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lordsknight185
Seeker

USA
99 Posts

Posted - 22 Jun 2013 :  02:23:58  Show Profile Send lordsknight185 a Private Message
Dear THO, That's why I love coming here because everyone is so understanding. Havilar and Brin are adorable together, and individually their characters really speak to me. I am not worried at all anymore, but I am super excited for events to come, and The Adversary is still five months away! But atleast august will be jam full of things to occupy my mind (The Companions, which is pre-ordered and waiting for me...as well as Gen Con, which I have never been able to afford to attend but I am hoping for some amazing wotc videos like we had last year! I watched the two-hour-long sundering panel like three times last year >.>; )

I am sorry I get rambly, but I do not know how to thank you enough for being the much busy Ed's Herald, and delivering questions and comforting responses so quickly. The Realms has been a living place in my mind ever since I was introduced to it so many years ago, but it is thanks to Candlekeep, and Ed's and your high activity here, that truly makes the realms feel ALIVE.
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Razz
Senior Scribe

USA
749 Posts

Posted - 22 Jun 2013 :  07:24:52  Show Profile Send Razz a Private Message
Dear Ed,

I must ask because it's been bugging me for awhile. This is in no way meant to be snarky at all, it really did have me thinking when I would reminisce how often important questions suffer from NDA.

But my question is considering the vastness of scope the Realms is, exactly how do you keep track of all that is NDA? Are you given a massive word file, or several dozen binders, or other such documentation that is filled with what is NDA in the Realms and must scour to make sure you don't make a mistake? Or do you have to consult a specific WotC employee each time a question is asked to legitimize and answer or not?

Or is that kind of info well...also NDA?
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 22 Jun 2013 :  15:40:27  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Hi again, all.
Razz, here's Ed's pronto reply:

The actual NDAs are simple legal forms we sign and return; I've honestly lost track of hos many I've signed over the years, for many companies (in the case of the Realms, for both TSR, Inc. and Wizards of the Coast).
What it really comes down to is: I know what I'm working on, for future publication. I know something of what others are working on. I have a good idea of projects and directions and licenses the company is working on, or can guess (as a non-employee, there are many things I can't or shouldn't be told, but as someone in the industry for a long time, I can put two and two together quite often).
So I avoid saying things that will ruin, reveal, or just limit and hamper something forthcoming. Sometimes I can do this by very carefully wording my replies, sometimes I steer discussion by giving lots about X and just never really touching on Y, and sometimes there's no alternative but to say bluntly: can't talk about that. Which I do by flatly invoking NDA so we never get into the "can't talk BECAUSE" swamp.
But when it comes to the Realms, the "keeping track of it all" is all in my head. Various staffers do give me the obligatory "don't talk about this, please," because they have to, but I usually already know. When I don't, I do indeed check with whomever I think is the "right" staff member to check with (if I pick the wrong one, they will tell me who the right one is).
The LAST thing I ever want to do is to ruin anyone's enjoyment of the Realms by ruining a surprise.
We all want to know every last detail - - or we don't, and want the fun of the shock or unravelling the mystery ourselves. So it's always a case of carefully picking a path for what my fingers will type and my tongue will wag.
And if you're thinking I must be crazy from doing all this in my head, you're quite right. :}

So saith Ed. Telling truth in his own amiable way.
love,
THO
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xaeyruudh
Master of Realmslore

USA
1853 Posts

Posted - 22 Jun 2013 :  16:54:33  Show Profile  Visit xaeyruudh's Homepage Send xaeyruudh a Private Message
Thank you for the insight, Ed, and for the question Razz.

I guess I'm a mutant in that spoilers rarely if ever ruin anything for me. Not that I've foreseen the ending or details, but the destination and the journey are not entwined for me... I can read the last page or chapter of a book first, and still enjoy the story just as much. In fact sometimes (Harry Potter book 7) that's the only way for me to enjoy the story. If I were Preston, or whatever his name was, 'porting around the Realms with Elminster, I would be 2 parts "so what we going to do today, Brain?", 2 parts enjoying the scenery, 2 parts "hokay... so like... dubya tee eff mate?" and 37 parts "when can we see Storm again?" For me, "don't spoil the surprise" never comes into play.

Anyway, I'm not trying to clutter up the thread with a tangent, and not really complaining (my complaints are only about WotC's sense of direction, and that's preaching to the choir here). Just observing that we're not all the same, and it's apparently my fate to be bizarro.

