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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
 Posted - 06 Oct 2005 : 02:45:48
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Sales figures tend to indicate that for all the moaning and kvetching about Elminster as Ed’s Ego-Fulfillment Perfectly Tireless Lover And All-Powerful Fix-The-World-While-Being-A-Jackass Wizard, you folks love to buy Elminster books. So I’m sure there will be pressure for me to return to Elminster...
love,
THO
I love this part, especially since someone over on those other boards tried to claim that Ed doesn't know how to read sales figures and WOTC doesn't use them to base thier decisions on which NPCs to keep alive and who to kill off or to no longer write about. :)
 What?!
That's ridiculous  . This particular part of Ed's reply really needs to be quoted over there then.
'Tis a strange place... that other world  .
I've quoted a similiar reply by Ed in the past, it got ignored and I was told Ed didn't know what he was talking about. :) |
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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Damian Naïlo
Acolyte
Colombia
13 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2005 : 03:47:05
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Hello there.
First, I take the chance to thank both Ed for actually taking some of his valuable time to answer our queries. It really means a lot to know you truly care about your Realms the way you do, and it's always great to read the seemingly-neverending Realmslore that pours out of your mind for these forums. Of course, I'll not forget Ed's messenger and intermediary. Lady Hooded One: thank you. It's everything I can think of writing to you right now, but there's a lot more behind those words than eight simple letters.
Now to the questioning (yes, I have a question......I just couldn't stop at the flattery, could I? *sigh......*). I think I posted this before, but it seems it wasn't noticed. Anyway, my concern is about Silverymoon. Most of my roleplaying took (and still takes) place in or near Silverymoon when I was a player, and it's a tradition I've mantained as DM. You could say Silverymoon is my Waterdeep (at least in regard to importance). Well, my question is more precisely about the Lady's College (a very important landmark with a lot of sentimental value for me and my players). I came up with some ideas as to how things work there, but I'd like to know Ed's view on the Lady's College:
- Can ANYONE join the Lady's College? Are there any "enrollment" requirements? Are applicants tested in any way before joining the academy?
- What about teachers? How are they chosen? Who chooses them?
- How's a typical class? How many students? Is there a particular schedule?
- Are Silverymoon's rulers involved in the school's affairs? What about Alustriel?
Sorry for intruding, and sorry for the long rambling. Thanks in advance. |
"Why won't you look at me!? It's always Alustriel this, Alustriel that......look at me, for Mystra's sake!"
-Ilya Silverstar, from my campaign |
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khorne
Master of Realmslore
Finland
1073 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2005 : 15:28:34
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quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Sales figures tend to indicate that for all the moaning and kvetching about Elminster as Ed’s Ego-Fulfillment Perfectly Tireless Lover And All-Powerful Fix-The-World-While-Being-A-Jackass Wizard, you folks love to buy Elminster books. So I’m sure there will be pressure for me to return to Elminster...
love,
THO
I love this part, especially since someone over on those other boards tried to claim that Ed doesn't know how to read sales figures and WOTC doesn't use them to base thier decisions on which NPCs to keep alive and who to kill off or to no longer write about. :)
What?!
That's ridiculous . This particular part of Ed's reply really needs to be quoted over there then.
'Tis a strange place... that other world .
I've quoted a similiar reply by Ed in the past, it got ignored and I was told Ed didn't know what he was talking about. :)
They actually said Ed didn`t know what he was talking about? And I thought that nothing in the nine pits of Baa.....ahem, The Boards That Shall Not Be Named could amaze me anymore. |
If I were a ranger, I would pick NDA for my favorite enemy |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2005 : 17:36:12
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quote:
Originally posted by khorne
They actually said Ed didn`t know what he was talking about? And I thought that nothing in the nine pits of Baa.....ahem, The Boards That Shall Not Be Named could amaze me anymore.
Aye,
They did and it isn't the first time. :) But enough of this, we're taking over his scroll and I just had to comment the first time because I found it amusing.  |
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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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2005 : 18:52:33
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Kuje, I'll add just one informational bit to this topic before we let it rest. I have always found Ed to be scrupulously honest, and all writers receive royalty reports that either specify copies sold or can be deciphered to do so.
Moreover, anyone who pays the VERY steep fees can get access to the BookScan numbers that tell accurate sales and returns figures for all of North America. Through his library, Ed can occasionally glance at these. He's been a librarian (book buyer), writer, editor, publisher, and occasionally a book sponsor in publishing for over thirty years. So, yes, he DOES know how to read sales figures.
