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Ladejarl
Seeker
Norway
55 Posts |
 Posted - 09 Jun 2007 : 15:33:18
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hello again, all. This time Ed responds to Mandras, re. this query: “Hello Ed, Could You help me out with a minor detail about Sword Coast area:
What does the banner and trail signs of Baldur's Gate Merchant's Guild look like?
How did I miss this one? Does this mean the before mentioned NDA on Baldurs Gate has been lifted?  |
"There should be much less violence, and more nudity and kinkiness in the world." |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jun 2007 : 20:01:37
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Hi, all. I’ll take the saddle this time, to answer (as promised a handcount of days ago) scribe Calrond re. this: “I came across something I found that Ed had written (I'm fairly certain) at least 3 years ago. It's an article called "Alustriel of Silverymoon, Queen of 'Courtly Love'".
http://www.geocities.com/timessquare/castle/2566/ed-alustriel.htm
At the end of the article, Ed describes a gaming session where the PCs had to look for Alustriel in a bathhouse-style room filled with naked people making love, and he mentions the looks on the players' faces at that point.
My question is if you were a part of that gaming session, Hooded Lady, and if so, can you add anything to the story? (Why did the players need to find Alustriel? What happened when they found her?) My curiosity has been piqued.”
Right. Here we go . . .
Yes, Ed wrote that some time ago; I’d say comfortably more than three years, by now. To put it briefly:
In the home Realms campaign, we Knights were in Everlund, trying to track down some Zhent spies and plots. We found a dying Harper (Zhent work), and were tasked by her to race to Silverymoon to swiftly get a brief, urgent message to Alustriel. As it concerned possible treachery in the Palace in Silverymoon (it was a warning to her of possible Zhent agents and their intended attack on someone), we were warned to deliver it to her ears alone, hopefully after we’d managed to get into her presence without too many courtiers seeing us. Ha-ha, and so forth; we knew by the twinkle in Ed’s eye that THAT wasn’t going to happen.
So it was “blunder in and try our best, at top speed” time. We prevailed upon a Harper we knew to get us into the city and then the Palace disguised and through secret passages, but when we reached his trusted contact, we found her missing, with a note left atop her discarded clothes: “Sorry, unexpected visit Storm Silverhand, wild revel called. Upper Bower, no clothing, Silverhair night.”
The Harper groaned at that last, and went to find a certain apprentice mage to cast the spell necessary to turn the hair hue of all females among us silver, so we (like every other female in the Upper Bower, which proved to be a large but low-ceilinged, candlelit hall with a warm pool, lots of lounging cushions with drinkables and what I can only describe as chocolate icing for eating with the fingers and mouth out of its bowl or off proffered flesh) would resemble the two Sisters. We stripped, hiding a few needle-daggers in our hair (two of us also customarily wore choker ribbons about our throats that have dagger-sheaths at the back, so a sheathed dagger hangs down below the nape of our necks, concealed by our hair), and hastened to the revel.
We were afraid everyone would stop and stare at us upon our arrival, but there was so much coming and going (pun unintended), laughter, and folk dragging each other off into adjoining rooms for more energetic fun, that we were barely (ahem, unintended again) noticed at all.
The problem was, of course, the embarrassment of wandering around the dimly-lit, water and cushion-bedecked revel peering at every amorous couple, seeking to find Alustriel (possibly “underneath”). It took some time, but we managed it—and one of the Zhent traitors happened to be literally right on top of her at that moment, so she took firm hold of his throat, mind-reamed him silently on the spot, found out more about the plot than any of us (or the dying Harper) knew, and murmured a few quiet orders to amorous Silvaeren nearby, who drifted away to see to things (I assume she silently sent a few more mental messages to certain personages here and there in the city). Then, of course, she invited us to tarry and join the fun. Oh, and she went right on enjoying the Zhent, trying to lift his shattered spirits (and ahem, something else), rather than clapping him in irons or suchlike. He was trying to gabble apologies and she was nibbling at his ear and telling him, “Don’t tell me you’re sorry, SHOW ME you’re sorry and trying to make it up to me.”
