Sj WATERDEEP: INSIDE THE CITY OF SPLENDORS © = ta wri BOYD TH i) eit ol ET SS Ce Toa ea =f) eT eee ANWATERDEEP__/ 7 | een une Roce 2 NA \i\ @ ¥ a Me , \ 2 'K VW H y VP Ny ( _ fz " { ry cual ‘ yg BARD . Sy — mil fA oe Oe - ue ely)DFASON contents SUSSCRITIONS/CHANGE OF ADDRESS: I 0800 355 seprisee 2005 WATERDEEP: SPLENDOR OF THE CITY by Erie L. Boyd Waterdeep. It’s everywhere you want to be NEW OLAMN BARD COLLEGE by Flaine Cunningham Waterdecp’s barding college re-opened! The Moonstars revealed! ED GREENWOOD INTERVIEW by Jeffrey E. Thetford Is Elminster Ed Greenwood's secret identity? Find out! GAME OF CHANCE by Elaine Cunningham Elaith Craulnober returns in a tale of manipulation and murder ECOLOGY OF THE LIZARDFOLK by Amber E, Scott Stalk the shadows with these scaly swamp savages eed tt ee eee re eee ay ee ee peersFROM THE EDITOR Erik focuses on setting SCALE MAIL Whoa! More from women who game. FIRST WATCH Previews, news, and gear {gf gamers. WORMFOOD ‘Now we tell you about our characters, Three new cohorts from Diamond Lake. GAINING PRESTIGE ‘The charlatan, Winner of the Origins/DRacon Prestige Class contest BAZAAR OF THE BIZARRE Primitive magic from the swamp's masters. SPELLCRAFT Misbehave with the Songsabers of Waterdeep, GAMER GUIDE SAGE ADVICE ‘The Sage answers your rules questions. CLASS ACTS Options and insights for your favorite classes. COMICS ON THE COVER Matt Dixon shows the dangers of dishonoring a moonblade,and 1 found myself playing the game only rarely, 1 often had difficulty mustering a lot of enthusiasm for ‘new issue of Dracon. Sure the columns on how to run a better game were helpful, but I thought 1 knew everything there was to know about running and playing D&D. Those columns were fine, but they were Not For Me. If wasn't playing much, didn't really need new spells and magic items. Thank goodness for the cartoons, or I might have abandoned ship. But there was one thing that Kept me waiting 2t the mailbox: coveted and almost impossibly rare article that expanded upon the Greviawx campaign setting. My inter- est in the game (and more importantly my ability to muster a full table of players) had faded, but my enthusiasm for my favorite D&D setting blazed as strong as ever before. This was before the Internet. As far as new game stuff was con- cerned, it was your own notes and what TSR published in their game products and in Dracow. Period. In those days an article on my favorite setting could make or break an issue for me. Standouts included a trio of articles from an unreleased sourcebook, a never- before-seen map of the “rest of the world,” an analysis of different fighting techniques from the various nations oftthe world, and a handful of monsters that seemed like they were designed specifically for my campaign (or at least the one I was imagining in my head) and for my favorite setting. For a while in the recent past, this magazine attempted to avoid setting-specific articles for rules-focused features tai- lored to the general audience. The idea goes like this: you include articles tied to a specific setting, you're automatically “not talking to” a large number of readers, who don't hap- pen to favor that particular setting. In my example above, ‘very time Erik Mona was happy about a Gaeyniawx artile, ‘alot more DRacoN readers were upset about an article they “couldn't use” because it wasn'ttied to their setting of choice {most likely a world of their awa design). fi: second edition Dunczons x Daacows ground on. BIB 021201 535 septente 2008 The River Rive Strect 18. tadiray ‘The problem with'a Daacon that doesn't spend anytime on the official campaign settings is that the magazine stops talking toa significant percentage of D&D players, who are in it mostly forthe settings. Even when time and circum stances don't permit long-term campaigns, many players "keep in touch” with the game by reading about the official settings. For every gamer who can tell you the CR ofa chu there's a guy who can name the last three kings of Cormyn. So the settings are coming back to Dracon, with an emphasis on those currently supported by Wizards of the Coast. (We'll revisit the unsupported settings once a year for January's Campaign Classis theme, so dontt count out your favorites from the past just yet) They're coming back because the seitings are part of what defines D&D, and they serve asa great example that, a its best, D&D is indeed about exploring dungeons and slaying dragons, but itis also about the world in which those things exist, and the PCs’ role within that world, ‘This month, that world is the Forcorren Reatats. The release ofthe City of Splendor: Waterdeep sourcebook and the City of Splendars novel by Elaine Cunningham gave us the perfect opportunity to celebrate the foremost city in the Realms with some wonderful features aimed squarely at fans ofthe world Ed Greenwood debuted in the pages of this very magazine. Not every issue will contain as much setting content as this one, ane future issues wontt dedicate quite so much space to a single world (hey i's Waterdeep we're talking, about, here) but let the word go out. The official settings are part of what makes D&D D&D, and theyll be covered here in the pages of Dracon. Erik Mona Editor-in-Chief erikm@paiza.comTell us what you think of this issue, Send an email to scalemall@paizo.com, Please include your name, city, and stat. Tu Trane I 1 just wanted to write and thank you for taking Dracon in new directios Tye been a long-time subscriber to Dungeon, but I've rarely picked up an issue of Dracon in the past few years, Thought Deacon #333 for the tie-in with Age of Worms and the “Relies of the Realms" features, and then I read your editorial 'm really glad that you'l be featuring more of the For- GorreN Reatas this coming year. You just can’t go wrong with Eric Boyd and Ed Greenwood! Don't get me wrong, 1 love Garvitawx material, but I'm truly addicted to the Realms. Additionally, I have to say that the entire feel of Deacon has improved—artwork, articles, every- thing! And with the monthly Age of ‘Worms tie-in and promised Realms material, I decided to leap back in for a subscription! ‘Thanks again, and keep up the excellent work—with both magazines! Jobn Dencoff Albuquerque, NM We hope you lie the Realms content in this issue, John. We considered the release af the new Waterdeep products an excel- Tent time for a “welcome back” for those Realms fans who may have stepped away from Dracon over the last fw years, as solid ForcorraN REALMS articles seemed more and more difficult to find in these pages. While it probably bea long, long Hime before we do another issue with as ‘much Realms content as this one, we have 4 lot of exciting things on the horizon, including more cities from Ed Greenwood, BED o2c0n 555 sete 2005 more articles from likes of Bric L. Boyd ‘and perhaps even some exploration 0 lands beyond Faerin And before the Grevnaws and Enron fans get all up in arms about their settings geting left out in the cold, allows me to say this: There's room in the sandbox for all of us, and fans ofthe off- cial Ducrons & Deacon settings will have much to look forward to in he next year. We even plan to revisit some popular settings from the past that haven't seen meaningful support in years Tim looking at you, Spliammer fans Your beloved giffare only months away! Ran Trert RPG ‘The other day I was walking out to my carwhen I couldn find it.I was sure {was in the right spot and started to fear that my car had been stolen. 1 kept walking along the stret that I thought Thad parked on looking for it. Duzing nny search I started thinking, “Crap. My school stuffis in my ear and finals ase next week. Eb, Lean borrow books from people to study. No big deal’ and, "Damn, Can't easily replace the KNOWLEDGE CHECK What definitive Aovanceo DUNGEONS 1 Deacons computer game tock place in the sewers and labyrinths beneath the city of Waterdeep? ‘ar since it’s not insured.” Next thing that went through my mind was, “All my field gear ('m a Marine) was in may ‘trunk, so that’s gone too. Eh, my unit will replace that. Not my fault my car got stolen.” kept walking, thinking, “What's in my ear that’s of any other value? “***ll My D&D stuffs in my carl! God **** itt” Various other expletives ran through my head, but dont want to put them in here, as they're not appropriate. Thankfully, 1 found my car. Yes, I definitely have my priorities straight. David Peever Kent, WA Yes, but did the thieves make off with your DAD books? Gis Line Devons Hasreeponaiig to the question you posed in issue 33 regarding the low percentage of fernale gamers, I myself eagle jupes aang seadey ni loyal Daacon subscriber 1 have teen playing D&D since Twas five years old, Thanks tomy overly ative knowing the rules inside and out so Tean twist them to my advantage, eran ema up-witcpetiy good detailed campaigns off theton of ay ead Dut Tenet oaaiting you by talk about that stu: Let's see. Where vas 1. Ah Yes T have noticed that most ofthe girls sho‘arclato any Hetion and aight consider playing D&D are also into stuf ke demons (the kinds from InuYasha and Yate Hakusho; not thoseRob Lazzarett’s map of the