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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6645 Posts |
 Posted - 08 Jun 2005 : 07:44:05
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Ah yes, I keep forgetting to update my sig. There is a rather prickly description of lawyers by Elminster in one of the "Wizards Three" articles. Have to dig it up because it made me grin (and wince a little too - we lawyers do have such bad PR ... )
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Alaundo
Head Moderator
United Kingdom
5692 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jun 2005 : 08:49:57
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Well met
Hmmm, i found a scroll lying around from Jamallo Kreen, it appears to be addressed to Ed:
quote:
Hail and well met! I have questions regarding diplomacy, human and divine, for Abeir-Toril, and I consult thee, O Oracle, for enlightenment.
Is there a Torilian deity who has diplomacy as a portfolio? Eldath is for peace, but I do not recall her clerics acting as diplomats without portfolio (pun intended). Do the gods have any divinity who travels amongst them as neutral messenger and herald, as Hermes served the Olympians, Hades, and Poseidon?
Does much diplomacy occur among the sentient races on Toril? It seems to me that every little squabble and disagreement quickly turns to guerilla warfare, assassination, terrorism, or full-scale invasion. Shou Lung (pre-Horde) apparently used classic Chinese methods of buying off barbarians, but everyone else seems incredibly violent towards everyone who isn't already an ally, and they drag their gods into their disputes immediately, turning trade wars into holy wars. (What, after all, is the big problem with the Zhentarim and the Rundeen? I think it's a fair bet that many a Waterdhavian or Sembian merchant has hired pirates or banditi to take out a rival's ship or caravan, but didn't ask Bane or Cyric for help -- that hardly makes them "good" and the Zhentarim and Rundeen "evil" -- from whom one buys one's pots and pans shouldn't be a matter of cosmic significance, in my opinion, but the people of Faerun make it so.)
I suppose that a lot of diplomacy occurs within the Lords' Alliance, but I rarely see overt evidence of it in the novels or sourcebooks. Does it take place via portal travel? Do diplomats otherwise travel with trade caravans or do they travel only with their own entourages?
Has international diplomacy grown since the "Crusade" against the Tuigan Horde, or have the states of Faerun lapsed back into their old ways? (I notice that they send diplomats to Shade -- I'd send peace missions to a city full of Netherese wizards, too!)
I asked Kuje, and Kuje said to ask you, Ed, so here I am! Your insisghts are requested to enlighten this poor scholar.
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Alaundo
Candlekeep Forums Head Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
An Introduction to Candlekeep - by Ed Greenwood
The Candlekeep Compendium - Tomes of Realmslore penned by Scribes of Candlekeep
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Ty
Learned Scribe
USA
168 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jun 2005 : 14:29:57
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
Ah yes, I keep forgetting to update my sig. There is a rather prickly description of lawyers by Elminster in one of the "Wizards Three" articles. Have to dig it up because it made me grin (and wince a little too - we lawyers do have such bad PR ...)
-- George Krashos
I'd certainly be interested in reading that description.  It is amazing the reputation lawyers have, ahem, until certain persons get themselves in trouble. Then for some reason, they want to be our best friends...  On a serious note though, I'd be interested in seeing how the lesser known Realms deals with issues of trial, innocence, and the various court systems. |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jun 2005 : 18:26:22
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Hello - - and "Oh, dear."
I'm sorry, but Ed's answers on matters of diplomacy and law are going to take a little while. The first topic due to NDA troubles (a very current Realms writing project), and the second because Ed was revamping the City of Splendors boxed set legal code for an answer here for Verghityax, and had to halt and rob his own work to provide legal details for an FR city article for DRAGON. When he's (finally!) "out of the woods" on these, I know he will be swift to answer.
 I'll make sure of it.
love to all,
THO |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jun 2005 : 18:33:49
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Here's a question for Ed or even THO, since WOTC can't decide how they want the FR lore to be.
Do all divine casters need a deity to get thier spells or can divine casters worship a "cause" or a broader thing like "nature, strength, etc." to get thier spells?