And Storm was winking at us all from nearby; Torm groped her under the water and she used one leg to tug him under and hold him there, his frantic bubblings tickling her. Memorable fun.
I do have a brief note from Ed to add: most of the Baldur’s Gate NDAs remain in force; he slipped his recent lore reply through a gap in them. 
Clever lad.
love to all,
THO
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jun 2007 : 20:08:09
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Aha! Lady THO, was this the same Silverymoon foray Ed talked about at a GenCon seminar once, where the Knights ended up facing down a mysterious stag-headed sorcerer?
Inquiring minds want to know . . . |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jun 2007 : 20:11:31
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It was indeed.
However, I'm not going to say anything more about that stag-headed entity, because Ed Has Plans for him/her/it. 
love,
THO |
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Zanan
Senior Scribe
Germany
942 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jun 2007 : 21:04:28
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Vendui to the Hooded One and Ed!
It could well have been asked beforehand, but I haven't found the relevant scroll thus far. So let me ask s/he who knows again: does the Realms have areas where something like the Aurora Borealis / Northern Lights can be seen and are there somesuch within the Realms at all? Obviously, some Auril priests would claim them to be signs of their goddess, won't they?
Aluve, Zanan! |
Cave quid dicis, quando et cui!
Gæð a wyrd swa hio scel!
In memory of Alura Durshavin.
Visit my "Homepage" to find A Guide to the Drow NPCs of Faerûn, Drow and non-Drow PrC and much more. |
Edited by - Zanan on 09 Jun 2007 21:05:48 |
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jun 2007 : 21:09:47
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Yes, Ed wrote that some time ago; I’d say comfortably more than three years, by now.
It isn't in the REALMS-L archive, so if that's where it was posted it's from 1998 at the most recent, since that's how far back the archive goes. |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2007 : 01:32:36
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Hi again, all. This time I present Ed’s Realmslore reply to these two posts of related queries from createvmind: “Hello All, Ed can you explain the advantage of Yaun-ti making humans into Tainted and brood guards? In the description it doesn't say anything in regards to a Yaun-ti actually gaining control of the tainted human just from the transformation.
I assume that this process makes tainted humans more vulnerable to mental domination by the Yaun-ti but doesn't actually make the human a slave of the Yuan-ti due to transformation.
If I'm correct then would I be correct in assuming that only Yaun-ti perform this process, never do they give the potion to their slaves to administer on their behalf since they can't follow up with the mind control. Or does the process ostracize the once human from normal society and leave them no choice but to serve the Yaun-ti for fear of human prejudice?
I've notice mention of a Tainted One Harper in Serpents Cowl (SK) but it's not made clear whether he was a Harper prior to transformation.
Basically I'm trying to see if the tainted ones sent to deal with the PC's would be given potion to attempt to transform the human PC's by their Yuan-ti master.”
and:
“Hello All, Mr. Greenwood as a follow up to my Yaun-ti question I now tread into darker waters, if the same potion were given to a pregnant woman, what becomes of the unborn child when she is transformed into either Tainted One or Broodguard? What happens to unborn children when women are subject to harmful spells/attacks that inflict level drain and such things, like a percentage roll to determine whether child is affected and possibly how.
Question only struck me as now the situation may occur in game and got me to wondering, "Women can have it pretty rough in Faerun when it comes to such things, poisonings and drugs and such." so I await your response on such a delicate matter.” (Jamallo Kreen echoed an interest in Atad “Yelloweyes,” the Harper in Serpent’s Cowl.)
Ed replies:
I hope Eric’s answer has taken care of Atad on Serpent’s Cowl, but I’ll try to tackle your other questions.
First and foremost: no, it would NOT be usual for slaves to administer those potions unless the yuan-ti had a lot of captives to “process,” and they were firmly in yuan-ti custody (chained or in cells, in a yuan-ti compound or city). Even then, a yuan-ti would accompany the slaves, for reasons I’ll outline hereafter.
So tainted ones sent to negotiate, fight with, or capture PCs might have other potions with them that make the PCs fall asleep or slide into a lassitude [equal to a slowed condition, speech falls to a murmur, one action per round and no “free actions”], or more likely have darts or needle-daggers freshly dipped in such potions, but wouldn’t carry the transformative potions.
