@TheEdVerse Hello! Im a huge fan of your work in d&d. I am working on creating a campaign set in Thay and i was wondering if the events of the adventure Dead In Thay were considered canon? If so, what were the ramifications of the vault being destroyed? Thanks so much!

— Eric Wade (@Ewade1998) March 17, 2020

1)
Yes, Dead In Thay is canon; it’s an official adventure. The ramifications…
[SPOILERS!!!!]
…depend on the fate of the…
[SPOILERS FOLLOW] 2)
…phylacteries.
If they’re all destroyed, Szass Tam will halt his plans for a time, to rebuild the ranks of his senior liches. If only a few are destroyed or damaged, this will have little to no effect on his activities.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) March 18, 2020

Hey @TheEdVerse can you tell me what Elminster has told you about the relationship between Myrkul and Velsharoon is now a days? Like how are they different, or how do they see each other’s role in the pantheon?

— Leslie Courtney (@LeslieCourtne14) April 4, 2020

1)
Myrkul is the god of the dead, and some of his worshippers are powerful undead (liches, vampires, and the like), whom he works with and champions the aims/causes of.
Velsharoon is the god of necromancy, and is feared or 2)
…detested by many undead; most of his worshippers are living mortal necromancers (who of course will also worship Myrkul and all other deities they know of).
In Elminster’s view, Myrkul is (or was; there’s a chance that all of…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 5, 2020

3)
…the Dead Three returned after the Sundering more sharply limited in power than many other returning deities—though Velsharoon may well also be sharply limited) more powerful than Velsharoon, and more autonomous (Velsharoon 4)
…obeys Azuth, Myrkul obeys no one but is influenced by Bhaal and Bane, and all of the Dead Three are likely heavily manipulated by Jergal).
No one knows how gods see other gods except by what mortals can infer from what deities…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 5, 2020

5)
…and their avatars and senior servitors say and do, and if a mortal doesn’t observe such behavior directly, they should always be aware that clergy habitually ‘spin’ what they report to lay worshippers, and spread as rumor, 6)
…to often be more propaganda to raise the profile and importance of ‘their’ deity, than it is truth.
However, Elminster believes, from his own past observations, that Myrkul dismisses Velsharoon as a ‘grasping mortal’ of barely…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 5, 2020

7)
…divine power, and otherwise seeks to ignore him. And Velsharoon sees Myrkul as a do-little has-been, no longer of consequence in the affairs of the world.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 5, 2020

@TheEdVerse Quick question: what exactly is a "divine spark" and how can people acquire one? I've read about Finder getting one from a dead god. Is there any other way?

— Valentino Conti (@ValetheHowl) February 5, 2020

1)
A “divine spark” is a bard’s poetic phrase for the ineffable essence of divinity, that ‘special something’ that deities have and mortals lack. Finder gained divinity by absorbing the spark escaping from the dead god Moander 2)
Some sages believe that there’s only a certain amount of divine energy in the multiverse, so for a mortal or god to gain divine power, another deity must die or be destroyed or lose power, but mortals understand divine matters…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 5, 2020

3)
…but dimly, so this may be incorrect. Gods can grant (bestow) a divine spark, to make mortals immortal or raise them into godhood (usually a devoted worshipper elevated to divine ally or subservient deity), but this is rare. 4)
There are legends that the bodies of dead gods exist in the multiverse, and that divine sparks can be wrested from them by those who know how, and can find the dead gods, but some sages warn these tales are trap-trickery, …#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 5, 2020

5)
…spread by fiends who want to lure mortals, to gain their souls. There are also tales about divine sparks waiting as rewards for mortals who do certain things that further the Cosmic All, or help to right the Divine Balance, 6)
…but these may or may not be true. And lastly, Elminster says some ruins and forests and other locales may glow with the divine spark of gods destroyed there, long ago…just waiting for those who know how to harvest them.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 5, 2020

Great. But that does lead me to another question, what happens to the souls of non dwarves who worship the dwarven pantheon, or are adopted members of a dwarven family?
From what I understand non dwarves are forbidden to enter the dwarf afterlife, yes?