Also, Ed's and THO's amiability are legendary and should be both knighted and sainted.
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Kajehase
Great Reader

Sweden
2104 Posts

Posted - 22 Jun 2013 :  19:26:02  Show Profile Send Kajehase a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by Blueblade

Just a public service announcement:
Ed's Golarion novel, THE WIZARD'S MASK, is out!
And Paizo has put up not just a typically fun author interview with Ed, but a three-part short story (free-to-read; I had trouble getting Chapter 2 to display until I clicked on the artist's name, last name is Gomez, on the links at the bottom of Chapter 2) starring one of the protagonists, the halfling Tantaerra.
The short story takes place years before the novel, so isn't spoiler-ish.
I am loving the story. A FUN read. Good old swords and sorcery.
More from Ed, the friendly guy-next-door genius.
All good!
BB



Link to Ed's serial.

And for good measure, individual links to each chapter, as well:
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three

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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xaeyruudh
Master of Realmslore

USA
1853 Posts

Posted - 22 Jun 2013 :  21:13:22  Show Profile  Visit xaeyruudh's Homepage Send xaeyruudh a Private Message
That's some mighty fine writin.

I very much like the idea of prequels (or parts that got cut and would otherwise be unpublished) instead of excerpts from novels. Good stuff!
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 23 Jun 2013 :  04:12:51  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Hi again, all.
In Ed's case, I believe he was asked to write a three-part short story to "set up" THE WIZARD'S MASK by featuring one of the main characters in the novel, so he went back into Tantaerra's past so as to betray nothing of what we'd see in the book, but to introduce us to her feisty self. According to Ed, this short story takes place in Canorate (in the land of Molthune, in Golarion) when the short-even-for-a-halfling Tantaerra is a slave to a shopkeeper whom she likes, and who likes her.
By the time of the novel, she's elsewhere, under different circumstances (i.e. plunged into a desperate adventure).
So the web tale isn't an outtake, but an "extra" (and, yes, a prequel) designed to introduce one of the novel's protagonists.
Something Ed has done a time or two for the Realms as well (some of them have appeared on the Wizards website, and some have not; I haven't the faintest why).
love,
THO
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xaeyruudh
Master of Realmslore

USA
1853 Posts

Posted - 23 Jun 2013 :  04:44:28  Show Profile  Visit xaeyruudh's Homepage Send xaeyruudh a Private Message
Between all the "foundation stones" (I think that was the term he used) he adds into all his descriptions, unobtrusive bits of lore that link back to books published years ago (hidden in plain sight secrets), and prequel stories scattered around, I'm coming to the conclusion that Ed is the Easter Bunny.
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
11695 Posts

Posted - 23 Jun 2013 :  05:10:32  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by xaeyruudh

Between all the "foundation stones" (I think that was the term he used) he adds into all his descriptions, unobtrusive bits of lore that link back to books published years ago (hidden in plain sight secrets), and prequel stories scattered around, I'm coming to the conclusion that Ed is the Easter Bunny.



Tell him to quit doing that to those poor chickens, dammit!

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 23 Jun 2013 :  13:53:26  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message
Its called 'weaving a tapestry'. So few modern writers bother with it these days.

IMHO, that's the true difference between 'pulp' and 'epic' fantasy. What exists in Hyboria is everything within Conan's sight. There is nothing 'outside the door'... until he walks through it. And even then, we get very little descriptive text, beyond the feelings that new environment evokes in our hero. Not knockin' pulp at all - some of my favorite stories and authors 'do pulp' (and do it well).

But then you have the world-builders. Those stories (Game of Thrones, Jack Vance stuff, Majipoor, etc, etc). Its more about the world around the hero, then the hero himself. He is just a player on a very large stage. FR exists all the time beyond Elminster's sight. We know there are lots of things beyond the next door, whether the Old Mage walks through it or not. And weirdly, it all matters to us. Its a type of art-form.

Lots of people can 'write well', but can they transport you to a world that exists only within their mind? Can they make you feel like you are a part of it? Thats a special gift. What Ed (and many others) have done is pick-up those 'Red Slippers' others have dropped and ran with them. Thats what made FR great... thats what it lost along the way.

"No man is an island" - neither should be their stories, fictional or not.

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

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Memmorath
Acolyte

Finland
8 Posts

Posted - 23 Jun 2013 :  23:35:42  Show Profile Send Memmorath a Private Message
Hello.