The "ridiculous" response posted above for the contention that WotC doesn't pay attention to sales figures for making publishing decisions is, I think, the best possible comment. Whatever anyone said on the WotC boards, I can attest that Hasbro DOES pay close attention to sales figures - - and expects its subsidiaries, divisions, brands, and imprints to do so, too.
And lastly, Ed and the Books Department people are friends as well as colleagues in the publishing of the Realms. Even if WotC wasn't legally obligated to keep Ed informed (and yes, like everyone human, occasional slip-ups in communications occur), they want to do so because Ed can provide lore about the Realms, suggest and co-ordinate things (his new city articles in DRAGON provide settings for Realms novel writers, for example), and so on.
love,
THO |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2005 : 19:58:40
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| My thanks THO. |
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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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2005 : 22:01:45
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The Following was posted by the board member Boz at the Paizo forums, in the context of what demon lords and princes should show up in the Demonomicon articles being run in Dragon Magazine:
Argolcheir was very obscure indeed. i don't know if anyone has any additional info about him, or if Ed Greenwood even remembers him since he wrote that article nigh on 20 years ago. :)
Sounds like a challenge to me |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2005 : 22:19:54
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quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
The Following was posted by the board member Boz at the Paizo forums, in the context of what demon lords and princes should show up in the Demonomicon articles being run in Dragon Magazine:
Argolcheir was very obscure indeed. i don't know if anyone has any additional info about him, or if Ed Greenwood even remembers him since he wrote that article nigh on 20 years ago. :)
Sounds like a challenge to me
Well,
I did ask Ed about this for Boz sometime in September. :) So now he's gotten 2 requests for it.... |
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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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 07 Oct 2005 : 01:06:14
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Hello again. As promised, Ed details the last three current guilds of Cormyr:
THE TANNERS AND LEATHERERS GUILD
Guildmaster: Samvaert Holoathyn (NE male human Rog3/Exp10; a nasal-voice, stooped, slender “rat-like” man, soft-spoken and sidling, who dreams of rising to true power in Cormyr - - say, Vangerdahast’s level - - by becoming the “all-powerful right hand” of a noble usurper, or of the infant Azoun V if no other Obarskyr or senior courtier is left standing; failing that, he wants to make himself and his guild rich and behind-the-scenes influential and investors in everything, through cultivating close ties with many powerful, energetic, scheming nobles)
Headquarters: The Old House (Suzail, south-side Promenade; mansion that’s an office only, not an active tannery!)
Portfolios: tanners, leather-dyers, glovers, corvisers (boot- and shoe-makers), cobblers, harness-makers, battle leatherers (makers of leather armor and under-armor), trimmers (who sew leather “trim” to garments), weatherdarrs (makers of leather caps, hats, “deep-snows” leggings, and weather-cloaks), leatherwork repairers and alterers
Badge: brown barrel-mouth (black interior) out of which is pouring, in a widening trapezoid, a ribbon of glossy brown (leather) to fill the entire bottom edge of the white, long-vertical rectangular background
Notes: most members of this guild are hard-working, no-nonsense men and women who are far too busy to be mindful of anything more than their own (great) daily importance and worth to the realm; they make (and repair) many of the “daily essential” items, from smiths’ aprons to footware to belts to hold breeches up and weapon-scabbards attached to their warriors - - but a few of the more successful ones are being encouraged by “Guildmaster Samvaert” (as everyone invariably calls him) to cultivate close personal relationships with various dissaffected nobles (which gives the guildmembers “airs” of importance beyond their station and wealth, and also involves them doing little shady deeds for the nobles, to curry favour, and so becoming “useful agents” of said nobles); it remains to be seen how soon these practises will take to end in disaster
THE GUILD OF WEAVERS AND COOPERS
Guildmaster: Ahltoebur Maravillus (LN male human Exp14; a very smart, superbly controlled in face, voice, and reactions actor of a man who looks like a retired warrior, is actually both a cooper AND a weaver by trade, and is one of the most farsighted and shrewd-judge-of-folk people in all Cormyr; he prides himself on correctly anticipating what all of his fellow guilds, important Court and Crown personages, and prominent merchants and nobles will do, are striving for, and what’s most likely to befall their plans; he expertly maneuvers his guild to be low-profile, “always there and always dependable,” making as few enemies and as many coins as possible, useful to everyone but in no-one’s way; he sees dark times ahead for Cormyr, from the direction of Sembia, and is quietly investing in properties and businesses elsewhere in the Heartlands)
