Forgotten Realms

Introduction

Welcome to the world of Faerun, a place of great heroes and stark

evil, encompassing lands of magic, mystery, and high peril.

Bold knights dare the crypts of dead monarchs, seeking glory and

treasure. Insolent rogues prowl the dank alleyways of ancient cities,

plotting their next exploit. Devout clerics wield mace and spell,

questing against the terrifying powers that threaten the land. Cunning

wizards plunder the ruins of fallen empires, delving fearlessly

into secrets too dark for the light of day. Dragons, giants, blackhearted

villains, demons, savage hordes, ant! unimaginable abominations

lurk in horrible dungeons, endless caverns, ruined cities, and

the vast wild places of the world, thirsting for the blood of heroes.

This is the land of Faerun, a continent of heart-stopping beauty

and ages-old evil. It is your land to shape, to guide, to defend, to conquer,

or to rule. It is a land trod by noble heroes and unredeemable

villains, a great and terrible company to which you and your fellows

now belong.

Welcome to the FORGOTTEN REALMS campaign setting.

The Land of Faerun

From the bitter, windswept steppes of the Endless Waste to the

storm-lashed cliffs of the Sword Coast stretches a wide, wild land of

shining kingdoms and primal wilderness, Faerun is only one continent

of the world known as Toril. Other lands lie in distant corners

of the world, but Faerun is the center of it all, the crossroads and

crux upon which all else turns. Dozens of nations, hundreds of city-states,

and countless tribes, villages, and settlements dot its expanse.

The continent of Faerun measures more than thirty-five hundred

miles from east to west and twenty-five hundred from north to

south. It includes sun-blasted deserts, vast forest deeps, forbidding

mountains, and gleaming inland seas. Across this vast expanse travel

minstrels and peddlers, caravan merchants and guards, soldiers,

sailors, and steel-hearted adventurers carrying tales of strange, glorious,

faraway places. Good maps and clear trails can take even an

inexperienced youth with dreams of glory far across Faerun. Thousands

of restless young would-be heroes from back-country farmsteads

and sleepy villages arrive in Waterdeep and the other great

cities every year in search of wealth and renown.

Known roads may be well traveled, but they are not necessarily

safe. Fell magic, deadly monsters, and cruel local rulers are all perils

that you face when you fare abroad in Faerun. Away from the main

roads and the great cities, the countryside is far wilder than the city

folk remember. Even farms and freeholds within a day's walk of

is safe from the sudden wrath of a dragon.

The Civilized Folk

Of the many races of Toril, a dozen or so account for nine-tenths of

all folk who live in the world today. Humans are the most numerous.

They are a race of kingdom-builders, merchants, wizards, and clerics

whose crowded cities lie scattered across the fair face of the continent.

Young and vigorous in comparison to the other races, humans

hold the future of Faerun in their hands—for good or for ill.

While humans were still eking out a subsistence in scattered, disorganized

bands, two older races—dwarves and elves—raised mighty

realms in the mountains and forests. The zenith of both races is now

past, but Faerun is filled with wonders of stone, wood, and magic they

wrought at the heights of their power. Grim dwarven citadels filled

with the clamor of industry and breathtaking elven cities as graceful

as spun glass still stand, even as year by year human dominion grows.

Though they never commanded the power of the dwarves or the

elves, halflings and gnomes have adapted better to the rise of humankind.

Halflings have prospered, taking advantage of the situations

created by the cultural conflicts between the humans and the elder

races. Although halflings hold lands exclusively for their people in

only a handful of places, their settlements can be found throughout

most human lands. Gnomes prefer more reclusive dwellings and do

not raise mighty cities, but,' like the halflings, their homes and settlements

are scattered through a dozen human lands.

Other races are sometimes considered civilized folk, too, despite

their smaller numbers. Centaurs and fey roam the great northern

forests, good of heart but growing evermore wary of human incursions.

south. Proud, wemics roam the endless plains of the Shaar. But their

numbers are few compared to even a small human land.

Savage Peoples and Monsters

Against the young human lands and the ancient refuges of the older

races stand ranged a great number of enemies. Foremost among

these are the savage peoples—goblins, orcs, ogres, and all their kin.

