1)
That depends on how you define “haunted.” I’m going to assume it’s NOT ‘places with the most active undead’ because that shifts the list to undead-dominated lands like Thay and several cities and ruined castles full of…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 29, 2020

2)
…undead, so if we go instead with ‘locales where the most creepy apparitions abound’ then my list, circa 1490 DR, will be3)
1. Myth Rhynn (in the Wealdath)
2. The Ghost Holds (Battledale)
3. The Darkwatch
4. The ruins of Myth Drannor (and Thultanthar).
5. Realm of Wailing Fog#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 29, 2020

Oh, yes. It would make number 9 on the list.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 29, 2020

Dead Dragon Tower … *scribbling furiously* … do tell. Knew you'd notice, but the speed of your pounce remains impressive. ;}

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 29, 2020

@TheEdVerse On Faerun, what is the custom concerning married couples' surnames? Does the wife take the husband's? Does the husband take the wife's? Do they keep their own? What about children? Whose surname do they take?

— Jim Glass (@Glasstastrophy) March 5, 2020

1)
Most ‘just plain folk’ in the Realms don’t have surnames. They have honorifics (“Garth the Baker” or “Garth the Sly” when a community has more than two Garths; if they have two, they’ll likely be “Garth The Old” and “Garth The 2)
…Younger”).
Unless they have clan names. Or are noble or royal, where inheritance is VERY important.
And even then, the answer is: it will vary. A lower-ranking noble, or a commoner, marrying into nobility or royalty will…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) March 6, 2020

3)
…adopt the higher-rank surname. A widow or widower trying to hold onto a farm or other property of a deceased spouse will take their surname, even if they didn’t use it when the spouse was alive.
Most marrying couples decide… 4)
…among themselves if they will take a spouse’s surname (if they have one) or keep their own. They may legally adopt a spouse’s surname, but continue to use their own when working (in their own shop, or in a time or place when…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) March 6, 2020

5)
…their spouse’s name is unpopular/has a bad reputation). Children usually decide for themselves when coming of age/striking out on their own/starting their first job; until then, they’re usually “Garth of the end cottage” or 6)
…“Garth son of Mul and Drace” or “Garth son of Redhair.”
Which is a very long way of saying: except among particular families, in particular places and times, there is no one custom. There are a lot of customs.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) March 6, 2020

7)
A dwarf may be proud of her heritage and call herself “Ardra ‘Redhands’ Durth, of the South Forge Durths, of Clan Battlehammer” or she may not be proud of her heritage, and travel and adventure as just Ardra Redhands, using 8)
…only the honorific she personally earned.
A young noble, sent out into the world expecting never to inherit, may decide to hide their lineage for personal safety, and adopt a surname that married into the family generations…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) March 6, 2020

9)
…back (or that of their favourite married-in aunt or uncle) so that instead of being known as Aldus Roaringhorn, they may call themselves Aldus Crownar, because an Amnian merchant from Crimmor settled in Elversult and after 10)
…four generations “from Crimmor” got corrupted into “Crownar,” and a Crownar married a Roaringhorn and was the favourite aunt of Aldus.
In the case of PCs, I’d have the players roleplay the deciding on surnames. For NPCs, you…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) March 6, 2020

11)
…the DM should think on the above and then decide; many folk in the Realms dismiss custom and decide for themselves, even inventing new surnames or adopting those of others they admire. (If your surname happens 12)
…to be “Ugtusk,” you might prefer to be “Tusksword” or “Tusklance” instead.)#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) March 6, 2020

Am I recalling correctly that you once said elsewhere that it’s common for clerics to be Whoever of God’sname? Yes. Many clerics began as temple orphans (kids dropped off at temples for many reasons, for priests to raise), or fled from their families, and want to dedicate themselves to the deity, so they adopt that construction for their name. #Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) March 6, 2020

the elminster guide to the realms was good for the general culture of the game, if i wanted to learn mote about the realms geological features, where would you suggest i start looking? Here, by asking me. The published geology has been paltry, I'm afraid. You can learn a lot by perusing Karen Wynn Fonstad's FR Atlas and by reading my Dwarves Deep, and a little by reading Eric Boyd's Drizzt Do'Urden's Guide To The Underdark.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 28, 2020

@TheEdVerse Hi, for a campaign in 1360's Luskan, one of the player characters is a dwarf who I suggested should masquerade as a member of one of the local Mirabarran merchant houses. What are these houses like (they're only namedropped AFAIK) and could she get away w/ doing this?