Headquarters: Wondercloak House (Suzail, south-side Promenade)
Portfolios: coopers (barrel-makers), weavers, textile-dyers, garment-cutters, embroiderers, clothiers (sellers of garments), drapers (sellers of draperies and tapestries)
Badge: a horizontal sky blue oval, and centered on it a side-on brown barrel with three black iron bands around it; protruding from both ends of the barrel (which are apparently open, though they aren’t shown) is a wavy strip of mauve cloth, flaring at both ends and with elaborate tri-flower-pattern embroidery visible on its four corners
Notes: one of the busiest and wealthiest of the guilds, “the Weavers” are seen as fussy, timorous, short-sighted scuttling men totally devoted to their work; many of them really are (and a lot of the others are over-the-top flamboyant “artistes” of fluting language and effeminate tantrums) - - which is why they tend to send the large-handed, burly, grim-eyed, worldly-wise coopers to do a lot of their hard negotiating (for instance, with shipcaptains selling coffers of snails for use in making dyes), while the brilliant Maravillus remains in the background, keeping a “retiring” reputation and hiding his intellect as much as possible; he often volunteers information to the War Wizards and is regarded by them as one of the most loyal and useful men in all Cormyr, in precisely the same way as the War Wizards themselves are: he serves the good of the realm first, and the monarch second
THE GUILD OF NATURALISTS
Guildmaster: Elmdaerle (NG male human Wiz4, sage: zoology, botany; a friendly, charismatic leader who is currently Cormyr’s foremost expert on forest life of all kinds in the realm, and looks like everybody’s idea of a kindly tall, gaunt, bearded and robed wizard of mature years but not yet aged and white-haired; Elmdaerle isn’t quite as “soft” as he looks or acts, but does want to like people and think the best of everyone he meets; he’s genuinely consumed by his hunt for knowledge, and hasn’t a malicious or an ambitious bone in his body)
Headquarters: Oldoaks Stair (upstairs in Elmdaerle’s house: Arabel, encircled by a city block, directly between the rear wings of Vondor’s Shoes & Boots [feature 127 on the Arabel map on pages 46 and 47 of the Grand Tour booklet of the 2nd Edition FR boxed set] and the various House Hiloar Warehouses [all marked 129 on the same map])
Portfolios: medicinal, edible, lubricant, dye-source, and craft-worthy uses for plant and animal matter, either as distillates or solids (and all who work with such substances and associated research and vending)
Badge: a staring white eye with a three-taloned yellow claw protruding out of it below, two brown wings (mirror-images of each other) projecting out of either side of it, and a light blue fish tail projecting out of the top of it, all on a shield-shaped purple background
Notes: more of a sages’ debating society than anything else, this guild is being watched carefully (and infiltrated) by the War Wizards, to make sure its members don’t develop handy murder weapons (poisons) that could be used against the realm (unless the War Wizards get them, and their antidotes, first), or take it into their heads to breed new hybrid monsters or “designer beasts” for wealthy nobles or any other such lunacy; thus far, its members tend to be dabblers and sages more than anything else, and to be working most actively on salves, lubricants, scents, and dyes for sale to merchants everywhere - - those who aren’t really arguers and collectors of monster trophies (and hiring adventuring bands to bring back more of same); Elhazir (CN male human Wiz15, the semi-retired, urbane and handsome dragonhunting mage and owner of Elhazir’s Exotica [a shop that’s feature 122 on the Arabel map]) and Adolphus (handsome, distinguished, aging LN male human Exp6 [calligrapher and drafter-of-laws-and-contracts], high-fees sage: astronomy and physical sciences [expert at identifying metals, base minerals, woods, and plants], likes to be contacted at The Dancing Dragon tavern, feature 112 on the Arabel map) are both members, and have aided Elmdaerle in hiring adventurers to aid guild members in mounting materials-gathering (hunting) expeditions into the Stonelands and the Hullack Forest
So saith Ed, at last completing his survey of the guilds of Cormyr for Asgetrion and us all. No rest for the Wicked old Weirdbeard, however: he’ll be back with another Realmslore reply tomorrow.
love to all,
THO
P.S. to Kuje re. my previous post: if anyone on those other boards wants to know just how it is * I * know so much about Hasbro following sales figures, tell them: I'm a Hasbro shareholder.  |
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Arthedain
Acolyte
16 Posts |
Posted - 07 Oct 2005 : 11:59:48
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Hi
I have a question about dwarven burial customs, specifically what would be deemed appropriate if a large group of dwarves (e.g. the majority of a clan) has been killed in battle, and the survivors are only a handful (5-10 survivors, hundreds killed)?
In Demihuman Deities (under Dumathoin) it is mentioned that a dead dwarf will be washed, his/her beard braided, clad in armor, and a song will be created that honors the dwarf's life and deeds. I would imagine that the surviving dwarves would prefer to do it like this for every one of their dead, but realistically I'm thinking there should be some sort of "mass burial seremony".