Most of us believe that, since the gods of FR are so prevalent, divine casters get thier spells from a deity and not from a cause or a broad term. |
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 08 Jun 2005 18:38:21 |
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Lysander
Learned Scribe
USA
183 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jun 2005 : 18:35:41
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
A Question for Ed
Which Cities/Nations/Regions in the Realms have "Attorneys or Lawyers" as part of their Criminal justice system? Do any allow "Private practice representation"
The only court case I recall in published Realms lore is the one in the novel Tantras over the "Murder" of Elminster during the Time of Troubles
There was a "Lawyers!" issue of the old Advanced Dungeons & Dragons comic... Khelben had returned from elsewhere to discover that lawyers had infiltrated the City of Splendors. So he of course had to find a way to get rid of them...
And I am so being a nice guy and keeping all my lawyer jokes to myself!
Yea, especially since where you are is so nice to my profession - and I'm from there! (though, not there now).
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
Ah yes, I keep forgetting to update my sig. There is a rather prickly description of lawyers by Elminster in one of the "Wizards Three" articles. Have to dig it up because it made me grin (and wince a little too - we lawyers do have such bad PR ...)
-- George Krashos
Yea, I know. Though, it's usefull at times; keeps the rif-raf at bay, professional courtesy, and so forth.
(It's time again for the ABA dues? Isn't there a spell against that?) |
Lysander
Defender of the Second Edition
Moderator, Project Gemengan, Worlds of D&D |
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MW Turnage
Acolyte
USA
8 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jun 2005 : 19:05:48
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*Jawdrops*
My thanks to Ed and THO. I hoped for a sentence or two, or maybe a short paragraph at most. All that Realmslore from just the first question...I'm stunned.
That said, I'm aghast at how much of this has been left out of published material. It certainly would've stopped the complaints of Randall being a Robin Hood knock-off pretty quickly.
Unfortunately the 'canon' history is far enough away from what I've had to come up with that I don't think I'll be able to incorporate it whole-cloth into my campaign. On the plus side, though, I now finally have an excuse for my players to go to Waterdeep...  |
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jun 2005 : 20:25:09
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The "Wizards Three" lawyer reference is in "Once More the Three" (Dragon #200). (That's not from memory but from searching the handy 'all Realms Dragon articles up to #200' PDF file I put together from the Dragon Magazine Archive.)quote:
“’Lawyer’? What’s a lawyer?” Dalamar asked.
“An agent for thieves and the like, widely used in this world to keep folk from using their swords. They fence with words, not blades,” Elminster replied. Mordenkainen grunted around a forkful of lasagna, “If I know anything about such envoys, most of them doubtless will soon be bigger thieves than those they represent.”
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Verghityax
Learned Scribe
131 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jun 2005 : 21:21:30
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hello - - and "Oh, dear."
I'm sorry, but Ed's answers on matters of diplomacy and law are going to take a little while. The first topic due to NDA troubles (a very current Realms writing project), and the second because Ed was revamping the City of Splendors boxed set legal code for an answer here for Verghityax, and had to halt and rob his own work to provide legal details for an FR city article for DRAGON. When he's (finally!) "out of the woods" on these, I know he will be swift to answer.
I'll make sure of it.
love to all,
THO
I'm not sure but is this FR city article going to be on Waterdeep? Correct me if I have mistaken. And one more thing. In which DRAGON issue we can expect this article? |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jun 2005 : 00:16:48
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Hi again, fellow scribes. Ed continues to reply to MWTurnage’s Morn-clan queries:
“3. If Silver's husband is indeed a Cormaeril, what does that imply for the couple after the events of Cormyr: The Novel? Pressure from the family to bear an heir that could take the Daggerdale throne, in an attempt to recoup the family's losses in a different (albeit smaller) kingdom?”