Breeding fierce warriors in dark mountain fortresses and noisome

cavern dens, they regularly burst forth from their strongholds to

pillage and slaughter villages and towns unfortunate enough to lie

in their path.

than orc chiefs and rampaging ogres. The deeps of the

enslaving the surface lands and feasting on human cattle while they

rule as the overlords of all Toril.

Neither the uncounted hordes of goblinkind nor the dark powers

that lie beneath the surface world are the most dangerous threat to

human cities and realms, however. That honor must be reserved for

the most terrible and awesome creatures of Faerun—-the dragons. No

one knows just how many dragons soar through the icy spires of the

Wyrms, but even a single dragon can spell doom for a city. From time

to time, great numbers of dragons take flight at once and wing across

the face of Faerun in a terrifying Rage, burning and devouring at will.

Heroes and Villians

where you will stand in the struggle to come. Regardless of race or

station, the most notable creatures to roam Faerun are its heroes

and their enemies. In the courts of kings, the dens of thieves, and the

citadels of dark powers, companies of questers, treasure seekers,

monster slayers, and freebooters struggle to preserve the things they

hold dear and to vanquish the enemies who would destroy them.

The most dangerous creature on Faerun is, as you might expect,

a person with the ruthlessness to do whatever is necessary to achieve

her goal. Even a dim-witted ogre can guess what a red dragon might

want when it appears on the horizon, but fathoming the purposes

and designs of a scheming wizard or unscrupulous merchant lord is

far more difficult.

A World of Magic

empires thousands of years old left portals and wrecked towers scattered

across the landscape that are still filled with potent enchantments.

Haughty wizards whose spells can lay low entire armies plot

against each other as they pursue their studies into ever more powerful—

and more dangerous—fields of arcane lore. Deities channel

divine energy through their mortal agents to advance the causes

that interest them. Adventurers of all types, evil and good, wield

mighty spells seemingly at will.

Most Faerunians never learn to speak a spell, but magic touches

their lives in ways they do not always see. Skilled wizards and sorcerers

serve the monarchs of the land, plying their spells to defend their

realms against attack and to watch their enemies' movements. Clerics

intercede with the deities to invoke their blessings as real and tangible

benefits to the endeavors of the community. Monstrous aberrations

of twisted magic and warped energy are often the deadliest creatures

to prey on Faerun's common folk, and adventurers armed with

enchanted steel are the land's first line of defense against such perils.

Ancient Wonders

The history of Faerun is dominated by the cyclic rise and cataclysmic

destruction of empires founded on knowledge of the intricacies of

magic. The Imaskari wrought magical pariah to bridge the gap

between worlds, only to be destroyed by the god-kings of the slave

races they imported to Faerun. Their lost realm now lies beneath the

dust desert of Raurin. The mighty Empire of Netheril dominated the

center of the continent, its skies graced by floating cities and its wizards

commanding unimagined might. They reached too far and were

destroyed in a magical catastrophe of world-shaking proportions, forever

changing the workings of magic itself. Realms such as Narfell

and Raumathar, Athalantar and Cormanthyr, Illefarn and Hlondath

have left their ruins throughout the world.

Magic both old and strong still slumbers in the wreckage of these

ancient realms, Every year some new marvel is rediscovered in an

old ruin: a spell never before seen or a wondrous item of great power

and high purpose. More often, though, blights and perils long forgotten

or magical abominations that should never see the light of

day emerge to trouble the world anew, unearthed by those ignorant

or unscrupulous enough to seek them out.

Mages, Priests, and Minstrels

Crumbling towers and buried vaults of elder lands hold power and

peril beyond compare, but it is the living wielders of magic who shape

of reclusive wizards and the fortress-like temples of clerical orders.

Practitioners of the Art, the wreaking of arcane magic, include the

most powerful mortals to walk the face of Toril. Mysterious

enchanters, proud diviners, and depraved necromancers roam Faerun,

engaged in their own secretive business, Some seek deeper knowledge

and greater power, others toil in the service of dark masters, and others

still strive to right wrongs wherever they find them. Any person with

the wits of a fence post treads cautiously in the presence of sorcerers

or wizards, for who can guess at their purposes and designs?

Invokers of divine magic, also known as the Power, include the

clerics of Faerun's multitudinous goddesses and gods. Devoted to the

service of their patron deities, they run the gamut from 'priests of

protect knowledge in the hoary halls of the Inner Chamber of Deneir and the Seat of Lore of Oghma in Berdusk. The deities of

only a fool would ignore their mortal agents.

