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Elfinblade
Senior Scribe

Norway
377 Posts

Posted - 24 Aug 2006 :  17:04:55  Show Profile Send Elfinblade a Private Message
quote:
Stig, there's a heavy NDA on Halaster right now. Ed is afraid he can tell you darn near nothing, but I expect a message from him waiting for me, when I can get back to a real computer.



Well, i guess a "heavy NDA" means that we`re finally getting something about halaster sometime in the future. Which is good news :)

-Stig-
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Kes_Alanadel
Learned Scribe

USA
326 Posts

Posted - 24 Aug 2006 :  17:19:16  Show Profile  Visit Kes_Alanadel's Homepage Send Kes_Alanadel a Private Message
Probably has to do with the Undermountain product that is slated for 2007.
~Kes

Ack! I seem to have too much blood in my coffee stream!

When did 'common sense' cease to be common?
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36779 Posts

Posted - 24 Aug 2006 :  17:29:51  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One


As I said, one of the weirder adventures we Knights have yet had.
love to all,
THO




Thank you for sharing that tale, my Lady. 'Tis a good one, and one that's got me pondering doing something similar...

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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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 25 Aug 2006 :  00:28:25  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Hi again, all. THO here once more (wearing my gown held up over my waist for the special benefit of Chosen of Moradin and dearest Wooly, to whom I say: there’s nothing at all wrong with doing this, except you have to hold it up with your teeth, which hampers breathing; do enjoy my lack of underfrillies, by the way) with some quick housekeeping for Ed and divers scribes:

Chosen of Moradin, you posted a question from one of your players about flora and fauna of the Great Dale. He is aware of the details contained in the UNAPPROACHABLE EAST sourcebook, yes?

createvmind, Ed has dealt with deity-specific oaths several times here at Candlekeep, but those non-deity-specific “basic” curses you’re seeking are found in a reply on Page 33 of the 2004 “ask Eddie” thread (hidden on page 2 of the Chamber of Sages).

Also, Skeptic, you asked “1) Do I have pending questions for Ed except the one about yuan-ti and other snakefolks in the north ?” and “2) I'm looking to play with the FR setting in another game than D&D, so I want to remove some "D&Dism" from the published (3.x) realms. Would it be okay to ask to Ed a series of short questions like "does X comes from the setting or D&D rules/design principles"?”

The short answers to 1 and 2 are both “yes.”
The longer answers are:
1. Yep. Specifically: a rider to RodOdom’s query about Skullport (its secrecy or lack of same in Waterdeep); queries about the Roaring Dragon House (DRAGON article); queries about the Masked Lady Lhestyn; queries about a now-destroyed temple of Bane that once stood near Secomber; a request for quick info on Phlan, Melvaunt, and the ruins of Yûlash/Hulburg/Sulyaspryn (that hopefully SONS OF GRUUMSH and MYSTERIES OF THE MOONSEA have largely answered, though of course Dargoth and others have posted requests in this thread for Ed to clear up Realmslore inconsistencies regarding those publications); a question about the current status of Llorkh (that Ed has been avoiding thanks to the RPGA Green Regent campaign; can any scribes post for us all here some indication of how that now-wound-up campaign affected Llorkh?); a question about reptilian monsters in the relatively-cold-climate Serpent Hills / Backlands / Forest of Wyrms areas; and a recent request for Ed to tell us all more about the Unicorn Run. (We don’t forget a single question, folks, even if some of them are taking two years to answer!)

2. Yes, by all means! Bring ’em on! (So saith Ed.)
A man who obviously LOVES punishment, at least when it comes in the form of being buried under ever-increasing heaps of Realmslore queries from eager scribes. . .

Evil Knight, I’m sorry, but Ed has no idea when his next book signing in California (which would also be his first book signing in California) will be. He rarely has time to do book tours these days, though he sometimes drives to libraries and bookstores where he’s been asked to do a public appearance (if they’re located in Ontario, Canada, where he lives). The best way to reliably get to meet Ed is to attend GenCon Indy and try to pre-arrange a meeting with him; many Realms fans and writers do that, every year. But thanks for the praise, and watch this thread, because if Ed ever does know he’s heading to California, he’ll let everyone know, right here!

