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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
 Posted - 17 May 2004 : 04:38:00
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Bright day, fellow scribes! Thy Hooded Lady again, bearing another out-of-chronological-order reply from Ed:
Archmage Daraath, the rankings of gods are (or should be) a mystery to mere mortals. The problem with deities absorbing deities is that change always causes some worshippers fall away, so you can almost never do straight addition of worshippers to derive a new ranking. Moreover, most beings in the Realms worship a variety of deities, rather than confining themselves to one, so what the priests of the other deities have to say about the matter can also have an effect.
I agree with you: lusty teens would worship Sharess, but then again, lusty teens do less fervent worshipping than older people. They’re more wide-eyed and exploring everything (including each other, with priests and worshipping be damned, so to speak, along with all other authority figures) than their elders. They also tend to (remember, most Faerunians don’t confine themselves to one god) also worship Sune because those rituals can be party time, too! And some teens want to be daring and try the forbidden, others want to have a wild and swinging time, and others want to copy grownups as fast as they can (again, Sune might not be all that neglected, when compared to Sharess, and many teens might be just as hot for the worship of Shar or Mystra or Mielikki or whomever has the hunkiest/most beautiful clergy or teen worshippers; if you’re hot for Nalastra the miller’s daughter, and she can be found in high boots, black lace and not much else writhing on tombstones in some confused ritual to Shar, then you’re either turned off/too scared to pursue her, or you’re right there on the tombstone with her, aren’t you?).
As for where Sharess came from, be warned: priests and worshippers alike seldom speak truth, but rather repeat what they have been told to say, which may or may not be true.
I probably won’t do fiction involving the gods directly, beyond the brief sort of scenes seen in my last two Elminster novels -- and even those, I’d prefer to back away from. With deities prancing around, it’s hard for mere mortals to shine as heroes.
As for your draconic queries, I regard all dragons as intelligent and strong-willed enough that except in cases of directly opposite alignment, all relationships between dragons should be determined on a case-by-case, individual basis. Otherwise, saying that Dragon Type A and Dragon Type B are friendly or hate each other is about as valid as saying “All stockbrokers are friends” or “All radish-sellers hate each other’s guts.” So instead, let’s consider that Darvur the Radish-Seller hates his cousin Vondryn the Radish-Lord, who has a stall at the other end of Dock Ward, but is good friends with Arvul the Radish-King, whose stall is right the far end of North Ward.
Thus, the blue dragon Vaurethdraumantor may or may not hate the brass dragon Dzeldurtrar Sharpwings, though they probably have little in common and rub each other the wrong way. On the other hand, they may once have had a moonlit encounter in a ruin that has given both of them fond dreams and memories, ever since . . .
I do believe that all dragons CAN crossbreed (although a few individual dragons may be sterile/barren), and that the offspring will almost always favour one parent or the other very closely (perhaps with some minor shuffling of abilities), but that in rare cases a new sub-breed or a chimera-like strange draconic beast will result. I’m more interested in WHY they would want to breed (dragons mate seldom, so is it an all-consuming, driving lust or instinctive imperative when faced with imminent death or passage into a post-menopausal, non-breeding stage of life? Do dragons have such a thing? Or are they all cold-bloodedly rational enough to mate for long-term goals or mutual advantage, or to create something that they can both use as lures to enrich their hoards if they spread the word of rare crossbred-dragon eggs?).
As for internet fan fiction using or set in the Realms, I have nothing against the idea of such writing -- storytelling is a basic human activity, and we tend to want to write or tell stories about things that matter to us. However, I have no time to read such fiction, and like my colleague Elaine Cunningham have to be mindful of the legal dangers of offering to do so. Moreover, I recognize that Wizards of the Coast, Inc., as the current copyright holders of the Realms, may take a very strong corporate stance against the publication of fan fiction (to protect the Realms). I recall rumors of a bondage and discipline website using Drizzt images, and the rush to get them removed so that the Realms wouldn’t be associated with S&M rather than D&D (and yes, angry mothers, there IS a difference :}). So I’m neither going to agree to read someone’s Realms fanfic or help them to try to get it published, by Wizards or anyone else . . . but on a personal level, the fact that Realms fanfic is being created doesn’t bother me at all.
On the other hand, satire is a defense in American law (not everywhere in the world, please note), and I’ve enjoyed some vicious short parodies, down the years, of Realms characters, NPC groups, adventures, and novels. Some TSR staffers deliberately sent me Realms parodies for my enjoyment, and I consider that a different matter.
I think a Dungeon Master who fictionalizes the deeds of his or her players, for their own collective consumption ONLY, is doing a noble thing.
I believe someone who wants to be a fantasy writer is better off using their own characters and own setting from the outset, because doing so forces them into doing the creative underpinnings and providing fully-fleshed-out characters and place descriptions, rather than relying on readers “knowing” an already-established place or character. Also, because such writing isn’t a deliberate challenge to copyright, it can be freely shared and critiqued, and thus has a chance of leading on to something more.
Please note: I’m not a literary snob. (The ridiculous nature of someone who enjoys fantasy looking upon any writing with snobbery is another matter.) I don’t sneer at Fantasy Writer X because their work isn’t as good as Fantasy Writer Y, and people who viciously do so frankly bewilder me. As a longtime library staffer, I’m far more interested in finding out what the reader standing in front of me wants or likes, and giving it to them (“You prefer David Eddings to Patricia McKillip? Then you’ll PROBABLY like . . .”). So I’m not going to comment on the quality of any fanfic I do come across, because Sturgeon’s Law applies to EVERYTHING (yes, my work very much included). :}
Whew. So saith Ed. Who is probably as weary as I am, so ’tis time for us both to seek our beds (seperate beds miles apart, Wooly and Blueblade, so your hopes need not be dashed yet). Let thy blade be swift, sharp, and true until next we meet,
THO
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 05:28:10
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Whew. So saith Ed. Who is probably as weary as I am, so ’tis time for us both to seek our beds (seperate beds miles apart, Wooly and Blueblade, so your hopes need not be dashed yet). Let thy blade be swift, sharp, and true until next we meet,
THO
 Ah, thank you, my dear Lady Hooded One, for keeping my hopes alive -- however faint such hopes may be!  |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 05:55:20
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Ah well, that question was for another poster and I'll let him know what you said about the Crown. :)
HMM, here's a question that goes back to the replies you gave Bookwyrm and I about diseases, etc. Another poster and I are having a small debate about germs in FR. So my question is, do the races (humans, demihumans, etc) know of microscopic germs? If such germs even exist in the Realms. |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
Edited by - Kuje on 17 May 2004 07:13:26 |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 07:10:33
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
As for internet fan fiction using or set in the Realms, I have nothing against the idea of such writing -- storytelling is a basic human activity, and we tend to want to write or tell stories about things that matter to us....