Wizards and clerics are not the only wielders of magic in the

world. Druids and rangers serve nature deities and guard the deep

forests. Bards wander the land, carrying news and gossip with their

magical songs. Faerun is a land rich with wielders of magic, and their

works and deeds topple thrones and shake empires.

Characters

Guarded wizards of Thay, distrusted by the

common folk of the Dalelands, seek deeper

knowledge in the elven ruins of Cormanthor.

Determined clerics of Tyr wander the cold lands of the Moonsea,

battling against the sinister influence of the Zhentarim. Stout-hearted

from the feral orcs and ogres that occupy them. Almost any

kind of fantasy hero or villain may find a home in the FORGOTTEN

REALMS campaign setting. Faerun is an old continent with hundreds

of disparate cultures.

In this world, your fighter is not defined simply by his Strength

score of 16 and his mastery of the bastard sword. He is defined by

his homeland, his training, and his background. Just as the Dungeon

Master (DM) carefully crafts adventures to highlight the magic and

perils of the far-scattered lands of Faerun, each player contributes

to the campaign a character whose personality, motivations, and

attitudes reflect the heroes—or the villains—of a land shrouded in

mystery, myth, and legend.

Races of Faerun

Faerun is inhabited by hundreds of different races. Some races are

native and have lived here for uncounted thousands of "years. Others

arrived over centuries of migration and conquest from other planes

and worlds. The races most commonly found as player characters--

are descended from both Faerunian natives and immigrants from

other worlds. Because of their complex ancestry, members of most of

these races and subraces display a wide range of skin and hair colors.

As a further consequence of their mixed heritage, humans,

dwarves, elves, and the other major races of Faerun have much in

common with their kin on other worlds.

Automatic and bonus languages for all races appear in

the race descriptions, since Faerun is home to a number of unique

tongues. In the case of races for which "home region" appears in the

race description—for example, humans or planetouched—the language

selection is determined by the character's home region.

A character's choice of race and region determines her automatic

and bonus languages. The following languages are always available as bonus

languages to characters, regardless of race or region: Abyssal (clerics),

also know Druidic in addition to their other languages.

Each race description gives the primary regions or

strongholds of the race. Characters can choose one of these regions

for their home region, they can default to the general racial entry

for their region, or they can choose to be from elsewhere in Faerun.

The information given in this section helps you construct a character,

but does not directly affect your character's starting feats or

equipment.

Classes

Following the class discussion is a listing of

lands or cultures suitable as home regions for characters of that class.

For example, Narfell is a land of nomadk horseriders. Barbarians,

commonly found there. Wizards are not. Therefore, the barbarian,

You do not have to choose one of the regions listed for your character's

class if you do not want to. However, whether your character

comes from a region suited for his class affects your ability to

choose regional feats and your selection of starting equipment.

Prestige Classes

Character Region

A character in the FORGOTTEN REALMS campaign is more than

just a class and race. Your homeland determines in part your personality,

your outlook, and what sort of abilities you have. In game

terms, character regions encourage you to take a class relevant to

that region's culture, allow you to learn special feats appropriate

to your region, and enable you to start out with some extra equipment

based on the way people in that region live. Every character

has the opportunity to choose a region during the character creation

process.

"Region" is a broad term. In most cases, it refers to a political

entity, such as the wizard-ruled nation of Thay. It may also refer to

a geographical area that lacks a central government or well-defined

borders, such as the barbarian lands of Narfell. Finally, a region can

be defined as a racial cultural identity, such as that of the gold

dwarves or half-orcs.

A character can only have one homeland, so you cannot get the

regional benefits of both Amn and its neighboring nation, Tethyr.

However, nonhuman characters are free to designate either their

physical homeland or their racial culture as their character region,

although they must be a member of a class listed for their race or

homeland to select the corresponding regional feats and receive the

bonus starting equipment. For example, Vartok the gold dwarf

might be from the Smoking Mountains of Unther, but he can

choose either gold dwarf or Unther as his native region, and he gains

the benefits for the region of his choice if he selects a character class

listing the region he chooses as a preferred region.

characters from this region, regardless of Intelligence score.

