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Stranjer
Acolyte
18 Posts |
 Posted - 24 Jul 2009 : 13:26:02
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Hmm, all this talk of what the Chosen can hear and not hear begs a question. Since people name their children after pretty much anything and everyone, can a Chosen filter their listening that precisely? I mean, if The Simbul decided to listen in on people using her real name, and someone decides, out of the blue, to name their child Alassra as well, or say several people do (idk, becomes popular name one year or something of the sort), can she still listen in to people using that name to refer to just her?
If so, how well does that work with a Chosen such as Khelben, who is pretending to be his own grandson? Does he just choose to listen to both people referring to Khelben the Elder and Khelben the Younger? And it would quite possibly be even more confusing if applied to nicknames, I mean, most of the nicknames of the Chosen are well known, but some may not be and be used by multiple persons who achieve fame. When it comes down to stories then, the people saying the nickname wouldn't know who they are refering to, so...
Stranjer
Longtime lurker, who is insane enough with only my voice in my head, couldn't imagine if there were others joining it. |
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Kajehase
Great Reader
Sweden
2104 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2009 : 15:06:43
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Hi Ed and the Hooded One, another deity question (sort of):
To what extent do the "common" folk of Faerûn (without ranks in Knowledge [the planes] ) know the difference between the gods and other powerful outsiders like the demon lords, archdevils, bigwig angels and eladrin (can't remember the term for those at the moment) or the more powerful among the genie rulers? (I notice that the top elementals are gods.) |
There is a rumour going around that I have found god. I think is unlikely because I have enough difficulty finding my keys, and there is empirical evidence that they exist.
Terry Pratchett |
Edited by - Kajehase on 24 Jul 2009 15:07:57 |
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Thauramarth
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
729 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2009 : 15:09:08
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Might be that it's not actually the name that triggers the spell, but the process of thinking or evocating a certain person, where the name may act as a lever of sorts - similar to one of the rationalisations on verbal and somatic components: that the words and movements have no power by themselves, but that uttering the words and making the gestures triggers the synapses in the brain, or opens the mental pathways that allow a caster to release magic / access the weave.
In that case of spellcasting, "the weave" picks up on the thought patterns provoked by the gestures. With the names, it may be the other way around, rather than the Chosen's abilities being triggered by the utterance of the name, or of one of the aliases of the Chosen, it's the thought pattern (the thought about the Simbul preceding the utterance of "Alassra") that alerts the chosen, through the thought patterns in the Weave, to which the Chosen are attuned. |
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Kajehase
Great Reader
Sweden
2104 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2009 : 15:30:57
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And another...
Supposing a wanted to add more regional pantheons to Faerûn, what regions would Ed recommend splitting the continent into?
At the moment I'm thinking:
A group of "universal" deities (Selûne, Chauntea, Mystra, Shar, Bane, Silvanus, and the Elemental deities) - worshiped "everywhere," but sometimes under different names.
The "original pantheon" worshiped in Chondath, Cormyr, the Dalelands, the Dragon Coast, Sembia, and Turmish (and maybe Halruaa).
A "southern" pantheon (possibly centred around a sun-moon-theme) - worshiped in Calimshan, Tethyr, Amn, the Nelanther Isles, and around the Lake of Steam.
A "western" pantheon - the Western Heartlands (the region entailed by this term in the 3E FRCS), and the Sword Coast up to and including the region around Waterdeep.
An "Illuskan" pantheon - the northern Sword Coast, the Moonshaes, the various islands in the Sea of Swords, and the Silver Marches (and possibly Halruaa)
A north-central (Damaran) group - Impiltur, the Vast, Damara, Vaasa, Narfell, and the Moonsea (and maybe Halruaa).
An eastern group - Rashemen, Aglarond, Thay (though I'm also thinking Thay might be moved into the Mulhorandi pantheon worshipers), Thesk, the Great Dale (and maybe Sossal).
A south-eastern pantheon - Tashalar, Lapaliiya, Tharsult, the Shaar, the Vilhon Reach, and Chessenta.
