| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Dennis |
Posted - 08 Dec 2012 : 08:32:52
give special treatment to women? You see, I was surprised to learn of Metrobank's Femme Visa. The tagline is even very feminist..."Because you're a woman." Hmm. I'm not sure if a similar card/service is offered in other countries.
Anyway, I understand that very little is detailed about the banks of Faerun, but out of those little tidbits, isn't there any mention of any banks, hidden or otherwise, that give special treatment to women or specially cater to women only? Perhaps the drow priestesses have something like THIS? |
| 26 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Dennis |
Posted - 05 Feb 2013 : 14:42:31
Huh? Who said anything about being a DM? I don't game. No time for it. At. All. Even my visit here at CK is cut short due to some rather demanding aspects of my jobs.
Anyway, the treasures are meant to be hidden and accessed only by the owner himself or whoever he chooses, so the pocket dimension example just makes sense. Not that it's the only and best solution. If you can get Ao himself to guard them for you, go ahead. |
| Markustay |
Posted - 31 Jan 2013 : 15:02:00
quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
If it's "normal" (magic) treasure, then the Chosen need not guard them seriously, as people are supposed to find that use them (that's what their patron wants). For other wizards outside the Chosen's circle, it's just too risky to a have a 'draconic bank.' Wizards would likely employ what Marek Rymut did with his "pets" from The Watercourse trilogy: get a well-protected pocket dimension for yourself.
You must be a very boring DM... just saying...
To me, keeping it in a pocket dimension might make sense, but you also loose lots of cool adventuring/RP opportunities. That kind of thinking reminds me of those DMs who design dungeons with secret doors that are "so hard to find, no one will ever find them!"
And they don't. 
I had a good friend once that ran us through a dungeon he created - it was a 'haunted mansion' style of adventure, and took several sessions. In the end, we found barely any treasure, and we were like , WTF?! Months later - after we were in another part for the game world - he explained to us that the main staircase (that we saw as soon as we walked in the door), was actually made of solid gold (it was painted to look like stone). We must have walked up and down that thing 20 times. I asked him, "how could we have possibly taken it out?" His answer - "you couldn't!" And he said that with glee - he thought he was oh-so-clever.
I, personally, was never more annoyed.  |
| Markustay |
Posted - 31 Jan 2013 : 14:53:24
quote:
Originally posted by _Jarlaxle_
quote:
Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis
but the general consensus is that he's bi
Whose gerneral consensus is that? Never saw anything implying it before this.
I understand this, although I'm not sure if it is ever specifically implied for Jarlaxle.
Somewhere it was stated that ALL Drow tend toward bisexuality - its the norm for them. Being 'straight' or 'gay' one way or the other is the abnormal. Please don't ask me where I read that - i did a LOT of research back when I was wring the Dark Elf parts of the Elven Netbook Project. it may have even been something stated here at the keep by a designer/author (Ed, or someone else).
This would NOT preclude a preference - many of them probably do. HOWEVER, in a culture where one might have to exchange sexual favors with a superior just to survive - whether they are of the same sex or not - one does what one must. Ordinary Elves are not 'squeamish' about such things, and Drow take that to an epic level. Also, consider that many of the 'pretty' drow males get treated as sex-toys (and abused) by older drow females... there is a LOT of resentment going on there. It is assumed the males much prefer each others company then that of females (and probably vice-verse... females look down at males, so they would prefer another female as a more serious 'partner'). Drow take breeding as a duty - not something they enjoy (as in, 'raising a female' - the actual carnal experience they enjoy immensely... especially if pain and humiliation are involved).
Wow... I just erased four paragraphs of 'soap boxing'. Suffice it to say that I think Hasbro needs to take their 'guidelines' into the 21st century, and stop trying to appease the very people who are going to hate D&D regardless. |
| Dennis |
Posted - 31 Jan 2013 : 14:46:58
If it's "normal" (magic) treasure, then the Chosen need not guard them seriously, as people are supposed to find that use them (that's what their patron wants). For other wizards outside the Chosen's circle, it's just too risky to a have a 'draconic bank.' Wizards would likely employ what Marek Rymut did with his "pets" from The Watercourse trilogy: get a well-protected pocket dimension for yourself. |
| Markustay |
Posted - 31 Jan 2013 : 14:32:45
its a cerebral solution, and meant for guys like Elminster or Khelben, not your run-of-the-mill wizard or adventurer.