My own ideas (inspired by the text under Clangeddin) are that the survivors might arrange a gigantic funeral pyre accompanied by drums and a mournful dirge, but I can't recall having read anywhere that dwarves are cremated. Of course, it might be a local custom.
Just in case it is relevant: The dwarves in question are from the Iron House of Tethyamar, and were killed in one of their deep halls.
Many thanks in advance :) |
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
2066 Posts |
Posted - 07 Oct 2005 : 14:26:00
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quote:
Originally posted by Arthedain
Hi
I have a question about dwarven burial customs, specifically what would be deemed appropriate if a large group of dwarves (e.g. the majority of a clan) has been killed in battle, and the survivors are only a handful (5-10 survivors, hundreds killed)?
In Demihuman Deities (under Dumathoin) it is mentioned that a dead dwarf will be washed, his/her beard braided, clad in armor, and a song will be created that honors the dwarf's life and deeds. I would imagine that the surviving dwarves would prefer to do it like this for every one of their dead, but realistically I'm thinking there should be some sort of "mass burial seremony".
My own ideas (inspired by the text under Clangeddin) are that the survivors might arrange a gigantic funeral pyre accompanied by drums and a mournful dirge, but I can't recall having read anywhere that dwarves are cremated. Of course, it might be a local custom.
Just in case it is relevant: The dwarves in question are from the Iron House of Tethyamar, and were killed in one of their deep halls.
Many thanks in advance :)
There might be more information in an old Dragon article by Steven Schend entitled "Sleep of Ages". I can't recall the issue number, but I think it's in the 200s. The paragraphs in the Dumathoin entry were a condensed version of Steven's most excellent article.
(This is not to be confused with my adventure "Sleep of Ages" in Dungeon #69.)
--Eric |
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http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/ |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 07 Oct 2005 : 15:38:42
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quote:
Originally posted by ericlboyd
There might be more information in an old Dragon article by Steven Schend entitled "Sleep of Ages". I can't recall the issue number, but I think it's in the 200s. The paragraphs in the Dumathoin entry were a condensed version of Steven's most excellent article.
It was in DRAGON #224.
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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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Baalster
Acolyte
19 Posts |
Posted - 08 Oct 2005 : 00:15:48
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As others are checking up on the status of their 2004 questions, I'd like to ask the same for mine. Hopefully it is still "in the queue".
quote:
Posted - 07 Jul 2004 : 00:29:25
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Baalster, you’re very welcome, and your Whitehorn, White Peaks, and Ride tribes lore requests are duly noted, though I’m afraid the wait is going to be long for an answer (I’m thinking Christmas, knowing Ed’s workload and the queue already built up here!). However, I’ll tackle your other four questions in a post immediately following this one.
Granted you didn't say what christmas. 
In the meantime, I am thoroughly enjoying reading the Realmslore coming from the contributors to this thread. My thanks to you all.
Baalster |
The North is indeed as they say in the Vilhon Reach - a land of "hard, brutal men in leather and furs who swing overhasty swords." |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 08 Oct 2005 : 01:47:40
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Hello again, fellow scribes. Hang in there, Baalster. Ed has many, many demands on his time, and a lot of factors we scribes either don’t know (or can’t make public yet) as to why this or that query gets answered or delayed . . . like someone else writing a novel that uses locations or people you or someone else asks about. However, Ed has NOT forgotten you, I promise (because he said so, in an e-mail to me about an hour ago).
Herewith, however, Ed replies to nagitive D’s question: “i was just wondering if Ed was planning on restoring sylune of the silver fall novel to full life instead of having her to use those magicaly created bodies ,and what spells does Elminster use to create said bodies.”
Ed speaks:
Elminster doesn’t use spells to create those bodies. Syluné can “ride” willing hosts (living beings), but her mental presence will swiftly “burn out” (drive to mindless insanity) most mortals, who don’t have the mental resilience of the Chosen (or other intelligent beings who’ve existed for centuries). However, she prefers to inhabit a body that’s already gone mindless due to other causes, or ‘spin her own’ by calling on the Weave. Just how she creates said bodies is still (and for now, will remain) a secret (sorry), but it’s something she can readily (though not quickly) do, in her spectral state, but that’s far more difficult for still-living, still-corporeal Chosen to accomplish. It is VERY mentally tiring for her.
