1)
Talarra Tathgallant (CG hf B2): A tall, graceful dancer and singer who paints (very good) portraits for coin and collects other sorts of paintings done by others, “the Tath” is known for her ankle-length brown hair and…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 5, 2020

2)
…solemn face. She trades in draperies, gowns, worn accessories (mostly for women, but mens’ “for looks” boots, hats, and cloaks, too), and paints (mainly for buildings, as opposed to art), and has a sideline in importing…3)
…ointments, lotions, and scents. At Council, she pushes art and the enjoyment of civic life to improve a sense of community, and has managed to get passed into law public water-pumps and privies (the establishment and…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 5, 2020

4)
…maintenance of), and regulations that encourage citizen window-box gardening. Some on Council regard her as a madwits who wastes time on artistic matters, but others point out that she’s done more for sanitation…#Realmslore 5)
…and public health than any other Councillor.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 5, 2020

1)
Dorland Manyweather (NG hin-m F1): A fast-talking, nervous, deft and clever bundle of energy who has scores of projects on the go at once, makes astonishing amounts of coin in many small investments (and constant 2)
…re-investments), and is a calligrapher, cartographer, and fine woodcarver by trade. Over the years, he’s bought into, and now owns, no less than eight city warehouses, the rental of space therein bankrolling his life and…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 5, 2020

3)
…increasingly large family. Dorland is short, rail-thin, has tousled black hair and ‘snapping’ black eyes, and grins often because he finds life entertaining. He despises Tholandor but has few foes in the city or on Council, … 4)
…and by nature, he’s a gambler who will take a chance on bold new initiatives (even if they’re foolish). He secretly lends a lot of hard-up shopkeepers, stall owners, and craftworkers money when they need it, charging only…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 5, 2020

5)
…“one copper, ever” in interest, with the result that many of them are able to repay, and a lot of them are grateful to him and will back him in nigh anything he does. He staunchly supports regulations and civic treatments 6)
…that support halflings, gnomes, dwarves, elves, and non-purebred-humans, because he firmly believes Iriaebor will be strongest as a tolerant, cosmopolitan trading city.
(Whew; done at last. Hope this is of help.)#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 5, 2020

AenastFiresworn @AenastF
If Mystra limited the way The Weave can be used (Mystra's Ban on magic), theoretically, could some Sorcerer (or some other specific spellcaster) that do not rely on The Weave as their source of magic, cast higher than 9th lvl spells as they don't Weave?

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 5, 2020

Yes and no.
In theory, a spellcaster that doesn’t use the Weave to work magic could elude Mystra’s Ban, BUT we wouldn’t know the ‘level’ of their spells, because arcane spells (ranked in levels) use the Weave.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 5, 2020

Søren K. Wollenberg @Madhatterhim
Hey @TheEdVerse have been studying the Misty Forest lately, but information is typically scarce. I am aware of the Temple of Chauntea…and the locations mentioned in "Rise of Tiamat."
Any further features of interest you are capable of sharing?

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 3, 2019

3)
Reugor’s Rock is a black standing stone, natural as opposed to erected by any sentient race, an erratic in geological parlance, that marks the entrance to the caverns where the orcs that raid wayfarers on the Trade Way dwell.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 3, 2019

4)
Pronounced “REW-gore,” it’s about two-thirds of the way ‘down’ the length of the forest from its northern end, not far inside the western edge of the woodland. 5)
The Tombholes are narrow cracks in the face of the escarpment that marks the southern edge of the Sword Hills, and extends east halfway through the northern end of the Misty Forest. The score or so of cracks, caused by winter…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 3, 2019

6)
…ice splitting and slowly widening the cracks over centuries, are barely wide enough for an armored human warrior to walk into, seldom run back more than six paces before they narrow too far to traverse, and are the sites of 7)
…hasty, ancient human burials: fallen adventurers were stuffed into them, fully dressed and with their belongings, which often included treasure—even magic items. Sages suspect the Chosen of Mystra resupply the Tombholes with…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 3, 2019

8)
…magic from time to time, because burials known to have been plundered have been discovered to hold magic by later searchers. The Tombholes are almost all claimed by small, furry forest beasts as lairs. 9)
The Dead Glade is a small clearing deep in the wild heart of the Misty Forest (few agree on just where) in which some sort of ancient, fell magic holds sway. It can readily be recognized by the long-dead, falling-apart…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 3, 2019

10)
…beholder that hangs in midair above it, reduced to an empty globe of sagging chitin plates and rotting fangs hanging askew; all of its eyestalks have entirely rotted away. It’s not undead, but may serve as shelter for undead. 11)
If some adventurers’ tales can be believed, that is. And the magic that holds the remains of the beholder fixed in place makes the flesh of living creatures creep and crawl, and affects them in odd ways that vary from one…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 3, 2019

12)
…being to another; some have gained darkvision, lasting years, or levitation or other abilities. Just what this magic is, and why it affects living creatures in different ways, are as of this writing unexplained mysteries.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 3, 2019

@TheEdVerse Knowing that tea in the Realms is basically anything from hot herbal drinks to actual tea from Kara-tur, I was curious if you had recommendations for us on Earth to use for a Realms themed dinner party?