Ed writes:
It doesn’t imply much for the couple, because the Cormaerils are physically scattered as well as ‘all over the map’ in their views on life, what it is to be noble, what it should mean to be a Cormaeril, what they think of the Obarskyrs or the prevailing weather in Amn or the price of potatoes, and so on. Certainly some of the older nobles will be mortified at what’s happened to the Cormaerils and determined to either enact revenge or regain their lost and “rightful” status or both, and noble sons (like Silver’s husband) are ALWAYS under pressure to sire heirs (that’s all that being noble in the end really means: tracing your unbroken bloodline back far enough so as to be able to “prove” some special status or rights or traditional powers). So, yes, they’ll always want an heir.
However, Daggerdale IS ‘right next door’ to Cormyr (albeit a troubled, largely-wild, ungoverned “on the maps only” part of Cormyr) and therefore vulnerable to attack or “friendly invasion” in a way that the nearby but fiercely-independent port of Westgate is not (Cormyr expanding into Daggerdale would win Sembian anger and warnings [to say nothing of the ire of other Dalesfolk, which the Sembians would count on to stop Cormyr expanding farther], but Cormyr charging into Westgate would result in Sembian-sponsored war against the Forest Kingdom). So Daggerdale would be a good base only for Cormaerils taking a “I’m really a good person, and loyal to Cormyr, and you’ve made a terrible mistake. Would you please reconsider?” stance, not Cormaerils hostile to the Dragon Throne or even desiring to “show the Obarskyrs a thing or two” by the social and economic success an exiled Cormaeril clan can achieve.
Like most noble families, the Cormaerils fight among themselves (not necessarily with weapons) more than with outsiders - - and only the strongest personalities can win fellow family members over to their views, to make them act together on anything. We already know that the three youngish males I mentioned have all gone their own sharply divergent ways - - while not necessarily disliking each other at all, just not having much to do with each other on a daily basis, even before Rowen’s transformation - - so only the “elder Cormaeril aunties” are likely to hold shared strong views that would involve them telling Silver and her husband what to do. Perhaps only those aunts would expect their younger kin to listen and obey.
So saith Ed. Good stuff, as usual. The replies continue on the morrow.
Verghityax, the city article will be in a later issue than the Waterdeep spotlight, and the city isn't Waterdeep. Rather, it's [NDA]. 
love,
THO
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Verghityax
Learned Scribe
131 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jun 2005 : 10:38:20
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Verghityax, the city article will be in a later issue than the Waterdeep spotlight, and the city isn't Waterdeep. Rather, it's [NDA].
love,
THO
Ah, dear Lady Hooded One, You tease us as always. |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6645 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2005 : 00:51:17
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
So saith Ed. Good stuff, as usual. The replies continue on the morrow.
Verghityax, the city article will be in a later issue than the Waterdeep spotlight, and the city isn't Waterdeep. Rather, it's
Crimmor in Amn according to the 'next in DRAGON' blurb. Courtesy of a poster on ENWorld.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2005 : 01:19:37
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Hello again, scribes. Ed tackles Mark’s fourth Morn family question:
“4. What would the effect be on Randal? Pressure to take a wife and sire an heir himself to keep his in-laws from bumping him off in favor of a niece or nephew? A weakening of ties with Cormyr given a familial relationship with Azoun’s would-be assassins?”
(Mark, I took the liberty of changing “bear an heir himself,” though it’s physically possible given the spells of the Realms that Ed’s detailed or hinted at, over the years, to “sire an heir himself,” which is what I think you meant. Ed will no doubt leap in to correct me if he thinks I’m wrong in this, and by all means do so yourself, if I am.)
Ed replies:
Randal may well have ‘weak seed’ (near-sterility, perhaps from genetics, and perhaps from long, hard hours in the saddle and years of living in the open under harsh conditions). He’s certainly shown no signs of fathering anyone - - and he HAS enjoyed many trysts and even several-year-long affairs with women during his rugged life. I don’t think his ties with Cormyr would be altered at all (Vangerdahast and others have long since used magic to stealthily ‘read’ what they could of Randal’s mind, and take his true measure and learn his loyalties). What will happen is that some Highknight, undercover War Wizard, or other Cormyrean spies will go into Daggerdale (which is already awash in Harper, Zhent, Sembian, Dalesfolk, and yes, Cormyrean spies) to watch and listen carefully for any signs of Cormaerils subverting Randal Morn or “starting anything.”
