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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
747 Posts |
 Posted - 16 Apr 2019 : 00:57:05
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Sournra Rostravo
(SOORN-ra) Gnomish proprietor of Rostravo's Root Cellar (fruits, vegetables, preserves, and a variety of household necessities, Snail Street, Trades Ward). The Cellar is located in an actual, low-ceilinged cellar and those of the taller races should watch out not only for the looming timbers above but the variety of full sacks, loaded nettings, and bundles of dried this-and-that that hang heavy from them. The true proper name of the place, known only to local gnomes and a few hin, is Rostravo's Llarmra ("llarmra" being a gnomish word for "root cellar" [of the winter storage variety radishes and rutabegas specifically, as the burrowing gnomes tend to have multiple types of storage cellars and multiple names for them]).
Lustrous black hair heavily greying at the temples; bright, ever-watching eyes. Easy-going, impish. Has swift tongue and swift wit, but only uses them to gently tease, not to truly hurt or offend. Constantly smokes from a pipe, from which wafts the scents of cranberry and woodsmoke.
Ssaeryl Shadowstar (LN HF P14 of Sune)
The Lady in Black, The Callipygian Glory, The Illustrious Brightness of the Heartlands, The Flame of the Frozen North, Oscillator of the Luminous Ether, The Sorcery That Inflames the Souls of Men, The Star For Which All Evening Waits, The Inenarrable Godhead of Delight, The Most High Beauty of the Goddess. Ssaeryl has served as high priestess of the House of Beauty for over twenty years and as many Waterdhavians who have met her will attest to she has not lost any of her youth or her looks in that time (leading many to gossip that she recieves regular castings of beauty-enhancing magics or quaffs of revitalizing potions or, even worse, that she is really a vampire or merely an illusory image put forth by a cabal of high-ranking Sunite priests). Her primary surname comes from the dark motes of magic that manifest themselves around her when under attack a precaution granted by Kazor el Rhadajah (the former Vizar of Almraiven) to his favorite jhasina. Unfortunately, similar enchantments around his own personage proved vulnerable to a concerted attack by his rivals, and Ssaeryl was forced to flee Almraiven (and the smoking ashes of her former master) to avoid a similar fate. She was guided to the City of Splendors by the will of the goddess and found refuge in the temple, her ineffable beauty and cunning mind providing a rapid ascent through the ranks. [ Source: City of Splendors - Who's Who In Waterdeep, p.62. Name/Stats given. Additional detail by me. ]
Starlingspell
The Most Excellent Evoker of Times and Spaces. A noted glim-spinner (hirespells who use illusions to provide animated "you are there" scenes of important battles and events to audiences at feasts and formal gatherings with forewarning, to avoid upset or violence or the illusions of spell effects at dramatic moments in a play). His illusory works are polished and smooth and show masterful composition; he knows the secrets of arranging his groups in the most spontaneous and natural manner. Bitter rivals with the glim-spinner Maerlantar of Silverymoon.
"Stoneskull" Halzammer (CN DM F4/Bar2)
Dwarven sellsword of minor note. Advancing age and a lifetime of martial ailments have taken their toll, may no longer be worth his hiring price. Commonly found in Virgin's Square and the Dripping Dagger. Burly, black-bearded. Broad shoulders and hips, and large knobby hands. No talent or patience for names or faces.
Storntar Rhen
A long-ago ranger of the North and Harper ally. His weathered headstone in the Heroes Garden ("The Place where the Grey Ghost Sleeps") is a common Harper meeting-place.
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Sraece Telthorn (CN HM F16/thief-acrobat7) [ Source: A series of 01/23/06, 02/09/06 and 02/15-16-17/06 postings to the Candlekeep.com message boards by Ed Greenwood. Name/Description/Stats given. Also statted as (F16/swashbuckler7) in Class Chronicles: Swashbucklers, Marshals, Dragonfire Adepts <wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070613> ]
Starago Nye [ Source: Waterdeep News: Double Wedding On Spindle Street <wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/wdn/20051130a>. Name/Description given ]
Starragar Jardeth [ Source: City of Splendors: A Waterdeep Novel. Name/Description given ]
Stort Melharhammer of Mirabar (NE male shield dwarf Ftr4/Rog12) [ Source: A 03/05/06 posting to the Candlekeep.com message boards by Ed Greenwood. Name/Description/Stats given ]
Stramling the Wise [ Source: SSI Official AD&D Computer Product Treasures of the Savage Frontier. Name/Description given ]
Stroamyn [ Source: City of Splendors: A Waterdeep Novel. Name/Description given ]
Suedlaurma and Vlorn Bhephel and Rauvelore ("Rauve") Bhephel (CN EM War1). [ Source: Dawntree, Part Three <archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rl/20040114a>. Name/Description/Stats given ]
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Edited by - AJA on 16 Apr 2019 01:01:21 |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11690 Posts |
Posted - 16 Apr 2019 : 17:09:25
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
Temblos "Half-Horned"
A minotaur martialist at the Field of Triumph. One of his horns (the right one) is indeed missing, shorn off close to his skull by the axe of an enemy in the Blood Arena of Manshanka. Although the pair never met until they set foot into the Field, sparsword promoters loudly proclaim him to be the "calving-kin" of his fellow minotaur bloodyblade Tohvruus "Two-Horned," and his fights both alongside and against his "horn-brother" are eagerly anticipated by the crowds.
Tohvruus "Two-Horned"
A minotaur martialist at the Field of Triumph. Although the pair never met until they set foot into the Field, sparsword promoters loudly proclaim him to be the "calving-kin" of his fellow minotaur bloodyblade Temblos "Half-Horned," and his fights both alongside and against his "horn-brother" are eagerly anticipated by the crowds.
a new bout is currently being touted by the promoters for the minotaur pair against "Tenkar the Tri-horned", a minotaur outcast for his mutant nature, and "Yikvari the Pale", a rumored warlock of a being known only as "the Forgotten God" whom some excitedly whisper "must be" related to the Hill of Seven Lost Gods outside Westgate. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
747 Posts |
Posted - 19 Apr 2019 : 00:22:25
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Hevryn the Knife
The Big Bodkin, The Bully of Blackcobbles. Tall and powerfully built, with barrel-shaped arms and belly. A minor underling of the Xanathar. Hevryn terrorized the citizens of Blackcobbles (a neighborhood of Dock Ward) for a time until he picked an ill-advised fight in the Amber Alejack tavern, and was laid low by the Tymorite priest Jorynn Halstaff and the swordswoman Thazrae Swordswift. Hevryn's favored weapon, a huge meat cleaver, was later appropriated by the street tough Jindrek.
Hespero Nine-Lives
Legendary Talfiric warlord. Owner of The Muniments of Hespero Nine-Lives, his full battle panoply of masterful mail-coat, helm, gauntlets, girdle and tower-shield. Only the nine-studded girdle and Tarvahos, the tower-shield, are still in the possession of Man, locked away in the Deep Vaults of Castle Waterdeep.
Hex-Witch
(see also: Hedge-Mage) Mageling or hedge wizard who specializes in the so-called "vengeful vexes," the minor curses and social inconveniences popular among the nobility and idle rich. Although hired hex-workers are of both sexes, they are universally regarded as witches, as the ancient stereotype of the spiteful crone or spurned woman still prevails in the present day. Much like their more powerful wizardly brethren the fraternity of hex-workers is a prideful one, and the creator of a new nettle-spell is sure to attach their name to it, as to increase their fame and their clientele (not that it lasts long once copied by competitors; take for example Dalanna's Tripping Tongue, now simply known as stuttertongue or tonguetwist).
Most such minor hexes can be cured with relatively simple (but costly) dispelling magics, but more mundane solutions include decoctions of aromatic garden herbs; stimulative poultices; powdered linseed and honey dissolved in white wine, or in beer; diuretics of saffron and mercury; a mash of ground malt and bran equal parts; repeated ingestions of extract of lead; and of course, simple bed-rest and the natural passing of time.