As for the rest, Dambrath would contain a mix of the southeastern, the Illuskan, and the Drow pantheons; Mulhorand and Unther would have their own "as is" pantheons, and anywhere else would have to be moved in with one of the others (since I'll have forgotten about it). |
There is a rumour going around that I have found god. I think is unlikely because I have enough difficulty finding my keys, and there is empirical evidence that they exist.
Terry Pratchett |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2009 : 15:41:36
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quote:
Originally posted by Thauramarth
Might be that it's not actually the name that triggers the spell, but the process of thinking or evocating a certain person, where the name may act as a lever of sorts - similar to one of the rationalisations on verbal and somatic components: that the words and movements have no power by themselves, but that uttering the words and making the gestures triggers the synapses in the brain, or opens the mental pathways that allow a caster to release magic / access the weave.
In that case of spellcasting, "the weave" picks up on the thought patterns provoked by the gestures. With the names, it may be the other way around, rather than the Chosen's abilities being triggered by the utterance of the name, or of one of the aliases of the Chosen, it's the thought pattern (the thought about the Simbul preceding the utterance of "Alassra") that alerts the chosen, through the thought patterns in the Weave, to which the Chosen are attuned.
See, that's similar to what I was thinking, and why I asked my question. If people at the time didn't know that Malek Aldhanek was actually a Chosen, would speaking his name still get Khelben's attention? If a modern-day sage, after reading a book of history, mentions Malek Aldhanek in passing to a friend, does that trigger it? And with the Bahb example, if someone met him once, as a caravan guard, then never saw him again and had no reason to assume he was anything other than a simple swordswinger, would speaking of him get Elminster's attention, because El was Bahb that day?
Even better, what about cases where Chosen impersonate specific folks? If El spent a few days as Azoun so that Azzie could sneak off with a trio of nubile noblewomen, would El then hear Azoun's name when spoken? How about when Qilué impersonates Laeral, as we know she's done? And so on... |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Kajehase
Great Reader
Sweden
2104 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2009 : 15:53:51
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| Arrrgh! You're giving me a headache Wooly! |
There is a rumour going around that I have found god. I think is unlikely because I have enough difficulty finding my keys, and there is empirical evidence that they exist.
Terry Pratchett |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2009 : 16:46:34
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quote:
Originally posted by Kajehase
Hi Ed and the Hooded One, another deity question (sort of):
To what extent do the "common" folk of Faerûn (without ranks in Knowledge [the planes]) know the difference between the gods and other powerful outsiders like the demon lords, archdevils, bigwig angels and eladrin (can't remember the term for those at the moment) or the more powerful among the genie rulers? (I notice that the top elementals are gods.)
I'd actually like to add a bit to this, if both Ed and Kaje don't mind.
I'd also include the various "special" Para- and Quasi- Elemental "Entities of Noteworthy Power and/or Level" we've briefly heard about in previous editions. |
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 - 24 Jul 2009 : 16:49:00
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Hi again, all. Ed was incommunicado yesterday visiting family (driving through absolute INSANE blinding rain in the middle of the night, with so much water on the road that all the cars were hydroplaning constantly), and will be catching up on hammering out the novel today, but I can START to make a stab at some answers to all of these speculations about the Chosen hearing their names.
I know, from previous conversations with Ed, that a Chosen can "pick" one name at a time to listen for (so, Elminster or this or that pseudonym, but NOT a name of someone they have impersonated - - e.g. Halaster - - but the wider Realms doesn't know they are or were or pretended to be).
Also, a Chosen can control the physical range (spherically, outwards from themselves) they are listening within. This makes it useful to listen in a dungeon, or castle, or a forest. However, the Chosen CANNOT, except by physically moving themselves, "pick" some within-range speakers to listen to and ignore others (e.g. listen to nobles plotting in the tower, but not soldiers grumbling out on the walls).
I also know that the Chosen tend not to use this power very much, because of the overwhelming "noise" of so many mentions of their names.
