Sea of Fallen Stars

This information is intended for use with the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.


At a Glance

The Sea of Fallen Stars, also called the Inner Sea, is a large landlocked sea which forms the center of the subcontinent known as Faerûn.

Some sources, such as the Cyclopedia entry for Orlumbor —the shipwrights there specialize in saltwater boats, rather than galleys and other boats normally found on the Inner Sea— suggest that the Inner Sea is freshwater.


Civilization

Geological Divisons

There are five named reaches:


Sources

  • Old Empires [FR10/9274] pages 4, 6, 10, 11, 13, 16, 19, 33, 45, 51, 52, 53, 56, 62, 63, 67
Passing Mention
Maps
Other Resources

Disclaimer

Wizards of the Coast, Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Forgotten Realms, and their logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the United States and other countries. This blog is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC.

Some Thoughts on Beljurils

This information is intended for use with the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.

At a Glance

Beljurils are gemstones unique to the Forgotten Realms, a setting for the D&D role-playing game. If that’s not what you meant to read about, I’m sure you’ll find some comfort in clicking your Back button.

Beljurils are translucent, a deep sea-green in color, smooth as glass in their natural state, and roughly spherical in shape. They are not typically cut into faceted forms, but may be shaved into more perfectly spherical shape, and are often polished to maximize the impact of their unique appeal.

They’re famous among those who love stones and light (and infamous among most dwellers-in-darkness) for the dazzling flashes of light they emit at somewhat unpredictable intervals.

Some Ideas

Volo’s Guide mentions that the majority of beljurils are 3 to 5 inches in diameter. But there is a range in size. So some basic math yields the following table.

% diam volume surface range value wt
001-004 1 0.5 3 0 200 (4d4 x 20) 0.1
005-023 2 4 13 2 800 (4d4 x 80) 0.6
024-110 3 14 28 6 1800 (4d4 x 180) 2.0
111-500 4 34 50 15 3200 (4d4 x 320) 4.8
501-890 5 65 79 30 5000 (4d4 x 500) 9.5
891-977 6 113 113 52 7200 (4d4 x 720) 16.3
978-996 7 180 154 85 9800 (4d4 x 980) 25.9
997-000 8 268 201 123 12800 (4d4 x 1280) 38.7

Range

Range (in feet) is the radius of the energy absorbing-effect. The frequency and magnitude of the energy “inputs” in the environment around the gem, within this radius, determines how often the gem flashes. In this table, the range is based on the volume of the gem.

Value

Value (in gold pieces) means the same thing it does in the tables given in the DMG and the FRCS… the base price of an “average” gem of that type. There is a range taking these things into account, as indicated in the table. Defects (cracks, inclusions, etc) will reduce the value, something which makes a particular gem extraordinarily attractive (usually size) may somewhat increase the value. In the case of beljurils, a more perfectly spherical shape could also command a higher price. Also, there will usually be some markup attached by individual merchants depending on their trouble bringing the gem to market. As always, prevailing conditions in each market will have the final say. In this table, the value is based on the surface area of the gem.

Weight

Weight (in pounds) is pretty self-explanatory. In this table, beljurils are given the same density as corundum: 3997 kg per cubic meter, or approximately 250 lbs per cubic foot. This is 150% of the density of quartz or granite, so beljurils will be noticeably heavier than most other stones of similar size.

Final Thoughts

One very exclusive seafood eatery in Delthuntle features a small “underdark river” flowing through the center, the bed of which is lined with hundreds of beljurils.

Another restaurant, this one in Phannaskul, invites children to thwack a halfling-sized statue of a fiendish man (a cambion) with a rattan cane; if the statue’s beljuril eyes flash in reply, the child eats for free. Kicks, punches, and righteous shoves are also honored.

Several human and dwarven merchants and collectors are known to be interested in beljurils of exceptional quality. More than a few dragons are also keen to acquire such stones.

Sources

Beljurils are described in the 3e FR Campaign Setting (page 300) and Volo’s Guide to All Things Magical (page 37).

Everything that’s not in the official sources was made up. By me. Today. In my living room.

Disclaimer

Wizards of the Coast, Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Forgotten Realms, and their logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the United States and other countries. This blog is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC.

Power Outages in a Magical World

This information is intended for use with the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.

First, a Real-World Anecdote…

Okay, so occasionally events in "real life" suggest corollaries in an imaginary world. We got a large snowfall on Tuesday night, which thawed just enough that when it froze Wednesday night most of the snow on the trees turned to ice. Thursday seems to have brought a little bit of wind, and branches started falling. Several trees split into thirds or quarters, pulled in opposite directions by their ice-sheathed branches. So it should have come as no great shock when, around 7pm on Thursday, the power went out.

It was raining instead of snowing by then, and some of the snow was melting, but that wasn’t much of an improvement since slush of the right consistency is just as hard to drive over as ice is… and this was the right consistency of slush. And given that this was happening over the entire western part of the state, estimates of when we were going to get our power back ranged from 2 days to over a week.

So Thursday night was chilly. After spending half of Friday griping about the unfairness/stupidity of businesses getting power restored… not only while homes were still dark, but also while those businesses were closed due to the owners being unable to get out of their own driveways… my lights came back on about 8:30pm. Total time freezing my buns off: less than 27 hours.