[But], I’m neither going to agree to read someone’s Realms fanfic or help them to try to get it published, by Wizards or anyone else . . . but on a personal level, the fact that Realms fanfic is being created doesn’t bother me at all.
I believe someone who wants to be a fantasy writer is better off using their own characters and own setting from the outset, because doing so forces them into doing the creative underpinnings and providing fully-fleshed-out characters and place descriptions, rather than relying on readers “knowing” an already-established place or character. Also, because such writing isn’t a deliberate challenge to copyright, it can be freely shared and critiqued, and thus has a chance of leading on to something more.
Something which I've taken to heart since your (highly encouraging) critique of my own fanfic/campaign log. (Might I say again that I never figured you'd read it at all, though more for the time it would take than for the issues above. I actually thought putting the link in was a possible bad move.)
Of course, I have to point out that I've found it a good idea to borrow someone else's creativity for a while to practice your own on. I've a lot of computer files with "Fanfic" in the title (including Jack Archer), and when I compare them to my earlier, original writings, I find that not only is my prose far better, I'm also more sure of the characters. I think fanfics are great tools for the burgeoning writer; once you learn how to make a character move like it should (using the original for a comparison), it's easier to create your own from scratch.
 It's actually rather odd. I literally just read this right after getting off of MSN-IM with Artalis, with whom I was going over the basic outlines of the real Jack Archer story. (Hopefully coming to a bookshelf near you sometime in the next decade. ) |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 07:21:53
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quote:
Originally posted by kuje31
HMM, here's a question that goes back to the replies you gave Bookwyrm and I about diseases, etc. Another poster and I are having a small debate about germs in FR. So my question is, do the races (humans, demihumans, etc) know of microscopic germs? If such germs even exist in the Realms.
Well, germs would have to exist. Unless you want to ascribe everything to magic, you need germs in order to funtion properly. Not all germs are bad, after all. |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 07:25:49
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Oh, by the way, Mr. Greenwood. My mother just poked through my Realms Atlas and Volo's Guide to the North. She says it's a shame you don't get royalties on every Realms sale; she didn't read everything, but she knows good writing when she sees it. She particularly liked the level of detail in the Guide, both as a travel book (being handicapped, she reads about the places she can't go anymore) and as a story description.
And, like me, she took immediate liking to Elminster's little comments on Volo. |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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Gareth Yaztromo
Acolyte
Australia
37 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 09:18:40
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Ed, has Wizards of The Coast ever considered working with Games Workshop to create a tabletop battle game for Forgotten Realms and/or other Wizards products. Though the D&D and Warhammer systems may be slightly difficult to translate.
Also were you ever a Fighting Fantasy fan? |
"Gereth Yaztromo is arguably the most famous wizard of Allansia due to his part in a number of the most well known sagas of that region from the third century AC. He is also known as one of the three Star Pupils of the Grand Wizard of Yore.." |
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Gerath Hoan
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
152 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 10:48:31
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Hi Ed,
Is there any chance you could provide some unusual details on Manshoon that the casual Realms reader/player may not know? Some little personal trait or likes/dislikes that were illuminated in your home campaign perhaps?
I was just looking at ways of capturing his character and giving him some depth for his portrayal in my games, beyond the obvious "Urbane and Evil Archmage" stereotype that is!  |
Knight of the Order of the Keen Eye - Granted by Ed Greenwood, 30th January 2005 |
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Lashan
Learned Scribe
USA
235 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 13:06:13
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| Hi Ed. I'm still here, but had a nice vacation to DisneyWorld while you finished up your novel. So while I would enjoy more lore, I haven't been put out by the wait. Thanks again! |
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Gareth Yaztromo
Acolyte
Australia
37 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 13:07:10
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| ... oh and 1 more thing. Do you sign books for fans? |
"Gereth Yaztromo is arguably the most famous wizard of Allansia due to his part in a number of the most well known sagas of that region from the third century AC. He is also known as one of the three Star Pupils of the Grand Wizard of Yore.." |
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Sarelle
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
508 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 13:40:57
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Mr. Greenwood,
Thank you for your swift reply to my last query.
Whilst I know you still play mainly in 2nd edition D&D, I was wondering what your opinions were on the cull of monster deities in FR's 3e transition?
My own opinions are clear (see my siggy!) but this is genuinely just curiosity. In particular I am a fan of the Fey deities and deities of the oceans - having always loved playing ocean and fey demihumans.
Which brings me to my second question - though I know you have no direct influence on WotC's publishing objectives, do you know what the chances are of supplement books akin to Serpent Kingdoms and Underdark detailing the Fey and the Sea races of FR?
In one of my 'if I ruled Wotc' fantasies I would publish the Sea races one titled 'The Farseas', heavily influenced by Elaine Cunningham's details of the Kraken Society in Daughter of the Drow. But now I'm rambling  - please forgive me.
Thank you . |
Chair of the The Rightful Return of Monster Deities to FR Society (RRMDFRS)
My character, drawn by Liodain: Sarelle / Sarelle (smaller) |
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Krafus
Learned Scribe
246 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 14:57:42
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Mr. Greenwood, is my question (that I posted on April 20) one of those you need a lot of time to answer? In case it has slipped through the cracks (perfectly reasonable, given the volume of questions you get), here it is again:
Been rereading the FRCS and came up with some questions for Ed concerning Raumathar.
Just what were the Raumathari battle-wizards? Wizards trained for combat, or dual-classed wizard/fighters? How were they organized, what were their tactics, and what magical items did they use most often? What were the typical levels of the rank-and-file and the leaders? Do you think that the Raumathari battle-wizard would make a good prestige class?
Thank you for your time.
Oh, and for THO - I second Enticing Enchantress as your title. (Unless you'd rather have your true nature put in the limelight, in which case Wanton Flirt would be more appropriate..) |
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 15:35:41
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That 'strong language' (to use a particularly stupid euphemism) will do me fine for a good while -- we now know several more Realms curse-words than we did a tenday past.