And to Wandering_mage, Ed and I both say: Thank you. Such thanks and praise warm us in our weary and depressed moments (when things go wrong or it becomes apparent that WotC has lost ANOTHER file from years upon years ago, and could Ed just whip up a replacement and send it in in, oh, say, the next five minutes or so, because designers are waiting), and make all the time and work worthwhile. So, thank YOU.


love to all,
THO
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Skeptic
Master of Realmslore

Canada
1273 Posts

Posted - 25 Aug 2006 :  04:25:42  Show Profile Send Skeptic a Private Message
1. Yep. Specifically: a query about Skullport (its secrecy or lack of same in Waterdeep); Added detail : What I would really want to know is how the ships can "secretly" go from the city's harbor to the nearby "south sea caves" without being noticed by the Guard.
2. queries about the Roaring Dragon House
3. queries about the Masked Lady Lhestyn
4. queries about a now-destroyed temple of Bane that once stood near Secomber;
5. a request for quick info on Phlan, Melvaunt, and the ruins of Yûlash/Hulburg/Sulyaspryn (those last two weren't covered. What's going on for clan Hulmaster, what about the lich Aesperus and the like.)
6. a question about the current status of Llorkh
7. a question about reptilian monsters in the relatively-cold-climate Serpent Hills / Backlands / Forest of Wyrms areas;
8. a recent request for Ed to tell us all more about the Unicorn Run.

That last one was more a wishful thinking than a query, but..

I stroked some of these old queries because the campaign to which they were related came to a stop. Knowing how much Ed's busy, I prefer to keep only "important" ones.

I also have a more recent one about faith that Ed pretty covered with my first one about nearly the same topic. I'll clear this thing and post my series of "D&Dism in FR" questions later.

Edited by - Skeptic on 25 Aug 2006 04:33:28
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Dargoth
Great Reader

Australia
4607 Posts

Posted - 25 Aug 2006 :  05:12:44  Show Profile  Visit Dargoth's Homepage Send Dargoth a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One

a question about the current status of Llorkh (that Ed has been avoiding thanks to the RPGA Green Regent campaign; can any scribes post for us all here some indication of how that now-wound-up campaign affected Llorkh?)




Wizards have plot recaps of all LOGR modules up on the Wizards of the Coast site

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/archfr/frgr

LGR 22 has the biggest effect on Llorkh (And the realms in general)as it revolves around what would be a violation of Fzouls agreement with Blackstaff.

The Zhents of Llorkh (Led by Banites) are about to lead an army against Loudwater (The Players are doing a recon job and must find out as much as they can about the invasion and bring the infomation back to Loudwater they not in a position to stop the invasion

To the best of my knowledge LGR22 was the last module in series and has left the situation hanging with no conclusion

“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”

Emperor Sigismund

"Its good to be the King!"

Mel Brooks
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader

USA
3737 Posts

Posted - 25 Aug 2006 :  06:36:34  Show Profile Send Lord Karsus a Private Message
Ed, I've got another question that needs answering!

-Qilue Veladorn, the youngest of the Seven Sisters, is a Drow. I can accept the in-game explanation of the "exceptional circumstances" of her birth. But, why was she made a Drow? For a while, she was simply known as the "Dark Sister", which didn't neccesarily imply anything one way or another.

-Was Qilue always supposed to be a Dark Elf, or was this something that TSR eventually decided, as (at the time) Drow equaled popularity, which equaled more money?

(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know)

Elves of Faerûn
Vol I- The Elves of Faerûn
Vol. III- Spells of the Elves
Vol. VI- Mechanical Compendium
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Kuje
Great Reader

USA
7915 Posts

Posted - 25 Aug 2006 :  06:43:06  Show Profile Send Kuje a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by Dagnirion

Ed, I've got another question that needs answering!