More details will of course have to wait for Ed.
love to all,
THO |
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Kajehase
Great Reader
Sweden
2104 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2009 : 16:53:41
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| Oh, and I'd love to hear what others think of the idea about adding more pantheons, but perhaps not on this thread, so in a burst of optimism I started a new thread here. |
There is a rumour going around that I have found god. I think is unlikely because I have enough difficulty finding my keys, and there is empirical evidence that they exist.
Terry Pratchett |
Edited by - Kajehase on 24 Jul 2009 17:04:28 |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2009 : 19:00:35
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Now, now, Markustay, I can't hurl myself on each and every double or triple entendre; that would reduce this girl to mere predictability.
However (let me whisper, my lips parted just enough to purr) bring on your search engines . . .
love,
THO |
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panics
Acolyte
Canada
5 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2009 : 20:13:47
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Hi
Happy birthday to Ed ! (I'm a bit late, but I only finish now all the pages !)
My questions to Ed or lovely lady THO is simple and a bit sad (since its Ed's birthday), is what could happen to all of Ed's realmslore if he saddly dies ? Also, what ED gave to TSR/Wizards is (in percentage) how much of what he designed ? And what percentage he thinks they have published ? (and remained, to date, unpublished ?)
I hope Ed Greenwood would be, has Elminster, eternal, but we all get old and crumpy. Poor old grandpa... sorry, i'm just sad !
Thank you ! |
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Nevorick
Acolyte
USA
29 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jul 2009 : 00:15:57
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Well again, my dear fellow scribes and lorekeepers! I have been away for some time from Candlekeep and have just learned today of the untimely passing of our friend Jamallo Kreen. It saddens my heart to learn of this, and I can only say I found his contributions to be of much worth here. My next drink shall be in his honor.
Now, if I may, I would like to ask Ed and the Lady Hooded One, if they can share anything regarding any of the consort queens of Cormyr who married into the Obarskyr family? I'll understand if NDA applies to everything about all of them, but if it doesn't, I would just like to learn whatever neat little nuggets Ed is willing and able to share with us.
If all of these queens remain sancrosanct "behind NDA lines", may I ask instead for any interesting (non-noble) members of the royal court of Azoun the IV and any of their duties and personalities?
My humble thanks! |
"What happens in Waterdeep, stays in Waterdeep." |
Edited by - Nevorick on 25 Jul 2009 00:18:07 |
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Jakk
Great Reader
Canada
2165 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jul 2009 : 00:40:05
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Nevorick,
I've been wondering about those queens for some time now, and we're waiting patiently (some more successful with the patience than others; I'm definitely one of the "others" in that equation) for Ed to get the Royal Lineage document made public.  Until that happens, I don't know how much Ed can tell you...  |
Playing in the Realms since the Old Grey Box (1987)... and *still* having fun with material published before 2008, despite the NDA'd lore.
If it's comparable in power with non-magical abilities, it's not magic. |
Edited by - Jakk on 25 Jul 2009 00:53:29 |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jul 2009 : 03:58:50
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Hi again, all.
panics, Ed's still incommunicado, so here is my informed but possibly not up to date "take" on your question:
The Realms belongs to TSR (WotC), unless or until they cease to publish an original novel-length Ed Greenwood book in any calendar year (except when he agrees to an exception, and game sourcebooks "count" as books, not just fiction.
When Ed dies, that doesn't just "go away." So IF that ever came to pass, the rights to the Realms would revert to his estate (heirs). It would be up to them, and whatever agreements they then made with Wizards or another company.
However, in the real world, Ed's heirs would have to vigorously want to helm the Realms and be willing to put time and money (lawyers) into doing so. And at the same time, it would be in the interest of Wizards to go on publishing hitherto-unseen Ed Greenwood material just as long as they could dredge some up. Which, given the amount of stuff Ed's given them over the years that hasn't seen print (as opposed to on the website), could be a decade or more. The detailed city of Teziir, for example, or uncollected short stories, or the small truckload of lore Ed has written as "bibles" for series (Sembia, Eddie Presents Waterdeep, the Realmslore package of oaths and undergarments notes and suchlike, and many more tidbits).
Perhaps (my estimate, not Ed's) twenty percent of what Ed's handed TSR and Wizards over the years remains unpublished, and all that Ed has given them, from 1979 to date, is perhaps (again, my estimate) a quarter of what he's designed for the Realms that could be made into publishable material of general interest (as opposed to of interest just to we "home" players). Could be made into, note, not necessarily is in publishable form right now.
I can tell you that I doubt Ed has any interest at all in fighting with Wizards over the Realms. At least when asked about it, he tends to stick to this view: that "any disputes that arise hurt the hobby, and the Realms, and Realms fans" and are therefore best avoided. If he's talked to his family/heirs about that, they'll probably respect his wishes, and that attitude will continue. Which will allow, in a future time when Ed is gone, Wizards or a successor publisher to let the Realms be forgotten, or revamp it freely as they see fit.
The published Realms, that is.
YOUR Realms is yours to do anything you want with (except publish it :} ). Mine lives in my heart, in all the memories of play sessions and discussing lore and reading Ed's superb fiction and the laughter. And I can't imagine any of it without Ed.
love,
THO |
Edited by - The Hooded One on 25 Jul 2009 04:01:43 |
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Eldacar
Senior Scribe
438 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jul 2009 : 05:25:55
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quote:
I know, from previous conversations with Ed, that a Chosen can "pick" one name at a time to listen for (so, Elminster or this or that pseudonym, but NOT a name of someone they have impersonated - - e.g. Halaster - - but the wider Realms doesn't know they are or were or pretended to be).
Also, a Chosen can control the physical range (spherically, outwards from themselves) they are listening within.
And they can pick more than one name at a time? So Khelben for example might be listening for "Khelben" and "Blackstaff" all the time, likely within the bounds of Waterdeep on most days? Is it possible to extend the range and add in different names at different ranges? To add on to the Khelben example, within Waterdeep, he might add three or four names to listen for, but outside of Waterdeep (up to, say, a thousand miles or so outside of it) he only listens for one name? Or are there only two "variables" that can be used - the number of names and distance?
And again on the "which of the Chosen listens" query, when they do listen in, how wide is the range they normally settle for? I would imagine Khelben is likely to pick Waterdeep (or at least the entirety of Blackstaff Tower), but others are more nebulous, so to speak. |
"The Wild Mages I have met exhibit a startling disregard for common sense, and are often meddling with powers far beyond their own control." ~Volo
"Not unlike a certain travelogue author with whom I am unfortunately acquainted." ~Elminster |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jul 2009 : 07:12:36
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
YOUR Realms is yours to do anything you want with (except publish it :} ). Mine lives in my heart, in all the memories of play sessions and discussing lore and reading Ed's superb fiction and the laughter. And I can't imagine any of it without Ed.
Beautifully said, my Lady.
And I wholeheartedly agree. Each and every moment my players and I spend with my Realms, are moments we treasure always. But just as much, are the times when we'll forego the scheduled campaign session and opt just to sit around the table "talking Realms."
It's a truly testament to Ed's remarkable creation that we can each share in his fantasy of the FORGOTTEN REALMS. |
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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Auzoros
Seeker
Australia
97 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jul 2009 : 14:32:30
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A question for Mr. Greenwood if I may about druids of the Moonshae Isles.
1) I'm curious to know if Moonshae druids are prone to wander or travel the Realms. And if so, for what reasons?
2) Do any of them know that the Earthmother is an ancient aspect of Chauntea? Do they even acknowledge her at all?
3) If a Moonshae druid settled on the Faerun mainland would they continue to worship the Earthmother? Or is it likely they would acknowledge Chauntea or even convert to another deity?
Thank you for your time. |
Edited by - Auzoros on 25 Jul 2009 18:53:04 |
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Jakk
Great Reader
Canada
2165 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jul 2009 : 17:31:19
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
If Ed doesn't have any kids, I volunteer myself to be adopted by him. 
I've already made that offer (I think; if not, I have now); I'd also love to be Ed's "Candlekeep research assistant"... with his ever-growing list of questions, combined with how busy he is between family, writing, and his day job, I'm sure he could use one...
Just one quick question that can hopefully be answered without adding to the pile... Has anything new developed with regard to that long-awaited announcement THO teased us about several months ago? (I could ask about the Cormyr lineage document too, but I know Ed will report on that if something happens, as he has already done at least once.)  |
Playing in the Realms since the Old Grey Box (1987)... and *still* having fun with material published before 2008, despite the NDA'd lore.
If it's comparable in power with non-magical abilities, it's not magic. |
Edited by - Jakk on 25 Jul 2009 17:32:32 |
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Joran Nobleheart
Senior Scribe
USA
495 Posts |
Posted - 26 Jul 2009 : 10:07:03
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Here's a question that I'd like to ask, if I may. Here when a gentleman has his beard growing in after shaving that morning, we say he has a 5 o'clock shadow. What does a person say in the Realms? I thought of one, but it sounded like I was talking about a drunk. "It looks like he has a shade of the fifth, wouldn't you say?"  |
Paladinic Ethos
Saint Joran Nobleheart |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 26 Jul 2009 : 15:41:47
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Hi again, all.
Jorun, your question is one I can answer, from Realmsplay (i.e. the answer comes from Ed as my DM). The answer is: "He looks a bit half-shorn."
Remember, in the Realms far fewer men and women remove facial hair (women tend to do so by plucking, but these would usually be strikingly-dark chin and cheek hairs, not a mustache). So there's no stigma whatsoever to being hairy, or stubbled, or "fuzzy." There ARE situations where such conditions are frowned upon or not tolerated - - when one is invited to sup when it's known when soup or stew is to be served, in Cormyr and the Dales, for instance. Nobles in many places (Waterdeep included) of course use specific habits or fashions to set themselves apart from non-nobles, and from time to time being clean-shaven or stubbled goes in or out of fashion, and therefore in and out of tolerance.
So saith Ed, filtered through me.
love,
THO |
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Joran Nobleheart
Senior Scribe
USA
495 Posts |
Posted - 26 Jul 2009 : 21:47:27
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Thank you, lady fair. I know that my paladin Joran (hence the name) always remained clean shaven, though when he did toy with the idea of a beard back in '99, the party always laughed at him when it would start to itch. One even teased me (and poor Joran) about it. "How are you going to lay on hands while your scratching your chin, paladin?" This of course was hugely popular with the rest of the party who then proceeded to tease him. Needless to say, Joran shaved the next morning.
Another question, if I may. Joran is from Cormyr... are noblemen more apt to wear a beard in Cormyr, especially the landed gentry? |
Paladinic Ethos
Saint Joran Nobleheart |
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Gelcur
Senior Scribe
502 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jul 2009 : 00:15:13
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Dearest Lady I wonder if Ed or you could speak on the topic of Durlag?
My players will be finding a stolen Shield Portal from Durlag's Tower and I was wondering if such an item would continue to function outside of the tower and more importantly if it bore a family crest? I know Durlag was known as Trollkiller and his father was named Bolhur "Thunderaxe" the Clanless.
If it can be said as to why Bolhur was clanless that would be grand as well.
Thank you much. |
The party come to a town befallen by hysteria
Rogue: So what's in the general store?
DM: What are you looking for?
Rogue: Whatevers in the store.
DM: Like what?
Rogue: Everything.
DM: There is a lot of stuff.
Rogue: Is there a cart outside?
DM: (rolls) Yes.
Rogue: We'll take it all, we may need it for the greater good. |
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Joran Nobleheart
Senior Scribe
USA
495 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jul 2009 : 00:19:48
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| Actually, on the topic of Durlag's Tower, was an adventure ever written where players began the exploration of that fabled location? It was always something I wanted to do after playing Baldur's Gate. |
Paladinic Ethos
Saint Joran Nobleheart |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jul 2009 : 16:24:54
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I was up in Lily Dale over the weekend - a far trip from where I live, despite being in NY - and I took the opportuninty to drive along the Great Lakes and visit my son (who is attending college in upstate NY).
As I stood on the shore and looked out, I realized that Canada (and ED) was just across the water... and I waved.
Silly... I know. 
Anyway, thats beautiful country around there... very peaceful... and I was wondering if Ed has ever taken the opportunity to travel that region (on either side of the border). Bear in mind I have no idea what part of Canada Ed lives in, so forgive me in advance if this question sounds stupid. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jul 2009 : 17:19:06
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Hi again, all.
Markustay, Ed has indeed traveled extensively on both sides of the border in the Ontario/New York vicinity during his fifty years (have to say that, it sounds so grandly ominous for a guy I’ve known since his teens - - and, ahem, mine), and lives about a mile from the north shore of Lake Ontario, about halfway between Toronto (third largest city in North America, so it should be on most maps ;} ) and Kingston, both of which are also on Ontario’s north shore. So if you were on the shore of Lake Erie, near Lily Dale, you were waving at a part of Ontario Ed has visited about a dozen times. If you were standing on a Lake Ontario shore, you were waving at a part of Canada Ed knows very well. If you were near Rochester, New York, you were pretty much straight across the lake from Ed. And no, that’s not silly at all. Hold to your dreams and enthusiasms, celebrate them, and be guided by them. That and good friends are what makes life worth living.
I actually have a brief, spanking-new (ummm, one of my favorite expressions; wonder why?) Realmslore reply from Ed, this time to Joran Nobleheart’s query: “Another question, if I may. Joran is from Cormyr... are noblemen more apt to wear a beard in Cormyr, especially the landed gentry?”
Ed replies:
Yes, indeed. Noblemen almost all have mustaches, long sideburns (though they may be very thin, mere “lines along the angle of the jaw” in many cases), and beards. However, LONG or shaggy facial hair is very rare among the nobility; the whole point of the fashion is to show off your wealth and idleness (i.e. I’m rich enough to have a personal barber, and idle enough that I can sit down TWICE A DAY to be trimmed and shaved). So a nobleman will ALWAYS (except when “roughing it” with Alusair or during emergencies) have clean-shaven throats, cheeks, and other areas (no untidy regions of “stubble or hairs that become a beard as one moves across the visage”), and will usually have a very close-cropped, trimmed beard and mustache. Mustaches may have long ends (either side of the mouth), but are usually like thin lines along the upper lip above the mouth; below the mouth, the chin may well be entirely covered with hair, but a noble’s beard is seldom longer than about two inches below the point of the chin, and almost always takes the form of a neat, uniform “jaw-fringe” from this point all along the edges of the jaw, continuously to merge with “daggerboard” sideburns in front of the ear.
Young nobles, very fair-haired nobles, and anyone who for whatever reason can’t grow (or can’t have at the moment) a tidy, continuous beard, will be clean-shaven - - but even then, pencil-line-thin (or bushier) mustaches and sideburns will be maintained if at all possible. Dying of facial hair to keep it dark is sometimes done, but only utter fops dye their hair any hue other than a color that attempts to match its natural hue, and scenting facial hair is a fashion that comes and goes (mostly goes) with the passing years.
Interestingly, the upland landed gentry have always clung to a habit of “going shaggy” for a tenday or so, here and there, usually when hunting or at lambing or horsebreeding time. This is a signal to all that I’m “not at home” in my persona as Lord So-and-so right now; I’m on vacation, so to speak, and can be dealt with as an equal by anyone, but am temporarily not interested in the obligations and frippery courtesies of being a noble. (It does not of course actually release practitioners from the obligations of being noble, though the ruling Obarskyrs tend to respect it except during emergencies; if a king should awaken at the royal hunting lodge and see a few “shaggy” nobles at the morningfeast table, it means they want to share time with him as a plain-speaking friend and fellow hunter, not bring their heralds and trade factors and other servants along, and speak with formal dignity. It’s the sort of occasion when it was perfectly all right to, say, address oneself to King Azoun IV with the unadorned words, “Hoyeh! Pass yon butter, Longshanks!” and he might either pass it, or belch and reply, “Hook a finger into it yourself, Bentnose!” . . . and when Filfaeril might come to the table with her hair all wild from slumber, clad in old hunting breeches, and be addressed as “Fee” or perhaps “Crownlass” by everyone at the table. (Of course, it was NOT free license to be as rude as possible to royalty, or anyone else; folk didn’t entirely forget or ignore what was said at such occasions. It WAS a male noble’s best chance to, say, tell Filfaeril a dirty joke without half a hundred courtiers overhearing and promptly spreading gossip about it.)