A little piece of Ed's called "A Glimpse of Manshoon" was on realmspeak.com, but isn't there now (or on archive.org). Is it OK if I post this? |
Edited by - Faraer on 17 May 2004 15:45:07 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 15:47:16
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quote:
Originally posted by Faraer
A little piece of Ed's called "A Glimpse of Manshoon" was on realmspeak.com, but isn't there now (or on archive.org). Is it OK if I post this?
I should like to see that, too. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Bakra
Senior Scribe
628 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 16:45:21
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Good day to Ed and The Hooded One,
Finals are done with and my brain is still suffering from post-finals symptoms. I like to say that Ed’s new book made a great Mother’s Day gift and now that she is done reading it I like to say I enjoyed it too. There was one problem towards the end I had a spot of trouble with but when you read a book in one seating then you are bound to misread something in the text! Once I get a chance to do a leisure read and not devour anything that is a non-text book then I will reread Elminster's Daughter. I shall treat it like a fine slice of cheesecake, something that needs to be eaten slowly that way you can enjoy the entire rich flavor plus the thinking of all the time the cook put into making it. (Homemade is the best way to go with food, especially deserts)
I thank Ed for his reply to my question, even though I was more than willing to wait for the sSerpent Kingdom’s book to come out. Thanks Ed for better arming me! And thanks to you Hooded One for taking time out to share, once again, some of your adventure’s in the Realms. Maybe you should start a thread dealing with various encounters there? Hmmm. I also look forward to the question about insects in the Realms, I like to plug the Imax film Bugs. Go see it, even though it is geared towards children it is fun to watch and it has a happy ending. Ha Ha.
Now to my question for Ed; but, first I like to say I think I know how to develop this bit of Realms Lore for our homebrew games. However I would like his opinion on whether or not I got it wrong. In the games the players benefit from clerical spells that can bring one back to life, sometimes the players decided to let the character go to the Final Grand Adventure. We gloss over a funeral or just out right skip it. I think it is because the lack of knowledge of burial customs. I was wondering what Ed would know about burial customs in the Realms? For example, the Chauntean’s once a faithful has died they have a wake, in one sense off to keep critters of the body and to give friends and family time to gather, which lasts four days. On the fourth day the deceased is interred into the ground in a flexed (fetal) position. Interment would occur near a farm field or other area that is used or frequent by the faithful. Depending on the deceased status would reflect burial goods place with them. A poor farmer might be buried with an awl, while a rather ‘richer’ Chauntean might have more than an instrument maybe some expensive trinket. The mourners will also place other objects with their now gone friend or loved one. This can be fine soil from a very fertile field, seeds produced from a good crop, or rose petals. After interment on top of the grave would be a small transplanted rose mixed with grain. Or in another sect the body would be cremated then scattered across the farm land. Either way the body is returned to the Earth from which they came. In some cases a lone body of a truly faithful would be buried in the middle of a crop, and then a scarecrow would be erected to mark the spot and hope the loved one will watch over the fields.
I know, too much information. I will be silent now and let Ed get back to his Waterdeep novel.
Be safe everyone,
Bakra of the Outlying Thread
PS: If there was a lass wearing little clothing laying on top of a head stone, I would guarantee my character would be there in a second. I am not saying he would convert; just that he is weird like me.
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I hope Candlekeep continues to be the friendly forum of fellow Realms-lovers that it has always been, as we all go through this together. If you don’t want to move to the “new” Realms, that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with either you or the “old” Realms. Goodness knows Candlekeep, and the hearts of its scribes, are both big enough to accommodate both. If we want them to be.
(Strikes dramatic pose, raises sword to gleam in the sunset, and hopes breeches won’t fall down.)
Enough for now. The Realms lives! I have spoken! Ale and light wines half price, served by a smiling Storm Silverhand fetchingly clad in thigh-high boots and naught else! Ahem . .
So saith Ed. <snip>
love to all,
THO
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 17:12:38
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quote:
Originally posted by Bakra
Now to my question for Ed; but, first I like to say I think I know how to develop this bit of Realms Lore for our homebrew games. However I would like his opinion on whether or not I got it wrong. In the games the players benefit from clerical spells that can bring one back to life, sometimes the players decided to let the character go to the Final Grand Adventure. We gloss over a funeral or just out right skip it. I think it is because the lack of knowledge of burial customs. I was wondering what Ed would know about burial customs in the Realms? For example, the Chauntean’s once a faithful has died they have a wake, in one sense off to keep critters of the body and to give friends and family time to gather, which lasts four days. On the fourth day the deceased is interred into the ground in a flexed (fetal) position. Interment would occur near a farm field or other area that is used or frequent by the faithful. Depending on the deceased status would reflect burial goods place with them. A poor farmer might be buried with an awl, while a rather ‘richer’ Chauntean might have more than an instrument maybe some expensive trinket. The mourners will also place other objects with their now gone friend or loved one. This can be fine soil from a very fertile field, seeds produced from a good crop, or rose petals. After interment on top of the grave would be a small transplanted rose mixed with grain. Or in another sect the body would be cremated then scattered across the farm land. Either way the body is returned to the Earth from which they came. In some cases a lone body of a truly faithful would be buried in the middle of a crop, and then a scarecrow would be erected to mark the spot and hope the loved one will watch over the fields.
Ed sort of answered this earlier. :) We've been begging him for such things as well. 1) TSR wouldn't touch it because of the whole satanic, D&D is evil thing going on once upon a time. and now 2) WOTC want's more crunch then fluff in thier sourcebooks. He said he'd try to talk them (or badger them!) into releasing this info but he said it probably won't happen.... :( |
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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Taelohn
Acolyte
36 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 17:43:39
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| Hey, at least he gave us some ideas for other graveyard-based activities, too. |
Edited by - Taelohn on 17 May 2004 17:58:34 |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 18:51:57
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Fair meeting, gentles. Thy Hooded Lady once more, bearing words of Ed:
Lashan, glad you’re back. Yours is the eldest neglected Realmslore request, so here we go.
I’m afraid any more direct revelations about your namesake, Lashan Aumersair, must remain unanswered for now, because I don’t want to get in the way of still-unfolding, still-secret Realms projects.
However, your story requests re. the House of Twilight in Tantras and the Net of Stars are my pleasure to deal with. So here’s the first one:
The House of Twilight is an establishment that has reached its current sprawling size by linking a large central hall with several adjoining standaths.