Your assumption is correct: potion-affected (transformed) humans are made more vulnerable to mental domination by the yaun-ti, but imbibing the potion doesn't actually make the human a slave of the yuan-ti.
What the potion does is remove any human fear of snakes, make human tongues capable of picking up scents and the human’s brain instantly aware of what these subtle odors mean (so they can sense yuan-ti emotions a lot better than if they haven’t drunk the potion), “imprint” the affected human to submit to any yuan-ti staring into their eyes as the potion transforms them, and alters their bodies not just visibly, but also so as to make any controlling spells cast on them last indefinitely (i.e. makes them in effect permanent unless other magical or alchemical means are later used to counter them). They sense vibrations as a yuan-ti does, understand the yuan-ti hierarchy and respond to it (a “chemical tug” within them, in accordance with scent and sight), and are also rendered temporarily docile after imbibing the potion (torpid; they are in no condition to do anything quickly, such as flee, fight, try to resist yuan-ti spellcastings, et cetera).
Yes, the transformation does make most unaffected humans shun the transformed one out of fear and disgust, and in some situations (after the torpor wears off) can drive them to flee or seek the “protection” of the yuan-ti.
. . . I’ve broken Ed’s reply here, and will post the rest of it immediately after this one; shorter posts more often seem to get through all right, whereas longer ones are far more likely to trigger a “timed out.” Back in a minute.
love, THO
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2007 : 01:34:31
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Hi again, all. Here’s the rest of Ed’s yuan-ti createvmind reply:
Please note that some humans feel “on fire” as the potion begins its work, and may fight or flee in a frenzy before the transformation really starts to take hold, and torpor sets in (so an affected spellcaster could hurl spells, snatch up a spellbook and wands, and then run like blazes, as scales are starting to appear on his or her skin, to get away from other humans and “hide” or seek out a temple, before calming into placidity and slowing to a plod or lying down in concealment to give in to the rest of the change.
What the yuan-ti usually WANT to do is force a potion into a human, and then hold the human’s jaw or head so as to stare fixedly into its eyes as the transformation takes place, to gain dominance over the transformed human.
Some humans are overwhelmed by the heightened smell, and vomit (this doesn’t lessen the potion effects), and others are aroused (sexually), and writhe and moan or purr, often seeking to rub their skins and the sides of their heads against yuan-ti, other humans, handy walls, and so on.
Moreover, most yuan-ti tribes have their own recipes for these potions, that vary slightly from the potions used by other tribes; this makes humans affected by their potions respond to them as slaves, and experience mild revulsion when approached by other yuan-ti. In other words, the potion makes the humans receptive to the controlling spells of the yuan-ti who fed them the potion, but far less receptive to other yuan-ti.
When it comes to the effects of a potion on a pregnant woman, that must be left to the Dungeon Master. The DM must determine “what happens” so as to best handle player sensibilities, overarching campaign plotlines, and so on. In general: unborn carried children are at more risk than the mother when it comes to life-sapping magic, magical potions, poisons, and drugs (because her body’s blood supply transmits everything swiftly to them, in concentration, and because their small size makes them more vulnerable to life draining), so it’s quite likely that the potion will be (select a result):
• fatal to the unborn
• fatal and force an immediate stillbirth
• transform the unborn completely into a (pureblood) yuan-ti, resulting in a weak and miniature-sized yuan-ti being born instantly and wounding the mother as it emerges because of its abrupt change in form (even though the mother is being herself transformed at the time; mother/child bond remains)
• force an immediate birth; unborn human is unaffected by transformation, but may (depending on development) not be able to survive long beyond birth
• mother is transformed, unborn is not; no ill effects on unborn (this is probably the least likely outcome of the options presented here)
This is indeed a sensitive topic, and the DM must decide which option to use with an eye to not upsetting players, maximizing roleplaying possibilities, and so on (for instance, as a DM I would find the unborn-transformed-into-pureblood-yuan-ti to be a fascinating outcome, as regards roleplaying, but I would not pick that option if I thought it would deeply upset or anger my players, this being a game intended for fun, after all, and with my overarching imperative being the survival of an enjoyable campaign).