city of Crimmor, on page 26 of last month's Deacon, was missing a few numbered locations listed on the map key on the ‘opposite page. We blame invisible stalkers. You can download a revised ver ‘bug uglies in the Monster Manual alchemy (like in Full Metal Alchemist) ancient magic (Yu-Gi-Oh, Or, they might just want to go on afin campaign with what a passerby might consider evil intentions but are really just sincere dreams that provide an ‘excuse to help people (One Piece. Per haps if D&D had more of that and a bit les of "the sensiti ce paladin who wants to make a aft out of enemy and villager corpses” more girls would be more inclined to play. Don't get ‘me wrong, I'm all for carnage, but sometimes the gamers need a little reminder not to take it over the edge. Sara Pekel Via Email I've resisted long, rambling answers to Tetiers on this isue, because I'm most interested in what our female readers ic. I think Sare’s esponse is spet-on, however, in that I have to say on think the way to geting more women interested in the hobhy is far more come plicated than simply making the cover pink and changing the name of the hooks to, oh, let's say “Heariquest.” Making paigns (and our magazines and ‘ Sourcebooks) about more than just bl and guts is certainly ritcal early step So what else needs to be done? really appreciated Joanne Ellen's let ter“In Response to Whoa" in issue #333, Tam a gimer girl and what she wrote scems relevant to my experiences. What bothers me most about being part of the 5% of women players is that it feels like the industry isnt doing sion of the complete Crimmor map at paizo.com/dragon. anything to change that number (in a higher, double-digit direction} It feels like even Deacon is letting the percep- tion that RPGs arent for girls stand, Occasionally the cover of Deacon features a scantily-clad female char acter, like the medusa on issue #329, "The cover appeals to guys to read the magazine, but it’s not a tum-on for me, “Don't Judge a Book by It’s Cover” is a fine saying, but if T were to show one of my girl friends who hasnt played D&D before that issue, shed assume what's inside isn't meant for her. The hunky Mesopotamian demigods Mare Sasso illustrated (also issue #329) should have been on the cover! I dont think the ‘men would be put off by an equal rep: resentation of babes of both genders {and to any male chauvinists, I wrote equ ticbikini Inquisition”) If youre serious about encouraging girls to play D&D, try featuring more stuff that appeals to us—my sister loves Mercedes Lackey’s n pick up the dice no matter how much I cajole her because she says D&D is fantasy for “nerd guys. cedes Lackey's books was “A Novel Approach” it would go along way toward changing her mind. D&D can also be fantasy for“nerd girls” like me—the system can support almost everybody's ideas about what fantasy is; all that’s neecied is some broad-mind. cedness (yes its a pun, deal with i) Rachel Hadlock-Piltz Los Angeles, California Look for at iast one befeae cover inthe next year. We'e not above pandering to Forging Bsns with : Oy BACON Tfo YF Beapons Bid eds es er features 150 weapons, each with its Coa cetn! See a ae ee) power levels. Every weapon is enka eer beautifully illustrated to add new levels of richness to your campaign. escrito Iocal gaming store or visit us on the web at PRR Ua eel)SCALE MAIL [s Kee Huu Fear? My fondest dream has come true! Wizards is finally going coastal! [am ecstatic about the new Stormurack book coming out in August justin time for my bisthday on the ard! 1 was like Wizards of the Coast knew hhow much T wanted to se a seafaring, pirate, swashbuckling “ALL HANDS ON DECK" supplement! Ever since reading "Campaign Components: Swashbuckler” fom Daacow Issue #301 (my very fist Daacon purchase) Ihave been hooked on ons day becoming pod-cuougteD Mt tolire pie Colonial type campaign. 1am now oi of twa DMs in may gaming crew that switch off campaigns in an cvery-other-week adventure, Ithas Deen my leepesE lope teeaily yall ofa Pirates of the Caribbean Master ad Conmander|Cutthroat Island Brotherhood ofthe Wolfadventure without too many house rules to rake it work effectively. Ihave even gone so fara to start reading the Malte ond Convisnder book wees by Patrick O'Brian. My wife thinks 1 have literally gone overboard... par don the pun Tam writing to yall to ask. Are you planning on dedicating zn fsaue of Deacox and Dexczon to swashbuckler? know that seems like alot, but I really need some good maps and ideas ana whatnot to really help expand my seafaring adventures, Teven went 50 far 25 fo wives couple packs of thore Stall ships from the Pirates ofthe Crimson Coast game in order to have sora sea bailestool Zander Adelstein Cleric of Thor We don’t have any immediate plans to devote an entire issue to seafaring pur- suits, but happily a number of d20 com- panies can come to the rescue. Have you considered Green Ronin Publishing’s “Freeport” series of sourcebooks and adventures? The books perfectly capture the pirate feel. You might also consider Ailas Games’ forihcoming Northern Crown campaign seting, which com- bines fantasy with colonial America in a way that looks realy fresh and ‘exciting. See this issue's Fst Watch for more details. Lastly, if you're looking for high-quality pirate miniatures, you can’t beat Wargames Foundy’s offerings. The website is incredibly chaoti, but a good start is wargamesfoundry.com/eollec- tions/CUT/indes.asp. 34 Issues T wanted to collect all the issues of Dracon and Duncron Maga- zines from the point they switched 035 D&D format 1 know there were some issues that gave sneak peeks tothe release of 5 but I'm more interested inthe issues that are completely 35. 1 know the 35 Player's Handbook came out in 2003, s01 figured this is where to star but'm not sure. Any help would be greatly appreciated Jyunmi Hatcher Via Email You'll want to begin your collection with DRAGON #309, @ spectacular issue focused on batilgeld strategies and war ‘campaign themes, That issue also made up half of the Deacox/Dunarox Incursion” publishing event, which staged a githyanki invasion of your campaign world. The other half appeared in DUNGEON #200. These issues and hundreds more are available at paizo, com.—Erik Mona KNOWLEDGE CHECK ANSWER Legends Series Volume I Eye of the Beholder. Turns out there's a lot ‘more going on below Waterdeep then just Undermountain and Skullport. Watch out for kenku! (And their delicious eggs) DRAGON'S HOARD CONTEST MeFarlane’s Dragons series aren't minis by Dragon any stretch of Talk im tion, but theyre the perfect size for Colossal-sized dragons in D&D and 2 great way to make your players quake in ther ironclad boots. AS such, Deacon and MeFarlane Toys are giving away a complete set of -MeFarane's Dragons Series (cur- rently slated for general release in December). To win, frst answer the following questions: What are the names ofthe six diferent clans from the original MeFarlanes Dragons: Quest forthe Lost King line? ‘According to Dracow 3332, what «an you make out ofa mature adult sold dragon's feet? ‘Once you know send an ema with your rameansves and malig addres to contest@paizo.com by Ceaber st. Injanuary well amounce one winner ffom arnong the patipants and send tisorhera compete fight of MeFa- lanes Dragons Stes 2. Also, ifyou find yourself at MeFar- lanes website (spawn.com) check outthe original MeFalane Dragons: ‘Ques forthe Lost Kngline and the limite edition repaints avilable net ‘month, Mike L FiggSAGE PREVIEWS. NOTES AND NEWX FOR GHMERS NEW RELEASES MAGIC INCARNUM ‘Want to sculpt your magic to suit your desire? Such is the versatility the new magic system presented in ‘Magic of Incarnum, Shape “incarnura! using soul melds, creating permanent that you reshape ver you like, or enhance your magic using "essenti increasing its flexibility and power. -arnum with a number of new incarnum-shaping classes and feats, or fac forms ‘and location att, Frank Branner, bert make Magic of wholly nes adaptable to any D&D campaign option nid, SB Scns eed SONS OF GRUUMSH ‘Return to the Forcorren ReAta Sons of G by Chris Perkins. The frst Re: adventure sin ity ofthe Spider inside sumsh,a32-page adventure flly-mapped orc citadel and casi fits into any world that features these tmitional foes Sandwiched bet games of intrigue are enough tap threats, encounters and fill toaadvance PCs from 4th to th level The Orog Warlord from the newest Duncrows # Daacow Miniatures Angers modeled especially for this adventure, which has been specifically designed to wor DAD miniatures -S2. Haunted Houses eg eet eee Cees eee the word. These seven new templates each a different haunting and are ready to Cea Cea re The create undead spel cant be blared for ee ea hem ating them, learn the genesis of DRO. Sena ea designer Gwendolyn FM. Kestrel and miniatures expert Rob Heinsoo join forces in Fantastic Locations: Fane of the Drow, a complete adventure designed around specific miniatures. Evil machinations and political intrigue in true dr style fill this 10-page adventure, table for any gth-level part battle across four gigantic ach depicting grand, open th plen Miniatures players can of