(A “standath” is the Dragonreach and Moonsea name for a rectangular stone building that has cellars -- perhaps with a shop in the uppermost cellar level, entered by a ‘duck down steps’ route from street level -- a shop on the ground floor, and two or more upper floors given over to residential suites. Sometimes the floor directly above the street-level shop is also occupied by that shop, or by another business, or by offices. In other words, the vast majority of close-crowded, square-stone-block central city buildings are standaths. A “murdath” is the same as a standath but with no cellars beneath, usually due to very hard bedrock at the surface, swampy ground, or everpresent flooding danger.)
In the case of the House of Twilight, one such link is a third-floor-up [counting the ground level as the first floor, just to settle the British and American differences on this matter] enclosed ‘flying bridge,’ but all of the other links are below-ground tunnels.
The House of Twilight fronts on the moot (T-junction) of Mountstar Street and the Stallionpost, in the Upwall district of the city.
Mountstar Street is a major east-west route crossing the southern half of the city. The House of Twilight stands in the last (easternmost) block of the eastern end of its run, on the south side of Mountstar, facing the end of the Stallionpost (a short, straight street that runs SW-NE to end in a moot with Wall Lane).
The easternmost run of Mountstar curves southeast towards the Gryphongard Tower of the city wall (meeting Wall Lane just north of that tower), from its split into Mountstar Street and Rengallon Street two blocks east of the Fountain of the Mermaid. [On the FRA map, locate “6” and go most of an inch towards the top of the page along the street the numeral 6 is drawn on, to the obvious “Y” intersection. The building in the cleft of the “Y” is The Morning Halls, the temple of Lathander, with its refectory and stables being the next building along the curve of Mountstar Street, and five buildings farther along is the moot with the Stallionpost. The large “squashed-V-shape” building across from that street is the House of Twilight.]
The House of Twilight is famous among nightclubs for its elegance. Everyone is clean, well-dressed, and quiet (there’s a sound-deadening spell in effect that reduces shouts to murmurs: even whispers can be readily heard by someone the whisperer is touching, and normal converse carries about three feet, with shouting reaching maybe five feet). The House has a huge security staff attired in dark livery, who intercept drunkards, known troublemakers, ill-dressed visitors, and anyone openly carrying weapons, and all large and menacing groups. Such guests are hustled into siderooms for interviews as to their intent, secure storage of weapons (storage of non-dangerous [not explosive or living or corrosive or obviously enchanted] valuables in the same ‘the House is responsible’ manner is possible, for fees ranging from 1 cp to 1 gp/night; weapons storage is free), baths, shaves, perfuming, and hair care (3 cp to 5 gp total charges, depending on how much is done), and costume rental. Although the House does put on ‘fancy dress’ revels in which everyone dons padded monster costumes or at least masks, or all portray parody-likenesses of dwarves or elves or stags, most “costumes” are merely formal wear of great taste and distinction. The dressers, bathers, and barbers (“barber” is a term that covers hairstylists in the Moonsea) are all pleasant, well-trained, and good-looking -- and there are dust-covered merchants and salt-stained sailors in plenty who come to the House of Twilight just to get pampered and spruced up, and never enter the club itself.
The lofty main hall of the club is always dark, lit only by dim “twinklestars” (pierced-filigree, star-shaped cages of blackened brass hanging from the ceiling-beams on pulley-chains, that each hold a single candle). The light can be increased or decreased by the number of candles lit, and altered in hue by using different-colored candles (the House has a huge variety, but most often uses uncolored candles, switching to purple for illusion-casting demonstrations, blue for mime-acting performances, and red for lust-revels). There’s a raised, oval ‘thrust’ stage (with a “backcavern” theater joined to it), a dance floor in front of the stage, tables for drinkers filling an arc around the dance floor and stage, and three tiers of balconies, with chairs set along them (that are chained to floor-bosses to prevent them being hurled down into the expanse below).
Musical perfomances and oratory are, thanks to the hush enchantments, unknown at the House of Twilight. Instead, the stage is given over to mime-acting (and short performances of tales told in a series of tableaux), acrobatics [think Cirque du Soleil], and (during lust-revels) burlesque stripteases and sexual acrobatics.
The hush enchantments don’t govern the ‘retreats’ of the club (that is, the parts of the House of Twilight located in the various sidehouses). They are rented out at high rates for trade and illicit-dealings meetings; moots of various private clubs, cabals, and gambling groups (including gatherings as odd and innocent as ‘swap meets’ of male merchants who collect and trade porcelain dolls and don’t want their city acquaintances to ridicule them or their wives to explode at the sums they spend); and to the Twilight Ladies (prostitutes employed by the House, who sees that they’re bathed and costumed, and protects them by rushing security staff to respond to alarms rung by the Ladies).
By special, secret arrangement, the House sometimes agrees to store stolen goods in hiding, or even drugged, wounded, or enspelled persons (including fugitives from justice and kidnap victims). At least one rebellious young Sembian heiress, Telchantla Erynmoon, recently “kidnapped” herself, holing up in a House room for months whilst she sent ransom demands from fictitious captors back to her family by ship.
The House of Twilight was started thirty-some summers ago by an ailing, retired adventurer-wizard, Tanathra Sundee, who may be dead by now, or may just be really wizened and confined to a hidden suite somewhere in the House. She’s either alive and magically scrying what goes on, whispering occasional tips as to trouble or interesting events to the House staff, or she’s haunting the place (and doing exactly the same thing).
The House is currently owned and run by eight to twelve (wider Tantras isn’t sure on how many owners the club has, or precisely who all of them are) local citizens, among them the wine merchant Halmidur “Oldbottle” Dransun, the dressmaker Amranthe Tantelhand, the cabinetmaker Menyurl “Manychairs” Haeltree, and at least two of the Twilight Ladies, Shamurla “the She-Stallion” Dlaevul (her nickname derives from her tall, thin stature and her long, long mare’s tail of blond hair, said by many to be a deliberate attempt to copy the locally-famous adventuress-mage Tarntassa) and Mureena Osskont. The House enjoys friendly relations with the High Council, and it’s long been rumored that several wives of High Council members are among the club owners (gossip usually ‘identifies’ the imperious Iyeirintra Ormitar, fat and lazy Wyndlanna “the Worm” Kaetril, and Suspanna Vulthyndur).