In the “good old” TSR days, these things were very simple: human pregnancy and childbirth were “out of bounds” when it came to the Code of Ethics, beyond mentioning that a given kingdom had an heir or not, or a prince or princess was expected to marry to provide one. We could never have discussed this in print, anywhere.
When writing SERPENT KINGDOMS, all three of us had so much ground to cover, and the Tainted One/Broodguard information had already appeared in print in three other 3rd Edition sources, that there was no way we were going to revisit it (I wrote the yuan-ti “life of” section, as it happened). If someone had wanted me to fill 300 pages just on yuan-ti, yes, this sort of material, plus yuan-ti language, hobbies, and art, a “scent code” and all sorts of other cool details would have appeared. Everything you could ever have wanted to know about yuan-ti, and a whole lot more. 
So saith Ed, ever-energetic Realms designer. Who right now has to go pull weeds out of the potato patch, his wife insists. 
love to all,
THO
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Calrond
Learned Scribe
USA
118 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2007 : 05:04:24
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Thank you for the tale, Hooded Lady! It's always great to hear anything having to do with Alustriel or Storm. And who better to show their personalities than Ed? I'd love to hear about more adventures when you have the time and the story-telling mood strikes.
Always a pleasure,
Calrond |
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createvmind
Senior Scribe
490 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2007 : 05:19:26
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Thank you for the quick response, I went with my assumption and did indeed only have tainted ones harrying PC's with poisons and assuming their form and causing problems in that manner. Now I await to see what they decide to do now, we are in fall of 1372 and I'm trying to determine exactly when and what returns to the abandoned Boareskyr Bridge area should the PC's travel in that direction.
Thank you again. |
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2007 : 15:52:57
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Dear Ed and Lady THO,
Another Cormyr question, if you will:
If I am a ship captain tying up at Suzail's docks, or a caravan master sending my wagons in through the city gates (in either case coming from outside the realm), what sort of government (or other) inspection do I face?
A War Wizard reading my mind to decide if I'm a smuggler? Or do they go through the cargo?
I'm talking peacetime "usual procedure" here, not when Cormyr is at war or suspicious or wary in the midst of a crisis.
Thanks! |
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2007 : 15:56:08
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Sorry, I've got another Cormyr query, but this one not for campaign use, just my curiosity . . .
What noble family of Cormyr (not counting the Obarskyrs) is the one Ed most wants to write about in the future?
His "future favourite," if you will?
Thanks! |
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maelstrom58
Acolyte
USA
32 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2007 : 20:39:58
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*staggers in, gasping for breath*
Well, it took me half a year to do it, but I finally read all of Ed's threads front to back. Ed, Lady THO, I honestly can't believe you have time to do this (I wouldn't be able to even write these responses on a daily basis, let alone all the other jobs, commisions and trips both of you seem to juggle simultaneously), but I sincerely hope that you continue to do so for years to come; the reading has been incredibly entertaining. Thanks!
I've done enough bootlicking now, I think, and I have several questions for Ed:
I have seen much coverage of the 'tallhouse' apartment / tenement type of building in the urban Heartlands, which I assume is reminiscent of the Ancient Roman five- or six-story insulae. My questions are, how big dimension-wise (i.e., 150 feet by 50 feet) are the tallhouses of the Heartlands, and how many people are they designed to hold total? On each floor? Also, how much space does one occupant get, and what accommodations do they receive on average? How much can they expect to pay for such living space?
Thank you,
Maelstrom |
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AlorinDawn
Learned Scribe
USA
313 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2007 : 21:08:22
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ED & THO,
I certainly hope the potato patch is clear of weeds by now. Where is Lanseril when you need him eh? Where does a successful Waterhavian look to hire a business manager to look after things and run is multiple business ventures? I imagine this is a common practice for those who have their hands in many pots so to so to speak, and to not only have someone to manage each business, but a singular individual to assist in overseeing all the business ventures as a whole. One of the characters in our campaign has several money making ventures and does not have the business savvy or the time to manage them.