Common, though not listed on the table, is always an automatic language

unless Undercommon is listed as an automatic language.

higher) begin play with one bonus language per point of Intelligence

bonus, which must be chosen from the list on the table.

character class, you may select regional feats appropriate to that

region. These feats represent the common sorts of talents that

people from that region learn.

If you did not choose a character class preferred in your home

region, you cannot begin play with one of those regional feats. You

are still limited by the number of feats available to your character

based on class and race.

You can acquire regional feats later in your adventuring career.

With a few exceptions, any regional feats appropriate to your race

or homeland that you don't select at 1st level are still available the

next time you gain the ability to select a feat.

You may even learn feats from a new region altogether,

whether or not you belong to an encouraged class for that region.

After 1st level, each 2 ranks in Knowledge (local) pertaining to

the new region you have allow you to select feats from a single

region (other than your home region, if applicable).

starts with if he chooses a region preferred for his character class.

This equipment is in addition to any equipment you get with your

starting package or whatever you might buy with your starting

money. If multiple choices for bonus equipment are available in a

region, you may only choose one of the options listed.

You may choose to sell your bonus equipment at 50% of its listed

cost, if you would rather have extra cash instead. (Some particularly

wealthy areas offer gold pieces as one of the options. You don't

want to sell them.)

Feats

Almost every rogue or fighter from the mythical land of Halruaa

knows just a bit of magic. In Sembia, Waterdeep, and the dark cities

of the drow, duelists teach the beautiful and deadly twin sword fighting

style. Common-born rangers and druids of the Dalelands are

known for their oddly fortuitous luck and their perseverance in the

face of terrible peril. It seems that any adventurer exploring the

deadly ruins and perilous wildernesses of Faerun possesses a little

specialized training or a knack common to the lands in which he

grew up.

Magic

The world of Toril is literally a magical place. All

existence is infused with magical power, and potential

energy lies untapped in every rock, every

stream, every living creature, even the air itself. Raw magic is the

frozen stuff of creation, the mute and mindless will of being, suffusing

every bit of matter and present in every manifestation of

energy throughout the world.

town is home to mighty temples venerating the deities and housing

clerics who call upon divine power to heal injury, ward against evil,

and defend the lives and property of the faithful. Subtle and astute

turning their formidable powers to the service of their lords. Aberrations

made by ancient magic seethe and hunger in the dark spaces

beneath the world's surface, awaiting the chance to feed. Even the

most unimaginative fighter or most brazen rogue quickly learns to

respect the power of magic, or sees her career as an adventurer come

to a spectacular and ghastly end.

The Weave

Mortals cannot directly shape raw magic. Instead, most who wield

magic make use of the Weave. The Weave is the manifestation of

raw magic, a kind of interface between the will of a spellcaster and

the stuff of raw magic. Without the Weave, raw magic is locked

away and inaccessible—an archmage can't light a candle in a dead

magic zone. But, surrounded by the Weave, a spellcaster can shape

lightning to blast her foes, transport herself hundreds of miles in

the blink of an eye, even reverse death itself. All spells, magic items,

spell-like abilities, and even supernatural abilities such as a ghost's

ability to walk through walls, depend on the Weave and call upon it

in different ways.

The exact nature of the Weave is elusive because it is many things

simultaneously. The Weave is the body of Mystra, the goddess of

magic. Mystra has dominion over magic worked throughout Toril,

but she cannot shut off the flow of magic altogether without ceasing

to exist herself. The Weave is the conduit spellcasters use to channel

magical energy for their spells, both arcane and divine. Finally, the

Weave is the fabric of esoteric rules and formulas that comprises the

from the texts of arcane spell books to the individual components

of spells is part of the Weave. Magic not only flows from

source to spellcaster through the Weave, the Weave gives spellcasters

the tools they need to shape magic to their purposes.

Whenever a spell, spell-like ability, supernatural ability, or magic

item functions, the threads of the Weave intertwine, knit, warp,

twist, and fold to make the effect possible. When characters use divination

spells such as detect magic, identify, or analyze dweomer,

they glimpse the Weave. A spell such as dispel magic smooths the

Weave, attempting to return it to its natural state. Spells such as

rather than through, the area affected by the spell.

Areas where magic goes awry, such as wild magic zones and dead

magic zones, represent damage to the Weave.

