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What cool fantasy realm words/phrases do you use for hello/goodbye or general greetings?
Background
I've recently come off a two-year Forgotten Realms campaign. As a DM, I now seem to have been hardwired to want say "Well Met!" (a common greeting for hello/goodbye in the realms)! Perhaps your ideas will break me from this FR habit.
What cool fantasy realm words/phrases do you use for hello/goodbye or general greetings?
Background
I've recently come off a two-year Forgotten Realms campaign. As a DM, I now seem to have been hardwired to want say "Well Met!" (a common greeting for hello/goodbye in the realms)! Perhaps your ideas will break me from this FR habit.
Here's three to start you off with.
Hail!
Greetings! (Whether or not you request that they "stay a while and listen" is up to you.)
Welcome, travelers!
There's something here that could be used to create an NPC quirk, and unusual greeting that let's you know a certain memorable person has arrived. Perhaps a mocking greeting always used by a rival of the PC's... 'Hail the Heroes of Cormyr' or something equally sarcastic.
I like to give some thought to the phonetics of a player characters name when deciding on a greeting they might hear. So for example a friendly NPC might say: 'Welcome Raven,' - whereas a hostile villain might begin with; 'So... Torstein' - to the same character, enchancing a feeling of drama and even of the PC's own formidable nature by using their surname.
Even better if our Raven Torstein in the example, actually likes to be called 'Blackspear'. Then the intimacy or emnity is enhanced when someone uses their birth name at all.
...I'm making a mountain out of a molehill aren't I?!! : o
Dictionary.com suggests well met has been around since the 1580s and sometimes part of hail-fellow-well-met.
Reference
well met. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/well met (accessed: July 16, 2008).
But, I've been under the impression that Ed Greenwood re-popularized it and repurposed it for FR.
The morning goddess greets you.
By the darkones embrace
Val'al
Randorcs peace
Thanks. I especially like it when salutations are context-specific. In my current homebrew campaign, the earthmother figure is a neutral goddess whos portfolio includes death. It is said when natural death is imminent, the gentle mother clutches your heart and stops it from beating. (beautiful, right?)
So, perhaps one common farewell salutation could be, "May her gentle hand touch your heart."
What others in general can you think of, or are ones you've used?
Greetings
Mornings, Noonafters, Evenings
Salutations
Farewell
Happy huntings
Laters
May X bless you, May X light your path
So long
I also often use variants taken from Earth languages (breton, english, finnish, french, gaellic, german, greek, italian, latin, russian, spanish), slightly modified to fit a civilization.
The Kalamar campaign book has a nice collection of sayings associated with each god/goddess, some of which are appropriate for salutations and farewells...
"Dreams don't build themselves."
"You honor my presence."
"May honor go with you."
"Be just and true (...and only good will come to you)."
"Push the day into the night" (a farewell)
"May the Peaceful One comfort you all the days of your life."
"I wish goodness to envelop you this night."
"Look to the stars for guidance."
"Soar like an Eagle."
"Welcome to our free world."
"Let me look upon your beauty."
"Look to the moons."
"By the light of the night, all will be right."
"May your aim be true."
"I will wait for you until the deer takes up the bow."
"Have no fear to sleep this night, (the Night watchman is here to ensure morning's light)."
"Build for tomorrow."
"Go in good health."
"Disobedience is death."
"What can you teach me." (a greeting)
"Keep your senses about you." (a farewell)
"Nothing last forever but the elements."
"Let your grip be as firm as the rock."
"May the tides favor your voyage."
"May the lady of the wind speed your journey."
"The ladies blessing is within your breath."
"May your wisdom be as powerful as your spells."
"Use well your sorcery." (a farewell)
"In this life, one thing counts... (in the coffers large amounts)."
"What business have we?" (a greeting)
"Time is the master of all men."
"Things have a way of working themselves out in the end."
"(For everything there is a reason)...Let fate guide you."
"The Longest journey begins with a step."
"One never knows what lies over the next hill, so go and see."
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
"Go for it. What do you have to lose?"
"(With sure swift fingers)...no money lingers."
"If you can't laugh with them, slug them."
"It's not whether you win or lose,...(it's how you bend the rules)"
"My words are your thoughts, we are one."
"Our enemies will be crushed in the fist of the Oppressor."
"The black void is near."
"See the darkness."
"Blessed are the blind."
"Better than a sharp stick in the eye."
"Life is pain."
"When the Ruler calls, all beings answer."
"Guard your soul well,...(lest it become mine)."
"A Pox on you and your kindred."
"Its a fine, foul day for battle."
"Better bad luck than no luck at all."
[Anyone happen to know the origins of 'Well Met?' I always wondered if it was an actual medieval greeting or if someone pulled it from a book or movie.
Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew (for one) has "All hail, fellow, and well met." and that's 1590s
In Draconic shio vinult algbo tafiaf
care of draconic.twilightrealm.com
Clerics have a bunch of deity flavoured hi/bye's
"Bahamut protection be upon you"
"By Pelor's light" blah blah blah
The "I see you" used as a greeting in the wheel of time by the Aeil was pretty cool in my estimation
The Kalamar campaign book has a nice collection of sayings associated with each god/goddess, some of which are appropriate for salutations and farewells...
"Dreams don't build themselves."
"You honor my presence."
"May honor go with you."
"Be just and true (...and only good will come to you)."
"Push the day into the night" (a farewell)
"May the Peaceful One comfort you all the days of your life."
"I wish goodness to envelop you this night."
"Look to the stars for guidance."
"Soar like an Eagle."
"Welcome to our free world."
"Let me look upon your beauty."
"Look to the moons."
"By the light of the night, all will be right."
"May your aim be true."
"I will wait for you until the deer takes up the bow."
"Have no fear to sleep this night, (the Night watchman is here to ensure morning's light)."
"Build for tomorrow."
"Go in good health."
"Disobedience is death."
"What can you teach me." (a greeting)
"Keep your senses about you." (a farewell)
"Nothing last forever but the elements."
"Let your grip be as firm as the rock."
"May the tides favor your voyage."
"May the lady of the wind speed your journey."
"The ladies blessing is within your breath."
"May your wisdom be as powerful as your spells."
"Use well your sorcery." (a farewell)
"In this life, one thing counts... (in the coffers large amounts)."
"What business have we?" (a greeting)
"Time is the master of all men."
"Things have a way of working themselves out in the end."
"(For everything there is a reason)...Let fate guide you."
"The Longest journey begins with a step."
"One never knows what lies over the next hill, so go and see."
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
"Go for it. What do you have to lose?"
"(With sure swift fingers)...no money lingers."
"If you can't laugh with them, slug them."
"It's not whether you win or lose,...(it's how you bend the rules)"
"My words are your thoughts, we are one."
"Our enemies will be crushed in the fist of the Oppressor."
"The black void is near."
"See the darkness."
"Blessed...
Some of those are pretty cool, I may "borrow" them. ;-)
I like not having every character be friendly.
An occasional "What you want?" or "Pike off!" works pretty well.
For neutral types, "State your business." and "Good day to you."
For friendly types, "Ah, [name], good to see you, again!"
Obviously way more than just these, otherwise it would start sounding like a CRPG.
Take me to you leaders.
God's grace on you.
the Light shines on thee.
Be not afraid friend.
Party on Dude
Salutations
cead mile failtes (a thousand welcomes)
but to add a little uniquness to individual npcs add:
...bowing at the waist...
...tipping his hat...
...hand over his heart...
...with a wave...
...with a flimsy handshake...
...hands steepled in front of face she nods three times...
...genuflecting... (also curtseying)
...sticking his nose to your butt... (for Heathy)
Radavel
(Pathfinder Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Roleplaying Game, Campaign Setting, Companion, Modules Subscriber)
Very common here near Boston;
Pog Mo Thoin
For a Dwarf;
May your beard grow long. (a wish for long life)
May your beard turn white. (a wish for a honorless 'straw death,' in bed, of old age. Very unfriendly and an accusation that the dwarf in question is a coward or 'soft!')
Keep your beard dry. (a warning not to drink too much, because the area isn't safe)
For an Elf;
Fly true. (in the archery sense, and in the travelling sense, and in the moral sense. I like elves to speak in three layers, like Minbari. Note that 'true,' in the elven sense, just means 'true to yourself,' not necessarily moral or ethical...)
Aren't you dead yet? (said to a non-Elven friend, meant in jest, but sometimes said with an exasperated tone that leaves non-Elves wondering if it's really a joke.)
For a Halfling;
Don't get eaten! (admonition to a halfling about to leave home)
Don't eat anything bigger than your head! (admonition to a halfling about to go to a gathering)
For a Gnome;
What!?! (exasperated, as a greeting)
Yeah. Bye. (muttered to a departing friend, as the Gnome is already thinking about something else)
Other things a Gnome might say to you when you meet him;
Oh, there you are.
Don't touch that!
Hold this.
I built this last night in my sleep. It has a button. I don't know what will happen if I push it...
Put this on.
Of course it's safe!
Take off your clothes.
Don't show fear, they can smell fear.
You're not wearing anything made of metal are you?
Here, drink this and describe what you feel next. Remember, this is for posterity, do try to be thorough.
Oh, hello there, have you seen a rotwound spider about, he seems to have gotten out of his cage again?
Oh dear.
Oops.
Oh my god, it's alive! Run for your lives!
For a Half-Orc;
Don't catch any axes. (only said to someone the half-orc loves)
Go catch an axe. (said to friends, meant good-naturedly, or said in a completely different and serious tone to non-friends...)
Radavel
(Pathfinder Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Roleplaying Game, Campaign Setting, Companion, Modules Subscriber)