I’m not planning on restoring Syluné to “full life” because that wouldn’t be in keeping with Mystra’s Chosen, Syluné’s own character, or leaving some dramatic impact to her death in the first place. If everything can be magically undone with no cost, then there’s no lasting weight of meaning to any achievement or event.
So saith Ed. Who adds a postscript to The Sage:
If Lady K joins you in chasing and whipping lovely THO, don’t worry about knowing where to begin. I’ll be right there doing the “beginning” for you. :}
Ahem. You can begin on me any time, dear, but can you finish me off? 
love to all,
THO
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Edited by - The Hooded One on 08 Oct 2005 01:50:21 |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 08 Oct 2005 : 01:55:29
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
So saith Ed. Who adds a postscript to The Sage:
If Lady K joins you in chasing and whipping lovely THO, don’t worry about knowing where to begin. I’ll be right there doing the “beginning” for you. :}
Oh hoo! 
quote:
Ahem. You can begin on me any time, dear, but can you finish me off?
love to all,
THO
Hehe... 'Tis strange, but I hear that alot from the Lady K as well   .
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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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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 08 Oct 2005 : 01:58:45
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Oh, well said, sir! Well SAID!! 
love,
THO |
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David Lázaro
Acolyte
Spain
37 Posts |
Posted - 08 Oct 2005 : 02:07:48
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hang in there, Baalster. Ed has many, many demands on his time, and a lot of factors we scribes either don’t know (or can’t make public yet) as to why this or that query gets answered or delayed . . . like someone else writing a novel that uses locations or people you or someone else asks about. However, Ed has NOT forgotten you, I promise (because he said so, in an e-mail to me about an hour ago).
Which is precisely why I keep smiling every night that my answers (also regarding Silverymoon, Baalster), are kept unanswered. I tend to flirt with the idea of another book in cities series written by Elaine Cunningham, for example. She wrote some evocative (although short) passages about Silverymoon in her Elfsong novel.
And if it's not that, maybe it's another, even better thing; I'm currently very excited with the idea of having Power of Faerûn next year. A book that will surely give legs to any long-running Realms campaign out there.
Heh, and the questions and answers are getting very interesting as of late, as I've already remarked in previous entry.
I would also like to ask one question to the (always lovingly flirtatious) Hooded One: how was the process of buying, selling and getting information about magic items in the original Realms campaign?
I don't like the feeling of how we are handling it right now in our campaigns; it takes some magic away from the, well, magic. I've read the notes from the previous scrolls here, but I haven't found an entry that described the feeling of it.
Thanks for your time, lady. |
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Arthedain
Acolyte
16 Posts |
Posted - 08 Oct 2005 : 11:32:36
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by ericlboyd
There might be more information in an old Dragon article by Steven Schend entitled "Sleep of Ages". I can't recall the issue number, but I think it's in the 200s. The paragraphs in the Dumathoin entry were a condensed version of Steven's most excellent article.
It was in DRAGON #224.
Mr. Boyd and The Sage: Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately, Dragon #224 was published before my D&D-days. I checked on Paizo's website, and the issue was listed as 'currently unavailable', so I guess I'll have to drop be one of my two FLGSs and see if I get lucky :). |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 08 Oct 2005 : 18:55:28
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quote:
Originally posted by Arthedain
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by ericlboyd
There might be more information in an old Dragon article by Steven Schend entitled "Sleep of Ages". I can't recall the issue number, but I think it's in the 200s. The paragraphs in the Dumathoin entry were a condensed version of Steven's most excellent article.
It was in DRAGON #224.
Mr. Boyd and The Sage: Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately, Dragon #224 was published before my D&D-days. I checked on Paizo's website, and the issue was listed as 'currently unavailable', so I guess I'll have to drop be one of my two FLGSs and see if I get lucky :).
You could also check eBay... Failing all those things, drop me an email. I've got the Dragon Magazine Archive CD-ROMs, which means I could cut and paste the article to Word (I've done it with several other articles), or make a pdf of just the article. |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 09 Oct 2005 : 00:58:04
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Well met again, scribes of Candlekeep. I lay before you Ed of the Greenwood’s reply to Lauzoril about Ed’s intentions regarding shedding “some light on Khelben’s past like he’s done with Elminster. It would be nice to see how Khelben started out and how he came to be Mystra’s servant. And also when and why Elminster decided to settle in Shadowdale?”
