| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Dalor Darden |
Posted - 01 Aug 2010 : 07:12:19
Because I was just reading about the gulf oil "leak" I was wondering what natural resources are available in the Forgotten Realms?
Oil?
Coal?
Ok...those are easy ones...
I think I remember something about earthbound gas pockets too...but my memory is fuzzy.
What all is there in the FR?
EDIT: and related to that:
Are magical resources considered "natural" too? I mean, you can have a spell-heated chamber, a elemental driven boiler, etc...
What contraptions have you guys dreamed up? |
| 7 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Kentinal |
Posted - 02 Aug 2010 : 00:57:07
Err, THO has answered this in large part in ask Ed. Yes petroleum exists, however it currently appears to be a hazard as opposed to being a resource. It catches fire too easily, most of course is in the underdark because of all those caves and tunnels. I have paraphased, the Herald Lady clearly can be read as to what she posted. |
| Hoondatha |
Posted - 01 Aug 2010 : 22:20:17
Essentially, anything Earth has, Faerun also has, sometimes in greater abundance.
Coal is mentioned in many places. It is also absolutely essential in forging, especially for civilizations in out-of-the-way places (Citadel Adbar, anyone?). You can't make steel without it, or something equivalent, and not everywhere has a convenient local forest that you can chop down to make charcoal.
Oil and natural gas are also present, though much less commonly used since the general tech level doesn't need them. They also aren't called "oil" or "natural gas," which makes finding references a bit harder. I know several novels and sourcebooks have sort of slyly referenced oil, though I can't remember at the moment. Gas is easier. Torg of Earthfast liked to wander around with some of the canaries his people use as alerts against gas, and the whole climax of The Lone Drow involved piping enough natural gas up into a mountain to get it to explode.
As for magic, the thing I've come up with is a sort of "stonefire" spell, created by elves for their forges. Elves have exactly the same problems as dwarves in their need for something to feed the fires, and are even less likely to want to use wood. It's sort of a tricky spell, since one of the reasons coal/charcoal is needed in forging steel is that your raw iron needs to pick up elemental carbon from whatever hot thing you've stuck it into. Not that any of them would know that, but I imagine it took some experimenting before they got a magical fire that could do that properly. |
| Dalor Darden |
Posted - 01 Aug 2010 : 20:02:25
I was trying to think of the areas where certain resources might be too.
I'm thinking that Coal might be fairly common in any areas of hills/low mountains; but I'm honestly not all that familiar with where such resources might be.
The simple fact that there are diamonds tells me that coal probably exists in some of the same areas; but what about areas that don't have diamonds?
I would like to know if where there is oil that seeps up from the ground though...I think that might make for some interesting things to be done...especially for lanterns, for pitch and etc... |
| Kentinal |
Posted - 01 Aug 2010 : 18:52:39
I have been thinking about this and the answer of this question appears to be most of what is found on Earth. Some of them might not be usable in the Realms yet because the science and/or spell casters have not yet determined how to use them. There of course are other resources that can not be found on Earth, some kinds of light emitting gems being one example.
The list of equipment might be the best place to start determining what resources have been developed. If you can buy it it was made from some resource.
I am sure I recall coal being used by smiths in weapon craft, so there should be coal mines.
We do have oil lamps, this however might be vegetable oil instead of petroleum ( have not seen an oil well yet, though petroleum can seep to surface or occur in dug wells).
There have been reports of explosive gases, though it is not clear what caused them, I do not believe any has harnessed this resource.
Of metals you clearly have a starting list, what the money consist of and what weapons and other items are made from.
Agriculture products provide food, fiber for ropes, hide, wood and so on.
Fishing and hunting also provide resources, and so on. |
| Jorkens |
Posted - 01 Aug 2010 : 14:16:22
The map in the 3rd ed. covers main trade routs and products. Its not that useful where more specifics natural resources are concerned. With some more detailed information concerning the geology of various areas it could probably be worked out better, but one would have to be pretty dedicated to figure out such details. I did actually ask Ed a few years ago, as I was thinking about mining in various locations, but the question is somewhere in the bottom of the pile. |
| froglegg |
Posted - 01 Aug 2010 : 14:05:55
The 3rd edition campaign setting has a map with what you are looking for I beileve.
John |
| Zireael |
Posted - 01 Aug 2010 : 09:36:55
There's faerzress in the Underdark - an important natural resource for the drow! |
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