morning sage! A random thought from a segment on today’s @CBSNews Sunday Morning on California’s bristle cone pines, trees up to 4800 years old. So I wonder if an analogue exists on Toril, and being so long-lived, do these…1/ Trees engender veneration from humanoids, perhaps elves?

— Robert Paslay (@robpasl) November 28, 2021

1)
Oh, yes. Elves, particularly sylvan elves (wood/copper and wild/green) venerate long-lived trees (of all species) as sentient, “abiding” (patient, sentinels) foci of “good”/right (woodland) natural energies.2)
See Amarune’s Alamanac: Forests of the Realms (Vorpal Dice Press, available in digital form at the DM’s Guild) for examples of some druid spells that are akin to elven spells and the magics such trees can generate when…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 28, 2021

3)
…asked in the right ways. An elf might ask a tree for guidance and then go into reverie to see what visions the tree sends, and might leave offerings of things that can nourish the tree, but this veneration does not mean the… 4)
…elf sees the tree as a god like Corellon Larethian.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 28, 2021

Hi Ed! In FR4 – The Magister, 54, you wrote: “One is thought to have been lost in the Vast Deeps when the sorcer Alamanth was slain in battle aboard a ship off of Port Llast. How deep is the Vast Deeps? Given it’s close to the coast, I imagine it can’t be as deep as the Uldeep.

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 23, 2021

1)
The Deeps are deep, but nowhere near as deep as the Uldeep.
What they are, to earn the name “Vast,” is complex: an unmapped, chaotic large expanse of deep trenches with knife-edged ridges in between. 2)
MOST of them are parallel to the coast, but not all. This tortured terrain is home to many unique and rare undersea creatures, including eyes of the deep (marine beholders).#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 23, 2021

Hi @TheEdVerse! Starting an adventure in Waterdeep soon. What do you think Volo would say if you asked for his biggest ‘must try’ in the city? It could be food, a place to visit, or a person to speak to (other than himself).

— dm.rob (@dmrob3) November 8, 2021

1)
Volo’s latest favourite delight in Waterdeep is “The Cherry Tart,” which at 6 gp is a bargain of a dessert drink shared with ladies of questionable morals who all go by the name “Cherry” when serving you large goblets from a… 2)
…warm tub of the stuff they’re swimming in. They wear high-necked red gowns, and don’t really have to swim as the tub is only a foot deep. The goblets are larger than most human heads, and once filled with the warm cherry wine…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 9, 2021

3)
…are topped with a float of cream.
Volo has gained three inches around his waist already. And is smitten, especially with the Cherry he believes just might be a Harper, who feeds him interesting magic-related gossip. 4)
This beverage can be had at a new club, also named The Cherry Tart, on west-front Mendever Street, four doors south of Delzorin Street, in Sea Ward.
For a less risqué “must try,” Volo would likely recommend The Midnight Mystery…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 9, 2021

5)
…(25 gp, but with a solver’s prize of 75 gp) at Tarth’s Towers on Feather Street (a luxurious inn), a night snack in a ground-floor feast hall where a dozen or more guests try to solve a mystery related by a bard and acted… 6)
…out by a small troup of actors.
And if asked for an interesting person to talk to, Volo would recommend the Lady Laeral or (if you can find him) Mirt.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 9, 2021

If 6gp is a bargain, how much does the average person make in wages etc in Waterdeep? Heh. You have to get used to Volo's way of speaking.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 9, 2021

1)
Srandor Sultlue (CE hm Rog12): is an urbane, outwardly pleasant person who inwardly keeps constant score in life, calmly and cold-bloodedly; he has to best everyone he meets (over time, not necessarily within every deal, …2)
…conversation, or encounter), unless he exempts them (as he does his own kin). If you seriously impede his wants and doings, he arranges your death (preferably dealt to you in person, but he’ll employ agents or arranged…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 1, 2021

