| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Moragion Selian |
Posted - 23 Jul 2015 : 18:45:40
Hi! I've been rereading my Ad&d books again, and on Cormanthyr page 8 says something about a chapter called Worlds Beyond Cormanthyr, where there should be descriptions of the other races other than elves that live on Myth Drannor, and I suppose descriptions of neighbouring realms, but I haven't found anything like that. Am i missing something? Is this an errata for a chapter planned and then not included?
Hope you can help, as I really want to do some campaigning on Cormanthyr. |
| 8 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 29 Jul 2015 : 19:05:09
The error on Netheril's part certainly helps me and allows me to weave a few more things together and helps me explain how the netherese managed to open a mine right in the middle of Ammarindar's territory without anyone batting an eyelid. I'm going with the idea that the netherese thought Delzoun was too busy with the monsters that slaughtered Sharrven and so built the mines while they were occupied, not realising that Ammarindar was a separate realm and the dwarves of Ammarindar were busy mining the loads from beneath in their underground realm.
Plus I think we now have the name of another king of Ammarindar. |
| Moragion Selian |
Posted - 29 Jul 2015 : 18:58:43
Wow Mr. Schend, thanks a lot!!! Even with only this, one can let imagination flow :)
Will try to trace any other article of countries that were contemporary to Cormanthyr on 650 DR.
Thank you! |
| Duneth Despana |
Posted - 28 Jul 2015 : 23:31:25
That Ammarindar snippet is a morndinsamman-sent! Thank you! |
| Steven Schend |
Posted - 28 Jul 2015 : 22:18:09
Like George said, it's an incomplete chapter that was cut due to room in the published form.
Having checked my files, I'll add/include the only other matter in that chapter that wasn't incomplete notes and reminders on details for me to flesh out when I got to it. As I've not touched the file since 1996 or thereabouts, I doubt I'll ever get around to finishing this.
Worlds beyond Cormanthyr
Before my first visit to the City of Song, I had heard legends and tales in abundance about the elven capitol's beauty and power. However, I also found that many of the tales from my youth were as false as the cry of a leucrotta. In a like sense, the fair folk of Cormanthor were equally misinformed about the world and realms beyond the leafy boughs of their home, aside from those few with whom they had contact. And so, as I have taught ye many things wondrous and whimsical of the Realms, so I taught Eltargrim's people of some of the lands beyond their green empire as they taught me of elven lore and love.
—Elminster the Wanderer in the Year of Trials Arcane (523 DR)
The sprawling wilderness realm of Cormanthyr abutted many domains of other races, though it had little traffic with them aside from reports and contacts made by High Magic, wandering adventurers, or invading armies and wars that threatened the forest borders. With the rise of Myth Drannor, Cormanthyr has become more aware of the Realms around it. Through cooperation and diplomacy, peace and prosperity now spans across the wide variety of races and cultures in Faerun that benefit from Myth Drannor's largess.
Below is an overview of the many territories and realms (of allies and enemies) that have an impact on Cormanthyr, the Heartlands, and the elves in general. Here is the key to the entries and what information is available on these ancient domains:
Example Country's Name
Lifespan: –#### DR - #### DR
The Lifespan noted in each entry corresponds to the humanocentric Dalereckoning calendar for easy time reference. Much of the history can be cross–referenced in the "History" section from Book One of the Netheril: Empire of Magic Boxed Set and the "Elven Ages" of this book. Lifespans approximate the geographic or political entities in a timeline, noting rises and falls; whenever possible, exact year dates are given for historical context, or else there is only an approximate timeframe. While some links are tenuous, this section provides basic information on major contemporaries of Cormanthyr from its prehistory to the present Year of the Falling Tower (650 DR).
General Location: The geographic notes for these realms are given by their modern Realms equivalents for easy placement and reference against the majority of materials printed for the FORGOTTEN REALMS campaigns; if the ancient names for the geography is known, it will be mentioned within the text, not the Location notes.
Status: Ally/Neutral/Enemy—Elven Nation.
The Status refers to a realm's relations with elves as ally, neutral nation (or unaffiliated entirely), or organized enemy; status only refers to its current state in 650 DR and its geographic neighbors, while past status may be discussed within that realm's text paragraphs.
The secondary paragraphs note the origin, purpose, and/or motivation of the realm or geography in question. Other things of note are its connections with elves in general or Cormanthyr and Myth Drannor in particular.