-Qilue Veladorn, the youngest of the Seven Sisters, is a Drow. I can accept the in-game explanation of the "exceptional circumstances" of her birth. But, why was she made a Drow? For a while, she was simply known as the "Dark Sister", which didn't neccesarily imply anything one way or another.

-Was Qilue always supposed to be a Dark Elf, or was this something that TSR eventually decided, as (at the time) Drow equaled popularity, which equaled more money?



You're better off asking Steven since Steven is the one that detailed her history and how she became a drow, not Ed. :) So that's your answer for your second question, since Steven made her a drow.

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 25 Aug 2006 06:44:05
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Chosen of Moradin
Master of Realmslore

Brazil
1120 Posts

Posted - 25 Aug 2006 :  13:50:39  Show Profile  Visit Chosen of Moradin's Homepage Send Chosen of Moradin a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One

Hi again, all. THO here once more (wearing my gown held up over my waist for the special benefit of Chosen of Moradin and dearest Wooly, to whom I say: there’s nothing at all wrong with doing this, except you have to hold it up with your teeth, which hampers breathing; do enjoy my lack of underfrillies, by the way) with some quick housekeeping for Ed and divers scribes:

Chosen of Moradin, you posted a question from one of your players about flora and fauna of the Great Dale. He is aware of the details contained in the UNAPPROACHABLE EAST sourcebook, yes?




Ohh! Now, were is that thread about the landscapes of Faerûn?

Ahem.
Yes, he have read the Unapprocheable East, and we have collected the details in the Lady of Poison, too. Anyway, he want to learn more, to stay more "in tune" with the character (this things happen when you let your players see the marvelous Elminster Ecologies.

"I told to that stuborn dwarf, don´t drink a full bottle of jhuild. He will be of no help if he don´t recover soon. Well, let´s see with we find some leafs of lulhara, a native herb here of the Dale. It will help him to recover, and stop the nausea."


Dwarf, DM, husband, and proud of this! :P

twitter: @yuripeixoto
Facebook: yuri.peixoto
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Steven Schend
Forgotten Realms Designer & Author

USA
1707 Posts

Posted - 25 Aug 2006 :  15:48:21  Show Profile  Visit Steven Schend's Homepage Send Steven Schend a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by Kuje

quote:
Originally posted by Dagnirion

Ed, I've got another question that needs answering!

-Qilue Veladorn, the youngest of the Seven Sisters, is a Drow. I can accept the in-game explanation of the "exceptional circumstances" of her birth. But, why was she made a Drow? For a while, she was simply known as the "Dark Sister", which didn't neccesarily imply anything one way or another.

-Was Qilue always supposed to be a Dark Elf, or was this something that TSR eventually decided, as (at the time) Drow equaled popularity, which equaled more money?



You're better off asking Steven since Steven is the one that detailed her history and how she became a drow, not Ed. :) So that's your answer for your second question, since Steven made her a drow.



Actually, that's a misunderstanding. Ed wrote everything canonical re: Qilue's history et al in SEVEN SISTERS. All I ever did was toss ideas around with Ed over beer and say, "Hey, what if that Dark Sister were ACTUALLY a drow?" That'll teach me to open my mouth.

Steven
Who tries never to claim creation for things that sprang from others' brains....

For current projects and general natter, see www.steveneschend.com
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 26 Aug 2006 :  02:33:57  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Ohhhh, but Steven, all sorts of good things go into designers' mouths when they're open. Or so (purr) Ed tells me.
Ahem.
Hi, all! This time, Ed answers Kuje, in the matter of: “How do elven light houses, in places that elves have ports, Evermeet most likely, differ from human light houses? Are there any magical light houses, I figured that there might be. How do the different light houses on the ports of the Sword Coast differ from those that could be found on the ports of the Sea of Fallen Stars? Maybe give us some details on the different light houses found in a few of those ports. Any details about any light houses that can be found among Spelljamming ports that are in Wildspace and on the planets...”
Ed replies:



Many early human lighthouses were built as copies of elven ones: that is, soaring towers at the mouth of a harbor (e.g. Baldur’s Gate) with lights atop them.
The main difference between elf and human lighthouses is that almost all of the elven beacons employ stones enspelled to glow intensely in darkness, rather than fire (that must either burn wood, something elves find distasteful, or burn oil, something they rarely have enough supply of “to just burn it, every night”).
Humans (with brief exceptions, e.g. Netheril, Myth Drannor at its height, Silverymoon and Halruaa right now, and so on) have far more rarely had access to sufficiently powerful magic to make bright, unfailing night beacons. (Holy sites, such as seashore-located major temples) are an exception to this.
Therefore, human lighthouses usually are glorified wooden bonfires - - that is, beacons perched on natural rocky heights, or atop towers. They are often roofed over with stone or something treated to inhibit burning, so as to keep blazing beacons or fires alight during driving rainstorms, and to keep handy stored firewood dry.
Of the human lighthouses that do employ magical radiances, more of them are “always on” (so that they are physically hooded when keepers want to “show no light,” whereas elven lights have more sophisticated enchantments that can be turned off by touching them and uttering phrases, but otherwise go “on” and “off” in accordance with the light or darkness around them).
Sword Coast lights must be visible from far out (above shore fogs), and so tend to be high up. Sea of Fallen Stars lights more often tend to be low down, near water-level, and to be used as “leading lights” (in other words, a mariner who sails so as to get them “lined up,” one above the other, is on the correct heading to safely find a narrow navigable channel or harbor mouth in the dark). [This is of course a generalization, and hence correct only in the majority of cases, not in every instance.]
For obvious reasons, spelljamming ports that are entered through holes (hollow asteroids, or berths that are cavities in such places as the Rock of Bral) will often employ pairs of lights as “leading lights,” to avoid having incoming vessels crash near their entrances.
Many Sword Coast pirate ports are customarily ‘dark,’ and lack towers. They may have war-beacons on rocky heights (employing treated wood that will burn specific colors, when lit on special occasions to send specific messages such as “War! Ships assemble here!” or “Keep clear! Port now in enemy hands!”), but usually “show lights” only at water level, by using “light ships” (beacons on moored ships, usually too old to be seaworthy, that are near shore, and can be swiftly scuttled to “turn them off,” or towed to lead hostile mariners astray (onto shoals), rather than by permanent lighthouses.
Evermeet has two sorts of magical beacons: visual and “attuned.” Attuned beacons, when activated, give off magical radiations that can be felt or sensed by those using the correct spells, or carrying the right magic items, rather than emitting any radiance. Attuned beacons can be “homed in on;” some of them even cause spelljamming helms to “sing” or resonate at particular pitches, that drop in volume or key if a ship changes its heading or moves away from the beacon source. There are family attuned beacons, royal beacons that the navy uses - - and no one, these days, uses them much; captains either know their way around near Evermeet, or don’t approach it at all because they aren’t elves and fear the elven skyships defending Evermeet.
I’d love to give specific descriptions of a few dozen lighthouses and port approaches in the dark, but I’m afraid I just haven’t time. Sorry, Kuje.



So saith Ed. Who continues to be frantically busy (something we’ll all benefit from, eventually, remember).
love to all,
THO
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Kuje
Great Reader

USA
7915 Posts

Posted - 26 Aug 2006 :  02:54:10  Show Profile Send Kuje a Private Message
Thanks Ed. That's pretty good lore :)

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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GothicDan
Master of Realmslore

USA
1103 Posts

Posted - 26 Aug 2006 :  03:48:32  Show Profile  Visit GothicDan's Homepage Send GothicDan a Private Message
Seconding Kuje here! Wow!