room for also look forward to using these maps in D&D skirmish play and at sanctioned events, -S.B. Coes ede Peer oer er er eects Ree ead fac a eee eat rete Secon car Poa oh cred ae ao (eens eee enetaa gy ree Bees eesreported by Shelly Baur, Mike Fehlauer, Mike L. Fiegel, Allan. Grohe, Jr, Nikol Price, F. Wesley Schneider, and James Suiter N Fantasy Flight Games, the | Death in Freeport, Teror in| Undermountain or games.com) comes yet | creators of Runcbound and Freeport,and Madness in Greyhawk Ruins too another gutsy setting Arkham Horror, set their | Freeportbeganone ofthe | small for your PCs? Then drawn from real world | sights on the world below firstand most popular | check out Mammoth history—this time with Descent: Journeys in| d2o campaign settings. Dungeons. Printed on inspired by the folklore the Dark. This exciting But those adventures have | graph paper covered with of colonial North gam uh desta! Hieteateeneitets tae | to to 50 aquares per inch, ‘America. Introduced in | crawling adventure pits1 | Atleast until now. For Mammoth Dungeons Northern Crown: New World | to 4 characters against the Green Ronin Publishing’s | come in three sizes Adventures and explored | Overlord, an all-powerful sthanniversarycomesthe | Standard, Mammoth, and further in the Norihe | enemy who manipulates | new, Go-page, perfect- Epic, with 250+, ,000+, and Crown Gazeteer, this new | monsters and untold ound tome, The Freport | 6500+ rooms per level. dao campaign setting other perils. The dangers | Trilogy. Designed by Chris | Cartographers short on draws players back toa | are many, but for those | Pramas, Robert Teth, and | time can order single levels time of pseudoscience, _| few victorious heroes William Simoni, and with | ormult-level dungeon Salem witches, Benjamin | gold, ancient magic,and _annewcover piece by Wayne | complexes, each including Franklin's wizardry, and | mysterious artifacts are Reynolds, this compilation | its own dungeon encounter limitless frontiers. From | the rewards. Numerous __ of Green Ronin’ first charts and creature lair the Fountain of Youth to | scenarios and atile-based three adventures expands record sheets. Customize the Northwest Passage, | game board makes every | and completes the award- | your next dungeon monsters and magie game unique. Begin your | winning campaign as never | delve, deathtrap, or even abound in this innovative | own journey into the dark before. The Freeport Telogy | your entire campaign at take onthe Americathat | at fantasyflightgames. is available now from mammothdungeons. might have been. JS. | com -MLE. sgreenronin.com. -WS. com. ATG. ‘Well known forthe art in White Wolf's various Fralted products (white-wolf ccom/exalted) it’s hardly surprising that ‘UDON Enteriainmentis producing Exalted's new line of over-the-top comic ‘books, Combining sword-and-sorcery with anime, Exalted seems an obvious fit for UDON, which is perhaps best known for their various Marvel and Capcom comics (not to mention a fairamount of work in Dunczox and Deacon}, Featuring two stories and ‘brand new game content from White ‘Wolfin every issue, the series debuts in October, with a special to preview issue and limited edition art print available at various conventions. ~J5. sepenber 2005 oracon ss EIFIRST WAICH a, Finally, furniture designed | Tired of aked Jack Walters was a good The much anticipated with gamers in mind! by other players in your 19208 cop,at least until his | Exzxeow real-time PC From LoveSac, the new MMORPG? Never fest: commitment to Arkham strategy game, Dragonshard GameSac comes fully Dungeon Sieye I has heard | Asylum. Call of Cthulhu: leases this month. The equipped with a pocket jour pleas. Remaining true | Dark Corners ofthe Earth for | first computer game to for controllers, books, tothe spirit of gameslike | the PCand Xbox, castsyou | bring Eeenxox to life dice, or any other essential | the original Dungeon Siege | as Jack, now an alcoholic Dragonshard explores the gaming equipment. and Diablo, Gas Powered private investigator. You mysterious continent o Along with an optional _| Games's Dungeon Siege IT | continue his downward Xen‘érik. With a story SodaSac drink holder allows players to contro spital as he uncovers by the setting’s creator aud footrest, the unique | party of up to six characters | hidden truths and regains | Keith Baker, players tak 1nd incredibly versatile | as they return tothe civil- | fragments of memot ap auuns 2s members GameSac is guaranteed to war-torn fantasy land of in his search for a lost of the Silver Flame keep you comfy through | Arana, eitheralone orin | Innsmouth grocery clerk. A | indigenous lizardfolk, or ¢ longest gaming -ooperative multiplayer classie sanity-shaking Call | the Umbragen drow. Ye session. At four feet toa games. With superior of Cthulhu game delivered | what sets Dragonshard apart side, this massive “Sac graphics and cinematics first-person, vertigo from other RTS games is towers over conventional | to the original, one load and delusional imagery its eecognition of D&D beanbags and two can zip | time forthe whole world, | abounds as Jack’ fragile roots with small-unit together for even more and options for online play | egotries to hold on. Call of | side treks into traditional decadent lounging Check | let the sword-swinging Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the | D&D dungeons. Find ut Iovesae-com and never | mayhem begin! Reenter Farth releases this month, | sczcenshots, characters, sitinan uncomfortable | Arana at microsoft.com/ See eallofethulhu.com for nd moxe at atari.com/ folding chair again. JS. | games. JS. the goods. -M.F dragonshard. -M.F oe eed occa etn ea re eee thing worse than mad dero haunts the ea aoror as ee eee eee ee Be en venture Path Seductive vampires, hungry werewolves ree Peete es eee eee eee ee) eae ener ae | characterAFTERNOON ADVENTURES PIECES ‘THE BARBARIAN IS BACK Wizards of the Coast, working Put the graph paper away and check weryone’s favorite barbarian with librarians and educators, has | out one of the newest and most sturns in Dark Horse's Conan: The created two new outreach programs | intricate tools of dungeon depict God in the Bow! and Other Stories , Mystic Blocks. These super Penned by award-winning writer detailed, pre-painted, 3D blocks depict | Kurt Busiek and rendered by artist dunt v Nord and Dave Stewact, this ols to run D&D games for never seen before—multiple levels, 0 sis 0 14 from teens, including the Duxcron: staircases, dungeon vegetation, and scelaimed Conan series, Daacons Basic Game, instructio more. They also plug into Dwarven s the infamous Thoth- for hosting a regular D&D group, | Forge’s Master Maze pieces perfectly, | amon and a new female foil, Janissa -ecommended reading lists, and allowing you to expand yourexisting | the V cer. Visit darkhorse other practical resources. The collection in a whole new way. Molded st variety of Conan other, Mirrorstone’s Ad fom sturdy Excalibur dental plaster, | material, ftom dozens of comic int Readers, employs the hand-painted, and coated with a and trade paperbacks (including Mirrorstone line of books for ear protective coat for additional the c Roy Thomas & Barry ung adults to encourage reading, | durability, they're so tough they'll Windsor Smith run from the 1970s), a probably outlast your rule Check | Conan messageboard, downloadable them out f freebies, a manly Conan lunch net/-drakedavist. -M.L.F and much more. -M.L.F. CCN ae ae ee oe ete See ec} ee aa eT) ae eee ee Crea can Ree me ee See a ee eo et a huge increase in activity across the Bae ecu arb) fae cae board with sanctioning, reporting, and from his involvement with Wizards _ year’s Worldwide D&D Gameday. eee er hart of the Coast’s Stag Wars roleplaying There has been a general call for Ree ee nore et ee eee ee eee Peer eee ne ca eee ey ee Oe tea eee See oe i a eee ee eee eer Revere ete et eee ee eel eae ee ae cessing. As such, the turn-around time is an understatement. Thus, all you this year. Full information on the aaa ee eect) Coenen ech eges Pecan a Cueto tis from 14 days to 21days. This doesn't the benefits of D's aid fairly soon. day will soon be available at www. eee ane ae ee eae ee eet Pome Cre err een er ae el ced BY tae scien ereloc of the cir BY ERIC L. BOYD though nt the largest in poplition os, he Cty A Auth present cy Geant eet al tienen erat eased Stall {ike frst ofthe Resins Waterdeep orang rom he el PAS He legehdlary Bl Greerrocid ax a ples WA bes the restr ofthe indomiale min the Maveqiender and Duran te Wanderer Sea dp poe ca vd wih cal rod rax cantileambitins but esrained pl and tary ght {tvs atop get platen in heshadow of Mount Vater pad rl ne rte gl cbs fi Sec Goat. The Git of Splendon is aed by the secretive Londs SL ise Sagpecn meh ray Goa os oP bd Open Ud Negron Pclwen Aercnte IgM ad 20 Seance of glk rahe cd pomic ie ofthe iy but ane a the cys many and vated Fit command the loyalty of lange ion of the ciaray Ba phone cy scabies who seth ano Bp North as psteway to the Savage Frontier ahd a¥ aplace! Pisa st cae heecncc ena cin ee ay Ty dee Sis ond rorne ve eas aseale 22 DRAGON 335 September 2005 scott sischer