I remember reading some info about this sort of a question somewhere in candlekeep forums, but it wasn't as extensive as I would have liked (and slightly different year), so I finally decided to see if I could find some of the knowledge I seek from here. So, my questions for Ed are following:

Who where the zulkirs of the different schools of magic from 1329 DR to 1339 DR?

Also, quite a bit curious, how did the Red Wizards train new Red Wizards? Was there any schooling program (as in, an Academy), or did they just take apprentices for existing wizards and eventually these apprentices would become full fledged Red Wizards?.

Thanks!
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 24 Jun 2013 :  04:01:51  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Hello again, all.
Memmorath, I can make a start on answering your last question. Although the process for attaining the training and experience necessary for being deemed a Red Wizard has varied from zulkir to zulkir over time, and from school to school of magic, in general it starts like this: existing Red Wizards take apprentices, and when either the apprentice or the "master" thinks the apprentice is ready, the apprentice takes service with ANOTHER Red Wizard of a different background and outlook. When that tutor (NOT the apprentice) thinks the apprentice is ready for 'advanced' training, they inform a higher-ranking, veteran Red Wizard, who tests the apprentice - - and decides on what service (as in, mission out across Faerun) or further training the apprentice needs. After the mission or training has been accomplished, a different high-ranking, veteran Red Wizard tests the apprentice, and informs the zulkir if they believe the apprentice is ready to be admitted into the school as a Red Wizard (or, in the case of "troublesome" apprentices, given another mission, quietly eliminated, or sent to another school of magic/zulkirate as an apprentice (either highly placed, or put at the bottom with novices of the new school).
At least, this is how Ed once explained it to we Knights, speaking in character as several NPCs, back in the days when the Realms hadn't yet been published as a setting (i.e. long before the original boxed set or FR6 Dreams of the Red Wizards had ever been written).
I hope this is of help.
love,
THO
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ddporter
Acolyte

26 Posts

Posted - 24 Jun 2013 :  13:39:29  Show Profile Send ddporter a Private Message
My apologies if this has been answered before, but my Question for Ed(TM) is, "Who are your favorite world-builders? Any genre or medium."
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xaeyruudh
Master of Realmslore

USA
1853 Posts

Posted - 24 Jun 2013 :  20:38:32  Show Profile  Visit xaeyruudh's Homepage Send xaeyruudh a Private Message
Another thread is (re)visiting the question of which Volo's Guide we'd all like to see next, but from Ed's past words on the subject I get the impression that pursuing this line is not high on WotC's priority list.

I've never seen a fan express a negative opinion about the Volo's Guides. We keep citing them as sources for various info, and asking why there aren't more of them, where the next one will go, and whether one has ever covered X, Y, or Z. It should suggest that we will appreciate new installments. So it seems like WotC must be prioritizing other things, rather than deliberately shutting the line down.

Maybe this angle has already been covered, but is it only an issue of Ed's plate being too full with other projects deemed more important, or is there really a lack of interest in Volo's Guides at WotC? Have other authors/designers voiced a desire to continue the line, either using Volo (if Ed is amiable to that) or making up their own narrators?

Edited by - xaeyruudh on 24 Jun 2013 20:41:39
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Caladan Brood
Senior Scribe

Norway
410 Posts

Posted - 26 Jun 2013 :  18:42:12  Show Profile  Visit Caladan Brood's Homepage Send Caladan Brood a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by Caladan Brood

quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One

Caladan Brood, I haven't shared all that many memories of our games publicly, but the best place is here in this thread. Particularly early in 2004 (the first year of the thread). I've tried to avoid falling into the "well, in MY campaign..." pit, but I can occasionally be persuaded to tell old war stories...

love,
THO



Thanks, I will find my shovel and dig through it :) I love hearing war stories, it's a small fix for my roleplaying abstinence.



*Much later*

So, I'm on the last page of the 2004-thread. I have to say that I am (even more) astounded and impressed by Ed's seemingly endless output of realmslore, I enjoyed the regaling of tales told by you, Lady Hooded One from your adventures at Ed's gaming table (? Or do you dispense with tables altogether..) and I was amused by the constant innuendo flowing through the many back-and-forths.

