Template:DidYouKnow/current

This page collects current trivia for Template:DidYouKnow. On the first Sunday of the new year, please make sure there are 53 sections of trivia in this page (Every 5 or 6 years we get a year with 53 weeks in it. See ISO week date.) and then copy the 53 sections to  where   are the last two digits of the new year. Then remove them from this page and add the trivia for the first week of the new year. The DidYouKnow template will select additional trivia from a random previous year for the current week. Archives should be named for the year they were created because the template looks for pages in the archive directory that start with "2".

Archives of previous years:
 * Template:DidYouKnow/archive/2013
 * Template:DidYouKnow/archive/2014
 * Template:DidYouKnow/archive/2015
 * Template:DidYouKnow/archive/2016
 * Template:DidYouKnow/archive/2017
 * Template:DidYouKnow/archive/2018
 * Template:DidYouKnow/archive/2019
 * Template:DidYouKnow/archive/2020

3/1/2021 – 10/1/2021

 * Zombie lords were neither especially regal zombies nor the unliving remains of nobles, but rather particularly intelligent and powerful undead created from a raise dead spell gone wrong.
 * Captain Zemmer, a mercenary in the service of Lord Neverember, was the daughter of a Thayan necromancer and had a zombified family dog growing up.
 * An ephemeral hangman was a malevolent aberration formed from pure shadow, a sort of Shadowfell equivalent of a roper except stealthier and arguably nastier.
 * Black Dugal's Music Shoppe in Ravens Bluff was the city's one-stop shop for all manner of musical instruments, all expertly crafted by the proprietor, "Black" Dugal Buchannan.
 * The noble Lanngolyn family of Waterdeep controlled the city's textile industry and once had one of their number kidnapped by the doppelganger syndicate known as the Unseen.
 * Saddles enabled the denizens of Toril to mount all manner of steeds both exotic and mundane, providing a marginally more comfortable experience than riding bareback.

10/1/2021 – 17/1/2021

 * The Ruldegost family of Waterdhavian nobility seemed like a respectable House that made their coin through trade and banking, but the family matriarch's brother was secretly a member of the sinister Knights of the Shield.
 * The Grove of Meditation in the kingdom of Synnoria on the Moonshae Isles was blessed by the Earthmother to provide meditating elven mages the insight needed to advance their powers.
 * The horned devil Rotbite possessed the stone golem Awtawmatawn no fewer than two times, terrorizing the inhabitants of Volkumburgh Vale on both occasions before ultimately being foiled by falling down a hole.
 * The Lake of Steam separated the Shining South from the rest of Faerûn. The Border Kingdoms, the Shaar, and several free cities such as Mintar, Yeshpek, and Ankhapur all lay along its coast.
 * Luthbaern was a town of corpulent cheese-makers, which is just about the nicest thing anyone could say about Luthbaern; its citizens were pompous and arrogant, and the town itself was gray and cramped.
 * The humble torch kept darkvision-impaired adventurers across Toril safe as they plundered dungeons and crypts. Remember: always light a torch before opening a sarcophagus. No exceptions.
 * The Tower of Solace was a grand building in Neverwinter's Protector's Enclave district where the evil wizard Rhazzad experimented on the plaguechanged victims of the Spellplague under the guise of charity.
 * Clangeddin's Hearth, a dwarven group touting themselves as the survivors of Clan Melairkyn, briefly retook the Temple of Clangeddin in Undermountain before they were slaughtered by the lich Morik Stormhand.
 * The deep waters of Waterdeep's Deepwater Harbor were kept exceptionally clean by the continuous efforts of the Guild of Watermen and local merfolk from the villages of Tharqualnaar and T'Quession.
 * A powerful and ambitious wu jen was once cursed by the Eight Million Gods of Kara-Tur to become a vile tigbanua buso, wandering the island of Wa and turning innocents into savage tagamaling busos.

17/1/2021 – 24/1/2021

 * Tashluta, the capital city of Tashalar, was built into the ridge of a volcanic caldera, which formed a natural harbor for the city's fleet of ships.
 * The First Unhuman War ended in a decisive victory for the Elven Imperial Fleet against a coalition of goblinoids and orcs, but also led to the formation of the feared scro.
 * The Nakulutiun villagers of Ahtitlak were notoriously intolerant of outsiders, preferring instead the company of a pack of remorhazes.
 * Priest-King Vishnan VII struggled to convince people to settle in Garuji, due in large part to the surrounding area being threatened by busos and other strange creatures.
 * The alteration spell venom of Varae allowed followers of Sseth to spit snake venom at other people, which was as lethal as it was rude.
 * Elboar's Finest offered wine, spirits, spices, and sauces to the residents of Amphail in the mid–14 century DR.
 * The Garden of the Drow in Undermountain was famous for its delicate crystal roses, but had little else to recommend it, owing to both its unfortunate location and it being infested with pests.
 * Doombats were particularly nasty bats that were gigantic in stature, extraordinarily bloodthirsty in demeanor, and capable of blasting their victims with sonic energy.
 * The fortress of Dun-Tharos was the seat of the Nentyarchs of Narfell during that empire's zenith, but was later occupied by a Chosen of Talona and an unpleasant demon cult.
 * The crater of Mount Drakkor Rouge was filled with a salt marsh covered in scum, and was also home to many other types of scum, ranging from swamp sharks to adherents of the Cult of the Dragon.
 * The Netherese arcanist Lucke was a known lover of animals, and so was disappointed to learn that other wizards used the conjuration spells he invented to pit creatures against each other for entertainment.
 * As far as demon lord realms go, Yeenoghu's Death Dells was actually rather charming, apart from the sweltering heat, hordes of ravenous gnolls, pools of obyrith goo, and the aptly named "Screaming Peaks".

24/1/2021 – 31/1/2021

 * New Sharandar was an outpost of Iliyanbruen elves situated on the border between Neverwinter Wood and the Feywild, linking the two realms and serving as a bastion against dark fey invaders.
 * The Waterdhavian festival of Selûne's Hallowing was celebrated to commemorate the slaying of a group of fanatical Malarites by a group of good lycanthropes led by three Shards of Selûne.
 * A bloodsilk spider ensnared its victims in a sticky, blood-red web that slowly squeezed the blood out of their bodies and channeled it into the bloated blood-blister on the spider's back.
 * The Kuong Kingdom capital city of Parmahana was suddenly abandoned, its buildings left for the jungle to reclaim as tales circulated that the site was cursed by the gods.
 * The Red Wizard Kizzaf concocted a scheme to use love potions and spells of charm person to lure unwitting innocents into slavery, selling them to Thayan merchants such as Mahzed.
 * The ancient kingdom of Peleveria stretched from the Firesteap Mountains to the Shaarwood. Its capital city of Peleveran was built into the side of the Landrise and was rumored to contain a portal to the Nine Hells.
 * Arctic stink squirrels were among the most playful and snuggly animals found in Icewind Dale, but also among the stinkiest&mdash;the stench they could exude was comparable to a stinking cloud.
 * The arctic dwarf village of Gomwemk was nothing more than a ruse meant to dissuade frost giants from attacking; all the inhabitants actually lived in a hidden tunnel network below the mock houses on the surface.
 * Noted wild mage and spell inventor Nahal the Incorrigible set out to search for her teacher, Hornung the Anarch, when he disappeared in a wild surge that sent him to the world of Oerth.
 * The adventurer known as the Khelbenite slogged through large portions of Undermountain in a joyless quest to stop a maniacal drow from loosing an avatar of Lolth herself on the unsuspecting city of Waterdeep.