Thanks
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Kazzaroth
Learned Scribe
Finland
104 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jun 2007 : 00:46:55
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quote:
Originally posted by Purple Dragon Knight
I'm not Ed or THO, but if you wish to achieve this as a player, you will need first to make things very clear with your DM (i.e. "DM, I want to keep this absolutely secret from other players! or I roll another character!") Don't tell him how to run his game, but make a short list of two or three things you want to achieve in the short and medium term, and perhaps one big long-term objective to "define" your character in his mind, and more importantly, focus some of his DM prep efforts your way.
Second, in game, you will need to LIE, LIE, LIE!!! all the time! Lies upon lies upon lies. Layers of lies. Otherwise, other players will figure out what you're up to. Don't fall into the "evil-genius-monologue" trap (i.e. don't blab or boast about your victories in or out of character). In-character, don't trust any of the party members and DON'T make an "ally" or "friend" with any of them (of course, fake friends are fine, like you bedding the largest fighter of the group pretending you love him!  )
Well, that's why I asked from Ed and THO because I need some 'middle' goals (and prefered methods to do them). I know my char wants achieve (like all true Cyrist fanatics do) get Cyric as high god :P.
But besides that I know that I have to lie alot and not reveal my cards (when consider other 'evil team' players would likely try exploit those). Just wanted some good ideas/tips what Ed and THO likely have thinked/experienced at game table when it comes for villains (vs players) ;).
Anycase I likely do some edits or creative touches here and there, depending how my DM will be lenient or how he will plan play the npc's out. But os far as I know the DM's focus on having all players have fun so dealing whit npc's in generic sense can be quite easy (even there are three categories for combat. In one is doned by freeform telling favoured by the player, second is half-freeform and third is actual rulewise). |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jun 2007 : 02:25:54
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Hi again, all. Ed and I chatted briefly about Atad “Yelloweyes” after his reply to createvmind, and decided the original query, plus the followup from Jamallo Kreen, deserved more of a response.
So here’s JK’s query: “I, too am very interested in Atad "Yelloweyes." I had him appear briefly as an NPC in a recent game, but since I didn't know whether he was a Tainted One who was fighting the taint with the knowing help of the Harpers, or a Harper who had become Tainted and is now used by the yuan-ti against local humans, I just let him slide through the adventure without giving him any real personality or goals (secret or otherwise) than making some gold as a guide for some of Aluena's guests (the PCs). Ed, please tell us more about him.”
And here’s Ed’s reply:
Atad “Yelloweyes” is the sole survivor of the Ruush’lek (“ROOSSH-[[glottal stop]]-lullek”), a small yuan-ti family. More than two decades ago, the Ruush’lek were exterminated by the Company of Crazed Venturers after the Venturers tracked the boldest Ruush’lek, whom they knew only as “Rimriskal the Unblinking,” a sinister yuan-ti trader-in-poisons in Scornubel, to the family lair (after Rimriskal fatally poisoned several merchants in Scornubel the Venturers were buying information about “snakefolk” trade dealings from). The small, well-hidden family cavern-lair is northeast of the village.
Atad is a soft-spoken, manipulative, gentle-of-manner sort (expert at “fading into the background when necessary”) who slowly won trust in the Cowl. Of all the Ruush’lek, he was the least menacing to humans (and if truth be known, hated his kin, all of whom oppressed him as a “weakling”). He dwells alone in the family lair, keeping his belongings hidden under rocks there and staying at home seldom; he usually sleeps in the open, and when not guiding makes a living as a local maker and seller of soothing (not healing) ointments, cosmetics, scents, dyes, and sauces (he brings them into the Cowl after dark, selling them to the proprietor of the Dusty Dragon for resale).
Atad serves the Harpers as a local “eyes and ears” spy, faithfully reporting to them any contacts he has with yuan-ti or their agents seeking to co-opt him in any schemes (usually shady trade deals originating in Scornubel); his standing orders from the Harpers are to “go along” with all such schemes. The Harpers use him more as a passive information gatherer and source of handy disguises (he’s superb at swiftly applying cosmetics, and can change the apparent hue of a human’s skin, or make them appear subtly older or younger, VERY quickly) than anything else. His family cavern provides travelling Harpers with a handy “safe house” to sleep over or recuperate in, and he tells the Harpers as much as he can learn (without asking) about everyone who hires him as a guide. He has a way (washed garment hung to dry on a certain branch) of signalling to passing Harpers to follow him on some guiding expeditions (so they’ll trail the party he’s guiding, keeping out of sight unless he needs rescuing or the party launches a brigand ambush or gets caught in a fight with yuan-ti or anyone else that the Harpers want to intercede in).
