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Aysen
Learned Scribe

115 Posts

Posted - 06 May 2009 :  08:41:10  Show Profile  Visit Aysen's Homepage Send Aysen a Private Message
Hello Ed, LHO, and scribes,

I've been re-reading the "Best of Ed" realms anthologies and I had a question from "Tears So White". I was wondering if Rhaugilath the Ageless was one of the liches involved in the mythal-tampering in that story, either directly or indirectly. Thanks Ed and LHO!
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lordsknight185
Seeker

USA
99 Posts

Posted - 06 May 2009 :  20:56:18  Show Profile Send lordsknight185 a Private Message
Hello Ed, THO, and scribes,

I made a thread elsewhere but was told i sould post here instead.

The French braid.

My cousin is in the planning stages of her first novel when she hit a snag. What are french braids called in the realms?

We search for real-world alternatives for the name "french braid" But since the french braid was made by a frenchmen no other name exists

The snag? There is no france in faerun.

She said it would have no troubles simply describing it, But i wanted to look upon my elders to see if they had any thoughts on the matter.

--Johnny

Edited by - lordsknight185 on 06 May 2009 20:57:42
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Foxhelm
Senior Scribe

Canada
592 Posts

Posted - 06 May 2009 :  21:57:55  Show Profile Send Foxhelm a Private Message
Well yesterday the Mafia beat the Yukuza in "Deadliest Warrior" and next Tuesday it is the Green Berets versus the Russian Spetznaz. If Ed wants a heads up try this link for the site including Aftermath discussing Controversies over why each side won.

But for a question? What would be the various non-human versions of the Organized clan-based crime families in the realms and how do they work and what are their specialties (weapons, businesses, tactics)?

Ed Greenwood! The Solution... and Cause of all the Realms Problems!
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 06 May 2009 :  23:09:43  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Hi again, all. Ed remains as busy as several presidents and prime ministers rolled into one (and remember, all of those gentlemen have large staffs to help them accomplish things), but I see a query I can answer with reference to Ed's notes:

lordsknight185, I can tell you that the classic (single, down the back) French braid is known in the Realms as a "tail plait" because it is a plait (even in our real world, it's sometimes called a French plait) and because it resembles the way the wealthy and/or nobility in certain long-ago kingdoms of the Realms (and much of Chessenta and Tethyr, still, in the Realms of today) braided the manes and tails of their horses.
And, no, Ed is NOT equating women with horses, though I note in the most innocent of tones that we can both be ridden
(and ridden hard, and put away wet, and I'd better stop now before we get to show jumping . . .)
love to all,
THO
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Brimstone
Great Reader

USA
3285 Posts

Posted - 06 May 2009 :  23:24:04  Show Profile Send Brimstone a Private Message
Too late.

BRIMSTONE

"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep
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Kuje
Great Reader

USA
7915 Posts

Posted - 06 May 2009 :  23:43:43  Show Profile Send Kuje a Private Message
See, I figured Ed or THO would have an answer about the braid question. :) Glad he took my advice and asked.

And to THO, well, you can also flog both of them, if you enjoy that. :) Course, you can do that to men to.... :)

For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird

Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium

Edited by - Kuje on 06 May 2009 23:44:27
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lordsknight185
Seeker

USA
99 Posts

Posted - 06 May 2009 :  23:57:46  Show Profile Send lordsknight185 a Private Message
Thank you lady herald for the swift answer

and thank you kuje for the advice, i feel silly for not thinking of posting here to begin with.
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createvmind
Senior Scribe

490 Posts

Posted - 07 May 2009 :  01:34:20  Show Profile  Visit createvmind's Homepage Send createvmind a Private Message
I think the scribes here and THO are more likely reason ice caps are melting, sheesh.
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Kyrene
Senior Scribe

South Africa
727 Posts

Posted - 07 May 2009 :  12:46:50  Show Profile  Visit Kyrene's Homepage Send Kyrene a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One

And, no, Ed is NOT equating women with horses, though I note in the most innocent of tones that we can both be ridden
(and ridden hard, and put away wet, and I'd better stop now before we get to show jumping . . .)
love to all,
THO

Never look a gift woman in the mouth either. Nor try Rodeo Style, from what I hear.

And after that equine frivolity, we return you to Questions for Master Greenwood...