basis, bringing an ever-changing mix of creatures to the city’s streets. The City of Splendors is aptly named, for it represents the pinnacle of human settlement on the continent of Faerin, ‘Waterdeep first saw print in the first edition product FRa: ‘Waterderp and the North, achieving the impossible by giving a good overview ofthe city anda cursory examination of the North in just 6q pages This was the infamous product that gave rise to designer (AKA Realms Traffic Cop") Jeff Grubbs rule, "Thou Shalt Not Use Mouse-Type” in Realms products thereafter, despite the best efforts of Ed and other authors Gacluding myself) to eliminate space wasted on margins and excessively large (ie, readable) letters. City System attempted to conquer Waterdeep's complexity by illustrat- ing the city in 10 massive maps collectively large enough to carpet a room. These two products barely scratched the sur- {ce of Waterdeeps culture and society, but they lad out the framework in which many future tales could be told. Most of the NPCs detailed within were Waterdeep'siconics and low- level companions for fledgling adventurers. Fd truly brought Waterdeep to life in Volds Guide to Water deep she frst of the infamous "travel guides” publishedby that illustrious rogue, Volothamp Gedidarm. Steven Schend then knit ted the city together in the sprawling, splendiferous City ofSplendors boxed set: Most of the NPCS revealed in the former source were the shopkeepers, bartenders, and guild members who formed the backbone of the citys daily Tif, while the latter focused on the ‘movers and shakers ofthe city from the Lords of Waterdeep to the noble families and the guild masters. Beneath Waterdeepisstrets sprawls the legendary dungeon of Under-_ ‘mountain, First brought to life in Ruins of Undermountain, what we know ‘of Halaste's Halls has continued to ‘expand through such products as Ruins ef Undermountain I, The Lost Level, “Maddgoths Caste, Stardock, Stullport, and Drizt Do'Urden’ Guide tothe Underdark ach of these products has focused con the dark underside of Waterdeep, slowly revealing the complex relation- ship between the city above and the dwellers below, and those who straddle the divide "The secrets of Waterdeep and Undermountain were further revealed in the pages of Dzacow in articles such as “The Assassin's Run” (64), The Ecology of the Mimic” (#75), ‘Nine Wands of Wonder" (#102), “Open’Them, Ifyou Dare" (#208), “Welcome to Waterdeep” (#128), “Lone Wolves" (#72, “Seeing the Sights in Skullpost” (4172), “I'You Need Help, Ask the Drow” (176), "The Game Wizards: Volo Goes to'Town’ (190), “Part Dragon: All Hero” (#206), “I Sing a Song by the Deep-Water Bay” (21), "Series Magie” (#213), “The Reports from Undermountain’ (227), “Ven- turing in the City” (228), “Claugi- yliamatar: Old Gnawbone” (#233), “Gaulauntyr: The Thiet Dragon” (44240), “Jalanvaloss:'The Wyrm of Many Spells” (2g, “The Heroes of Seldne’s Smile” (246), "Nymanurh: "The Wyrm Who Watches” (250), “Thornhold: The Harpers at Twi- light” (4253), ‘Dream Spheres" (#259) Elminster’s Guide to the Realms: “The Rating Dragon House” (#320), and “Elminster's Guide to the Realms: ‘Nurneene's Marvelous Masks” (321) Deacon has played a critical role in the development of the city, giving extensive detail to small locales and ‘obscure NPGs found within the city and by tying items found in hoards across the realm to the city’s history and inhabitants ‘The Gity of Splendors also saw print in the pages of Porrstzpxox, including “Adversaries: Lady Aridarye Phylund and Lord Urtos Phyland” oa) and “The Cult of Ao" (#94) and in the pages of Duncron with “The Inheritance” (#26) and “A Dozen Eggs” 30) It hhas made further appearances on the ‘Wizards of the Goast website in the “Magic Books of Faertin,”"Rand!’s Tray- celogue;” "Realms By Night,"“Waterdeep “Weather” colurmns, and the “Champions of Ruin Web Enhancement.” ‘Waterdeep has also served as a back- drop fora wide range of tales. Elaine Gunningham depicted the adventures of Arilyn Moonblade, Danilo Thann, and Elaith Craulnober in her Song & Swords series (Fifhadow, Elfiong, Silver Shadows, Thornhold, and The ‘Dream Spheres) and the stories of Liriel ‘Baenre in her Starlight and Shadows trilogy (Daughter of the Drom, Tangled Webs, and Windwalker). Troy Denning concluded the Avatar Trilogy in the Gity of Splendors inthe aptly named Waterdeep and returned to the city in ‘The Summoning. Mel Odom launched his invasion of the surface lands in Waterdeep with Rising Tide, Many of these novels introduced great threats to Waterdeep's continued survival, precipitating the dark times that now beset the city. They also served to show the citys resiliency, with heroes coming to the fore in times of need to defend the Gem of the North. Waterdeep has also served as the backdrop for“smaller tales, less epic in scope, that have served to show the countless and varied stories that unfold «every day in the Gity of Splendors, Fd Greenwood visited the city in Elminsters Daughter, Hand of Fire, and Silverfall R.A. Salvatore’s characters passed through Waterdeep in The Halfing’s Gem and Pessage to Dawn, and Brian M. Thomsen continued tice in his Onc Around the Real stories and novellas set in the Gi Fire nd The Mote Things Change; Bd (Gremnwood's Hysol the Drago Keeper of Secrets, Ladies Night atthe ‘Yawning Portal, nd Nothing Trouble: Jeff Grubb's Smoke Powder and Mir- tors; Roger Moore's Gunne Runner; and Brian M."Thomser's 4n Unusual Suse pect and Shadows ofthe Past. Thesehhave ~ served to illustrate just how many tales of varying styles ean be told in the shadow of Mount Waterdeep, ‘Undermountain has also been hhome to many stories including Mark Anthony's “Escape from Undermoun- tain” and “The Grotto of Dreams,” Flaine Cunningham's “The Direct Approach," Ed Greenwood’s“ASlow Day in Skullport’ Paul Kemp's"Dawn of Night,” and Brian M. Thomseris “Volo Does Menzo.”"These stories have explored the divide between life in the Realms Above and the dark doings of the Realms Below, giving life to Water deeps underworld ‘Now the City of Splendors has ‘come fall circle with Wizards ofthe Coast's release of the game product Cit of Splendors: Waterdeep, an aceom- panying web enhancement detailing the Environs of Waterdeep, anda novel by Eline Cunningham and Fa Greenwood this month, Monthly, Mat- thew Sernett reprises the first level of ‘Undermountain on the Wizards of the Goast website (wizards.com),and look = for Steven Schend!’s Blackstaffand Paul ‘Kemp's Mitnight’s Mask next year for further adventures set in the city ‘The City of Splendors continues to evolve, with new arrivals every day mixing with the long-time inhabit- ants. New products, such as City of Splendors: Waterdeep, mesh the estab- lished Realmslore of what has come ‘before with new revelations, making such products usefil to longtime Realms gamers and new fans of the City of Splendors alike. Welcome to the City. of Splendors, greatest city of the RealmsTa Storm Stharbaed das Dante flee thd prestings. Csteoned ld it ts with great 5 that J 5 wills bard to adress the bp bard of Shale adele, Iam all too aware of ih, ra inherent in the: the ire mis, ppt to instruct afd whose Svea sof th clout ‘ pty tands ninoA labben _rtnsin, the wehrage PM atordag aad n 7 ins, bas regunstod thab I. pie yon a full ecnuntin rocent ut ta nee a ee ZI7 eal, Nos Olam, Of course hs west wih © ma) ill wpe (0 tha pert, uniting the 3 fatter boys ng “ue ‘nd bosons the wpe opus 4 ny y guil into Ch neh, A Pollan Uf tar tad pal get He YR My most recint guar wat hog is this: Sf porsiste in ik log the restored bard calbge as a sort = stalked for the sole purpose of > Trandag bi ous rand fe So Suna ¢ ules oear Hd eh Pe oe ee polen tuo bro ll alas ie wehiom bifire roigg on fo uch “ifs a music, mai cad clr ‘ The Tel Teukiira As you are well aware, Khelben leads a new Harper off shoot known as the'Tel"Teukira, an elven term translated as“Moonstars or, less commonly, “Silversars!"The archmage’ stated mission is to protect people against the ‘myriad hidden dangers of life in Faerin and to preserve the balance between nature and civiization—not, please note,a desire to meddle in political matters. Waterdecp is abuzz with politcal and social unrest, and I join those who ‘wonder how long Khelben and his followers will be able ta keep their fingers out of so tempting an assortment af pies. Indeed, I suspect that the creation of the Moonstars— ‘not to mention the rivalry between Khelben's agents and the Harpers who take directive ftom Berdusk's Twilight ‘Halls partly responsible for the upsurge of interest in the bandic arts and, by extension, the rapid growth of New Olamn, I acknowledge the importance ofthis, despite my {impatience with Harper politics, about which Ive heard far too much. As Lam staying in Blackstaff Tower, I've heard Uncle Khelben sing the Moonstars' praises until 1 was bleeding ftom both ears (Fortunately, Lam not speaking literally, forthe archmage couldn't carry a tune ina bucket ifthe fate of Waterdeep depended upon it) ‘September 2005 DRAGONq | | | . l a Re | a ss ; | . | ] q ne ie cee eee eg aa eee ee eer Sede ea ae ee ete es De ete ee ee ee