Unique Effects of the Weave

Magic in Society

From the smoking foundries of Luskan to the wondrous cities of Halruaa,

Faerunians live in a world populated by practitioners of magic

both arcane and divine. Magic has changed the world more than once

in the past—the deserts of Raurin and Anauroch now mark the places

where the highly magical empires of Imaskar and Netheril once stood.

The great river of history is directed and redirected by magically powerful

people acting out of both malice and benevolence. Even so,

magic still rarely touches the life of the common Faerunian.

The Art

The Power

The Invisible Art

Secret Lore

Since the days when elves, dwarves, giants, and dragons ruled a

manipulate the Weave have sought deeper understanding, greater

power, and hidden knowledge in the hope of gaining an advantage

over their enemies. The early human empires were no different. The

of hapless slaves from other worlds to serve their arcane

might. The Netherese studied the art of devising magic devices, creating

marvels and terrors that still slumber under the sands of

hordes of orc warriors to serve in their war against old Narfell and

then losing control of their own warriors.

possible by a new understanding of the Art, and forbidden studies

leading to awesome new powers. Dozens of paths to power and

understanding have been tried and abandoned, and new research—

some founded in meticulous study, some inspired by fevered flights

of horror—routinely unveils some new methodology of arcane spellcasting

or results in spells never before seen in Faerun.

Stories abound of the legendary spells of old Netheril and the vanished

elven realms, spells whose power dwarfed that of the mightiest

wish possible today. Wizards have unlocked the secrets of a dark Weave

unfettered by Mystra's power, clerics and adapts draw potent spells

with runes, and the wreckage of ancient dweomers lie scattered across

the land in the form of a portal network riddling the fabric of space.

The Shadow Weave

The Magister

Spells of Faerun

Almost every faith of Faerun harbors secret divine spells, prayers

and invocations known only to the initiated clergy. Hundreds of

reclusive wizards and sinister circles devise new arcane spells, seeking

a purer understanding of the Art or a simple weapon other spellcasters

lack. The temples of fallen deities and the ruins of ancient

cities hold scrolls of powerful and dangerous spells, forgotten by the

lesser clerics and wizards who populate Faerun today.

The spells and domains described in the Player's Handbook form

the common knowledge of Faerun's bards, clerics, druids, paladins,

spells in the. usual fashion. The domains and spells described here

represent the secrets and special knowledge available to certain

groups and individuals, plus a few Faerunian spells that have become

common parlance among the land's spellcasters.

Life in Faerun

Nomadic hunters wander the icy barrens of the

Soot-covered armorers hammer away in the

dwarven forges of the Great Rift and the stinking smelters of

adventurer's road leads through many lands and even more cultures,

customs, and locales.

Most of Faerun's humans labor as peasants, farmers, and simple

craftsfolk, living in countless tiny thorps and villages. Over this vast

sea of simple folk rule the wealthy and the privileged, in whatever

form wealth and privilege take in a particular land. In some lands the

common people are ruthlessly shackled and exploited by their cruel

overlords, but by and large Faerun is populated by folk content with

their lot in life.

Time and Seasons

Almost every people or race of Faerun marks the passage of days,

seasons, and years in some fashion. In Cormyr and a dozen other

kingdoms, royal astrologers carefully tend the Roll of Years. Even

the war-heralds of the unlettered orc-tribes compose harsh chants

that record the days and deeds of their fierce chieftains.

The Lore of the Land

Thanks to diligent sages and scribes over centuries, the details and

characteristics of many lands have been recorded. But in all that

time, only a small part of Faerun has been described in any detail.

To most folk who dwell in it, climate is a matter of harsh basics:

when the seasons come, how the growing season (and therefore the

available food supply) fares, and how severe the weather is the rest

of the time. In general, the kingdoms of Faerun produce more than

enough food to feed their people and the various beasts that roam

them. But localized shortages and the perils of lack of water, blistering

heat, exposure, and freezing keep folk from complacency.

Home and Hearth

in forest clearings, rarely remaining in the same place for more than

a day or two. Shield dwarves carve workshops and mines from the

hearts of mountains, fortifying their homes. Goblins and orcs favor

warrens of burrows in the wilderness. Human homes run the gamut

from a herder's yurt in the Endless Waste to a prince's palatial

townhouse along Waterdeep's richest street. Any experienced traveler

soon comes to appreciate that there are as many different ways

of life in Faerun as there are kinds of people.

woods guarded by secretive and unfriendly fey creatures, and sheer

distance divide Faerun's nations from each other. Faerun's city-states

and kingdoms are small islands of civilization in a vast, hostile

world, held together by tenuous lines of contact.