It did remind me of why I’m interested in policy and social reform and environmentalism, though… the property damage caused by falling trees would have happened regardless, but the loss of electricity (in itself a significant cause of revenue loss for some businesses, even when they get their power restored first) might have been avoided if all the lines were underground.

Applications to Faerûn

Today, I wondered about whether the Realms suffers "power outages" — times when magic is temporarily unavailable. Not just the obvious stuff like the Fall of Netheril, or the semi-permanent magic-dead zones in the wake of the Time of Troubles. I’m thinking about power outages that are brought about by mortal carelessness or sadism, which last a day or a week and affect only a relatively small localized area.

The Weave doesn’t depend on tangible wires, but what if the strands could be disrupted? If we think of it as a swatch of cloth, or as a spiderweb, it should be easy to say yes… the weave should be vulnerable to some form of cutting or blocking or something. Ley lines might be another way to visualize it.

So how would that work? What would an area like this look like, to the trained or untrained eye? What would it feel like, to mages or to extraplanar creatures?

I dunno, but it’s something fun to think about. Maybe more on this subject later.

Disclaimer

Wizards of the Coast, Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Forgotten Realms, and their logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the United States and other countries. This blog is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC.

The Knights of the Unicorn

This information is intended for use with the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.

At a Glance

This large adventuring band is recently reorganizing into several smaller allied bands, called the Order of the Unicorn. They number about 50 members, and venerate Lurue. Senior members include

Sources

  • Powers and Pantheons page 39
  • Forgotten Realms Adventures [2106] page 76

Disclaimer

Wizards of the Coast, Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Forgotten Realms, and their logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the United States and other countries. This blog is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC.

The Silver Herd

This information is intended for use with the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.

At a Glance

The Silver Herd is a dozen unicorn stallions (of maximum stats) who follow a ghostly silver unicorn (Lurue herself). When one of Lurue’s devout followers is threatened by a large force, the Silver Herd sometimes appears nearby and charges to the rescue.

Source

  • Powers and Pantheons page 37

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Wizards of the Coast, Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Forgotten Realms, and their logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the United States and other countries. This blog is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC.

The Stalkers of the Silent Path

This information is intended for use with the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.

At a Glance

This organization is comprised of rangers who venerate Gwaeron Windstrom and Mielikki. They are most active in the northern lands, in and around Ardeep Forest, the Cold Wood, the Far Forest, the High Forest, Kryptgarden Forest, the Lurkwood, the Moonwood, Neverwinter Wood, and the Westwood, but they also range southward and technically may be found in any forest of the Realms.

Source

  • Powers and Pantheons page 28

Disclaimer

Wizards of the Coast, Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Forgotten Realms, and their logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the United States and other countries. This blog is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC.

The Nine Secrets

This information is intended for use with the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.

At a Glance

This is a collective term for the nine gems which can be transformed into ioun stones using certain spells. The gems are amethyst, chrysoberyl, chrysoprase, greenstone, hematite, Laeral’s tears, obsidian, onyx, and sardonyx. Of these obsidian is the best-known and most common; Laeral’s tears are the least-known.

Source

  • Volo’s Guide to All Things Magical [9535] in the descriptions of the listed stones

Disclaimer

Wizards of the Coast, Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Forgotten Realms, and their logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the United States and other countries. This blog is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC.

Orgonil’s Ritual

This information is intended for use with the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.

At a Glance

This exceedingly rare spell is used to duplicate gems. It’s said that someone in Telflamm has used the spell to create enough gems to purchase the loyalty of mercenary armies, to repel Thayan intrusion, on multiple occasions.

Source

  • Volo’s Guide to All Things Magical [9535] page 36, under Aquamarine

Disclaimer

Wizards of the Coast, Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Forgotten Realms, and their logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the United States and other countries. This blog is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC.

Turmish

This information is intended for use with the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.


At a Glance

Turmish is an agrarian land, with a good reputation as fair traders. It is also known for its ornate armor, mixing human and elvish styles.


Civilization

What You See
Roads
  • The Halondar
Settlements
Ruins
Other Landmarks
Neighboring Nations and Features

Sources

Primary Sources
  • Forgotten Realms [11836] (3e campaign setting) pages 220-222
  • Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting [1085] (2e campaign setting) — A Grand Tour of the Realms page 125
  • Forgotten Realms [1031] (1e campaign setting) — Cyclopedia of the Realms page 86
Passing Mention
Maps
Other Resources

Disclaimer

Wizards of the Coast, Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Forgotten Realms, and their logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the United States and other countries. This blog is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC.

Vilhon Reach Nations

This information is intended for use with the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.

At a Glance

The Vilhon Reach is a western arm of the Sea of Fallen Stars, around which are clustered several governments.

Who Rules

The year, in the Xaeyruudh campaign, is 1365 DR.

No one individual can be said to control all the nations of the Vilhon Reach.

Communities

Neighboring Nations and Features

Sources

  • A Grand Tour of the Realms [1085a] pages 122-125
  • Cyclopedia of the Realms [1031a] page 87

Disclaimer

Wizards of the Coast, Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Forgotten Realms, and their logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the United States and other countries. This blog is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC.