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Therise
Master of Realmslore
1272 Posts |
 Posted - 05 Jul 2012 : 18:10:42
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
I ask a perfectly innocent question, and it turns tawdry.
I dunno what'chu talkin' bout, Willis.
Nipples of Venus Sune are candies. Just like Golden Nipples and Buttery Nipples are alcoholic beverages.
  
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Female, 40-year DM of a homebrew-evolved 1E Realms, including a few added tidbits of 2E and 3E lore; played originally in AD&D, then in Rolemaster. Be a DM for your kids and grandkids, gaming is excellent for families! |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jul 2012 : 19:27:45
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Well, I've (reluctantly) done a lot of plumbing in my day, so I'm familiar with pipe nipples.
For some reason, I think Elmnisnter would be familiar with those as well.. he probably has a different definition of them, though.
Maybe its a contingency.  |
"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 - 05 Jul 2012 : 19:55:24
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And for about 30 years Ed worked for "Nipple" (that is, NYPL, or North York Public Library). A library system that can and has been called many things, but seldom "tawdry."
However, back to the Realms . . .
Wooly, Asper's Lordship WAS a brief one. She was made a Lord in place of someone ailing, to try to track down a traitor within the ranks of the Lords (this was a storyline/subplot in Ed's home Realms campaign that almost made it into printed Realmslore early on, that we called, "Who Is Killing the Lords of Waterdeep?" vice "Who Is Killing The Great Chefs of Europe?"), and managed to hunt down and kill the guilty lord, but in so doing grew to loathe many of the sitting Lords [who in turn loathed her], and she decided to remain a Lord so as to have the powers and privileges and be able to step in and deal with future traitors and misbehaving Lords, but to stay quiet and low-profile. This suited the rest of the Lords just fine; aside from Mirt and his personal friends within the Lords, who remained Asper's friend, the rest of the Lords just ignored her. Some of them referred to her as "the Sword At Our Back" or "the Lurking Sword," so if you run across those phrases in Realmslore, that's who's meant.
Published rosters of the Lords are notoriously incomplete and inaccurate, so the lone mention means little. I know of three NPCs widely (and correctly) suspected around the city of being Lords, who have never been mentioned in published Realmslore as belonging to the Lords.
This is fine, BTW; it gives individual DMs more leeway in playing "who's a Lord/who's not" games in their own campaigns.
love,
THO |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jul 2012 : 20:03:33
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
And for about 30 years Ed worked for "Nipple" (that is, NYPL, or North York Public Library). A library system that can and has been called many things, but seldom "tawdry."
However, back to the Realms . . .
Wooly, Asper's Lordship WAS a brief one. She was made a Lord in place of someone ailing, to try to track down a traitor within the ranks of the Lords (this was a storyline/subplot in Ed's home Realms campaign that almost made it into printed Realmslore early on, that we called, "Who Is Killing the Lords of Waterdeep?" vice "Who Is Killing The Great Chefs of Europe?"), and managed to hunt down and kill the guilty lord, but in so doing grew to loathe many of the sitting Lords [who in turn loathed her], and she decided to remain a Lord so as to have the powers and privileges and be able to step in and deal with future traitors and misbehaving Lords, but to stay quiet and low-profile. This suited the rest of the Lords just fine; aside from Mirt and his personal friends within the Lords, who remained Asper's friend, the rest of the Lords just ignored her. Some of them referred to her as "the Sword At Our Back" or "the Lurking Sword," so if you run across those phrases in Realmslore, that's who's meant.
Published rosters of the Lords are notoriously incomplete and inaccurate, so the lone mention means little. I know of three NPCs widely (and correctly) suspected around the city of being Lords, who have never been mentioned in published Realmslore as belonging to the Lords.
This is fine, BTW; it gives individual DMs more leeway in playing "who's a Lord/who's not" games in their own campaigns.
love,
THO
Oooh, can you say anything about those NPCs?
Also, can you say how long Asper was a Lord, and when or how she left the Lordship?