These agents could be Randal’s best defense against anyone Cormaeril or hired-by-Cormaeril from “bumping him off.” I don’t think Randal would feel any such threat, or be influenced by it even if it were made openly to his face. The man has spent his life guerilla-fighting or adventuring, after all. Most of the folk of Daggerdale view the Morns as the “rightful first family” of Daggerdale, and will do so no matter what Randal does (if he turned into a butchering tyrant, they’d soon acquire the view that he wasn’t a “true Morn,” not that the Morns shouldn’t be ruling Daggerdale). I doubt Randal wants to openly take a wife and therefore endanger her (Zhent assassins or wizards seeking to rule her mind, and him through her), but as he grows older, I think he’ll want to settle down and have a family and an everpresent mate he can love, trust, and cuddle.
Whether whatever fates there be will allow him this happiness is another matter altogether . . .
So saith Ed. Wisely reminding us all that life has a way of surprising us, and that not a few of those little surprises are nasty ones.
Krash: Could be, could be. Naughty Ed and I may both be, but NDAs we honour.
love to all,
THO
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Alisttair
Great Reader
Canada
3054 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2005 : 04:20:25
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Mr.Greenwood, my fellow Canadian,
I was wondering if there is anything special about rainbows in the realms. Do they differ in any way to those of earth? Thanks |
Karsite Arcanar (Most Holy Servant of Karsus)
Anauria - Survivor State of Netheril as penned by me:
http://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/172023 |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2005 : 05:01:21
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From Dragon 333 re Eds article in 334
Cities of the Realms: Crimmor
by Ed Greenwood
First in a new series by the master of the FORGOTTEN REALMS, Ed Greenwood presents the city of Crimmor, central hub for trade in the merchant kingdom of Amn. Explore the city's every facet, from a sampling of its fine cuisine to its unique merchant symbols. Do your adventurers dare oppose the Dragonlady, or might they find themselves working alongside the mysterious Shadow Thieves? |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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Verghityax
Learned Scribe
131 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2005 : 08:46:12
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quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
From Dragon 333 re Eds article in 334
Cities of the Realms: Crimmor
by Ed Greenwood
First in a new series by the master of the FORGOTTEN REALMS, Ed Greenwood presents the city of Crimmor, central hub for trade in the merchant kingdom of Amn. Explore the city's every facet, from a sampling of its fine cuisine to its unique merchant symbols. Do your adventurers dare oppose the Dragonlady, or might they find themselves working alongside the mysterious Shadow Thieves?
That's just soooooooo great I cannot remember any nice, crunchy article on a FR city since Marsember. Oh, one more thing, does anyone know if there's going to be a map of Crimmor in the article? |
Edited by - Verghityax on 10 Jun 2005 08:48:54 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2005 : 11:18:43
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quote:
Originally posted by Verghityax
Oh, one more thing, does anyone know if there's going to be a map of Crimmor in the article?
I'm sure the editors know. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Ty
Learned Scribe
USA
168 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2005 : 13:51:49
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Hrm, Crimmor? Didn't see that one coming. I hope there's some mention of the Sharran activities in that city.  |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2005 : 14:04:44
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Of COURSE there'll be a map (I've seen Ed's original and he tells me the DRAGON folks did a gorgeous one from it). And other graphics, too!
love to all,
THO |
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Verghityax
Learned Scribe
131 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2005 : 14:11:12
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Of COURSE there'll be a map (I've seen Ed's original and he tells me the DRAGON folks did a gorgeous one from it). And other graphics, too!
love to all,
THO
Lady Hooded One, You just know how to sweeten someone's day |
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Antareana
Seeker
Germany
59 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2005 : 14:22:46
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Hello there again, Ed and Lady Hooded!