So saith Ed. Several Venturers (notably the characters played by Andrew Dewar) has some side-adventures in Serpent’s Cowl, and it was also used in one of Ed’s library mini-campaigns. For a time, it was certainly one of those “sleepy little villages that hides sinister secrets.”
love to all,
THO
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jun 2007 : 02:30:39
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Sorry, I just can't resist. maelstrom58, you've done more than enough bootlicking - - so I await OTHER sorts of licking from you, forthwith! 
Seriously: tallhouses on to Ed. They do vary in size, even on a single street, but Ed will tell you more. Soonish, I hope.
love,
THO |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jun 2007 : 03:23:02
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Another odd query, to add to my pile... Hopefully this one won't require any real time or effort from Ed.
In the real world, there are eight thousand different "How many X does it take to change a light bulb joke?" Some go for professions, some go for various groups, be they ethnic, regional, or even just having a particular characteristic. Is there a Realms version of this joke?
Similarly, there have been, at various times, jokes which focus on the perceived lack of intelligence of some groups. When I was little, I heard a lot of "dumb Pollock" jokes (apologies to any hailing from that particular region of the world; those were just the jokes of the time); as a teenager, many of those jokes were repackaged as "dumb blonde" jokes (similar apologies to our fair-haired scribes). Do these jokes have a Realms parallel? |
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I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Uzzy
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
618 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jun 2007 : 15:12:39
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Hey Ed and THO! I've a seafaring question today.
Do Faerúnian sailors suffer from Scurvy, and how, if at all, do they treat it? And what do they call it? Thanks in advance! Also, can others join in this licking of THO? |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jun 2007 : 03:10:37
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Hello again, all. This time I come bearing Ed’s Realmslore reply to Blueblade re. this: “A Cormyr campaign query: If I am a young noble in Cormyr right now, Realms-time, do I know which nobles (or families) are most opposed to Caladnei? Or Alusair as Regent?
I'm not talking exiled nobles or advocates of treason, I mean nobles who aren't fans of Caladnei, or of the Regency, and either politely say so, or quietly work against the authority or plans of either the Royal Magician or the Regent, or both.
Or are such opponents VERY secretive, and I couldn't know?
Thanks!”
Ed replies:
Most young nobles in Cormyr are viewed as “flamebrains” (hotheads) by elder nobles, who will tell said younger nobles (except for heirs) nothing about “sensitive” matters.
However, that doesn’t mean young nobles are stupid or unobservant; they can usually tell exactly how their elders feel about something, even when “past personal history” is successfully kept secret. (And it often isn’t, due to catty gossip among nobles that servants overhear and can pass on even when said younger nobles aren’t present to hear, and to drunken or enraged-by-rivals nobles having loose tongues upon many occasions.)
So your “average” young Cormyrean noble, if there can be said to be such a thing, has a pretty good idea of family attitudes.
Caladnei is considered “fair game” (as in: “safe to sneer at”), because she’s an outlander, she’s not believed to have the competence Vangerdahast did in either using the War Wizards as her personal iron fist or in using them to find out what every last noble is thinking, let alone saying. However, almost every noble is secretly relieved to have Caladnei as Royal Magician and NOT Laspeera (who is presumed to know EXACTLY which noble closets house skeletons, and what all of those skeletons are wearing, too) or someone almost as well-versed in Cormyrean history and with a lot more Art up his or her sleeve. So “catty sneers” on the order of, “Well, what can one expect? She’s hardly one of us, truly of Cormyr, now, is she?” are de rigeur, but Caladnei’s very “shy, retiring, tentative” style has kept her from nobles actually working against her, beyond snorting, “What befalls when a little lass is handed the top throne-task, aye?” or “When’s little Miss Mouse going to grow up a little, is what I’D like to know!” or “What’s she hiding, behind her little ooh-coo act? THAT one bears watching!”