Ed speaks:
I’ll go farther than Wooly Rupert: I’ll say we DEFINITELY WILL see more of Khelben’s past in Steven Schend’s forthcoming novel BLACKSTAFF (which I promise will be more of a blockbuster, mass market paperback format notwithstanding, than most of you can hope to expect). Yes, I created Khelben, but Steven has really made the character his own over the years, elaborate invented history and fascinating origin and deep psychological examination of Khelben and all - - and I’m delighted to have read BLACKSTAFF, and can tell you true: Steven’s the man to do it. He got Khelben “right,” and will answer for you those things you mention it would be “nice to see.” He’ll do a lot more than that, too. I’m happy to leave the illumination of Khelben in Steven’s more-than-capable hands.
As for when and why Elminster decided to settle in Shadowdale, that’s been covered briefly in existing Realmslore, but not in depth (yet). However, I Have Plans . . .
Insert diabolical laugh. And that’s all Ed sent me in the way of an answer. More Realmlore (on another topic) next time.
love,
THO
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 09 Oct 2005 : 02:08:44
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
As for when and why Elminster decided to settle in Shadowdale, that’s been covered briefly in existing Realmslore, but not in depth (yet). However, I Have Plans . . .
I smell another Elminster book in the works...... |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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David Lázaro
Acolyte
Spain
37 Posts |
Posted - 09 Oct 2005 : 03:45:41
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quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
I smell another Elminster book in the works......
Or, as the Knights were Shadowdale residents, that piece of lore can be inserted in the beginning of the Knights novels. It could be a nice tie-in with the Elminster's series. |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 10 Oct 2005 : 01:13:27
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Hello again, fellow scribes. Kajehase, I hope this reaches you in time. Ed replies to your Chondathan map words question:
Hi, Kajehase. I made much of this up on the spot, because the Chondathan written language in my notes consists of only a few fragments (so there isn’t a lot more than what's here to reveal to you). However, here we go:
River: Raeth
Stream: Arraeth
Lake: Halgond
Swamp or Bog or Marsh: Raethgond
Sea: Morro
Forest: Lhar
Mountain: Arkhor (Mount: Arkh)
Hill: Mahan
Tor or Crag (lone hill with at least one steep, rocky “cliff” side): Arkul
Gorge (large): Loroth (literally “Great Wound,” from “lorr” [battle-cut], and “oth” [great])
Ravine (small): Lornal (literally “Lasting Wound,” from “lorr” [battle-cut], and “nal” [lasting or longtime])
Valley: Cauldoth (literally “Great Bowl,” from “caulda” [bowl or basin], and “oth” [great])
Ford: Lann
Bridge: Lantor
Trail: Ontahl
Road: Tahl
Cairn or Marker: obold
Some mapping notes: in any writing, expect to see “River Ashaba” rather than “Ashaba River” (so: “Raeth Ashaba” not “Ashaba Raeth”). Usages of Mount and Road usually follow the same construction.
So saith Ed, Sage Most Mighty of Realmslore. Who’s hard at work on glorious new projects to entertain Realms fans in the years just ahead.
love to all,
THO
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Kajehase
Great Reader
Sweden
2104 Posts |
Posted - 10 Oct 2005 : 06:00:36
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*rubs hands* My heartfelt thanks to Ed for the language-lesson, and to the Hooded One for bringing it. And Realmslore can never be too late, it arrives precisely in time - besides, my brothers are still only on chapter 1 of the Player's Handbook.
It may not be a dictionary, but I'd say it's enough to give me a rudimentary "feel" for how the language should look. *rubs hands again* One question arose as I looked them over: Does the Arkhen in "the River Arkhen" have anything to do with Arkhor? |
There is a rumour going around that I have found god. I think is unlikely because I have enough difficulty finding my keys, and there is empirical evidence that they exist.
Terry Pratchett |
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Gray Richardson
Master of Realmslore
USA
1291 Posts |
Posted - 10 Oct 2005 : 10:41:19
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| Indeed! Thanks very much for the linguistic tidbits! I love and crave these kinds of details. Such lore as to geographic naming conventions help only to deepen the sense of realism and make the Realms an ever vibrant setting with the feel of history and story oozing from every river, hill or road. (Or should I say every raeth, mahan or tahl? ) |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 11 Oct 2005 : 15:39:20
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Well met as always, gentles. This time, Ed makes reply to Asgetrion in the matter of “. . . are kitchen sinks (that flush into drains) common in the Realms, then? You also answered my query about tallhouses, and described that there may be even flushable toilets (with water coming from rooftop water cisterns). Maybe these sinks only available in large cities, and only among the wealthy? I had always assumed that washbasins are what people use for cleaning dishes...”
Ed replies:
Sinks (small ones in bathchambers and large ones in kitchens and sculleries) are increasingly common in the Realms, but they do tend to be in larger, grander buildings. What they very rarely are is running-water sinks as we modern real-world types think of them.