Planescape Fanatic

"Fiends and Undead are the peanut butter and jelly of evil." - Me
"That attitude should be stomped on, whenever and wherever it's encountered, because it makes people holding such views bad citizens, not just bad roleplayers (considering D&D was structured as a 'forced cooperation' game, and although successive editions are pointing it more and more towards a me-first, min-max game, the drift away from 'we all need each other to succeed' will at some point make it 'no longer' D&D)." - ED GREENWOOD
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RodOdom
Senior Scribe

USA
509 Posts

Posted - 26 Aug 2006 :  05:19:48  Show Profile  Visit RodOdom's Homepage Send RodOdom a Private Message
At some point I will know more about Faerun than I do about the real world. And I wouldn't be happier :)
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Kuje
Great Reader

USA
7915 Posts

Posted - 26 Aug 2006 :  05:26:58  Show Profile Send Kuje a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by RodOdom

At some point I will know more about Faerun than I do about the real world. And I wouldn't be happier :)



I already do know more about D&D worlds then our world. :)

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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Beirnadri Magranth
Senior Scribe

USA
720 Posts

Posted - 26 Aug 2006 :  05:38:45  Show Profile  Visit Beirnadri Magranth's Homepage Send Beirnadri Magranth a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Guys'n'gals, NEVER chase someone when wearing an ankle-lenght evening dress. I had to hike it well above my waist!



kinda reminds me of that story in magehound by elaine cunningham

"You came here to be a martyr in a great big bang of glory... instead you will die with a whimper."
::moussaoui tries to interrupt::
"You will never get a chance to speak again and that's an appropriate ending."

-Judge Brinkema
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31701 Posts

Posted - 26 Aug 2006 :  06:07:45  Show Profile Send The Sage a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by Kuje

quote:
Originally posted by RodOdom

At some point I will know more about Faerun than I do about the real world. And I wouldn't be happier :)



I already do know more about D&D worlds then our world. :)

Indeed.

I'm more than a little embarassed by the fact that I can name locations in the Realms with relative easy, while some real-world locations take time and effort for me to properly pin down.

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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Elfinblade
Senior Scribe

Norway
377 Posts

Posted - 26 Aug 2006 :  10:07:08  Show Profile Send Elfinblade a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage

quote:
Originally posted by Kuje

quote:
Originally posted by RodOdom

At some point I will know more about Faerun than I do about the real world. And I wouldn't be happier :)



I already do know more about D&D worlds then our world. :)

Indeed.

I'm more than a little embarassed by the fact that I can name locations in the Realms with relative easy, while some real-world locations take time and effort for me to properly pin down.



hehe. i have it the exact same way Sage :)
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 27 Aug 2006 :  02:43:10  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Hello again, fellow scribes. This time Ed answers The Sage, re. this: “I'm more than a little hesitant to add to my own backlog of questions for Ed to answer ... but a discussion with a fellow scribe over an aspect in another setting got me thinking about how this aspect is reflected in the Realms. It's about inbreeding, specifically... among the many royal families -- human and demihuman -- and/or long established noble families across the Realms. I know about instances of inbreeding in published Realms material already, for example... like that which is somewhat common among long isolated Underdark races, as well as the inbreeding that occurs among the ruling class of the Gugari people in the Hordelands. There are slight references in other sources... mostly with regard to noble families looking to keep favorable traits within their own family, but I'm looking more for Ed's personal take here and how he's handled the concept in his home Realms campaign, as well as any additional thoughts and/or lore he'd like to sure with me. I realize this can be a sensitive subject, and if you feel it's inappropriate to answer here, I'll understand if you do not wish to elaborate. However, I'm intrigued by this somewhat, and I'd like to learn a little more about how such an aspect is realised in the Realms.”
Ed replies:



No, no, nothing is inappropriate to discuss. After all, you’re talking to a man who’s discussed the visual success of her breast augmentation with a perfect stranger at a LIBRARIAN’S convention, very much in public. (She declined my offer of the taste test, but she was laughing as she did it.) Ahem. Inbreeding: as royalty sets the laws in almost every place in the Realms that has royalty (except in a few city-states, not yet detailed, where priesthoods have strong influences), there’s nothing illegal about inbreeding. It’s rare, and when it does happen is usually mothers marrying sons because the father (the king) has been slain, and the mother wants THAT son (often a bastard) to rule, or fathers (kings) marrying daughters. Sometimes brothers hitch up with sisters - - and uncle/niece and aunt/nephew pairings are quite common and aren’t even thought of (in the Realms) as inbreeding.
Yes, there are inevitable genetic problems. When they become obvious is usually when rules start to get forced into place (and the drooling idiots get locked up and never spoken of again, or killed in “accidents” if they don’t have to be kept around for possible backup breeding purposes).
It’s important to remember that many of the Realms deities encourage “sex for fun” (or even “sex for religious rapture”) and their priests have magical and pharmaceutical meals of preventing contraception, so “it’s only incest if the female partner gets pregnant.” This, by the way, usually means family members satisfy their curiosity and indulge feelings of mutual affection, and then go looking for less “safe and familiar” but far more exciting partners, elsewhere.
What the Realms DOES have, in most places, is laws against bringing rulers back from the dead umpteen times, or ruling as undead. Sometimes a raising done quickly, after battle, can be passed off as “healing,” but otherwise it’s usually “death is final, for crowned heads” (to avoid factions bringing back centuries-worth of kings as pretenders and tearing kingdoms apart in endless civil wars).



So saith Ed. Who seems to own an adequate supply of incest repellent in real life, I might add.
love to all,
THO
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31701 Posts

Posted - 27 Aug 2006 :  02:52:00  Show Profile Send The Sage a Private Message
Ahem, indeed.

Hmmm... Your "sex for religious rapture" bit has actually prompted another question... but I'm afraid this might delve too depply into "divine rituals" territory. I'll rework the question around and see what I can come up with.

Thanks Ed.

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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Zandilar
Learned Scribe

Australia
313 Posts

Posted - 27 Aug 2006 :  05:32:48  Show Profile  Visit Zandilar's Homepage Send Zandilar a Private Message
Heya,

quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Yes, there are inevitable genetic problems. When they become obvious is usually when rules start to get forced into place (and the drooling idiots get locked up and never spoken of again, or killed in “accidents” if they don’t have to be kept around for possible backup breeding purposes).


Surprisingly enough, inbreeding is a lot more complicated than it seems on the surface. 2nd Cousins are only marginally more likely than completely unrelated people of having children with genetic flaws. It really all depends on what genetic traits the line has, and if it has any hidden/recessive genetic diseases. Completely unrelated people can have children with hiddeously bad genetics because the two unrelated families just happen to share a genetic disease or two in common. There is no guarantee for anyone to have a genetically flawless child (in fact, I'd even go as far as to say that it's impossible), no matter how unrelated they are to their partner.

The whole "inbreeding results in deformed drooling idiots" only comes about when the genetic lines of the families are too close for too long. If it were otherwise, we'd all be deformed drooling idiots. (Look at the way we breed animals for traits - many "pure" breeds these days do have terrible genetic problems, but that's only because we've been breeding them to themselves for so long. There are ways to keep deformities out, but that usually involves compromise. My mother bred siamese cats for years, but eventually had to give it up (when I was 5 or so - it had become too expensive), and she's quite repulsed by what's happened to the breed since. She used to breed for personality, though, not for "type" - which meant her cats were a lot nicer to look at, IMHO, even if they weren't "typey".)

On that note, I've had a question inspired: Can magic repair genetic damage?

quote:

It’s important to remember that many of the Realms deities encourage “sex for fun” (or even “sex for religious rapture”) and their priests have magical and pharmaceutical meals of preventing contraception, so “it’s only incest if the female partner gets pregnant.” This, by the way, usually means family members satisfy their curiosity and indulge feelings of mutual affection, and then go looking for less “safe and familiar” but far more exciting partners, elsewhere.


