Pomegranate

Pomegranates, or, araed, as they were known in Faerûn, were fruit-bearing trees, commonly grown in the wild and sometimes cultivated in the lands south of the Sword Coast.

Availability
Pomegranates were occasionally imported from the southern regions (excluding Shar) to the Eastern and Western Heartlands as well as Sword Coast North. These shipments were often merely an afterthought, when trade ships had a bit of extra space. Pomegranates were considered cheap fruit as it grew almost everywhere in the south in the wild.

In the City of Splendors, Waterdeep, Khelben Arunsun had an ensorcelled kitchen cupboard within the Blackstaff Tower that, when opened, brought forth an overbearing pomegranate tree, especially favored by Danilo Thann in his childhood. Lady Laeral Silverhand also liked to imbibe a glass or two of refreshing pomegranate nectar.

Pomegranates were consumed raw by the inhabitants of Anauroch.

In Zakhara, pomegranate, coconut palms, banana, orange, lemon, plum, and fig trees were cultivated and often housed ashira, benevolent tree spirits. Notably, Mosque of a Thousand Hummingbirds in Dihliz was filled with blooming and pomegranate-bearing trees. The Pearl Cities, wealthy Zakharan port cities, cultivated many legumes, fruits, and vegetables, inclusion pomegranates.

Outside of the Prime Material plane, pomegranates could be found in the Feywild. Archfey Neifion served these crimson fruits in his Darroch Castle in 1396 DR.

Usage

 * In the southern regions, pomegranates got more use in making sauces or dyes, rather than eating them raw.
 * In Calimshan, pomegranate and grape juice was a popular libation.
 * Some variations of mummification process included several preserving and aerobatic plants and substances, such as cinnamon, ginger, rose, myrrh, frankincense, and pomegranate.
 * In the land of Thay, pomegranates were candied and served as sweet treats, loved even by cruel Zulkirs of the Red Wizards.
 * Pomegranate seeds were known to be used by wizards as a material component of certain spells.
 * Pomegranates possessed some medicinal properties, namely, it was used as a nerve sedative, and a wormer agent.

Significance

 * There was a fable about a mortal woman who was granted passage through the lower planes a long time ago. The woman was given one single rule, not to eat anything during her journey through the path ahead. She followed them apart from one little indiscretion. She ate three pomegranate seeds. When the time came to leave the planes, a wall of invisible force trapped her and no-one has heard from the lady ever since.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Golden Voyages &bull; Assassin Mountain &bull; A Dozen and One Adventures
 * Novels
 * Star of Cursrah &bull; Crypt of the Shadowking &bull; Elfsong &bull; The Shifting Sands &bull; Unholy &bull; Plague of Spells
 * Once Around the Realms
 * Once Around the Realms