Think about it - they probably 'get stuck with' hoards of treasure all the time (even once every twenty years will add up for thousand-year-old peeps). They don't want it (they have very little use for it), because they know what that much treasure will lead to (wars & greed, etc). If they keep it with a POWERFUL dragon, then they can just forget about it, and if someone IS able to slay the dragon and take it, then they deserve it, and can take proper care of it themselves (even if that means using it for evil purposes). You don't want q bunch of lowbies getting their hand son it; they walk into a town with that pile and all the 'goodly folk' suddenly start thinking VERY bad thoughts. You'll have the innkeeper's wife trying to slit their throats in their sleep (and fighting off the dozen or so other towns people that are trying to do the same).
So, IMHO, its better that some powerful group of adventures winds up with it, who can 'handle' t properly. If someone like Manshoon gets it... well... whats to stop him from just doing this anyway, whether the dragon is watching someone else's treasure or not? Once you are of sufficient power-level to even consider taking on an ancient dragon, then its not like that extra bit of treasure is going to tip the balance in any way.
I am also talking about normal treasure - not incredibly dangerous artifacts (of course those should be secured someplace extremely secure). This also fits in with what we know of the Chosen (and Magister, and others) - that they are supposed to 'seed' the world with low-level magic to spark interest and keep magical research alive. Thus, part of what is stashed in the dragon horde could be a 90% finished spell, or a staff with a few charges left (nothing campaign-breaking).
And also, wouldn't this be a GREAT way to hide magical scrying devices amongst parties of up-and-coming adventurers?  |
| Dennis |
Posted - 31 Jan 2013 : 14:15:12
MT:
No, calling it a draconic bank might sound a bit pompous. An archmage can assign a dragon to guard his treasure. But that wouldn't be enough, or rather too obvious. Why attract treasure hunters, especially desperate ones, if you can simply hide your treasure using high-level spells that would misdirect even the most powerful of diviners? |
| _Jarlaxle_ |
Posted - 30 Jan 2013 : 14:25:19
quote:
Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis
but the general consensus is that he's bi
Whose gerneral consensus is that? Never saw anything implying it before this.
@The Masked Mage
Jarlaxle being a Beanre was stated in many diffrent novels and some rulebooks |
| Thauranil |
Posted - 30 Jan 2013 : 11:22:43
He was definitely a Baenre. His mother believed that he was blessed by Lolth as the sacrificial knife would not cut him and he killed his elder brother as a babe and so she never had him eliminated.
|
| Markustay |
Posted - 29 Jan 2013 : 21:26:02
I'm fairly certain it is mentioned somewhere - he was almost like a (Baenre) version of Drizzt (he was supposed to be sacrificed as well, IIRC).
If anything, it was probably in The Sellswords (but it may have appeared earlier). |
| The Masked Mage |
Posted - 29 Jan 2013 : 20:03:24
quote:
Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis
@ Dennis- well, Jarlaxle's preference has never been specifically stated, or even really strongly implied, but the general consensus is that he's bi. I know that he DID "teach" Liriel (who happens to be his niece) the uh, ropes in that regard, and has apparently been intimate with quite a few females- but he has also had a rather ambiguous relationship with Artemis Entreri, and perhaps with his Breagan D'earth lieutenant Kimmuriel Oblodra as well. Then again, Jarlaxle IS a Baenre, and several of their family members have been known to blur the lines in preference- like Triel, who appears to be female-oriented.
Where do you get the idea about Jaraxle being a Baenre? I'd say, if he was, Matron Baenae would have never allowed him to serve the other houses - she was far too much a hoarder of power. |
| Markustay |
Posted - 29 Jan 2013 : 15:58:33
Not quite on-topic, but I had this idea pop into my head, and I remembered this thread....