Additionally... Have any seated Lords permanently disappeared? As in, one day Lord #3 is doing his business like normal, and after that the Lord (and his Lordly goodies) are never seen again? What do the remaining Lords do in that scenario? |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jul 2012 : 02:07:36
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
She was made a Lord in place of someone ailing, to try to track down a traitor within the ranks of the Lords (this was a storyline/subplot in Ed's home Realms campaign that almost made it into printed Realmslore early on, that we called, "Who Is Killing the Lords of Waterdeep?" vice "Who Is Killing The Great Chefs of Europe?"), and managed to hunt down and kill the guilty lord ...
My lady, could we possibly hear a little more about this snippet -- such as the identities of both the ailing Lord and the traitor?
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jul 2012 : 06:45:49
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A snippet of that DID make it into Realmsore - I recall it. It was probably one of the many memories/flashbacks in Elminster in Hell.
I believe when he was finally caught, they decided to make him a Harper (much to the Paladinson's chagrin). Its been awhile since I read that one, and it was just a paragraph or two, so I might be off on the details.
EDIT: IN FACT, I remember thinking to myself, "and so it begins". (thinking this was the first solid decision Khelben makes that leads to the formation of the Moonstars). He had gone a bit beyond 'morally ambiguous'; a "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" philosophy (and at that moment, he puts himself above the laws of Waterdeep by protecting a murderer). |
"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 06 Jul 2012 06:54:26 |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jul 2012 : 16:44:28
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Hello again, all.
Well spotted, Markustay; I'd forgotten about that flashback.
We'll see what Ed's willing or able to reveal, Wooly and Sage.
In the meantime, Ed makes partial answer to Eldacar, re. this: "Second, has there ever been the sort of phenomenon that rock'n'roll music has had here? You know - vast stadiums, rock stars, millions of cheering fans, that sort of thing. I would imagine that without radio and easy communication (and so on), things would be limited to word of mouth (unless a wizard was a fan, I suppose ) and the fame would either spread very slowly or remain localised to specific areas."
Ed replies:
Music is either made personally (family gatherings, individuals in pray or "making offering" to the gods, sometimes in the presence of clergy, at altars) or publicly. The latter tends to daily be temple music, or tavern songs (late in the evening and led by tavern staff or local good musicians/storytellers or traveling minstrels or bards [the former paid with room, board, and perhaps a coin or two, and the latter paid more properly]), and musicians hired by the wealthy to play in their homes, often as entertainment at dinners for select guests, or as entertainment at larger revels. Rulers and the richest nobles may have "staff" musicians (court musicians), who provide suitable music for all occasions.
The more "special" occasions for musicmaking are: busking at weekly market-moots, and playing at weddings, festivals and other special occasions (coronations, etc. - - not just the formal ceremonies themselves, but before and after, to all the gathered pilgrims or citizens or sightseers).
The closest thing to our real-world rock concerts are "masques" put on by wealthy patrons (usually nobles or rulers or big city guilds) as entertainments: after nightfall, a short musical play is performed on a lighted stage, utilizing "echoing" or "answering" musicians on nearby hilltops or battlements, who blow warhorns or play music or even launch mounted gallops down at the stage, to help tell a story (usually of past, locally relevant martial heroics). These are rare but mythologized (talked about, until their reputation grows) out of love and awe. Even rarer are masques done mainly by magic (illusion spells) to provide flying dragons and other monsters for stories.
Hope this is of help.
So saith Ed. Who briefly played (bad) bass guitar in his youth . . .
love,
THO |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jul 2012 : 16:52:45
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Even rarer are masques done mainly by magic (illusion spells) to provide flying dragons and other monsters for stories.
Hope this is of help.
Aye it is, even though Im not the one that did the asking! This description of spell-led masques and hired cavalry chargers seems perfect for mixing in unknowing player characters who seek to slay the not-really-there-dragon, but end up ruining the show and instantly making enemies or, if the players are fast enough to realize their mistake, an even better show if they can manage to ad-lib their way out of the interruption.
Great stuff. Thank you!
