Our world is dominated by a single great land mass, sixty-five hundred miles north to south and eight-five hundred miles east to west, totalling 28.5 million square miles.
The Protectorate of Faerun stretches southward from the tundra north of the Spine of the World to the Great Sea, beyond the jungles of Chult, and eastward from the Trackless Sea to the eastern side of the Sea of Fallen Stars. A series of mountain ranges bordersd the more settled areas east of the Sea of Fallen Stars, with sparsely settled border wastelands beyond. Two major seas lay in the Protectorate: the Shining Sea, which rolls from the Trackless Sea east, between the desert lands of Calimshan and the jungles of Chult , to the Shaar; and the inland Sea of the Fallen Stars, the "Inner Sea," with its many sinuous arms reaching deep into the heavily populated lands of central Faerun. Its waters tied together the peoples of many diverse lands. In the past, a third sea jutted south into the Western Realms: the Narrow Sea, bounded on the east by the Wastes of Anauroch.
The Hordelands: The Hordelands are both a physical and cultural wedge between the two areas of the Realms of greatest interest to the Supreme Overlord: Faerun and Kara-Tur. These occupy the wilderness between the edges of Faerun and Kara-Tur. The Hordelands lie at the true geographical center of the Dominion of the Supreme Overlord, and the barbarians stand poised in an ideal location to strike out in any direction. The Supreme Overlord sees them primarily as a potential tool for his ambitions. The route Eastward from these dry, barren lands is blocked by the placement of a man made barrier known as the Dragonwall.
The Dominion of Kara-Tur has not recently been investigated by the Supreme Overlord. The last reports given to the Zhentarim are of a highly populated landbounded by broad marshlands in the north and intricately carved plateaus, complex mountains, and vast jungles near the southern coast. As in the Faerun Protectorate, a large sea cut into the coast; it was known as the Yellow Sea in the north and the Celestial Sea in the south. Another, the Segara Sea, juts northwest south of the jungle lands, leaving a neck about five hundred miles across separating the ocean waters east of the Kara-Tur Realms from those of the west. This Isthmus contains a south-running range of the great Yehimal Mountains. East of the ridge lies the Sempadan Forest, and west runs a dry coastline that formed the only practical land bridge to Zakhara in the southwest. It was a pathway less than a hundred miles across that could only be reached overland from the west by passing through the desolate steps of the Eastern Shaar or the dust desert of Raurin and from the east by climbing the passes at the north end of the Ra-Khati Range, then turning south along the Jumpa River Gorge.
Kara-Tur consists of: 1. Lands of the Yellow Sea (North Kara-Tur): Tachiiri Kinshi, Rogukan, and the Isles of Kozakura. Niri was the dominant tongue there. 2. Lands of the Celestial Sea (South Kara-Tur): Shou Lung, T'u Sung, and Wa. High Shou was the dominant tongue there. Shou Lung was the largest and most powerful empire of Kara-Tur. It was divided into 14 provinces, connected by a well-maintained system of roads and bridges. The capital city was T'ien Shih. T'u Sung is next in size and importance. It was once part of Shou Lung. It was divided into six provinces. The capital was Chia Wan Ch'uan. Wa was a land of five provinces, it was tributory to Shou-Lung and was last kknown to be a theocracy.
The most populous and civilized part of this Eastern Dominion lies along the coast and life-giving river valleys flowing into the Celestial Seas. Thus, the face of Kara-Tur is turned eastward.
Located to the southwest of Kara-Tur on the far side of the Great Sea from the Protectorate of Faerun, is a hot, dry land of deserts and barren mountains, its great cities hug the coastlines where there is more water. It is currently not of great interest to the Supreme Overlord.
Dominion of Maztica and the Saurials:
Maztica is the southern portion of the continent of the Saurials in the west where the Supreme Overlord is worshipped as the God-King Quetzalcoatl. To the north of Maztica lie savage goblinoid tribes, hwo have dwelt
A set of two large continental islands to the north of the continent of the Saurials. It is said to be inhabited by Jotun. This dominion is considered "unknown lands".
Dominion of Avalonea: The island of Avalonea is a large island in the western ocean. It said to be the land of ultimate elven retreat. This dominion is considered "unknown lands".
Dominion of Zhudor and Preshin: The continent of Zhudor is a large land mass at the western edge of the Great sea. It is said to be under the authority of someone known as the "Dread Tyrant". The island of Preshin is a large island on the southwest border of the Great Sea beyond Zhakara. It is known as the "Hunting Grounds of the Vrethak" in legend, and is said to be a realm of trackless jungle and mountains. This dominion is considered "unknown lands".