Lost for words? Find them in the Glossary of Phrases, Sayings & Words of the Realms
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 07 May 2009 :  18:36:04  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message
While we are on this subject (the 'nice' one, not the 'naughty' one )

Don't spurs exist in the Realms? I thought I remember readig that somewhere (maybe even right here). What about stirrups? That would be a leg-up (no pun intended) for fighters and Horseback riders in general.

Saddlehorns?

What is the extent of equine-riding technologies in the Realms? I would assume with the amount of ridable creatures (no, not 'coin-lasses'... down Scribes!) that it would have developed to a fine art, perhaps on par with our own modern techniques. Especially given the age of certain races in the Realms, and their interaction with humans (the Elves really jump to mind here).

Also, how would intelligent, related creatures look upon things like spurs? I'm talking about Centaurs, or even Pegasi or Unicorns?

--- Mark, who's love of Centaurs has always made FR lore in this dept. feel a little... ignored.

"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone


Edited by - Markustay on 07 May 2009 18:38:09
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 07 May 2009 :  21:32:57  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Markustay, off your query goes to Ed (who is busier than ever), but I can tell you right off the top of my head that stirrups, saddlehorns, and spurs (and for that matter, reins and bridles, too) all exist in the Realms. I don't think the use of spurs is widespread in the North among horse-riders (certainly not among the Uthgardt), but everyone having any experience at riding knows what they are, how they are used, and so on, even if they don't themselves use them. (The moral stance is most properly answered by Ed.)
love,
THO
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sfdragon
Great Reader

2285 Posts

Posted - 08 May 2009 :  09:27:22  Show Profile Send sfdragon a Private Message
can ED tell us who all has books unwriten in the ED greenwood Presents: Waterdeep??

why is being a wizard like being a drow? both are likely to find a dagger in the back from a rival or one looking to further his own goals, fame and power


My FR fan fiction
Magister's GAmbit
http://steelfiredragon.deviantart.com/gallery/33539234
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capnvan
Senior Scribe

USA
592 Posts

Posted - 08 May 2009 :  13:42:15  Show Profile  Visit capnvan's Homepage Send capnvan a Private Message
Ed, THO:

Bear with me, please, I've skipped many a Realms novel over the years, so if some of these are known, feel free to let me know. But...

What about nicknames? How do they typically come about? We know about "El"(minster), "Khel"(ben), "Shar"(antyr) and "Mourn"(grym), what about Alustriel? Cadderly? Or Mintiper? "Mint" doesn't seem to work, and "Minty" seems like something that might have been a nickname but probably would have gone out of favor around the time he started slaughtering orcs. One look at Mintiper wielding a gore-drenched bastard sword and Minty would seem to have died away. "Perry"? The British "Mints"?

Kappiyan Flurmastyr? "Kaps"? "Kappy?" Sounds like a drunken sailor. Etc.

Any general rules? Perhaps a quick listing of favorites?

Thanks!

"Saving a life, though regrettable, is a small price to pay for a whole lifetime of unfettered killing."
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader

USA
7106 Posts

Posted - 08 May 2009 :  15:03:39  Show Profile  Visit Rinonalyrna Fathomlin's Homepage Send Rinonalyrna Fathomlin a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by capnvan
...what about Alustriel?


As per Silverfall, "Lustra" is one possible nickname for her.

"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time)
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36779 Posts

Posted - 08 May 2009 :  15:38:44  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by capnvan

Ed, THO:

Bear with me, please, I've skipped many a Realms novel over the years, so if some of these are known, feel free to let me know. But...

What about nicknames? How do they typically come about? We know about "El"(minster), "Khel"(ben), "Shar"(antyr) and "Mourn"(grym), what about Alustriel? Cadderly? Or Mintiper? "Mint" doesn't seem to work, and "Minty" seems like something that might have been a nickname but probably would have gone out of favor around the time he started slaughtering orcs. One look at Mintiper wielding a gore-drenched bastard sword and Minty would seem to have died away. "Perry"? The British "Mints"?

Kappiyan Flurmastyr? "Kaps"? "Kappy?" Sounds like a drunken sailor. Etc.

Any general rules? Perhaps a quick listing of favorites?

Thanks!



Mintiper's nickname is Tippy.


...Yes, I just made that up.