Current rumors swirling around the House involve the brusque, bearded and very aggressive-in-trade noble merchant Belmar Horthantar regularly changing his shape by hired magical means into that of a beautiful woman, and spending nights at the House selling pleasure to men; Helvel Drunstable, longtime priest of the city’s shrine to Lathander (who maintains the simple Morning Altar on Straeth Street because he has long publicly considered High Morninglord Alansyn Ambrilar a supercilious lover-of-luxuries who’s lost touch with the real folk of Tantras and the true state of everyday life in Faerun, to chase “empty fantasies of foolishness” of somehow “drawing nearer to the Light” by winning Lathander’s favour, in frivolous ways Drunstable believes Lathander scorns, such as bathing in rose-petals, conjuring up rose-pink smokes that one breathes out by the mouth, and so on) being seen often at the House meeting with mysterious outlanders; that two of the owners of the House have become locked in a deadly feud that’s going to soon be settled either by a duel between the two, shut naked in the darkened, deserted House to hunt each other with daggers -- or by hiring spellcasters to temporarily imbue them with spell ability, and fighting a magical duel; bored, jaded Umbarra Stauntcantle, an aging widow and the last living member of the rich, noble Stauntcantle merchant family, has begun preparations for a ‘treasure hunt’ in the House that should end with the finder of a jewelled token bringing it to her and receiving her hand in marriage, regardless of their gender and marital status, so they can become Stauntcantles and the family endure; and that someone is enspelling rivals into trapped existences in the House by magically immobilizing them, whereupon they’re stripped and painted to resemble stone, and set up on plinths as statues.
Oh, yes: and the House never really closes, though the main hall shuts down from dawn until after highsun every day for cleaning and ‘dressing’ (fresh candles on some tables, preparing the stage, seeing to the twinklestars, and so on). The House allows food to be brought in, but serves none -- and offers an awesome variety of drinkables, both exotic and mundane. A recent “rushsails” cellar delivery was to the House was for twelve bottles of elverquisst and six casks of Berduskan dark.
There. That ought to be enough to begin with. Oh, and Lashan, please: it’s Ed. “Mr. Greenwood” is my father. :}
So saith Ed, who’s uttered that line about his father a time or twenty thousand before (and, Eddie-Bear, shouldn’t he really be “Professor Greenwood”? or does that courtesy not extend to Professors Emeritus?). I can add just one tale of the House: we Knights visited it and danced there, one night, only to be attacked by a Zhent foe who was also a guest -- and spread confusion, once hostilities began, with a spell that severed the chains of many of the hot twinklestars, sending them crashing down onto the heads of revelers. The staff of the House revealed that their ranks include at least one mage or sorceress, and that they can call on the swiftly-arriving aid of BOTH the Grayclaws and local Harpers, who will work together to quell problems in the House, expel or defeat combatants, and magically bolster the Fireward enchantments of the House to prevent fires spreading. And during the fray, my character personally proved that given a sufficient running start, it’s possible to leap from the stage up and onto the rail of the lowest encircling balcony -- and an obliging Zhentarim proved that one can plunge from the highest balcony right down to the floor of the main hall and survive provided one crashes through a handy table on the way, and lands on the thoughtfully-placed bodies of other Zhents.
THO
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 18:58:53
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Faraer, I just windspoke Ed (ahem, telephoned), and he says it's fine if you post A Glimpse of Manshoon. In fact, he said, "Great!" and "Thanks!"
:}
THO |
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 20:16:45
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quote:
Roleplaying Notes: A Glimpse of Manshoon
by Ed Greenwood
As of 1367 DR, the First Lord of Zhentil Keep was a Lawful Evil human male 19th level Wizard (2nd Edition AD&D). The head of the Zhentarim and de facto ruler of Zhentil Keep, Manshoon is a cruel, calculating man, capable of any treachery, and coldly confident of his power. His looks and manner reflect this.
Manshoon most often wears stylish, sweeping black calf-length robes with a shoulder yoke, bracer-like cuffed sleeves, and an open V-front, gathered in at the waist with a wide cummerbund belt. The back of his neck is protected by a stiff, raised semi-circular stand-up cowl-collar. The robes have magical powers, including invisibility, levitate, fly, fire shield (the ‘chill’ version of this spell; the robes themselves are automatically unharmed by all heat and flame), and dimension door, and Manshoon also wears magical rings (types unknown, but various witnesses attest that one can fire a profuse number of magic missiles, and the other seems to be a ring of spell storing devoted to healing and anti-poison--including poisonous gases--magics) on his slim fingers. He also bears a rod of rulership at his belt, and often carries a staff of power (thought to have been slightly customized to his spell preferences) as well. His undergarments are of soft black silk (left rough, not shining and noisy), and he favors black bucket-top boots fitted with interior sheaths for several long, needle-slim (and reputedly poisoned) daggers.
Manshoon stands 6' tall, but is fairly slim, looking youthful and vigorous. He wears his glossy black hair slightly shorter than shoulder-length, and is clean-shaven. His eyes are dark and usually gleaming with malicious amusement, and his features fine, sophisticated, and usually expressing slightly amused disdain for the world around.
Since the time of the tale “So High A Price” (published in the Realms of Infamy anthology), which occurred in 1334 DR, Manshoon’s appearance has changed little. He has lost a trifle of his former reckless, arrogant youthful edge, and now possesses more polished smoothness than most men ever acquire.
Typical Manshoon utterances (always in a soft, pleasant, matter-of-fact voice):
· “I can’t be bothered wasting spells on them. Hang them, for the citizens to watch.”
· “These conclusions need bother us?”
· “And the approach you prefer?”
· “How deeply touching. Slay them.”
· “I fear so.”
· “A moment, good sir, of the brief time—by my command—remaining to you.”
· “Shall I decree it, or are you sensitive enough to heed a mere suggestion?”
· “You’ll understand, I trust, that as long as I am Lord here, I can allow no diabolical plans to succeed but my own.”
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Lashan
Learned Scribe
USA
235 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 20:45:04
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Ahhhh....! What a gold vien I have found! Much thanks for the nuggets of info. You've given me enough to crave more information. I know the list of requests is long, but I would like to add another item to it. So many questions.....I know! How about the Greyclaws? Can you give me much information on anything with them? If not, then how about some of those noble families that really peaked my interest?
Once again, much thanks, Ed. |
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Gerath Hoan
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
152 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 21:00:19
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Thanks so much for the info Faraer!
Its strange, the Manshoon this information illuminates "feels" very different to the current 3rd Edition Official stats.
I prefer this one, he does seem to have a bit more personality.