The Lost Continent of Dawn and Dusk: This continent is shown on the most ancient charts of the Zhentarim, but the Supreme Overlord shows little interest in it and it is considered "unknown lands."
Abeir- Toril is home to a myriad number of sentient races, most of which are in direct competition with each other for land, food, and survival. Humankind is the most successful of the major races in Faerun, but the race's supreme position is by no means a sure and secure one. Humans share their position with other older, generally benevolent races: dwarves, elves (and human-elf hybrids), halflings, and gnomes. Yet humans and the other elder races are regularly threatened by goblins of all descriptions, underwater and underground races, and most importantly, the powerful and dangerous dragons.
Banandyrth (Toril Humankind): The most populous and strongest of the major races of the Forgotten Realms, humans are considered the dominant race in Faerun. Humankind in Faerun comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Individuals sometimes show the height of the halflings, the stockiness of the dwarf, or the slenderness of the elf, yet remain completely human. Human skin color ranges from the pale, almost translucent Lantanese to the dusky, dark-eyed natives of Unther, with all shades in between.
The concept of subraces, common in other races such as halflings and elves, does not exist in humankind. All nationalities and races of humans can interbreed without difficulty, and their children, unlike the elves, will have traits of either or both parents. After a time, any isolated group of humans tends to establish its own traits, which may change in a few generations with the introduction of new settlers or invaders. This easy assimilation may account for the success of the race over others.
Humankind is also one of the most aggressive of the major non-goblinoid races, approaching the goblins in ferocity and the dwarves in its single-minded drive when aroused to battle. At any time in the North, some group of humans, often with nonhuman allies, is fighting some other group (usually of humans and nonhuman allies). The dwarves think that humans battle indiscriminately among themselves because their lives are so short and therefore meaningless. The elves think they are aggressive because humanity has not yet figured out how to communicate properly.
Humankind in the Faerun has a spoken and written language that is accepted as Realmspeak and Tradetongue even between nonhumans as a form of common language (and is known casually as common) Humans have developed the idea of money beyond the dwarven conception of raw ore accumulated into a maze of different systems and coinage. They have generated art and literature and commentary by the ton-load, as well as raised the practice of slaughtering a foe to an art form and a science.
Humanity's greatest advantage is its persistence and potential. No other race has as many special opportunities to increase in power and ability and sees them through. The Supreme Overlord views humanity as an important race.
Koblinithi (The Goblinoid Races) The goblinoid races include all creatures such as goblins, bugbears, hobgoblins, boggles, tasloi and ogres . They are largely a craven bunch, with the exception of bugbears and ogres who are brave but tend to be dimwitted. They represent the principle agents of the Supreme Overlord on Toril. Regardless of their defined content, the goblin races are by and large uncivilized bands of sentient creatures that prey on other beings, raiding and pillaging when they can, stealing quietly when they can't. Until the founding of the Moonsea Imperium, seventeen years ago, there has never been a great goblin nation or empire, though all the goblin races have long been used as servants, lackeys, and dragon-fodder for other more powerful individuals. Even the Moonsea Imperium is essentially built on the human and elvish civilization of the area, that the goblinoids have displaced.
The hobgoblin is the byproduct of Zhentarim breeding of human and goblin, and represent a relatively recent addition to the goblinoid races. They are stronger, larger and less cowardly than most goblinoids, although they do like most goblinoids take courage in numbers, and of poorer morale than most Toril humans.
The goblin races in the past were generally underorganized and underequipped, something that the Supreme Overlord, is seeking to correct. Goblinoids would have been wiped out several times over were it not for their rapid breeding cycle and high self-preservation instinct.
The goblin races tend to be cruel, evil, and malicious, aping humankind in dress and title, but with a slant towards harm as opposed to help. The greatest goblinoid citadels of the Desertsmouth Mountains are governed by a king and royal court in a rough travesty of Cormyr. Similarly, those goblins living beyond the range of the Lords of Waterdeep tend to have lords who rule in mimicked manner of the Lords of Waterdeep. Such "kingdoms" are pale shadows of the Moonsea Imperium in that they are little more than a handful of encampments or castles ruled by brute force.
Some members of these races, brave the well-deserved hostile attitude of the rest of the world toward their ancestry in order to seek to make an honest or good living in the lands of humanity, but these are exceptions to the general character of these savage creatures.
