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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
 Posted - 14 Jan 2008 : 22:20:51
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On the Naval Forces of Cormyr
From the 'Cormyr' entry from FOR3 - Pirates of the Fallen Stars (TSR9346), p. 34:
Cormyr
Suzail, the capital of Cormyr, lies on the northern coast of the Dragonsmere, just east of the Storm Horn mountains. Suzail boasts three harbors. The first is the Basin, a deep harbor (dredged to opensea depths) where ships can deposit their cargos close to the shops which surround the city’s Market. Twenty ships can load or unload here simultaneously, making this a busy harbor, while the nearby shipyards are the primary producers of the brigantines which have become the trademark vessel of the Cormyrean Freesails. The activity here supports Saszesk, a young human reputed to be a member of Immurk’s Band. Saszesk’s smuggling operation is not well known, as King Azoun has sought to make Suzail safe from the depredations of such “thieves’ guilds”.
The second (central) harbor is also a commercial harbor, although its wharves are accessed only via a series of royal warehouses. Customs inspections here can be painstaking, particularly if the local watch believes that smugglers are about, and little contraband (or piratical goods) makes it through. On the other hand, the Cormyrean Freesails pay their tribute to King Azoun at these warehouses. As many as thirty ships can be docked here, along with many smaller vessels.
The easternmost harbor contains the Royal Docks and the Harbor Tower. Cormyr’s Imperial Navy (see below) has its main home port here under the personal command of Admiral Hazen Kelafin, Royal Admiral of Cormyr. Admiral Kelafin’s marines are housed within the nearby Citadel of the Purple Dragon.
Cormyr’s low, rolling, misty coastline stretches east to the River Lurlar. Most of the coastline has extensive shallows, and few villages offer harbors large enough (and deep enough) for ocean-going vessels. Outside of Suzail only Marsember (with its archipelago of harbor-islands connected by bridges) offers any substantial harbor. Marsember’s harbor is the busiest in Cormyr, and while some smuggling goes on, the Harpers and the War Wizards actively root out and destroy any actively dishonest groups. The Harpers use Marsember as a safe port, and take care to keep it that way.
Pirates and Cormyrean law
King Azoun has sworn that Cormyr will not become a pirate haven (his beloved Cormyrean Freesails not withstanding). Those convicted of piracy here are treated harshly. A first offense costs the right hand, while a second conviction is punishable by death. Smuggling is only slightly less harshly viewed. Most smuggling is to avoid taxation (Cormyr charges a 5% duty on all imported goods) or to bring collections of weapons ashore. Cormyr’s laws preventing mercenaries from gathering have been extended to merchants (particularly those without Cormyrean charters) who bring weapons into the kingdom in any quantity, as such caches can quickly find their way to otherwise innocent-appearing warriors. Smugglers are fined triple the value of the contraband (along with confiscation of the goods); repeat offenders are punished as pirates.
Naval Forces and Shore Defenses
Cormyr’s Royal Navy (boasting thirty caravels and over 5,500 men) is responsible for patrolling the seacoast for smugglers, providing aid to ships in trouble in Cormyr’s waters, and to provide support to the army in time of war. Fourteen ships are posted to Suzail, another twelve to Marsember (specifically posted to Starwater Keep), and the remainder in smaller ports along the coast. Most recently, Admiral Kelafin’s fleet (assisted by Cormyrean Freesails) conveyed King Azoun’s army across the Dragon Reach to speed their journey to Thesk during the recent Horde War.
Supplementing Cormyr’s Royal Navy are the Cormyrean Freesails, privateers chartered by King Azoun to patrol Cormyr’s waters and hunt down and destroy pirates. Many of Cormyr’s trading vessels also carry charters as Freesails, and Suzail
and Marsember both have some shore defenses. Since the most recent pirate incursions, Marsember has established some harbor chains, but like much in Marsember these are in poor repair. Unfortunately, while Starwater Keep has several ballistae and catapults, the topography of the city makes these virtually useless for defense of the outer harbor islands. Suzail has an excellent set of harbor chains which can block the narrow channel to the Basin supported by a deployment of three ballistae), and the Citadel of the Purple Dragon has an excellent brace of four catapults trained on the Royal Harbor area.
Recent Pirate Activities
Cormyr has suffered little harassment from pirates, primarily because its own Cormyrean Freesails (along with the Royal Navy) defend the coasts and waters well. The most recent significant pirate raid was on the city of Marsember in 1344 DR. Although a few of the outermost harbor islands were looted by the pirates, they were unable to enter the city proper before an overwhelming force of Cormyrean ships (with magical support from the War Wizards in the city) drove the pirates away.
Additionally, a minor entry on the sourcebook Cormyr (TSR 9410), p. 58:
The Imperial Navy:
The Imperial Navys primary duty is to protect Cormyrean ships sailing through the Lake of Dragons to and from The Neck, the narrows that connects Cormyr with other parts of the world through this lake.
Trading in spices and other goods is quite productive for Cormyr and certainly well worth the investment in ship construction and sailing. To protect such shipping from pirates, Cormyr has stationed 12 warships in its busiest port, Marsember. At any one time, there are more warships docked in Suzail, but most of these ships are there to protect noble families or the king personally.
Patrolling along the coast of the lake is the most common mission for the Imperial Navy. Ayesunder Truesilver is the commander of these forces and is generally regarded as the head of the Cormyrean Navy. He has constantly lobbied the king for more ships and sea warriors so that he may patrol the lake more efficiently. Unfortunately, the king's military attentions have been with the Stonelands and the Goblin Marches. |
"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
Edited by - Ergdusch on 28 Feb 2008 08:59:21 |
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jan 2008 : 09:29:30
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Question:
In the FR Campaign setting as well as in this link Steel Regent Alusair's stats are female human NG Ftr7/Rgr1/Pdk2. However, in the Dragon Article 'After the Dragon' (Dragon annual 2000) she was stated as a female human CG Ftr20. Why is that so and which one is correct?
Answer by game designer Tom Costa:
'The FR Campaign setting is accurate. The Dragon Annual article had several technical/game stat errors in it and IIRC, but more importantly, the FRCS actually reflects her depiction in the novels better. (Also note that in 2E she was listed as a rogue in the Curse of the Azure Bonds game module [not the novel], obviously in response to her rebellious period when she ran away from home.)'
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"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
Edited by - Ergdusch on 15 Jan 2008 09:33:40 |
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jan 2008 : 14:49:28
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All on the Forest Kingdom in 4th Edition (1385 DR and later) is collected within this single post for the time being (as not to confuse matters overly much)!!!!
- the latest DDi Dragon Magazine Article: Backdrop: Cormyr including a detailed map of the Kingdom.
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- Excerts taken from Brian R. James' Countdown of the Realms article Spellplague: The Wailing Years:
The Wailing Years
Scholars in later years would name the decade of chaos and upheaval that followed the assassiantion of Mystra the Wailing Years, or simply the Plague Years. Included below is a timeline of key events that occurred during the Wailing Years, which may be useful to a transitional campaign set in the kingdom of Cormyr or the Vilhon Reach. Following the timeline is a brief update of these two regions, including sample adventure hooks. [The Vilhon Reach parts have been snipped here, feel free to read all about it in the article linked above.]
Timeline
1385 DR (Year of Blue Fire)
The Spellplague: An unthinkable catastrophe ensues when Cyric, aided and abetted by Shar, murders Mystra in Dweomerheart. The plane itself disintegrates at once, destroying Savras and sending the gods Azuth and Velsharoon reeling into the endless Astral Sea. Without Mystra to govern the Weave, magic bursts its bonds all across Toril and the surrounding planes and runs wild. In Faerûn, this event is known as the Spellplague. Thousands of mages are driven insane or destroyed, and the very substance of the world becomes mutable beneath veils of azure fire that dance across the skies by night or by day.
[snip]
Cormyr is struck hard, but not so violently as many other nations. Roughly one third of all Wizards of War are slain, driven mad, or simply have gone missing in the year following Mystra's death.
1386 DR (Year of the Halfling's Lament)
[snip] The former expanse of the Sea of Fallen Stars is altered when wide portions of the landscape collapse into the Underdark. When the sea level reaches its new equilibrium, the average drop in water level measured nearly 50 feet. The waters of the Vilhon Reach were similarly drained, uncovering several drowned ruins from ancient Jhaamdath.
1387 DR (Year of the Emerald Ermine)
[snip] The Prismatic Mountains, a beautiful Abeiran mountain range seeming to be made entirely of dense multicolored glass, appears between the Desertmouth Mountains and the Thunderpeaks, closing off Shadow Gap and halting overland trade along the Northride between New Tilverton and Shadowdale.
1388 DR (Year of the Tanarukka)
Bullywugs tribes from the Farsea Marshes begin harrying Zhentarim forces operating throughout the Tunlands, diminishing Black Network activities in the region.
Some members of Cormyr's remaining War Wizards, having lost access to the Art, begin cross-training with the Purple Dragons in swordplay and martial defense. In years to come these swordmages will prove invaluable against neighboring aggression in the region.