Cheers for the help |
Knight of the Order of the Keen Eye - Granted by Ed Greenwood, 30th January 2005 |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 21:05:43
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I may prefer 3e rules, but it's easy to see that 2e had, as you said, more personality. And not just limited to Manshoon. I agree completely there -- the 3e Manshoon is just a glorified stat block to throw at your players. This version sounds like the evil mastermind that the heros never meet but always feel the presence of . . . .
I wish TSR hadn't been afraid of making Manshoon as Evil as Mr. Greenwood has him. All epic fantasy needs that pure-evil element, and from what the Lady Hood tells us, he fills that role beautifully. |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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Gerath Hoan
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
152 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 22:02:53
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I was in my local gaming store today and i picked up the Epic Level handbook to see what the Epic Faerunian characters were like... i was most disappointed to see NO new character information on Manshoon... as you say his stat-block seems to be all he's good for in 3rd Edition. 3rd Ed (and 3.5?) seems to be about crunch over fluff. Now me, i like my background detail and characterisation, of both places and characters. I'd agree that its a shame Manshoon never got the full crack of the whip in his fiction appearences... he never got to be shown in his full evil (yet charming) glory.
Whilst on the subject, what does everyone think of Manshoon's current depiction in official products? His pic in ELH is a vast improvement, but still doesn't bear any resemblance to his description here (or to the rather good little b/w pic produced for the Realms of Infamy short story)... and of course his equipment selection is rather different to that Ed described in this old article... particularly due to Manshoon's battle gorget that he wears (which looks a little silly to me).
EDIT: If any of this could be taken as a question, i'd also like to direct it at Ed for his authoritative opinion on these matters! |
Knight of the Order of the Keen Eye - Granted by Ed Greenwood, 30th January 2005 |
Edited by - Gerath Hoan on 17 May 2004 22:09:23 |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 22:40:05
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Ah, Lashan, this is your lucky day. Thy Lady Hooded, bringing Ed’s second reply, this time about the Net of Stars.
This one’s going to be rather shorter, I’m afraid, because the Net is basically just a tavern. A very good one, but still just a drinking-place.
The Net of Stars is large and popular (and hence, crowded and noisy at all hours) tavern. It’s known around the Reach for its friendly safety, its clean, cheerful, well-lit ambiance, and for the source of its illumination: huge glass three-quarter-globes (spheres with the uppermost quarter missing, so they’re open at the top) that diffuse the light of oil lamps hung at their hearts, and that are gathered together overhead in a vast network of ceiling-nets -- obviously, the source of the establishment’s name.
The Net of Stars occupies a corner location three blocks from the docks, on the northeast side of the moot of Marampur and Steth Streets, in the Oldcoin neighbourhood of the city. Steth Street is the short, curving lane that arcs northwest from the Fountain of the Mermaid, and is only a block long; Marampur Street is the longer north-south route Steth Street ends in.
Murak Sandorn, a former hiresword (warrior) of note who looks like a large, amiable bear with long, always-tangled honey-brown hair, is the owner and tavernmaster of the Net of Stars. He runs a large staff of young, eager men and women who know their drinks and how to serve them swiftly and deftly, grin when groped, and whistle for swift aid if something more serious occurs. Murak’s known to have reached an agreement with the Grayclaws: the Net of Stars is ‘safe ground’ for both the Grayclaws and those they see as potential victims (they won’t operate inside the place, except to conduct business discussions over drinks, but DO size up other drinkers, for pounce-thefts later). Murak’s on-duty staff never numbers less than a dozen, and he prides himself on training them to be good-natured, sexy and flirtatious without being wanton or ever going farther (though arranging moots elsewhere with patrons for steamier matters is allowed), and alert to trouble or a possible thirsty throat. If a patron holds up one hand overhead cupped around empty air in a ‘drink please’ signal, a staffer should be at the table asking the patron’s pleasure in three breaths or less.
Murak allows all manner of meetings and negotiations to take place in the Net, but patrons are forbidden to bring live animals inside, or any food that’s still alive, is hot, or has sauce on it or with it. Patrons are also forbidden to exchange items, with two exceptions: coins and other currency, and paper documents (in other words, a payment can be made or a contract drafted or signed, but merchants can’t directly buy or sell goods).
Murak does this to keep merchants from treating his tables like permanent business offices, not because he’s an ‘ogresnout’ (nasty authority-hurler). He gives members of the Watch free drinks, and in return gets himself not only exemplary response from the Watch whenever brawls erupt, but at least a handful of off-duty Watch members in his taproom at all times. They understand that they’re expected not to scrutinize or eavesdrop on fellow patrons in an obvious manner, and are treated like family.
As a result, the Net is the safest tavern for miles. It never closes, and serves inexpensive drinks, nuts, handwheels of cheese, small roundloaves of salty bread, and “everything in” (usually boar-scraps and barley, thickened with mashed yellow peas, always salty, and always served in tankards, with long spoons handed out when the tankard grows low) soups.
Murak and a lot of his staff live above the taproom, in a communal, everchanging family (Murak himself is best described as a “lazily tomcatting batchelor”), and has one ‘sick room’ suite up in the attic, but normally rents out no rooms, and permits no guests to stay overnight (he has been known to ‘take in’ a hunted guest as part of his family for a night).
The cellars of the Net of Stars are often flooded knee-deep by stinking harbor-water, and are haunted by the ghosts of drowned smugglers, but that doesn’t deter Murak from hiding some of the wealth he won during his mercenary days in hidden cellar chambers, or chasing his prettier serving-wenches down one of the two secret stairs (crowded with cobwebs and smuggler-chains) that link attic and cellars.
The ghosts don’t enter the secret stairs or the hidden rooms they lead to, but keep to the surrounding ring of chambers (which aren’t directly connected to the hidden rooms). These surrounding chambers are usually choked with mold, rotting barrels, and a few inches of water, are reached down several stairs from the jakes (which empty into high-sided ‘nightsoil’ carts run down wheel-trough ramps to sit under the privies on chains, and hauled up and away by mules VERY early every morning, when replacements are brought) and from locked doors around the taproom.
Murak hollowed out space under the ‘backbar’ room to serve as a wine-cellar, and abandoned the cellars to the ghosts, who attack all intruders. There is one trapdoor into the cellars that Murak can open precipitously by pulling a lever behind the bar, dumping undesirables in the taproom twenty feet down into the damp darkness. Only very small persons can be sent down into the nightsoil carts through the privy-holes, and the ghosts don’t bother anyone in the ramp area, thanks to the presence of a crypt thing.