Might that little reader Antareana ask some questions again?
They are all concerning gloomy Luskan, so...
Dear Volo wrote some times ago, that demihumans entering Luskan could expect to be slain at sight.. is that still a manner in Luskan or did the city open up itself over the past years?
If yes, is it legally possible to bring in demihuman slaves you've bought somewhere else?
and if you find some time, dear Ed of the Greenwood, could you give me some little insight into the Luskanian laws (which might be harsh since the city's rulers seem to be pretty paranoid)
thanks |
It is all just a past and future secret
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2005 : 14:46:28
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quote:
Originally posted by Antareana
Hello there again, Ed and Lady Hooded!
Might that little reader Antareana ask some questions again?
They are all concerning gloomy Luskan, so...
Dear Volo wrote some times ago, that demihumans entering Luskan could expect to be slain at sight.. is that still a manner in Luskan or did the city open up itself over the past years?
If yes, is it legally possible to bring in demihuman slaves you've bought somewhere else?
and if you find some time, dear Ed of the Greenwood, could you give me some little insight into the Luskanian laws (which might be harsh since the city's rulers seem to be pretty paranoid)
thanks
Ed has already shared a little lore about the current state of the law in Luskan. He's what he had to say -
quote:
March 11, 2005: Oh, dear. I’d forgotten about that little lore problem. It arose out of editing, and is an over- simplification.
Let me try to set things straight. Here are Ed’s words, from a note of to me his last year:
There’s a strong xenophobic streak in Luskan (that really began as an anti-dwarves, anti-elves, and of course anti-orcs) thas led to various administrations there, over the years, “banning” people who didn’t look to be pure human from MOST of Luskan (the ‘docks’ of the port proper always excluded, because discouraging mixed-blood crews means ships stay away and Neverwinter takes over as the dominant port in the area).
This “non-humans keep out” rule has waxed and waned over the years, but has steadily lost public support. Half-bloods (even half-orcs!) have been openly tolerated for years. The Arcane Brotherhood tried to revive banning non-humans for their own purposes (allowing them to arrest, imprison, and confiscate all goods and property for their own enrichment), but this heavy-handed action, seen for what it really was by the cynical populace (increasing numbers of whom are relying on the dwarf-borne wealth coming from Mirabar), was the last straw. Non-humans are banned in Luskan no longer. In certain places and situations they may still get beaten up, mind you . . .
So there you have it.
love to all,
THO
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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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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Antareana
Seeker
Germany
59 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2005 : 16:21:15
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Well, thank you my dear Sage
that answers most of my questions in a positive way
so I might be able to get my nonhuman friends into my homeplace without umm... too many difficulties |
It is all just a past and future secret
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jun 2005 : 01:30:31
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Hi again, scribes. Ed of the Greenwood herewith answers MWTurnage’s fifth Morn question:
“5. The first Realms set mentions that Randal explicitly trusts on his sister (obvious), Florin and Mourngrym (also obvious given the Knights’ activities in the area), and Mirt, Durnan and Khelben(!). Now, above and beyond the idea of anyone explicitly trusting Khelben, there’s got to be a story in how he came to trust the three of them. Will we ever see it?”
Ed replies:
Funny you should ask. The first Realms short story I ever sent to TSR, back in 1980, was TO SLAY A BLACK RAVEN, which tells the tale of Florin (not Florin Falconhand of the Knights, but his distant cousin, a slightly older man of Cormyr also named Florin), Mirt, Durnan, and Randal Morn riding back to Daggerdale from where they’d been adventuring together to rescue Randal’s sister, Silver Morn (who’d gone into hiding, living in the reedy moat of her own castle) from Malyk, a Zhentilar mageling who’d been installed as Lord of Daggerdale by a Zhent army that had stormed and taken Daggerdale. (No, this Malyk has nothing to do with Troy Denning’s similarly-named character.) I realize that the text of the 2nd Edition Realms boxed set gives a slightly different impression of the way the Zhents gained power; it was shortened and simplified down to words that make it seem like Zhent agents convinced the people of Daggerdale to overthrow House Morn and accept Malyk. The longer truth is: Zhent agents convinced many men of Daggerdale not to answer the House Morn call to arms, so Silver Morn’s riders who went seeking reinforcements came back with nothing; the folk of Daggerdale did not overthrow House Morn, they just didn’t turn out in droves to be butchered by large Zhent armies, so the small garrison of the castle were easily overwhelmed.)
