@TheEdVerse Sorry if this has been asked before. Is the suffix -pur in city names analogous to Greek -pol? What language family is this from? And are there equivalent suffixes for towns, villages, hamlets?

— Observant Oliphaunt (@zoozeki) December 16, 2020

1)
In Thorass (Old Common), “pur” means “great settlement” (=large settlement=city).
In Thorass, a market-moot was the closest term to a town, and had a “-ubel” suffix (which survives in the name of Scornubel). A fast-growing…2)
…settlement of any size might get a “-bor” suffix (as in Iriaebor), and a good harbor’s name might end with “-gaunt” (Selgaunt). However, these suffixes were seldom used, and often vanished when growing places got renamed.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 17, 2020

and Thorass is based on the Italic languages, not Greek(according to the Forgotten Realms Wiki).

When I read this answer, I thought of Triboar, but realized it used “boar”, along with an obvious name origin referencing an event with “Three Boars”. Nope, Thorass isn't based on any real-world language. When I create the Realms, I (gasp) MAKE THINGS UP. ;}#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 17, 2020

Check the references; the language lore is from “Speaking in Tongues” by Thomas Costa, Dragon Annual #4. It offers “similar real world” groups to the Realms languages, e.g., “à la Italic: Latin, Italian, French” for Thorass. These are the usual inspirations for names and things. They may be the usual inspirations, but they've never been mine. Sorry.
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 18, 2020

Interestingly, a classmate of mine, years ago at university, tried to "fit" some of my invented Realms words to real-world language groups, and our linguistics prof (not knowing where they came from, BTW) showed him how they didn't "map." Good; I was trying for "new."#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 18, 2020

I'm gonna necro this and ask, is there further information on this? 'Power of Faerûn' has a small excerpt on it, but not a lot of clarifying details. Was this a situation of keeping it vague for gamemasters to make up their own material? https://t.co/eKx51LMvLM

— Jher (@ASpoonNamedJher) October 28, 2020

1)
It was keeping coverage scanty so DMs who didn’t want to deal with religious schisms in their Realms campaign didn’t have to; we weren’t basing published adventures on it or tying it to the secular rulership of a place (and… 2)
…so, making it unavoidable for DMs).
So here’s a smidgen more: the heresy has far outgrown Alorgoth’s scam (which was to lure worshippers to the Twofold Temple, where he slew them). The clerics of both deities who succumbed to…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 28, 2020

3)
…this heresy received spells from Shar, and Shar believed she was duping and weakening Selûne by means of this heresy, but—like a judo throw that twists, and so uses, an opponent’s own force and impetus against them—Selûne was… 4)
…using the situation to ultimately weaken Shar and her mortal followers, without any open warfare (Shar believed she was prevailing, but Selûne was learning not only full details of Shar’s clergy and their schemes and the…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 28, 2020

5)
…precise location of their wealth and other resources, but testing her own clergy and worshippers; some would fail her and cleave to Shar, but others would in the end use their cooperation with Sharrans to frustrate Sharran… 6)
…plans, seize Sharran resources, and lead Sharran clergy and agents into untenable overreachings where their evil would be exposed, and they’d suffer reprisals from others for their actions).
Shar’s besetting weakness is her…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 28, 2020

7)
…overconfidence, which blinds her to the faults in her plans, or leads her always to the conclusion (often justified) that failures in those plans are due to the fallibility of her human followers. Selûne starts from the… 8)
…assumption that mortals are fallible, and have their own rights (they are not, and should never be treated as, mere tools). So this heresy continues because it’s still benefitting Selûne, while Shar still believes it’s… #Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 28, 2020

9)
…benefitting her. However, the inevitable losses (deaths) mean that the numbers of mortals involved in this heresy is dwindling, and they are far more heard of, than seen, these days (the cult is increasingly ‘going… 10)
…underground,’ [not literally]). Shar sees this as success (we’re getting down to the really effective mortals, the cream of the crop; loss and destruction and chaos and mortal despair are all “wins” to her, remember) and… #Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 28, 2020

11)
…Selûne sees this as succeeding in deeply impairing Shar’s influence and power in the Realms, especially when it comes to acting against Selûnite clergy and faithful worshippers. 12)
As Elminster says, “One of these goddesses is right—and it isn’t Shar.”#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 28, 2020

I guess, this leads me into my last(-ish) question: If those worshippers are not claimed, then… where do they go? (in reference to this thread of yours: They go to the Wall. See my earlier tweet: "Yes. The Wall still awaits the truly Faithless.
But there are so few of them; far less than common belief among mortals of Toril thinks there are."
(The bugaboo tale is true, but applies to FAR less souls than most think.)#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 28, 2020

Well met this new year, Great Sage. I trust your solstice festivities went smoothly.
I’ve a question to lay at your feet, if I may; (this is an enduring matter of some consternation between one Volo-of-dubious-repute, and myself),
Jan52/ Namely, he and I were discussing the origins of one Elué Silverhand. He is adamant that she is a shapeshifting sorceress of planar-renown, whereas I point to sages who claim she was hardly known outside of Faerûn!

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 10, 2021

3/ Might you be able to put this matter to rest, and elaborate on the story of said maid, and her going-on before catching the attentions of the Lady of Mysteries? 1)
So far as Elminster knows (and his source is the goddess Mystra, who possessed Elué during her births of silver-haired females all destined to be famous), the half-elf Elué Shundar (who never seems to have use “Silverhand” as…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 10, 2021

2)
…a surname, BTW) wasn’t known outside Faerûn, and never traveled off the continent. She did befriend some silver dragons, and even investigated some gates (portals), so it’s both possible she set boot outside Toril, or that…3)
…some mention of her might have spread beyond it, but unlikely. She was most a half-elf of the Sword Coast ports, an adventurer of the “make a living as a cargo escort and merchant hireling, in port cities” sort, until she…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 10, 2021

4)
…achieved (in the early 700s DR) enough financial success to buy her own country estate (think: ranch/farm with extensive woodlots, from which, with the aid of tenant farmers, she harvested commercial crops of mushrooms and…5)
…watercress and herbs). She settled down there to try to experiment with magic, rather than just buying scrolls and books and studying from them, until her quest to gain and master more powerful magics took her adventuring…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 10, 2021

6)
…again (across the Savage North, into old ruins and crashed Netherese cities and lonely wizards’ towers whose occupants had disappeared, passed into lichdom, or lost battles with dragons), and into contact with the ranger… 7)
…adventurer Dornal Silverhand, who encountered her in one such remote, tumbled tower, was smitten with her in their initial battle (he mistook her for an evil sorceress), and wooed her. She led him a merry dance across the…#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 10, 2021

8)
…North and two years ere accepting his advances and agreeing to relocate to Silverhand Tower, near Neverwinter.
Where Dornal’s aged mother, confined to bed and dying, accepted Elué with open arms as the “sorceress in the… 9)
…moonlight” she’d met and befriended and adventured with so often, in her long and deep dreams (Elminster suspects Mystra’s meddling brought these dreams about, and that She was “setting up” the Dornal/Elué union).#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) January 10, 2021