The World of Avlis

Small question here. Fey wine is illegal in most of Avlis, it says in the item description, IIRC. But would it be easy to identify? Could my character just say that it was 'fine elven wine' and get away with it easily? Would you have to drink it to tell the difference, and could you tell even then? For that matter, what about other illegal beverages? Nanshaquist, Minds Eye Elixir, Deglosian Spirits, Nemeril's Brew (I think that's an illegal one)... Are they nondescript beverages, or will Joe Adventurer be able to catch a whiff them and say "Quick, arrest him!"? While I'm asking, how easy is it to identify illegal substances in general? I would expect that these are much more easy to recognize as illicit then drinks but I might as well ask.

Yeah, that discussion has come up among the AKN as well...

What exactly is the illegal aspect of these items? Having them? Selling them? Are they illegal in all parts of Avlis?

Seems strange that they are deemed as illegal, yet 2 of them are currently the only known cure for the Spite...

A little clarification would be helpful

And it's always a little disconcerting to talk to Fanos and see that he has more illegal substances for sale than a Colombian drug runner.

Maybe they should be marked as 'Stolen'..

Obviously, Law is very subjective.

I thought I edited the description, but it should read:
"... questionable legality in parts of Avlis"

In Mikona, I believe it's a crime to sell, but a fine for use.

What about identification? That's my biggest concern.

makeshiftwings wrote:And it's always a little disconcerting to talk to Fanos and see that he has more illegal substances for sale than a Colombian drug runner.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

funny shit man

is there a masterlist of illegal substances? Besides the Fey Wine? IS there some Hobbit weed just waiting ot be smoked or maybe some fairy dust to be....nm you get he point.

uhm.. there are no such things as Hobbits, here in Avlis...

but the Halfings are well known for their quality mellowsmoke weed..

MMZ>Magius9 wrote:is there a masterlist of illegal substances? Besides the Fey Wine? IS there some Hobbit weed just waiting ot be smoked or maybe some fairy dust to be....nm you get he point.

It's there. Ask around.... (And I mean IC) or maybe try to make it yourself?

Jordicus wrote:uhm.. there are no such things as Hobbits, here in Avlis...

but the Halfings are well known for their quality mellowsmoke weed..

Umm, sorry to burst your bubble, but hobbits and halflings are the same thing.
You actually read LOTR?

Ok, completely off topic, but: Hobbits and halflings are most certainly not the same thing. Ever read LOTR AND the 3rd edition players handbook definition of halflings (and seen the various arts derived from those descriptions)?

Hobbit != Halfling != Kender

different settings, different creatures

ok, ok, my bad.
But in LOTR hobbits are often referred to as halflings. I was going by LOTR, not by the players guide admitedly.

A bit off topic...
Nice avatar TheBluDragon

Hobbits and halflings have similar concepts in general, but the worlds in which they are set give them different backgrounds, functions and personalities. 3rd Ed. DnD at least derives from Tolkien, but it also expands, changes, modifies and adapts the LOTR for its own world. I?ve always kept the two terms separate. But I imagine on one occassion or another I could slip into talking about Hobbits in DnD, and I?d expect the other person would know what I meant, even though its not the same term.

Vergilius wrote:Hobbits and halflings have similar concepts in general, but the worlds in which they are set give them different backgrounds, functions and personalities. 3rd Ed. DnD at least derives from Tolkien, but it also expands, changes, modifies and adapts the LOTR for its own world. I?ve always kept the two terms separate. But I imagine on one occassion or another I could slip into talking about Hobbits in DnD, and I?d expect the other person would know what I meant, even though its not the same term.

Carefuly there... ADnD very specifically is not based on the works of Tolkien, as they do not and never have had license to be such. TheBluDragon is right, Tolkien's characters (mostly humans) referred to Hobbits as halflings. I think his intent was to show that the humans were not paticularly wise to the culture of the Hobbits, nor tried to learn, and therefore called them by a name other than what they themselves used.

But Gygax, and later WoTC, NEVER use the word Hobbit in any of their manuals or supplemental rule books. Hobbit could easily be argued to be the IP of Tolkien (not saying his estate would file suit or anything, just stating fact), but halfling is more of a descriptive term and would be much easier to claim a public domain source for.

Bye Now,
Jerry Cornelius - I own these words! Their mine! Get away from my words, you bastards![/b]

Actually,

I specifically did not use the word "based on" for the reasons you pointed out. I used the word "derived". Perhaps "influenced by" might better suit your taste. The same can be said of Tolkien, his work derives or is influenced by other works that he read, the languages he studied, etc. For example, in the hobbit, the names of most of the dwarves are repeated at near verbatim from Norse Mythology. I forget the exact name of the work, but I remember a friend pulling me aside back in college and having me read some extract, and about 10 of the 13 dwarves had their names there. Thats just one example. Coming forward through the years, one would be hard pressed to say any fantasy work whatsoever received no influence whatsoever from Tolkien. Influence can be either direct or indirect. Direct would be someone reading Tolkien and being inspired to right fantasy. Indirect would be an author reading another author who was influenced by Tolkien.

You are right to say that it is not "based" upon the works of Tolkien largely because of liscencing. Using the word Hobbit would run into severe problems with IP whereas halfing is a more generic and descriptive term, as you say. This is exactly the point I was aiming at.

See, I woulda caught that in the first post, but I don't pay attention. *grin*

Bye Now,
Jerry Cornelius - Where the hell am I, again?

Why make them illegal anyway?
Its certainly not because the Council is concerned about the welfare of its citizens? If they did they wouldn't suffer a Hooked Horror infested mine, two steps away from their food producing farmsteads.
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Why are people so eager to snitch on their fellow man anyway? Is there a reward going around that I not know about???

And what is the punishment for possession of controlled substances?