ee eee ee ees Sur eu ee eet ee ee Cee cee eee od Coe ee eee ey of elven spelsong, Although defeated, Garnet won an unexpected victory. Many bards, sages, and even merchants saw the gerrn of wisdom in her mad ven- eee ae ee eee The college has several sources of income, but one guild and five wealthy families were largely responsible for founding the college: the Council of ‘Musicians, Instrument-Makers, and Choristers and the nable houses of Crom- ae ec in general the guild is exceedingly pleased bythe reestablishment ofthe bard college which has caused its membership to soar and its coffers to over. flow. The recent death ofthe long-time gulldmaster, Kros “Old Leatherlungs” Ce ee eens (NG female Tethyrian human expert a). The Lady Voice ofthe Council holds Ca Cee eee ee position also carries the title Master Musician, an honor tha the leadership of Peo netn one ec sl aoe ers increasing tension between the guild and the college. ee ge eee eee ee ees House Estelme deals in brass instruments and has long held the monopoly on Doe cere Me ee ee ated withthe fanfare of state ocasions or tournaments and are seldom heard in ‘Waterdeep outside of Pergeron’ Palace or the Field of triumph, The Estelmers see the college as an opportunity to expand their business and they are actively ee eee ete eee tenner ‘ers are regularly held in the garden of Garnet Hall, and the populanty of such ree ci ce Cemeeee nceece) ee eee ee eet eg the more miltary sound and connotations of brass. The Majarra family dealsin siver and the making ofsiber instruments. Their flutes longhorn, and bells are played throughout the Northlands, and they Soca gem ere ete ats and played with small, round-ended mallets. The popularity ofthis instrument is rising, fora least two Tocken concerts a day greet those who traverse Mount Melody Walk The Majaras also deal with harping and harp training, and several member ofthe family hold teaching positions at New Olamn, pe ee eee eee ee viding information for a price. Both houses are well represented among the instructors of New Olam, and the college also provides a second place of busi- oe ee ee es Estelmer has also been a leading force in the creation of the Font of Knowledge, the new church of Oghma, They donated many books and scrolls to the temple's Great Library, the greatest collections of books found in the City of Splendors | find that the Moonstars are almost unknown outside Harper despite the fat that this ticular egg of Khelben's has been long in hatching, He created the Silver Safehold, an extraplanar clubs hhouse for himself and his follow ers, ome three centuries past, and shortly thereafter linked st with his Waterdeep stronghold, BlackstaiT ‘Tower. Khelben’ trial at the hands of the Harpers of Twilight Hall and subsequent resignation fiom the Harpers marked the official founda. tion of the Moonstars—assuming, of course, that any enterprise o secre~ tive can be deemed “official.” ‘Khelben exerts a level of control over the Moonstars that lead some to regard the group as his personal covert army. Nothing is done except Dyhhis express command. Every eight tendays,telve senior agents con- nein the Silver Safehold to report intelligence gathered fom their underlings and to diseuss matters of oncern, These agents directa second tier of Moonstars, which is divided {nto two functions: the thirty regional agents who gather news and the ‘sieve fcld agents who implement actions decided upon by Khelben and his counsel oftwelye, Lady Laeral has no official standing in this structure, tars understand that s do not wear the Harper pin, They have replaced. the traditional harp and crescent ‘moon device with Teukiir badges, a ‘magical device that grants access to Olamn, perhaps ten are either 2 bers of the 1s or are being ‘groomed for membership. I was also able to co daughter ofa wealthy Baldur's Gate ‘wine merchant, is acting as an agent for the Harpers of Twilight Hall. female Tethyrian human bard 4), an unassuming young woman whoplays the seven-stringed yarting with middling skill She sings rea sonably well and is not uncomely, but neither voice n geis remarkable. Indeed, Ihave never met a woman less likely to linger in memory, Her gift for fading into a crowd is extraordinary, especially for an aspiring bard. Sondaria is universally described as friendly,” yet seems to have no lose friends. Only by close magical observation was Lable to link Si With Father Heilean (LG female Mus kan human paladin of Mili sharper pparagon 10), recently dispatched from Berdusk to “restore order" among the Harpers of Waterdeep. Itis my opinion that Sondaria reports to this Harper paladin, sharing observations about the loyalties and leanings of New Olamn's aspiring bards. Eather has begun to recruit “loyal” Harpers fromamong the school's graduates She seeks to create distance between Those Who Harpand the Moonstars and | fear that her efforts might under. mine the effectiveness—and perhaps endanger the lives—of those bar follow the Moonstar path. With tis in mind, lam taking the precaution of naming some of the Moanstars of New Olamn ina separate message which 1 will encode and protect wth potent magical wards, New Olamn Now, on to the barding college itself New Olamn was reestablished in the Year of the Staff (366 pa). Its original location was the guildhall known as the House of Song. ‘Thanks to the patronage of several noble families, we were able to purchase two Cliffride villas, formerly known as Heroes’ Rest and Stormwatch. The former has been renamed "Garnet Hall,’ in honor of Triador“Garnet” Wintermist and as a reminder of the perils of forgetting the past. New Olaman is perched high above the ocean and is accessible either by the Clifttide,a gravel slope that suns along the western edge of Mount Waterdeep's northern spur, or a tunnel through the mountain known as Mount Melody Walk. The former is used mostly for carting in goods ands the only accessi- Dle path for riders and carriages. Those ‘who walk to New Olamn invariably take the magically lit and wellspatrolled tunnel through the mountain, This is a pleasant wall, for the path is shorter and more level than reality would sug- gest possible. Soft music fills the tu= nel at all times, thanks to the comet! series known as the Neverending String ‘Assmall alcove, curved like 4 giant oyster shell, has been eazved into the rock walls ofthe tunnel, nd bards and minstrels vie forthe honor of pet= forming recitals in this venue Both of these paths to New Olama are wel traveled, for many come to study attend concerts, September 2005 ORAGON 355 aeSTAR Agencs ac New Olamn an afer ates of the Moonstars can be found wandering t ible members. Boondor Cvenmisz enc mecca Mr ee aa are) er es training from a succession of private tutors, a path com- monly employed after the closing of the old barding col- leges. Despite his rank, knowledge, and age—more than forty winters—he enrolled as a student at New Olamn in ‘order to gain the traditional title of Magnus Alumnae, He is extremely well versed in the lore of his native islands, and is a teacher in this specialty as well as a Full Fellow in Pree an eee re Meet cies cultures and languages drew him into sympathy with the Moonstars’ goals. He has taken to wearing no other color than pale gray, a visible tribute to the nearly invis- ible silver-moon-and-star device tattooed above a pair of remarkably red and bushy eyebrows. Khelben is grooming Lord Evenmist for a high position in the Moonstars, in hope that he will gather the Harpers of the Moonshaes eg ee es s Hawkwincer Neue cura Ets ee eee te library and, | might add, admirable fashion sense. He has Dee ue Un cance ie Ree een gs ere ene ate ea aie in the le taught atthe college, spending many hours at ene eee nr iat “Taeros is something ofa seribbler and his satirical eommen- eee on eet ey broadsheets and posted in popular taverns. Rumor credits him to be the author of Deep Waters, a popular collection of Reser eet ero atu cer oka Sree oa cee eC) foe ee cece Cee ee cee esas ete ee ac tae ots him to trade shapes with any sentient being. This magic item ee eae eros ea eee a sahuagin atack,a gift from the elven queen to Piergeivon. “They add yet another layer of secrecy a to the identity ofthe Se oe ere ears Pee ee ee a ee Pe ae a ns deep consider worthy of trust and destined for greater things.be! 2005 Zingru Mota exaecciiierety (N male half-ore rogue 3). Ximgrum is, depending upen Cree nee tn ac ete at Pee cee ea ar eee ect ee eee ee ees an invigorating brawl. Tall and muscular, he is surprisingly light on his feet and is particularly at home in and around Pee eee ee hippogrff water polo—one of the exotic spectator sports ae eee ent ae blers. His chiseled features and lantern jaw have aged well and stil eatch many a feminine eye, and he has perfected the art of losing the deal by flashing just a hint of tusk in Be ee eee eee with a bard's flawless timing, His minor fame makes hirm a sought-after drinking companion to wealthy young Water- dhavians and something of a hero to the city's are-blooded See ie ee ent ones eg ecg a ace Wet receN eller tient (NE female gnome rogue 4). One so seldom encounters