I presume you meant "means of preventing conception"!

Zandilar
~amor vincit omnia~
~audaces fortuna iuvat~

As the spell ends, you look up into the sky to see the sun blazing overhead like noon in a desert. Then something else in the sky catches your attention. Turning your gaze, you see a tawny furred kitten bounding across the sky towards the new sun. Her eyes glint a mischevious green as she pounces on it as if it were nothing but a colossal ball of golden yarn. With quick strokes of her paws, it is batted across the sky, back and forth. Then with a wink the kitten and the sun disappear, leaving the citizens of Elversult gazing up with amazed expressions that quickly turn into chortles and mirth.

The Sunlord left Elversult the same day in humilitation, and was never heard from again.
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader

USA
7106 Posts

Posted - 27 Aug 2006 :  05:37:33  Show Profile  Visit Rinonalyrna Fathomlin's Homepage Send Rinonalyrna Fathomlin a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by Zandilar

Surprisingly enough, inbreeding is a lot more complicated than it seems on the surface. 2nd Cousins are only marginally more likely than completely unrelated people of having children with genetic flaws.




True, and a marriage between two cousins isn't considered incest in my state (and probably not in other places, either), but it's still...pretty weird, at least in my opinion.

"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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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore

United Kingdom
1176 Posts

Posted - 27 Aug 2006 :  10:55:06  Show Profile  Visit Kaladorm's Homepage Send Kaladorm a Private Message
quote:


I presume you meant "means of preventing conception"!




Notable, Cassil (for rendering males temporarily infertile) and Nararoot (for rendering females temporarily infertile).

Bouth found in FRCS if anyone wondered further
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createvmind
Senior Scribe

490 Posts

Posted - 28 Aug 2006 :  01:39:03  Show Profile  Visit createvmind's Homepage Send createvmind a Private Message
Hello all,


Don't know if this has been asked but would Belt's of Magnificence be in Faerun either an item once crafted in the past or will possibly be crafted in future as magic evolves?

In Miniature Handbook, pg 42, gives enhancement bonus to all scores.

Thanks

Also was the question about Stonechild in Faerun cosmology ever asked?
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TheRedBard
Acolyte

USA
19 Posts

Posted - 28 Aug 2006 :  02:11:32  Show Profile  Visit TheRedBard's Homepage Send TheRedBard a Private Message
Greetings all!
Ed, I decided to break my long lurker status to bring forth a question I've wanted to ask thee for years. (and after checking with Kuje to see if it was worth asking/asked already) I got to hear your audio interview from GC today which is the first time Ive had the honor of hearing your voice and character voices. From that and other interviews you seem like a creative and interesting person, I've wondered if you ever considered writing an autobiography. Perhaps a detailed tome on your background, influences, your views on things etc. I think it would be very interesting to read how you come up with such an amazing amount of lore and get a bit of an idea of how you draw your ideas. Last of all just needed to say, "Thanks for creating the Realms!"

"You're only given a little spark of madness. And if you lose that, you're nothing!"
-Robin Williams, 1978 HBO Special
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore

5056 Posts

Posted - 28 Aug 2006 :  03:53:32  Show Profile  Visit The Hooded One's Homepage Send The Hooded One a Private Message
Hi again, all. Thanks, TheRedBard, I'll relay your post to Ed right away. (His reply might not be so swift, because his family is visiting him for the next week or so, and THAT insanity occupies most of his time!)
However, he DID manage to send me a lore reply.
This time Ed answers lobotraxx, about this: “In the short story, coming out of the Realms of the Underdark, "A Slow Day in Skullport" there are several characters that are mentioned at the end of the story that may show up in future stories. The characters are Torthan, Voundarra, Zarissa, and a black dragon called Vulharindauloth. Which novels do they show up again in to tell more of their fate because it kind of left that part hanging? Thanks again.”
Ed replies:



Nowhere yet, Lobotraxx. One of the keys to making the Realms seem alive is to create endless “loose ends” for later use, either as DMs or “official” designers and fiction writers (witness all the novels that spotlight supporting characters I’ve created, from Khelben to Elaith to The Simbul and Lauzoril, written by other writers than me). The four characters you mention are one of those loose ends, although I do have plans for them - - if I EVER dig myself out of the logjam of seven contracted novels that I’m flailing around in right now, and have some time to spin short stories again.
By which time, of course, it’ll be the right occasion to rap on the Publishing Groups’ cubicles at Wizards again and do another short story collection. :}
So you haven’t missed out on any appearances yet. Now, back to Chapter 33 of [NDA] for me . . .



So saith Ed. Who hasn’t stopped being a large and increasingly fat and hairy tease, I see.
love to all,
THO
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Thangorn
Seeker

New Zealand
84 Posts

Posted - 28 Aug 2006 :  14:19:26  Show Profile Send Thangorn a Private Message
Greetings Ed, THO and esteemed scribes of Candlekeep..

Thanks for continuing to create such a wonderfully vibrant campaign world for us to enjoy.

Just a quick question.. I've been hunting through and havent seen it answered yet (but its possible I missed it)

What role does the High Imperceptor of Bane play in the current status quo of the Church of Bane? Is there any possibility of getting some more detail on the current heirarchy of the Church of Bane in the Moonsea region?

[edited: just one more thing]
What is the status of the (former?)Lords of the council Zhentil Keep? Lord Payr'adar and Lord Halaster survived but who did Manshoon save from the destruction of Zhentil Keep and what are they up to?

Thanks very much, keep up the fantastic work

Cheers

Ex-A Land Far Away (ALFA) DM/Builder

Faerunian Canon Despot

Edited by - Thangorn on 28 Aug 2006 15:54:09
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createvmind
Senior Scribe

490 Posts

Posted - 29 Aug 2006 :  02:09:41  Show Profile  Visit createvmind's Homepage Send createvmind a Private Message
Hello All,

Forgot this bit, in Ed's Faerun can a Monk leave the class and return later, was placed there as a youth, left to adventure and learn other skills, and later in his maturity seeks the solace of monk lifestyle again elsewhere in the world. Whats to stop him from becoming a monk again?
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader

USA
3737 Posts

Posted - 29 Aug 2006 :  03:17:29  Show Profile Send Lord Karsus a Private Message
quote:

Actually, that's a misunderstanding. Ed wrote everything canonical re: Qilue's history et al in SEVEN SISTERS. All I ever did was toss ideas around with Ed over beer and say, "Hey, what if that Dark Sister were ACTUALLY a drow?" That'll teach me to open my mouth.

Steven
Who tries never to claim creation for things that sprang from others' brains....



-Well, Steve, why Drow? Why not, say, an ebony-skinned Human, or something else?

(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know)

Elves of Faerûn
Vol I- The Elves of Faerûn
Vol. III- Spells of the Elves
Vol. VI- Mechanical Compendium
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Smyther
Learned Scribe

Canada
121 Posts

Posted - 29 Aug 2006 :  03:27:46  Show Profile  Visit Smyther's Homepage Send Smyther a Private Message
I was just thinking about something today, not very important, so there's no rush to answer. Are there any signatures in the realms that are famous/instantly recognizable? Could you describe them at all? I could see signatures such as Azoun's being famous, posted on royal proclamations or such posters around the realms - or are they used as such? Are signatures used at all beyond highest formalities? Are there any well known (well, comparitively for such a business) businesses that forge signatures? Do commoners often use them, or do they stick with an X when required (or realms equivalent). Maybe there is other information I haven't thought of that you can, or anecdotes from the DMing days.
And one last thought, if you deal with it at all: in deals with devils (or demons, should one be foolish enough), selling one's soul, do they often require written contracts with the person's signature (or blood?), or is verbal enough?

Thanks for your time, as always.

So sayeth the Smyther, the Dark Bard of Amn.
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