The Dweorn or Dwarves of Faerun are a short, stocky people who seem to be a part of the earth itself, ranging in shade and hue from a rich earth-red to a granite-stone gray. Dour and with a strong distrust towards magic beyond that which a magical axe can lend, they appear to others as a withdrawn, moody people. They have largely proved hostile to the Supreme Overlord, being hoarders of wealth and loathe to pay tribute.
Dwarves come in a wide variety of hair, skin, and eye colors, regardless of their origin. The designations of mountain, hill, and jungle dwarves are fairly artificial, and more a matter of taste, closer to those humans who like the sea and those who prefer the high country. Both dwarven males and females have beards, though in more recent times the typical fashion for mountain and hill dwarf females is to be clean shaven.
Dwarves remain deeply tied to their roots and their sense of family and nobility. Dwarven nobles have declined in number with their race, and so are treated with respect by all dwarvenkind, despite any long-running feuds that may develop between the dwarven kings. Loyalty and perseverance are considered dwarven virtues, and very common among the wanderers (see below). For this reason dwarven adventurers are often welcomed into adventure companies as a source of stability, solid reason, and battle prowess.
Shield Dwarves: Zhelgandweornvold are a dwarven nation of the North,whose numbers have dwindled with the passing years. Their overall population has been declining since the days when the dragons controlled the lands of Cormyr and the Sunrise Mountains still spouted flames and steam. Among the dwarves, these northern dwarves are known as mountain dwarves to show their home terrain, or shield dwarves to reflect their battle prowess and history.
The reason for the numeric decline of these dwarves is twofold: 1. For centuries, the shield dwarves have stood in determined opposition to the demands of the Supreme Overlord and have felt his wrath. 2. Unlike the goblin races, the dwarves are not so readily fecund, and were slow to recover their losses, and in time their numbers have diminished so that the shield dwarf may join the duergahydra and the mornhound in extinction in the Protectorate, much to the satisfaction of the Supreme overlord.
The northern, mountain-dwelling shield dwarves also tend to divide themselves by behavior into two categories: the the hidden or ghurnaldweorn and the wanderers or thunildweorn . The hidden are a reflection of the shield dwarven sense of their loss and danger as a race. A majority of shield dwarves (and of dwarves in general) can be classified as part of the hidden. The hidden are reclusive and remain secretive about their homelands. Because of this, the small kingdoms of the dwarves are known about only in a general fashion. For example, the dwarves of the Far Hills travel to Easting for trade, yet no one knows if they are one community or several, and how they are ruled. More common are those dwarves who identify their home as some long-abandoned or enemy-occupied hold, such as the dwarves that were of Hammer Hall, or those of the Iron House, who had been driven out of the mines of Tethyamar.
The less common variety of shield dwarf is the dwarf that seeks the company of humans in their towns and cities. Most adventuring dwarves come from this background, and are conversant in human styles and customs without abandoning their own heritage. It has been hazarded (but not voiced around dwarves) that they enjoy being around other creatures more short-lived than they. From such roving shield dwarves come tales of adventuring dwarves, who enjoy the company of humans and even settle in their cities. Such dwarves are known among their peoples as the thunildweorn , and are regarded as being somewhat mad by their ghurnaldweorn kin .
Khokildwyeornin or Gold Dwarves are a powerful dwarven nation that thrives to the far South. There the earth is rent in a great chasm that could swallow the nation of Cormyr. Located on the rim of that chasm are the towers of the city of Eartheart, and within the walls of that chasm is carved the huge dwarven realm of Yunkraghardun or Underhome. These southern dwarves are said to be very different from their northern cousins-prouder, more haughty, and more energetic. These dwarves are called gold dwarves or hill dwarves, the former name showing their wealth, the latter the terrain they are more comfortable with. The Gold Dwarves have been largely amenable to paying tribute to the Supreme Overlord when pressure is applied, believing it a worthy price to be left alone.
Veyildweyneornin or Wild Dwarves are a legendary nation of savage dwarven tribeman purported to dwell in the jungles of Chul. Known in the tall tales of explorers as wild dwarves or jungle dwarves, they have been little seen beyond the borders of that great wood, and the Supremem Overlord has not confirmed their existence. These Wild dwarves are said to be tattooed, bloodthirsty savages, but this may be an exaggeration.
Duergar: are a race pf twisted twisted dwarf-like creatures called the duergar. Other dwarves view these creatures with a hatred that exceeds that for goblinoids. The dwarves deny any true kinship with this race, despite evidence to the contrary. Duergar have proven at times to be cooperative with the Supreme Overlord, but will not enter into his service directly, and maintain a fierce independence.