1389 DR (Year of the Forgiven Foes)
A strangely angular black monolith is sometimes visible breaking above the waves along Cormyr's coast, never in the same place twice.
1390 DR (Year of the Walking Man)
Dowager Dragon Queen, Filfaeril Selazair Obarskyr, dies. Alusair attends the state funeral, argues briefly and privately with her nephew the king, and disappears altogether from Court. Rumors persist of her riding through the frontiers and borderlands, but no confirmed reports of her appearance exist following the burial of Filfaeril.
[snip]
1392 DR (Year of the Scroll)
The Dragon Coast city of Pros petitions the Crown to become a vassal-state of Cormyr in order to protect it from the ravages of the Spellplague. Azoun V reluctantly accepts. By year's end, Pros' sister-town of Ilipur joins the Forest Kingdom as well. Unfortunately the receding waters of the Sea of Fallen Stars have spelled ruin for these small trading towns.
1393 DR (Year of the Ring)
Sembian investors begin buying up land in the southern Dales. Concerned, Azoun V issues a formal objection to the Dale's Council in Archendale but the King's emissary is rebuffed.
[snip]
1394 DR (Year of Deaths Unmourned)
[snip] Years of straining with their conflicted Sembian and Cormyrean identities, and struggling against the rule of Netheril, culminates in the annexation of the border city of Daerlun into the Forest Kingdom.
1395 DR (Year of Silent Death)
Sakkors, the Netherese floating enclave not seen since the days before the Spellplague, makes a reappearance over Daerlun in the dead of night. The following morning civil unrest breaks out throughout the city. Azoun V sends elite swordmages to restore order in the city.
[great snippi-de-snip]
Cormyr
Unlike the lands of the Vilhon Reach, the nation of Cormyr suffered little geological upheaval during the Spellplague Years. Instead the upheaval in the Forest Kingdom was largely political. Famine, economic hardship, and unrest among the peerage would be difficult for any ruling monarch, yet these challenges perhaps weighed more heavily upon the shoulders of young King Azoun V. Claiming the Dragon Throne in the Year of Three Streams Blooded (1384 DR), Azoun had merely thirteen winters behind him at his coronation and only sixteen months on the throne before the Spellplague sent the world spinning into chaos. Thankfully, the king surrounded himself with men and women of wise counsel, including the Caladnei, Mage Royal of Cormyr. Under his rule, the Forest Kingdom quickly recovered from the anarchy of the Wailing Years, and the young king went on to become a just, wise, and long-lived ruler.
The Helmlands
Formed during the Time of Troubles, this desolate land of howling winds and jagged rock was the site of Mystra's destruction at the hands of Helm in the Year of Shadows (1358 DR). In the months following its creation, locals named the site the Pits of Mystra, for the land was nothing but bubbling tar pits as far as the eye could see. Priests dedicated to the new Goddess of Magic cleansed the land of the fetid pits in later years, but the tear in the fabric of the Weave remained. Today a forest of towering redwoods has returned; the original was lost when Mystra's dying energy blasted the land like a million Shou cannons. In the wake of the Spellplague, the Helmlands have grown, spreading along the northern wall of the Stormhorns, stretching as far west as the foothills above Eveningstar. Wild magic still pervades the entire region, but unlike the Changing Lands, visitors may enter the Helmslands without fear of becoming spellscarred.
• TEMPLE ACHERON: Once the blasted ruin of Castle Kilgrave, the imposing stronghold was rebuilt by priests of Bane following his apparent resurrection in the Year of Wild Magic (1372 DR). As the Lord of Strife himself had done during the Time of Troubles, the strifelords reshaped the ruins into an echo of Bane's Temple of the Suffering in the Barrens of Doom and Despair. Thirty-foot-high walls constructed of a seamless other-worldly material of black laced with green connect the windowless towers on four corners, and on the west side a towering 60-foot obelisk encloses a drawbridge set against the wall. Purple Dragon Knights stationed at Castle Crag patrol the eastern perimeter of the Helmslands daily, keeping a vigilant eye for any threats coming from Temple Acheron.
Farsea Swamp
This slowly growing swamp consists of two formerly separate marshes, Farsea and Tun. The swamp has mile after mile of muddy terrain swept with golden-green tall grasses broken by channels of bronze water. Most citizens of Cormyr see the wetlands as dark, forbidding places, where evil festers and foul creatures lurk in murky water to devour the unwary. While this image is largely true of the deadly Vast Swamp in eastern Cormyr, it is an incomplete and misleading portrayal of the Farsea Swamp.
• LEGACY OF THE BATRACHI: Amid the vast, fog-laced expanse of the Farsea Swamp rests the scattered ruins of a vanished civilization, not Netherese as many have speculated. Thick with poisonous insects and plague, few enough have glimpsed these ruins. Ornate buildings made of glass as strong as steel hint at a magical technology lost to the present day. Rumors have it that the bold can claim gold and strange secrets from the half-drowned basements, if they can but survive the swamp's pestilence and withstand the might of strange creatures set as guardians within the interior of the glassteel towers.
Hullack Forest
Dark and foreboding best describes the thick dense woods of the Hullack Forest. The Hullack is almost a primeval forest, with dark valleys and hidden vales that have gone unseen for decades. Ghostly creatures and odd monsters pepper the local folklore, and orcs and goblins are frequent visitors from the Thunder Peaks. In the years immediately preceding the Spellplague, large numbers of adventurers entered the forest seeking to clear it of monsters and explore its deeper regions. Thunderstone, a small town on the southern edge of Hullack Forest, was often used as a base of operations for such expeditions. These crown-sanctioned activities came to an abrupt end in the Year of the Wrathful Eye (1391 DR) when the Eldreth Veluuthra, a militant group of human-despising elves, claimed the forest as their own. A brief conflict with the elves ensued in the Year of Deaths Unmourned (1394 DR), but young King Azoun V later turned his full attention to more pressing threats from neighboring Netheril and Sembia.
• REALM OF WAILING FOG: Sandwiched between the Hullack Forest and the Thunder Peaks, the Realm of Wailing Fog remains a land of desolate fens, ever-present mist, and eerie echoing calls. Even the Eldreth Veluuthra dare not explore the realm's long-ruined towers. Travelers to the region speak of a heavy feeling of "watchfulness" hanging over everything. Rumors persist that a coven of hags lives in the area, but these claims have never been substantiated.
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- Taken from Rich Baker's Countdown of the Realms article Year of the Ageless One:
1479 DR (Year of the Ageless One)
Imperial Cormyr: Cormyr is a strong, stable kingdom that has benefited from back-to-back reigns by very capable monarchs. Azoun V, born in the troubling times at the end of his grandfather’s reign, went on to become a just, wise, and long-lived ruler. Under his rule Cormyr quickly recovered from the chaos of the Plague Years. Azoun V successfully resisted Netheril’s efforts to bring Cormyr under its domionion, and he fought Netherese-sponsored Sembia to a stalemate in a war 40 years ago, preserving Cormyr from Sembia’s fate. Late in his reign, Azoun V enacted a new code of laws that restrained the power of Cormyr’s restless nobility and established rights for commoners oppressed by nobles. His son Foril is now king of Cormyr.
Foril has ruled for 30 years now, and while he is not the legendary warrior his great-grandfather was or the brilliant law-giver his father was, he is a shrewd statesman and administrator. Foril continued his father’s reforms, and authored the alliance of powers that keeps Netheril at bay. Standing between Sembia and Netheril, Cormyr’s best security lies in firm alliance with Myth Drannor and the Dalelands. Cormyr is wealthier and more powerful than it’s been in centuries, largely due to the foresight and determination of the Obarskyrs.
Cormyr now controls Daerlun and Urmlaspyr, two formerly Sembian cities that managed to break away from that realm before the Netherese yoke settled completely over them. During the chaos of the Spellplague and the years that followed, the small cities on the southern shore of the Dragonmere turned to Cormyr for protection. Only ten years ago, the thief-ruled city of Proskur proved so obnoxious to the Forest Kingdom’s growing trade and prosperity that King Foril brought it under Cormyr’s authority as well. Not all of these territories are content under Cormyrean rule.
Adventurers in the service of the Crown find plenty of excitement in the Stonelands, the Tunlands, and the Stormhorns, where various monsters and savage tribes (some secretly sponsored by Netheril) cause no small amount of trouble.
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"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
Edited by - Ergdusch on 18 Jul 2008 12:47:29 |
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jan 2008 : 09:00:55
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On the Hidden House and its entrance found in Tessarils Tower:
Ed had to say the following about the Hidden house:
'The Hidden House was buildt in times of Myth Drannor or earlier by a very powerful archmage,...some tales say by Azuth himself. Very few even know that it is more than just a tale but truely exists, in Eveningstar. It is part of the wardship of the Lord of Eveningstar. Those who don't know that - including most noble families of Cormyr - have always been puzzled by the high rank given to the post of Lord of Eveningstar.
It has many special features, amongst others a window with scrying properties, rooms that lead to different places each time the doors are opened anew, and it hides persons or things from many a detection spell.