While a full cataloging of such deviltry is beyond the scope of this entry (in Waterdeep alone there are a known variety of some fifty-seven separate vexes that cause repeated uncontrollable belching, farting, loose bowels, or vileness of tongue; three-dozen known to distort face and extremities or blister and blemish skin; a like number that affect severe itching and internal irritations; and twenty-and-five that directly attack voice or speech; as well as such random molestations as unexplained uneasiness or restlessness in morning or night, awkwardness of gait [esp. through painful cracks in the heels], scaly exfoliations or partial loss of hair), some of the more common follow below:
Orascurl's Vile Lutescence (a day and night of vomiting followed by a yellowness of the inside of the eyelids, the lips and the tongue; even the urine is of a saffron colour)
Jardon's Slight Affectations (sudden callous enlargements of the wrists and ankles)
Sessra's Sluggish Debility (heaviness of the eyes and head hanging drowsily at importunate moments)
Bledra's Knotted Jaws (swelling and puffing of the jaws, causing slurring of speech and pain in eating anything more substantial than soups)
Duthglae's Foul-Sight (a foul viscidity of the eyes)
Lloraundeir's Llament (colorful and plentiful discharge from the nostrils)
Lamper's Luxuriant Palate (spongey enlargement of the roof of the mouth, causing speaking and eating discomforts)
Wrendalae's Burning Cautery (an unpleasant caustic, stinging sensation in the extremities)
Hlambertan Ultorm Emberfast Hawkwinter (CN HM Aris)
A noble of House Hawkwinter (named "Ultorm" for his great-grandsire, a holy warrior of Tempus whose eyes he shares, and "Emberfast" after his father's favorite racing steed, an asperii-blooded roan with scarlet blaze and fetlocks). Wide-set, dark gray eyes, big neck and shoulders and a florid complexion. Vain, brash, boastful. Completely enamored of the Gond-gunne he calls Goldsmoke. He is currently seeking the services of a master artisan to replace the stock, trigger, and divers other parts with inlays and etchings of precious metals commensurate to its' name. This of course is quite an expensive undertaking, and one that far exceeds his family allowance, and so he has taken upon the idea of hiring himself out to adventuring companies in hopes of scoring a big treasure haul.
Hlandor "Boldharp" (CG HM B2)
A Full Fellow (senior student) at the bardic college of New Olamn. Rash, reckless, foolhardy. Hlandor idolizes famous warrior-bards such as Storm Silverhand and Mintipur Minstrelwish, and dreams of immortalizing himself in song as they are. Proficient with both the rapier and hand-crossbow.
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Hildagriff [ Source: The novel The Dream Spheres. Name/Description given ]
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AJA
YAFRP
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
747 Posts |
Posted - 20 Apr 2019 : 00:33:36
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The Brotherhood of the Nonce
The Noncemen. Thieves Guild of Nesmé. They mostly leave the wary, well-armed groups of adventurers and sellswords alone, focusing instead on stealing from caravans camping in town and, when guild numbers swell enough, raiding them on the trade roads outside.
Brothers of the Birds
A travelling troupe of acrobats, jugglers, tumblers, bowshots and flame-swallowers. Range as far north as the Roaring Dragon House outside of Waterdeep, spend the majority of their time and winters along the Trade Way from Baldur's Gate to Scornubel, and down into the trade-cities of Amn. The Speaker (contact) of the Birds is Jusko "Finefish" Faenfish, dark-haired and dark-eyed, agile, charming, and self-described thief-acrobat (but not acrobatic thief) and "purveyor of popular amusements."
The Brown Lady
One of the city's many restless dead. Most often sighted along the length of Cliffride as a misty, wraith-like figure wearing a long, ornate brown dress (hence her name), standing out over the waves crashing below in silent watch or, more infrequently, drifting through the halls of the rental villas that now house the bard's college of New Olamn. Legend has it that when her beloved went off to fight in the Trollwars, the Lady pledged her eternal love for him. After he was killed in battle she threw herself off the cliffs, dying of a broken heart. Her appearance is said to foretell great tragedy to lovers who cross her path, and she has become a frequent subject of many recent ballads composed by New Olamn bardlings.
Brūnthae Battlemaster
Dwarven priestess of Clangeddin Silverbeard. Author of Lessons Grimly Learned (1233DR). "As the warrior shrinks in her aging, her glories should expand. In the end, it should be all glory and no warrior."
Brūlth Thunderloaf
Proprietor of Thunderloaves Bakery (Quaff Alley, Trades Ward). Thunderloaf is obviously not his real surname. That he does not deign to share, but if he's feeling fancy (or wine-warm) he will grandly introduce himself as Brūlth, Blood of the Thunderer of Moradin! When further asked of this "Thunderer of Moradin," Brulth will only draw close and enigmatically reply, "he did not bake loaves." Runs the shop alongside his wife, Helmgurtha, and three apprentices (one human, two Hin). The majority of his clientele is human, but he also bakes and sells thorth (mushroom bread) and thorlurth (mushroom bread pudding), both dwarven favorites.
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Bruth Melber [ Source: "Wyrms of the North: The Sunset Flame," Ed Greenwood, Dragon Magazine #239, p.32 and Wyrms of the North Galadaeros <wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/wn/20020828a>. Name/Occupation given ]
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AJA
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Edited by - AJA on 20 Apr 2019 00:36:02 |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
747 Posts |
Posted - 23 Apr 2019 : 01:35:15
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Dheldruth Nimmur
Author of Old Customs and Old Ways: Waterdeep Before the Lords (1366DR). "You may find yourself surprised to know that today's honeyed highcoin were yesterday's poisonous rabble. Or not, considering the only real change is in the richness of their robe and in the fullness of their belly. The common grasping for coin, that remains same as it ever was."
Dhylmorre (CN HM W12)
A Waterdeep native and member of the Watchful Order. Dhylmorre is an unimaginative mage who desires ranking with such luminaries as Khelben Arunsun and Maskar Wands. Unsuccessful at creating his own spells, the unscrupulous Dhylmorre has found it easier to steal them instead, increasing the contents of his spellbook at the expense of his guild colleagues. Killed and subsumed by the doppelganger Ulvaaghryn in 1372DR, so that the Unseen might replace the magical might lost with the identity of the wanted mage Vahje. [ Source: Marco Volo: Departure, p.6. Name/Description/Stats given. Additional detail by me. ]
Diademed Dlarna (CN tieflingF T3)
An independent thief active in Skullport and the Lower Wards. So named for the three thumb-sized ivory knobs that protrude from the dusky skin of her forehead. Wields The Susurrant Blade of Sūneh.
"Diamond" Dlurbast
Local thief, bullyblade and cutthroat. Made his first big score (and his name) by absconding with a carry-chest of diamond dust from the residence of the mage Yarthen, late of Bazaar Street. Now carries a walking cudgel studded with several rings of impressive clear stones (not diamonds as he claims, rather hard quartz spindels that leave nasty gashes when swung against flesh).
Diamond Tom
Urban legend or old adventurers tale. Said to haunt the depths of the Undermountain. A waddling, overweight old tom-cat. According to delver legends "Diamond Tom" (or, more rudely, "Sh*t-Eater") ingests human excrement and in turn defecates little steaming handfuls of diamond gemstones. A number of veteran Undermountain delvers claim to have encountered Diamond Tom, including the infamous Company of Crazed Venturers. [ Source: Extrapolated from A 05/09/06 Posting to the Candlekeep.com message boards by The Hooded One. Description given. Additional detail by me. ]
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
747 Posts |
Posted - 24 Apr 2019 : 01:30:20
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Uliphar Halstrode (LG HM F9)
Ward Civilar, Trades Ward (1332DR - present). A still-spry man of some seventy winters. Born and raised in Trades Ward. Has turned down promotion many times to stay in the Ward he has come to love, and is currently the longest-serving Ward Civilar. His determination to serve the city of Waterdeep and its peoples began when, as a young boy, he witnessed the funeral of the Open Lord Baeron and his wife, the Lady Shilarn. Uliphar has a knowledge of Watch tactics and organization and the law codes of the city second to none, and he is often consulted on such matters by Captain Rulathon, Grand Civilar Windsfire, and the other Ward Civilars.
Ulmgryn the Unlucky
Formerly Seamaster (captain) of the privateer Ulmgriffyn. Obsessed with the festhall singer Galthrae, attempted to abduct her outside the Dancing Dolphin. Her screams and struggles drew such a crowd that the kidnappers were forced to abandon their plot and (along with the gathered onlookers) escort her to her rented lodgings. Ulmgryn and his first mate remained in the street outside afterward, drinking wine and swearing revenge until set upon by Galthrae's lover, a blade of the Watch. The pirate lost two fingers in the duel that followed, then the sight in his right eye and the ability to distinguish colors, courtesy of a hoof-blow from a startled carriage-horse in the flight that followed. Some two tendays later the Ulmgriffyn foundered in a squall off Neverwinter, the crowning moment of misfortune that ended in his retirement from the sea and his sobriquet. Can now be found back of shop twineing rope and cord at Klaerd's Master Knottings, Dock Ward. He often claims to know the buried location of two platinum coronets and other assorted regalia of a lost noble house of Tethyr, but no one believes him.
Ulvaaghryn (NE greater doppelganger)
"The Vengeful." A member of the Unseen. In his natural form, Ulvaaghryn possesses the thorough upper-body tattooing common to the doppelgangers of the Unseen. Owns the other-forms of Sulavryne (NE ½EM F4/T4), a sneering, sibilant, eyepatch-wearing assassin in the employ of the Xanathar; and Dhylmorre, an ambitious mageling and member of the Watchful Order.
