Reactions to "monstrous" races (from So Saith Ed)

[Harroghty]

Interesting response from Ed Greenwood (So Saith Ed) about reactions to monstrous races across Faerun.

January 5, 2006: Hi again, all. This time, Ed tackles this question from Pardan: "How are "monstrous" - meaning clearly nonhuman - creatures/adventurers usually treated in cities and lands across the North and the Sword Coast? Basically, I am asking for information about how "cosmopolitan" cities and people in the aforementioned regions are. What would happen if, say, a Loxo or Wemic (a creature largely unknown and perhaps not cursed with a bad reputation like certain dark elves) wandered into a town? How used to the strange and unknown are people in the realms - from the lord to Joe-Average-Commoner?"

Ed replies:

Hi, Pardan. You're very welcome; hope you enjoy the Realms for years to come! Looking at the earlier answer that Wooly Rupert kindly reposted for you, it looks like your Wild Magic queries should be answered, so let me answer your attitudes towards monsters one.

The short, flippant answer is, of course, it depends. As in: it depends on the experiences individuals the loxo or wemic meet have previously had with loxos or wemics, or what wild tales they've heard about them.

In general (and that caveat should here be raised, too: we ARE of necessity speaking in gross generalizations), folk in the realms who are on trade routes are VERY used to seeing a variety of talking, intelligent "non-human" creatures, and rural backlands folks have seen a smaller variety. Unless they see a creature they immediately identify as a foe (slavering dragon-like or other large beast that snarls or roars or looks hungry or has big jaws, or an orc or goblinkin of any kind), they will USUALLY react with careful, wary courtesy - - or "vanish" if they can (children and their mothers will scamper off and hide from, say, a lizard man or even an otherwise normal-seeming man who happens to be covered with scales). The reason for this is as follows: even if not everyone sees magic in use every day, everyone has HEARD plenty about what magic can do, and those cautionary tales tend to warn about wizards or sorcerers taking animal shapes, or being cursed into having scales or wings or glowing eyes (and as elders and mothers say: how would YOU like to be treated, if you got cursed by some spellhurler?).

The timid will run and hide, and every wary person who has or can get a weapon will get it and have it ready to use. However, innkeepers, tavernmasters, and shopkeepers of all sorts will greet and deal with the "strange" person with courtesy, trying to conduct trade with "it" without giving offense, until the moment (and of course it'll be a moment they're carefully watching for) it seems to launch an attack or begin to cast a spell. Then the stool or knife will be hurled, the crossbow will be lifted above the countertop and fired, or the cord will be pulled to release the chest of rocks from above...

"Monsters" who get into fights, or scare someone into shrieking flight, will often get "run out of town," yes, the likelihood of this happening decreasing sharply as the size of the settlement increases. Really fearful folk (as in: villagers facing a shapechanging monster, or individuals whom they believe to be a group of armed, hostile foes) will strike to kill. In larger places, the Watch or equivalent will be summoned.

Please note that "everyone" has seen or heard of elves, dwarves, gnomes, and halflings, and won't consider individuals who look like these races (or closely resemble these races) to be "strange." However, local temples may have preached sermons or issued edicts, local authorities issued decrees, or events (skirmishes, killings, rumors) in local history may have led to, attitudes sharply different in one place from another. In general: the more bustling with trade and visitors from different places that trade brings a place is, the more tolerant its folk are (Waterdeep is VERY tolerant, as are Athkatla, Scornubel, and the Sembian ports, but Silverymoon, Suzail, and Calimport - - for different reasons - - a step less so, and Arabel, Iriaebor, Elturel, and Westgate another step or grade less tolerant, intolerance increasing as one moves to smaller and more 'dangerous frontier' areas or settlements.

So saith Ed.

Who promises not to be so verbose with every single answer.

love to all,
THO

[Selveem]

Read it a long time ago. Good read for all builders editing areas to 'react' to monstrous races appropriately.

I think having decent charisma should also affect this since we have no 'diplomacy' skill to increase disposition.