A one way portal leads into the Hidden House. Note that sometimes doors within the House open into one place, and at other times (or when traversed in other directions) to other places. There are many ways into and out of the House, but they tend to "hide" or disappear for periods. In short, next time someone plunges through that portal, it might not take them to the same place it took Shandril, if they don't go through it at just the right time, or in just the right manner, or carrying the right "trigger token." Heh-heh, and so on.'
That was not enouhg info for me. I explored this matter further and from reading and comparing the text with the map of Tessaril's Tower (to be found in Haunted Halls of Eveningstar) I'd placed the portal that leads to the Hidden House in Room 22 (Lofty Landing). But of course this might be totally off the mark.
Upon my question Ed provided more info:
'Your reading has led you to identify the right "room," all right. :}
The door is concealed and trapped thus: if Tessaril doesn't make the right gesture (dig-stroking her left palm with one of the fingers of that same hand) whilst treading on the correct step on the stair or spot on the floor when approaching that landing, the door can't be found at all. Spellcasters seeking to force or destroy it (when it's in this hidden state) by tracing its magic will discover that it reflects their spells right back at them (this is a Weave "slapback" effect, not a ward spell that can be easily undone or dispelled).
If the door is properly approached, it's still invisible unless or until Tessaril (or certain other persons who know how, or who can "see" the Weave with the right keeness, such as all Chosen of Mystra) touches its area and wills it to appear. It can be opened and used while invisible, though its presence will be readily revealed as observers "see beyond" it to areas it is accessing.
Note I said areas, plural. This is a weightless magical door, and can be opened either on its right side, or its left side, by pulling or pushing (as it if had hinges on either side); it has handles. Depending on how it is opened, one can reach any of four destinations.
One is: the Hidden House (works in both directions).
Another is: the back of a deep walk-in closet in a certain other structure in Eveningstar (outbound only, and I'll leave that building secret so you as a DM can have it be anywhere you want it to be).
A third is: outbound only, to a particular small glade in the King's Forest, JUST west of The Way of the Dragon, about a bowshot south of Waymoot (there's a game-trail from the glade to the road, but the glade is almost always deserted, because it's very small and surrounded by boggy ground that's usually home to lots of stinging insects except in winter; literally only the game-trail itself is solid ground).
A fourth is: outbound only, to somewhere on a rooftop of an old multi-storey, rental-apartments building in western Suzail (now a rather seedy district). Again, just which one I'll leave to you.
The War Wizards know of the three non-Hidden-House destinations, but only a few senior ones know of that last destination (everyone else is told the fourth way through the door is a deadly trap). The Hidden House itself has always been little-known local lore in Eveningstar, that spreads from time to time across Cormyr in the form of various wild rumors (the War Wizards spread the wildest of these so as to make Cormyreans think all talk of the House was wild fancy; they have succeeded in making your average Cormyrean distrust every detail of what's said about the House, but also in believing one of many dark conspiracy theories, and being darned sure there's SOMETHING behind all of them.'
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"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
Edited by - Ergdusch on 30 Jan 2008 09:08:42 |
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crazedventurers
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1073 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2008 : 11:09:38
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Posted by Krash on the gleemax forum in response to who 'owned' the Thuderpeaks before Cormyr? - at the bottom is an addedum from Markustay63 citing info from GHotR
http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=986999
Nice bit of Realms Lore carefully deduced.
Damian
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The answer to that question is likely "it depends".
The sources state that Cormyr is the first human kingdom north of the Lake of Dragons, with Marsember being the first permanent settlement in those parts being founded in -74 DR, a century before Cormyr is founded as a kingdom proper.
The scant information we have on Orva is found in the adventure "Four From Cormyr" (p.75). This information does not tell us whether Orva was a human kingdom or something else. For continuity's sake and given what we know of the far greater extent of forests in and around the present day Inner Sea lands, it is likely that Orva was an elven satellite kingdom, similar to the realm of Iliphar Nelnueve which was founded in -205 DR. The fact that the elven deity Labelas was worshipped there is likely proof enough of this but by far the best material to suport this contention is the "The Cormyrean Marshes" booklet (p.32) from the "Elminster's Ecologies" boxed set. This talks extensively about ancient elven-looking ruins in the Vast Swamp.
The reference in "Four From Cormyr" talks about Orva having existed "two millenia ago" (i.e. c. -630 to -650 DR or so). This predates Iliphar's kingdom by several centuries. I note that the Vast Swamp borders the Hullack Forest. Within the Hullack Forest is Elfhold which is detailed in "Faiths & Pantheons". The Elfhold is linked with Iliphar and his house, Amaratharr.
My thoughts are that Orva existed from around the -600s DR for a couple of centuries. House Amaratharr was a part of that realm until the king (likely a "laranlor" in elvish which means a monarch of a realm not powerful enough to consider labelling himself a "coronal") exhibited the tyrannical traits and 'delusions of empire' that led to the realm's demise. They likely fled back to Cormanthyr and told the coronal at the time, Tannivh Irithyl, what was going on. Before the elves could react, Orva became a hell-blasted ruin. The High Mages sent to bring this vassal realm to heel undertook the clean up work to seal the gate/portal between the region and the Nine Hells and to do what they could to ward the sourrounding lands from the evils that were created in the cataclysm.
As a reward for their loyalty, House Amaratharr and Iliphar were eventually granted the woodlands of Lythtlorn (the elven name for the Wolf Woods or what is now Cormyr - see Dragon#276, p.79).
Which brings us back to the Thunder Peaks. Before Cormyr, the whole region would have nominally been claimed by the elves of Cormanthyr and their satellite vassal kingdoms such as Orva and Arnothoi (see FRCS [2E]: A Grand Tour of the Realms, p.58 and a recent reference in Paul Kemp's short story in 'Realms of War'). In truth however the Thunder Peaks has always been dragon country. It's a running joke among a few of us FR fans and scholars that there are more dragons per square mile in the Thunder Peaks than anywhere else in the Realms.
By far the most formidable is the dracolich Aurgloaroasa "the Sibilant Shade" (see "Dragons of Faerûn" and the older 2E "Cult of the Dragon" sourcebooks) but there have been a host of others, mostly red. A possible reason they all clustered in the Thunder Peaks is that they were driven off or feared the mighty dragon Thauglor, suzerain of the lands of Cormyr and beyond until his defeat by Iliphar in -205 DR.
So in conclusion, the answer is Cormanthyr or one of its satellite, vassal elven realms depending on what historical period you refer to, but it would definitely be a situation of "claiming" rather than actually having a presence there and "ruling".
-- George Krashos
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According to Tom Costa's sidebar on pg. 9 of the GHotR, Urd refugees from Darastrixhurt hi's built the first Kingdom in the Thunder Peaks. That would have occurred soon after the first Rage of Dragons, circa -25,000 DR. Not sure if that helps, as I'm don't know how far back you intend to go with the article.
Markustay63 |
So saith Ed. I've never said he was sane, have I?
Gods, all this writing and he's running a constant fantasy version of Coronation Street in his head, too. .
shudder,
love to all,
THO
Candlekeep Forum 7 May 2005 |
Edited by - crazedventurers on 12 Aug 2008 23:28:43 |
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crazedventurers
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1073 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2008 : 11:24:58
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quote:
Originally posted by Ergdusch
Wanton Wyvern (p. 142 et seq):
[spoiler]The Wanton Wyvern is located north of Hullack Forest, east of the River Thunder and south-east of the Thunder Peaks.
How can the Wanton Wyvern be North of the Hullack and yet East of the Thunderflow? the Thunderflow is the southern edge of the Hullack miles away from the northern edge of the Hullack. And Southeast of the Thunderpeaks is in Archendale/Deepingdale/Sembia?
Am assuming this should be South of the Hullack, east of the Thunderflow and South West of the Thunderpeaks.
Or North the Hullack, east of the Immerflow and West of the Thunderpeaks (or south-east of the Storm Horns, which makes even less sense in terms of locality but correct in SE description)
Just wondering
Damian |
So saith Ed. I've never said he was sane, have I?
Gods, all this writing and he's running a constant fantasy version of Coronation Street in his head, too. .
shudder,
love to all,
THO
Candlekeep Forum 7 May 2005 |
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2008 : 11:34:55
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quote:
Originally posted by crazedventurers
quote:
Originally posted by Ergdusch
Wanton Wyvern (p. 142 et seq):
[spoiler]The Wanton Wyvern is located north of Hullack Forest, east of the River Thunder and south-east of the Thunder Peaks.
How can the Wanton Wyvern be North of the Hullack and yet East of the Thunderflow? the Thunderflow is the southern edge of the Hullack miles away from the northern edge of the Hullack. And Southeast of the Thunderpeaks is in Archendale/Deepingdale/Sembia?
Am assuming this should be South of the Hullack, east of the Thunderflow and South West of the Thunderpeaks.
Or North the Hullack, east of the Immerflow and West of the Thunderpeaks (or south-east of the Storm Horns, which makes even less sense in terms of locality but correct in SE description)
Just wondering
Damian
My bad, indeed!
