in Sardolphyn’s Gambit you mentioned other families of Waterdeep: Eskult, Yeldred and Tramnur. Can you please tell about them more? 1)
Sure. They’re all North Ward-resident families who have made their fortunes by “mixed mercantile means.” That is, they invest in some shops, rent out North Ward and Castle Ward buildings they own to other businesses (for…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 4, 2020
1)
Sure. They’re all North Ward-resident families who have made their fortunes by “mixed mercantile means.” That is, they invest in some shops, rent out North Ward and Castle Ward buildings they own to other businesses (for… 2)
…shops and offices, not “workshops”/factories, and not residential) to make coin, invest in ship cargoes, and run their own businesses.
I’ll tackle just the Eskults, this time.#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 4, 2020
3)
The Eskults make bulk glue from dead horses, run a successful locksmithing service, buy local farm crops for bulk shipping to the Ten Towns, Mintarn, and other “hungry-mouth” areas, and breed fine riding horses. 4)
The Eskults live in three adjacent, knocked-together tallhouses on northfront Saerdoun Street, in the block between Whaelgond Way and Pony Way, and are led by Jaruldimond Eskult and his wife Laedra, who have three young, …#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 4, 2020
5)
…dashing (“idiot” is the term Hammrar prefers; for more about Hammrar, see hereafter) sons: Cloome, Dacer, and Parladane.
Jaruldimond also has three younger brothers who are increasingly dissatisfied with his handling of the… 6)
…family finances, and (separately) looking to strike out on their own (if they can figure out some practical way of taking a good share of the family wealth with them; they haven’t yet).
There are also two old, dotty, …#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 4, 2020
7)
…stay-at-home maiden aunts, Barathta and Joysa (who prefer to live in an older era), and a fat, jovial old rake of an uncle, Hammrar, who knows where all the family skeletons are hidden (and their closets, too), and who really… 8)
…keeps things running by soothing the three brothers (Jakazmur, Brandred, and Tolyn) privately, and cleaning up after the worst mistakes Jaruldimond makes. Hammrar is a sardonic heavy wine-drinker and scourge of local ladies, …#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 4, 2020
9)
…who love his company because he’s fun, and never controlling, cruel, or judgmental. Jaruldimond is a stubborn sort who clings to old ways and avoids the new and changes; his wife Laedra embraces the changes that must be… 10)
…embraced and tries to steer her husband to modernize, without much success.
Laedra also tirelessly attends every last noble feast and revel she can worm her way into, and tries to “cultivate” all nobles who’re there, trying…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 4, 2020
11)
…to ingratiate herself and mention her family in hopes someone, anyone, will remember her the next morning and consider calling on the Eskults as “worldly helpers” when it comes to engaging guilded repairers or anyone else… 12)
…for anything practical. She sees this as the road to eventually being accepted as “one of us” by the nobles, so the Eskults can be ennobled. Hammrar sees this as idiocy; he (correctly) sees her tactic as the way to make…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 4, 2020
13)
…the nobles think of the Eskults as commoner doormats and syncophants who can be endlessly used and then kicked aside a moment later.#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 4, 2020