The crypt thing, once the priestess Hurlara Snowstill, died fighting in the ramp to prevent smugglers from plundering a shrine to Tempus that once stood on the site of the Net of Stars, and was set here as a guardian. She prevents all living things, from rats to adventurers, from using the ramp as a way between the cellars and the street outside -- and more than one drunken sailor, urinating down the ramp, has been “hair-standing startled” at the sight of a red-eyed skeleton walking slowly and gracefully up the ramp towards him, clad only in the tattered ruins of a gown. The ghosts avoid her and the areas she guards, and Murak knows all about her and brings her new gowns (down the ramp, in the brief time between one nightsoil cart being removed and its replacement introduced) from time to time. A small flagstone in a passage near the privies can be lifted and set aside to allow things to be dropped down to her, and Murak sends her reading material in this way whenever he can.
Hurlara carefully keeps and re-reads everything sent to her, and can sometimes be eerily heard entertaining herself by softly reading random words aloud from several sources, to stitch together a new (and inevitably rather stilted) tale.
So saith Ed. I recall Murak, but now that I know all this, will use the Net as a swift way of tipping off the Watch and Grayclaws to the Knights’ presence in Tantras without all the bother of accosting someone to make an announcement. That way both groups can start following us right away, and we can all save time.
THO |
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Josh Davids
Seeker
57 Posts |
Posted - 18 May 2004 : 01:37:49
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| Gerath I can slightly answer one of the questions you brought up about crunch and fluff. Working for a D20 company I sent in my assignment on monsters, everything from plants twisted by druidic and demonic magic to offspring of Dryads breed with demons etc and in the descriptions I had a lot of stuff that would be called fluff, from how they came about to some of their attacks such as poison. Got told to cut most of the fluff and just leave the crunch, which made me grumble quite a bit but did it. I got told when I asked why, because most just want the stats not what the poison does or how it effects a character. I was slightly bummed out about it but eh life goes on and I continue to work. I guess it just comes down to the publisher and editor and what the entire vision of the product is and it to be about. Still saying this half breed demon/dryad takes her time in devouring her male prey slowly after enamoring them with a charm like poison sorta takes away from the evil incarnate wood nymph type of creature I was making. |
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Gerath Hoan
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
152 Posts |
Posted - 18 May 2004 : 01:45:42
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Thanks for the insider's insight there Josh... i don't want to clutter up Ed's topic by carrying on about this, but needless to say there's a much wider discussion on the whole fluff/crunch issue. With regards to the Realms, i would have hoped on a very high fluff to crunch ratio, simply because i buy FR products because i want to get to know a WORLD, not simply use customised rules.
Ok, i'll stop this line of thinking now and let the thread get back on topic. |
Knight of the Order of the Keen Eye - Granted by Ed Greenwood, 30th January 2005 |
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 18 May 2004 : 03:11:54
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quote:
Originally posted by Josh Davids
Gerath I can slightly answer one of the questions you brought up about crunch and fluff.
Thanks for the insight JD. As you explain there and I've seen from other publishers on other boards, this shift to crunch over fluff is not simply a WOTC move. |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 18 May 2004 : 04:26:26
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Back again, fellow scribes, with some swift’n’simple replies from our Ed:
Krafus, when it comes to heavy-lifting Realmslore answers: yes, you’re next, I promise!
Damian, in answer to your May 8th comment in this thread, I think we ARE seeing some elven propaganda regarding the “history” that tells us they lifted humankind on Toril out of barbarism and first gave them magic. I believe some few humans of sophisticated spellcasting powers survived an earlier ‘great war’ among human civilizations, and lured the elves into Faerun through the gates so the Fair Folk could by their very presence hold the land against rampaging monsters, overly-grasping dragons, and innumerable orcs long enough for these few sophisticated humans to return to lives of contemplation, study, and pursuing pet magical projects rather than endlessly defending themselves merely to survive.
The elves did find the great majority of humans as nomadic, brawling barbarians (albeit with a great adaptability for magic and everything else), but some Fair Folk MUST have known about the few human sorcerers and wizards . . . and their xenophobic lore since has “forgotten” this, despite the evidence of the gates, half-elves (hence human/elf interbreeding, and we can’t all be fascinated by smelly savage barbarians, right?).
Athenon, your glimpses of Calaunt and Harrowdale should follow the reply Krafus is waiting for. Glad you liked the wilderland terrain parts of the Silver Marches: the kudos you offer me should actually belong to Rich Baker, who made an outline of what was to go into the book and carefully made sure that all of those features were covered (me, I could have filled the thing just with Silverymoon, and then done it all over again with Everlund, and then -- well, you see why they don’t let me manage any sort of game department :}).
I certainly hope that Wizards will hurl forth similar products on the Dalelands, Cormyr, AND Sembia in the near future, but I can honestly say I don’t know of any definite plans to do so. As the old adage goes, “Ask and buy, and ask again, and perhaps, just PERHAPS, in the fullness of time . . .”
On the unfolding tidbits about The Simbul, well, George, I can add this much: she DOES have a close friendship with a dragon who lairs somewhere northeast of Thay, and can in fact call on this wyrm for aid as a steed, pounce-rescuer, and even diversionary attack force. The name, breed, and locale of the dragon and its domain are details I’ve yet to unearth in my elder lore-notes. Elsewhere I’ve talked about the long, tender, half-bullying manner in which The Simbul brought Elminster back to sanity and mental strength after his excursion into the Nine Hells, but you can be sure that during their lovemaking, which usually involves mind-to-mind caresses as well as the physical contact, she laid down some very vivid mind-visions to remind him of the consequences of overly willful behaviour. The fact that this is very much the kettle calling the chamberpot black is beside the point; I think we’ll see a lot less of the wayward bed-all-handy-wenches El henceforth (ELMINSTER’S DAUGHTER revelations notwithstanding).
Borch, I haven’t forgotten you either! When I finally get the Waterdeep novel and my public-appearances obligations out of the way, I’ll start moving on the Realmslore a little faster. If you’ve ever wondered why oldtime D&D gamers had to wait forever for more Greyhawk lore from Gary Gygax, well, now you know why: like me, he was constantly busy with everything else!
Proc, a few Watch notes to start on: Watch officers customarily address male citizens as “goodsirs,” except for persons they know to be Waterdhavian nobility (and every veteran Watch officer knows at least the heads and heirs of all Waterdhavian noble families on sight, plus the troublemakers), whom they call “gentlesirs.” Mixed-gender noble groups of people are “gentles.”