Shilvathari or Elves have proven to be the most implacable enemies of the Supreme overlord on Toril. Elves once dominated the region of the Proctorate, now the majority of these long-lived beings have retreated from the onslaught of the Supreme Overlord, seeking quieter forests, and their numbers in the Protectorate are a faction of those even a thousand years ago.
The elves of Toril are of roughly the same height as humans, but much more slender. Their fingers and hands are half-again as long as a human's, and delicately tapered, and their bones are light and surprisingly sturdy. Elven faces are thinner and more serene, and elven ears are upswept and pointed.
There are five known elven subraces in the Protectorate, and four of them live in relative harmony. Cross-breeding is possible between the subraces, but in the case of the elves, the child will either take after the male or female parent's race and not show characteristics of both. The Supreme Overlord has marked all five elvish nations for extermination as irredeemable pests.
Anuiri shilvathari or Gold Elves are also called Sunrise Elves or High Elves , and have bronze skin and hair of copper, black, or golden blond. Their eyes are golden, silver, or black. Gold elves tend to be recognized as the most civilized of the elven subraces and the most aloof from humankind and the other races. The majority of the native elves of the festering elvish bastion of Evermeet are gold elves, though the royal family are moon elves.
Seluiri shilvathari or Moon Elves are also called Silver Elves or gray elves , and are much paler than gold elves, with faces of bleached white tinged with blue. Moon elves usually have hair of silver-white, black, or blue, though all reported colors normally found in humans and elves may be found in this race. Their eyes are blue or green, and have gold flecks. They tend to tolerate humankind the most of the elven subraces, and the majority of adventuring elves and half-elves are of moon elf descent.
Grugache shilvathari or Wild Elves are called Green Elves , Forest Elves , Marcher Elves and Wood elves , and are reclusive and distrusting of nonelves, in particular humankind. Wild elves of the Protectorate tend to be copperish in hue with tinctures of green. Their hair tends toward browns and blacks, with occasional blonds and copper-colored natives. Their eyes green, brown, or hazel. They tend to be the least organized of the elven peoples, and while there is no elven principality made up entirely of wild elves, there are wild elves in the periphery of every Elven principality and on Evermeet.
Muiri shilvathari or Sea Elves are also called Aquatic Elves or Water Elves , are divided into two further divisions: those of the Great Sea (including all its salt-water domains such as the Shining Sea and Sea of Swords), and those of the Sea of Fallen Stars . Great Sea elves are radiant in different shades of deep greens, with irregular patches of brown striped through their bodies. Fallen Star sea elves are various shades of blue, with white patches and stripes. Both have the full variety of eye and hair color found in all the elven peoples and have webbed feet and hands and the ability to breathe water.
Sulalfar shilvathari or Dark Elves also called Deep Elves or Night elves , comprise the most powerful, fiercest and most diabolical segment of the elven race, and one of the greatest thorns to the ambitions of the Supreme Overlord. Dark evles have black skin that resembles nothing so much as polished obsidian, pale eyes (often mistaken for solid white), and hair of stark white. The variations in coloration present in the other elven subraces is missing here. Most of this fell race has been driven underground, and it members are shunned by the other elven subraces.
The elves among themselves rarely use the term Shilvathari for elvenkind, but usually use the term Tel'Quessir , which translates as The True People. Non-elves are referred to as N'Tel'Quess , which literally means False Folk. Elves treat the humans and dwarves with respect and politeness, as a host would a stumbling child, though the Sulalfar fiercely enslave any who are not of their race and consider the other elven subraces N'Tel'Quess .
The elves are generally ruled by hereditary noble houses that have held control of their nations for generations (and given the nature and long life of elves, the rule of a wise king may exceed the history of a human nation). Elven rule however is rarely autocratic and never absolute, for it is the theology and philosophy of the elves, which abhors the exercise of such power. The cothonalis (monarchs of the Elven Court) make their pronouncements rarely, and with an eye to the consensus of their people, preferring to remain outside the normal course of their subjects' lives. However, once a decision is made and pronounced by a cothonal whether to declare war or retreat to Evermeet-it is generally followed by the bulk of the population without objection.
The Retreat: The oddest phenomenon of elvish life is the Retreat, which is viewed as a lemming like drive to sail to the farthest west, beyond the sea. In the case of the elves of the Protectorate, the reason is not some biological drive, but rather the decision of the leaders of the elven nations to withdraw to less hostile lands. Such a decision is made after years (human generations) of thought, discussion, and meditation. Once made, it is irrevocable. The elves of Cormanthor largely engaged in such a retreat at the end of the Grand Alliance (see history). The elves in Retreat usually make for Evermeet across the sea or Evereska on the edge of the Great Sand Sea of Anauroch. Those who reach Evermeet swear their fealty to Queen Amtaruil, who is that domain's monarch. Long ago the elven nation of Evermeet made the decision to fight any N'Tel'Quess who came to those shores, and as a result Evermeet is both the strongest sea power in the Realms, and a haven for the other elves in Retreat. Those who choose not to abandon the Protectorate entirely join the community at Evereska and seek to help defend Evereska's new colony in the Greycloak Hills. Thus increasingly the elves have become restricted to bastions of power, that one day will become prime targets of the wrath of the Supreme Overlord.
Those elves on the Sword Coast and with easy access to the sea make the passage to Evermeet by boat, protected by the Navy of the Queen. How those farther inland cross is not known, for none see their passage out of the world of humankind. Great magics and extradimensionat gates are assumed to be used, though there have been tales of great butterflies carrying some elven nobles westward. The Supreme Overlord has expressed great interest in learning the secrets of this elven travel. He has had hundreds of Elvish prisoners tortured to learn these secrets, without avail.
The Former Elven Nations of the Protectorate that have withdrawn in the Retreat include Illefarn , where Waterdeep now rises; Askavar , which infested with goblinoids is now called the Wood of Sharp Teeth, and the Cormanthor , the forest country that ran from Cormyr to the Moonsea.
Elvish bastions include Evermeet in its seaward seclusion and Evereska (located in a mountain valley), with its colony in the Greycloak Hills. In addition, there are scattered groups of elves found throughout the Protectorate, including wild elves, groups without noble rulers, and those who are comfortable with the human population (usually younger elves).
Adventuring Elves are usually moon elves, though there are wild and gold elves as well found among humankind's adventuring companies. Sea elves and Dark Elves are much rarer in the surface world, but there are notable exceptions.
Hobelves or The Half--Elven Peoples are a tainted mixture of human and elf, and occupy the middle ground between the two. They are stockier than elves, but thinner than humans, and may or may not show the distinctive, elven upswept ears. They still have the slender and finely chiseled facial features of the elven faces. It is possible for a half-elf to pass as human or elf for brief periods, but usually such duplicity is discovered. The Supreme Overlord considers all of elvish blood to be suffienctly "tainted" and they are to be exterminated along with the elvish nations.
Hobelves are not a true race, but rather the product of the ilconsidered union of human and elf, and as such they have no national or racial heritage other than that of the area and family they have been brought up in. A half-elf that has been raised in an elvish principality thinks like an elf, while one from Aglarond thinks like a human, for the elven people have been long tainted the general population of that region by interbreding with the humans there.
As a result of their hybrid heritage, half-elves tend to be individualistic and their outlook and behavior varies greatly from person to person. Many are adventurers by nature, in that they are seeking their own niche in a world where (to their eyes) they belong truly to neither major culture.
Hobelves take on some of the features of their elven subrace: • Moon hobelves tend to be pale with just a touch of blue around the ears and at the chin. • Gold hobelves tend to have bronzed skin. • Wild hobelves are very rare and tend to have copperish skin tinged with green. • Sea hobelves tend to be a blend of the fleshtones of their human and elven parents. For instance, the child of a Lantan merchant and a Great Sea elf is likely to be a light green. • Dark hobelves are very rare and tend to be dusky-colored with silver or white hair and the eye colors found in humans.
Regardless of origin, hobelves have a universal set of common abilities
Hobelves may mate and breed, but will always produce the offspring of the other parent (a hobelf-elf pairing will produce elven children, while a hobelf-human pairing will result in human children). Second generation hobelves only result if two hobelves breed.The Ulimasti or Gnomes of the Protectorate are a small, friendly race of humanoid creatures common in most regions. They are smaller and less stocky than dwarves, and are thought to be distant relatives of dwarves (though only gnomish men have beards).
The faces of gnomes, regardless of age, are lined as if with centuries of smiles and frowns, making these people appear to be carved from wood. Their natural coloring, from a light ash color to maple to the color of varnished and buffed Oak, increases the tendency to think of gnomes as a woods folk-when they are thought of at all.