31/1/2021 – 7/2/2021

 * The noble Moonstar family of Waterdeep split into two factions when Vanrak Moonstar declared war on the Church of Selûne from his lair in Undermountain; the other family faction remained comparatively normal.
 * Certain Underdark beholders were known to keep petrified statues of ambassadors from other races, either for artistic value or for later consumption (or both).
 * Although the male offspring of medusae were known as maedar, it was possible for males to be cursed into becoming "regular" medusae. One such example was Marlos Urnrayle, leader of the Cult of the Black Earth.
 * The medusae sisters Corinye and Kathala kept nosy adventurers from disturbing the lair of the dracolich Azurphax, who was fortunate enough to be immune to their petrifying gazes.
 * Howser's Trail ran across the Giantspire Mountains in the Duchy of Soravia, connecting the small town of Cutrock with Howser's Mine.
 * The Angalpuk region of the Great Glacier was notable for its population of Angulutiun tribes, their massive migrating caribou herds, and for the majestic &hellip;flatness of its plains.
 * When he wasn't showing off on his magnificent unicorn steed, Thradisar Starwise helped guide adventurers through the Fey Crossing to the Iliyanbruen settlement of New Sharandar.
 * The holy sword First Light belonged to Commander Lyssic of Myth Drannor, a devout adherent of Lathander. Centuries later, the sword remained in his crypt, conveniently waiting for a fellow Lathanderite to pick it up.
 * Shockers were intensely curious creatures composed entirely of electricity that were often seen outside their native Plane of Lightning&mdash;one shocker even joined the Mindulgulph Mercenary Company.
 * Although the diet of carnivorous apes consisted largely of meat, their reputed fondness for human flesh was largely exaggerated. Adventurers were advised not to test this out in practice.

7/2/2021 – 14/2/2021

 * The Blushing Mermaid festhall in Waterdeep's Sea Ward was owned by the secret archlich Alathene Moonstar, who maintained her unlife by draining energy from the Mermaid's least pleasant patrons.
 * The Cathedral of Helm in Helm's Hold was an impressive and peaceful place of worship for the adherents of Helm, at least when it wasn't being controlled by murderous Ashmadai cultists.
 * Many adventurers came to the Tomb of Damara to search for a hidden orb of dragonkind, but they stayed because they had been killed by the ogre warlord Bonegnasher and his minions.
 * The Nakulutiun villagers of Kresttet chose&mdash;somehow&mdash;to live in a desolate, earthquake-ridden valley filled with deadly crevasses, where they subsisted on lichen and fought off frequent white dragon attacks.
 * Banda, a fortress-town in the Kuong Kingdom, was built as a show of strength toward the neighboring realm of T'u Lung. This was unnecessary, as T'u Lung had little interest in crossing the border.
 * The lakshu Viper knew she was dealing with an imposter when her reigar mistress Cholana strangely reappeared after a fatal phlogiston experiment but could not guess the imposter was a radiant dragon.
 * The elven druid Walnut Dankgrass wanted to bring down urban civilization from the inside, so taking a position as a documancer in Acquisitions Incorporated seemed like a good move (at the time, anyway).
 * Scrivenscry was an arcanaloth who searched the planes for the Books of Keeping, said to contain the names of every yugoloth in existence. He was accompanied in this quest by his pet penguin Kingsport.
 * The woodcutter Dharmun sought to avenge the death of a colleague at the hands of a black firedrake, but in the ensuing combat he was immediately, gruesomely, and predictably melted to death.
 * Dragonwights (also known as "wight dragons" and "discount dracoliches") were created by infusing the spirit of a chromatic dragon with negative energy&mdash;yet another innovation of the Cult of the Dragon.
 * Algid was a small fishing town in Netheril located south of the Hidden Lake. It was destroyed by the phaerimm in.

14/2/2021 – 21/2/2021

 * Taran Goldenstar was an elf apprentice wizard of Freedale. He went hunting for the lost orb of dragonkind but was captured by Bonegnasher's gang and tortured by a hobgoblin.
 * Enlasre was a stopover village on the Kuong Kingdom's southern trade road. Its main attraction was its hot mineral springs and the legend of a lost magical spring created by a goddess in the jungle.
 * Griffon Hill was a thorp in Cormyr lying on the Stonebolt Trail, home to sheep farmers and priests of Chauntea. In the event of orc, they hid in a cavern under the hill, but it was said to link to the Underdark.
 * Thadat was a mage who sold magical items and services in Innarlith, but this put him in competition with the Red Wizard Marek Rymüt. He once wrote a Draconic poem of necromantic magic on a clove of garlic.
 * Lady Arilain was a Netherese archwizard who led the Opus enclave of Netheril. She confronted Karsus over his dangerous new spell, but afterward was never heard from again.
 * The Lugotak Sea on the Great Glacier was a deadly place where unwary travelers could fall through thin ice into freezing water and ice spears. Worse, there was also species of aggressive sharp-fanged seal.
 * Broalaunt was turned into a boar for being a pig to Samaerra, an apprentice of Larloch. To break the curse, he had to perform many strange and impossible tasks, from eating chipmunks to kissing the Simbul.
 * Moonweb was a spell granted to clerics of Selûne that formed an impenetrable barrier to cocoon a creature or block a doorway, possibly reflecting attacks both magical and mundane.
 * The Order of the Gilded Eye was a zealous Helmite order based in Helm's Hold. They destroyed those they perceived as corrupted by extraplanar evil and persecuted those who disagreed.
 * An araton, also called a desert devil, was surrounded by swirling abrasive sand. With their own hides sandblasted and oozing blood, they were often mistaken for undead.
 * Anguiliians, a race of eel-like creatures, would hunt and eat anything, even their own dead. Against whales, giant squid, and kraken, they would attach, drill inside, and eat from the inside out.

