AMIA ARCHIVE • View topic

I've been thinking a lot about this lately, and I realize most might be somewhere along the lines of "does this really matter?" but I figured I would ask anyways.

Mail in Faerun, would it be put in an envelope or something? Placed within a scroll-cylinder? Just rolled up, tied off, and sent?

I ask because I'm dabbling with photoshop a lot lately, and I was curious on what type of wear-n'-tear and/or paper folds should be on a paper in FR. Something like Mago's post in the PC Notice Boards.

I assumed it's the parchment, red-wax, envelope-like fold with a signet ring to seal the package.

But it's really up to you - you can place it within a cylinder to protect against the elements (Though I'm sure if you're a Wizard, you could magically imbue it with Elemental Protection anyway)...

But yeah, the general wear and tear, spilt tea upon the page, with a dodgy ball-point pen and a bit of lighter burns around the edges should suffice.

You get all the styles:

1) Folded paper, once or twice folded, envelope or no envelope, wax sealed or no wax. (That's 6 combinations)

2) Scroll, held by string, cord, or wax seal, no container or scroll container (likely leather). (Thats 6 more combinations)

3) Parchment made of papyrus, made of tree fiber, made of skin (humanoids), made of hides (animal)... probably more. (4 addittional choices)

Methods of Sending:

1) Hired Carrier (often called Speedy's boys!)

2) By animal, flight, in talons or mouth for some

3) By animal, flightless, in mouth or tied to leg/neck with cord

3) By magic (Like the mail in Harry Potter, it flies on it's own!)

4) By demon, devil, or undead. (Free tainting included!)

--o--

So, just an idea. But you see all of this with the player base. You can pick whatever you like! And that would let you be creative if you think is has maybe a puncture from a talon. A little drool from the hound. Perhaps the magic sending accidentally rushed it through a rain-storm forgetting to imbue prot-from-elements

Use your imagination goddamnit! Nothing's wrong in this campaign setting... Unless the DM team says so, in which it is only a little bit wrong!

*Punches his own chest in a very masculine manner* I HAVE AN IMAGINATION!

lathandier wrote:

*Punches his own chest in a very masculine manner* I HAVE AN IMAGINATION!

An imagination so great he can even envision masculinity in himself.

See! Even WonWon agrees! not only am I masculine (not mesculin), but the imagination is a very, very powerful tool.

WonWon wrote:

lathandier wrote:

*Punches his own chest in a very masculine manner* I HAVE AN IMAGINATION!

An imagination so great he can even envision masculinity in himself.

Nah, thats rather delusion, not imagination

I always imagine it as folded parchment sealed with wax and signet, or Roman-style rolled scrolls.

I use 'papyrus' as a substitute for some locally-made relatively inexpensive easy-to-manufacture plant-based papery stuff. Probably made from reeds that grow in the swamps near Cordor. We're probably too far north for actual papyrus (unless it's imported from Khem), though a good market gardener could probably grow it...

Parchment would be way too expensive for casual accounts or letters. I would fold the page twice lengthways, twice width-ways and seal it with wax.

There's such a thing as being too sensitive to details. :lol:

And also... Wolf, where the hell are you?!

A guy who plays a character based on a wolf! Oh yes! I just earned a level in psionic!

In my character I always have my guy just using some crappy thin note that can easily be ripped. Cheap and weak.

Xaviera wrote:

I would fold the page twice lengthways, twice width-ways and seal it with wax.

Basically you mean on a basic sheet of paper; one fold down to the middle, one fold up to the middle, stamp the bottom fold to the top fold?

Tysonm1 wrote:

A guy who plays a character based on a wolf! Oh yes! I just earned a level in psionic!

Close! But not quite, I never got around to that one.

Wolfking6116 wrote:

Xaviera wrote:

I would fold the page twice lengthways, twice width-ways and seal it with wax.

Basically you mean on a basic sheet of paper; one fold down to the middle, one fold up to the middle, stamp the bottom fold to the top fold?

Basically. Envelopes are a rather modern invention.

That's what I figured, but I just wanted to be sure.

It's basically folded the same way as you'd put in an envelope, just... Not in an envelope? >_>

Basically, yes.
Edit: Except you'd do it in the other direction as well, so putting it into the envelope that isn't wide enough either

A question though, for messenger systems like Speedies, do they work like they used to in RL (the recipient of the letter pays on delivery), or like they did after the invention of the Postage Stamp (sender pays before delivery)?

Edit: Found a website on folding letters

http://www.ghh.com/elf/TextOnlyFoldIndex.html

Yurell wrote:

A question though, for messenger systems like Speedies, do they work like they used to in RL (the recipient of the letter pays on delivery), or like they did after the invention of the Postage Stamp (sender pays before delivery)?

If they're smart, they take an upfront payment from the sender before accepting the message and money from the receiver before delivering the message. :wink:

A question on Faerunian mail.

Who is online