Unvizarded Vasht
Native of Calimshan. A well-known martialist at the Field of Triumph. Handsome, dashing, vain. Cinnamon skin, well-trimmed and well-oiled beard and moustache. Claims to be the son of a dao earth-lord. Does not fight with armor or shield. Quickly losing interest in combat fighting, training in his spare time learning how to be a professional brightlance (jouster) instead. Fights in a fluid, twirling style. Uses twin scimitars.
Urshaarn (LE greater doppelganger)
"The Shackled." Once captured and bound by the mage Maaril (who intended to uncover the secrets of the greater mirrorkin's shapechanging abilities). Still wears the twin cold iron manacles (now drained of their enchantments by a rod of absorption) around his wrists. Often poses as Hevris (LN HM P4 of Ilmater), a penitent of the Crying God, or as Draevel Red-Eyed (N HM T4), a minor sneak-thief and underling of the Xanathar. In his natural form, Urshaarn possesses the thorough upper-body tattooing common to the doppelgangers of the Unseen.
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AJA
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Edited by - AJA on 24 Apr 2019 01:47:49 |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
747 Posts |
Posted - 01 May 2019 : 01:09:20
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The Five Sights You See, Lost Down The Deep Green Alleys Of The High Forest
"'Whom seek you?' said, or rather sung, a planetary voice right at my shoulder. But three short unmusical Saxon words, yet it was as though a mystical strain of music had passed through the wood....and behold! the tree at whose foot I lay had opened its rocky side, and in the cleft, like a long lily-bud sliding from its green sheath, stood a dryad, and my speech failed and my breath went as I looked upon her beauty, for which mortality has no simile."
The Quest of the Golden Girl, Chapter IV: In Which I Eat and Dream, Richard le Gallienne
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Glancing Silver
A forest glade, brightly sunny by day and misty and glimmering in the moonlight, where the stream ripples over a broad tumble of rocks and the murmurous waters sound in ones ear and inside ones head. A place-spirit resides here, in an impossibly deep, placid pool to the side. The weird is known to be able to speak and hear, communicate telepathically, and become visible/invisible at will. The elves knew it of old, and brought gifts of laurel and sweet myrtle; in more recent times only a handful of rangers stop occasionally to give simple devotions, as did the druid Ornaglum Wildhand, before he was set upon by orcs near Black Bear Cleft and killed.
The spirit may pass dream-visions to those who sleep on the mossy bank, especially to those who favor the gods of nature; if sufficiently appeased it may also give water from its' pool which, with the aid of a variety of simple forest prayers, will serve as potions of healing or sweetwater.
Ammataum
Of old an earth-spirit inhabited this bald, weathered granite plug. The dwarves of the region were well aware of it; the first prospectors offered their picks in supplication and for a long time thereafter, blacksmiths, armorers and craftsmen of the stout folk would come to leave their old, broken and worn-out implements in kind. The first humans in the region arrived to discover a vast pile of such in a cleft of the tor, which quickly gave rise to various names; Rusted Rock, the Hill of Hammers, the Tinsmith's Table, Gond's Great Tailings. There are no magic swords or dwarven mail laying therein, not that that stops would-be thieves from disturbing the iron boneyard. Rockfalls and sudden earth-fissures around the hill (and around the despoilers) are common occurrences during these times, leading some sages to theorize that the earth-spirit of old is merely slumbering, not dead.
Horse-Eye Creek
Named for Dluntar "Horse-Eye," the ranger who built a small steading along its banks. The black sunflower-like flowers that grow here were once called arthraun by the elves, but are now better known as horse-eyes to humans (the oil pressed from the seeds is said to be particularly good at helping with cramps and arthritis). Horse-eyes do not thrive away from the banks of their eponymous water source; some Mielikkites believe this is due to a compact Dluntar made with his goddess upon his death, but this may be apocryphal (the elves certainly think so).
Lobb's Rest
Brokengulf hunting lodge nestled under the eaves of the Black Woodlands, a dense stretch of wood to the north-west of Loudwater, thick with shadowtop and ettercap. While hunting game is the primary concern of the lodge, Brokengulf factors also quietly engage in brisk sale of various spider and ettercap venoms and poisons, harvested from the local denizens. Current Master of the House is Marabren (portly and hard-eyed; quiet and careful in manner); current Master of Horse and Hunt is Ambarra "Able-Flanks" (lean and pale, with dark rings under dark eyes; deadly with both bow and whip, as eager in the saddle as in bed).
The Stag-Horned Door
In the High Forest is an old, dark, gnarled oak tree, with what appears to be a large weathered lightning-hole riven into the base of its trunk. Atop this darkened cleft are an array of horned stag skulls, of various ages and moss-coverings. The opening is a portal consecrated to Silvanus, which acts as a transport via plants spell to those who know its methods of triggering (most likely having something to do with the bones of small animals and rotting plant matter that carpet the ground under the tree's low, menacing eaves). Some whisper that right before one steps through the darkness, lightning strikes and thunder rolls and the colors of Faerūn reverse themselves....and the stag skulls suddenly stand out in sharp, looming relief and they are not alone, for the tree seems embedded with countless other skulls of all manner of size and age and shape....all human or humanoid in origin. But then the glare crashes back into utter darkness, and travellers find themselves stumbling out of a green, leafy, quite ordinary tree in an altogether different part of the forest.
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AJA
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Edited by - AJA on 03 May 2019 01:14:24 |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
747 Posts |
Posted - 01 May 2019 : 01:11:58
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Blephander of Hilavar
Wrote treatises on both rulership and scathing political satires (his Alchemy of Fear and The Boatmen were particularly well-recieved). Blephander and his final manuscript, Ten Thousand Black Days, an unflattering biography of his service to various petty lords during the Tethyrian civil war, were both lost in a suspicious blaze at his abode. Two chapters of Black Days, The Corpse-Mounds and The Wailing Women, survived and have been turned into lowcoin plays popular with the commonfolk of Tethyr.
Blesh "Nightkissed"
A member of the Hobgoblins street gang. Had his eyes turned into orbs of solid black and gained the ability to see shapes in the dark (ultravision, 60'). His fellow thieves believe him to have been blessed by their god Mask, but only Blesh hears the sultry whisperings of Shar in his head. He also sees things in the dark; sinuous, slithering things that haunt his fitful dreams. Increasingly finds respite in strong wine and strange powders.
Bliphel and Bleftul and Baphelas Maurhorn
Bliff, Bleff, and Baff. Gnomish proprietors of Obb's Orbs (Intricate Trinkets and Delicate Devices, Plus Mending and Cobblery of Various and Sundry, Slop Street, South Ward). "Obb" was their father, Obbus Maurhorn, who could carve The Dawn Procession of the Seven-Score Delights in its' entirety on the pommel-stone of a letter-opener, even though his eyesight was long lost to youthful disease. Bliff is the tallest (and eldest and baldest) of the trio, Bleff has the most luxurious far-drooping moustache and the sharpest eyes, and Baff is the heaviest, with everpresent silver flask and silvered sales pitch.
The Blood of Lurue
"Seven are Her children bold / Seven sent to Faerûn fold / Seven all their fates untold" While She of the Forest and the Faerie is the mother of all of Faerûn's unicorns (and a number of other beings of mystery and magic as well), there are Seven who were birthed directly of Her essence, and were sent to facilitate Her mortal directions, as follows;
Faelûvhh First-Born, Bright-Shining (who gave his horn to save the elves of Earlann and aid their escape to Evermeet, and is now better known as the demi-god Besparr, Lord of Horses);
Ieriymu the Fleet (often said to have been the White Horse of King Enbelad of the Elves, swifter than the Dessarin in spring; immortalized in Blacksheaf's True Tales of the North as Starhoof, "Fastest Steed of the Savage Frontier");
Holûvhh Third-Born (companion and protector of the Enchancelaur of Lurue, currently Jenndelûvae Iannthopae);
Eugleth Grey-Silver (who sought ever-greater heights, until he was lost into "the soundless gulfs where the constellations sway"; there are those who look for him in Arathandorl [the Color Spray Nebula]);
Aragluin the Weftwise (hunted down and slain by a band of Uthgardt hunters led by Red Lion, his still-beating heart fashioned into the head of the dark, cursed spear called Shaeldussra);
Taelva the Spangled (along with her twin Ygled, once tasked with healing Faerun of the weeping, festering sores known as wild-magic and dead-magic zones; worn thin from her duties and allowed to retire to the forested glades of the Evermeet); and
Ygled Starry-Mane (who still serves her mother in her worldly affairs, and is known to tarry at the far headwaters of the Unicorn Run)
"Bloody Axe-Hand" Balaghrim
A tall, powerful, saturnine man. Almost always found in full (helmetless) armor. Fond of twirling his full black moustache to punctuate conversation, or in place of verbal reply. Once a feared brigand and mercenary captain in the North. Plagued by nightmares and battle-pain. Breathed too deeply of the languid vapors in the slumber-dens of the curtained depths of the House of Purple Silks. Lost his mercenary command, earned coin as a bullyblade of the Xanathar. Set upon and slain by rivals outside the Dripping Dagger, 1361DR.
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The Blood Red Crown [ Source: "By Dragons Ruled and Divided," Ed Greenwood, Dragon Magazine 1998 Annual, p.8. Name/Occupation given ]
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AJA
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Edited by - AJA on 06 Jul 2021 00:53:32 |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
747 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2019 : 01:15:47
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Shaella Halfhelm (CG HaF Com2)
Proprietor of the Seawrecked Seawrack, a brightly-colored, up-ended fishing skiff that now serves as home to her "gorg-and-grog" food stall. Located hard on the docks near Seaswealth Hall. Shaella's stall serves hearty helpings of "gorg" (a thick, oily stew usually made with tomatoes and leeks and whatever fish and seafood are abundant that day), thick-crusted black breads, and her "grog," a throat-numbing concoction of beer and the dregs of the Brewer's and Vinter's Guilds rum barrels. She is aided in her endeavors by her two sons and three daughters, a host of other local street urchins (some of whom are in service to Shabra the Beggar-Queen, and will seek to liberate loose purses or avenge any slights given to their "Mother Shae"), and a number of noisy gulls who continue to roost on the roof of the stall despite repeated broom-warding efforts.
Shaelyrr
Young, spritely, always-grinning. Back-Wards tradespell who enchants rings, pendants and various bladed weapons to pulse and flicker with various random glows for a time.
Shaerendylee (LG HF)
A tall, gangly maiden. Has shown the potential to grow into a graceful, dexterous woman, if she ever learns to master her knees and elbows and feet. Big-eyed, Solemn-faced. Shy and reserved, tends to stare silently at strangers. Works as a scullery wench in the kitchens of New Olamn and spends her spare time glued to the side of Rhalruin, the Master Cataloguer of the college's music library. Has a great fondness for the library's collection, and her growing ability to comprehend even quite complicated musical scores has led to Rhalruin gathering a list of local bards to take her on as a student. "Shendee" was orphaned too young to remember her mother, the adventuress Tcharess Brandeth, but is quietly watched over by two of her former companions and confidants, Rhalruin and the gnome Lustral Blackalbane.
Shalaea Zendross (N HF Aris8)
The current Mirabaran envoy (ambassador) to Waterdeep and the Lord's Alliance. White-haired, genial, punctilious. Shalaea began her duties after the former envoy, the dwarf Mithril Deepshield, was killed during the events of Halaster's Harvestide. Maintains offices on the Street of Silks in Castle Ward (third green door south of Sevenlamps Cut, emblazoned with the Arms of Mirabar and flanked by two mailed doorwards).
Shalgondier of the Excellent Spells (N HM W14)
A Calishite mage of great skill and pomposity. Constantly mutters sarcastic comments, saving the most cutting for those out of hearing. He once acquired a great fortune by charging other workers-of-Art an exorbitant sum (ten thousand gold coins or more) to ward their spellbooks with a special dweomer. This magic, Shalgondier's Excellent Magical Refusal (not to be confused with the ancient unrelated Netherese casting, Shalgondyr's Most Excellent Rebuttal), acts as a ring of spell-turning, twice (whenever magic is cast at, or so as to include, the book), and is then exhausted. Unfortunately, the rest of Shalgondier's spell repertoire proved to not be so useful, and he was forced to flee Calimport ahead of a mob of Sharrans, angry creditors, Shadow Thieves, and spell-hungry Thayans. He has since found refuge in the villa of House Anteos, as tutor and house-mage and gossipy confidant of Lady Ranaya, though his demeanor has already worn quite thin with Lord Dulbravvan. [ Source: Ruins of Myth Drannor: Campaign Guide, p.74. Name/Occupation given. Additional detail by me. ]
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
747 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2019 : 00:54:22
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The Bronzéd Boar
The Bronzéd Boar was a magical juggernaut constructed long ago by artificers of the Talfir. In 1244DR it was awakened and tore a path of destruction across the Chionthar, culminating in the tumbling of the walls of Irieabor, before being brought low by the archmage Orleye. History says its mangled remains were smelted down into braces and buckles and other such materials for the Iriaeben city guard, but there are long-time whisperings that the Boar was actually buried under a great mound of rubble, now cobbled over and built upon. Indeed, recently murmurs have begun swirling that its resting place has been discovered by agents of a fell power, and efforts to reignite the fires in its bronzed belly have begun anew.
Brorim Moonstar
A noble of House Moonstar (eldest son of Haradel and Laspara). Brorim has inherited both his father's saturnine facial features and his commandeering, forceful personality. He is an accomplished swordsman and holds a personal code of honor that often leads to him challenging those who slight him (imagined or otherwise) to duels (whether sanctioned by the Magisters or not is unimportant, as long as the matter is settled). For six years Brorim personally led many of House Moonstar's caravans and expeditions, although he has since settled into a more behind-the-scenes role (indeed, he has taken to personally financing many independant or smaller ventures, with an eye towards assuming a more prominent role within the House). He has a great disdain for his cousin Rober, and is increasingly jealous and infuriated that the latter was named as Lord Helve's heir.
Brorim Zeldzannar
Widely-read Tethyrian political philosopher. Wrote screeds on politics and power, both practical and speculative. He focused heavily on mages and workers-of-Art, and how their abilities held both great potential and great danger to Artless rulers. His best known work is Dreams Bright And Dark (1312DR) "It is unwise to arouse the powerful if your concerns lie with the powerless."
Brost Ilvadarr
A sculptor noted for his masterful series of carvings depicting the Seven Dolors of the Fallen Kingdom (War, Pestilence, Spellplague, Elfgreed, Hubris, Godsleep and Famine).
Brymb of Essembra (LG HM Exp2/Adp4 of Milil)
Short, rosy-cheeked, rotund. Has a balding pate pulled back into a braid, and a full handlebar moustache. A "small-spells" mage-for-hire, member of the Guild of Trusted Pewterers and Casters, and amateur philosopher. Also a frequent sight in the tankard houses of Trades Ward, where he holds court on topics ranging from what constitutes a good ale to how the whims and angers of the gods affect life in Faerūn. Collects the best of his ramblings into chapbooks titled An Almost Full Flagon: The Wit and Wisdom of Too Much Wine. They never tend to sell much. Good friends with the chandler Jastra Blynthard, the gnome Lustral Blackalbane, and the storyteller Sorvaern.
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Bubbles [ Source: Ed Greenwood's Spin-a-Yarn 2009: Night of the Dread Pudding. Name/Description given ]
Bubbles in a Pipe [ Source: Ed Greenwood's Spin-a-Yarn 2009: Night of the Dread Pudding. Name/Description given ]
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
747 Posts |
Posted - 07 May 2019 : 01:20:35
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Jalathro Haraldheer
An excellent finesmith. Crafts ornate guards, end-caps (pommels) and hilt ornamentations for bladed weapons. In high demand by the nobility (expect any sword fitted with his work to cost hundreds of gold pieces and to wait months for crafting). His lavishly-decorated designs are suited more for ceremonial weapons than actual battlefield use, but are of such quality that enchanters have effortlessly incorporated his work into their magical items (most notably The Jundsblade, the enchanted everbright broadsword commissioned as a Hawkwinter family heirloom).
Jalladana Raventresses
Half-elven adventuress and influential member of the House of Wonder. After the death of the previous Magister of the House, she vied with the necromancer Meleghost Starseer for the office and would likely have been nominated until rumors of her being a spellfire wielder (rumors started, some whisper, by Meleghost himself) arose. These rumors led a number of powerful cabals and spellcasters to her door with the intent of capturing her with sword and spell and commanded monsters. She fought them all off at great cost to her home and loved ones, only to be taken unaware and slain by two vicious firedrakes that leapt forth whole from the shimmering weave of a wall-length tapestry she had acquired some days before. With her death Starseer rose to the position of Magister of the temple, and donated her trove of treasure and crafted magic to the House (and to himself). Her heavily-damaged North Ward townhouse (High Road, next to the House of Healing) was later converted into luxury apartments and ground-floor shops.
Jamble Buckleboots (CG HaM)
An itinerant tavern-singer and would-be adventurer. Born to a farming family in the Purple Hills of Tethyr. His original clan-name of Fargarden dropped in favor of a more "heroic" surname of his choosing. Eager and willing to sign on to a dungeon delve or wilderness forth-faring at a moments notice, though he has little in the way of combat experience and will soon begin to complain if certain standards of food and comfort are not met. Skilled in several languages, as well as wind-pipes and the lute.
Janadzhia the Golden (LG HF Exp3/P5 of Sune)
Lady Seraphel (prior) of the House of Beauty. Short and well-curved. Round, unlined face, full lips, large hazel eyes. Has a voluminous mass of golden curls, never styled the same way twice. Wears Shaevalhess, the "Serpent of Shields" (an ancient Illefarnan stomacher-and-girdle bearing several defensive enchantments as well as the ability to shoot forth serpent-shaped lightning bolts) and wields Varhthos, the ceremonial winged staff-of-office (has powers akin to a staff of curing and a ring of shooting stars).
Janessin Forthright
A druid of the North. In Alturiak 1368DR he magically anchored himself in the front court of the Quiet Place, transforming into a large maple tree with unusual golden foliage. He emerged from his vegetative state some two tendays later, claiming to have recieved a vision from Silvanus himself, and a prophecy regarding the treants of the High Forest. After some time spent consulting with the other nature priests of the temple, he shapechanged into a large raven and flew off over the rooftops of the city, eastwards along the Dessarin river valley.
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Jalarra [ Source: City of Splendors: A Waterdeep Novel. Name/Description given ]
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Edited by - AJA on 07 May 2019 04:45:20 |
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Zeromaru X
Great Reader
Colombia
2442 Posts |
Posted - 07 May 2019 : 02:21:27
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| Perchance, do you have a compiled PDF of all the NPCs described here? With a few modifications, they could fit in a 1480 DR campaign. |
Instead of seeking change, you prefer a void, merciless abyss of a world... |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
747 Posts |
Posted - 07 May 2019 : 04:46:10
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I do have a master list that I'm posting from, but it includes full description of the various Ed/"official" NPCs (which I've only been including here as base reference points) and I've been editing it for spelling and content as I go along. When I get down towards the end I will collect my NPCs into .pdf form, though I haven't thought of just how to arrange that yet (alphabetical being the easiest, but not necessarily the most useful), and offer a link to it, for those who want.
In the meantime I'm glad to hear they are of use, in any era.
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11690 Posts |
Posted - 07 May 2019 : 18:28:00
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
The Blood of Lurue
"Seven are Her children bold / Seven sent to Faerūn fold / Seven all their fates untold." While She of the Forest and the Faerie is the mother of all of Faerūn's unicorns (and a number of other beings of mystery and magic as well), there are Seven who were birthed directly of Her essence, and were sent to facilitate Her mortal directions, as follows;
Faelūvhh First-Born, Bright-Shining (who gave his horn to save the elves of Earlann and aid their escape to Evermeet, and is now better known as the demi-god Besparr, Lord of Horses);
Ieriymu the Fleet (often said to have been the White Horse of King Enbelad of the Elves, swifter than the Dessarin in spring; immortalized in Blacksheaf's True Tales of the North as Starhoof, "Fastest Steed of the Savage Frontier");
Holūvhh Third-Born (companion and protector of the Enchancelaur of Lurue, currently Jenndelūvae Iannthopae);
Eugleth Grey-Silver (who sought ever-greater heights, until he was lost into "the soundless gulfs where the constellations sway"; there are those who look for him in Arathandorl [the Color Spray Nebula]);
Aragluin the Swift (hunted down and slain by a band of Uthgardt hunters led by Red Lion, his still-beating heart fashioned into the head of the dark, cursed spear called Shaeldussra);
Taelva the Spangled (along with her twin Ygled, once tasked with healing Faerūn of the weeping, festering sores known as wild-magic and dead-magic zones; worn thin from her duties and allowed to retire to the forested glades of the Evermeet); and
Ygled Starry-Mane (who still serves her mother in her wordly affairs, and is known to tarry at the far headwaters of the Unicorn Run)
Love this. Especially the similarities to Mystra's Chosen in there being 7 of them. Also, given that Mystryl and Lurue seem to be "sisters" since they're both possibly born of Selune in some way makes it more interesting. Though I've done something different with Besparr "Lord of Horses", it is nice to see the nod to Dragon #54 and Ed's old article Down to Earth Divinity on gods of the realms. I'd noted that from that article we never see a lot of the gods later (most because they have an origin in Melnibonean lore), but in particular we never see Besparr, Lord of Horses. We also never see Camazotz, Lord of Bats (actually a Mayan god) mentioned in the realms to my knowledge... so I'd stick him in the Maztica/Lopango/Anchorome/Katashaka area AND/OR down in the underdark with the various races of batfolk (Bainligor and Desmodu) ; we never see "Sneel, the Great Rat" either but we do see Ishistu the Albino Rat, the Great Hairless One, Lord of Perfection in Zakharan lore and Squerrik lord of Wererats. There's also a "Repra, King of Serpents" mentioned, but there's a lot of snake deities, so I'd assume just an alias.
Also like this part "the Enchancelaur of Lurue"... makes me think "magister".
The last two... intriguing in that they "may be something more"
Here's what I'd done with Besparr... which admittedly COULD work if the "primordial horse" that Valigan was with were Lurue... but I really don't like that. I had changed him to actually a stag in the metahel pantheon (in the Faerunian, he might be horse... the intent was to mirror the story of Sleipnir, but change it so that the reader goes "its still Nordic").
Besparr the many-legged Lord of hooved animals, Asperii and Hippocampi. It is said by the Metahel that Besparr is born of a pairing of Valigor the Runtborn Giant while in the form of a doe and a great primordial Caribou. Besparr appears as an eight legged caribou of silver and grey fur and enormous antlers that can ride the winds, but he can also enter the sea in the form of a hippocampi or appear as an asperii or giant ram. It is said that Besparr is both male and female, and he has both fathered and born offspring with other entities, including legendary horses, stags, goats, and rams that serve the Metahel deities. Primarily worshipped in Anchorome, his worship has spread to Katashaka with the coming of the Metahel. In Anchorome he is worshipped by centaurs, asperii, Poscadari Elves, Metahel humans, avariel elves, and aquatic elves. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
Edited by - sleyvas on 07 May 2019 21:03:20 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 07 May 2019 : 20:19:27
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
I do have a master list that I'm posting from, but it includes full description of the various Ed/"official" NPCs (which I've only been including here as base reference points) and I've been editing it for spelling and content as I go along. When I get down towards the end I will collect my NPCs into .pdf form, though I haven't thought of just how to arrange that yet (alphabetical being the easiest, but not necessarily the most useful), and offer a link to it, for those who want.
In the meantime I'm glad to hear they are of use, in any era.
I'm sure Big Al would be happy to host that here.  |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
747 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2019 : 02:17:15
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quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
Love this.
Well, I was always taken with Ed's description of his original concepts for Lurue which went, in part;
quote:
Originally posted by Ed Greenwood, Questions For Ed Greenwood (2004), 20 Mar 2004
Originally, Lurue WAS magicbefore Julia Martin added the name Weave to my GenCon explanations of the great web of magic thats everywhere in Toril, binds Toril together, and IS Toril, Lurue was the embodiment of the Weave....The TSR designers quite rightly (given the humanocentric core of that version of AD&D, with its level and power limits on non-humans) wanted human gods to be front and center and of the greatest power and importance, so Mystra (most important to intelligent creatures trying to USE magic) became also the Guardian or Mother of the Weave, and Lurue sort of . . . danced sideways. To become the awe-inspiring mystery she is now.
And that's how I've conceptualized her since. Azuth is god of spellcasters, who teaches how to "plug in" to and access the Weave; Mystra is the Weave, the means to access and control the stuff of magic; and Lurue is the chaotic, primordial stuff of magic and mystery and Faerie, and, ultimately, Faerūn itself.
But that requires a wholesale re-write of the published Realms, so things like The Blood of Lurue are bits and pieces that may be of use to people who just want some cool unicorns to drop into the setting. And yes, the Seven are in direct reference to the Sisters (again, from Ed: "Only virgins could ride her, and those who did got that silver hair the Chosen who are Mystras daughters all share, and wild talent innate magical abilities, and were marked for special tasks and achievements all their lives") and the Enchancelaur is somewhat her version of the Magister (she'll show up in a later post).
As for Besparr....yes, we share the same love for Down to Earth Divinity and all the rest of Ed's old articles. And we've already talked of how legends stating one thing doesn't preclude legends stating something entirely different especially when you're talking different cultures and continents and centuries of myth and legend. I've posted a number of different "aspects" of Selūne in this thread (with I think one or two more to come) and I don't see why even a "lowly" cult god should be any different; do they even have unicorns in the western lands, or does Lurue show herself there in the more familiar form of a great caribou? Or a great horse "with a blaze upon her forehead as bright as gleamed the ancient pathway of the suns upon the sky." And thus Faelūvhh First-Born strode upon two continents simultaneously, and Man knew him from different origins, but they knew him and worshiped nonetheless.