21/2/2021 – 28/2/2021

 * Shedaklah, the 222 layer of the Abyss, was fought over by the demon lords Juiblex and Zuggtmoy, who apparently found its humidity, green-brown color palette, and population of insane myconids quite charming.
 * Living spells were essentially spells given permanence and a degree of sentience, often found in places where magic had gone catastrophically wrong, such as the ruined Netherese enclave of Ythryn.
 * Gremlins were mischievous goblin-like fey with a penchant for thievery and vandalism. They could mate with other goblinoid species, producing variant gremlins like the fremlin, the jermlaine, and the snyad.
 * Gnarhelm was a Northlander kingdom in the Moonshae Isles known for its rocky terrain, its rich copper mines, and for the ineptness of its sailors.
 * When the people of Suranatra relocated to the new Kuong Kingdom capital of Parmahana, they decided to beat would-be-desecrators to the punch by destroying their own temples as they left.
 * The Tor of Swords was named for a quintet of magic Anaurian swords hidden within its grottoes. The blades were found by the swordswomen of Haela's Host, who put them to good use culling the monsters in the area.
 * Twilight Gate Farm was, despite its very inspired name, just a turnip farm in Sembia. Not even a particularly nice turnip farm, actually, as it was both ramshackle and overgrown.
 * The planetar-turned-demon lord Adimarchus ruled the Abyssal layer of Occipitus until he was betrayed by the son of his archenemy, Graz'zt, apparently as part of a plan to unify all demons.
 * The archmage Traxigor polymorphed himself into an otter by mistake, but found that he actually preferred life as a cute little furry creature, and made the change permanent through a wish spell.
 * Malgi Hi was a mysterious human sorcerer who preferred the company of lizardfolk over the "civilized" races, to the point that he became the leader of a tribe of lizardfolk in the ruins of Myth Drannor.
 * Vulkaran the Dark was the emperor of the Vodoni Empire and the self-entitled “Ruler of All Known Space”. His expansionist decrees led directly to the outbreak of the War of the Spheres.
 * Alathene Moonstar, proprietress of Waterdeep's Blushing Mermaid festhall, was secretly an archlich who sustained herself by draining the life force out of others, though she usually only preyed on people she disliked.

28/2/2021 – 7/3/2021

 * Time travel was achieved in several ways, such as chronomancy, time gates, or the black obelisks, meaning it was theoretically possible to go back and stop Karsus before he made such a mess of things.
 * The world of Eberron was contained within its own material plane, isolated from the rest of the multiverse. Although exceedingly rare, a select few Eberrans came to Toril, though always by exotic means.
 * Princeps Kovik did not approve of how his superiors directed the infernal 8th Legion in the Blood War, so he broke free of the hierarchy of Hell and became a warlord of Avernus.
 * The tapal was a triton weapon that combined, somehow, elements of a dagger, a spear, and a longsword. They resembled crystalline fish hooks and were considered prized family heirlooms.
 * A Weave anchor was an area invested with the divine essence of Mystra that aided in stabilizing the Weave. Without Weave anchors, the Spellplague would have been a true catastrophe.
 * The magical sword Flame Blade was a physical manifestation of the spell flame blade, and further evidence that the clerics of Mystra weren't the most creative when it came to naming things.
 * Pegataurs were essentially winged centaurs, resembling a cross between an elf and a pegasus. Though not native to Toril, they sometimes acted as messengers for the Seldarine deity Aerdrie Faenya.
 * Spyder-fiends were horrific tanar'ri demons with the bodies of giant spiders and wolf-like heads. They were thankfully rare, being mostly contained to the 14 layer of the Abyss, the Steaming Fen.
 * The noble Nesher family of Waterdeep made their coin in the lumber industry and were avid hawk-masters. They opposed the suggested creation of a haven for Waterdeep's non-human residents.

7/3/2021 – 14/3/2021

 * Ha-nagas were not merely content with making their lairs in the ruins of ancient civilizations&mdash;they had a preference for the shattered wreckage of civilizations they had personally brought low.
 * Jake's Encyclopedia of Eels was a seminal reference work on the nature of eels that ascertained, among a number of other findings, that eels were neither baby leviathans nor Underdark spies.
 * The copper dragon Balarystul posed as a Calishite barber in Avernus, hoping to learn the whereabouts of Arkhan the Cruel from chatty customers.
 * Senator Aikiko of Innarlith was known for her lack of wits and also for allying with the Red Wizards in an attempt at seizing power in the city&mdash;two facts that may or may not be related.
 * A meal of Beef and Oysters Barnabas, combining succulent beef with the slime-like consistency and taste of oysters, could not be described as complete unless served with a glass of Westgate Ruby wine.
 * Despite getting himself enslaved by no less than two separate gladiator arena masters, the gnomish potion merchant Bellowgulp Bluefingers remained cheerfully optimistic.
 * The black lichen mikka, found in the Alpuk region of the Great Glacier, tasted a bit like mint and lent a nice crunch to the soups and stews prepared by Iulutiun cooks.
 * Ash mephits had a perpetually depressed and gloomy disposition, and one could hardly blame them; the Quasi-Elemental Plane of Ash was not a place that would incline anyone toward joyous frolicking.

14/3/2021 – 21/3/2021

 * Gideos was the mind flayer leader of the Bloodrovers pirate band that roamed Avernus in their infernal war machines. He even had an eyepatch, which concealed a magical gem.
 * Nagathas were the servitors of spirit nagas, created in a horrific process that deformed a humanoid's body and erased their memories but left their trauma intact.
 * The Mtair Dhafir were a Bedine tribe of Anauroch manipulated and attacked by the Zhentarim. One survivor was the heroic wizardess Ruha, the Harper Witch.
 * Peacocks were a species of bird known for their vaguely human-like shrieks. They roamed wild in Furthinghome after being imported and escaping captivity.
 * Z'neth was once an up-and-coming hobgoblin warlord on some other world about to wage war in Gehenna before he was forced to sell larvae in Avernus for the rakshasa Mahadi.
 * Idle dice were a pair of enchanted dice inscribed with Dethek runes for the numbers 1 to 6. When rolled, they imparted a little healing to allies according to the result.
 * A cranial drill was a surgical tool used to make a hole in the skull to relieve headaches or madness. Some survivors swore it was effective.
 * Adabra Gwynn was an acolyte of Chauntea who served as midwife and apothecary for the village of Phandalin, until her home was attacked by a manticore.

21/3/2021 – 28/3/2021

 * Although they became a respectable house over time, the Gosts of Waterdeep were historically known for their many "get rich quick" schemes, their criminal enterprises, and for consorting with yuan-ti.
 * Kitcher's Folly was a monument to human ambition, specifically that of Sir Ilyber Kitcher of Scardale, who heroically braved the jungles of Chult until his total ineptitude landed him in an early grave.
 * Vellynne Harpell (of the Longsaddle Harpells) was a noted necromancer and explorer who sought to uncover the secrets of Ythryn, a lost Netherese necropolis in the Frozenfar.
 * Horemkensi, a senator of Innarlith, briefly oversaw a project to build a canal from the Lake of Steam to the Nagaflow, a job he did with practiced incompetency until he was killed by a spirit naga.
 * Umbrage Hill near the village of Phandalin was so named because two feuding dwarf clans once fought a pitched battle atop it, though no one could remember the exact cause of their umbrage.
 * The Sheaf of Wheat in the town of Ghars, Cormyr, was described by Volo as "forgettable, but not dreadful". It might be because the owner substituted cheaper meats, such as horse instead of beef.
 * Life took many turns for Keresta Delvingstone: she was, at various points, an outlaw, an adventurer, an enthralled vampire spawn, and finally head priestess of Shar in Undermountain.
 * Bright nagas were not, as their name implied, very intelligent nagas, but rather the dregs of naga society. They could only cast a single spell and were often better at running away than fighting.