So Randal Morn came to trust Florin, Mirt, and Durnan because the four of them were an adventuring band of little fame, brief career, and much success.
They enjoyed this success in part as “strike force agents” of Khelben (you might say they were the forerunners of the Moonstars, serving as the Blackstaff’s own private little army), and Randal trusted Khelben because the Blackstaff was “always right,” and seemed to Randal to be working steadily towards order, peace, and the greatest possible good for civilized humankind. Mourngrym he came to trust later, as a Knight of Myth Drannor (sent from Waterdeep by Khelben to join the Knights) - - a trust Mourngrym repaid with his supportive deeds and decrees as Lord of Shadowdale.
Interestingly, BLACK RAVEN and its prequel, A SPELL UP HER SKIRTS (not as risqué as it sounds, sorry; it unfolded a previous adventure of the Four adventurers, in Khelben’s service), were sent to DRAGON (or rather, “The Dragon,” as it was then, circa 1980) and lost by them. Replacement copies were subsequently requested by them - - and lost again. After I queried later as to the fate of the two tales, a third set of copies were requested - - and they lost THEM, too! By then, TSR’s Design Department wanted copies as background lore for the Realms. I sent a (fourth) set - - and, yes, THEY lost them.
So they’re not getting fifth copies until I can personally, physically thrust them into the hands of Book Publishing staff! (Which is something I’ve done twice, at two different GenCons, with other fiction pieces). And yes, that means the two tales won’t be in the forthcoming collection THE BEST OF THE REALMS BOOK II: THE STORIES OF ED GREENWOOD. (For one thing, they’re early stories and far from my ‘best.’)
So saith Ed (I haven’t told him yet that WotC has finally released the story roster for Best of Eddie, and he’s much too busy to go surfing the Net and finding it by himself). Five down, one to go. Tune in next time for that last Morn reply.
love to all,
THO
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jun 2005 : 02:44:10
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quote:
Originally posted by Antareana
Well, thank you my dear Sage
that answers most of my questions in a positive way
You're welcome .
quote:
so I might be able to get my nonhuman friends into my homeplace without umm... too many difficulties
Remember, in home campaigns, you don't always have to agree with published Realmslore. As long as you can satisfyingly justify why Luskan's position on demihumans has been relaxed, there's no reason why you can't make that the standard for your campaign regardless of what has been said about the laws in Luskan officially.
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jun 2005 : 18:31:30
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I remember Ed running a Realms game at an early Milwaukee GenCon that was set in Luskan. A cemetery, underground passages . . . it was great, but my memory's fading.
Lady Hooded, could you ask Ed more about this adventure? Was it ever published (even just internally, by the RPGA)? |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jun 2005 : 02:02:38
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Hello, all. Herewith, Ed handles the last of Mark’s six Morn family questions:
“6. Finally, in SHADOWS OF DOOM, Elminster expressly asks Storm to watch over Randal by name, singling him out over many of El’s other responsibilities and projects. Why? Is it a ‘professional’ interest due to some importance of Randal and Daggerdale to the future of the area, or is it a personal interest?”
Ed replies:
A bit of both.
Elminster didn’t want the Zhents to overrun Daggerdale (or take it by subterfuge, either), because there was something magical hidden there at the time that he didn’t want them to find (what, precisely? NDA, sorry - - but it’s not there any longer, in any event). That was the ‘professional’ interest.