A final paragraph for each realm is added only if the realm is still a contemporary of Myth Drannor (i.e. extant from 261-650 DR). It discusses adventure possibilities for the ARCANE AGE campaign.
Dwarven Nations
Like the elves, the origin of the dwarves and their civilizations are lost in the vague misty times before recorded histories, even among their own race. Rising to rule sectors of Faerûn during the Time of Dragons, the dwarves preceded the elves as major political powers, though not for long. Their earliest empires fell concurrent with the destruction of the Imaskari Empires, though correlation between the two is unkown.
The following nations and realms are all concurrent with the major empires of elves, though the dwarven realms are rarely as long-lived as the elven domains. Exact dates are known for many founding and ending years of dwarven realms simply by discovering rune stones recording the events and cross-checking the dates on dwarven rulers and interaction with the elves to find at least the year it occurred in Dalereckoning.
Ammarindar
Lifespan: –4100 DR - Present
General Location: Beneath the Upper Delimbiyr valley and the Greypeaks Mountains in the Savage North (west of the Great Desert)
Status: Ally—Cormanthyr, Eaerlann; Neutral—Illefarn, Siluvanede
Ammarindar's rose originally as a settlement of mithril and adamantine-miners and armorers, though this quickly changed a few centuries later. Netheril believed the Ammarindan dwarves to be from Delzoun, and King Garromm never sought to inform them otherwise, preferring the relative anonymity afforded him through his close alliance with Delzoun (a major trade ally of Netheril). The dwarves simply stockpiled many enchanted items traded from Netheril, and learned many new and now-distinctly dwarven methods to do the same to their own weapons and armor.
Today, this dwarven realm is the source of much of the present dwarven lore on enchanting items and fighting magical foes, though a number of dwarves have migrated to Myth Drannor in recent decades and are swiftly raising dwarven enchanting crafts to higher levels. A recent invention of great interest to elves and all magic-practitioners were the glow-stones, long crystal spindles aglow with magic that easily recharged magical items of elf, dwarf, and human alike.
Ammarindar provides one of the few sources where Cormanthan elves can gain adamantine or mithral ore or refined and crafted armor and weapons. Of late, the Coronal has sent a number of elven smiths and wizards to Ammarindar to learn more of their crafts and also to help them fight the infrequent phaerimm and duergar attacks within the deep tunnels. The current King Dalthinn, King Garrom's great-grandson, is being pressured by Eaerlanni noble elves to sever some of his ties with Cormanthyr for increased trade alliances more in Eaerlann's (and their) favor.
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| Moragion Selian |
Posted - 26 Jul 2015 : 21:52:23
Oh, well, then there was some information. Even a snapshot of the different realms and territories around Cormanthyr would be a great help.
Thanks for the reply! |
| George Krashos |
Posted - 25 Jul 2015 : 04:36:24
It is indeed a reference to the chapter planned but not included. I have the draft chapter and it deals with a range of realms that are well familiar to anyone who has read about the Forgotten Realms. The chapter is incomplete and essentially a listing of the various elven, dwarven and human realms around at the time. A few have a few lines re what their content was going to reflect and a few are quasi-complete, but they were all in "snapshot form". Here is the piece on Besilmer:
Besilmer
Lifespan: –4420 DR - 4160 DR
General Location: The Dessarin valley, specifically from the areas east of Westwood due east to the High Forest, north to what is now the Hall of Four Ghosts, west to present Yartar and south to what's now Kryptgarden Forest
Status: Neutral—All Elven Nations
Founded in days of Gharrraghaur by Torhild Flametongue; Torhild believed dwarves should farm, but this dream fell as soon as he did, thanks to a lack of fortifications and a surplus of predators. Though short–lived, the dwarves of Besilmer built long–standing monuments like the Stone Bridge (span over the River Dessarin originally to link two halves of the realm;) & the Stronghold of the Nine (and other holds in the High Forest, in case of attack).
There is no "new" realmslore that hasn't already been released or superseded.
--George Krashos |
| Moragion Selian |
Posted - 23 Jul 2015 : 19:18:20
Will do. Thanks dazzlerdal! |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 23 Jul 2015 : 19:11:25
Might be worth popping the question to Steven Schend on his scroll in the Chamber of Sages room. |
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