28/3/2021 – 4/4/2021

 * The Wind Dukes of Aaqa were a group of extraplanar beings opposed to the Queen of Chaos and obyriths in general. They were worshiped by aarakocras and certain elements of Omuan royalty.
 * Zygoms were evil fungi found in Chult and certain layers of the Abyss that preferred infecting living creatures and feeding on their flesh and bone.
 * The Flame of the Spirit was a Tymoran sacred object that, when touched by someone of the faith, would display one of the many spells stored within it, and if not, burn them to death.
 * Ysgardian dwarves were much like regular dwarves, but hailed from the plane of Ysgard and were less drunk. They were suspicious of deities in general, but many of them served as agents of Sharindlar.
 * The minotaur Maku led a group of his kinsmen in a conflict against House Freth in the Maze Level of Undermountain. His ultimate goal was to summon Baphomet himself to put a swift end to the drow.
 * Harkhuf was an incompetent alchemist in the city of Innarlith on the Lake of Steam. His ineptitude when dealing with smokepowder led to hundreds of accidental worker deaths.
 * Alfonse Kalazorn ("Big Al" among friends) was the owner of the Butterskull Ranch near Conyberry. Prior to his career as a rancher, Big Al served as the sheriff of Triboar.
 * Sheik Sa'ar was the intelligent yet contentious leader of the Bait Mahwa tribe of the Bedine people. His reluctance to accept outside aid almost caused his people to lose a conflict with the Zhentilar.
 * Kendra was a notable adventuress who plied her trade across the breadth of Faerûn. She often ran afoul of men who were pigs and fools, and treated them accordingly.

4/4/2021 – 11/4/2021

 * The powerful enchantment spell binding was developed by the Netherese arcanist Yong. It could bind a creature to a specific spot for several years&mdash;or even longer if other spellcasters aided in its casting.
 * Balt was a demanding Batiri general who lived in fear of being fed to Grumog, whom his people saw as a god. This so-called "god" was later cut down by Artus Cimber and a pair of talking wombats.
 * Though most inhabitants of Ghars thought that Dovo was merely a moronic blacksmith's assistant, he was in fact a spy. His fellow spies, however, thought him similarly moronic and put him to death.
 * The herb known as horsetail was used by the Azuposi tribes of Maztica to treat conditions such as hay fever and colds.
 * In 1328 DR, the bard Velorna Jalaneth published Friends I Weep For You, a ballad that described friends standing together through life until after death.
 * Myth Drannor's Shop of Secrets was a specialized store that sold hard-to-find wizardly goods. Customers often had to wait for years&mdash;and hand over bags of gold&mdash;for the super-rare items they'd ordered.
 * Favored servants of Lolth, wall-walkers were spider–reptile hybrids. In addition to bearing paralyzing stingers, these psionic creatures cast such spells as shadow-form and mind blank.
 * Ouwoonivisc the Infected was a chaotic illithid who'd contaminated its hive mind. Kimmuriel Oblodra realized something was wrong with Ouwoonivisc and used his immense psionic power to mentally destroy it.
 * The Blood Rift, which crossed the planes, was teeming with gulthirs, ghastly baatezu that were covered in tumors and lesions.
 * Petunia was a dairy cow that was branded with her owner's name. Even when Butterskull Ranch was raided by orcs, the calm cow had somehow managed to escape and survive.
 * Florentine Turmish was a short-reigning ruler of Turmish who favored peace and commerce. She was assassinated in the, after only four years in charge.

11/4/2021 – 18/4/2021

 * The Fireplace Level was a large dungeon beneath the villa of the noble Gost family of Waterdeep, and a favored haunt of the famous vampire lord Artor Morlin and his undead underlings.
 * The Temple of Ubtao in the Chultan city of Mezro was built by the deity Ubtao himself. The building's exterior was magically fashioned so it looked exactly the same from all angles.
 * Hatchrin Alet'taz was the consort of Erelal Freth, drow matron of House Freth in Undermountain, but lost his position after being falsely accused of plotting to poison his and Erelal's unborn child.
 * Gustaf Stellern, or "Falcon the Hunter", was the owner of a hunting lodge in the Neverwinter Wood. It catered to bored nobles and was decorated with orc skulls.
 * Mayella Meadowbrock, daughter of the wealthy merchant Barthelm, was described as "the fairest flower in Cormyr". Although she had many suitors, she only had eyes for a roofer named Rolf.
 * Even before it fell into ruin, the port town of Pros was a ramshackle affair consisting of rickety docks and deteriorating buildings. When the Sea of Fallen Stars receded from its ports, so did its citizens.
 * Lesser tree healing allowed an adherent of Baervan Wildwanderer to rejuvenate by drawing upon the healing energies of a tree. This could last a long time, lending the spell its other name: tree nap.
 * The Illistine family of Chondath were, at varying times, the rulers of Hlondeth, Sembia, and Westgate. Their dynasty ended abruptly when Mulsantir Illistine III was killed by an agent of the Shoon Imperium.
 * Menhirs were not an uncommon sight in Faerûn, having been erected since ancient times to serve as religious shrines, landmarks, and, by the ancient Yuir people, to power enormous magical portals.

18/4/2021 – 25/4/2021

 * Weredragons were lycanthropes who transformed into dragons. They're not to be confused with song dragons, also called "weredragons", who were true dragons who assumed the form of female humans.
 * The half-elf sorceress Ghleanna Stormlake was one of the Veiled Ones who defended Myth Drannor from an invasion by the Cult of the Dragon, as prophesied in the mysterious ballad Song of Faerûn.
 * Arrick Kaarvol, a merfolk cleric of Umberlee, demonstrated such prowess in the Deepwater War that he earned the admiration of the Waterdhavian vampire lord Artor Morlin, who took him for one of his spawn.
 * Sangin was a warlock in the service of the dread vampire Strahd von Zarovich who was sent to Toril to find a magical item that could free Strahd from the Domains of Dread.
 * Urlon was second-in-command of the githyanki contingent at Stardock. He hated his boss, Al'chaia, and secretly sympathized with the plight of the githzerai.
 * The Sewn Sisters, consisting of Widow Groat, Peggy Deadbells, and Baggy Nanna, were a coven of night hags in the service of the lich Acererak in his Tomb of the Nine Gods beneath Omu.
 * Abyssal wretches were the unfortunate victims of rutterkin and sibriexes, transformed via a terrible disease to become disfigured demons themselves. The only way to reverse it was with a wish spell.
 * Cyclocones were enchanted hats that, when thrown, spun at tremendous speed to form a magical whirlwind. Although once considered quite fashionable among mages, they eventually became old hat.
 * Lettuce was a leafy vegetable grown around Faerûn. It was used in various salads, while marsh lettuce was an ingredient in roasted cockatrice.