Why, oh, why haven't I discovered this veritable treasure before? How come it took me so many years to finally catch the realmslore fever? So many winters ago - say, sixteen, seventeen or thereabouts, since I ran AD&D games for friends using my then-shiny-new Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting box, and then this great leap of years in which I played other RPGs, and then wham! I'm back and enjoying the Realms more than I ever did; for some reason, I never realized just how complex this world has become, and how VIVID it really can be. So now I'm frantically using eBay and out-of-print online stores to gather - nay, hoard - everything AD&D with the Realms logo slapped on it. A new haul came in today, in fact - the "Tantras" and "Waterdeep" modules, the "Player's Guide to the Forgotten Realms", "Empires of the Sands", "The Jungles of Chult", and "Drizzt Do'Urden's Guide to the Underdark".

I'm so glad I rediscovered Candlekeep and realized I'm not the only one prone to obsess over imaginary worlds. For all the work you've done for Realms enthusiasts not only in the 2004 thread but the 2005-2013 threads (getting ready to dive into 2005 tonight, but first I need to take some notes from the '04 thread, so much lore..) and for keeping this so very fan-friendly - I thank you sincerely (and by you I mean everyone responsible for keeping this going, I suppose - but especially Ed and THO, of course). Respect, peace out.


Edited by - Caladan Brood on 26 Jun 2013 18:44:10
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 26 Jun 2013 :  18:52:41  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Heh. I've played games on tables, yes. Sometimes even involving cards or dice or boards.
Seriously, now . . . thank you for the kind words, Caladan Brood. I dragged Ed into doing this, way back then, and we both love doing it. Ed has shared a staggering amount of lore over the years, and I have enjoyed being a rather saucy messenger, his Lady Herald . . . and I hope we can continue to do so for a long time to come, and that you and others enjoy the Realms and the camaraderie at Candlekeep for even longer.
Keep those questions coming!
love,
THO
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lordsknight185
Seeker

USA
99 Posts

Posted - 27 Jun 2013 :  06:09:46  Show Profile Send lordsknight185 a Private Message
Hello again THO and ED, I have less of a question and more a curiosity of opinion. I have just read James Wyatts latest article "Big Beasts" where he discuses dinosaurs. (I have always loved dinosaurs in chult) But he talked about how he gave new names to different dinosaurs, like "Clawfoot" for the velociraptor and "Hammertail" for the Ankylosaurus. Do you personally imagine the people of the realms doing something like this, or would you see them simply call them the larger complicated names the scholars coined. :)
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Kajehase
Great Reader

Sweden
2104 Posts

Posted - 27 Jun 2013 :  15:25:58  Show Profile Send Kajehase a Private Message
Something that came up over at the Paizo messageboards that Ed as a veteran gamer might be able to answer:

quote:
I recently bought a set of three of these from EBay:
Special Edition TSR Dice

The seller has had them for a few years and had purchased them originally from Ebay as well, so wasn't sure of their origins. I can't seem to find anything on Google...

They are about 2" D6 dice with the TSR logo in the location of the 1. Has anyone seen these before or know where they originated (I'm assuming a con of some sort). I purchased only the dice, the treasure-chest like box this one is in was something I picked up to display them.

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 27 Jun 2013 15:26:21
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 27 Jun 2013 :  15:53:13  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Hello again, all.

Kajehase, Ed and I both remember those dice as being GenCon "giveaways" from years back, in the Milwaukee era (one d6 in a tiny sealed plastic baggie, presumably factory-bagged to guard against blemishing), and Ed thinks he has one . . . SOMEwhere.

lordsknight185, dinosaurs haven't played a large part in our home Realms games because of the locales we Knights maraudedXXX er, flourished in, but several Waterdhavian nobles have individual dinosaurs imprisoned in their in-mansion, heated menageries. YES, dinosaurs in the Realms have the sort of names James mentions, not the real-world scientific or general-use colloquial names. After all, how would someone from Faerūn know this is a "Tyrannosaurus Rex" and that is a "Stegosaurus"?
The only dinosaurs I recall us fighting in the wild were Pterosaurs and several aggressive Triceratops . . .

love to all,
THO
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Kajehase
Great Reader

Sweden
2104 Posts

Posted - 27 Jun 2013 :  18:50:16  Show Profile Send Kajehase a Private Message
Thank you for the quick response - it's been relayed. :)

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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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 29 Jun 2013 :  14:27:40  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message
Ed, how do Druids and 'Nature Clerics' get along in the Realms? In general, I mean. I realize this is one of those case-by-case basis situations, but I would think there should be some sort of stereotypical attitude (like how Wizards feel about priests).