According to the map in Crown of Fire (which was before the 3rd Ed map change, of course) the Wanton Wyvern is located north of Hullack Forest, at the eastern banks of the River Immerflow and west of the Thunder Peaks, at the 'Thunder Trail'. You'll find it placed correctly on this Map of Cormyr. |
"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
Edited by - Ergdusch on 06 Feb 2008 11:53:01 |
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crazedventurers
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1073 Posts |
Posted - 14 Feb 2008 : 18:22:01
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Ed on Purple Dragon Officers; Their military dress, social occasions, romantic liaisons and tailoring
Ed replies:
After several regrettable incidents in the past century involving mischief spells cast on uniforms and even impostors, the Royal Court (in practice, an office in the Royal Court building known as “the Royal Robes” run by the Master of Vestments) issues “Crown badges” (what a real-world British person would call a “Royal Warrant”) to approved royal tailors. There are some twenty-six “badged” “robers" (which really means six busy firms that make uniforms, and fourteen individual tailors, often semi-retired but very skilled elderly men and women). They know exactly how to make all uniforms (approved cloth and dyes, the “proper” methods of altering a uniform garment, what they are allowed to do and not to do, and so on). Both Arabel and Marsember have a firm and two tailors, there’s a tailor in Waymoot and another in Immersea, and everyone else is in Suzail.
Aside from the badged robers, every large military base (that is, High Horn and the bases in the three cities) have tailors who store, clean, alter, and repair uniforms [and keep a stock of “emergency” uniforms in various sizes], and the Royal Palace (please note that the Palace is a building separate from, and to the north of, the Royal Court) has its own staff tailors, who work with the staff herald, and maintain uniforms for the royal family and courtiers (including, stored in a vault, the uniforms of past royalty). Anyone joining the service and attaining a higher rank within it is given one fitted-to-them uniform by the Crown, free. Maintaining it, replacing it if damaged, or augmenting it with duplicates so cleaning and repairs can be delayed is the financial responsibility of the wearer. (Note: it is the established custom in Azoun IV’s reign and the Steel Regency for Obarskyrs to personally pay for uniform replacements, repairs, and alterations for loyal warriors who suffered fashion damage in battle, or while defending the realm in any way. This has included artificial limbs, canes, and crutches.)
It should be noted that robers aren’t responsible for determining if clients are allowed to wear any uniforms they order made, though they customarily report to the nearest War Wizard or passing courtier anything suspicious (such as uniforms made without anyone ever appearing for a fitting, or large numbers of uniforms made for private clients). Robers will check with heralds to make sure “household uniforms” (livery worn by the servants and bodyguards of nobles) are of approved design; nobles are limited by the heralds in what colors and tailoring they can inflict on their people (just as the Crown restricts them from assembling private armies).
Someone entering the Palace or a Court function will of necessity pass scrutiny by War Wizards, Highknights, and some senior Purple Dragons (whose onlooking may not be open or obvious); if they become suspicious, the person will be gently drawn aside and examined to make sure he or she is wearing a uniform they are entitled to (including rank insignia, decorations, weapons, heraldic badges and honours, etc.).
In Suzail, the tailors rarely advertise, because they are all overworked anyway. However, the two most prominent firms (who both have shops on the south side of the Promenade, facing the sprawling Royal Court, with large display windows crammed with displayed finished uniforms on mannequins, and keep substantial “rack ready” stores of uniforms in most popular sizes) are Harleer’s and Baerennim’s. Hrasto Harleer is a small, long-nosed, sarcastic little man whose tongue is sharp to everyone and who hates dirty and torn uniforms and those who let them become that way; his shop is east of Baerennim’s. Rusklan Baerennim is a jovial, burly retired Purple Dragon who employs long-limbed, beautiful “highcoin lasses” as fitters and shop help because HE likes them (and wants them to make customers feel very, very wanted, too). His aging sisters do most of the tailoring, and are apt to be slower than Harleer’s no-nonsense staff of skilled but frumpy middle-aged tailors. Baerennim likes to tell war stories and hear them, and wants you to feel like a friend; Harleer wants you in and out and to feel inferior to his skill and the standards of his busy, busy establishment.
Purple Dragons have armor, “warcoats” (which we real-world folk would call both “battledress” and “everyday fatigues” depending on where we saw it worn), and “fancycoats” (full-dress uniform). In general, fancycoats is just a clean version of warcoats, with shiny black boots and a colorful sash (denoting unit and service, and displaying decorations) plus a half-cloak (for evening or outdoor wear). Half-cloaks, by the way, are of shimreen or silk or similar “shiny” fabric, and are raked from a baldric-like base band of fabric, so that their scalloped, draped trailing edge forms a diagonal down the back of the wearer, from shoulder to hip (so as not to get in the way of a sword scabbarded at the hip).
At Court functions and “official” revels, uniform wear is expected (though officers hosting an event, or who have ANOTHER job or task, may instead choose to dress for that other “hat”). At private revels, merely a sash or cloak-pin with the Purple Dragon of Cormyr badge is expected (not required). Dress swords are worn at Court functions and official revels, but not at private revels except by permission of the Crown (the rule is intended to be this: if any Obarskyr is attending an event “unofficially,” just to have fun, you should not wear a sword into their presence [daggers and belt knives are usually okay for everyone] unless you are their bodyguard, BUT you can seek, and they can give you, permission to come armed, particularly if you might be in danger travelling to or from the event [Highknights, War Wizards, and other undercover agents would also be armed, but their arms would be hidden]).
Officers among the Dragons do indeed have social lives, though it varies with the person, of course. Friendships within garrisons are encouraged, romances DIScouraged (and with War Wizards mind-reading without warning, often, this is something that can be effectively policed). If a friendship seems likely to lead to corruption, or a romance blossom, one or both of the persons involved is simply reassigned to another location. They are indeed put 'out on show' (sometimes as sly information-gatherers, but more often to bolster public support for the troops, especially in Arabel and Marsember, by letting everyone see they are “decent sorts” and to foster friendships between Dragons and civilians) if their personalities won’t make doing so PR disasters. Often officers doing so get covertly watched from afar by War Wizards using spells, Highknights, and so on to see what they can learn about local intrigues and fads and opinions, and to make sure their officers aren’t getting corrupted (note: I don’t mean they will stop an officer hopping into bed with a citizen, even if it’s someone married to someone else, or having a shady past, or being a professional “bedchamber worker,” or even a known agent for a crime cabal or foreign interest; rather, I’m speaking of corruption not in the moral sense, but in the “betraying your country” sense). In short, the Court (Azoun and Filfaeril, and now Filfaeril and Alusair, and throughout on a daily, effective basis, moreso Vangerdahast and Laspeera and now Caladnei and Laspeera) do know of, and quietly encourage, this practice.
And Damian, you’re very welcome. This is something I should have been far more specific about in print, long ago. As you can tell, my notes were near at hand when your question was relayed to me by the lovely THO (I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to explain just why, yet).
So saith Ed. More essential Realmslore! Wheee!
love to all,
THO |
So saith Ed. I've never said he was sane, have I?
Gods, all this writing and he's running a constant fantasy version of Coronation Street in his head, too. .
shudder,
love to all,
THO
Candlekeep Forum 7 May 2005 |
Edited by - crazedventurers on 17 Feb 2008 13:49:15 |
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 16 Feb 2008 : 11:09:28
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Great Lore indeed! Thanks for contributing, crazed.
For anyone interested in a futher discussion of the love-making topic should head over to Ed's Replies 2008 in particular those from 14th February onward as others, e.g. Garen Thal, have chimed in as well.
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"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
Edited by - Ergdusch on 01 Mar 2008 09:40:18 |
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 22 Feb 2008 : 10:13:50
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I started re-reading Murder in Cormyr today, the german translation anyway. It takes place in and around the town of Ghars. Information on this place can also be found on the pages 182/183 of Volo's Guide to Cormyr.
Summing up hereafter any useful information about Ghars obtained from Volo's Guide's entry and 'Murder in Cormyr' but BEWARE: minor spoilers are included in the people's discriptions, though they are marked as such. (You will have to highlight to read them!!!)
(All names underlinded are translated by me from the German version of the novel ('Mord in Cormyr'):
Official Information:
Population: ca. 1,200 (mostly humans, at least 1 dwarf and 1 halfling)
Armed Force: Purple Dragon garrison nearby (read about the garrison below)
Major Temples: ???
Local Nobles: ???
Local Merchants: Beardhelm Meadowcreek (read about his person below)
Lord: none, though Sarp Redbeard of Wheloon funtions performs the duties (record-keeping and tax collection) for Ghars.
Herold: Grodoveth (read about his person below)
Major: Tobald (read about his person below)
Taverns and Inns:
Sheaf of Wheat - forgettable, but not dreadful inn run by an unfriendly hulk of a man named Lukas Spoonfade (Lukas Löffelschwund).
Silver Scythe - forgettable, but not dreadful inn.
Bold Bard - this rather pleasant, if rustic tavern is owned and run by a dwarf called Shortleg (Kurzbein). One of his wenches is called Sunflower (Sonnehaar) for her long blonde hair.