25/4/2021 – 2/5/2021

 * The Beholder language, or "Quevquel", was a guttural tongue with much lip-smacking, gurgling, and slobbering. A conversation between two beholders quickly covered their surroundings with spit.
 * Not merely content doing evil in the name of Bane, spellslinger-for-hire Lychor the Thunderwizard offered his services to both the Red Wizards and the Zhentarim.
 * When the medusa Medechai was turned into a vampire spawn by the notorious blood-sucker Artor Morlin, her mouth did not exhibit the typical fangs; instead, the snakes on her head each sported a set.
 * Fastred was a legendary Cormyrean bandit who terrorized the Way of the Manticore from his base in the Vast Swamp. Rumors abounded that he still haunted the swamp even centuries after his death.
 * Princess Wei Dao resented her posting at the Shou trade embassy on the Dragon Coast of Faerûn. She would do anything to return to Shou Lung, including conspiring with the Cult of the Dragon.
 * Moradin's Gauntlet was a golden gauntlet customarily worn by the dwarven overseer of the forge-complex of Hrakhamar in Chult. When the forge fell to firenewts, the gauntlet was left behind.
 * Keches resembled monkeys covered in green leaves and seemed truly committed to the practice of luring unwitting humans to their doom in the deepest forests with false screams of distress.
 * Just as the Netherese archwizard Kartaklys had shaved the top off a mountain to create his own flying enclave, he was sabotaged by his rival, Buoyance, causing Kartaklys to be crushed beneath his own creation.

2/5/2021 – 9/5/2021

 * The Twilight Marsh near Phlan was home to no less than three tribes of lizardfolk. The black dragon Throstulgrael tried to enslave them all, but was chased off by meddling adventurers.
 * Sheep were kept as livestock all across Toril, from Faerûn to Kara-Tur to Zakhara. Nearly every part of the sheep could be used for a practical purpose: their meat, their milk, their wool, and even their skin.
 * Rorrina Stoneshaft, a shield dwarven cleric of Abbathor, was turned into a vampire spawn by Waterdeep's vampire extraordinaire Artor Morlin.
 * The noble Gundwynd family of Waterdeep specialized in the procurement and sale of hippogriffs&mdash;perhaps the loftiest of trades.
 * The Joy of Extradimensional Spaces was a treatise on Mordenkainen's magnificent mansion. Scribbled into its margins was the procedure for creating a permanent extradimensional space.
 * Doom guards were golem-like guardians created using an anvil of darkness that could be found protecting all manner of dungeons, ruins, and castles, such as Castle Ravenloft and Durlag's Tower.
 * Hoarder dragons were exceptionally greedy undead dragons who refused to leave their hoards even after death. Unwilling to lose even a single copper, they possessed their beloved treasure to drive off thieves.
 * Norkers, dimwitted distant cousins of hobgoblins, were cruel, lazy, and vicious even by the standards of other goblinoids. On Toril they were found in the Underdark and the Forest of Tethir.
 * The interloper deity Hermes was barred from entering Realmspace, making his search for Tyche&mdash;who had been split into the Torilian goddesses Tymora and Beshaba&mdash;that much harder.
 * Razor was one of almost a hundred cats owned by the retired War Wizard Benelaius. Well named, Razor was very irritable and swift to bite and scratch when disturbed, or ordered.

9/5/2021 – 16/5/2021

 * Giant wolf spiders were much like regular giant spiders except slightly smaller, nimbler, and more intelligent&mdash;qualities that made them excellent hunters in most types of terrain.
 * The House of Good Spirits was the guildhall, brewery, inn, tavern, and wine store of Waterdeep's Vintners', Distillers', & Brewers' Guild, and one of the city's few sources of elverquisst.
 * Phalantar's Philtres & Components was renowned for its broad selection of medicines, spell components, and herbs, as well as for its owner's no-questions-asked policy.
 * Membership in Waterdeep's Most Careful Order of Skilled Smiths & Metalforgers did not come cheap: prospective members had to pay thirty dragons for the privilege of joining, plus twenty more in annual dues.
 * The gnomish city of Forharn lay in the darkest depths of the volcano Kossuth's Ire in the White Peaks. Its citizens were mildly inconvenienced when the volcano erupted after a long period of dormancy.
 * The isle of Sumbrar served as the headquarters for Evermeet's military and navy, and was defended by a fleet of Ruathimaer and no less than twelve ancient dragons.
 * The tome Hippogriff Riders of the Hand told of the history and practices of the elven hippogriff riders that operated out of the Hand of the Seldarine in the Spine of the World.
 * Mazfroth's Mighty Digressions was a collection of rambling essays hastily scribbled by Mazfroth Gethur on subjects as varied as the Weave, lycanthropy, and the demon lords of the Abyss.
 * The tools of the common man was a set of farmers' tools blessed by Chauntea to aid the defenders of Cuardin on Gwynneth against an invading force of Northlanders.
 * The Cormyrean warlord Gondegal was supported by several Arabellan notables, such as the saddler Arth Tembroar, the clothier Culdath, the herbalist Azunt Haelcloak, and the mercenary Baerendros.

16/5/2021 – 23/5/2021

 * The Knights of the Black Fist were once a zealous band of warriors dedicated to Iyachtu Xvim, but time and circumstance turned them into a zealous force of soldiers dedicated to the city of Phlan.
 * Leafing through a manual of bodily health would magically improve the reader's constitution, unless the manual were one of Halaster's fakes, in which case they would be devoured by hungry palimpsests.
 * The Book of the Raven was so named because that's how it arrived at Candlekeep; carried in the talons of a raven. The Avowed were forced to shoo it away lest it peck the book to shreds.
 * In the Realms, a minor death was a type of robed skeleton that could be summoned by clerics of Kelemvor. On Earth, a minor death was... something else.
 * Cuardin, a minor farming town in the Moonshaes, was once invaded by Northlander raiders, but its villagers beat them back with the Chauntea-blessed tools of the common man.
 * The shepherding community of Wyvernhunt was haunted, figuratively, by the legend of the werewyvern bandit Black Shaernauba who supposedly murdered a contingent of Purple Dragons in the area.
 * The hearty horse breed Carmathan Red was also known as the "Carmathan horse-ox" for their strength and durability. Needless to say, these beasts of burden were popular in their native Damara.
 * Arquebuses, relatively crude smokepowder weapons from Lantan, tended to backfire with alarming regularity, making them nearly as dangerous to their wielders as they were to their targets.