— ElminstersBedpan (@EBedpan) December 7, 2019

1)
Most merchants and common folk drink what would be sold in our world as “green tea,” unless they’re drinking a tissane made locally or in that household from freely-available berries. 2)
So if I assume your dinner party emulates the Heartlands, or the Dales, or Waterdeep and environs, most likely would be green tea, followed by wild raspberry tea, blackberry tea, gooseberry tea, and then rosehip tea.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 8, 2019

3)
If I’m incorrect in that assumption, then the most likely/popular teas would shift to match local sources, with a steady rise in black tea as one moved east across Faerûn. With a few oddities: in Luiren and Veldorn, crickets are added to tea (imparts a nutty. 4)
…flavour), and in Chult, certain folk swear by dried snake hatchlings (though as Elminster told me darkly, "I stand not among them").
Nobility and wannabe nobility (nouveau riche wealthy) everywhere like to be exclusive, and drink 'special' teas (secret custom…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 8, 2019

5)
…blends, chocolate dissolved in tea, and so on, or even mixing tea with liqueurs. (Elminster frowns on THAT, too.)
Hope this is of help!#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 8, 2019

Oh, wow, thank you! I was planning on it being more Waterdhavian than dales, but I may just have to have more than one dinner at this rate. It's ALWAYS good to have a pretext for more dinner parties. Feeding each other is the glue that binds together civilization. :}

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 8, 2019

@TheEdVerse what are some common four course meals in the Realms? Do they vary more depending on race, or depending on locale?

— Jon Forel (@Jon_4L) October 6, 2019

1)
They vary most depending on race; orcs and half-orcs prefer to eat a diet almost exclusively of meat, and dwarves prefer meat and dark, nutty breads, whereas elves prefer berries and green vegetables.
If you’re traveling2)
…in the Realms, and dining in taverns, inns, or eateries, here are four common meals with several ‘removes’ (=courses):
THE WARM BOARD [a solid, respectable meal, served in “good inns” in cities and towns]
1. Bowls (of…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 7, 2019

3)
…fire-eggs, of nuts, and of cubed cheeses). “Fire-eggs” are hard-boiled eggs, usually hens’ eggs but sometimes duck eggs, cut in half, with the yolks blended with honey or mustard, then spooned back into the cut halves 4)
2. Pottage (a soup of yesterday’s leftover meat, with vegetables). Such as: potato, leek, and diced bacon or roast fowl, or ham, leek, and pea, or barley, bean, and goose (or duck, or chicken).
3. Roast Eel, Tench, or Silverfin…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 7, 2019

5)
…(in coastal areas) or Rabbit or Grouse or Boar (inland).
4. Tarts (filled with cherries or berries).
Served with ale and/or “table wine” (a blended dry or semi-dry white or red wine, made locally) 6)
SOLID SUPPER [plain but sustaining fare; found in rural way-inns or the best eateries in small towns]
1. Bowls (of cubed cheeses, squares of honeycomb, and/or dates).
2. Pottage (a mixed stew of local vegetables and meats…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 7, 2019

7)
…[whatever can be had, from local rats to the last fragments of smoked, aged carcases of just about anything; often venison]; failing that, simmered broth).
3. Capon with orange or lemon sauce (chicken stewed in wine, fruit, …#Realmslore 8)
…and spices) or Boar in Gravy.
4. Sugared Bread Slices (hardbread/toasted rusks sprinkled with sugar or spread with local berry jams).
Served with small beer or ale.
EVENINGFEAST [expensive, served in superior establishments]#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 7, 2019

9)
1. Bowls (of chocolate, preserved fruits [jellies], sugared nuts, pickled silverfin or other smallfish, hot snails in butter).
2. Chilled Fruit Soup (such as strawberry, mandarin oranges, rhubarb) 10)
3. Cucumber Medallions in Vinegar and/or Roasted Marrow Slices in Mulled Wine or Cider.
4. Cheese Tray (assortment, served with pickled onions, sweet pickles, spiced jams and/or meat marrow, on flavored crackers).#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 7, 2019

11)
5. Boar Salad (bacon-flake-covered fresh greens, with sliced radishes and root vegetables, drizzled with spiced cider dressing).
6. First Meat (roast hare and/or stuffed chicken and/or stuffed pigeon, garnished with hard 12)
… -boiled eggs spiced with cloves).
7. Second Meat (roast stag quarter, and/or a whole roast roe deer, and/or a whole roast wild boar, and/or a stuffed-with-pickled-eels sturgeon [ports and coastal areas only]).
8. First Sweet…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 7, 2019

13)
…(plums stewed in rose-water and/or fruit tarts: cherry, gooseberry, or other local berries, often stewed in brandy or cordial).
9. Second Sweet (Sugared pastries [we would call them “shortbread cookies”] or love bites [small 14)
…oval puff pastries filled with lemon cream and glazed with caramel]).
Served with zzar, brandy, port, sherry, and an assortment of light wines and dark beers.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 7, 2019

15)
SIMPLES [Served in rural places or by those charging little or with impoverished pantries]
1. Pork pot pies (stuffed with pork, bacon, and onion or leek, and seasoned with salt, pepper, sage, or other spices). 16)
2. Sausages, fried with eggs and/or diced, spiced root vegetables (parsnips, turnips, or potatoes).
3. Grapes, drenched in a honey glaze.
Served with small beer or ale or homemade “petal” wine (dandelion or other wild weed).#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 7, 2019

17)
Local variations on all of these, of course, depending on what’s available.
For instance, a cheap seaside tavern may serve a fried mash of mixed smallfish, followed by diced pickled herring, 18)
…followed by leek-buttered fried slices of hardbread, all washed down with ale. A cheap countryside tavern may serve a “simmer stew” of mixed vegetables and whatever meat can be had (it’ll be brown and dominated by onions).

There we are; hope this is of help.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 7, 2019

Hey uhm @ChrisPerkinsDnD I have a question about Waterdeep! Would one of the Lords hold a Winter Ball in either the Castle or the Palace of Waterdeep? The Open Lord of Waterdeep, Lady Laeral Silverhand, Queen of Stornanter and Chosen of Mystra, certainly has the authority to do that. Moreover, she would generally be inclined to invite Waterdavians from all wards and strata of the city. #wotcstaff

— Christopher Perkins (@ChrisPerkinsDnD) December 16, 2019

@TheEdVerse Weather question… is there FR/ Sword Coast map or description of who gets snow in the winter? I FEEL like there is and I've seen it.

Looking at Waterdeep to Daggerford specifically.

— Justin Ray Glosson (@ivstinus) December 8, 2019

1)
Oh, we’ve published them, all right, but darned if I can remember after thirty-odd years of the “official” published Realms if I can remember where. Here’s the short form: everywhere in that area gets snow in winter, and freeze-up. Baldur’s Gate gets both, too, 2)
…but the river runs strongly enough & is wide enough that the harbor isn't icebound (ships and small boats can break the thin morning skin of ice). But hard frozen ground, blizzards, and snow accumulated on the ground afflicts everywhere from the Gate northwards.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 8, 2019

This is awesome. I’m curious about Cormyr, especially Eveningstar & Suzail, and Sembia’s climate, if you wouldn’t mind.
Published novels & 1e/2e game products let me know suzail & Sembia have quite warm summers, maybe some snow in winter but the picture is fairly fuzzy.

— 🌈Jaye🦄Em🌹Edgecliff🏳️‍🌈 (@jayeedgecliff) December 8, 2019

1)
The problem is that published adventures seldom include weather as a factor (in the old days, this was due to a paucity of both rules and available wordcount), so all too often published source material (except when handing players parched desert or howling 2)
…blizzard conditions, was largely "weather silent."
When we talk of Suzail and much of Sembia (not to mention coastal Cormyr), the Sea of Fallen Stars acts as a temperature moderator and moisture adder; if you're close to the sea, it warms you in winter and…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 8, 2019

3)
…cools you in summer and gives you mists, fogs, and humidity all the time. Cormyr also has a wall of mountains at its back that acts as a wall against the worst winds blowing from the interior, and Cormyr, Sembia, and the Dales experience prevalent winds.. 4)
…blowing to the west-northwest onshore from the Dragonreach and the open heart of the Inner Sea. What all of this adds up to is: interior areas (upland Cormyr [including Eveningstar], the Sembian backlands, and the Dales, can get a lot of snow and biting cold…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 8, 2019

5)
…at the depths of winter, and some years will have long winters, whereas the coasts will have a bone-chilling ‘damp cold’ and ice storms as the worst of winter, and shorter winters, and both of them can have hot, humid height of summer, but usually experience 6)
…moderate, pleasant summers (and spring and fall) with lots of precipitation in short bouts (i.e. swift storms that "blow over" rather than days of gloom and rain. Hence, the Dales can grow enough food to support themselves, and Cormyr and Sembia are…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 8, 2019

7)
…agricultural powerhouses (growing surpluses).
If all of this strikes you as giving a DM maximum freedom to have almost any sort of weather on a given day, and you're suspicious that I designed it this way (back in the 1960s, pre-D&D)…you'd be right. ;}#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 8, 2019