— Steven Stone (@StevenStoneYT) May 2, 2020

1)
Just as in our real world, “after death” is a mystery to the living.
Priests, deities, and the servitors of deities (“angels” and the like) make various claims, and a lot of these contradict each other. 2)
Dwarves valiant in battle often believe their souls wind up in a hall of heroes where they feast and brawl and practise until the gods have need of them to do battle, or to be “reforged” (by Moradin, at his forge) into new…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 2, 2020

3)
…dwarves and sent back to live again.
Dwarf smiths and crafters believe the afterlife that awaits them is a series of spacious, wonderfully-equipped workshops where they can fulfillingly create ever-better items, knowing true… 4)
…satisfaction and becoming ever better at creating items that are innovative as well as ever-better-made.
Dwarf clerics believe they are the “true servants” of the (dwarven) gods, and will be first to be chosen to serve anew, …#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 2, 2020

5)
…as a new dwarf living a new life.
Many mortals, of various races, have sages and learned priests who hold that the souls of the dead gravitate to the plane that is the home of the deity the living mortal most worshipped or… 6)
…best served in life, and there they dwell with their ‘chosen’ deity as petitioners, until they merge with the plane (their sentience dissolving), ascend to a planar form (an “angel” or some other sort of creature native to…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 2, 2020

7)
…their god’s plane), or are reborn on the Prime Material Plane at the behest of their deity, either as themselves to fulfill some unfinished mission, or to live a new life.
All prohibitions and other details (such as 8)
…“non-dwarves are forbidden to enter the dwarf afterlife”) are pronouncements made by mortal clergy. They may be right, or wrong, mistaken or out-of-date, or there may be exceptions to what the clergy believe is an inflexible… #Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 2, 2020

9)
…rule. Gods often do and say things that perplex mortals; that’s why “just plain folk” tolerate the existence of clergy, as experts who intercede and interpret.
So here’s the thing: according to Realmslore (tavern tales, 10)
…legends, various books and other records) many adopted dwarves (i.e. non-dwarves) have seen the dwarf afterlife. Which would mean: non-dwarves are NOT forbidden to enter the dwarf afterlife.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 2, 2020

@TheEdVerse Would you mind pointing out the Yawning Portal for us? pic.twitter.com/i8VDFkdb1r

— Dorlann (@D_Greystoke) April 8, 2020

I don’t mind at all, but it’s not on the map portion you sent me. ;}
See Castle Waterdeep, at the bottom left? You need to be farther south, off this map. The Yawning Portal stands on the N side of Rainrun Street, a block W of Snail Street. (On the bit of the map you did send, the more northerly end of Snail Street is running N-S just west of the word "Trades" (of the Trades Ward label); it's the dogleg street running off the map).

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 8, 2020

Snail Street runs on S where the High Road hits Waterdeep Way and turns E.
Along Snail Street: first, Scroll Street branches off E, then Crossbow Lane branches off W, then Soothsayer's Way crosses Snail Street; Rainrun Street branches off W just S of that.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 8, 2020

Why do I have the feeling you didn’t refer to any maps or notes in answering this? Like you’ve had to explain this to numerous people, including telling them to turn right at a certain sign.

Y’know, as if you were there. Indeed. I can walk around Waterdeep in my mind. I can do that for most places in the Realms. The secret to making it seem real is to treat it as real.
After all, if we can believe in mercy, fairness, freedom, and democracy, details of an imaginary world are fairly small potatoes.

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 9, 2020

Aha, will this do? pic.twitter.com/ykFp78sFNp

— Dorlann (@D_Greystoke) April 8, 2020

2)
…that Soothsayer’s Way crosses. On the SW corner of Snail Street and Soothsayer’s Way is a small block of buildings, that on your map, oriented as you sent it to me, looks like an inverted, squared “U.”
Due W of it is a larger (E-W larger) block of buildings 3)
…that looks like a flipped-backwards "C" and the middle of the bottom (S) arm of that C is made up of the Yawning Portal, which is a larg-ish building.
Found it?#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 8, 2020

Ed, what is the numerical address of the building on Spindle Street in Waterdeep circa 1375 DR with the pencil mark, please. Buildings in Waterdeep didn't have numerical addresses then. (They did have "roll numbers" in the Palace tax records and floorplan registry.) The marked building would be "Eastfront Irimmar's Walk, two doors north of Selduth Street, Trades Ward."#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 26, 2020

Dear @TheEdVerse, my DM (and I) are having trouble finding out what kind of criminal code Baldur's Gate has. I used the Code Legal for crimes my players committed in Neverwinter, but my DM is looking for what kind of laws surround magic in the Gate. Anything specific there?