Instead, they’re filled with carry-pitchers (tall, narrow, very sturdy cylindrical vessels with over-the-top leather ‘splash flaps’ (really anti-splash-and-spill flaps, and really good handles; the equivalents of buckets with pour-spouts) by servants or family members in middle-class or lower-class households, brought from rooftop cisterns or cellar springs or pumps in cellars or in the street or yard outside. A cork or whittled plug keeps the water in the sink until its use is done (and many households keep a “graywater” sink full of water for hand-washing, not drained until it’s really filthy), and then it drains away through plumbing.
Only wealthy households have plumbed clean water (from rooftop cisterns, filled either with rainwater or by pumping) coming down into the sinks.
You are quite correct to assume that most people, especially in rural areas, use washbasins for washing. However, specifically for cleaning dishes, there’s yet another method: if there’s a handy stream nearby, the dishes (mainly platters, skillets, tankards, eating-forks and cooking knives, remember) are usually loaded into a carry-basket, taken to a sandy or gritty-mud spot on the bank, and scoured clean there, only to be rinsed properly clean in the stream-water, and brought back inside. Only when firewood permits, the stream is known to be “unclean,” AND the material the dishes are made of will stand up to boiling or warmed water, will the rinsed dishes also be washed or left to stand in hot or boiling water.
So saith Ed. Who does all the dishes in his household, following the old Boy Scout camping rule (and yes, Ed was a Boy Scout) of “the cook never does the dishes.” His wife craftily never lets him cook, so she never has to do the dishes.
And yes, Asgetrion, I know you asked a lot more in that same post. Ed will answer your other queries tomorrow.
P.S. Kajehase, the river is named for a mage, and so does not directly have anything to do with Arkhor.
love to all,
THO
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 11 Oct 2005 : 19:47:51
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
So saith Ed. Who does all the dishes in his household, following the old Boy Scout camping rule (and yes, Ed was a Boy Scout) of “the cook never does the dishes.” His wife craftily never lets him cook, so she never has to do the dishes.
That's a nice rule. |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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Kajehase
Great Reader
Sweden
2104 Posts |
Posted - 11 Oct 2005 : 21:03:54
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| That depends Rinonalyrna, if I'd use it, I'd have to but new pottery once a week |
There is a rumour going around that I have found god. I think is unlikely because I have enough difficulty finding my keys, and there is empirical evidence that they exist.
Terry Pratchett |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 12 Oct 2005 : 15:38:27
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Hi again, all. Ed deals with Asgetrion’s multi-part query: “I was curious about how "specialized" craftsmen are in the Realms? Are there any ropemakers, for example, who only make and sell ropes, or do most craftsmen (experts) try to make several products within their skill. Another example might also be a carpenter, who specializes in crafting fine pieces of furniture (such as chairs, tables, wooden statues, etc). If he lived in a remote village, would he also work occasionally as a roofer (or repair wooden things) for the other villagers (these tasks apparently fall within the Carpentry skill)?
On the same issue, I know that you have previously described "typical" villages in the Heartlands, but do these villagers usually buy their "everyday" items from peddlers or try to make them themselves (even without proper skills)? Such as barrels, pots, ropes, etc.
If there is no resident craftsman in the village (potter, craftsman, ropemaker, saddler, etc.), do they try to make these items themselves? I mean like "you make the barrels, since you have some experince in carpentry, and I will try to make us rope... Dornar know something about leather, so he'd probably be the best leatherworker among us"?
I know that there is usually a blacksmith, but how common (and profitable) would it be for a potter/cooper/ropemaker live in a small (farming) hamlet/village?
I also wish to ask the same about butchers - do most communitites with livestock have a resident butcher/slaughterer, or do they take the animals to the nearest town/city? Or do they slaughter the animals themselves when they need meat for cooking? If there is a butcher in a village, would he be paid for every animal, and would he also then prepare the meat to be sold elsewhere? Or is it more common to slaughter animals in the nearest town/city?
Then I'd like to ask how often (usually) travelling merchants/peddlers would visit small villages/hamlets?”
Ed replies:
The short answer to all of this is: it depends. Or rather, it varies widely from place to place. Yes, there are many, many specialized craftworkers (to borrow your example, ropemakers who only make and sell ropes). The truly single-task workers tend to be in larger cities or at least market-moot towns or ports and waystops along busy trade routes, because such places can support them (for instance, a painter of gilded blazons of arms is more likely to dwell in a city containing a royal court than in a rural village).