Language

Common language and culture defines a state just as much as borders,

cities, and government do. Each major nonhuman race speaks

its own language, and humans seem to generate dozens of languages

for no other reason than their lands are so widespread and communications

so chancy that language drift occurs over time. Hundreds

of human dialects are still spoken daily in Faerun, although

Common serves to overcome all but the most overwhelming obstacles

to comprehension.

The oldest languages spoken in Faerun are nonhuman in origin.

human languages date back some three to four thousand years. They

come from four main cultural groups—Chondathan, Imaskari, Nar,

and Netherese—that had their own languages, some of which survive

today in altered forms after centuries of intermingling and trade.

The Common Tongue

Coin and Commerce

If one single reason explains how humans have come to dominate

so much of Faerun compared to other, wiser races, it might be

this: Humans are Toril's best merchants. The great ports of the

industry and craftsmanship, and elves command ancient magic

conceived long before humans walked Faerun, but humans command

a different and perhaps more powerful magic—the magic

of gold.

The growth of human prosperity and influence in lands that were

once wilderness is the single greatest development in the Heartlands

of Faerun over the last thousand years or so. Human settlers carve

out freeholds and villages from the virgin wilderness, often fighting

for their lives and property against the monsters (or sometimes the

elves, fey folk, or forest creatures) who dwell there. From the new

settlements flow raw materials such as timber, furs, valuable ores,

and perhaps fish or meat. More humans come to harvest the waiting

riches, and new cities are born. Eventually a city is surrounded

by farmland instead of forest, and the process repeats in some other

trackless forest or mountain valley.

Craft and Engineering

With a few exceptions, Faerun is a land without heavy industry,

steam power, or firearms. For millennia magic, not technology, has

been the path to understanding and true power. Hundreds of wizards

develop new spells, create new magic items, or uncover new fields of

magical lore with each passing year; but the number of savants who

advance the boundaries of mundane knowledge is much smaller. Just

as wizards are inclined to closely guard their magical secrets, many

great architects, engineers, and inventors hoard their learning and

rarely pass it on to the world at large.

While technology is sometimes viewed as a somewhat inelegant

and weak compared to true magical power, most folk of the Heartlands

have a passing familiarity with simple machines such as waterwheels

and building principles such as the arch. Magic often serves

as an adjunct to any large construction process, not a replacement

for good engineering and months or years of heavy labor. The design

of a city's new bridge is likely to come from an expert architect, who

consults with various wizards regarding the use of magic to strengthen,

reinforce, and preserve the work after it is complete. The

strongest and most enduring structures make use of both sound construction

and potent magic without relying entirely on either.

Geography

Seeing every kingdom, every city-state, every mountain

range and forest and ruined castle of Faerun would be the

journey of a dozen human lifetimes. Faerun is a continent

of extremes, in climate, terrain, and human geography. Almost

anything can be found somewhere within its vast wilds and myriad

cultures, which collectively are home to more than sixty-eight million

inhabitants. Towering mountains and oceans of grassland, blasted

deserts and lush forests, barbarians in iron and furs or decadent

city-folk in silk and perfume... all of these things and many, many

more exist in this wide and wondrous land.

Anauroch

Chultan Peninsula

Considered by most to be a backward, unsettled land of monsters,

jungles, disease, and savages, the Chultan peninsula boasts several

distinct cultures and relatively stable governments that date back

hundreds of years. These lands' reputations derive from their isolation

from the rest of the world, the magical concealment of key

cities, and the fever-induced rants of old sailors.

The Chultan peninsula encompasses the land from the Mhair

Jungles westward, including the Black Jungles, the jungles of Chult,

and the countries of Tashalar, Samarach, and Thindol.

Cold Lands

The region called the Cold Lands consists of the territories adjacent to

or near the Great Glacier, namely Damara, Narfell, the Moonsea, Sossal, and Vaasa.

Their inhospitable climates are largely due to the glacier's influence,

This collection of nations is erroneously called the Bloodstone Lands

by many, but that title actually refers only to Damara and Vaasa.