Candlekeep Forums Moderator

Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com
-- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct

I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 08 May 2009 :  15:51:55  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Hi, all.
Well, nicknames proper are of course NOT derived directly from an individual's everyday name, so they don't follow any rules. "Short-names" derived from the real names are pretty much all over the map, too.
For instance (drawing on Ed's unpublished notes), "Alustriel" is "Lustra" formally, "Luse" to some of her sisters, and even "Lussa" to some now-long-dead folks who remember her as a child.
Ed has no notes on Cadderly, because that's Bob's character.
Mintiper was called "Per" by one female intimate, but he tends to have more nicknames than derivants ("Longwalker" and "Longshanks" and "Watchful" [shortened from "Watchful Wanderer"] and "Tallgrim" [a gnome once referred to him as "Tall-and-grim," and it stuck]).
Off the query goes to Ed for a proper answer, of course. He's tearingly busy this weekend, still, trying to get certain Realmslore in your collective hands in the future.
love to all,
THO
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 08 May 2009 :  16:05:14  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Markustay and Sage,
I would be happy to show Ed anything he wanted to see, at any time. (Not that he hasn't already seen it, ahem.) However, to answer Blueblade, I found that e-mail, and heeeere's Ed:

For both Golarion and Zobeck, I am hesitant about plunging into extensive design, because I don't want the owners of those worlds to ever feel like I'm "horning in" and shaping their world my way (yes, of course I can only do design work if invited to do so, and I have been invited and have taken up those invitations - - but I'm still proceeding slowly and carefully). I know how it feels to get continually blindsided by design occurring that you weren't told about, that "doesn't fit" with the immediate surroundings or other plans (not just mine, but other plans afoot at the publishing company, at the time), and the damage that is done by turf battles within a company, however they happen. I just want to avoid all that, by proceeding with the utmost respect and slow pacing.
With the Realms, I "know" the setting well enough (before the Spellplague; after is far more of an "open field for everybody," at this point, though some designers are going to be very surprised by just how quickly areas get "painted over" with in-depth design) that I can design (and explain away developing inconsistencies) without much hesitation. The same goes for Castlemourn or Embersea (yes, I'm still working on both of them, in my [hah-hah] spare time).


So saith Ed.
love to all,
THO
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31701 Posts

Posted - 08 May 2009 :  16:26:56  Show Profile Send The Sage a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One

Markustay and Sage,
I would be happy to show Ed anything he wanted to see, at any time. (Not that he hasn't already seen it, ahem.)
So, would I be right in thinking... lucky Ed?

Candlekeep Forums Moderator

Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com
-- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct

Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)

"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood

Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 08 May 2009 :  19:51:50  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Well, I tend to think of it as lucky ME.
Ed and I aren't lovers; we're longtime friends. Close, informal, and uninhibited, as children of the 60s tend to be. I think of myself as lucky to have friends like Ed. He's generous, caring, relaxed . . . and one of the kindest, most understanding people I've ever met. He's also tender, gives great massages (feet and back and guys as well as gals), funny, and witty. For some years I used to attend the same sf conventions as Ed did (back when he went to a lot of them), and was repeatedly amused when some professor or world authority started to pontificate, and Ed's converse with them revealed he probably knew as much about their field of expertise as they did. And, boy, is he a fun "ham actor"!
love,
THO
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Malcolm
Learned Scribe

242 Posts

Posted - 08 May 2009 :  19:58:14  Show Profile  Visit Malcolm's Homepage Send Malcolm a Private Message
Dear Lady THO,
Can you possibly give us any hints as to what will be in this year's (okay, actually last year's - - I mean the one Ed is currently writing, drawn from the 2008 GenCon seminar) Spin A Yarn tale?
Thanks!
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 08 May 2009 :  20:04:12  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Hmmm. Hints?
Well, Ed has by now either written it, or mostly written it.
I haven't seen it, but I HAVE seen the list of story elements provided by seminar participants, and I recall pirates, a peg leg female pirate captain, a lich with a little sister who borrowed something from a brothel, a LOT about that brothel, mention of Mirt the Moneylender getting pregnant (!), gnomes and something called Gnomeball, a blind alchemist, the demon Graz'zt, and other stuff I can't remember right now.
Which gives you some idea of the zaniness of those seminars AND what Ed will work into the story (barring the no-nos like using other writers' characters and trademarked elements not owned by Wizards of the Coast, he tries to include EVERYTHING, albeit sometimes twisted more than a bit . . . not that the original suggestions aren't - - ahem - - twisted enough). I guess we'll see . . .
love,
THO
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Zandilar
Learned Scribe

Australia
313 Posts

Posted - 09 May 2009 :  01:39:52  Show Profile  Visit Zandilar's Homepage Send Zandilar a Private Message
Heya,

quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One

For instance (drawing on Ed's unpublished notes), "Alustriel" is "Lustra" formally, "Luse" to some of her sisters, and even "Lussa" to some now-long-dead folks who remember her as a child.