23/5/2021 – 30/5/2021

 * If you were so inclined, you could implant the Teeth of Dahlver-Nar into your own mouth, but in doing so you risked falling under the influence of malevolent entities like Acererak. And that's the tooth.
 * The Imaskarcana were the seven most powerful artifacts of ancient Imaskar. In addition to providing their wielders with great power, the Imaskarcana also contained vast amounts of Imaskari knowledge.
 * Mortarchs were clerics of Kelemvor who specialized in the fine mortuary arts, and were especially known for blessing the recently deceased to prevent them from rising in undeath.
 * The drow race consisted of three distinct cultures: the jungle-dwelling Lorendrow, the frost-favoring Aevendrow, and the "classic" Underdark-dwelling and Lolth-worshiping Udadrow.
 * The Black Lord's Altar in Mulmaster was considered the center of Bane's worshipers on Toril. The Cult of Black Earth once tried to destroy it in an attempt at humiliating the Banite faith.
 * Devuri was a crayfish hengeyokai priest of the Lords of Creation in Kataburi. Thanks to his work, the town was blessed with a bounty of giant crayfish, courtesy of a local water spirit.
 * The Salamander's Tongue was a powerful and grim-looking magic kris that seemed to change owners with alarming regularity, traveling from Westgate to the Spine of the World via Selgaunt and Hillsfar.
 * That most majestic of undergarments, the simple yet elegant loincloth, was a popular fashion choice for folk across the breadth of Faerûn.
 * Waterdeep Way was a major thoroughfare in the City of Splendors, and a prime spot for broadsheet cryers to hawk their wares.

30/5/2021 – 6/6/2021

 * The city-state of Mourktar was considered by some to be a vassal of Chessenta. In reality, Mourktar was a notable regional power, evidenced by the city later becoming the capital of Threskel.
 * The Citadel of Strategic Militancy was the heart of the Church of the Red Knight. During the Time of Troubles, its leader, Kaitlin Tindall Bloodhawk, served as the Red Knight's avatar host.
 * The village of Halfcrag was so clustered together that it looked like a single structure from afar. Its villagers were exceptionally cautious, often employing helmed horrors to protect their valuables.
 * Olmhazan's Jewels was a jewelry shop in the Castle Ward of Waterdeep whose façade was shaped like an enormous faceted gemstone. This aesthetic choice was commonly mocked by the Waterdhavian nobility.
 * A tome of leadership and influence taught its readers how to deftly navigate the complex landscape that is interpersonal relationships. It also magically made them more charismatic, which helped.
 * The First Imaskarcana (of seven) was a lavender crown that granted its wearer access to several powerful spells. It also answered direct questions, provided they were asked in the Roushoum language.
 * The tren were reptilian humanoids originally bred as hybrids of troglodytes and lizardfolk in vile yuan-ti experiments. Fortunately for the tren, the vile stench they exuded made them unlikely candidates for slavery.
 * Shemshime's Bedtime Rhyme was a colorful and lovingly crafted mechanical pop-up book with an integrated music box. Unfortunately, it was also the subject of a terrible and infectious curse.
 * The nun Ama of the Kuong Kingdom was highly skeptical of foreign "barbarians" from "so-called kingdoms," and was convinced the Kara-Turan Path of Enlightenment was a false religion.
 * Strongor Bonebag was a priest of Myrkul who moonlighted as the leader of a Cult of the Dragon cell. Notably, he convinced the black dragon Ebondeath to become a dracolich.
 * Talisid, the Celestial Lion, was the most powerful and wise of all leonals. He was also considered the king of all guardinals, though he himself merely viewed himself as a servant of his people.
 * Ezmerelda d'Avenir, or just "Ez" to her friends, was a vampire hunter who traveled the breadth of the Domains of Dread to ply her trade, though she struggled to get the better of Barovia's Strahd von Zarovich.

6/6/2021 – 13/6/2021

 * The sewers of Waterdeep served as a much-needed sanitation system but was also connected to the city's many dungeons and was absolutely filled to the brim with horrifying monsters.
 * Although thankfully uncommon, lifeleech otyughs could be found in unsavory and refuse-filled pits such as the sewers of Waterdeep, where they subsisted on a diet of dung and healing spells.
 * Folks disagreed on whether the mysterious Lurker in the Shallows of Yhauntan Bay was a morkoth or an aquatic dragon, but one thing was for certain: adventurers who sought it out never seemed to return.
 * Although linnorms were not known for being the most pleasant of creatures to begin with, those of the corpse tearer variety were said to be especially greedy, untrustworthy, and downright cruel.
 * The wizard Madryoch, a pioneer in the use of the Shadow Weave, attempted to overthrow the leader of the Imaskar Empire, but his plans were thwarted by a young Halaster Blackcloak.
 * Ansoain was a traveling mage who wandered from town to town with her son Galimer and her apprentice Druhallen. She met an untimely end at the hands of the Red Wizards while guarding a wedding party.
 * The archdevil Bael was one of the greatest tactical minds of the Nine Hells, but his bullheadedness and lack of political prowess kept him from rising in the infernal hierarchy.
 * Domino was a yuan-ti pureblood illusionist who was part of Esau Enoch's laboratory crew, first in Iniarv's Tower and then later&mdash;having been run off by Justin Melenikus&mdash;in Wolfhill House.
 * Corran D'Arcey was the de facto leader&mdash;mostly because of his lack of humility and inflexible morals&mdash;of the Veiled Ones who defeated the Cult of the Dragon in Myth Drannor.
 * Hillsafar Hall was a major dwarven hold in Vaasa renowned for its relative impregnability, its rich bloodstone mines, and for the battle prowess of its king, "Grumble" Hillsafar.
 * The Lowerdark town of Reeshov was settled by former mind flayer slaves, making its population an eclectic mix of grimlocks, quaggoths, lizardfolk, and troglodytes.
 * Platinum knights were sworn to the service of Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon, and devoted their lives to defending noble metallic dragons from decidedly ignoble chromatic dragons.
 * Valdick's spheresail allowed its caster to create a spelljammer that required neither a helm nor a helmsman, instead drawing divine power directly from Mystryl, the goddess of magic.
 * The Book of Inner Alchemy contained secret ki techniques for achieving immortality, which made it an object of interest for the corrupted monk Bak Mei and his Order of the Immortal Lotus.

13/6/2021 – 20/6/2021

 * The thief Tiep found himself pressed into servitude by the Zhentarim, who wanted him to steal one of the Nether Scrolls that his adopted family had recovered on behalf of the mysterious Lady Wyndyfarh.
 * The gate-town of Glorium connected the Outlands to the plane of Ysgard and so was appropriately nestled between towering mountains on the shore of a handsome fjord and surrounded by glaciers.
 * Ranguri, capital of the Kuong Kingdom of Malatra, was also called the "Temple City" because of how the city's core seemed to be one enormous, interconnected complex of temples and palaces.
 * Duke Windheir was a prominent avoral and one of the Companions of Talisid, the Celestial Lion. Like the other guardinal paragons, he resided in the House of Nature.
 * In a dubious case of ironic punishment, High Lord Fzoul Chembryl of Zhentil Keep permanently polymorphed the Harper spy Raenalla Quietsong into an actual harp.
 * The desert centaur Tebessa al-Khawati of Zakhara found herself captured and given an unwanted haircut by Shorn cultists but was ultimately able to escape in what can only be described as a close shave.
 * The darkswords were a set of twenty magical blades created by Melegaunt Tanthul, one of the Princes of Shade, as a gift for Bodvar the Black, chieftain of the Moor Eagle tribe in Vaasa.
 * A dwarven thrower was a type of warhammer that immediately returned to its wielder's hand when hurled away. Mordenkainen saw this feature as both "greedy and devious" and as a good example of dwarven ingenuity.
 * Ice drakes were elemental drakes found in cold deserts that could grow to a length of . They specialized in climbing icy surfaces and were, unsurprisingly, not big fans of fire.
 * The Demiplane of Imprisonment was an extremely obscure demiplane that seemed to exist purely to trap intelligent creatures within, such as the unfortunate (and very evil) archwizard Madryoch of Imaskar.