With all of that said, her most vocal public critics are probably the Illances, with the older Emmarask matrons (NOT Alaphondar) running a close second.
So saith Ed. Who will return with more for Blueblade (this time about the Regency, and Princess Alusair) on the morrow.
love to all,
THO
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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jun 2007 : 03:31:11
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Hi again, all. Ed and I chatted briefly about Atad “Yelloweyes” after his reply to createvmind, and decided the original query, plus the followup from Jamallo Kreen, deserved more of a response.
So here’s JK’s query: “I, too am very interested in Atad "Yelloweyes." I had him appear briefly as an NPC in a recent game, but since I didn't know whether he was a Tainted One who was fighting the taint with the knowing help of the Harpers, or a Harper who had become Tainted and is now used by the yuan-ti against local humans, I just let him slide through the adventure without giving him any real personality or goals (secret or otherwise) than making some gold as a guide for some of Aluena's guests (the PCs). Ed, please tell us more about him.”
And here’s Ed’s reply:
Atad “Yelloweyes” is the sole survivor of the Ruush’lek (“ROOSSH-[[glottal stop]]-lullek”), a small yuan-ti family.
(snip)
Many thanks! |
I have a mouth, but I am in a library and must not scream.
Feed the poor and stroke your ego, too: http://www.freerice.com/index.php.
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Baleful Avatar
Learned Scribe
Canada
161 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jun 2007 : 18:14:45
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A Cormyr question, if I may: how much does the average citizen of Suzail (who never travels much, certainly not out of southern Cormyr) know about the various Dales? How quickly does news of what happens there trickle down to them, and how incomplete or distorted does it get?
Thanks. |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jun 2007 : 19:20:15
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quote:
Originally posted by Baleful Avatar
A Cormyr question, if I may: how much does the average citizen of Suzail (who never travels much, certainly not out of southern Cormyr) know about the various Dales? How quickly does news of what happens there trickle down to them, and how incomplete or distorted does it get?
Thanks.
Ed has recently answered a post just like this on March 22nd of this year. |
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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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jun 2007 : 21:55:36
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Well met!
I have a question which I know Ed has partially answered in the past, but the Search function is over-burdened today so I can't find what Ed's already written.
I am interested in the Swordkrypt Mountains and their surroundings, i.e. from Neverwinter Wood to the Kryptgarden Forest, from Leilon northeast to Triboar (including the ruins of Phandalin), and northward from the Mere of Dead Men to the mountains themselves. I am interested in the heights of the mountains, how extensive their foothills are, what paths (if any) run through them, how well- (or ill-) forested they are, and what settlements currently exist on, in, and around them.
I have Volo's Guide to the North and The North pdf, the Dungeon Magazine adventure set in the Kryptgarden, and I know about the three (?) "worms of the north" in the area, so Ed doesn't need to rehash what he has already published in print. It's what's in his notes which he hasn't published that interests me.
Pretty please, Ed, tell us some more about the Swordkrypts and their surroundings.
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I have a mouth, but I am in a library and must not scream.
Feed the poor and stroke your ego, too: http://www.freerice.com/index.php.
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jun 2007 : 02:10:57
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Hi again, everyone. As promised, here’s the rest of Ed’s reply to Blueblade, this time about: “If I am a young noble in Cormyr right now . . . do I know which nobles (or families) are most opposed to . . . Alusair as Regent?
I'm not talking exiled nobles or advocates of treason, I mean nobles who aren't fans of . . . the Regency, and either politely say so, or quietly work against the authority or plans of . . . the Regent . . . Or are such opponents VERY secretive, and I couldn't know?”
Ed replies:
Outside the realm (in Westgate and Sembia), what’s left of the Dracohorns and Cormaerils are loud and frequent in their condemnations of the Regency, but most other nobles regard their words as personal enmity and not valid criticisms.