The gnomes are called the forgotten folk of the Protectorate, for despite the fact they are an everyday sight in major cities and have good-sized communities of their own, they seem unbothered by the world and similarly only rarely become involved with it. Gnomes have no history beyond the memory of the eldest clan member and the songs of legend. They have never developed their own written tongue, acquiring the written language of those they live among for everyday use. Unlike the elves, they have no millennial heritage, and unlike the dwarves, no death-knell tomorrow. As a result, they tend to take life as it comes, one day at a time.
Gnomes are among the most common-sense beings of a world filled with all manner of magical things. Their natural tendency towards illusion craft has given them a wisdom to look beyond the fancy trappings of speech and appearance to find out what is really there instead of making them more crafty and cunning. Gnomes value their families first, then whatever other relatives they encounter, then other gnomes, then the world, in that order.
Gnomes have been of little interest to the Supreme Overlord until the last two centuries, when a different sort of gnome has appeared in the Protectorate, coming primarily from the South. These gnomes are particularly interested in craft and artifice, including all manner of sciences and invention. This new breed of gnome is relatively rare, but counts among its numbers primarily younger gnomes who venerate the god Gond Wonderbringer (who resembles a gnome in their version of the faith). Such gnomes are currently found as apprentices to smiths, craftsmen, and wizards, and are eager to learn as much about the world around them as possible. What they will do with this knowledge is as yet undetermined, but given the legendary wisdom of the gnomes, everyday humans have little to fear. The Supreme Overlord thinks these artifice gnomes might make useful slaves and has order their "collection" by the Zhentarim whenever possible.
Joridain or Halflings are the smallest of the major races, and to observe their communities outside cities, the most numerous (and growing). They tend to resemble small street urchins, wise beyond their years. The halflings of the Protectorate have a light covering of hairy down over most of their bodies that is most noticeable on the backs of their hands and the tops of their bare feet. Often their faces are bare, though there are more than a few full-bearded halflings as well.
The halfling people have an attitude that all things will turn out to their benefit (and be served up to them on a silver platter). The halfling mindset--cocksure, confident, and with more than a streak of larceny to it is considered loathsome by the Supreme Overlord, and he desires the eradication of this race.
A halfling's appearance, similar to that of a small human child, belies the fact that this is a race with the same basic needs as any other. Halflings live in many of the same areas as humankind and may be considered a competitor. Yet rather than being overtly hostile, halflings have a smug, farsighted -attitude that these lumbering giants (human beings) will eventually leave, destroy themselves, or give themselves up, and that which remains will be theirs. This is not to say that halflings as a race or as individuals are malovelent, for they would do nothing to harm another unless harm had been inflicted on them first. But the tendency for them to take advantage is strong. Many a human thieves' guild has as its master thief a small, child-like creature who can sneak into and out of areas that larger folk cannot manage.
Halflings are delighted by the concept of money, which they consider a human invention that redeems the race. They enjoy gathering bunches of it, but unlike the dwarves with their ancient hordes, they see no point in keeping it, and fritter it away on gifts, parties, and purchases. Money is a way of keeping score on how well one is doing against the world and all its clumsy, lumbering races.
Halflings come in all the same skin colors and with the same variety of hair and eye color as humans. They tend to respect their families as groups not to steal from (though borrowing is permitted), and they show a strong loyalty to friends and those who have stood up for them. There seem to be only minor differences between the three major subraces of halfling: hairfeet, tallfellow, and stout. The subraces interact easily with each other and with other races.
Halflings excel at roguish tasks, and those who apply themselves in this area find their talents welcome among adventuring companies and thieves' guilds. As a result, halflings are as well-traveled and knowledgeable about the world as humankind, if not more so. The crux of their knowledge is centered on immediate goals and gratification, for it is not as important for a halfling to know who the local lord is as much as to 'scope out' the bill of fare at the local tavern.
To the far South there is said to be a nation of halflings called Luiren, whose inhabitants are said to be adept at magic. Considering the fact that most of the other dominant races of the Inner Sea came originally from the South, and the stated (if joking) halfling intentions to eventually dominate all other races, the idea of suh a halfling nation is somewhat disturbing to the Supreme Overlord.
Dragons are the most dangerous creatures of the Realms. A dragon in full fury may level an entire city, and one at play may even destroy a party of brave knights. These creatures vary in size and capabilities, but are generally huge winged reptiles that can spit fire, acid, cold, or other fell creations. Dragons come in two main types. The chromatic dragons are those whose scales resemble enamelled armor-usually red, green, black, white, or blue. The chromatic dragons are usually darkhearted wretches devoted in equal parts to their own feeding, wealth, and the suffering of others. The Supreme Overlord has found these to be useful allies.