20/6/2021 – 27/6/2021

 * The Sign of One faction of Sigil had a strong philosophical emphasis on the self and the power of imagination, and their core tenet was that the multiverse merely existed in the imagination of a unique mind.
 * The gate-town of Fortitude linked the Outlands with the plane of Arcadia. It was a civilized place with neat architecture, luscious parks and orchards, and regular elections coinciding with the Great Modron March arriving in town.
 * Sheemzher was a goblin from Dekanter who sought to liberate his tribe from the yoke of the Beast Lord, a monstrous alhoon who was subjecting the Dekanter goblins to unspeakable experiments.
 * Caliph Abir al-Farhan ruled the city of Hilm in the Pantheist League of Zakhara. He was a considerate sovereign who often magically disguised himself to mingle with his citizens to understand what they truly needed.
 * In life, Arianna, Bannoc, Erik Sliphand, Luther, Shyla, and Sindar were venerated as heroes of Myth Drannor. In undeath, they were mindless and vile servants of the Cult of the Dragon
 * Arc welders were tools with the mystical ability to discharge a beam of electricity to either weld metal or tear an opponent apart&mdash;being equally suited for both tasks. Wielders were advised to wear safety goggles.
 * Witch hunters journeyed across Kara-Tur, following tales of hauntings, possessions, and ritual sacrifices and destroying the wicked beings responsible&mdash;usually oni, spirits, or evil sorcerers.
 * Lugh was the Celtic god of travel, commerce, and the arts. Although considered an interloper deity on Toril, he still had a handful of worshipers among hin druids.
 * Although Plangent crystal was commonly believed to be mined from the mountain of Adama's Tooth, it was actually transported to Toril from the Imaskari demiplane known as the Celestial Nadir.
 * The Everlasting Rime was a period of nonstop winter in Icewind Dale&mdash;blanketing the entire region in perpetual twilight and blizzards&mdash;caused by Auril the Frostmaiden, who had sought refuge on the isle of Solstice.

27/6/2021 – 4/7/2021

 * Brandy was a popular type of alcohol found throughout the Realms. Almond brandy, apple brandy, cherry brandy, firebrandy, plum brandy&mdash;there was enough variety to suit anyone's taste and happily inebriate them.
 * The Cult of Maegera laired in the depths of Mount Hotenow in the 15 century DR, following its eruption. Led by a fire giant, Gommoth, the elemental fire creatures sought to awaken a dawn titan Maegera.
 * The Music Box was an exotic torture device, a cage constructed out of tuning forks, that caused the victim's ears to bleed profusely and, eventually, led to insanity.
 * Planewalking Shou merchant Fai Chen could be found in his Fantastical Faire cart, pulled by Gary the mule and accompanied by Drandeldew, his blue faerie dragon familiar. The merchant was proficient in ki and could often be seen in the company of his duplicates.
 * Halazar's Fine Gems was a jewelry shop in Waterdeep with the storefront ensorcelled to remain pristinely clean and holding an illusory gemstone that sapped small amounts of life force from those who touched it to maintain its magic. Look, but don't touch!
 * Kragmar Deepscar was a warband leader of the Many-Arrows orcs who raided disaster-torn Neverwinter in the late 15 century DR. His enchanted Belt of the Many Arrows granted him uncanny regenerative abilities and was a sought-after item.
 * Magedooms were horrific oozing creatures created by Zhentil Keep to exterminate non-Zhentarim wizards. Spellcasters who smelled ozone as if from a lightning strike and potent citrus aroma were recommended to run without hesitation.
 * The gate referred to as the Mulhorandi Portal was the work of the ancient wizard-kings of Imaskar and connected the Raurin Desert to an unnamed and barren Outer Plane that resembled Raurin, with the sun in perpetual twilight. The gate was one way only.
 * Nant Thangol, or "the Basilisk", as he was sometimes called, was a sinister-looking pale dwarf toll collector from Baldur's Gate. He was generally disliked by most, though he was protected by Flaming Fist mercenaries.
 * A rare sight on Toril, Kharash, the paragon of the lupinals from Elysium, forged a close bond with Talisid and the Five Companions, even earning a nickname of "Talisid's Shadow".
 * Vampire muses were creatures of the Feywild who fed on mortals they inspired. These mutually beneficial relationships often resulted in the creation of grand works of art.
 * Waterdeep Way was a busy brick-paved boulevard in Waterdeep that ran along the spur of Mount Waterdeep. It housed such attractions as the Guildhall of the Order, the Map House, the Fellowship Hall, the Jade Jug inn, and the Asp's Strike tavern.

4/7/2021 – 11/7/2021

 * Mage sigils were used by wizards to mark their possessions and to sign their names and were frequently used as triggers for magical spells. No two sigils were the same&mdash;the Simbul used an elegant, rune-like symbol, while Manshoon's sigil was a rather unimaginative stylized M.
 * The unseelie (no, not the Court) were grotesque fey in the Yuirwood of Aglarond who delighted in hurting others and who were at war with the shy and gentle seelie (also not the Court).
 * The eccentric painter Kalain had a torrid love affair with Lord Dagult Neverember, but the relationship ended in heartbreak. Neverember ruined Kalain's reputation among high society, so she became a paranoid recluse and spent her time painting suspiciously lifelike monsters.
 * Millie Churlgo, owner of Churlgo Cheese, was hounded by Iron Throne agents trying to get their hands on her secret cheese recipes. She moved the family business to Daggerford, but the quality of her cheese suffered as a result.
 * Thayd led a wizard rebellion against Unther and Mulhorand in the hopes of establishing his own empire. In defeat, he opened up a series of gates to another world filled with militant orcs&mdash;this lead to the Orcgate Wars and the eventual downfall of his enemies.
 * When ancient ruins were found inside the Angelhead Mine near Raven Cliff beach, the Blackdagger Bandits took took over operations by enslaving the dwarven miners and kidnapping their foreman, Mira Thamros.
 * The Wings of the Queen Reborn was a massive cathedral dedicated to Tiamat beneath Castle Perilous in Vaasa. The temple was frequented by all manner of chromatic dragons, and the avatar of Tiamat herself was a frequent guest.
 * The Tomb Tapper Tomb was a demiplane filled with incredible amounts of magical treasure ripe for the taking, provided one did not mind wading through a literal horde of monstrous tomb tappers and scaling floating castles to get hold of it.
 * The library of Bradda's Sage Shop in Neverwinter contained such works as The Waterclocks of Neverwinter, The Taxonomy of the Grue, The Song of the Seven Sisters, and Legends of the Neverwinter Nine.
 * The goddess Idun of the Norse pantheon watched over the Tree of Life, whose Apples of Youth kept the Norse deities spry and youthful. Although she was not directly worshiped on Toril, Idun was good friends with the god Lathander.