3)
…“accidents” if he’s busy with more pressing matters (or foes he respects more). Deadly with a blade, he won’t hesitate to slay anyone if he thinks he can avoid blame and consequences, and will make very sure of kills… 4)
…(beheadings or repeated impalings trump a single stabbing thrust) and enjoy doing it. His other pleasures include gambling (he must win, so cheating is fine), “wenching” (seduction and sex that preferably involves inflicting…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 1, 2021

5)
…pain; he most enjoys this when partners seem to enjoy receiving it), and revelry. Srandor is a notorious roisterer who often still goes from revel to revel to feast to club to tavern, until past dawn. His stamina never flags.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 1, 2021

What is the cost of burial in Waterdeep? It depends on the deceased.
If they’re guild members, the guild usually pays. Noble families have their own crypts; cost=how much of a show they want to put on (might be nothing). Clergy = free if done by their own faith, or are paupers who worshipped or did service.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 12, 2021

Many priests in Waterdeep offer set rates for laborers, shopkeepers, visitors, and other “working poor” that vary depending on: cremation? Marked grave? Grave with monument? Hired mourners? Or private service? Cheapest of these is USUALLY 100 gp, runs up to 1000 gp. If a wealthy merchant dies and his family want the passing marked by the city, they might spend 4K to 6K gp for a “big show” that falls far short of a city-traffic-stopping event (which could easily cost twice that, with Watch street escort for the coffin, etc.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 12, 2021

Thank you very much!
One of my parties NPC friends died (factionless child) and they are currently considering burial options for them An increasingly popular DIY option: the family rides or hires a coach to head for Secomber, finds a pretty wayside spot, buries there DEEPLY with a sunk-in-the-ground marker (a distinctive stone or piece of broken bottle of no value but that they’ll recognize).#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 12, 2021

Who does the general commoner/common family on the street think of when they want a burial? Kelemvor?
Or does each individual/family think of their own god for passing on?

Does Waterdeep have general Clerics who tend matters unless a specific one is requested? Most folk/families think of “the foremost god venerated” by the deceased to pick a faith for handling funerals and/or burials; Kelemvor is the fallback “for all” if there isn’t one (Chauntea for farmers outside the city). All clergy can and usually will serve in this.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 12, 2021

Thank you so much ed, and thank you for the amazing world you know so much about too :))

The forgotten realms have brought me more joy and awe than I could have possibly imagined. You are very much appreciated, as are all the countless others who have helped add to it You’re very welcome! May the Realms be a happy home for you and us all, forever. :}

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 12, 2021

RavensguildUK~Aaron @NerdyPunk93@TheEdVerse
do Waterdavians have a typical greeting? Like, in Manchester (UK) we tend to say “Y’alright?” As an informal greeting. So I was just wondering if Waterdeep has something similar.
4:42 PM · Nov 10, 2021

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 12, 2021

1)
Sure!
“Well met” is the most common Waterdhavian greeting between strangers and casual acquaintances (and “Well met again!”).
“Dragon high” means “I’m just here to trade” or “I want to do business, not cause trouble”
“It stands” is how neighbours and… 2)
…friends greet each other if they’re not upset or excited; it’s short for “Mount Waterdeep’s still standing, and the world unfolding as it should.”
and
“Bright!” is the “It’s a great day! How’s it going?” upbeat salutation.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 12, 2021

Ed Greenwood @TheEdVerse
Oct 15, 2018
Tendays in the Realms, not weeks. No official “off days” but temple and local civic festivals (which ARE days off for all) are many, and it’s understood workers need time off, so almost all…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 20, 2021

Jonah @gilgamesh_v9
2)
…businesses are staffed in shifts to make this possible. (Some guilds require this.) Most [etc.] Thanks for the reply!
I ask because I’m homebrewing some rules about operating a tavern in the new Waterdeep adventure. As a food service employee, I’m just wondering what the on/off day ratio looks like.