an re een eg ig alone. She is known for her performances on complicated ee eee eee eer ea design, and isa vituoso hurdy-gurdy performer. Her primary ee eee een ea a versation is like dancing on the edge of a volcano—no one ee eee a ee aa ec eee ee ee eta She is adept at gathering information as many Waterdhavians See tg a eae ‘make bitter use of them. Vanista is so small and slender she is frequently mistaken fora halfling, but woe betides anyone Se ee eee aa ac eg eee ee een eee er ea tra has the appearance of a miniature milkmaid. Her dainty appearance and amusing conversation are misleading, for her small hands have been bloody more than once. Despite the cruel streak that emerges through her witticisms, only paladins and the very perceptive are likely o perceive her Se Nee cee ae Pe ee aaa ee eee SL ee eee a ee ee Her evil nature is a detriment to her becoming 2 Moonstar, but she could become a valuable contact.or pick up news from traveling bards and minstrels. These itiner- ant performers are guaranteed a bed in the former servants’ quar- ters of Garnet Hall, and, if their skills warrant, a chance to’ perform in one of the mansions’ grand halls or smaller salons. ‘The college currently employs twenty-two faculty members. Flun= dreds of students pass through New Olamn, Most come to the college to learna bit of lore or music, orto round out their education, Fighty= ‘ight students are currently enrolled 25 Full Fellows, These ae highly tal ‘ented students accepted to a rigorous course of sid that culminates in the title Master Bard and the degree Mag- nus Alumnae, Scudi cs at New Olamn Sarid ae italy satya ec Ree teadcee eis eee the voscevorcone: science, Athorough knowledge of Tecan eee ote ee Gall tee they dante te influence public opinion through performances. Studentlst New Olanin are ‘expected to attain expert profi- ciency on their chosen instrument, fe elle a tayo chats other instruments with compe- fac the ene ncrou seen tae catare Speer i nog tec ituacran, Rott i Saber ‘nd ballads, Creativity is also see a ie co lee yates eee tae? ‘nents of funilian pieces Plans are underway for the first Gath cagcestgiiaettort tion for new bardic works, The prizes are lavish—in addition to heavy coin Paes eae Piece ing aiiged ae feigete tis boped Uae attsetiuce ou aera brie Cate erate Cleat Cult Peng as te dents and teachers. Opporcani ies For Advencure Life at New Olamn is not all study and practice, ‘Thanks to the tunnel passage al the wonders of Waterdeep are buta short stroll ava. students are encouraged to explore the city They are sequited t perform st pivate partes, ésthalls, and taverns, ‘where they learn to deal with people from all walks of life. Those handy with sword and spell are fie- quently recruited by the gloryseeking noblemen and parties of adventurers they meetin these venus, Indeed, spending at lest one year on the road is arequirement of graduation “The college sponsors expeditions to recover rae items, espectally books of lore, magic instruments, and weapons fused with music and riagie, Bronwyn Caradoon (NG female Chondathan human bard [harper agent 1), a Harper agent ‘vith considerable experience in this ficld, takes several students a year on these excursions. Students wishing to join a treasure huntican leave a message for Bronwyn at her Water- deep shop, The Curious Past. Alice “Tinker, the gnome who presides cover this collection of antiquities and oddities, isa shrewd judge of character and decides who among the many applicants accompanies Btghyryii@n heinextéciplAdven: ‘ure-craving bards are advised to keep this in mind when approaching teu eapieepes More than few students at Now Olamn are agents for various govern= ments and secret societies, so the bard college is also a training ground jin the art of espionage. Much of this ‘is harmless gathering of information, ‘buta young bard runs the risk (or the opportunity) of being drawn into deadly intrigues and entanglements. Agents of Twilight Hall, the Kraken Society, and the Zhentarin are thought to walk the halls of Storm= watch and Garnet Hall. ‘rapidly growing aspett Nanos a isthe research into new musiewelated spells and musical weapons (see “Songsabers of Waterdeep” on page got this isu) Testing these magies, both in development and in thefield, provides opportunity foradventane Particularly intrepid students might volunteer totestnewvatieiesof singing swords in combat, Other bards ‘oplore the possbiitye? cami the enhancements ofmultiplehar ‘monizing weapons (Melee weapons cnifted toaccompanya bard'ss08g, granting 2 +6 bonus on Perform that involve singing: Weapons ‘enhancement also extend the of bardic music fora number ar equal to the bard's Charisma modi- fier Bars train in groupsoftwo. three with weapons harmonized wi each other a5 wellas their wielders, ‘Early successes are inspiring people tosrissa Nimesin (CG female | gold elffighterxobard 0) is currently investigating the possibility of training ‘bladesingers at the college. This, $avcontrorersial topic among the elves, ‘who formany centuries have traveled oS vermect to learn this most elven form of magical swordplay. Other elves, however, point out thatthe Retreat is cover, and argue forthe return ofall * aspects of elven culture tothe main- and. Another point of contention is the training itself fortis traditional for ‘an aspiring bladesinger to train with a single master. Many elves consider the ‘notion ofa “bladsinger school” ludi- ‘crous. A delegation is being formed to ‘make the trip to Fvermeet to take this ‘latter before Queen Amlarul, and Perhaps tozecruit master bladesingers “0 the ranks of New Olamn instructors. Bards from other races have been ‘asily encouraged by this debate, as well asthe gnome devices played by Vanista Valebright. Asa result, there has been an upsurge of interest inthe music and legends of halfling, dwarves and ‘many lesser-known races. Stuclents at ‘New Olamn aré increasingly electing to. ‘ravel to such places as Lurien and the Great Rift to study the music and love of other peoples. hac New Olamn CDeans co lacerdee = The restoration ofthe bard college is “amatterof great pride to Waterdhavi- as Ithashad a mul effect on eom- betes anc uch gratis impact on ‘Waterdeep! cultural lif not to men- tion its prestige in the eyes of other, PersleScantlcalrees ‘Qne aspect ofthe college worth ‘Watching is its impact on communi- ISGou Foresite Viaterdeep ee has a central source of information concerning the musical, intellectual, and social ie ofthe city. Anyone wishing to publicize a concert, lee ‘ute, ortayern performance, theatre troupe, private recital, oreven a street performance can send a message to New Olaman, Rare instruments, ‘musical weapons, books of lore, and other items related to barderaft can ‘be advertised, and those who wish to hire bards are welcome to post notices. Al this information is consolidated and made available tothe citizenry at twelve small plinths newly erected in public areas throughout the city. These are manned by students all of whom are required to spend a minimum of two bells a day at one ofthe plinth, ‘Anyone wishing to plan an evening's entertainment can'see ata glance what is available throughout the city, but ‘many other uses can be made of this information, Street vendors routinely check the plinth roles to ascertain the ‘most profitable spots to set up shop. (Outdoor performers might find, to their dismay, that over-ripe fruit is in plentiful supply) Because of the frequent updates, plinth roles provide popular method to send hidden messages, to trace the whereabouts of rivals, and—unfortunatel}—to plot ccimes. Fora while, false information poured into New Olamn as various factions sought to cover their tracks and confound rivals, but more strin- gent requirements have cut down on this flow of disinformation. Asa result, the plinth roles are rapidly becoming, ‘one of the most trusted sources of ‘information in the city In closing, I would like to extend an invitation on behalf of New Olamn. We would be gratefull and honored if the Bard of Shadowdale would see fit to grace the Newsong Festival with her presence, both a ajudge of new com- petitions and as a guest performer. Long years have passed since Storm Silverhand has been heard in concert and so glittering a prospect would ddraw many eyes to this new event. Lord Khelben has entered the room, and, as is his wont, has been reading over my shoulder these last few pages. He advises me to close this rissive ere he is obliged to call inthe Stablemucker’s Guild to shovel out the knee-deep flattery. Lady Laeral also sends her greetings, and asks for your condolerices I trust you require ‘no explanation of her meaning, as you and Khelben are well acquainted. Ever yours in service to music and Mystra, amen Fee cla Gaver Danilo ThanaINTERVIEW WITH ee. ee Ches interview conducted hy Jefery E. Thetford = are ED GREENWOOD VOLO’'N GUIDE TO THE MASTER OF THE FORGOTTEN REALMS ‘This month, Deacon presents an interview with Ed Green- ‘wood, creator of Waterdeep and the FORGOTTEN REALMS. How did you get your start in the writing business? Ive always been “a writer’"jotting down tales