How is what we would consider the medical component of gender transitioning (hormones, genitals, secondary sex characteristics) accomplished in the Realms? I’ve thought it might be done from the gods, as they intervene in the health of their faithful and their wellbeing.
— Erika Is Done Hiding (@icequeenerika) February 10, 2020
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Oh, yes. The gods respond to prayers at inner temple altars from priests for body transformations (including lesser things like “remove my excess weight” or “change my hair color” or even “I’ll pay you a LOT to change my 2)
…appearance completely so I can escape a deadly fate at the hands of my foes”) in return for sufficient offerings (and for most faiths, it would be a sliding scale of offerings depending on how devout the worshipper…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 10, 2020
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…has been, or what services they’ve provided for the temple in the past). Folk in the Realms look to the gods for such aid (it would be a desperate or foolish person who turned first to a wizard, warlock, or hag, unless they 4)
…just wanted a body-cloaking illusion, and not a physical transformation).#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 10, 2020
Thank you Ed! As a trans woman I’ve been wondering about this for YEARS in the Realms.
— Erika Is Done Hiding (@icequeenerika) February 10, 2020
As a longtime fan of the setting who is trans herself, thank you! Are there any particular deities that stand out to you for providing this sort of service, specifically looking at transition?
— friendly local fallen angel 💕 (@cali_keftiu) February 10, 2020
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Temples do a lot of service-related things in the Realms. Here’s a far more mundane one: they act as a mail and parcel delivery system (small package/letter given to sender’s local temple or traveling priest with an offering, and taken to the next temple, then 2)
…a priest on church business traveling to the next temple takes it to that temple, and so on, temple-hopping, until a "last" temple priest delivers to the recipient, all for the cost of that initial offering). Temple earns a little coin, and a lot of good will.#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 10, 2020
Follow up?
Are some gods more sought for such than others? Healing seems to be the open purview of all divines, but would something like this possibly be more up the sleeves of Lliira (freedom from feeling trapped, maybe … it’s rather apt, tbh) or Sune (does other alterations) Or at least some who are avoided? Like someone *might* be nervous asking for transformation magic from Selûne …— 🌈Jaye🦄Em🌹Edgecliff🏳️🌈 (@jayeedgecliff) February 10, 2020
(Also replying to @cali_keftiu as you're asking about the same thing)…
Yes, Lliira and Sune are favored choices, and deities like Bane, Malar, Shar, and Selûne are not, but first and foremost comes the relationship (closeness) of the individual person with a god.#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 10, 2020
Wait, why is Selune a poor choice? I would've assumed the shifting faces of the moon would make an easy in there, but she's admittedly a weak point in my lore knowhow.
— friendly local fallen angel 💕 (@cali_keftiu) February 10, 2020
Seen as everchanging, transitory, unreliable (to some, fickle). Unless you WANT to shapeshift constantly. In other words, transition again and again, often. (More than most bodies, and certainly psyches, can take.) This conversation made me wonder if things like gender dysphoria is viewed as a gift/prank by any given deity? Or is it just seen as a Thing That Happens & “luckily the priests can sort it out”
— 🌈Jaye🦄Em🌹Edgecliff🏳️🌈 (@jayeedgecliff) February 10, 2020
The latter. The gods are fallible and not all-seeing; and to protect themselves from wrath, priests have long told laity that two-head calves being born and the like are NOT "the will of the gods."#Realmslore
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 11, 2020
Interesting. Being a 2e grognard, I'd put all my coins in a wizard, as polymorph or shapechange with permanency seems the logical choice. Are we talking Miracles?
— Santiago! (@oldbastard) February 10, 2020
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“Miracles” are major, not personal, and this is one of the real-world-sensitive terms TSR wanted avoided in print. Though in game rule terms I agree with you (wizards over priests in effectiveness), most ‘just plain folk’ in the Realms fear wizards and think.. 2)
…they can't afford their services, whereas everyone believes in all the gods, and temples, shrines, and traveling clergy are nigh-everpresent "establishment institutions" they tend to trust AND know where to find. WE use metagame knowledge; Realms folk lack it.#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 11, 2020