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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
    
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 01 Oct 2014 : 17:18:35
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I am assuming THO isn't available ATM (which is holding up something), but here's one for when she gets back:
The road (trail) going from Longsaddle to Nesmé crosses the Goblintide River - is it fordable at that point? Or is there some sort of bridge?
And BTW, does that road have a name? (and that question is aimed at everyone, not just Ed) I tried all the usual sources, but lord knows Realms lore sometimes hides in strange places. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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createvmind
Senior Scribe
  
490 Posts |
Posted - 01 Oct 2014 : 18:56:23
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Hello All,
Ed I assume in your realms you have events unfolding about Faerun years in advance of where your players are currently. If in your realms there was no Spellplague after Year of Lightning Storm did you have planned any other type of cataclysmic event or major upheaval occurring in Faerun within the next 10 or so years? I know the Collapse of weave and Spellplague put the kabosh on many plans and events in the works around the realms and actually may have prevented other calamaties from occuring in specific places or stopped possible invasions and wars. Just curious what little snippets/alternate events you may have had planned?
Thanks |
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Knightfall
Learned Scribe
 
Canada
148 Posts |
Posted - 02 Oct 2014 : 20:16:35
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Hi again all,
I have more nobility of Waterdeep questions for Ed and THO. Specifically, I'd like to find out as much as I can about the Nandar family, circa 1368 DR. Did/do Lord Baelrun and Lady Berlie have any children of their own who either died or were disowned? Also, the "Noble Houses of Waterdeep" web enhancement for the City of Splendors: Waterdeep sourcebook for 3E mentions that the heir to the house, Chostal, has a younger brother named Horingar "Elfslayer." Was this NPC created by Ed or did Eric L. Boyd create him? If Ed did, are there other grand-nephews or nieces?
That PDF also says the house's favored deity is Malar. How strong is that connection? As well, are there any details Ed can share about Nandar Lodge in the Ardeep Forest? |
ROBERT BLEZARD "I write; therefore, I am!"
Heroes of Deepwater |
Edited by - Knightfall on 04 Oct 2014 07:08:54 |
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Bootravsky
Acolyte
USA
6 Posts |
Posted - 03 Oct 2014 : 06:11:58
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Hello to everyone, first time writer long time reader!
Just a few questions resulting from reading through Forgotten Realms Adventures - the first D&D book I purchased for myself, about twenty-two years ago, from a great old local comic book shop, and still one of my absolute favorites. I find something new every time, and am consistently amazed by how each City detailed has such individual character based on its surroundings, environment, position on trade routes, etc. Enough gushing, on to the questions!
In Calaunt, the Merchant Dukes, formerly Bellas' Band, are made up of an even mix of good, neutral, and evil characters, with Bellas the Supreme Scepter, and Iritar basically running the underworld. How did Bellas' Band form, and how do the good characters (Halabankh Ormsarr and Haldyn Stormkin) abide associating with the less moral dukes? the wizard forums indicate that they are of "increasingly corrupt" character, so perhaps their moral character has eroded since the writing of the FRA article.
In Scornubel, the Wondermen are said to inhabit a vault beneath the streets. This is elaborated in Volos guide to the sword coast. Is there any additional history to the Wondermen, or names of individuals, and are there any prophecies or tales that would give a clue as to the characteristics of the wizards deserving of their riches? I can totally see this being NDA.
Finally, are there any father-son villainous pairings in the realm of particular note? In either the Harry / Norman Osborne insane child - megalomaniacal, abusive parent pairing? Or in the supportive evil parent role? "Nice shot son, but we must get a new slave out for you to put the arrow BETWEEN the shoulders, as opposed to in just the one."
Thanks for all the wonderful gaming over the years! |
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Knightfall
Learned Scribe
 
Canada
148 Posts |
Posted - 04 Oct 2014 : 03:00:08
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Me again, sorry if I'm being too much of a pest.
Eric Boyd pointed me to an article about "The Ardeep" (in DRAGON #270) regarding the character with the nickname "Elfslayer." It helped me understand the Nandars somewhat, but brings to mind a question about Ardeep Forest. What does "Ar" mean? Or does it even have a meaning? I thought maybe it might mean silver, but it would be nice to have an official answer.
It would also be great to learn more about dwarves(?) of "Dardath" and more about the "Phalorm Kingdom," if that's okay to ask.
Cheers!
KF |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
    