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

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Joebing
Learned Scribe

USA
202 Posts

Posted - 29 Jun 2013 :  14:34:06  Show Profile Send Joebing a Private Message
Ed and THO, are there any active volcanoes and active tectonic areas for earthquakes in the Realms, maybe even in Zakhara and Kara-Tur?

Now plugging away on mass conversion to 5e, as well as my imprint J. Halk Games.

http://www.facebook.com/JHalkGames

First adventure on DM Guild: Lair of Elaacrimalicros
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36779 Posts

Posted - 29 Jun 2013 :  15:52:44  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by Joebing

Ed and THO, are there any active volcanoes and active tectonic areas for earthquakes in the Realms, maybe even in Zakhara and Kara-Tur?



At the very least, there is Ship of the Gods, which erupted in 1369.

Candlekeep Forums Moderator

Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com
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I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!
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Joebing
Learned Scribe

USA
202 Posts

Posted - 29 Jun 2013 :  18:18:28  Show Profile Send Joebing a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

quote:
Originally posted by Joebing

Ed and THO, are there any active volcanoes and active tectonic areas for earthquakes in the Realms, maybe even in Zakhara and Kara-Tur?



At the very least, there is Ship of the Gods, which erupted in 1369.



Perhaps I should have been more specific. Aside from the known ones (Mount Hotenow, Ship of the Gods, Smoking Mountains), are there any others that are active or even semi-active? I wrote a trilogy of adventures several years ago for Greyhawk, and with a new gaming party and exclusively running the Realms now, I am looking for a place to place them...if not just to have a reason to introduce my lava-riders.

Now plugging away on mass conversion to 5e, as well as my imprint J. Halk Games.

http://www.facebook.com/JHalkGames

First adventure on DM Guild: Lair of Elaacrimalicros
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31701 Posts

Posted - 30 Jun 2013 :  04:29:21  Show Profile Send The Sage a Private Message
Greetings to Ed and the lovely Lady Hooded One,

The Sage returns with Yet Another Question for his growing queue of queries for the Great Bearded One.

I was [yesterday] reading an article on death masks -- in particular, the sale at auction of a particular Napoleon death mask -- when I began pondering what similar artifacts may be like in the Realms.

I recall a few references in previous lore, but what I'd really like to know, is whether you've ever brought up anything like this in your home Realms campaigns? Are there any death masks of famous NPCs you've discovered in your games? And, if so, who were they made from? Are any of them ensorcelled, or do they have strange magical effects cast on them?

Really, I'm just curious about death masks in general with respect to the Realms.

Much appreciation, as always, in advance.

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 - 30 Jun 2013 :  13:07:22  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message
And Sage's question has spurred a line of reasoning of my own, and a related question:

I am sure Ed is at least somewhat familiar with the premise of Warehouse 13 (and I make this assumption because I almost never watch it, and am familiar with it). For those who are not, 'artifacts' are spontaneously created by some legendary figure or important historical event. This isn't all that different from how artifacts (and relics, and perhaps ancestral items, etc) in D&D are created, and IIRC, there are at least a few 'accidental' artifacts floating around out there (Vecna's body-parts jump to mind).

Does this happen in The Realms? Are there objects that have somehow developed their own 'magic' because of the personages or events involved? Are there any of note you'd like to share?

"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 - 30 Jun 2013 :  16:47:13  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Hi again, all.
Traveling and in a rush, so just two quick "sorta" replies:
Sage, there are indeed death masks in the Realms, and we Knights have found some on the corpses of buried wizards in "dungeons," over the years. Most of those, legend has it, bear curses - - but all I can tell you for sure is that some of them bore written messages on their inside (face-side) surfaces, that when touched emitted the voice of the deceased, saying something memorable or important (Torm always hoped the little speeches would be detailed directions to cached treasure, but the ones we came across were always "quotable quotes" about life, the Realms, and . . .).
Ed will furnish a proper reply, of course, when he can (he's back to being the world's busiest man, right now).
Markustay, Ed is indeed somewhat familiar, and artifacts have always been created in that manner (as well as being deliberately created) in the Realms; one of Ed's original (1966) short stories, from before the setting was anything more than "the Sword Coast," revolves around Mirt stumbling onto such an artifact. More to come, of course, from Ed . . .
Gotta run; plane's boarding . . .
love,
THO
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Eli the Tanner
Learned Scribe

United Kingdom
149 Posts

Posted - 02 Jul 2013 :  17:03:04  Show Profile  Visit Eli the Tanner's Homepage Send Eli the Tanner a Private Message
Hello Ed and THO,

My latest query is about Randal Morn and the Cormaerils.