— ArcRevenant (@davespring) March 5, 2020

1)
The legal system of Neverwinter in the 1490s DR is officially very close to the Code Legal, but in daily practise the Lord Protector (Dagult Neverember) sits in judgment on any case involving potential sentences above minor… 2)
…fines, and anything that may be part of a perceived (by him) threat to the rule of Neverwinter (his rule). So his decrees really form the active legal system of the city, and after the deeds of the Cloaked Ascendancy, wizards…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) March 6, 2020

3)
…operating in the city must report to Lord Neverember and inform him fully of their activities (spell experimentation and castings for fees in particular, plus how they earn a living, any major debts or that others owe to 4)
…them, and planned or ongoing investments. Dagult tries to keep this pleasant and collegial (holding private one-on-one dinners at which he’ll be heavily protected by magic items, but act the gracious host), but it’s VERY…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) March 6, 2020

5)
…clear that wizards operating independently should work magic or engage in politics within the city walls without Neverember’s permission, or they’ll be exiled at best, and meet with unfortunately fatal ‘accidents’ (at the 6)
…hands of adventurers hired by the Lord Protector through intermediaries, to give him plausible deniability) at worst. Local Ashmadai keep sponsoring such mages, to test and occupy Neverember, and his patience is growing short.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) March 6, 2020

@TheEdVerse I just learned that Shar apparently made the Shadowfell? Is this different from the Shadow Plane we used to be familiar with? Since 5E I had always assumed their similarity and simply a renaming via Realms perspective. Then of course Ravenloft was *in* it…

— Justin Ray Glosson (@ivstinus) May 9, 2020

1)
“Made” is a strong word (remember that almost all we know of what the gods did, except what their avatars do in front of mortal eyeballs while striding around Toril itself, is told to us by deities, their servitors, and 2)
…their clergy, and just may be propaganda).
If I was writing down history about this, I would change the word “made” to the word “caused.”
What Shar did was successfully manipulate Cyric into murdering Mystra, causing the…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 9, 2020

3)
…Spellplague (as the dying Weave ‘went wild,’ great ripples crashing across it from Weave anchor to Weave anchor). As existing wards and spells failed all across Toril, and wizards went mad, Shar was busy elsewhere. Out among 4)
…the planes, to be precise.
Where, caused by the widening ripples, the Elemental and Energy Planes collapsed, merging roilingly into the Elemental Chaos.
Shar played lockkeeper, exerting all of her personal power (and she’s one…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 9, 2020

5)
…of the few deities who can work with necrotic energies without being diminished or altered by them, and understands the properties of necrotic energy) to steer as much as she could of the necrotic energies flowing from the… 6)
…collapsing Negative Energy Plane so that rather than being lost into the stew of Elemental Chaos, they flowed into her home plane, the existing Plane of Shadow (we wrote of this on page 69 of the 4e Forgotten Realms Campaign… #Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 9, 2020

7)
…Guide).
This changed the Plane of Shadow, and clergy of Shar will tell you that “the Shadowfell” (Shar’s name for the altered Plane of Shadow), was her “creation.” So it is, but she didn’t create it out of nothing. If I took…8)
…the outer panels off my old tractor and replaced them with pieces of a Ferrari, I have ‘made’ something new, but it’s still my old tractor, that I bought rather than made from the ground its tires sit on, up, underneath.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 9, 2020

9)
With its new necrotic energies, the altered Plane of Shadow gained some new properties. Many souls of the dead came now to the Shadowfell, and had to pass through it to get to the Fugue Plane. And—and this was the entire 10)
…reason why Shar acted as she did, hoping to increase her own power and reach thereby—the necrotic energies of the Shadowfell were the new energy source for, and root source of, all shadow magic. The power and reach of…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 9, 2020

11)
…shadow magic cast/called upon in the Prime Material Plane (on Toril) had been subtly ebbing and fading for some time, and by this move Shar boosted shadow magic and her own might, in the Realms.
All planes change, over time 12)
…influenced by energies leaking from, and actual invasions from, adjacent planes; the planes don’t exist in isolation, but affect each other constantly (though post-Spellplague, the Astral Sea and the Elemental Chaos surround…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 9, 2020

13)
…and separate the other planes, and so act as buffers between them). So the Plane of Shadow has been called many things by sentient mortals, down the ages, such as Shadowland, Shadow, and “the demiplane of Shadow,” and 14)
…these different terms don’t always merely denote different mortal ways of viewing the same thing, they actually describe different versions of the same plane as it evolves.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) May 9, 2020