and scenes and fragments for my own amusement from the moment could form the letters of the alphabet with a pencil, and ‘writing (pretty awfully at frst) stories of ‘what happened next” to favorite fictional characters by the time I was six (which is why the Realms began when I was seven or eight) Teome from a family of writers and all through my youth worked on school yearbooks, “litte” literary magazines, senior citizens’ center newsletters, church bulletins, 3B4& DRAGON 335 September 2005 ~@LEiversuit & * 3 ROSS Or Priapurl as —7 Boake ei bee on Ke it) ae and magazine articles 'm Canadian, and at that time the ‘Canadian literary community was a small, cozy family; had some books of mine published early on, Hiow Igot started in the game waiting business was simple: I started writing articles for Deacon magazine (or The Dragon, asitwas then—a name still vastly prefer). They started pub- lishing them (the “Curst” monster in isue #30 was my first), Kim Mohan was impressed by the use of feotnotes in my Gates article (in Dracow +3) and that soon led to a“Conteib- _uting Editor’ postion (which meant they were interested in sevingall ofthe steady flood of articles I sent them) and lots ‘of appearances in DRacon. I worked FORGOTTEN REALMS references into my articles to give my players some fin‘These got noticed, and when TSR was looking fora new campaign world set- ting they contacted me, and the rest, as they say (ahem), is history. What was the most difficult part of designing the early Realms? If by ‘early Realms” you mean before ‘TSR started publishing it (and the most difficult part became the “tra: fic cop” role of making sure Writer A didnt kill of Character X before the time of Writer BS novel that starred Character X, or destroy kingdom that Writer B was going to use, and so on} it was finding time enough to give every spot on the ever-increasing maps the same level of rch detail. Even now, the published Realms concentrate on the Heartlands and neglects more distant areas although the third edition Realms sourcebooks are trying to paint in some of those forgotten corners}-Inot only had to give the tourist-guidebook details ("That spire on your lefts the blah blah blah and the field on your right is planted with barley”) Thad to sive the underlying reasons ("Barley sells well in the markets of Sembia, 0 of course the farmers here plant blah blah blah’) and the life of every locale (not just “the Hatfields hate the McGoys” stuff, but which merchant has a covert trade agreement with another ‘merchant, local attitudes toward other villages or the distant ruler or strang- ers rall gnomes, and so on} vehada busy life (Fes, outside gaming! Imagine!) and have never had quite enough time to doa really satisfying job. Now, I'm not advocating that all gamers use orneed that level of detail, or that folks should feel bound by any canon’ details in their own game. I'm saying that as a writer of imaginary fantasy settings gamers have to pay for, [believe I must provide such a level of detail (to give value for money, if nothing else) With the advent of third edition and35, ‘what do you think of the direction that the FORGOTTEN REALMS are heading, taking into consideration your earlier vision of what you wanted it to become? Ym nota fan of endless prestige classes. My ideal Realms sourcebook ‘would have no stat blocks and minimal class and “hard” game notations (it’s ‘enough to say that “Roldro isa pow- rfl wizard [perhaps a wizard 12), because I want to use the space on the pages to give gamers the maximum amount of usable over-and-over lore (Roldro collects old maps, and will pay hhandsomely for any good ones of XXX, but he's not the prissy old collector he likes to pretend to be. retired former herald, he's keenly aware ofthe gene- alogies of six kingdoms, and very qui- etly makes a good living identifying lost heirs and throne claimants for every cabal willing to pay for such informa- tion—even ifit leads to coups and bloody civil wars and shattered thrones. Moreover, Roldro once received The ‘Tome of Ineflble Magicks in payment of a debt, and has mastered..”)'That sort of stuffs far more useful to DMs trying to spin plots and subplots in their own campaigns than stats for Ore Encoun- ter 436. Afterall, there are already tons of published stat blocks those DMs can use for such needs. ‘With that said, 1m happy that Realms sourcebooks are continuing to be pub- lished and are continuing to paintin the map" of the Reals covering the fuzzy areas and adding more detail. 'm also pleased that Realms novels go from strength to strength in the field, because the more stories going on in the Realms, the more gamers think about ‘the Realms, the more it seems alive, and the more interesting it stays. In what direction would you like to see DUNGEON « DRAGONS go? Is. there an area of the game that has not been explored that you would like to see fleshed out in a book or supple- ‘ment or module? would love to se a sourcebook that deals with merchant shipping, cara- vans, banking (currency, trade flows, and commerce), heraldry, courts (1aws and justice, not just enforcement and sentencing) and Court etiquette (‘How do Task to sce the king?” so that gamers could have a sample business contract in mock-medieval language that they could photocopy and “fill in the blanks,” and 80 on. A book that cov- crsall the neglected stuff ifyou will. ‘Now, a gaming business person will tell you (as many have told me) that something like this would never sel, but I think itsa matter of dressing itup in the right attractive clothing, Stuffing in enough goodies, if you will. ‘Give me photocopy-able handouts [DMs can give to players (writs, proc- lamations of thanks for PC heroism, “Wanted” posters for fugitives, char- ters for adventuring companies and ‘grants of arms for nobles and the just- knighted, and so on).To use a Realms ‘example, sneak in a simplified Sword Coast “Pirate and Traveler” style board ‘game that gives me a deck of cargo ‘ards that I can draw from. To tell me very quickly “what's in this wagon” cor “what's down in this ship’ hold Desides the slave girls we're rescuing — if they're chained to bombs Td like to mow that before I go down there with ‘my flaming torch in-my hand.”‘That’ just one idea off the top ‘of my head, ofcourse. Like any gamer, Ihave many others. ‘What other games do you enjoy playing? Lots of games, from board games (like Arkham Horror, ‘Aufl Green Things From Outer Space, Empires of the Middle Ages, Kingmaker, and International Oil- man) to roleplaying games (like Call of Cthulhu and Metamorphosis Alpha). I rarely have time to sit down and really enjoy games these days, but I like simple card games and board games with simple mechanics but strategic difficulties (especially if the board itself is beautiful to look at). Many of the Cheapass Games appeal to my sense of humor and desire for fast-playing, enjoyable games that don't appeal to rules lawyers or are likely to end in furious dis- agreements over how well they've accurately simulated this or that real-world military detail. You have said that your gaming group gets together about once or twice a year for a marathon gaming session lasting up to three days. Do you still have these marathon sessions? Whenever we can, which isn't nearly often enough. Yes, things are falling apart for the home Realms players, which isn't surprising when you consider that we're scat- tered all over the world now, with busy professional lives and young families of our own. (It's hard to get people to show up for a gaming session when they're on the other side of the world, backpacking alone from ancient monument to ancient ‘monument, It's even harder when they're tenured professors teaching heavy class loads ata large univer- sity, trying to stay fit, AND juggling infants at home.) That's the problem with having a group of incredibly bright, imaginative, inquisitive, and handsome people: they ean go far in life—and have. 3G DRAGON 335 September 2005 Priapurl ! i i a \ An original ceautre called the curst may have been Ed Greenwood's frst contrib firstto mention the ForcoTrEN REALMs Who is the most underrated NPC bad-guy from your home realms cam- paign? How about from the merchan- Realms? Minshoom isthe most underrated [NPG villain in the published Realms, because the TSR Code of Ethies pre- vented me ftom showing the Zhentarim asreally competent, early on, and I was never able to dwell on the extent and sophistication of Manshoon's Machia- vellin plotting and subtle spread of influence. Fora man not directly supported by a deity as, for instance, Elminster is), Manshoon achieved more than anyone else in the cusrent Realms, {in matters of acquiring information and ‘in being able to influence others. ‘He was well on his way to having a Realms-wide network of informants and agents that could persuade a farm- wife in Halruaa to purchase this sort of eloth instead of that sort so subtly that she might not even be aware her decision was being influenced. Why does that matter? Well if you do that to several thousand farmwives, you change entire markets, profiting thereby and ruining rivals (This is