Swamp's Rat (Sumpfratte) - this tavern is located about a good 20 minutes horse-ride east of town. A shabby place run by Hesketh Pratt (Hesketh Pratt), serving cheap beer and watered wine to the local farmers not willing to take the trip into town 'for just one drink'.
Other buildings/businesses in Ghars:
Purple Dragon garrison - the garrison is regarded by all in the town as an impartial and incorruptible police force. Its presence has led to the growth of this village into a town of some 1,200 folk. Temporarily the garrisons commander is Captain Flim (Hauptmann Flim).
Smithy & Stalls - the smithy run by Aunsible Durn and his assistant Dovo.
Water cistern- the highest building in town. Ghars has wells but no plentiful water so the cistern helps in particular dry summers. The cistern's water supplies are managed by Khlerat (Khlerat).
Library - the library is not more than a single large room, added to the town hall. The literature mainly focuses on regional lore and history, due to the preferences of the librarian Phelos Marmwitz (Phelos Marmwitz). However, there are a few books on philosophy and biology, a few novels and a duzen or so maps of Cormyr and its neighboring states, all out of date of course.
Jewelry - run by a human, Diccon Picard (Diccon Picard), who is fond of using lots of insence oil in his shop for unknown reasons (I speculate to cover up his body oder).
Butcher - Skedmoor (Skedmoor) is the towns butcher.
Alchemist and Medic - Doctor Braum (Doktor Braum) is a local medic, who is not all that competent in his craft, as I've heard. But he will do in most cases, I guess.
Purchase and Sale Shop - a local halfling Bryn Goldenteeth (Bryn Goldzahn) owns this little shop in town where you can buy and sale pretty much any rummage you like. For a good price too, if you are of halfling blood, that is!
Also present in Ghars are a Candlemaker and a
Dressmaker/Tailor. Most likely many more shops exist but were not mentioned in the novel and therefore not mentioned here.
People of Ghars:
Benelaius ??? (Benelaius) - a war wizard who has retired from his duties and now lives in a nice two-story building with his enumerous house cats and his servant Jasper (Jasper). His house is located about 40 minutes horse-ride south and east of town, close to the Vast Swamp.
Tobald ??? (Tobald) - Formerly a professor at the University of Suzail Tobald now funtions as the towns major. He suffers on advanced gout and takes various medications to make him feel better. He is not very fond of Doctor Braum, as he sees in him no more than a quacksalver and charlatan (which he is not, I should mention.) (Spoiler: He is convicted of treason to the crown and espionage for the Ironthrone. Further he is made responsible for the deaths of Dovo and Grodoveth.)
Grodoveth ??? (Grodoveth) - the envoy of the Crown and the king's Local Lord Sarp Redbeard of Whellon. He 'patrols' the region around the Vast Swamp and stops by Ghars ever so often. He is marries to Beatrice Obarskyr, a cousin-german to King Azoun IV and behaves like that would be really something. Rumors have spred that he was banned by Azoun himself from Suzail for some unfavorable romantic liason with another 'lady'. (Spoiler: He dies during the course of the book as he is being beheaded by a trap in the tomb of Fastred the Ghost. He is also the murderer of Dovo, as will be revieled in at the very end of the book.)
Beardhelm Meadowcreek (Barthelm Wiesenbach) - the owner of the ox-driven grist mill and richest merchant of Ghars. He is also the representative of Cormyr's 'Council of Merchants' in Ghars. Also worth mentioning is his dauther Mayella (Mayella), desireable not only for daddy's assets, but even more so for her stuningly beautiful looks.
Aunsible Durn - he is the local smith of some skill, indeed. Folk come for miles to buy his tools, plowshares, scythes, and horseshoes. Its all the rage among the wealthier farmers to equip their laborers with halberds, bills, or pikes from Durn. Many locals think these squires really just want an excuse to parade around in grand-looking armor at every wedding and festival day while by a ramshackle honor guard.
Dovo (Dovo) - he is Aunsible Durns assistand in the smithy and a womaniser, if you have ever seen one, even though he is married and has two kids. (Spoiler: Dovo dies during the course of the book. He pretents to be the Ghost of Fastred the Robber, who is rumopred to be buried somewhere in the Vast Swamp. However, somebody must have found this joke not very amusing as Dovo is found beheaded after one of his nightly 'shows'.)
Kendra ??? (Kendra) - an adventuring woman (fighter) with fire-red hair trimmed at the neck and a well tunned body, so it was said, who stayed in Ghars at that time.
Elizabeth Thornclaw (Elizabeth Dornernklaue) - she is a very old woman, who lives in a depraved little house a mile south of town and has lost some of her senses over the years. She sometimes has her clear moments but otherwise babbles a lot of giberish and non-sense. That's why she is often caled 'crazy Liz'. Younger folk don't even know her real name.
There are a few more citizens of Ghars named in the novel. However, as they are mostly farmers, are not of much importance to the towns live or the plot and therefore not mentioned here.
Additional information:
- Ghars can be located on this Map of the entire Kingdom of Cormyr.
- We had a discussion on Ghars in another thread: Who is the Lord of Ghars? |
"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
Edited by - Ergdusch on 05 Mar 2008 07:04:18 |
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 18 Mar 2008 : 13:55:21
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I added following info to the index:
Nadasha and Lycon of Sune are two Harper agents active in Cormyr. (I obtained this partcular information from Elfshadow by Elaine Cunningham, p. 277).
This is what Elaine had to add to my querry on those two characters:
quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham
I don't believe there is any published lore on Nadasha and Lycon. If memory serves--and it HAS been nearly 18 years since I wrote Elfshadow--these characters were created for the novel, but I did not create a detailed backstory for them. So if you're interested in incorporating them into a campaign, by all means feel free to grab them and run off with them in any direction you please. 
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"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
Edited by - Ergdusch on 18 Mar 2008 17:07:25 |
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 10 Apr 2008 : 13:42:54
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Ed gave an insight into popular names in the Forest Kingdom:
'Recently popular Cormyrean female names: Asmura, Baera, Calatha, Dalorna, Deira, Estele, Flornele, Iltara, Jakkara, Marantha, Raele, Sarelle, Tamphara, Thorn
(So, daily diminutives: Asmur or Mur, Baer, Cath, Lorna or Lor, Deir, Stel, Flor, Tara, Kara, Ranth or Ran, [Raele], Rel, Fara, [Thorn])
In these lists, Griskor, Hrandur, Jeth, and Lharak (of the male names) and Iltara, Jakkara, Marantha, and Tamphara (of the female names) have been brought in through immigration, and are more popular in Marsember and Suzail than in “upcountry” places such as Espar, Eveningstar, and Arabel (roughly: Waymoot and Immersea and anywhere north of those locales).
Conversely, in the upcountry areas, “old,” long-established Cormyrean names are more popular; in these lists, those names are Beliard, Brace, Dannon, Morlan, and Roth (male names) and Baera, Dalorna, Raele, and Thorn (female names).
“Thorn” has traditionally been given to farm lasses born when the parents were hoping for a strong male child (in other words, the new Thorn is going to have to take on the “grunt” tasks of working a farm), and as a result has been borne by a lot of what we real-world folks would call “tomboys.”
Andel, Ardusk, Edlorn, and Wynter (of the male names), and Asmura, Calatha, Estele, and Flornele (of the female names) are from the previous two generations of immigration, and come from Sembia.
To zero in on Arabel in particular, as per your request, the most popular names right now are:
(boys) Beliard, Brace, Brorn, Dannon, Danrask, Jeth [and its local variant “Juth”], Morland [not a typo for “Morlan,” but the local variant on “Morlan”], Roth, and Wendur (diminutives: [Beliard], Race, Rorn, Dan, Dan, [Jeth], Morl, [Roth], Wen)
(girls) Baera, Calatha, Dalorna, Delendra, Labrelle, Marra, Raele, Sulue [or Tassulue], and Thorn (diminutives: Baer, Cath, Lorn, Len, Bel, Mar, Rae, Su [or Tass], [Thorn]).
Note that some local favourites appear here that aren’t in the “more widely popular” lists. Sulue is pronounced “Soo-LOO,” by the way, so “Su” is “Soo” (this name came from Aglarond to Scardale, then through the northern Dales to Arabel).' |
"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
Edited by - Ergdusch on 26 Jun 2008 15:13:18 |
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jun 2008 : 22:44:48
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| Added a few of my posts about the Forgotten Keep, caused by the discussion here. |
"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
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Sanishiver
Senior Scribe
USA
476 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jun 2008 : 22:12:22
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| Just wanted to say THANK YOU for taking the time to put this all together. You've made my game a little bit better by your efforts and I appreciate that. |
09/20/2008: Tiger Army at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz. You wouldn’t believe how many females rode it out in the pit. Santa Cruz women are all of them beautiful. Now I know to add tough to that description.
6/27/2008: WALL-E is about the best damn movie Pixar has ever made. It had my heart racing and had me rooting for the good guy.
9/9/2006: Dave Mathews Band was off the hook at the Shoreline Amphitheater.