The metallic dragons have scales that shimmer like coins, and are generally classified by the names of metals:gold, silver, copper, bronze, and brass varieties exist. These creatures are more benign to humans and demi-humans, or at least seem more disposed to talk first rather than just to devour them straightaway. Such a listing is not all-inclusive, and there are reports from a number of sages of yellow, brown, purple, gemstone, and steel-colored dragons found along with more common types.
Dragons in the earliest days were the rulers of Faerun between the Inner Sea and Sword Coast, and though they are now few (well, fewer), their individual power remains great. With the coming of elves and humans, the dragons retreated to the North.
Though it is rare, some elder wyrim of the race still occasionally comes down from the North or arouses itself from its decades-long sleep in some forgotten dale and terrorizes those it encounters.
Rarer still is one of the most deadly occurrences in the Protectorate, a flight of dragons. At such a time, great numbers of chromatic wyrms of all ages descend from the North to rain destruction down on all they encounter. The last such fight was over 350 years ago, in the Year of the Worm. Dragons of all shapes and sizes came down from the lands beyond Thar into the area of the Moonsea, the Dales, and Cormyr. The destruction was extensive, almost ruining Phlan, damaging Zhentil Keep and the Citadel of the Raven, and causing the death of Sylune, the Witch of Shadowdale. The most destructive of the wyrms were killed by powerful wizards and brave warriors, but a great many more took refuge in the mountain fastnesses of the Storm Horns, the Thunder Peaks, and the Desertsmouth Mountains, and continue to this day to raid outlying villages and travelers.
This most recent flight of dragons is widely held to be the work of the Cult of the Dragon, a mysterious group of people said to have devised strange magical arts that give them mastery over evil dragonkind. Other sages believe it to be some sort of ritual or cyclic behavior on the part of evil dragons, rather than a concerted attack.
Finally, there seems to be a cycle of many millenia called the Rage of Dragons, at the peak of which all dragonkind is affected. The ancient kingdoms of Anauria and Hlondath may have been victims of this form of attack. Not enough information is available on the Rage of Dragons, and no one looks forward to collecting more, although the Supreme Overlord would love to be able to harness this phenomenon to serve his will.
The giants of the Realms have always been a secondary race, involved in battling whoever is on top. Their earliest appearances are in tales in which they contended with dragons for the control of the North, a battle that they usually lost, though their weakening of the dragons may have eased the influx of elves and dwarves. In battling with the dwarves for their mountain homes, they again came off a poor second, as dwarven size and fighting techniques were of great benefit in fighting giants, and are to this day. Then came the arrival of humankind in the North, pushing those giant communities that survived further back.
At present the giants are a collection of broken nations and shattered dreams, their long history overshadowed by modern events and newcomer races. They still are their strongest in the mountains of the Protectorate, particularly in the North and the Cold Lands, thriving in those territories that others have shunned.
The occasional giant may be found in Waterdeep or Cormyr, but the bulk, are still viewed as savage, brutal, and not particularly bright. This is untrue, since they are battle wise, lore-filled, and capable with both weapons and craft. Their power is often shown through their leadership capabilities, as giants are increasingly employed by the Supreme Overlord as leaders of the Zhentilar.
This list covers only some of the more common writing systems of Toril
| The Thuzak: The Common script of humans in the Protectorate (Modern)--derived from Espraurillith |
| Espraurillith: Elvish Script (Modern) |
| Dethekdan: Dwarvish Hieroglpyhics (Modern)-derived from Draxkiz |
| Kanchi: Characters used in writing Niri dialects (Northern Kara-Tur) (Modern)-Derived from Draxkiz |
| Kikopo: Characters used in writing Shou dialects (Southern Kara-Tur) (Modern)-derived from Draxkiz |
| Tathk: Script of Zhakhara (Modern)-derived from Espraurillith |
| Ruathlek: Hieroglyphics of the Old Empires-derived from Draxkiz |
| Sharsharill: Runes of Power of Netherilan (Ancient) |
| Draxkiz: Hieroglyphics of Draconic Tongues (Ancient) |
| Language | Where Spoken | Spoken Roots found in |
|---|---|---|
| Aglarish | Aglarond | Tayish, Espruar, Cormish |
| Alarish | Estagund, Var the Golden, Durpar | Arkian |
| Allesian | Thesk | Raumish, Old Naric |
| Alzhedu | Northwest Calimsham | Amnic, Tramic, Waelish |
| Batiric | Chult | Goblinesk(Old High Goblin) |
| Calish | Calimsham, Tethyr, Amn | Amnic, Tramic, Waelish |
| Chandic | Vaasa, Damara, Impiltur, Tantras, Raven's Bluff, across the Vast | Old Chondathan, Raumish, Old Naric |
| Chessic | Chessentra | Alambish |
| Cormish | Cormyr, Sembia, Dalelands | Old Chondathan, Tharish, Turmish, Amnic |
| Damish | Dambrath | Arkian, Sulalfarin-Espruar, Shaartan |
| Dethak | Mountain dwarves | Ild Dweordethak (Old High Dwarvish) and extinct varous dwarvish dialects. |
| Drendethak | Hill dwarves | Ild Dweordethak (Old High Dwarvish) and various dwarvish dialects. |
| Draconic or Saurial | Younger Dragons Saurials | Old High Wyrmic |
| Espruar | elves | Ancient Espruar, Faerunin, and various other tongues. |
| Halric | Halruaa | Netherilan |
| High Shou | Southern Kara-Tur | Old High Wyrmic |
| Illuskan | Luskan, Mintarn, Moonshaes, Ruathym | Tramic |
| Jori | halflings | Ancient Espruar and various other |
| Lantish | Lantan | Netherilan |
| Luiric | Luiren | Arkian, Jori |
| Malic tongues | Chult (dwarves) | Old Malic, Ild Dweordethak (Old High Dwarvish) and various dwarvish dialects. |
| Midani | Zakhara | Mulanish |
| Naric | Narfell, The Great Dale, | Ashanath Old Naric |
| Niri | Northern Kara-Tur | Old High Wyrmic |
| Nexaltl | Maztica | Old High Wyrmic |
| Pedinue | Anauroch | Netherilan |
| Rasallesian | Rashamen | Raumish |
| Semphic | Semphar, Murghom | Raurish, Old Chondathan, Mulanish |
| Shaartan | lands across the Shaar | Alambish, Arkian, Calish, Reian, Enlilic |
| Sossic | Sossal | Old Sossic |
| Tabaxan | Chult | influences of Malic |
| Tharish | Moonsea Imperium | Goblinesk(Old High Goblin) |
| Thayish | Thay | Alambish |
| Thorass | across Toril; trading tongue. | Ancient Espruar |
| Turmish | Turmish, Chondath | Alambish, Cormish |
| Ulgarish | Ulgarth | Turmish, Shaartan |
| Ulimastin | Gnomes | Ithulimastin (Old Gnomish) |
| Ulutiun | the Great Glacier | Old Ulutiun |
| Uthgaric | barbarians of the North, barbarians of the High Moor. | Tramic |
| Uzkhash | barbarians of the Hordelands | Mulanish |
| Waelish | the Moonshae Isles | |
| Westron | Northern Westron Tributaries < br>Northern Marches | Old Chondathan,Tramic |
| Zhentarim Cant | The Zhentarim | Tharish, High Imperial |
| Ancient Language | Where Spoken |
|---|---|
| Alambish | South of the east end of the Sea of Fallen Stars. |
| Goblinesk(Old High Goblin) | North of the Moonsea |
| High Imperial | Grandees of Zhentil Keep |
| Ithulimastin (Old Gnomish) | Gnomes of Old |
| Old Naric | north east of the Sea of Fallen Stars |
| Old Ulutiun | the Great Glacier |
| Old Chondathan | Across much of Faerun |
| Mulanish | Southern and Eastern Faerun |
| Mulhorandi | South-Eastern Faerun |
| Raumish | East of the Sea of Fallen Stars |
| Tramic | Northman's tongue |
| Untheric | South-Eastern Faerun |
These languages are not spoken anymore anywhere. Generally, these are the languages that are many thousands of years old. Mostly only sages know these languages.
| Really Ancient Language | Where Spoken |
|---|---|
| Amnic | the southern Sword Coast |
| Arkian | The Shining South |
| Ancient Espruar | ancient elvish |
| Old High Wyrmic | Ancient Dragons |
| Enlilic | south east of the Alambic Sea (south east end of the Sea of Fallen Stars) |
| Eshouish | Chult |
| Netherilan | Ancient land of Netheril (under Anauroch) |
| Raurish | where the Raurin Desert now lies |
| Reian | south west of the Alambic Sea (south east end of the Sea of Fallen Stars) |
| Ild Dweordethak (Old High Dwarvish) | Dwarves of Old |
Note: The languages above are mostly human tongues. Each of the races also have their own tongues. Additionally, several cults have their own patois, as does the school of illusion and various thieves' guilds.