Sparsely inhabited but rich in mineral wealth, these lands draw foreigners

looking to strike it rich quickly. Most, however, quickly become

daunted by the hostile environment and aggressive tribesfolk.

The Moonsea

The Vast

The Heartlands

The nations of the Heartlands share a common language, and

their cultural heritage and social order are similar. They are not necessarily

the most populous, dangerous, or powerful states of Faerun,

but they are perhaps the most representative. Travelers from one

part of the Heartlands generally find the same kind of villages, the

same kind of merchants, and the same kind of overlords in other

parts of the Heartlands as they are accustomed to at home. Beyond

the Heartlands, people seem strange and lands are wild, uncivilized,

decadent, or ancient beyond belief.

Many adventurers lead long and successful careers without setting

foot outside the Heartlands. There is no shortage of dangerous

monsters, mysterious ruins, and murderous dungeons within these

lands. Sinister powers such as the drow, the Zhentarim, the Cult of the Dragon, the Red Wizards of Thay, and now the proud archwizards

of Shade all seek to extend their dominion over the human

kingdoms of these lands. Only the courage of bold and resolute

adventurers stands between Faerun and a very dark future.

The Dalelands

The Dragon Coast

The Western Heartlands

The Island Kingdoms

The great island kingdoms of the western seas have little to do or

with each other. Nor, for that matter, do they have much to do with

the rest of Faerun. Each of them has its own people, history, and

way of life, ranging from the shifting arrays of magical power surrounding

the Elven Court on Evermeet to the brutal raiders of the

The Lands of Intrigue

South of the Western Heartlands and west of the Vilhon Reach are

the Lands of Intrigue: Amn, Calimshan, and Tethyr. Tied to each

other by geography and a long history of invasions,

conquest, and competition, the people of

these countries have survived by wits and

sword, learning to guard their true feelings

and present a pleasant face to their enemies.

All three of these large, populous nations

rely heavily on trade, particularly with distant

countries. Their lands contain a wide variety of

terrain, making them home to an equally wide

variety of monsters.

The Lake of Steam (region)

The North

Despite settlements and civilizations that have endured for a thousand

years, the constant orc invasions, harsh weather, and unyielding

wilderness prove that the North is still a frontier, "The North"

is a term Cormyrians and Dalesfolk use to refer to the lands west of

The North can be divided into five separate areas: the High Forest, the greatest existing forest in all Faerun; the Savage Frontier,

which encompasses the lands outside the High Forest and Silverymoon;

the Silver Marches, a new confederation of cities, towns,

and fortresses centered around the shining city of Silverymoon; the

The Old Empires

Heirs to a fallen realm that defied the very heavens, the people of

the Old Empires were summoned to Faerun millennia ago and

enslaved by wizards. With the help of their foreign

deities, the former slaves freed themselves and settled

that lands that are now Chessenta, Mulhorand,

and Unther. These countries rose to power thousands

of years ago and have been in decline ever since, their

vast territories since lost to younger and more vigorous

realms.

Resistant to change and hostile to visitors for centuries,

the Old Empires have been forced into

active participation in Faerun in recent years,

and may be regaining a prominent position in

Faerunian politics and culture.

The Shining South

Along the southeastern coast of Faerun stretches a vast land of

magic, mystery, rumor, and legend. To the folk of the Heartlands,

thousands of miles away, the South is a place of

myths and tales that seem unbelievable. A land

where everyone is a wizard? A kingdom of halflings?

A realm ruled by drow? All of these things

and more exist in the South.

The South is normally accounted to consist of

the coastal lands of Halruaa, Luiren, Dambrath,

also includes the land dividing the South from the

rest of Faerun, the great grassland known as the

in the middle of the Shaar.

The Great Rift

The Shaar

The Unapproachable East

To the folks of the Heartlands, these lands are the mysterious,

exotic, and deadly east, a region of terrible magic, untold wealth, and

strange and capricious laws. The term "Unapproachable" generally

describes the distance from the Heartlands of Faerun, but some of

these countries are considered unapproachable because of their temperament.

borders against all intruders, and Rashemen is a cold, hard land of

powerful witches and fierce warriors. The lands of the Unapproachable

East trade with the Old Empires because of their proximity,

and Thesk is the avenue through which exotic goods from the far

eastern lands of Kara-Tur enter Faerun.