— Belial Lyka (@TimeBust) February 14, 2020

1)
It’s impossible for her to pose as a member of a Mirabarran merchant house IN Mirabar, as everyone’s on the lookout for spies (in the pay of the Zhents, Luskan, or Hellgate Keep), but in the Mirabar District of Luskan, she… 2)
…might get away (for a short time) with posing as a hireling of a Mirabarran trade company (such as the Anvilfist Banner, Belgor’s Cofferwatch, the Golden Hand, the Red Forge, Sargur’s Hoard, or Thalorin’s Manymetals).#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 14, 2020

3)
Much will depend on three factors: her behavior, how much tumult is going on (i.e. losses in the alleys of Luskan among trading company personnel, so she could convincingly have been hired on in desperation), and her clan 4)
…(i.e. her dwarven heritage). If she’s from afar, NOT Mirabar, it might work. Otherwise, she couldn’t “masquerade” as a merchant house member: she’d either really be one, of long standing, or she’d be an obvious liar.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 14, 2020

5)
And if she’s judged to be false, most will consider her a spy for someone who should at best be eliminated at the earliest convenient opportunity, unless she can be fed false information for some short-term benefit.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 14, 2020

Sune's clergy have always claimed she has dominance over this, but those of Siamorphe, Waukeen, and even Sharess have always strenuously disagreed. Along with other clergies, from time to time. So it's safe to say it's "disputed." Pray to all!#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) March 1, 2020

@TheEdVerse I know you have answered similar questions. Sorry..1)Is Myth tangible? 2) Or are there myth Melee weapons? 3) what is the proper announciation? Myth like fable? or like might? 4) can myth be transported or essential recast in a different region? Thanks for your time

— Legacy Gaming Company (@company_legacy) January 29, 2020

1)
“Myth” (pronounced like “myth” as in legend) in a name denotes the presence (or former presence) of a Mythal, a powerful web of linked magical wards.
Mythals are not portable, but (given a sufficient number of powerful enough wizards familiar with a previously-. 2)
…cast mythal, willing to take the time and effort to craft another mythal, a near-duplicate of an existing mythal could be created. Some mythals have items enchanted to be 'keys' to them (allowing passage through them, make the bearer immune to some of their…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 29, 2020

3)
…powers, and/or to turn certain powers on or off, and such keys can be considered weapons by those who know how to use them, and can even have the physical form of a weapon (i.e. a mythal key could be a dagger or sword), but there is no way to imbue a weapon…#Realmslore 4)
…with mythal powers that can be called upon when the weapon is away from the mythal (carry the sword even a step outside the mythal, and it can no longer act as a key, so can't call on mythal powers). Moreover, any item bearing other enchantments (beyond mere…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 29, 2020

5)
…item protections like fire resistance, rust resistance, and so on) cannot be enchanted into a mythal key (the magics war with each other and destroy the item, immediately). So, no, there are no mythal melee weapons and can’t be (unless Mystra changes her mind).#Realmslore 6)
And if you try to remove Mystra and give another deity dominion over magic who would allow such a thing, they'll soon discover that it's a matter of stability in magic; item weapons can't long hold such magics, and very soon shatter and fall to dust.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 29, 2020

Grand lore master, if what I am understanding is right, then Mystra has that particular type of chosen to ensure that she has backups in case she is ever killed outright. It is intended to protect the Weave, right? What about the other gods of magic, such as Eilistraee or Azuth? They share the Weave with Mystra, don't they? What would happen if someone evil, say Lolth, who tried to claim the Weave once already, or Asmodeous were to kill one of these other gods of magic and claim their portfolios?

— Lysbeth Raven (@LysbethRaven) March 3, 2020

1)
That’s right, it’s intended to stabilize the Weave rather than having the whole thing crash in an instant (destroying all access to arcane magic, at the same moment that existing wards, mythals, and active spells all fail) 2)
It’s also intended to limit Mystra’s power, not provide personal backups for her. Which means it’s something that concerns Ao, and he watches over it.
Killing a deity doesn’t mean you automatically get their portfolio, or even…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) March 4, 2020

3)
…immediate access to it. And in the case of other gods of magic, the only being easily able to readily access their power and portfolios would be Mystra, not a god-slaying deity. Which should delay any seizure of power on 4)
…their part long enough for other rival deities to step in and oppose them, or perhaps even Ao taking a hand.
The tales priests tell make their deity sound like a superhero of infinite might and mastery, who can snatch…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) March 4, 2020

#Realmslore
5)
…something and instantly wield it like an expert long familiar with it, but that’s very rarely the case. For most deities trying to seize a new lever of power, it’s like trying to get a firm grip on fog. They have to study… 6)
…it, learn its ways in some depth, and so discern how best to try to get hold of it; not something easily done in the middle of a fight, or if opposed by someone else, or when handling other complex tasks. All of which…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) March 4, 2020

7)
…means if a god of magic goes down, the other gods of magic are most likely to end up in control, in the short term if not the long, because they know how to grasp and wield the powers involved, the side-effects and… 8)
…consequences of everything they do, and what will likely happen if they try this, or that.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) March 4, 2020