something modern-day multinational business 12> Eivensutt 0 Deacow (#30, but an article on building fantasy calendars was the concerns understand all too well) Lar Joch could establish the same degree of influence, but isn interested in doing so—and is far less“in touch and in tune" with daily life in the Realms than ‘Manshoom is and so could never match Manshoon’s subtlety. So the “real” ‘Manshoon is the master manipulator, not Feonl's puppet. (infact, this could Jjust be his ploy: set Fzoul up to be the ‘figurehead, er, target, while the ly and. urbane Manshoon schemes unbam- ppeted in the background... heh-heh,) Inthe original “home” Realms cam- paign, the most neglected villain was certain Lord of Waterdeep whose identity Ym going to keep secret because the Company of Crazed Ven- turers (the PCs) still haven't stumbled into understanding the depths of his villainy. He’s been quietly in the back- ground of almost every guild scandal and important-NPC murder they've seen, and theyive just never picked up on the clues. Tthink I may have him try to romance one of the Venturers with an eye to marrying her (and try- ing to slay most of the Venturers on their ways to or from her wedding feast) acquiring her land and wealth,and then have her slowly poisoned, just to see if they notice this guy then. ethaps if he put on a dragon suit and roared at them... Now that Ensxnow is here, what do you see for the future of ForcorrEN REALMS? Do you think it will be over- shadowed and essentially phased out like Gaevstawx was with the advent of second e Jn? We've hada good, long run. ‘The Realms could quite possibly end up as fiction-only setting, as Dracontance did fora time, or even, bellcensed out to another company. ‘Those aren't my decisions—which is a good thing, because Pa probably be a terrible businessperson. Under the original Realms agree- ment, there are conditions under ‘hich the Realms “reverts” to me, 0 I doubt the current copyright holders will let those conditions happen. 1am privy to the very good business reasons for the creation of ERERRON, and ageee with them, but the Realms novels are selling so well that it would seem foolish to make the Realms “go away." There's also the proven track GhostOrb.com is a community built record of the Realms, which has been a profitable financial engine for ar lon- ger than most settings in the fantasy gaming world have lasted (popular settings have been “brought back” repeatedly, but that’s not the seme thing} Ifyou have a winning racehorse and you buy a new one (let's cal iter, Enexnon), you'd better make sure it can win races before you send your proven ‘winner to the glue factory. However, as a game designer, 'm interested in seeing whats done with Enrenox (I view it as “another plat- teron the buffet” for all gamers, not asa rival or enemy to the Realms), and the Realms has built up a fan- dom over the years that will not let the setting die (like Tolkien's Middle Farthand Star Wars and Star‘Trek and so on), Even ifthe published Realms ended tomorrow, the Realms will go on—something that pleases me very much. have fiends all over the world because of the Realms, I'm regularly asked what Realms char- acter names mean because people want to apply them to their babies, I get asked to perform marriages as Elminster... s0 the Realms has a life Hearn of its own, now, far larger than any one person or company. Elminster is probably the single most recognized NPC from the FORGOTTEN Reais Campaign Setting. How did ‘you create such a living personality? Tneeded someone too power- fal for lazy roleplayers to have their characters casually slay to shut him up (hence the “has powerful magic” part) who could bean unreliable and cantankerous source of advice (add the “old wise sage with major atti- tude” part) This gave me someone PC adventurers needed, but couldnt push around or always go running to (because he might be off saving the world somewhere els, so couldnt they handle their scraped knees them- selves for once, hmmm?) This gave me how he had to be. Mostly wanted an old fart that could ‘bluntly tell the emperor that he had no Clothes and always getaway with doing so, The guy who causes utter silence ata wild party by saying what everyone sus- pects but no one dares to say out loud. From that needed role, the rest of him developed, step-by-step. So he's not a Merlin clone (though that’s theITERVIEW WITH ED GREENWOOD role he's mostly playing), or a Gandalf rip-off ora Belgarath parody, and hes NOT my alter ego. He's the guy 0 powerful that he can take your best shot, yawn, and then stand there ‘without retaliating, and calmly say, "Ye seem more hostile than most adven- turers who come here secking to slay ‘me. Why, may I as? Ts thy eodpicce {00 tight? Crown on crooked) this ‘morning? Bored with slaying helpless children? Or just seeking glory and too stupid to think there might bea reason for my reputation? Hmmm?” He's nota munchkin (00 tell and toa low a voice, for one thing) he's the lover and most trusted servant of the most powerfl deity in the world he lives in, beyond all munchkinism. Which lets re use him to examine more important issues than merely chasing power, such as: What do you do with all that power once you've got it? Once you've ad it for centuries, and outlived everyone you cared about, and most of their coun- tities, too? What’ it ike to go insane because you'e just so tied ofall, but aren't allowed to just lie down and die? How do you react when you know that’s the trap you live in? What keeps you going? What do you stil believe in, and care about? And then, when you start the final fll-apart anyway, what do you rush todo inthe dwindling time you have left? What doesit really mean to love entities (gods, individual people, horrible scaly monsters To love ideas? Countries? A world? Ifyou follow along watching what this Elminster guy does and says, and jotitall down, well—he creates him- self as he goes. just like zeal people do. Did you expect Flminster to become so legendary? No, expected Elminster tobe the Old Storyteller narrator ofthe Realms, who introduced us to other characters and their unfolding stories, and then faded away ofthe page as the harp strings thrammed and the reader plunged into those stories Texpected him toe the old guy people went to consul like the oracle at Delphi, whom the reader never directly sees in the ol ales) rather than 3B_DRAGON 335 September 2005 Priapurt ‘onstage much, However, the books peo- pleat'TSR thought differently, soT ended up wtitinga series of Ehninster books. His ale isnt quite done yet, but the Old Mage’ legendary status i perfect illus- tration ofthe way commercial writing ‘works: I's not about what you the writer ‘want io ay, itsabout what your audience ‘wants to hear. Sir Arthur Conan Dole grew to hate Sherlock Holmes and killed him off and his readers demanded his return and didn’t want to buy anything else by Doyle Alot of vocal gamers and readers hate Elminster and want to see him gone— but the sales figures tell the different ‘opinion of the more silent majority. ‘Was Elminster patterned after you or ‘one of your original gaming group? [Noy he isnt me,and was never an echo ‘of any real person or gaming character, PCor NPC) His speech and manner- {sms and character have all developed on their own over the years, making hhim increasingly unique (despite what some believe) 'm often asked to pick actors like to see portray Elina ‘movie, and I can say that Nichol Wile liamsonis Merlin in the movie Excalibur (pvhich came out well after Elminsters character was established, of course) is pretty clase in manner of speech, tone of voice and accent, Ditch the earring ‘and skullcap, and change the red hair to flowing white, of course (Over the years I've often put ona ‘costume and portrayed Elminster at conventions, but please understand that this isa fat fantasy author playing the Old Mage, not anything like the ‘Old Mage himself Is Waterdeep the greatest city in the Realms? Just as in the real world, the answer to that depends on whether the answerer isa fan of Waterdeep or not. Its cur- rently one of the most important and ‘best-known trading cities of Feri, for two reasons: The lumber, mined metals livestock, and other focdstutls now flowing out of the Sword Coast Noxth are greatly needed by the rest of the Realms (a trade Waterdeep domi- he nates for reasons of geography and climate more than anything else) and Waterdeep is a human-dominated cos- mopolitan trading city where coins rule, half the creatures of Faertin rub shoul- ders, and tolerance is legendary. ‘That combination of tolerance, vari- ety of goods and skills, and freedom. from daily oppression by a strong ruler is hard to match anywhere else in Faertin. So people keep coming, and the coins keep flowing, How doll the nobles of Waterdeep _get(or stay) so rich? They certainly ‘seem to spend a lot! ‘The nobles of Waterdeep got that way ‘in part because they were very suecess- fill merchant families, usually long ago. In other words, because it's now so hard to become a noble in Waterdeep, the ‘nobility you see noware “old money” So most ofthem have extensive