Never, ever read the game books too literally, or make such assumptions that what is omitted cannot be. Bad DM form, that.
And no matter how compelling a picture string theory paints, if it does not accurately describe our universe, it will be no more relevant than an elaborate game of Dungeons and Dragons. --paragraph 1, chapter 9, The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene |
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jun 2008 : 22:55:25
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quote:
Originally posted by Sanishiver
Just wanted to say THANK YOU for taking the time to put this all together. You've made my game a little bit better by your efforts and I appreciate that.
You are more than welcome! Your thanks is my motivation to keep this thread up to date and well maintained as much as I possibly can.
Good gaming always, Ergdusch |
"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jun 2008 : 14:28:53
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A reply by Ed from May 18th 2008 on joining the War Wizards and the Purple Dragons, on nobles and barbarians in Cormyr, a paladin of Tyr in Cormyr and the attitude of Cormyreans towards genasi.
Enjoy!
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One, asked by Chosen of Moradin and edited for easy reading:
1. How can a player character enter to the War Wizards and to the Purple Dragon? (to the organizations, to the PrC is well documented).
For joining the War Wizards: the sorcerer will be required to register (give his name, place of origin, intended place of dwelling or route of travel within the realm, blood sample, and sigil if any) with the War Wizards, just as any arcane spellcaster is. If he expressly asks to join the Wizards of War, he’ll be told (by any War Wizard NPC) the polite equivalent of “Don’t call us; we’ll call you.” However, he will also be watched covertly and closely from that moment on (including by War Wizards using spells to spy on him and listen to his utterances, from afar). The War Wizards want all adventurer-wizards active in Cormyr to be bound by adventuring charter, or to leave the realm, or to serve the Crown, or to join their ranks, so unless the sorcerer is a “bad apple” (flouts the laws and behavioural norms of the kingdom often and casually), he will eventually be asked to join. Which will mean he ends up serving as a spy or open reporter on the deeds of his adventuring companions, and can be ordered (usually by a testy Vangerdahast or another senior gruff old Wizard of War, if your Realms campaign has the War Wizards run by someone else, such as Caladnei) to undertake all sorts of dangerous tasks (read: ways you the DM can drag the PCs into adventures) at any time. The actual joining will involve mind-reaming (an exhausting mind-meld spell in which a senior War Wizard who can easily mentally overpower the PC sorts through all of the PC’s memories and sees EVERYTHING, so let’s hope the PC doesn’t have too shady a past) and then the swearing of an oath. An example of a mind-reaming can be seen in my novel ELMINSTER’S DAUGHTER; the oath appears in my 2004 questions thread here at the Keep, I believe (Edit note: For the Oath of Loyalty see next post!!!).
For joining the Purple Dragons: the soldiery of Cormyr is always short of strength, these days, and simply volunteering at any garrison location is enough to get a PC “halfway in.” There’s an oath of loyalty (simplify it from the War Wizard one, with loyalty sworn to the ruling monarch; if your campaign is during the Steel Regency, the oath will specify serving Azoun V directly or “through the Regent, and none other”), the signing of a “bond” (simple contract, with pay specified; the PC will start as an “armsman” or trainee soldier, at 1 cp/day plus room and board; pay will increase to 1 sp/day for any sort of “combat duty,” and mounts and all gear are provided free of charge; pay will also increase as more training is mastered, and of course increases with rank; there are various notations over the three-and-ongoing years of this thread as to pay, rank, et al, plus the rank table given in POWER OF FAERUN), mind-reaming again (by a middling-level War Wizard), and then assignment to a trainee “patrol” at a garrison.
Please note: whereas PC adventurer War Wizards are typically “fairly free” to go adventuring, PC Purple Dragons are NOT. Being a soldier of the Crown means military duty, darned near all your waking hours, not racing off to delve into dungeons or pick fights with monsters or anyone else. Trainees are not going to be sent into danger or anywhere near any royalty or sensitive areas, unless the realm gets plunged suddenly into war.
2. Is there the possibility of existing Cormyrean barbarian tribes? And what will be the more plausible option?
No, there are no Cormyrean barbarians. Which doesn’t mean there can’t be a “barbarian” IN Cormyr. This would most likely be an unlettered, untutored “backwilds” human who’s wandered south from a subsistence-level family in the northernmost reaches of Thar or the Sword Coast North (Ice Mountains vicinity, or fled from a more westerly Uthgardt tribe thanks to a blood feud, oathbreaking, or other trouble; any human from the Sword Coast North is likely to have been displaced by strengthening orc activity). There’s also the slim possibility of having come from subsistence-level Nar or other human family from somewhere between the Great Dale and Sossal, but you’ll have to come up with “how the character got to Cormyr.” Myself, I’d use a gate/portal, but then you’ll have to decide if the character can find or use that gate again, or (preferably) if it’s been lost or destroyed.
3. About the nobles, how is the organization of the Cormyrean nobility? (titles, hierarchies, etc.)
The nobility of Cormyr are a large and complicated topic that I haven’t even begun to address properly in print. Pre-Spellplague, there may be as many as 120 noble families, if you count all of the exile, banished, possibly-extinct ones. There are generally about forty wealthy and influential noble families in Cormyr, with a dozen or so really powerful ones that a PC “son of a baron” can’t possibly be from. Most of them are called “lord” or “lady” in general daily parlance; there aren’t enough “barons” in Cormyr for a PC to easily be from a Cormyrean family and still be the “son of a baron.” I’d suggest that the PC either be from the Cormaeril family (recently lost noble status and most wealth and lands, though individuals are still allowed to serve the Crown as soldiers, earn ranks and titles, and remain as citizens, perhaps becoming ennobled in the future in their own right rather than because of their blood) or an exiled family (again, is the son of a baron but that now means nothing except suspicion in Cormyr), or hales from the nobility of Chessenta or perhaps Tethyr. As a DM, consider carefully what advantages you are handing the PC if they can call on noble privileges, wealth, and connections whenever they feel the need.
4. How could I handle the "ordainment" of a paladin of Tyr
As for the ordainment of a paladin of Tyr, there are two elements here: the “Trueing” (the official ceremony or ritual in which a paladin is “sanctified” to “ride forth as an arm of Tyr,” dispensing justice, fighting injustice, and generally being a paladin in the name of the god, able to call upon and even command the support of His church), and the “Testing” that leads up to this ceremony: the Great Task that anyone desiring to become a paladin must successfully complete in order to be granted paladinhood.
I would suggest that a PC paladin begin play by having to carry out this Task with the aid of a “band of companions” (the rest of the PCs) so as to force him or her to become part of a team rather than being the loner he/she has hitherto been, and that this Task be some sort of dangerous adventuring mission in Cormyr, perhaps recovering a holy relic stolen from a temple of Tyr by someone wealthy and powerful in Cormyr (a senior courtier, a noble, or a wealthy and powerful merchant in one of the three cities; in other words, a major and tricky task). If the PC fails, there may be severe social consequences for all of the PCs in Cormyr, but the Church of Tyr understands that daring and danger holds forth the possibility of failure, and will merely assign another Task. HOW the PC paladin carries out the task is of utmost importance: he/she must try their utmost not to break any laws, and not to create any injustice by their deeds and words or through what they failed to say or do. Simple for me to outline, but can be VERY hard for a player to guide their character through, without missteps, in the hands of a good DM.
5. How could I handle a presence of a Mulhorand genasi, how the Cormyreans will interact with him?”
Cormyr is a tolerant, “crossroads” trading land; citizens of all of its three cities and all waystop communities along its central and eastern roads are used to seeing all manner of “strange outlanders.” Unless they look very like a known or legendary “dangerous monster” (for most Cormyreans, known monsters include carrion crawlers, doppelgangers in their “native” form or seen during shapeshifting, and goblins; legendary perils include drow, illithids, and dragons), the treatment a particular “outlander” receives depends on how he or she behaves. A black earth genasi from Mulhorand would be ridiculed if trying to make a living as, say, a lap dancer in a high-end city festhall or club, an attendant arranging tiny fragile ceramics or jewelry pieces in a crowded shop, or perhaps a fashion model, but would otherwise generally be treated as “just another trader” or laborer (“Ho, touch of giant blood in that one, I’d say!”). On the other hand, a black earth genasi from Mulhorand who set up a bone altar and prayed to orc gods would get attacked, pronto. If the player handles the PC according to what RACES OF FAERUN says about the attitude and demeanor of most earth genasi, the character should be accepted readily by Cormyreans (though they may glance at him or her twice, or stare with interest, just because the character is a tad “different” and therefore interesting).