Now, as those of us who have beards and mustaches and sideburns know, it’s possible with the air of a sharp razor or scissors, mirrors, and good lightning to keep oneself in fair trim when it comes to mustaches, beards, and even sideburns and neck and cheek shaving, so not all nobles actually have personal barbers, or use their services twice a day; that’s merely the look being striven for.
So saith Ed, reigning expert on Cormyrean facial fashion (ask him sometime about the Calishite and Tashlutan fashion for setting cabochon-cut polished gems into the cheeks of wealthy females).
He hopes to be back to regular Realmslore replies very soon. gomez, I’ll PM you about our play-related matter (done!) very soon, too.
love to all,
THO
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jul 2009 : 17:30:37
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hi again, all.
Markustay, Ed has indeed traveled extensively on both sides of the border in the Ontario/New York vicinity during his fifty years (have to say that, it sounds so grandly ominous for a guy I’ve known since his teens - - and, ahem, mine), and lives about a mile from the north shore of Lake Ontario, about halfway between Toronto (third largest city in North America, so it should be on most maps ;} ) and Kingston, both of which are also on Ontario’s north shore. So if you were on the shore of Lake Erie, near Lily Dale, you were waving at a part of Ontario Ed has visited about a dozen times. If you were standing on a Lake Ontario shore, you were waving at a part of Canada Ed knows very well. If you were near Rochester, New York, you were pretty much straight across the lake from Ed. And no, that’s not silly at all. Hold to your dreams and enthusiasms, celebrate them, and be guided by them. That and good friends are what makes life worth living.
I'm glad Mark didn't come through Rochester on Saturday. It was nasty here and we got hit by two tornadoes! First time in almost 80 years that one has touched down within Rochester's city limits/suburbs.
Darn Mark, you could have came by and visited. :) |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
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Menelvagor
Senior Scribe
Israel
352 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jul 2009 : 18:16:05
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Interesting... how long are those sideburns? I ask because as an orthdox jew, we have to grow sideburns, at least until the cheekbone (think where glasses would be). But they're usually grown until the top of the earlobe. They often join a beard. And quite a few jews (including myself) grow out the hair from above the ears into long locks. These are called in Hebrew 'Payot'. So I wonder if these exist in the realms, or among nobles.
Here's a link to Wikipedia, for some info and pictures: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payot |
"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 27 Jul 2009 18:18:29 |
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3240 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jul 2009 : 18:35:32
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
<snip> ... and good lightning ... <snip>
Well, that explains the 'frizziness' of Ed's beard
And, speaking as someone with a long time goatee, I can attest that at times when proper trimming utensils were not handy, a comb and razor performed well enough to trim back the errant beard.
This answer, of course, leads me to question further on the 'facial habits' of other nations/cities like Waterdeep, the Dales, Sembia and such. Could we get a look into what's currently in fashion (for both men and women) in various well-known locales? |
I actually DO know everything. I just have a very poor index of my knowledge.
Ashe's Character Sheet
Alphabetized Index of Realms NPCs |
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panics
Acolyte
Canada
5 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jul 2009 : 20:10:23
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Hello lady,
I was wondering, because of Markus silly wave ;), if Ed ever visited fair Quebec City ? If he hasn't, I would suggest him, if he likes very old buildings ;)
Also, very impressed to hear to not so much of what Ed created for the realms hadn't been published ! Wizards would win to make an FR Magazine ! |
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Questions for Ed Greenwood (2009)
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