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I'm sure Big Al would be happy to host that here.
I will certainly ask, when it's finished!
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Edited by - AJA on 08 May 2019 02:19:38 |
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LordofBones
Master of Realmslore
1477 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2019 : 02:24:22
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To be fair, a unicorn goddess of magic would have sent most players into a laughing fit.
Also, Twilight Sparkle comparisons. Yes, I know, but anyone trying to bring up Lurue as a deity of magic better be ready for the inevitable Friendship is Magic comparisons.
It would also make the conception of the Seven Sisters a bit more creepy. Dornal's life is already a gigantic pile of suck without adding unwitting bestiality to his laundry list of issues. |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
747 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2019 : 02:26:15
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The Cats of New Olamn
The latest craze of the irrepressible bardlings of New Olamn is to have 'familliars' in the manner of mages, cats specifically. Cats are of course notoriously difficult to train as familliars, especially faux ones, and the grounds in and around New Olamn are now littered with sleeping, sunning, yawning, mincing, prancing, pouncing and caterwauling creatures of all hue and stripe. Black, white, saffron, larkspur, pearl, sunburnt wheat; golden-green and scarlet flame, and even the odd lemon or pink. The mice and rats have all vanished from the premises though, a turn of events welcomed by everyone except for the Brothers Kolat, infamous music lovers who had been using enchanted mice to skulk about and steal sneak peeks at the latest unfinished compositions.
The senior student Jhelan Sarsorel is commonly hailed as having the finest familliar, a lengthy tom of the blackest fur and greenest eyes, which coils insouciantly about his neck in the taverns and languor-dens of the city. This point is loudly argued by his fellow senior, the half-elven harpist Lûnelarn, who presents his overlarge silver-spotted companion, hight Moon-Spangle. He claims she was once a song-dragon but is now a song-cat, and can pluck individual notes out of the air with her vicious talons. What business she has with these notes is so far un-noted. Some of the more catty (if you will excuse the pun) of Sarsorel's social circle have taken to whispering that this Moon-Spangle delivers them straight to her master, who stores them in his instrument, and that every note he plays is one stolen from his more talented competition. Scurrilous slander, to be sure.
The Celestial Weaver
An ancient name for the god Savras. Legends out of myth claim he was once a servant of Selûne the Great Portender, tasked to endlessly travel The Vault of the Heavens and The Uttermost Void, a comet whose appearance foretold great events, but that he escaped from his servitude with the aid of the goddess Mystryl, and re-formed on Faerûn as the eventual god of prospicience and foretellings. Other ancient narratives claim that Mystryl's interest was less than benign, as she had the dim foreknowledge of a terrible defeat or fall in her future and coveted the use of his divinatorial abilities.
Of these latter tales, it is said that Mystryl conspired with Gond the Artificer, who made for her a rope to snare the Weavers' great beard which trailed behind him in his journeys. But the Weaver foresaw this as well, and as the Goddess of All Magic snapped his cosmic fetters and the Maker of Metals cast forth his snare the rope only managed to entwine one half of his twi-forked beard, which sheared away and fluttered to Faerûn and was later known as The Robe of Glad-Hued Folds. And Selûne's wrath at this effrontery was great indeed, but she had no way to force him back upon his path which had been foreordained at the Beginning of All Things, so she smote Faerûn in her rage and she called upon her sister Umberlee, who was wroth as well, and great were the tremors and the tides that shook the land. Upon seeing this devastation the other gods convened and bade Wreakful Selûne to cease her mis-directed furies. They also decreed that Savras was hereafter truly unbound, free to travel Faerûn as he pleased, bringing his tidings and tellings to all to all but to Mystryl, who alone in her punishment would remain forever ignorant of her true fate.
Cennan "Blue Elf" Moonhand (CN ½EM F4/T2)
Blue Elf is so named for the birthmarks that mottle his skin, great indigo discolorations that stand in stark relief to his normally pallid flesh. Has pale, almost colorless eyes and a great mane of greasy black hair. Fights with crossbow, twin shortswords, and daggers. An enforcer for the Xanathar, and recent convert to the House of Hidden Watchfulness, a secret subterranean temple of Gargauth.
Cera (LN HF Exp8) and Aria (LN HF Exp6) Whucknolls
The Sisters Shining. Their title comes from their long, unusually-colored hair (a sign of the elven blood in their family Cera has golden blond hair and Aria has fascinating black hair with a bluish metallic sheen to it). Natives of the northern city of Silverymoon. Cera and Aria are Sages of the Font, members of the Council of Sages of the temple of Oghma. Cera (the older and more reserved of the two) has a broad knowledge of the human gods and religions of Faerûn, while Aria (distinguished from her sister by her affable, outgoing nature and by the multi-colored cords and beads she habitually weaves into her hair) has dedicated herself to understanding the tongues and written languages of the demihuman races. [ Source: City of Splendors - Who's Who In Waterdeep, p.61. Name/Occupation given. Additional detail with the aid of Steven Schend. ]
Cerensûne Haralbanter (CG ½EF F7)
The First-She (captain) of the Company of the Able Sword, a middling mercenary outfit (headquartered on Coach Lamp Lane, South Ward). Her heavily freckled and scarred skin, close-cropped dark hair and severely broken nose keep her from being described as "pretty," but the intensity in her eyes and the skill of her blade have won her many admirers among the swordsmen of the city. There are rumors (true) that she slew her husband, Gaunthan, and claimed leadership of the Company from his corpse. She bore him two children (entrusted to the paid care of an abbey on Snowdown Isle) but never particularly cared for him, and now prefers the company of the Able Sword's chief healer, the cleric Albarasphra Longtresses. Is a shrewd, quick-witted battlefield commander, but often prefers trickery and subterfuge when brute force would better serve. The Able Swords suffered numerous losses in the war against the Shades, and have been heavily recruiting since. Owns The Eiriantine Wall, a great silvered shield +3 once bore by the paladin Ulftane (has powers akin to a cube of force. Will tarnish and blacken and turn powerless when borne by those of evil or neutral alignment).
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AJA
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Edited by - AJA on 20 Mar 2022 02:47:20 |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
747 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2019 : 02:37:47
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quote:
Originally posted by LordofBones
To be fair, a unicorn goddess of magic would have sent most players into a laughing fit. Also, Twilight Sparkle comparisons.
Well, it did come quite a bit before the whole weird MLP resurgence. But yes, it probably was for the best, especially since TSR/WotC weren't about to play up the old-school druid/fey-style "nature is uncaring and harsh and magic calls for sacrifices of blood and soul" necessary for a proper True Neutral (Fey) goddess.
You know, "mystery," as in one step out of the unknowable and unfathomable Elder Gods sense.
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AJA
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Edited by - AJA on 08 May 2019 02:39:17 |
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LordofBones
Master of Realmslore
1477 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2019 : 04:18:12
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
quote:
Originally posted by LordofBones
To be fair, a unicorn goddess of magic would have sent most players into a laughing fit. Also, Twilight Sparkle comparisons.
Well, it did come quite a bit before the whole weird MLP resurgence. But yes, it probably was for the best, especially since TSR/WotC weren't about to play up the old-school druid/fey-style "nature is uncaring and harsh and magic calls for sacrifices of blood and soul" necessary for a proper True Neutral (Fey) goddess.
You know, "mystery," as in one step out of the unknowable and unfathomable Elder Gods sense.
To be fair, that particular aspect isn't really prevalent in D&D. Only Krynn has magic with severe penalties, and that seems to be a quirk of the setting itself, just like Athas's defilers and preservers. Faerun would have to be entirely rewritten if magic was more about Conan-style creepy sacrifices and eldritch deities.
And, well, Baator would have to come up; the original faeries had ties to Hell, after all. |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11690 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2019 : 16:57:10
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
Love this.
Well, I was always taken with Ed's description of his original concepts for Lurue which went, in part;
quote:
Originally posted by Ed Greenwood, Questions For Ed Greenwood (2004), 20 Mar 2004
Originally, Lurue WAS magicbefore Julia Martin added the name Weave to my GenCon explanations of the great web of magic thats everywhere in Toril, binds Toril together, and IS Toril, Lurue was the embodiment of the Weave....The TSR designers quite rightly (given the humanocentric core of that version of AD&D, with its level and power limits on non-humans) wanted human gods to be front and center and of the greatest power and importance, so Mystra (most important to intelligent creatures trying to USE magic) became also the Guardian or Mother of the Weave, and Lurue sort of . . . danced sideways. To become the awe-inspiring mystery she is now.
And that's how I've conceptualized her since. Azuth is god of spellcasters, who teaches how to "plug in" to and access the Weave; Mystra is the Weave, the means to access and control the stuff of magic; and Lurue is the chaotic, primordial stuff of magic and mystery and Faerie, and, ultimately, Faerūn itself.
But that requires a wholesale re-write of the published Realms, so things like The Blood of Lurue are bits and pieces that may be of use to people who just want some cool unicorns to drop into the setting. And yes, the Seven are in direct reference to the Sisters (again, from Ed: "Only virgins could ride her, and those who did got that silver hair the Chosen who are Mystras daughters all share, and wild talent innate magical abilities, and were marked for special tasks and achievements all their lives") and the Enchancelaur is somewhat her version of the Magister (she'll show up in a later post).
As for Besparr....yes, we share the same love for Down to Earth Divinity and all the rest of Ed's old articles. And we've already talked of how legends stating one thing doesn't preclude legends stating something entirely different especially when you're talking different cultures and continents and centuries of myth and legend. I've posted a number of different "aspects" of Selūne in this thread (with I think one or two more to come) and I don't see why even a "lowly" cult god should be any different; do they even have unicorns in the western lands, or does Lurue show herself there in the more familiar form of a great caribou? Or a great horse "with a blaze upon her forehead as bright as gleamed the ancient pathway of the suns upon the sky." And thus Faelūvhh First-Born strode upon two continents simultaneously, and Man knew him from different origins, but they knew him and worshiped nonetheless.
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I'm sure Big Al would be happy to host that here.
I will certainly ask, when it's finished!
Actually... this just gave me a couple ideas for the Besparr / Faelūvhh First-Born idea that actually does kind of work with my concept that in Anchorome he's a caribou. I know noone else will really care, but hey, let me just throw out some ideas that I may return to later.
Faelūvhh First-Born, Bright-Shining (who gave his horn to save the elves of Earlann and aid their escape to Evermeet, and is now better known as the demi-god Besparr, Lord of Horses);
First, so he "gave his horn"... and caribou/deer LOSE their antlers every so often.... so I wonder if there is a way to make both of these true. We could thus have stories of the Anchorome version of Besparr periodically saving heroes by giving them his antlers to fight off evil. Just for the sheer fun of it, gonna muse on this possibility for a second. This would of course make Lurue the father instead of the mother, and if the story followed the original Norse version, Lurue would have been working with some giant to build a "wall" around "Asgard" in order to get "Freya" (aka Eldunna in my version). Said giant gets killed for "deceiving" the "Asgardians" by "Thor" (aka Thoros in Metahel). So, why would Lurue be helping the giant? Why would Lurue have been male at that point and in the form of a giant caribou? Did the giant DO something to Lurue to enslave Lurue (thinking like a bridle that gives control, etc..), and if so did Valigan do something that broke that control? Who WAS the giant, and did he have any links to Annam OR is he a totally SEPARATE line of giant? Hmmm, and what would be a masculine name for Lurue to use in another mythology... Laerue?
Second, in FAERUNIAN mythology, Valigan Thirdborn, god of chaos = my METAHEL, Valigan the Runt-Born Giant (aka a variant of Loki). So, I'm finding it interesting that the being that I proposed as the "mother" of Faelūvhh First-Born has a surname of Thirdborn in Faerun. Valigan is also noted in my Metahel pantheon for fathering (not mothering) some other beings upon Lamasgrboda (a shapechanging giantess... and I'm playing on the names of both Lamashtu and Angrboda), so maybe he gave the last name Second-Born, etc.. on his other children. Those other children being
Chupocol the Great Spider (a variant on the vestige from Tome of Magic named Chupoclops)
so Second-Born
Kezris the Spirit Wolf that will swallow the moon (aka a mix of the names Kezef and Fenris)
so Third-Born
Jormungis the Great Sea Serpent (obviously Jormungand or "the Leviathan" from elder evils or even Ourobouros the world serpent)
so Fourth-born
Heleshkiga, the blackhearted Queen of the Dead, who was forced into the Casket of Primordial Winters, and upon escaping was seen to have one side her perpetually frostbitten. Some say this act shattered Heleshkiga's sanity (a mix of Hela, Ereshkigal, and marvel's concept of the Casket of Ancient Winters... and giving more of a reason for half her face to be white)
and Fifth-Born |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11690 Posts |
Posted - 09 May 2019 : 13:39:39
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| You know, along the lines of what you just did there with Lurue and some unicorns.... it occurs to me that it would be interesting with Selune's ties to tidal movements if she had "the Seven Wave Maidens" or something similar. My first thoughts were "and they'd all be mermaids", but then I started thinking about it, and just like the chosen have a drow in their ranks... it might be interesting if this were a mix of races born of Selune bonding with different sea races. What races could you see? I'm picturing maybe a trio of mermaids who are sisters, a sea elf, a Zoveri (tauric octopoids normally from Lunia, the first layer of the Seven Heavens... see MC8 outer planar appendix), a Trition female (note, Tritons in 5e look different... they have legs... at least according to Volo's Guide to Monsters), and what would make a good last race (note, looking to show off the silver hair concept)? Maybe a Selkie? |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
747 Posts |
Posted - 11 May 2019 : 00:27:48
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quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
what would make a good last race (note, looking to show off the silver hair concept)? Maybe a Selkie?
Selkie, I'd say.
And I would note that Seven as the number for the Blood of Lurue was chosen specifically to match the number of the Sisters of Mystra. Every day (Earth and presumably Faerūnian) has two high and two low tides, so the number of Maidens should probably be four. That would also make it easier towards defining the races; merfolk, sea elf, triton(?), and the last (presumably representing the "lower low water" tide) as whatever wild card (or "dark disaster," if you really want to draw out the similarities -- Malenti?) you prefer.
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
747 Posts |
Posted - 11 May 2019 : 00:31:48
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"Brighteye" Deladrier (N HM)
A noted Underdark-trader, dealer-with-drow, and deliverer of "dark goods." Rumored to trade with the legendary pirates haven of Skullport. Lost his left eye to a hobgoblin's sword early in his career. It is whispered that his surviving eye possesses strange powers, including the ability to see in the dark like a cat, and to freeze people in their tracks. Usually travels alone, but sometimes found in the company of the taciturn warrior Gor-Yior the Untheric (CN HM Bar).
The Bully-Bloods
Sea Ward street gang. Claims Sabbar's Alley as their gathering place. The Bully-Bloods can sometimes be hired to watch or follow a person by anyone bold enough to contact and pay them. Led by Lulzoun "Bully-Boss."
Bungobar Cozytoes
Proprietor of Graehaund's Good Silvers ("The Finest Carving Cutleries and Quaffing Cups in All Waterdeep"), north-front Vellarr's Lane, east of the Street of the Tusks, Trades Ward. Does not know much of silversmithing, but bought the shop from Avrust Graehaund and retained most of his apprentices, who do the actual work. Nowadays most profits go onto Bungo's massive dining table and into his ever-expanding waistline. A retired member of the Shields of Snail Street fellowship (where he was known as both "Bright-Eyed" and "Crazy-Toes"). Married to the diminutive, graceful, sharp-tongued, golden-eyed Calishite, Bajamūne.
Burgos (CN HM War3) and Dunnel (N HM T2)
Two malcontents formerly in the employ of the elf Elaith Craulnober and well-known in the seedier areas of Dock and South Wards. Their fate came one dark night during an attempted backstreet mugging of the Moonshaen witch Nilmandae. Burgos, the larger and more brutish of the two, fell to the steel of Nilmandae's guardian, the swordsman Gaeban Redharphin, while Dunnel quickly reconsidered his life's options. He now serves the witch at her deepwoods cottage, after being enspelled to raise no hand against her.
"Burnt" Harkhos (LE HM T3/Exp4)
Half-Face Harkhos. Horribly scarred in eldritch flames. Has a weakness for certain potent pain-killing herbs and salves, and a weakness for their supplier, the effeminate factor known as "High Road" Halvers. The Xanathars' Trades Ward "Collector of Coins." Always accompanied by the hulking enforcers Thoros (LN HM F5) and Yellow Ogre (LE HM F2/Bar2).
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Briion Dargrant [ Source: The novel Silverfall: Stories of the Seven Sisters. Name/Description given ]
Burlagh Stementor [ Source: A 09/28/04 posting to the Candlekeep.com message boards by Ed Greenwood. Name/Description given ]
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
747 Posts |
Posted - 12 May 2019 : 01:09:50
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Jeftan Seeburl
Proprietor of Seeburl's Salvage (Ship Street, north of the Muleskull). His shopfront is notable for the three stuffed, trident-armed sahuagin that occupy the front window, trophies that he salvaged from the street after the Battle of Waterdeep Harbor. Such grisly decorations were commonplace along the docks in the aftermath of the sea invasion, but that fad waned with the passing of time and the rapid decay of aquatic corpses exposed to air. Seeburl maintains his prized display by paying a local cantrip-caster handsomely to preserve their appearance.
Jenndelūvae Iannthopae
The Maiden of the Mists. The Weal-Mother. Once known as Jenndae of Immrymarch. Enchancelaur of Lurue. Known amongst the orcs of the North as "The Dark And Terrible," and to the elves of the North (and the reavers of Luskan) as "She Who Brings Doom to Men." Often found astride the unicorn Holūvhh, The Thirdborn of the Goddess. Tall, slim, broad-shouldered. Shining-haired and shining-armored. Hawk-nose, high cheekbones, full-lipped, dark flashing long-lashed eyes. Unhelmed, wears a wreath of bloodbriars across her temple. Keeps her waist-length golden hair bound in an ornate double-braid. Knows the language of the birds and burrowing mammals of the forest, and uses them as her proxies. Carries both The Whorled Staff of Tsurcande and The Harrying Horn of Calandor. It is she who keeps watch over the Candidates of the Mother, young girls who are born with The Mark of the All-Mother (a shining lock of hair emanating from the left temple), guiding them to the faith of The Forest and The Faerie and preparing them for adulthood. Her current escort includes the two Candidates Janna Dhaer and Braeldha; the Ardhavian elf Illunshae (of House Andrilūnae "Banners-of-High-Battle"); and the rangers Ballander Blackhaund, Kerrifghan, and Alegready the Daever.
Jennlee "Quarterbells"
Hin harlot, works Virgin's Square and the area around the Southgate. Rather plump and sarcastic, with no pretensions to beauty. Dark, flashing eyes. Her nickname is an off-color joke about her race and her small breasts.
Jessendra Ambrantyl (LN HF Exp8)
Ward Civilar, City of the Dead (1368DR - present). The post of Ward Civilar of the City of the Dead is unique, in that it is a hereditary one. For the past 12-odd decades, the Ward Civilars of the cemetery have been descended from the mage Anacaster, creator of the magical tomb-gates. Although the watch patrols here are frequent and well-disciplined, Jessendra's office itself is now seen as a largely ceremonial posting, and is not afforded the same respect as the other Ward Civilars. A devout Eldathyn, Jessendra can more often be found among the groundskeepers and planters of the cemetery, tending to the well-being and appearance of the grounds rather than pouring over paperwork in some dusty office. The day-to-day operations of her office she leaves up to her three Senior Civilars, the officers Arlaerd, Orbril, and Jacindra. Wears the Munificent Ruby Ring of Anacaster.
Jessell Brightshield (LG HF Pal10 of Helm)
Helm's Shieldmaiden, Darkeyes. Quiet, tall and dark. Has a large star-shaped scar on her right ribcage, under her armpit. Does vicious mimicry of Piergeiron, Khelben, and the Tyrran high priest Hykros Allumen, but rarely performs them in front of others. Loves to wander the city streets and markets, quietly observing the ebb and flow of city life. Jessell is the current Sword of the Dessarin, a roving envoy (ambassador) and captain of Waterdeep's eastern forces in times of war. She wields The Eye of Ilykoth (a mace +4 with the powers of smiting and true seeing), a potent relic of the Helmite church. In addition to her official duties, she is also squiring the young Helmite initiate, Tlaunta.
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Jehan Wands [ Source: "Smokepowder And Mirrors," Jeff Grubb, Realms of Magic. Name/Description given ]
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11690 Posts |
Posted - 12 May 2019 : 17:47:21
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
what would make a good last race (note, looking to show off the silver hair concept)? Maybe a Selkie?
Selkie, I'd say.
And I would note that Seven as the number for the Blood of Lurue was chosen specifically to match the number of the Sisters of Mystra. Every day (Earth and presumably Faerūnian) has two high and two low tides, so the number of Maidens should probably be four. That would also make it easier towards defining the races; merfolk, sea elf, triton(?), and the last (presumably representing the "lower low water" tide) as whatever wild card (or "dark disaster," if you really want to draw out the similarities -- Malenti?) you prefer.
I have a distinctly different reason to have these silver haired beings have a number of seven if they're related to Selune. It seems like Seven is an interesting number to Selune and her offspring.
SYMBOL: Two darkly beautiful human female eyes surrounded by a
circle of seven silver stars |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
747 Posts |
Posted - 14 May 2019 : 01:28:23
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Ah. Well then. I wonder if anyone has ever asked Ed the significance of seven stars for Selūne?
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Baeluntar "Bronzed-Bright"
A minor noble of House Ulbrinter (middle grandson of Iorlas, and second cousin of Nomus, patriarch of the clan). Named for his sun-burnished skin and for the incessant deck-swabbing punishments he handed out aboard his whaling ship, the Parixaun Pennant. Baeluntar, ship and crew were all lost in a nasty squall somewhere over the Narwhal Deeps off the northern Moonshaes in 1365DR. The Ulbrinters still offer a handsome reward for the recovery of the heirloom bluestone ring worn on his right hand (long rumored to be The Turquoise Ring of Anamaster, a minor magical relic of the church of Shaundakul).
Baeram "Bullshoulders" (CN HM War)
A caravan master and high-ranking member of the Fellowship of Carters and Coachmen. Massively muscled arms and shoulders. Has a thunderous laugh often accompanied by an equally loud slap of his generous belly. As his nickname suggests, Baeram is not a man to be taken lightly; he is famed for once downing a fully armored warhorse with a single bare-fisted blow (and for dispatching the rider soon thereafter). A one-time highwayman and current ally of the vigilante Red Sashes.
Baerbold the Wanderer
Master of the Trail-Fires. Well-known northern bard. Author of the collected tales of The Tamers of the North ("sword-sagas" [oral stories and myths] detailing the exploits of, among others, the northern slayer Tauraven; Jhalask the Ranger, who disappeared on the Dripping Stair; Grauth Mharabbath, the Knight of Many Battles; the Witch-Queen of Stornanter, loved and despaired; Rhembrul Northblood, first true-man to scale the impossible heights of the Spine of the World; and Phaeliera Fair-Arm, who drove the orcs of the Black Horde from the ruins of Nesmé).
Baerdarth
The proprietor of the Bouncing Hippocampus Tavern on Pressbow Lane (Dock Ward). As wide as he is short, said by most to have dwarven blood in him. Has a mop of unruly black hair and overlarge muttonchop sideburns that threaten to obscure his reddened jowls and bulbous nose.
Baerelantyr "Blackskulls" of Nesmé
A noted invoker whose charred corpse was found on the Field of Triumph after a spellduel in Alturiak 1369DR. Someone later animated his remains and used them to masquerade as a lich-like being claiming to be the fiendish killer known as the Godstalker. In life, Blackskulls had skin the color of old ivory, a shaved head, bushy eyebrows, and a fleshy mouth full of crooked teeth.
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Baerelve Storn [ Source: A 01/19/13 posting to the Candlekeep.com message boards by Ed Greenwood. Name/Description given ]
Baerenth Ulkroun [ Source: Ed Greenwood Presents: Elminster's Forgotten Realms, p.121. Name/Description given ]
Baerestra Mooncastle (CG HF [Tethyrian] Ari2/F7) [ Source: A 06/25/06 posting to the Candlekeep.com message boards by Ed Greenwood. Name/Description/Stats given ]
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 16 May 2019 : 15:28:17
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
Ah. Well then. I wonder if anyone has ever asked Ed the significance of seven stars for Selūne?
I think Ed likes the number 7. Seven stars, the Seven Sisters, the seven Skulls of Skullport, Tashara of the Seven Skulls... |
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
2066 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2019 : 01:25:05
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by AJA
Ah. Well then. I wonder if anyone has ever asked Ed the significance of seven stars for Selūne?
I think Ed likes the number 7. Seven stars, the Seven Sisters, the seven Skulls of Skullport, Tashara of the Seven Skulls...
Who doesn't like the number 7? Hopefully none of you are ungainly 5 lovers. Or worse than that, 19. |
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http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/ |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
747 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2019 : 01:40:05
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I think Ed likes the number 7. Seven stars, the Seven Sisters, the seven Skulls of Skullport, Tashara of the Seven Skulls...
Oh, there's no doubt about that. I would not be surprised to find out that the number seven has something to do with Ed's GrEaT SeCrEtS oF tHe rEaLmS~!! (now with extra NDA's!)
....I was just wondering what/if the "seven stars" meant to Selūne specifically.
quote:
Originally posted by ericlboyd
Who doesn't like the number 7? Hopefully none of you are ungainly 5 lovers. Or worse than that, 19.
I used to be a seven man, then I saw Bo Derek in "10."
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Edited by - AJA on 17 May 2019 01:42:00 |
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The Five NPCs You Meet In Waterdeep