So saith Ed, who remains frantically busy, and begs your patience as he continues to make Realmslore replies when he can. Keep those questions (and rants and hellos and everything else, too) coming.
love to all,
THO
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"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
Edited by - Ergdusch on 23 Jun 2008 14:55:36 |
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jun 2008 : 14:41:00
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Here it comes, as promissed above, from the 'home' Realms campaign, the
Oath of Loyalty sworn by the War Wizards
also known as the 'Handflame' (see below)quote:
I, --[insert full formal name, sans titles but including all given used names and aliases, including truenames if the oath is taken in private]-- , give my service unfailingly loyal to the Mage Royal of Cormyr, in full obedience of speech and action, that peace and order shall prevail in the Forest Kingdom, that magic of mine own and others be used and not misused. I do this in trust that the Mage Royal shall unswervingly serve the throne of Cormyr, and if the Mage Royal fall, or fail the Crown and Throne, my obedience shall be to the sovereign directly. Whenever there is doubt and dispute, I shall act to preserve Cormyr. Sunrise and moonfall, so long as my breath takes and my mine eyes see, I serve Cormyr. I give my life that the realm endure.
Wolly elaborated on this oath a bit more when he originally posted it. I will provide that information as well, of course.
quote:
Originally posted by Wolly Rupert:
War Wizards swear before the Mage Royal and one other War Wizard, plus a court scribe or member of the Obarskyr family, or the second-in-command of the War Wizards plus three other War Wizards of at least twelve seasons of service (rank doesn't matter) and a court scribe. In the event that the Royal Magician/Mage Royal and the Court Wizard are two separate persons, either one of them will suffice. In the event that both offices are vacant, any nine long-service War Wizards (so long as their number includes either one of the two highest-ranking surviving War Wizards) can receive the oath of loyalty.
This oath is informally but universally known as "The Handflame" because someone accepting the oath before the court for dramatic effect often conjures up illusory flame about their hands, transferring it briefly to the swearer's hands as the accepter clasps the hands of the swearer (a formality usually entirely dispensed with in private). A War Wizard's oath is taken only once; dismissal from the organization (for reasons of age, ill health, loss of desire to serve, or unfitting conduct) is known as "release from the oath." The Handflame is always spoken from memory, not recited by the accepter or a prompter and repeated by swearer.
Please note that all personal oaths and many noble oaths have included variant flowery language (if approved beforehand by both independent heralds AND the accepters), and there's no reason why War Wizard oaths shouldn't also have embellishments, so long as this core is retained. I can say that Vangerdahast has been overheard to grunt: "Well enough, I accept your service. Swear to serve?"
[the response was: "Uh, yes."]
Vangey: "Right, you're in. Now, I order you to-"
In Cormyr, nobles (when they come of age) personally swear loyalty to both the sovereign (by name, and in the presence of the monarch) AND the Crown, pledging their persons to "the defense of the realm." Purple Dragons, lesser courtiers, and minor officials of the realm swear to "the Crown and the Dragon Throne" before no less than three ranking courtiers and/or the Royal Magician or a member of the Obarskyrs plus a court sage (in time of war, "battlefield oaths" are acceptable before three serving Purple Dragons and a Purple Dragon officer of the rank of ornrion or higher). Oaths are sworn when entering service, and may be re-demanded ("reconfirmed") at any time.
Highknights and courtiers of rank [Seneschal, Lord Chamberlain, the High Chatelaine, the Master of the King's Stables, etc.] take personal oaths to the sovereign (in the presence of the sovereign, a priest of the swearer's prime faith, the Royal Magician, another member of the blood Obarskyr or failing that two persons of one of the three 'royal' noble families, and a court sage and a court scribe).
All of the above oaths are usually renewed when a new sovereign or regent takes the Dragon Throne.
There you have it! Another treasure piece of lore from these very boards. Oh, how I love this Candlekeep! |
"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
Edited by - Ergdusch on 23 Jun 2008 14:57:36 |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jun 2008 : 22:01:06
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Great stuff.
I've got a question, and I don't notice it on your list on page one - isn't there a 'secret cave' that houses a royal mine, and thats where the Cormyrian Royals get most of their money? |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36805 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jun 2008 : 22:26:04
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Great stuff.
I've got a question, and I don't notice it on your list on page one - isn't there a 'secret cave' that houses a royal mine, and thats where the Cormyrian Royals get most of their money?
The Crystal Grot is discussed on pages 10-11 of Volo's Guide to Cormyr, which you can get for free from the Wizards downloads page.
There is also this bit from THO:
quote:
Aureus, I've forwarded your query to Ed (along with all other recent scribes' questions), but I can venture a LITTLE lore on this: most of the easily-obtainable gem wealth of Cormyr comes from the Crystal Grot (controlled by the royal family), which is covered in VOLO'S GUIDE TO CORMYR, and there are gold mines under High Horn and under certain names-kept-officially-secret western peaks (with panning in a few surface streams in those same peaks), as well as iron and copper mines in many places about the realm. (This lore comes from playing in Ed's "home" campaign.)
love,
THO
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31777 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jun 2008 : 01:30:08
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The Crystal Grot is a secret place full of sapphires. The Obarskyrs carefully mine and sell [in measured quantities over various markets, Faerûn-wide] these sapphires to keep themselves and the realm wealthy enough that they can tax lightly.
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
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
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jul 2008 : 05:09:09
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Thank you for the quick responses, guys! 
You Sages help me look smart on other sites.
... Lord knows I need all the help I can get...  |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jul 2008 : 18:24:38
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Late to chime in on this. I was away for the weekend. As I see, you managed to answer this just fine without me helping ! Not that I would have thought otherwise and to be earnest, I would have had to leave the question for others to answer anyway!
Anyhow, great question and just the expected magnificent answers. Exactly the obscure lore that I try to gather here! I'll post a notice at the index-post on the 1st page.
Thanks for the input guys!
Edit note:
Here we have the collective information on the Crystal Grot, gathered here from all different places of the Candlekeep library, beginning with
the 'Crystal Grot'-entry from Volo's Guide to Cormyr, p. 10/11:
quote:
"For centuries now, the Obarskyrs have been able to tax their subjects lightly and yet elude the influence of the richest noble and merchant families by staying out of debt to them. The reason for this is a private source of fabulous wealth. Somewhere in Cormyr lies the fabled Crystal Grot, a natural cavern whose walls are lined with sapphires a thick layer of glittering gem crystals, possibly the largest gemstone concentration in all Faerûn!
The cavern was discovered by Amble Obarskyr, cousin to Ring Pryntaler. Aside from Amble, Vangerdahast, and every rightful king since then, only six people have seen it in all the years since then.
These lucky six have all been Purple Dragons skilled in mining who were brought to the cavern by magical means to keep its locations secret. Their duty has been to chip out crystal masses when the Crown needed to call on its wealth.
It is known or perhaps falsely put about by folk of the Court that the Grot lies somewhere under land owned directly by the Crown and is part of a cavern network haunted by a watchghost or some sort of lich. In recent years the gem cavern has been reached only via a gate.
The location of this transports other end is secret, though persistent rumors place it somewhere in the cellars of the palace in Suzail, in a room concealed behind a sliding painting, a tapestry, or a carvingornamented wall.
The Obarskyrs have always been careful to spend their sapphire wealth in moderation, offering stones for sale in the Vilhon Reach, Waterdeep, Amn, and similar distant markets to keep their value high. Yet, the existence of the Grot explains the rows of sapphires on the scabbards of all four swords of state in the regalia of the Court."
Further, a minor answer related to taxes in Suzail by Ed himself:
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One on 12 Jul 2006:
There are few surprises for an adventurer in Suzail, because the Crown of Cormyr doesn't have to be greedy for funds; it has the Crystal Grot and many sources of fee-based income.
Wondering about articles on Cormyrean taxation that were mentioned in that post and also about the fee-based sources Ed hinted at I asked: What other fee-based sources were you referring to? And any chance that the dragon articles on Cormyrean taxes you reffered to have been published by now?
Eds answer from July 4th 2008 was:
quote:
No, the articles haven’t been published, but are under NDA for possible fiction use reasons. Sorry.
The “other fee-based” sources of income I mentioned include all manner of Crown-issued permits and licenses (e.g. to hunt in an area not your own, to cut timber ditto, to practice alchemy [medicine, scent-making, and the making of “around the house and farm” substances such as soaps, repellents and lubricants]), sales and rentals of Crown land, docking and warehouse fees at Crown wharves in Cormyrean ports, import duties on certain goods (which can be quite high on weapons, dyes, and certain potent drinkables), “gate tolls” per wagon if sheltering over at High Horn or other Crown fortresses, and so on (and on, and on). There are also 1-cp-per-transaction taxes built into the prices of certain services (fees for bardic performances, club dancers, etc.), and fees for Crown-provided services (such as inspections of buildings and fences, letters penned by Royal Court scribes, copies provided of various Crown documents such as land deeds, identity papers, et al). In certain circumstances, individuals can even hire Purple Dragons to repair roads and bridges and guard things, with the fees shared between the the Dragons and the Crown.
And also a minor side note in one of his other replies:
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One on 15 Sep 2007:
Thanks to the Crystal Grot and Vangey’s canny “buying” of much foreign gold coinage, Cormyr has built up treasury enough over the years.
Intrigued I asked: Does this hold true for the time after the Dragon War? Or have the state funds been run low after this crisis?