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 04 Oct 2014 : 03:29:43
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I believe the Elves called Ardeep 'Irithar', and it was once part of the MUCH larger forest that went all along the coast (and probably even connected to much-larger-at-that-time High forest in some places as well).
So Ardeep may be a human name, or it may be an older name that had more meaning - perhaps the entire greater forest that went from Neverwinter Woods all the way down to the Trollbark Forest (and may have included The High Moor - which was the Dark/Green Elven Kingdom of Miyeritar - in the very distant past). If the name is Elven in origin, and 'Ar' does mean 'silver', that would be VERY interesting indeed.
Question: (so as not to get in trouble for my commentary) I am in the middle of a LOT of FR research ATM, and I keep coming across lots and lots of locales with 'curses', be it a direct curse, or a haunting, or even just some magic that went haywire way back when. What happened to all of that after the Spellplague hit? Were undead affected? Did curses get removed, or whatever? Or is this one of those case-by-case basis things? |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
    
Australia
6221 Posts |
Posted - 04 Oct 2014 : 07:39:09
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quote: Originally posted by Knightfall
Me again, sorry if I'm being too much of a pest.
Eric Boyd pointed me to an article about "The Ardeep" (in DRAGON #270) regarding the character with the nickname "Elfslayer." It helped me understand the Nandars somewhat, but brings to mind a question about Ardeep Forest. What does "Ar" mean? Or does it even have a meaning? I thought maybe it might mean silver, but it would be nice to have an official answer.
It would also be great to learn more about dwarves(?) of "Dardath" and more about the "Phalorm Kingdom," if that's okay to ask.
Cheers!
KF
Eric Boyd and I have written up a ton of information on both places - but Eric is looking to get that stuff out in a more official sense.
I assume you've read the seminal FR11 Dwarves Deep and the material in Lost Empires of Faerun.
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Knightfall
Learned Scribe
 
Canada
148 Posts |
Posted - 04 Oct 2014 : 08:21:10
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| I've never owned Dwarves Deep. I do have Lost Empires of Faerun, however. I admit that I haven't read that book cover to cover. |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
    
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 04 Oct 2014 : 15:52:48
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| Do yourself a favor - both make for AMAZING reads. I even found stuff in Dwarves Deep that pertained to Murghôm! They are chock-full of juicy tidbits (even if DD is showing its age now, you get to see Ed Grenwood's world-building skills at their finest - its one of the few sources where you learn that humans are NOT the most important beings on the planet... they only think they are. Everything was done and named before humans came along, and we get a glimpse of that). |
"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 04 Oct 2014 15:55:12 |
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Lirdolin
Learned Scribe
 
Germany
194 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2014 : 19:09:45
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Hello all,
Ed, as Tyche was a goddess in the Realms before she became Tymora and Beshaba (and Sune is Venus backwards minus the v), was there ever a realm in Faerûn where people prayed to the olympian deities? So could there be a Chosen of Hercules fighting Monsters in, say, Impiltur during the Sundering? |
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer
   
USA
1842 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2014 : 19:11:29
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I'm not Ed, but you might be interested in the article he wrote in Dragon #54 that talks about building the Faerunian pantheon.
--Eric
quote: Originally posted by Lirdolin
Hello all,
Ed, as Tyche was a goddess in the Realms before she became Tymora and Beshaba (and Sune is Venus backwards minus the v), was there ever a realm in Faerûn where people prayed to the olympian deities? So could there be a Chosen of Hercules fighting Monsters in, say, Impiltur during the Sundering?
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-- http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/ |
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Rymac
Learned Scribe
 
USA
306 Posts |
Posted - 07 Oct 2014 : 04:36:23
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quote: Originally posted by Lirdolin
Hello all,
Ed, as Tyche was a goddess in the Realms before she became Tymora and Beshaba (and Sune is Venus backwards minus the v), was there ever a realm in Faerûn where people prayed to the olympian deities? So could there be a Chosen of Hercules fighting Monsters in, say, Impiltur during the Sundering?
Not Ed, but perhaps I can help. Chessenta was originally a variant of the city-states of Ancient Greece, going all the way back to the OGB.
From RealmsHelps (http://www.realmshelps.net/faerun/oldempires.shtml):
quote: A group of cities considered a single nation by the rest of Faerûn, Chessenta is anything but united. The cities war against each other over old slights, philosophical differences, or economic leverage. Adventurers and mercenary companies make a good living here, hired by various governments for sneak attacks, strategic planning, or protection. The culture of Chessenta is obsessed with physical conflict, with war heroes considered very highly.
From FR Wiki (http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Chessenta):
quote: Prior to the Spellplague, Chessenta was a country of individual city-states that were often at war with one another.
So it's possible that Tyche originally came from a defunct pantheon. Sune and Mask also had aspects of other Greek gods, if I recall correctly. |
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xaeyruudh
Master of Realmslore
   
USA
1853 Posts |
Posted - 07 Oct 2014 : 12:59:16
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The OGB doesn't really suggest that Chessenta is based on Greece; this idea came from FR10.
Tyche was part of the Netherese pantheon, according to the Netheril box. |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
    
5055 Posts |
Posted - 07 Oct 2014 : 16:20:31
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That would be because Chessenta is not now and never was based on Greece. Many, many gamers seem to think Ed just copied real-world this and real-world that and stitched them together to make his Realms. Not so. For some gamrs (including some designers who worked for TSR and Wizards) it has been helpful to THINK OF a real-world place/culture/time when dealing with this or that region of the Realms, but that's a different thing. I have always thought of Chessenta as closer to the Italian city-states of the condottiere era, myself.
And to make this post a little more useful: Markustay, I'll hunt down the name of that road for you. It is indeed fordable at the site you mention. love, THO |
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xaeyruudh
Master of Realmslore
   
USA
1853 Posts |
Posted - 07 Oct 2014 : 20:13:05
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quote: Originally posted by The Hooded One
I have always thought of Chessenta as closer to the Italian city-states of the condottiere era, myself.
Have I told you lately that I love you? Also the way you think. 
I think some authors let their real-world inspirations bleed into their writing too much, or someone at WotC thinks so, and that has influenced decisions about the fate of some areas of Toril. As if two (or more) wrongs will make a right. But I'm just one fan with no special insight.
And to make this post a little more useful: Shairksah, mentioned in the Recent News and Rumors for 1357 in the grey box, apparently has a means of creating or perhaps just summoning "strange crab-like menaces." My first question is do these critters exist, or is he just making threats? If they do exist, are they scaladar and can he make and control them? If so, can Shairksah be linked to Trobriand or did he obtain this magic in another way?
I hope all is well in Greenwood manor! And um, in the festhall and dungeon too.  |
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createvmind
Senior Scribe
  
490 Posts |
Posted - 08 Oct 2014 : 16:43:10
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Hello All,
Ed my question is probably going to be NDA but did the Spellplague impact the Sarrukh in anyway, interrupt their hybernation cycle, change them, or comprimise their wards and/or hold on other beings?
And did Elaith Craulnober make it through Spellplague unscathed?
One more query, did you have other martial artist in realms besides "monks" and if so can you tell us of any of the greatest of these monk-like characters that may have wandered Faerun or impacted it in some way not known to most.
Thanks |
Edited by - createvmind on 08 Oct 2014 16:47:03 |
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Infamous
Acolyte
42 Posts |
Posted - 08 Oct 2014 : 18:01:27
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Dear Lady of the Hood,
greetings. I have two questions for Ed.
A certain chaotic good character needs to spy on some unelected and possibly corrupt officials who are close to the king. The method entails a special feather, to be used as a pen, which magically stores all the writing and then re-writes it to another parchment when so commanded. The question is, can we make its magic just imperceptible so that the ploy could work? How paranoid are officials in a mid-sized kingdom about these things, and how often do bureaucrats detect magic?
Second, a more mundane question. I type at 60 words per minute, but I speak at 140 wpm. I recently discovered that Apple's standard Mac OS X dictation and Dragon Dictation allow me to commit words to paper (er, pixels) more than twice as fast. Does Ed know about this? Does he know?!! Because we need to squeeze all the Realmslore we can from him in the 1,000 years he will be alive on this Earthly plane.
Best, the Infamous One |
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xaeyruudh
Master of Realmslore
   
USA
1853 Posts |
Posted - 08 Oct 2014 : 18:29:32
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quote: Originally posted by Infamous
The question is, can we make its magic just imperceptible so that the ploy could work?
I'm clearly not THO or Ed, but concealing the quill's magical aura can be easily handled with Nystul's magic aura. It even lasts 24 hours.
That said, I'm also interested in how this issue is addressed in the world's many courts. Surely the King of Cormyr is recorded by Court scribes, but do kings/lords typically care about others recording as well and how energetically do they try to prevent it? |
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sleyvas
Great Reader
    
USA
10456 Posts |
Posted - 09 Oct 2014 : 01:42:37
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quote: Originally posted by createvmind
Hello All,
Ed my question is probably going to be NDA but did the Spellplague impact the Sarrukh in anyway, interrupt their hybernation cycle, change them, or comprimise their wards and/or hold on other beings?
And did Elaith Craulnober make it through Spellplague unscathed?
One more query, did you have other martial artist in realms besides "monks" and if so can you tell us of any of the greatest of these monk-like characters that may have wandered Faerun or impacted it in some way not known to most.
Thanks
On Elaith.... look at the unofficial little story Elaine Cunningham posted around here in the last 2 months. It specifically shows an unofficial instance of where Elaith was when it would seem that the spellplague happened. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Penknight
Senior Scribe
  
USA
538 Posts |
Posted - 09 Oct 2014 : 05:52:08
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quote: Originally posted by sleyvas
quote: Originally posted by createvmind
Hello All,
Ed my question is probably going to be NDA but did the Spellplague impact the Sarrukh in anyway, interrupt their hybernation cycle, change them, or comprimise their wards and/or hold on other beings?
And did Elaith Craulnober make it through Spellplague unscathed?
One more query, did you have other martial artist in realms besides "monks" and if so can you tell us of any of the greatest of these monk-like characters that may have wandered Faerun or impacted it in some way not known to most.
Thanks
On Elaith.... look at the unofficial little story Elaine Cunningham posted around here in the last 2 months. It specifically shows an unofficial instance of where Elaith was when it would seem that the spellplague happened.
Could you post a link to the story, please? I'd greatly appreciate it! |
Telethian Phoenix Pathfinder Reference Document |
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Irennan
Great Reader
    
Italy
3528 Posts |
Posted - 09 Oct 2014 : 15:59:17
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Greetings Ed and THO.
It has been stated that our RW technology wouldn't work quite well in the Realms, and it led me to think that some of the rules which govern the nature there would be different from our physics laws (since tech functions accordingly to them).
So, my question is: has anyone tried to figure out how mundane phenomena work in the Realms (or are they necessarily connected to the magic and the Weave)? Also, since mathematics is necessary for that, has anyone developed any form of advanced mathematical theory?
Thanks for your time.
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
    
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 10 Oct 2014 : 02:42:45
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quote: Originally posted by Penknight
Could you post a link to the story, please? I'd greatly appreciate it!
LINK |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
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Penknight
Senior Scribe
  
USA
538 Posts |
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
    
USA
2446 Posts |
Posted - 10 Oct 2014 : 17:20:23
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Hey Ed! I’m back, and I’ve got a question that should hopefully be NDA-proof. It’s about natural beauty, something that the Realms has in abundance.
Imagine you’re walking up a tunnel from the Underdark, after being in that lightless realm for far too long. The tunnel turns, opens, and suddenly you’re standing in a wide open cave mouth. It’s a clear night and Selune is full in the sky, shining down on a wide expanse of land stretching out before you.
What do you see? What would be your top three places for that cave mouth to be, and what would you be looking out over? Timescale is 2e/3e, if it matters. Thanks, as always. |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be... Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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createvmind
Senior Scribe
  
490 Posts |
Posted - 11 Oct 2014 : 00:10:36
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Hello all,
Ok two more questions for Ed, Has Mystra ever had ANY of her Chosen deal with any Arch-devil or demon prince in regards to some plot where they worked WITH the fiends or have them intercede on BEHALF of fiends?
Second question, after Elminster awoke from stasis and learned the fate of Myth Drannor, did he have a vendetta against fiends or make it his business to go out his way to mess with them, especially yogoloths or did Mystra keep him occupied to again protect him from spending his life and silver fire? |
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