I was thinking about money, and how someone like Elminster doesn't really have to worry about it. No archmage really should. You need some fast cash, pop over to the elemental plane of earth and grab a boulder of gold, or bag-of-holding full of diamonds. Or you could just get it from a dungeon, or a dragon's hoard...
And thats when it hit me. A Dragon's Horde. 
Where would Elminster keep all the money he's acquired over the years? He could store it in a pocket-dimension, or having laying around his house in a closet, but that doesn't seem to be his style. You got to figure guys like him run into this problem all the time - they defeat a dragon, or some 'uber evil', or an army of undead, etc... and they get all that treasure that belonged to their foes. Just leaving it there is actually irresponsible - wars could start over such things (and I am sure Elminster would have learned that lesson early-on). You could just dump it all out to sea (and make some seafolk happy), but that would be a waste (because at some point in the future, you may just need a huge pile of treasure).
So, why not a dragon's horde? Make a deal with a dragon - preferably a goodly one - and allow him a percentage of the take just for safe-keeping it for you. The dragon gets some free treasure, gets to rest on top of a lot more treasure, and - if the Mage somehow gets himself killed - gets to keep ALL that treaure. Of course, you have to be a powerful enough mage to actually be able to get your treasure back (because no self-respecting dragon actually plans to hand it back over), but at least you have a very safe place to store your stuff until you need it.
So I present to you the concept of the 'draconic bank'. 
"Its so safe, even you can't take it out" |
| Dennis |
Posted - 05 Jan 2013 : 07:50:56
Heh. That's why in my original post, I specifically mentioned one of banks here in my country. Their release of Femme Visa clearly shows the kind of importance they give to their female customers. Though, who knows, they'd probably release Macho Visa. |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 05 Jan 2013 : 07:27:40
Trying to relate real-world observations to your question ... it seems to me that the large corporate financial institutions (the banks!) show no economic preference based on gender. Individual tellers and employees might be flirty, but I don't think that's worth any extra credit, money decisions are based on money facts and database track record, etc. Although the small-business types, like a mechanic or dentist perhaps, might be more inclined to grant exorbitant loans to hot females. |
| Dennis |
Posted - 05 Jan 2013 : 04:45:25
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
Is not the entire nation of Sembia full of noble houses and merchant cartels which (for a small percentage) provide "letters of credit" and similar sorts of banking?
I believe so. Though what I'm more intrigued by is if there's one that actually provides special favors/treatment to women. And our fellow scribes presented some plausible and rather amusing conjectures. |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 02 Jan 2013 : 07:22:22
Is not the entire nation of Sembia full of noble houses and merchant cartels which (for a small percentage) provide "letters of credit" and similar sorts of banking?
Players might be encouraged to invest money into low-risk properties (from inns to estates to castles) or into high-risk ventures (outfit a small fleet of merchant vessels or an alchemist's laboratory or even a low-level adventuring party) which can add dimensions to the game. Even if the PCs only focus on their investment now and then, mostly just gaining whatever income (and expenses) some hired/appointed NPC can generate with it in the "background". Wealth in historical medieval societies was more often measured in terms of land, cows, and productivity (peasants) than actual weights of gold and silver.
There are certainly banking houses in the many nations of the Shining South, Zakhara, and Kara-Tur. Places with "higher" civilization than barbaric warlike Cormyr and the North.
I imagine that elves as a people are not especially concerned with money, but individual elves might leverage their long lifespans into the accumulation of great wealth through small percentages. Even dwarves might individually see banking and usury as a way to build wealth. Waukeen's status might be at times uncertain, and her faithful may waiver and dissipate, but I'd bet the priests of her temples have financial savvy and resources to stay rich and perhaps become even richer. |
| The Arcanamach |
Posted - 02 Jan 2013 : 06:43:27
Getting back on topic, I do not know of any reliable source for banking info in the Realms. Personally, I use the dragonmarked houses of Ebberon in my campaign now. House Kundarak fills the bill nicely. As for female-preferred clientelle you will just have to go with your best guess.  |
| Neil |
Posted - 01 Jan 2013 : 15:12:21
I don't think that they really need to do that sort of thing in the Realms. Faerun has tended to be quite a bit more egalitarian in their treatment of the sexes compared to old Earth. Magic allowed for women to overcome their biology earlier than technology did the same for our women, and so there are few women who maintain a sense of grievance. Thus, a marketing gimmick like this would probably be less effective, as the battle of the sexes isn't as fierce on Faerun as it is in the West. |
| Thauranil |
Posted - 01 Jan 2013 : 10:18:17
quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
Perhaps RAS will say Drizzt, Jarl, and Entreri are all gays when he 'retires' and says "I'm done with them."
