
Though, if Ed has more to share [I'm assuming he does], I'd love to hear it!
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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
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Questions for Ed Greenwood (2007)
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