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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11696 Posts |
 Posted - 20 Dec 2023 : 14:35:51
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I'm pulling this thread from the thread where we're tracking the mountainload of Ed twitter responses, because even though I knew I wrote it, I had problems finding it last night. I watched the complete video and tried to make some basic notes about continents and such. I then made an EXTREMELY rough map... something like just trying to put an "order" east to west (and maybe some north/south) of the places he mentions. Maybe one of the takeaways this thread might be able to help would be to aid getting some basic entries in the FR wiki about Abeir's locations. I will add as well.... Ed's descriptions describes a world that is more humanocentric than I had been thinking it might be (less reptilian/amphibian cultures mentioned than I would have put).... and it also definitely reduces the concept of how many genasi are there, etc...
quote:
Originally posted by questing gm
On most comprehensive look at Abeir
https://twitter.com/TheEdVerse/status/1730363666573165028
Dec 1, 2023
@TheEdVerse
After years of requests, I've finally done it!
Please enjoy this video, my most comprehensive look at Abeir, as told by a halfling adventurer to the "Old Mage," Elminster of Shadowdale!
#realmslore #dnd #forgottenrealms #baldursgate3
LINK: https://youtu.be/XBeeDMJFnzo
<https://twitter.com/TheEdVerse/status/1730363666573165028/photo/1>
My hat off to the sage. Though it may (or may not) conflict with some of what I had been doing with the region, I have to give the man props for not glossing here. He did try and throw a decent amount of regional names, individual names, etc... in this. By chance has anyone got a transcript of this to read rather than listen to? I'd be intrigued to see if anyone has tried to lay this out in some form of map.
Some takeaway notes that I quickly noted
Dark elves are in this world in the "Nardark" and are called the Narren Drow ... their term for underdark. Yet elves supposedly are NOT. To note as well, the worlds separated supposedly prior to the arrival of Fey in Faerun. Some of these dark elves are also said to "worship the Queen of Chaos"... which hints to god worship on Abeir despite us being told otherwise (or perhaps it might be better said "demon lord worship").
Secondarily... one thing we had wondered is if this world might not be anything like Toril ... in that it might be a world primarily inhabited by reptilian/draconic/amphibian humanoids. But most of what he seems to be describing would fit with most other worlds (i.e. humans, dwarves, halflings, limited numbers of genasi, etc...). He does say its a world of no elves, but at the same time, he mentions a group of drow in the world... so....
Some notes on "regions" that I'm making
information is thirdhand from a halfling Dhalk Marrowsar, and this information seems to be post spellplague... but possibly pre second sundering (i.e. I don't know if Dhalk came to Toril as a part of second sundering)
Four continents since Laerokand came to Toril. The boiling sea replaced Laerokand, but isn't hot.. its turbulent with whirlpools and strong currents.
Marranth
Largest continent. Mountainous masses and huge sea cliffs. Roughly diamond shaped "twisted into a curve from due south around to northeast". Seems to have 13 "lines" of mountains (or 12 valleys) that seem to cross the continent like a somewhat parallel set of stripes. Dragons hunt herd beasts in the valleys and endlessly compete, plot, etc....
Irronther
East of Marranth "across the arserpent sea"
long narrow north-south continent of rolling lands with fewer mountains, the main mountains being on the coast facing Marrath. Its southern two thirds is jungle and filled "with what we deem monsters", including tentacled things and snakes and "more than snakes" and beholders. Some rare genasi and some dragonborn who "live close to the land" are here as well. The northern third of Irronther, north of Vast Lake Yaeranche which is roughly kidney / bean shaped north-south, is temperate and largely forests. Forests slowing getting cleared by the halflings and humans living there ruled by various petty "wizards and armored bullies". NOTE: WIZARDS .... doesn't have the weave, but has wizards... of course.. perhaps Torilian imports? Perhaps doing magic in a different way?
Dwarves are the strongest force in this northern territory. Staundoun is the main dwarven realm ruled by it Iron Council. Ahezurt in the extreme northeast is a splinter realm and ruled by two outcast clans (Hezmur and Nornhammer). Hezmur was kicked out because it believed in a meritocracy versus "elders" ruling, and Nornhammer because they pushed for a turn to agriculture versus forging. Boldaunth is a second splinter realm to the southeast are splinter realms which broke away because they wanted to explore the world and trade versus forging and hoarding.
Below the dwarves in the "Nardark" are the "Wild Deeps" in which reside monsters and drow (called the Narren drow). Sidenote: given that they are called "Narren Drow" ... I would really like to connect these dark elves to Narathmault/Dun Tharos.... which existed prior to the dark elven forced descent to note.