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Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
Edited by - Jeremy Grenemyer on 06 Jul 2012 18:11:10 |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jul 2012 : 16:59:09
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And hello again. I thought I'd have a go at the first question in that same post of Eldacar's: "Has Faerun ever had a "genre" of music that would approximate our rock? If so, how close would it be to our music of that variant, and does Ed have any particular favourites that would serve as examples of the sort of music you might hear?"
I know Ed has provided examples in past years of this thread of rock-like music of the Realms (and Faerūnian music that approximates other real-world musical genres, too) and I'll just echo something Ed has said:
If rock music is essentially defined as having a driving beat, most music of the Realms dominated by a beat is marching or rowing or work music, so its beats are regular and almost never syncopated (though it may have syncopated single-voice sung harmonies or descants that work "against" the beat).
Exceptions are dance music and some temple music, and I know one of Ed's favourite examples of the former is Terry Tucker's "Overture To The Sun" from the soundtrack of the Kubrick movie A CLOCKWORK ORANGE.
Among common folk, the two dominant forms of daily music are (by far) the ballad and the short, wordless instrumental motif or refrain (something that can be sung recognizably enough by an untrained voice to convey meaning; a recent example of this would be the intro music for A GAME OF THRONES). Clergy of all faiths use motifs as signals in ceremonies and as warnings/admonitions to transgressors (literally "singing a warning note").
Ballads are of course dominated by the voice of the singer; imagine Stan Rogers and Maddy Prior separately performing the same song; even if they use the same metre, words, and pronunciation, the end "sound" will almost certainly be in different octaves, and will with absolute certainty sound much different. So, too, Sting and say, Polly Scattergood.
I hope this is of some help.
Music, as I know Sage will agree, is a vast topic that we've only just scratched the surface of, in the Realms, though Ed has written quite a few ballads over the years. A few made it into Volo's Guides or were performed at early GenCons.
love,
THO |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6643 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jul 2012 : 23:37:33
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
A snippet of that DID make it into Realmsore - I recall it. It was probably one of the many memories/flashbacks in Elminster in Hell.
I believe when he was finally caught, they decided to make him a Harper (much to the Paladinson's chagrin). Its been awhile since I read that one, and it was just a paragraph or two, so I might be off on the details.
EDIT: IN FACT, I remember thinking to myself, "and so it begins". (thinking this was the first solid decision Khelben makes that leads to the formation of the Moonstars). He had gone a bit beyond 'morally ambiguous'; a "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" philosophy (and at that moment, he puts himself above the laws of Waterdeep by protecting a murderer).
I managed to squeeze in a reference to this in GHotR for 1355 DR (p.140). And it wasn't Khelben who saved him, but Storm.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
Edited by - George Krashos on 06 Jul 2012 23:39:19 |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jul 2012 : 02:25:36
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Even rarer are masques done mainly by magic (illusion spells) to provide flying dragons and other monsters for stories.
Hope this is of help.
Oooo! Any chance Ed's included an example of one of these rarer masques in his home campaigns, Lady? I'd love to hear more about what he can share for these performances...
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
Edited by - The Sage on 07 Jul 2012 02:28:01 |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jul 2012 : 02:33:31
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Music, as I know Sage will agree, is a vast topic that we've only just scratched the surface of, in the Realms ...
Indeed. I've spent the last ten years compiling all of what has been published -- both officially and through perusing online exchanges with official Lorelords, like Ed and a few others -- about Realms music. It has become my one all-consuming Realms-task. And even that decade's worth of listings and references reads, still, as only an introduction to a much deeper and more diverse point of Realmslore subject-matter.
We all have our areas of the Realmslore we like to focus on, and it seems that Realms music has been the one passion I've come to love most truly about this wonderful world of Ed's original imaginings.
Hehe.
...
I still dream of one day composing the ultimate Volo's Guide to Realms' Music. With Ed's blessing, of course... |
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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xaeyruudh
Master of Realmslore
USA
1853 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jul 2012 : 06:54:59
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
I still dream of one day composing the ultimate Volo's Guide to Realms' Music. With Ed's blessing, of course...
I'd like to see this book on my shelf. Seems to me that any decent DM --presented with the opportunity to add ambiance to the session and depth to the experience for everyone in the room, and to do so inexpensively-- would pounce on it. It would also be even more useful to DMs exploring other campaign worlds than other Realms books are. |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jul 2012 : 07:53:41
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Even rarer are masques done mainly by magic (illusion spells) to provide flying dragons and other monsters for stories.
Hope this is of help.
Oooo! Any chance Ed's included an example of one of these rarer masques in his home campaigns, Lady? I'd love to hear more about what he can share for these performances...
This, plus if you (THO) could perhaps remind Ed every other day that this subject would make a great Eye on the Realms article?
@George: Thanks for the note about the GHotR entry for Amril Zoar. I've been thinking about that story and how it really made Storm's character come into focus for me. That was a good read. |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
Edited by - Jeremy Grenemyer on 07 Jul 2012 07:54:55 |
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jul 2012 : 08:52:57
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Hi Ed and THO,
I been reading through the old 2E Arcane Age Fall of Myth Drannor supplement and it mentions Sulla's Glade where over 200 satyr's died. Well, this got me thinking, but what kind of homes do Satyr's make? Do they form villages or little towns in the woods of Cormanthor? Thank you. :) |
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crazedventurers
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1073 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jul 2012 : 11:19:28
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quote:
Originally posted by Eilserus
Hi Ed and THO,
I been reading through the old 2E Arcane Age Fall of Myth Drannor supplement and it mentions Sulla's Glade where over 200 satyr's died. Well, this got me thinking, but what kind of homes do Satyr's make? Do they form villages or little towns in the woods of Cormanthor? Thank you. :)
Ooooooo I like this question very much
Any other Satyr lore most appreciated
Cheers
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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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jul 2012 : 16:59:16
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Hi again, all. Back in 1985, Ed touched on this, and I preserved his campaign notes. Brief and fragmentary though they are, here you go:
Satyrs dwell in a variety of ways depending on the local climate, but their homes are always in wooded areas and centered around clearings/glades (linked by webworks of trails) where satyrs gather (in a given community, one glade will be the equivalent of a common "living room," another a common kitchen/dining area, another a nursery, another a marketplace, and another a tavern, as well as "play" areas for restless teens). Negotiations and private converse are held away from such areas.
Satyr dwellings may on rare occasions be caverns, but are usually sheltered "rooms" roofed with interwoven living vines and broadleaf plants, strung between close-growing trees. These are lined with non-living material (and edible hay and herbs) inside the living exterior, and in winter may be (in human terms) knee- or even waist-deep in such bedding, for sleeping warmth. Some satyrs migrate south to avoid the worst cold and stay within reach of living plants for forage; frogs and dewworms and lemmings are delicacies enjoyed by some satyrs, who move seasonally as good hunting dictates.
So saith Ed. Who may have more to add now, all these years later...
love,
THO
Edit: I can add something myself. In the High Forest, we Knights encountered some satyrs who dwelt on massive horizontal tree boughs, among the eldest "forest giant" trees, with curtains and roofs of thick living moss. |
Edited by - The Hooded One on 07 Jul 2012 17:02:49 |
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xaeyruudh
Master of Realmslore
USA
1853 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jul 2012 : 21:35:40
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
In the High Forest, we Knights encountered some satyrs who dwelt on massive horizontal tree boughs, among the eldest "forest giant" trees, with curtains and roofs of thick living moss.
Having seen such mossy places in the real world, I feel compelled to share a couple of images with those who haven't had the chance. These two came from a quick google of the Hoh rainforest. They're not my images so the usual caveats apply. And they don't depict exactly what THO is describing, but it should be a good foundation for imagining it.
As far as I know, the Hoh is the only rainforest in the US. I was there briefly on a field trip, and the words "pictures don't do it justice" definitely apply. And *sigh* Forks is nearby so if you have teens who still squeal about Twilight, you can follow up a tour of the rather boring and politically whitewashed logging town with a more honest slice of nature that's becoming increasingly difficult to find as their elders are working so hard to obliterate it.
And so, a question/clarification... the High Forest should be depicted as a rain forest? Obviously not tropical, but as the Hoh proves, rainforests can be in other climates. I was thinking of the High Forest as more of a Redwoods-ish type place... I s'pose it's big enough to have parts of both. |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jul 2012 : 22:58:01
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It's big enough to have both, and more.
I think of the High Forest this way: that mossy Hoh rainforest shot is like some of the forest around the Unicorn Run (in other places, it looks lore like the "rainforest autumn 15" pic a few clicks on the left arrow away from the Hoh shot). The western border of the forest is like Sherwood Forest (big old oaks, dense bush, saplings growing where big trees have fallen), but shifts to redwood-like [but NOT redwoods; see the trees of the Realms in the gold box Realms boxed set] "tall trees" in the northwestern corner (Woods of Turlang"). As you head east across the top of the High Forest, you get more and more conifers - - and more and more exposed rock and hilly terrain (think Canadian Shield "cottage country" forest). The eastern border of the High Forest is dominated by conifers, but as the verges turn southwest along the Delimbiyr, more and more hardwoods mix in.
Most of the center of the High Forest is wooded ridge-type mountains like the Blue Ridge Mountains or the Appalachians in Pennsylvania, but here and there some sharp, bare peaks (the Star Mounts) thrust up out of the "endless" trees.
There. Potted tour of High Forest. :}
love to all,
THO |
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jul 2012 : 23:03:27
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hi again, all. Back in 1985, Ed touched on this, and I preserved his campaign notes. Brief and fragmentary though they are, here you go:
Satyrs dwell in a variety of ways depending on the local climate, but their homes are always in wooded areas and centered around clearings/glades (linked by webworks of trails) where satyrs gather (in a given community, one glade will be the equivalent of a common "living room," another a common kitchen/dining area, another a nursery, another a marketplace, and another a tavern, as well as "play" areas for restless teens). Negotiations and private converse are held away from such areas.
Satyr dwellings may on rare occasions be caverns, but are usually sheltered "rooms" roofed with interwoven living vines and broadleaf plants, strung between close-growing trees. These are lined with non-living material (and edible hay and herbs) inside the living exterior, and in winter may be (in human terms) knee- or even waist-deep in such bedding, for sleeping warmth. Some satyrs migrate south to avoid the worst cold and stay within reach of living plants for forage; frogs and dewworms and lemmings are delicacies enjoyed by some satyrs, who move seasonally as good hunting dictates.
So saith Ed. Who may have more to add now, all these years later...
love,
THO
Edit: I can add something myself. In the High Forest, we Knights encountered some satyrs who dwelt on massive horizontal tree boughs, among the eldest "forest giant" trees, with curtains and roofs of thick living moss.
Thank you very much. :) |
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xaeyruudh
Master of Realmslore
USA
1853 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jul 2012 : 23:51:23
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
There. Potted tour of High Forest. :}
Brilliant, thank you!  |
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crazedventurers
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1073 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jul 2012 : 00:24:00
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hi again, all. Back in 1985, Ed touched on this, and I preserved his campaign notes. Brief and fragmentary though they are, here you go:
Satyrs dwell
THO
Many many thanks THO for sharing more lore direct from the home Realms gaming table
Kind regards
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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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jul 2012 : 22:43:28
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You're very welcome, Damian. 
And I have a reply for Wooly, re. this:
"Additionally... Have any seated Lords permanently disappeared?"
Here you go:
Yes.
 Ed doesn't want me to say anything more. Yet. He promises to, though, when he can snatch the time to frame a proper reply.
love,
THO |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jul 2012 : 00:37:02
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Ed, I am a fan of the HBO series True Blood*, which features many types of Supernatural creatures (and more are added each season). The main antagonists/protagonists are vampires, but the main character is a Fey (which we don't learn until after season 2). One of the interesting bits of lore from this series is that Vampires find fey blood irresistible - it smells and tastes delicious (to them), and is as addictive as crack (which is how some humans feel about Vamp blood).
Have you ever done anything along those lines in the Realms? Do vampires prefer one type of blood over another? And on a related subject - are there any other noteworthy substances that are 'normal' to one race, and addictive to another? (aside from Hin being hooked on cheese). Anything, natural or manufactured, that cause any other 'crazy' effects (like the way catnip effects cats)?