However, it’s also true that “most craftsmen (experts) try to make several products within their skill.” For one thing, it’s practical (helps them with sideline income not restricted by guild rules or limitations of law or material or popularity on their ‘main skill’), and for another thing it can serve as a hobby or recreational outlet for daily stress and frustration. It can also save them coin, by doing more for themselves and by yielding items they can barter with other merchants to avoid having to go and buy something.
The more rural a person is, the more they are forced to be well-rounded in skills, or at least to try to do every necessary task (bartering with truly skilled neighbours for things they can’t do, and co-operating with neighbours in all tasks [e.g. roundups and branding of herds, barn-raisings] beyond the strength or reach of a single individual). So, yes, your furniture-maker WOULD work as a roofer and repairer of wooden items.
Villagers need those “everyday items” you refer to, well . . . everyday. They will ‘make do’ with whatever they have (which is why rural folk never really throw anything away, but instead toss broken things ‘out back’ or into a barn corner until another use for them arises) until they have time to make a new item. If it’s cheaper to buy one, or they can wait until the next passing merchant passes, or the merchant can bring something better than they can make, they’ll buy from that caravan wagon or peddler - - IF they have coin enough (many rural folk lack coins, so if the peddler won’t “barter fair,” his goods are simply unobtainable to them). Which is why a peddler who dies out in the open is typically found without his pack-beasts or any of their gear: locals descend and swiftly take away and hide everything of value.
So, yes, villagers will try to make things for themselves if their ranks don’t include the right sort of crafter (cooper to make barrels, ropemaker, etc.) - - or if they owe the local cooper too much. When you post “I know that there is usually a blacksmith, but how common (and profitable) would it be for a potter/cooper/ropemaker live in a small (farming) hamlet/village?” you’re ‘thinking too modern.’ It’s nothing to do with profitability, it has to do with where you the Realms lad or lass were born, who you could get training with, how you can feed yourself where you live (i.e. do you live on a large family farm with food enough for all, or are you starving and MUST travel elsewhere or die?), and how much call there is for your skills where you are (if you learned to make a sound barrel from old Raldivur who’s been in your hamlet of Oldbucket for sixty years, with every smart wagon-merchant stopping to buy a few new, sound barrels from him, and you too can now make a sound barrel even after Raldivur’s died, then the merchants will buy your barrels). After all, if you have a roof over your head and food in your belly and your contentment overrides your daily gripes and dissatisfactions, you don’t really need to earn a single actual coin, do you?
Butchering isn’t usually considered the specialized skill in the Realms that it’s deemed to be in our modern-day real world of health inspectors and sanitized supermarket styrofoam trays of shrink-wrapped meat: people hunt and kill their own meals, or rear and slaughter them. There ARE butchers in cities, where folk dwell who don’t have access to animals, and carvers (who can cut meat elegantly for feasts) are considered to have specialized skills Faerun-wide, but nigh every farmer can slaughter, skin, hang, smoke, and cut up everything from rabbits and fish to rothe.
Most livestock are still driven (herded by drovers, not put into a conveyance) from countryside ranch to paddocks outside large cities, and there purchased by local butchers who bring them inside the walls, to their own compounds, and slaughter them there. Some carcasses are salted or smoked and then packed (or in winter, allowed to freeze in the open, in an enclosure guarded from wolves and leucrotta, and other predators and scavengers), and then transported by ship or sledge to hungry cities, but the majority of eaten-for-meat critters “arrive alive, on the hoof.”
Elderly or infirm folk usually make an arrangement with a neighbour they trust to kill and hang their animals for them, paying the slaughterer with some of the meat from the carcasses. It’s most common to butcher animals in the community where they’re going to be eaten.
However, rich ranching areas that have a handy port or riverbarge-accessible market town usually do have butchers with smoking-sheds, who buy many animals, butcher several daily, prepare them for shipping elsewhere, and have business dealings with shipcaptains or caravan-masters who do that shipping, to buy the readied meat.
As for how often (usually) travelling merchants/peddlers visit small villages/hamlets, the answer again is: it depends. On how isolated those communities are (and how dangerous the local citizenry, raiding orcs, monsters, avalanches, jungle diseases, general climate, or swooping dragons). How much coin the merchant can expect to make (not so much from the villagers, but reselling the items they barter to him, when he gets to other settlements), and how difficult his journey is (does he have to make or hire a raft? Portage? Climb mountain passes?). In pleasant rural farming countryside in fairly law-abiding territory, however, the answer would be: frequently. In summer, at least two or three a tenday in some places, one a tenday in others. On caravan routes: in the spring and fall “rushes,” the roads (and all camping-place settlements along them) can be jammed.
So saith Ed. More next time.
love to all,
THO
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Questions for Ed Greenwood (2005)
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