This region is known for its powerful and strange magic. Aglarond

is ruled by Faerun's most powerful sorcerer, Thay is under the

dominion of the Red Wizards, and the mysterious Witches of Rashemen

guide that land's berserker defenders.

The Great Dale

The Underdark

The Vilhon Reach

This region shares its name with the body of water called the Vilhon

Reach, a long southern arm of the Sea of Fallen Stars. The region

encompasses much of the southern shore of the Sea of Fallen Stars,

from the mouth of the Reach west and north to the mouth of the

divided up into quarreling city-states and petty nations. For all its

unrest, the Vilhon remains vital to the whole of Faerun: It forms

the trade link between the Lake of Steam, the Shaar, and the rest of

the world through its ports on the Sea of Fallen Stars.

With the subtropical and humid weather of the Vilhon Reach,

winter temperatures rarely reach the freezing point, snowfalls are

rare, and heavy winter rains are common. Spring arrives early, and

summer comes hard on its heels with scorching temperatures and

oppressive humidity. Autumn brings cooler weather and lower humidity,

but an autumn day in the Vilhon can be as warm as high

summer in more northerly regions.

The three important nations of the Reach are Chondath, Sespech,

and Turmish. In addition, a large number of independent city-states

and minor local authorities occupy the region.

The Vilhon Reach (region)

Beyond Faerun

Even the wisest scholars of Candlekeep know only a little of what

lies beyond the realms of Faerun. While heroes, explorers, diplomats,

and merchants have traveled beyond Faerun, rare indeed is the

person who has visited more than one particular region outside the

commonly known lands.

The Hordelands

The Sea of Night

The last and most fantastic of the lands beyond Faerun is so close

that every Faerunian has seen it from afar. Above the sky lies a

realm of incredible expanse, the so-called Sea of Night, where rivers

of stars and worlds both strange and wonderful shimmer like silver

fire, in the dark.

Stories abound of wizards who seek to climb above the sky and

explore its dark waters, of princes ruling castles of argent light, and

crystal elf-ships that rise gleaming from the western seas into

oceans vaster and more wondrous still when twilight falls over the

face of Toril. In a land where wizards make castles fly and clerics

bring forth godly miracles, the legendary isles and realms of the

night sky are home to the wildest flights of fancy and strangest

dreams of all.

The Dawn Heralds

The Five Wanderers

Deities

The deities of Toril take an active interest in their

world, channeling power through their clerics,

sometimes intervening directly in the affairs of mortals. At the

same time, they plot, war, intrigue, and ally among themselves,

between themselves and powerful mortals, and with extraplanar

beings such as elemental rulers and demons. In this they resemble

their mortal worshipers, for to an extent deities are defined and

shaped by their worshipers, their areas of interest, and their

nature—for many deities are actually mortals who have gained the

divine spark. Because they lose strength if their worship dwindles

away and is forgotten, deities task their clerics and others to whom

they grant divine spells with spreading their praise and doctrine,

recruiting new worshipers, and keeping the faith alive. In exchange

for this work and to facilitate it, deities grant divine spells.

History

One after another, the great ancient races rose and fell, finally

giving rise to the Time of Humans—the last three to four

thousand years of Faerun's history. Even within this epoch, great

empires and shining kingdoms have risen and fallen passing into the dust

of centuries past, leaving only their cryptic ruins and fell lore behind.

The Roll of Years

The Grand History of the Realms

Organizations

Hideous trolls and fire-breathing dragons may

account for the doom of many noble heroes, but

even more meet their end from the knife in the

dark or a smiling face that conceals black-hearted treachery. Faerun

is home to fell powers that choose to work through stealth, intimidation,

intrigue, and terror. Bold knights and battle-wise wizards

alike have fallen to foes they never even suspected in cities or courts

they deemed safe.

Hundreds of guilds, cabals, societies, and orders exist in Faerun's

wide lands. Some assemble to wage war against evil, swearing solemn

oaths of goodwill and protection as binding as any paladin's. But

most are alliances of ambitious, wealthy, and frequently ruthless

people interested only in advancing their hidden agendas, regardless

of who or what gets in their way.

See the main article, Organizations of Faerun

Running the Realms

Monsters

Many creatures roam the wilds and ruins of

Faerun, from the terrible and deadly to the

strange and wondrous.

The Comprehensive List of Monsters of Faerun.