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 20, 2021

Indrasil @Indrasil1
..can dicker with employers (it’s an expected thing) to work more days “on” in a row in order to get more days off in a row (to make a trip, visit family or nurse a family member, for weddings, etc.). i am running a campaign in FR and in Xanathar’s one of the downtimes says you need X amount of workweeks to gain a language/prof in a tool. What…is the work week for an instructor?
Would an teacher be teaching all…

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 20, 2021

ten days of a tenday? Or would they have some days off? Or is that more of a case by case basis and the DM should just give an estimate? 1)
In the 1490s DR, a typical Waterdhavian worker in a high-stress front-of-house position (a maid or server) with a stellar employer might get a half-day “completely” off every third day—but it would be understood that this…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 20, 2021

2)
…would be cancelled/postponed for crises (someone displaced so an extra household is unexpectedly housed under your roof), unexpected important guests, or big events. If this happens, the custom (and for guild members, it’s… 3)
…a formal, enforced rule, with “won’t work for” blackballs for deliberate rulebreakers) is to later (but always “within the season,” meaning same half of the year) give a full day off in lieu. So if you give up two half-days in…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 20, 2021

4)
…a row for a festival or the like, you’ll get two full days off later, not necessarily together and usually not at the same time as co-workers (times off are ”staggered” so SOMEONE is on duty).
Instructors are USUALLY, in Waterdeep… 5)
…at this time, except when employed on staff by the very wealthy or nobility (like a real-world “governess”), working for themselves. So they can fill every moment if they need/want the pay, or give themselves time off.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 20, 2021

6)
Again, there will be crises (mustering for a trading expedition, so suddenly a lot of folks need to learn a smattering of a particular unfamiliar-to-them language) that will upset the norm, but a usual situation for a… 7)
…working-for-themselves instructor (craft or tutoring) is a quarter-day off every fourth day, or a half-day off every fifth day.
Kitchen staff and stable hands and other “lowly” workers get a lot less time off; they’re usually…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 20, 2021

8)
…on duty every day, nine out of ten, with a tenth day off to visit family, attend formal services at a temple, or just laze or sleep. However, it’s expected that such workers will get meal breaks and “ale breaks” throughout… 9)
…their workday, meaning that if an employer or client find them lounging in a back alley with a mug of something, they’ll be neither angry nor surprised; such time is accepted.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 20, 2021

Devin Town @ScottishNinjaaa
Hey @TheEdVerse! Hope you’re doing well! Are there any specific things in the Lake of Steam that you love in particular? I am not sure why I am always brought back to this region, but I love it! Curious what your little nuggets are on this region.

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 15, 2021

1)
In the lands along the north shore of the Lake of Steam, many gases erupt from fissures in the earth, and/or bubble up through pools and even into streams (which sometimes emit “smoke” [hot mists] as a result. 2)
Some of these “fumes and vapours” are toxic, some just smell bad or taint the earth or bring on hallucinations, and some are useful medically or in hide-curing and other processes if captured in vials.
The active vulcanism…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 15, 2021

3)
…gives off heat, and many places have warm or hot water welling up naturally, to flow or sit steaming in ponds.
The Lake of Steam area can be dangerous to mine in, due to arsenic exposure and noxious or even explosive gases… 4)
…given off when caverns/subterranean air spaces are breached, but can yield very pure veins of metals such as copper and silver, and a wide variety of gemstones in natural crystalline form, plus “rock crystal” in huge masses.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 15, 2021

5)
The heat of the Lake of Steam area attracts fire lizards and some dragons to dwell in any of the natural caverns—and thanks to past localized vulcanism and the phreatic tubes that are abundant in the area, these caverns are… 6)
…many, and often occur in chains/strings.
The Lake of Steam is an area lightly settled by humans due to the lack of good agricultural land to grow enough food and heavy forests to support game. So it has become an area for…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 15, 2021

7)
…outcasts and brigands to temporarily hide in, and many folk “on the run” to hide treasure in, that they hope to return to later, and reclaim. Many never do come back.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 15, 2021