El also held a personal interest, even beyond his liking Randal Morn personally: Silver Morn has a not-yet-manifested (even to her) affinity for the Weave, that may lead her to becoming an accomplished sorceress, and whether she ever casts a spell or not, is soon going to give her both dream and ‘waking’ visions, in areas of strong lingering (or not-yet-triggered) magic: brief animated scenes [sans sound] of beings and events befalling on that particular spot, that are or were magic-related. This is a blood trait that the ‘old’ Mystra (and therefore Elminster) want to see continued (i.e. for Silver Morn to have at least four children, so that at least one can be ‘spirited away’ for safekeeping if anything befalls Silver or any of the other children.
The ‘new’ Mystra is fascinated by this aspect of godhood: long-term genetic and other manipulations to attain desired ends. (Readers familiar with the classic old Lensman space opera series by E.E. ‘Doc’ Smith will recall the Visualization of the Cosmic All that the Arisians and other ‘superior minds’ concerned themselves with; THIS is what certain of the Realms deities are most thrilled by and preoccupied with, though of course they neither call it that nor think of it in those terms.) So she supports this initiative, even as her divine predecessor did.
Among the Chosen of Mystra, most information is shared freely, but due to them all being so busy with their own specific missions and tasks, each Chosen has some information not yet known by the others; in the novel scene you refer to, El was merely bringing Storm up to date on something that had been his responsibility and therefore not something she thought often about.
So saith Ed. And there you have it; done at last. Interesting to all Realms scribes, as usual. VERY interesting.
love to all,
THO
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Si
Acolyte
United Kingdom
18 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jun 2005 : 09:44:08
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
El also held a personal interest, even beyond his liking Randal Morn personally: Silver Morn has a not-yet-manifested (even to her) affinity for the Weave, that may lead her to becoming an accomplished sorceress, and whether she ever casts a spell or not, is soon going to give her both dream and ‘waking’ visions, in areas of strong lingering (or not-yet-triggered) magic: brief animated scenes [sans sound] of beings and events befalling on that particular spot, that are or were magic-related. This is a blood trait that the ‘old’ Mystra (and therefore Elminster) want to see continued (i.e. for Silver Morn to have at least four children, so that at least one can be ‘spirited away’ for safekeeping if anything befalls Silver or any of the other children.
<snip, snip>
Not to dispute your work Ed, but since she must have been in some horribly stressful situations by now, I would have expected it to have manifested in self defence?
This leads me to the intriguing speculation that there are, for want of a better word 'Locked' bloodlines, for instance Silver may be potentially an enormously powerful Scryer (from the way you have described her latent powers.) So if you're potentially a very powerful Sorcerous Abjurer (I'm thinking of something along the lines of the 'Bloodline of Fire' feat, crunch fans ) but you never physically come into contact with any abjuration magic that tingles your blood, or hear a story with the right kind of magic mentioned that rouses an inexplicable, depthless curiosity then the talent is just forever repressed? This ties in quite neatly with your comments in response to Weiser cain of a little while back about how bloodlines are kept track of by the Mystran church (and possibly others..) waiting for any sign of a resurgence in a rare bloodline possibly? |
'Only the little people suffer at the hands of Justice; The creatures of power slide out from under with a wink and a grin.'
Quellcrist Falconer
Things I Should Have Learnt by Now |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jun 2005 : 13:25:41
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
A bit of both.
Elminster didn’t want the Zhents to overrun Daggerdale (or take it by subterfuge, either), because there was something magical hidden there at the time that he didn’t want them to find (what, precisely? NDA, sorry - - but it’s not there any longer, in any event). That was the ‘professional’ interest.
That "Something magical" wouldnt have been the Sword of the Dales would it? |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jun 2005 : 23:42:19
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I was thinking that too, but then, when you take into account how many thousands of years various groups of elves and others have lived in the Dalelands, "something magical" could be just about anything.
Afterall, we never have established where the elven Nether Scrolls ended up after Myth Drannor fell... |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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Questions for Ed Greenwood (2005)
Topic Locked