Ha, that's funny. My other half gets the names Alustriel and Alusair confused all the time, which means I'm not surprised to find they share a nickname (I never get them confused! )... I do recall reading in one (or more) Ed novel(s) that Alusair is also sometimes referred to as Luse by her family. Luse is an especially amusing nickname for them both, actually, considering that in my head it's pronounced "loose", and of course there are connotations with that word.

Another nickname I remember is Mreen (M'reen?) for Myrmeen. (Don't have my books still.)

quote:

Ed has no notes on Cadderly, because that's Bob's character.
Mintiper was called "Per" by one female intimate, but he tends to have more nicknames than derivants ("Longwalker" and "Longshanks" and "Watchful" [shortened from "Watchful Wanderer"] and "Tallgrim" [a gnome once referred to him as "Tall-and-grim," and it stuck]).


Aren't those sort of nicknames called epithets? Or is that an overly formal term?

Zandilar
~amor vincit omnia~
~audaces fortuna iuvat~

As the spell ends, you look up into the sky to see the sun blazing overhead like noon in a desert. Then something else in the sky catches your attention. Turning your gaze, you see a tawny furred kitten bounding across the sky towards the new sun. Her eyes glint a mischevious green as she pounces on it as if it were nothing but a colossal ball of golden yarn. With quick strokes of her paws, it is batted across the sky, back and forth. Then with a wink the kitten and the sun disappear, leaving the citizens of Elversult gazing up with amazed expressions that quickly turn into chortles and mirth.

The Sunlord left Elversult the same day in humilitation, and was never heard from again.
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A Publishing Lackey
Seeker

74 Posts

Posted - 09 May 2009 :  04:31:21  Show Profile  Visit A Publishing Lackey's Homepage Send A Publishing Lackey a Private Message
They are, but in the older and more formal use of the word "nickname," they were the ONLY usages that were "nicknames." Derivatives (shortening "Edward" to "Ed," for example) weren't nicknames.
A "nick" name then strictly meant a way of referring to someone WITHOUT using their name directly - - as in: because you didn't want to "name the Devil" in medieval times, and thus, draw his attention [= evil, or ill luck], you referred to him as "Old Nick" (which is, yes, a "Nick name").
Drops the mantle of pedant, and goes back into silence . . .
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rjfras
Learned Scribe

261 Posts

Posted - 09 May 2009 :  15:42:25  Show Profile  Visit rjfras's Homepage Send rjfras a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One

Hmmm. Hints?
Well, Ed has by now either written it, or mostly written it.
I haven't seen it, but I HAVE seen the list of story elements provided by seminar participants, and I recall pirates, a peg leg female pirate captain, a lich with a little sister who borrowed something from a brothel, a LOT about that brothel, mention of Mirt the Moneylender getting pregnant (!), gnomes and something called Gnomeball, a blind alchemist, the demon Graz'zt, and other stuff I can't remember right now.
Which gives you some idea of the zaniness of those seminars AND what Ed will work into the story (barring the no-nos like using other writers' characters and trademarked elements not owned by Wizards of the Coast, he tries to include EVERYTHING, albeit sometimes twisted more than a bit . . . not that the original suggestions aren't - - ahem - - twisted enough). I guess we'll see . . .
love,
THO


Is Gnomeball anything like jiggly ball? Or can we go straight to the prolly most thoughts that pop into minds reading that, that it involves throwing or kicking gnomes? ie such games as Dwarf tossing or gnome punting...
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 09 May 2009 :  18:35:27  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
I don't know. I think "Gnomeball" will turn out to be whatever Ed makes it into (as in: he was just given the name).
I know very well how to play jiggly ball, but (ahem) this is a family forum, as much as I can control myself, to make it so . . .
love,
THO
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Menelvagor
Senior Scribe