Lake Yaeranche has human dominated villages along its coast, but still apparently a diverse population that is open to new ideas/new innovations (including spell experimentation). This region is often known as the Cauldron for its brewing of new ideas.
Kannath - off east coast of Irronther, archipelago range of large and small islands, filled with various races... not detailed what the races are. The seas surrounding it are the Dun Seas and are muddy in color.
East of Kannath is where Laerakond used to be and the "Cold Straits"... but now its the "boiling sea"... a dangerous area of whirlpools and currents. Few sail this region, and north of it is the "Ice Run"... a series of rocky islets that are often plagued by dangerous whales and squids that attack ships
Shyr
second largest land mass... east of where Laerakond had been... which was the boiling sea during the spellplague... so in theory where Faerun is kind of.
Karshimis ruled SOME of this continent (Karshaunt now... eastern most portion of Shyr). He ruled from "Soaring Mount Vore", which in theory would be where his Citadel of Burning Ice was located. Human and dragonborn inhabited. Used to be called the "Lands of the Rising Dragons" because young dragons would come here seeking to make a name for themselves. After spellplague, much of it became "The Mistlands" and were areas of hot springs, volcanos, and flowing lava.
Two thirds of the continent (the central heart of it) is "The Dragon Realms" where dragons rule over humans, dwarves, halflings, and a few dragonborn. Dragons have internally warred to great scale apparently in the past with the 1st, 2nd, and third Wyrmstrife.
Western of the dragon realms are two regions
the "Sarcoast Lands"... a swampy place where halflings live in the southern portion and "tentacled things of monstrous size" rule tiny realms over the rest of this region. The halfling section is called Narragult . The sarcoast lands are twice as wide as its northerly neibhbor of Carngor, but both are equally "long" in the north/south perspective.
Carngor is also on the other side of the dragon realms and is human ruled lands in hilly territory, with a lord loosely ruling from Harhult the Hollow Mountain. Lots of baronies. It would seem to be to the north of the Sarcoast lands, but west of the dragon realms... since the sarcoast is mentioned as bordering the Tarsark mountains... but at the same time an earlier reference to Narragult mention it as east of that land... so perhaps its "northeast" of the sarcoast lands and perhaps the sarcoast area is more trapezoid in shape... fatter at the bottom
Between the Sarcoast and Dragon realms is a "knife edged" mountain range called the Tarsark Mountains, named after a primordial who supposedly was torn apart there... and the reason that this region is inhabited by numerous "ghostlike or varied undead". Above one of the peaks is the city of Xxiphu (from the abolithic sovereignty... whom they refer to as "The Qua"). More monstrous creatures have appeared in teh Tarsark mountains of recent. Safe passes thru these mountains are Glander Pass, the Wideway, and High Vaerult. These passes link the westernmost dragon realms with the long slender hill realm of Carngor.
The southwest portion of the continent of Shyr must be Thultyl, a seacoast plateau in a higher altitude than the sarcoast lands to the east... filled with dragonborn who feud nigh endlessly, paying at least lip service to an overking named Vraelyn. The region is divided into regions ruled by local lords at ports or "High Holds" (regions farther up and off of the seacoast). They drop their feuds to hunt any dragon dumb enough to enter their territory from the Dragon Realms. Its said that Thultyl... like the Fens and Carngor .. stretch a long way north and south.
Thultyl supposedly shelters the fens/Sarcoast Lands from the "ever more frequent storms blowing off the boiling sea".
Lhoraun
"Far to the East" ...Across the Oshlar Sea, beyond Karshaunt... or not so far west of Marranth, across the Andol Sea. Some say it stretches into the Frozen seas of the North Pole. They provide little information about this land, but it would seem to possibly have people from Toril. Also, not visited by the halfling, so all he has are unconfirmed rumors.
So, that's the words from this halfling... its possible that there were only 4 continents... but he may not have known everything that "swapped" during the spellplague. Lhoraun would seem to be the perfect place to drop in Anchorome, Maztica, Lopango, Katashaka. For all we know, Lhoraun is actually the largest "continent", because everything is skewed by what this halfling "knows" to be true. He may also be working from old data as well. If we dropped those continents in there, then the nearest other continent is Marranth.. which seems to primarily be mountains and valley hunting grounds for youngish dragons that internally feud. These dragons, if not as organized to have realms, might have been easier to turn away than say the ones in Shyr.
Hmmm, also... not sure if Ed produced anything like a map... but I threw together this to get a ROUGH... I mean ROUGH ... MAY BE WAY OFF... idea of the layout based on his conversation.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11QLKpd1DdUI2ctAwrNNJMbCfdWsAaEHz/view?usp=sharing
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Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
Edited by - sleyvas on 20 Dec 2023 14:44:23
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What we know of Abeir ... to collect info