That will certainly anger a lot of the female fans  |
| Dennis |
Posted - 31 Dec 2012 : 03:30:59
quote:
Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis
@ Dennis- well, Jarlaxle's preference has never been specifically stated, or even really strongly implied, but the general consensus is that he's bi. I know that he DID "teach" Liriel (who happens to be his niece) the uh, ropes in that regard, and has apparently been intimate with quite a few females- but he has also had a rather ambiguous relationship with Artemis Entreri, and perhaps with his Breagan D'earth lieutenant Kimmuriel Oblodra as well. Then again, Jarlaxle IS a Baenre, and several of their family members have been known to blur the lines in preference- like Triel, who appears to be female-oriented.
If he is, I doubt it'll ever be openly stated. Let's face it: despite how "modern" the times are, and how open-minded many folks are, the word 'gay' still retains some unsavory connotations. Ever wondered why JK Rowling revealed Dumbledore's preference after the release of The Deathly Hollows, and not before it, or before any of the previous 6 books? Well, your guess is as good as mine.
Perhaps RAS will say Drizzt, Jarl, and Entreri are all gays when he 'retires' and says "I'm done with them." |
| Dennis |
Posted - 31 Dec 2012 : 03:24:59
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
Although, having said all that, Mirt does seem (to my mind) to be a very lusty, perverted, shameless, obnoxious, dirty-old-man sort of fellow ... perchance he's not the best answer for this particular question.
The younger, fresher, more beautiful the woman is, the higher is her credit limit. |
| Alystra Illianniis |
Posted - 30 Dec 2012 : 19:51:19
@ Dennis- well, Jarlaxle's preference has never been specifically stated, or even really strongly implied, but the general consensus is that he's bi. I know that he DID "teach" Liriel (who happens to be his niece) the uh, ropes in that regard, and has apparently been intimate with quite a few females- but he has also had a rather ambiguous relationship with Artemis Entreri, and perhaps with his Breagan D'earth lieutenant Kimmuriel Oblodra as well. Then again, Jarlaxle IS a Baenre, and several of their family members have been known to blur the lines in preference- like Triel, who appears to be female-oriented. |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 30 Dec 2012 : 19:15:47
When I think of usury in the Realms, the first character which pops into mind is infamous old Mirt the Moneylender himself. Insofar as his gender/sexual preferences ... I don't personally see how they're relevant to business at all - a coin is a coin, and a little flattery might earn more coin but the bottom line is just business and profit and greed. A good businessman (businessperson, if you prefer) will never turn away custom.
Although, having said all that, Mirt does seem (to my mind) to be a very lusty, perverted, shameless, obnoxious, dirty-old-man sort of fellow ... perchance he's not the best answer for this particular question. |
| Dennis |
Posted - 09 Dec 2012 : 02:21:48
I'm not really familiar with that character. I he gay? Transsexual? A woman trapped in a man's body? Or simply a debauched man that gets horny every time he sees a woman with two to four legs? |
| Erik Scott de Bie |
Posted - 09 Dec 2012 : 01:26:52
quote:
Originally posted by BEAST
I bet Jarlaxle's bank surely does.
I imagine Jarlaxle as being flexible in that department, myself.
Cheers |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 08 Dec 2012 : 13:03:40
Hmmm, I can see there being a definite favoritism in Dambrath for Crintri females, probably funded by the church of Loviatar. |
| BEAST |
Posted - 08 Dec 2012 : 12:40:21
I bet Jarlaxle's bank surely does. |
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