* Based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris. |
"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 10 Jul 2012 00:39:03 |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jul 2012 : 03:39:17
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Hi again, all.
Markustay, your question has been shuttled off to Ed, but I know he has long ago described herbs that are nigh-irresistible (or in other cases abhorrent) to various races (orcs, dwarves, elves, gnomes, halflings), and dragon blood is an addictive lure to certain creatures, just as the blood and flesh of certain creatures are a strong lure for dragons (ever wonder why mind flayers and certain sorts of giants didn't rule the entire Realms? Dragons couldn't resist eating them).
How much of that will ever make it into published Realmslore is unknown, because some TSR staffers nixed some things because they were uncomfortable with such details of devourings and irresistibilities being linked to intelligent creatures (despite the fact that the D&D game made such linkages, before the Realms got linked to D&D).
However, we'll see what Ed will (or can) spill about this . . .
love,
THO |
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Bladewind
Master of Realmslore
Netherlands
1280 Posts |
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sfdragon
Great Reader
2285 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2012 : 04:57:32
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Where was Elminster in the Realms when the plague hit??
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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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Marco Volo
Learned Scribe
France
201 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2012 : 08:23:37
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Hi Ed and THO !
We all know that the Guard and the Watch in Waterdeep look the other way in the South Seacaves about whatever attempt to go to Skullport, but I was wandering how exactly do they know what's in every boat ? Magic ? Spells ? Search on board ?
(In my campaign, some good adventurers are going to hide in a boat of slaves to go down via the "elevator shaft" to Skullport. I don't know how to describe the travel and the "search" (if there's one) from the Guard.)
How the guard verify it is a slave boat or a "harmless" cargoes boat ? And how do they react in each case ?
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2012 : 15:14:19
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Hi again, all. As it happens, Marco Volo, ship travels into and out of Skullport are things we've actually "played through" in the home Realms campaign, with Ed as DM, so I can try to answer your questions.
The Guard has a few of its own sorcerers (wild-talent spellcasters) and wizards (non of whom reveal their power publicly and willingly), AND at all times it has two or more "on duty" members of the Watchful Order of Magists & Protectors working with it (I'm just speaking of the Guard here, not the Watch).
There are "telltale" hanging ropes attached to alarm-gongs, merfolk sentinels, city wards (magical fields) and other, still secret ways of detecting the passage of anything larger than a lone man swimming, that passes into or out of the "elevator" waters. The wards detect all artifacts and other magic items of considerable and lasting power, too.
When a ship is detected, the on-duty wizard does a swift ESP-type "thought reading from afar" spell, and "sweeps" the minds aboard, concentrating on the captain or helmsman, if possible. If anything arouses the suspicions of the mage (including the presence of cloaking magics, or any reaction to/detection of the scan), the wizard calls in reinforcements from the Order and alerts the Guard officers. Yes, there are searches and seizures if need be - - but in general, the Guard (and the Watch) ignore cargo and shipments if they don't perceive a real threat to the surface city (any mind flayers, drow, beholders, lots of explosives, or powerful magic would be seen as a "real threat"). Otherwise, they watch from afar rather than stepping in openly. The usual procedure for "incoming trouble" is to alert the spies they have in Skullport to watch and see what happens/what is done with the dangerous individiuals or material.
Slaves in or out don't attract much attention unless a city noble or official has been kidnapped and the authorities are looking for him or her, or unless the breed/nature of the slaves points at coming trouble (battle-equipped and -trained large brute monsters, etc.) or the slavers (neogi, for example), hints at impending trouble.
There. A start, at least.
So saith me, drawing on what Ed has told us and shown us in play.
love,
THO |
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Marco Volo
Learned Scribe
France
201 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2012 : 15:32:56
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quote:
There. A start, at least.
So saith me, drawing on what Ed has told us and shown us in play.
love,
THO
That's a very good start, indeed !
Many thanks for sharing it with us ! I think this is helpful to many other DMs.
Marco |
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Questions for Ed Greenwood (2012)
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