Over here in the Uk there are some interesting changes going on in the noble classes with Royal succession soon changing to simply the first-born (rather than the first-born male) heir. This may even follow for the rest of the titled nobility as their is strong campaign to change heriditary titles so that they include female heirs (partly driven to avoid situations like the Cormaeril claim).

I was wondering how much did Randal Morn try to avoid the lordship of the Dale falling to the Cormaerils? I haven't found any record of him taking a wife and trying to 'solve' it the traditional way. If the issue was infertility would he have tried to change the rules of succession at all like they are doing in the uk? As much of an adventurer and gallavanting lord he was, Randal Morn strikes me as someone who would move the Dagger Hills to make sure Daggerdale was in safe hands.

Anything you can tell us on this would be awesome...I have a love for all things Daggerdale.


Moderator of /r/Forgotten_Realms
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 03 Jul 2013 :  04:33:30  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Hi again, all.
Eli the Tanner, I'm not sure how much Daggerdale lore is NDA for Ed, right now.
Back in 1982 or 1984 (or so), Ed wrote a short story entitled "To Slay A Black Raven," in which Randal Morn and three adventuring companions (Florin, for example; all of them famous in later published Realmslore, but not as a foursome) rode into Daggerdale from adventuring elsewhere to "rescue" the dale from Zhentarim occupation. The Zhents had installed a mageling named Malyk (yes, before any other writer used that character name in the Realms) as Lord of the Dale, and Randal Morn's younger sister, Silver Morn, was living in hiding in the dale. TSR "lost" that story SIX TIMES over the years (requesting new copies, each time), and as the years have passed, the published history of Daggerdale has gone in various directions (in my early years of posting Ed's replies here at the Keep, he dealt with some Daggerdale queries), and Ed plotted the three Daggerdale 2e modules (that I think Jim Butler wrote, if I recall correctly). Various characters and plot angles and ideas have been "taken" over the years by various staff designers intending to do their own fiction [[I've no idea why Daggerdale was so popular with them; perhaps it was just the name of the place]], so although the publishing company that presents the Realms has changed and most of the staffers have long gone, a minefield of confused overlapping NDAs remains.
Ed is REALLY busy being the Busiest Writer Alive right now (I'm not kidding; I'm used to the pace he keeps, and what he's been doing these last few weeks staggers even me), but I've shot your query along to him in hopes he can make some sort of answer to you.
BTW, there are noble families in the Realms (in both Waterdeep and Cormyr) where the eldest born becomes heir regardless of gender, and there have even been nobility that descends through the female line, NOT the male line, but I'm not sure if any of those families have survived past the early 1300s DR.
Remind me, please, which Realms products covered the Cormaerils in relation to Daggerdale? (There have always been PC Cormaerils in Ed's library mini-campaigns and as guests in the "home" Realms campaign [when a guest player "sat in" for a night or two, I mean], so quite a few different Cormaerils have done stuff in the game Ed DMs for us, and I often forget what's published official lore, and what happened in "Ed's own Realms" [being as the latter very frequently becomes the former]. Beliard Cormaeril, for example, has been played by six different gamers that I know of, and some of them had very energetic plans for side-deals, investments, intrigues, and so on.)
love,
THO
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Joebing
Learned Scribe

USA
202 Posts

Posted - 03 Jul 2013 :  20:34:05  Show Profile Send Joebing a Private Message
Ed & THO (or anyone else who can answer this)(Markustay???),

Other than Osse, Anchorome, Katashaka, and Aurune (assuming those are the correct names for the Unknown Lands), what are the other "Unknown Lands" in the FRCS for 3rd Edition Scholar's View of Toril map. There is one west of Anchorome & Maztica and two east of Katashaka. Is there any information that can be shared on these (name of land, style of play [New World=Anchorome, Faerun=Europe, Kara-Tur=Asia])? I have a future campaign set up (post-Sumbral campaign) where the PC's just explore, and I was wondering if this knowledge can be known, or is it NDA?

Now plugging away on mass conversion to 5e, as well as my imprint J. Halk Games.

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First adventure on DM Guild: Lair of Elaacrimalicros

Edited by - Joebing on 03 Jul 2013 20:45:58
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