Non-noble women are “goodwives” unless young, whereupon they become “goodlasses.” Young males are usually called “jacks” or “my jacks” (as in: “What befalls? Hold and deliver truth, my jacks!”)
“Hold!” ( = ‘Freeze!’) and “Down arms!” ( = ‘Drop your weapons!’) and “Talk truth!” ( = ‘Answer me!’) are frequent Watch commands.
I’ll get into addressing fellow officers and salutes properly later, but here’s just one: a salute made by a Watch officer that indicates respect for someone’s judgement, prowess at arms, or bravery is to draw oneself to attention, look at the person to be honoured, and while doing so, sharply rap the hilt of a sheathed weapon (usually belt dagger) with one closed fist. More anon, as I have time.
Foxhelm, a quick start on planar answers for you. Yes, there are living people on the planes, and in many cases in cities and towns located around portals, a few of these being as crossroads/lawless as Planescape’s Sigil. As to who inhabits such places -- again, I’ll get to this.
Metis, likewise with the Reach: I’ll whip up some more lore as soon as I can (this truly IS a neglected area, because aside from shipwrecks and pirate-chasings, the Knights seldom went there).
Garen Thal, I look forward to talking Realmslore with you at GenCon at as great a length as we can manage. Owing to my increasingly failing wits (old age, the stress of being a stunningly beautiful supermodel by night and a fat bearded gamer by day, and so on), I’ve begun to forget details of Realmslore and have to consult my notes (holding the entire Realms in my head was easy when I was the sole creator, but much harder ever since), so if you quiz me on arcane details, expect to hear me admitting my forgetfulness . . . but hopefully there’ll be enough left of my brain to yield up SOMEthing useful then.
That goes for all fans of the Realms: although I agree to participate in certain events and then have to do so, I otherwise attend GenCon to see old friends (often gamer colleagues) and to ‘talk Realms’ with fans, so don’t be shy: tackle me (especially if you’re female and look as good as The Hooded One).
Bookwyrm and The Sage, yes, the Realms boasts the usual insects (gnats, stinging midges, mosquitoes, wasps, bees, plus giant versions of all of these, as well as stag beetles, rhino beetles, ant lions, and so on. Cicadas, I don’t think so, but I’ll have to check my notes. Dragon twice rejected “everyday, not monster” insect article ideas in the past, but over the years my spell ink formulae, potion formulae, spell component notes, and similar Realmslore have mentioned a fair variety of insects. Yes, I’ll have to delve into more detail. I can say that the existence of a lot of the aerial monster life found in the rulebooks means that a LOT more insects would get devoured in the Realms than in our present-day real world.
In similar vein, kuje31 and Bookwyrm: yes, germs exist in the Realms just as in our real world, though knowledge of them is rare and confused. As far as is known, there are no magic-resistant germs (beyond the fell experiment mentioned in CORMYR: A NOVEL).
Gerath Hoan, Arabel was swiftly reclaimed and what minor damage there was (a lot of looting, a few buildings burned) was quickly set right. The majority of citizens have returned, because the Crown very much wants to hold Arabel as a strong city: there’s a long-standing fear that to let it stand weak or abandoned will mean the loss of most of Cormyr to the Zhents, the beasts of the Stonelands, and now, perhaps, the machinations of Shade.
Bookwyrm, I’m very pleased your mother liked Volo’s North. I had to write most of those Volo’s books far faster than I would have liked, and the art orders were killers that ate up too much time, too, but I’d willingly have undergone far worse punishment if I’d been allowed to cram a lot more lore into them. Some of them were VERY heavily edited (check the credits, and you’ll see that one of them was “gang-edited” :}), with lots of bitchy Volo restaurant reviews hitting the cutting-room floor. If I’d been allowed to make the books long enough, or rather cover smaller areas in each one, they’d have been crammed with local colour and stories. They’re still my favourite style of product, and I regularly ask Wizards folks for a chance to do new ones.
And I know just what you mean about enjoying descriptions of places you can no longer go. For years, one of my library bosses, a fat woman who lived alone, ordered every cookbook that was published for her branch -- and took them home to bed with her, and read them as “food porn,” imagining what everything tasted like without ever daring to follow the recipes and consume the result.
Because none of us can ride dragons or hurl spells, and only imagine it, I have to do my darndest to make it “feel real.” I spent years volunteering at a childrens’ hospital for severely disabled kids, describing dragonback flying to some of them who could never walk -- and watching their eyes fill with wonder. It’s that light in the eyes I’m always striving for, when I write.
And yeah, it IS a shame about those royalties. I coulda been a contendah!
Ed ran out of time here, and tells me he’ll finish with the quickies (ahem) when he can. Possibly late tomorrow.
Until then,
Blades high and bright, all!
THO
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Josh Davids
Seeker
57 Posts |
Posted - 18 May 2004 : 05:48:49
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You are welcome both of you, but I am far from an industry insider just yet, so far just a freelance writer with game design skills, mostly game design since the fluff was limited. In truth I agree with you both I enjoy the fluff more then the crunch hence why I went into detail how a plant, a normal ivy vine was twisted and changed by druidic and demonic magic combined into a creature that drains victims of blood till they are a corpse, then the evolved version of that plant that does the same thing but turns the blood into an elixir that creates a form of undead once re-injected back into the dead body. In the end some of the fluff stayed in others got removed, but it is far from the lurking menace in the quiet woods that somehow became haunted and a dangerous place. I like fluff for one reason, when I started to role play I started in the realms but then the group disbanded and I moved online. From there found a free form role play site where no rule systems were established just imagination. So no die rolls, no hit points to spell slots it was limited to imagination and character design. Miss that type of RP where the only limit was the imagination, so fluff is always dear to me unlike stats which for the longest time I never used, if it was in my character to dodge this or that sword strike he did, if it wasn’t he got an arm lobbed off. Some of my most colorful characters started then, and one an archmage cursed with immortality and burdened by souls that are not his yet they are part of his soul for eternity I want to turn into a novel series but in do time. After I finish god knows how many other books, a pet project that I will finish in time. But sadly it seems to be this way, I guess so many want to get their rule variant out that they skip over fluff if it isn’t needed, plus honestly it does save money in the long run for a start up company to limit how much is printed in any given book.
Though honestly you got Ed to thank for that as well, started rp while reading his books and FR, that styled the types of characters I came up with at the time and the way I played and now lends itself to the stuff I write and design.
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Questions for Ed Greenwood (2004)
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