Eds answer from July 4th 2008 was:
quote:
The Dragon War smashed a lot of Purple Dragon manpower and necessitated recruiting, training, and equipping new soldiers as well as short-term buying of a lot of food to offset ruined crops. In the longer term, a lot of fortifications in Arabel had to be rebuilt, and a great amount of fencing (and livestock herds) had been destroyed and had to be replaced. Yet the longer-term rebuilding generated prosperity in the ever-bustling realm all by itself . . . so the dint in the treasure was small, and just enabled the Obarskyrs to draw on more of the wealth of the Grot without causing rampant inflation.
In short: the realm (including its government and royal family) is as wealthy as ever.
Moreover, George Krashos answered on a querry on the lifestyle of the Crown of Cormyras as follows:
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos on 8 Jul 2004:
quote:
Originally posted by Beowulf
Many nations in the west have exacted huge taxes from their civilian population to raise, train, and maintain a standing army as large as Cormyr's prior to Azoun IV's death. Where does Cormyr get the money from to maintain the lifestyle their propaganda artist claim they have?
From the Crystal Grot - see Volo's Guide to Cormyr, p.10.
Moreover I asked Ed, if the Crystal Grot is ever going to be played out/exploited?
Eds answer from July 4th 2008 on this one was:
quote:
Who knows? In theory, yes, but the “exploited” is covered by NDAs, and the “played out” is not something the few individuals who have actually seen the Grot seem at all worried about. Which should tell you the worth of what meets the eye in that cavern is stupendous - - and “stupendous” covers a lot of spending sprees.
Further creativemind asked why Ed created the Cyrstal Grot.
THO replied on this:
quote:
Ed did create the Crystal Grot, so far as I can recall, and did so deliberately to have Cormyr's government make financial sense WITHOUT the ruling family or Court having the necessity to levy heavy taxes. (Ed wanted to establish a situation where the nobles hated the Obarskyrs for their own reasons, but the "common folk" didn't necessarily hate the ruling family, because they weren't suffering under a heavy tax load.)
However, as usual, all of your posts will be sent on to him, so he can reply himself, in the fullness of time. [and will be addedto this post swiftly after is has been presented to us here at Candlekeep, of cource!]
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"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
Edited by - Ergdusch on 07 Jul 2008 11:05:03 |
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jul 2008 : 19:56:52
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On my recent search I discovered a post in the REALMS-L-archives by J. Grenemyer (who is known here at Candlekeep as Sanishiver if I am not mistaking) summarizing the state of Cormyr after the Dragon War:
quote:
According to Ed Greenwood's replies at Candlekeep.com to direct questions on the subject (see also here):
- The Blisterfoot Inn was pillaged, but not torched or destroyed.
- Hilp and Immersea were largely bypassed.
- Cormyr's farmlands remain 8% blighted by the time of "Elminster's Daughter".
- Regarding adventurers, Ed says the following: "Alusair is as strict with adventurers as her father was: meaning, she comes down hard on those who don't report in, don't peacebond, and don't get charters if they're residents, but turns a smilingly blind eye to adventurers who hurl spells and draw blades in aid of anyone against marauding monsters, brigand attacks, and the like. She's VERY wary of adventurers turning brigand or becoming the sponsored "swordstrike" forces of ambitious nobles seeking to take advantage of the weakened realm, and has opened the coffers (drawing on the Crystal Grot) to hire adventurers she (or her mother, through Dove and
other regular Harper contacts; you'll see a glimpse of what Filfaeril's been up to, down the years, in SWORDS OF EVENINGSTAR) "knows" and trusts. So a lot of adventuring bands, each closely watched over by War Wizards to make sure they don't "go bad," are busy in the northeastern part of the realm right now."
- The Harpers are working "cordially" with the War Wizards and others of Cormyr's forces to root out beasts in the King's Wood. The Hulack Forest is still as wild as ever.
- Residents of Marsember and Suzail are being offered free lands to settle if they wish to populate the eastern portion of Cormyr, in the wake of the War.
- The Crown is bent on preventing Sembian influence from creeping into this area also, by rotating numerous Purple Dragon patrols throughout the region as both a show of force and a means of uprooting foreign (read: Sembian) settlers that have come through the mountains.
- And on the matter of children born after the war, "the Steel Regent and Dowager Queen Filfaeril have announced that any woman of Cormyr who gives birth to a child shall be paid 10 gp per year (so long as the child remains alive) by the Crown, from the birth-year until the child has seen ten-and-four summers.Purple Dragons have been told that to father a child on someone they haven't wed (or fail to marry when they learn of the pregnancy), except when the mother was a Crown-licensed prostitute (yes, such licensing is new, and involves War Wizards covertly paying ladies of the evening who pass on interesting things they see and hear from clients), is now a ten-years-of-prisoner-labor (mainly road repair, irrigation, and bridge-building) offense.
This list is by no means complete. Ed's posted quite a bit more on Cormyr and the Stonelands over the last couple years. To this end I tried -but failed- to write links to Ed's exact posts in this reply.
J. Grenemyer
Thanks for collecting these so far, Sanishiver (and thus turning your recent praise right back at you )! I wonder, have you collected any other replies by Ed to this specific topic as of today?
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"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
Edited by - Ergdusch on 01 Jul 2008 20:02:55 |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jul 2008 : 22:26:17
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I needed this piece of information as it was the one thing I was missing in a rather long-winded post about the possibility of Dwarves living in secret in the Stormhorns for centuries - known to the crown, but secret to the general populace. It actually started with a 4e discussion, and the fact that some folks placed the 'starter adventure' from the DMG in Cormyr (requiring a Dwarven Town nearby).
It forced me to go back over the notes I took concerning the Stonelands (and all connected regions) when I did my maps of the area (thanks for its inclusion, BTW). It seems I was able to make several (very NON-canon) connections, and I surmised that the Crystal Grot is in reality the surface-opening of the hidden dwarven realm, and the Royals actually go there to collect their 'rent' from the Dwarves. Since the Dwarves need to remain hidden (for lots of reasons worked out in that other thread) in the pre-spellplague era, they cannot show their fealty to the Cormyr crown in the usual way, by supplying troops in times of war, so instead pay their tribute in the form of Saphires.
Like I said, all non-canon, but I was able to work-out so many details (with a little help) that it think I may use it all as the basis for a future article. Its amazing how many ways one can find Dwarven connections to Cormyr if one digs deep enough.  |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 01 Jul 2008 22:33:13 |
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Mkhaiwati
Learned Scribe
USA
252 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jul 2008 : 03:50:20
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For what it is worth, the next issue (or whatever the on-line version is called) of Dragon has an article on Cormyr after the Spellplague.
While I can't say I like what they have done to FR in 4e, it is written by a certain Brian R. James, so it could be interesting. |
"Behold the work of the old... let your heritage not be lost but bequeath it as a memory, treasure and blessing... Gather the lost and the hidden and preserve it for thy children."
"not nale. not-nale. thog help nail not-nale, not nale. and thog knot not-nale while nale nail not-nale. nale, not not-nale, now nail not-nale by leaving not-nale, not nale, in jail." OotS #367 |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jul 2008 : 19:04:33
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I'm sure it will be great - Cormyr was one of the few places barely touched - it actually got 'better' (pretty easy thing, considering how bad-off they were towards the end of 3e).
I'm sure Brian was smart enough not to give the new King a Dragonborn bodygaurd detail.  |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Garen Thal
Master of Realmslore
USA
1105 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jul 2008 : 20:00:25
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
I'm sure it will be great - Cormyr was one of the few places barely touched - it actually got 'better' (pretty easy thing, considering how bad-off they were towards the end of 3e).
I'm sure Brian was smart enough not to give the new King a Dragonborn bodygaurd detail.
He better have been. Last I saw of the article, he was conforming nicely to my instrucXXX suggestions. |
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Asgetrion
Master of Realmslore
Finland
1564 Posts |
Posted - 04 Jul 2008 : 08:11:06
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| Hmmm... by the way, does anyone remember if goblins came through the Hullack Forest (or around it), and whether Thunderstone, Ghars or Hultail were affected by the Dragonfall War or not? |
"What am I doing today? Ask me tomorrow - I can be sure of giving you the right answer then."
-- Askarran of Selgaunt, Master Sage, speaking to a curious merchant, Year of the Helm |
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 04 Jul 2008 : 09:44:22
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quote:
Originally posted by Asgetrion
Hmmm... by the way, does anyone remember if goblins came through the Hullack Forest (or around it), and whether Thunderstone, Ghars or Hultail were affected by the Dragonfall War or not?
The Goblin army never made it across the Wyvernwater. They only came from the north and the north-east. Aside from that I don't even recall any Ghazneth activities mentioned in any of those places. Therefore, I would asume that the places you named have remained unaffected by the Dragon War. |
"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
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MerrikCale
Senior Scribe
USA
947 Posts |
Posted - 04 Jul 2008 : 13:23:09
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| If you don't know DDi is putting out an article by Brian James, I think, that deals with 4e Cormyr |
When hinges creak in doorless chambers and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls, whenever candlelights flicker where the air is deathly still, that is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight. |
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Looking for all about Cormyr