Inside the realm, certain Huntsilvers and Crownsilvers believe Alusair has demonstrated a headstrong, ruled-by-her-rages tendency since childhood that make her fine for leading bloody cavalry charges in battle, but a disaster just waiting to happen as a ruler. They believe that having a very young king is a perfect situation for “prudent and wise” courtiers such as Alaphondar to rule Cormyr, taking direction from a council of senior nobles (said council including certain Huntsilvers and Crownsilvers, of course). This could lead to a permanent reduction in the power of the Obarskyrs and of the War Wizards, so that senior nobles could curb the “excesses” of the Dragon Throne and safeguard a realm that makes war far less often, and in peaceful prosperity enriches the leading noble families over and over again; in other words, laws and customs would benefit the nobles and landowners, not outlander traders such as Sembians, and the perennial problems with Arabel and Marsember would recede as the rightful ruling families of those places saw the ongoing personal benefits of remaining at peace, and using the Purple Dragons (enforcing laws fine-tuned to benefit the nobles) to crush rivals and “upstart” wealthy merchants who “don’t know their places.”
However, you as a young noble would NOT know that certain Huntsilvers and Crownsilvers are behind such beliefs, only that “any truly sensible noble, who knows what’s REALLY going on,” believes that such a way of ordering Cormyr would really be best for the realm, if the Steel Regent and the Dowager Queen could only, somehow, be nudged into accepting it. Not that that bitch Alusair can be nudged into doing anything that doesn’t involve mounting and riding a young noble who catches her eye. Still, no Obarskyr lives forever . . .
(You would “know” such attitudes because you would hear them muttered, by many older nobles of many houses, at revels and feasts and hunts and upper-room gaming-moots, over and over again [pointedly outside the hearing of any Obarskyrs, War Wizards, or Purple Dragons]. Said older nobles would be seeking to slowly and subtly make younger nobles think this way, and keep an eye out for who agrees with such thinking, and who reacts against it.)
So saith Ed. Giving us all a glimpse of what we Knights have known for years: with Ed as DM, Cormyr is an endlessly fascinating place that really comes alive, with an endless parade of surging and swirling intrigues.
love to all,
THO
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jun 2007 : 02:30:49
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Dear Ed and Lady THO,
My friend went to the Canadian Book Expo this weekend hoping to get something signed by Ed, and was disappointed to find out he wasn't attending.
Umm, given that he's up in the top five bestselling authors in Canada, why not?
Not wanting to sound petulant, I just hope he wasn't being snubbed again. The CanLit establishment seems VERY snobbish.
Thanks. |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jun 2007 : 02:35:47
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No, no snubbing.
But thanks for your concern.
Ed tells me the ladies of the library he works with love going to CBA - - for some of them, meeting certain authors (and scoring free books) is a thrill - -so someone has to stay behind and run the library. Several someones, in fact, one of them being Ed. Who has signed so many thousands of books at so many CBAs that the thrill is gone. (Various publicists miss him, because they persist in wearing high heels, year after year, and ending up with aching feet - - and Ed insists on giving them foot messages, so they worship him.)
So this year he stayed home and finished up the annotations for the Annotated Elminster, instead.
love,
THO |
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jun 2007 : 02:39:22
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Ah, thanks for the quick reply.
And thank you (and you too, Ed the Master) for your Cormyr replies for me.
Good to know we'll be seeing the Annotated Elminster in fully explained glory, too. |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jun 2007 : 02:49:24
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Wooly dearest, regarding your query about "dumb XXX" Realms jokes, Ed will reply soon, but I can start you off by saying that in the Dragonreach lands (well, the Dales and the Vast, at least), Ambral Isle is the colloquial home of fops and dunderheads, so that's one of the regional butts of those "dumb" jokes.
love,
THO |
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maelstrom58
Acolyte
USA
32 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jun 2007 : 19:44:32
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Sorry, I just can't resist. maelstrom58, you've done more than enough bootlicking - - so I await OTHER sorts of licking from you, forthwith!
[...]
love,
THO
Well, far be it from me to refuse a lady's wishes...
Actually, this makes me think of another question (for THO): THO, did the players of the Knights of Myth Drannor ever run an evil party? If so, could you give us some highlights from the campaign?
Thanks,
Maelstrom |
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Questions for Ed Greenwood (2007)
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