Israel
352 Posts

Posted - 09 May 2009 :  19:43:16  Show Profile  Visit Menelvagor's Homepage Send Menelvagor a Private Message
Wait. So the scene in Cormyr: A Novel where Brace Skatterhawk massages Alusair was based on a true story? You mean the disclaimer ('this is a work of fiction.. any resemblance... real person... purely accidental...') lied to us?
But I should ask a question, this being Ed's scroll, so I will:
I wanted to know if my question about my campaign in Cormyr was ever sent to Ed. Because I got such great answers from people here, I fear it wasn't sent, assuming I got an answer. Not that the answers I got were great, but I wanted an answer from the creator of Azoun and Fee (or Azoun's son... whichever you believe...). Here's a summation of the situation:
The PC wants to kill Fee, in revenge for his wife, who died in pregnancy with the baby, but before dying confessed she lay with Azoun around the time of the wedding. The PC's are landed, having some land to the north, given in thanks and in the hope they will defend it after some help to Cormyr (which was actually planned by the PC, so it would give him access to Azoun and Fee). They would have access to them in a party, and wouldn't be suspected, being loyal people of Cormyr. The Wizard of the group, being True Neutral, was willing to help the PC by casting some nullifying magic, thus dispelling the spell defenses of Fee. He plans to teleport out immediately afterwards, and escape. He got in return all the murderer's money (he has a motive, too - his kid sister was captured, and he needs the money to get her back). I want the PC to almost succeed (actually manage to attempt to stab Fee, at any rate), so I don't want Vangey to be able to stop him. I also don't want him to die - hopefully forgiven by Azoun and Fee after learning the motive, and becoming an Agent of the Crown - maybe even being sent with the rest of the PC's after their wizard friend. So I need to know what defenses Fee would have, what would be the best way of countering them, how not to get detected by War Wizards, and whether Azoun and Fee would actually forgive him. Also, would he still be forgiven if he stabs Fee, actually wounding her? Because I don't want him to feel cheated. Don't worry, I don't plan to tell them 'You'll need to do this and this'. But I do want to know what will work, if I can. So if the question wasn't sent to Ed, it will be, and if it was, perhaps this will clarify matters.
Thanks a lot, and sorry if I'm bothering you for nothing.

"Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?
Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly.
How much less them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation in the dust, are crushed before the moth?" - Eliphaz the Temanite, Job IV, 17-19.

"Yea, though he live a thousand years twice, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?" - Ecclesiastes VI, 6.

"There are no stupid questions – just a bunch of inquisitive idiots."

"Let's not call it 'hijacking'. Let's call it 'Thread Drift'."
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36779 Posts

Posted - 09 May 2009 :  20:08:04  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by Menelvagor

I wanted to know if my question about my campaign in Cormyr was ever sent to Ed. Because I got such great answers from people here, I fear it wasn't sent, assuming I got an answer. Not that the answers I got were great, but I wanted an answer from the creator of Azoun and Fee (or Azoun's son... whichever you believe...).


Pretty much everything in Ed's thread -- especially the questions -- gets sent to him. But he's got a lot of questions coming in from us, and a host of other responsibilities (if you notice, not many questions for anyone have been answered, of late)... So some questions go for a year or more without an answer. To repost a quote from the lovely Lady Hooded One:

quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One

Oh, Ed knows that, all right.
His problem is threefold:
1. Total lack of time. Ed is actively writing or editing SIX projects (plus yours) right now, with another eleven sitting on his desk staring mutely at him, waiting. This means he just CAN’T go off into the basement (or the library of diskettes and Zip disks in his study, either), looking up older Realmslore. It also means he often has to drop everything to deal with emergencies (and the recent WotC layoffs have spawned a lot of those). Ed loves to answer your questions, but he’s as busy as the head of any major company or country - - without having any staff to support him. That means some of the larger-scope questions, or the really, really obscure points, just have to wait.
2. The minefield of constantly-shifting NDAs, and unfolding WotC and Paizo projects and articles Ed is aware of, but can’t publicly talk about. And doesn’t want to screw up. Many scribes ask about matters that a lot of Realms fans have wanted “cleared up” long ago. Other scribes ask about interesting things unfolding in recent books (e.g. the Shadovar). Still others ask about basics (agricultural practices, land-law). All of these things SHOULD be answered, and Ed wants to, but often other folks are already at work on answers, or MIGHT answer them as their novel or game sourcebook tromps through relevant real estate, or uses relevant NPCs. So Ed is duty-bound (and legally bound) to keep quiet. Sometimes even admitting that he’s keeping quiet will tip off Realms fans about something in the future that shouldn’t be revealed yet. So he waits…and waits…
3. Rules queries that shouldn’t be directed to Ed in the first place. You know, the “let’s use Ed’s opinion as a weapon in my ongoing argument about X” requests.
4. Questions about the gods, ditto. Yes, Ed created the great majority of deities specific to the FR setting. Yes, he detailed them, and provided spells for them. No, he’s never had the chance to put into print their prayers and rituals properly, or what daily life is like both for a humble priest and for an ambitious upperpriest in the upper echelons of church hierarchy. Yes, he wants to. No, he can’t move on this without WotC cooperation. And everyone, from other fiction writers to WotC designers to every FR fan, has their own, different - - often fiercely different - - ideas of what’s “right” and “true” about the gods. To Ed, most of this (arguing about the Dawn Cataclysm, for example, or Eilistraee) is just like arguing about the weather: fun (when it doesn’t turn nasty), but ultimately useless to the roleplaying experience (mortals can never know the truth, so the truth doesn’t matter: what matters is what priests and fiathful worshippers IN THE REALMS think). And so on. Yes, these are basics I’m reiterating, but it’s time to repeat them for all. Ed has a huge electronic file of ALL the queries not yet fully answered that have been posed in this thread. Not one gets forgotten, and Ed tries to answer one a day no matter how busy he is. So he’ll get to them, unless the gods take him from us first. Promise.
(No matter how lovingly I have to persuade him. And you know how lovingly THAT can be.)
love to all,
THO


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Menelvagor
Senior Scribe

Israel
352 Posts

Posted - 09 May 2009 :  20:45:47  Show Profile  Visit Menelvagor's Homepage Send Menelvagor a Private Message
Oh, Wooly, you misunderstand. I know Ed will answer in his own time; I was just unsure that the question had even been sent, seeing as you all gave me such great answers. It could be that our Lady assumed that the question had been answered to my satisfaction, and so there was no need to burden the already over-burdened Ed with it. I did apologize, and will again, if people think this indicates a lack of trust. Also, I felt the situation could use a bit of clarification.
EDIT: Although I'm always willing to hear from (or about) our Lady...

"Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?
Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly.
How much less them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation in the dust, are crushed before the moth?" - Eliphaz the Temanite, Job IV, 17-19.

"Yea, though he live a thousand years twice, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?" - Ecclesiastes VI, 6.

"There are no stupid questions – just a bunch of inquisitive idiots."

"Let's not call it 'hijacking'. Let's call it 'Thread Drift'."

Edited by - Menelvagor on 09 May 2009 20:50:04
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 09 May 2009 :  21:13:10  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Hi! It did indeed go off to Ed, who will reply when he has some time to call his own (NDAs prevent full public detailing of what Ed's working on, this last week and the next one, but I, who am quite used to how quickly Ed can produce game and fiction writing, was astonished at the pace he was setting - - all this despite looming surgery and lots of real-world engagements and obligations). I CAN tell you, because Chris Perkins let it slip, that Ed will indeed be web-writing regularly for Wizards again, that you will be seeing the Spin A Yarn tale that some of you have been awaiting for a long time, that Ed will again grace the pages of Kobold Quarterly and bookstore shelves with the last book of the Falconfar trilogy, entitled, ahem, FALCONFAR, that there will be future Realms novels from Ed's pen, that he is involved with some new and still-secret game and fantasy fiction projects (yes, "projects" plural), and that he's been a busy busy BUSY boy. Er, at the keyboard.
And Menelvagor, just for you, I stripped off the jeans, bra, and panties I was wearing, but put on a festive party mask that I keep handy for such occasions...
love,
THO
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Brimstone
Great Reader

USA
3285 Posts

Posted - 09 May 2009 :  21:19:07  Show Profile Send Brimstone a Private Message
Surgery?

Just a festive party mask.

BRIMSTONE

"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep

Edited by - Brimstone on 09 May 2009 21:19:51
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