11/7/2021 – 18/7/2021

 * The village of Rothé Valley seemed like a pastoral community chiefly concerned with serving as Neverwinter's breadbasket. In reality, the village was a trap created by the drow of House Xorlarrin so they could easily harvest slaves.
 * Torleth's Treasures supplied travelers along the Trade Way with oddities and antiques, many of which could more accurately be described as junk. Among the items on offer were a ludicrously loud lute, a stuffed parrot, and a contraption that went "boing".
 * Gnomengarde was a tiny community of rock gnomes in the Sword Mountains. Despite having a population of only twenty gnomes, Gnomengarde was ruled by no less than two kings: Gnerkli and Korboz. Also, the entire settlement was a zone of wild magic, because gnomes.
 * Purplespawn nightmares were so self-conscious of their grotesque serpentine forms that they hid themselves away in the Underdark, emerging only to steal the treasure&mdash;and appearance&mdash;of unsuspecting victims.
 * A population of intelligent wombats lived on the island of Orlil near Lantan, organized into small settlements of no more than fifty individuals (give or take the odd platypus). Wombats were short, chubby, and brown-furred&mdash;characteristics that led some to confuse them for pig-bears.
 * Jacob was a senior member of the Nashers gang in Neverwinter who discovered that the rival Dead Rats gang was responsible for the disappearance of fellow Nasher Gothwan Cooper&mdash;unfortunately, the Nasher leadership did not care enough to mount a rescue effort.
 * Jessa Dribble-Obould, one of the ambassadors representing the Kingdom of Many-Arrows in Mithral Hall, helped King Bruenor Battlehammer fake his own death and then helped him find the lost dwarven kingdom of Gauntlgrym.
 * The Mercenary Army of Krak al-Niraan was a martial branch of the Brotherhood of the True Flame in Zakhara. Although comprised of mercenaries&mdash;famously not the most trustworthy lot&mdash;the Army ensured loyalty by placing a geas on their soldiers.
 * The spell mantle was as incredibly complex as it was powerful, conferring the combined protective effects of many lesser spells such as feather fall and protection from normal missiles, while also moving with the caster. Stronger versions of mantle included even more effects.
 * Elder runes were used by the peoples of Faerûn as signs of warning or notice for travelers, and had been in use for so long that virtually everyone understood their meaning. One example was Bairemuth, which signaled the presence of undeath nearby.

18/7/2021 – 25/7/2021

 * In Baldur's Gate, Yssra Brackrel was known for her constant muttering to herself, her dirty and unkempt look, and for the wide array of services she offered: she was an alchemist, a wizard-for-hire, and&mdash;for the exceptionally trusting&mdash;a make-up and hair stylist.
 * Having reached the nadir of his once-successful career as a mercenary and an adventurer, Machil Rillyn undertook an ill-fated expedition to the ruins of Delimbiyran where he contracted a nasty curse, and so was forced to use his family's remaining fortune on a wish spell to cure himself.
 * A mysterious cloaked man worked to resettle the ruined Blacklake District of Neverwinter on behalf of an even more mysterious power. To this end, he recruited adventurers to drive out the Dead Rats and Nashers gangs.
 * Ethra Dralas, zulkir of abjuration in the Red Wizards of Thay, was sent to Chult to collect the residual energies left by Acererak's Soulmonger and to use it to summon Dendar, the Night Serpent, and usher in an age of darkness over Toril.
 * The characters Galenia and Patrolio were the subjects of a famous romantic play on the Sword Coast wherein the two lovers were kept apart by their feuding families. Their story ended in tragedy as Patrolio died in a leaky boat incident and Galenia&mdash;learning of this&mdash;died of a broken heart.
 * Priests of Eshowdow used the spell summon shadow spirit in the mistaken belief that it would bind their shadow to their body&mdash;in reality, it bound a shadow from the Negative Energy plane to them instead.
 * Ice archons were as deadly as they were cool, being elemental archons composed entirely of ice. These below-zero bruisers could conjure up small hailstorms and throw shiver-inducing ice shurikens at foes&mdash;adventurers who ran afoul of them were advised to stay frosty.
 * Dragon eels combined the majestic power of a dragon with the sliminess of an eel. These duplicitous sea wyrms were known to extort ship captains for safe passage, but often going back on their word and eating the whole crew anyway.
 * Goat herders from Harrowdale experimented with training banderlogs&mdash;intelligent, baboon-like primates&mdash;to milk their livestock. Surprisingly, the banderlogs were quite efficient at the task and it even seemed the goats preferred their touch to human hands.
 * Shandaular, the City of Weeping Ghosts, was geographically located in Thesk, but was able to expand into the distant Council Hills of the Eastern Shaar via a two-way magical portal.
 * The massive Pyramid of Amun-Re in the Raurin desert was built to house the remains of Amun-Re, pharaoh of Bakar. The pyramid was guarded by the undead priests of Amun-Re, under the leadership of the vile Munafik.

25/7/2021 – 1/8/2021

 * Many Torilians were familiar with the world of Mystara: Atruaghin shamani were known to attune themselves to Maztica, at least one Mystaran Immortal attempted to expand his reach to Toril, and Volo even visited the place&mdash;because of course he did.
 * Despite measuring up to 120 feet in length and being armed with up to five acid-breathing heads, dracohydras had absolutely zero qualms about shamelessly fleeing a fight they weren't absolutely sure they would win.
 * Deathcoils were colossal serpentine beasts known for their voracious appetites and for their surprisingly elaborate hunting strategies. Deathcoils leather kept its supple sheen for centuries, making it a prized commodity among Calishite satraps.
 * Ellywick Tumblestrum became the greatest bard in the multiverse after drawing a lucky card from the deck of many things. She traveled Faerûn with her fellow adventurers Hama Pashar, Nadaar, and Varis.
 * The irreverent rogue Kestrel became the de facto leader of the adventuring troupe known as the Veiled Ones after they stumbled through a gate connecting Phlan's pool of radiance with Myth Drannor.
 * Musayed was ostensibly a quiet and unassuming shopkeeper of the Calim Jewel Emporium in Baldur's Gate, but was secretly employed by Rilsa Rael of the local thieves' guild, with his shop essentially serving as a front for criminal activities.
 * Ixas, a Wearer of Purple in the Cult of the Dragon, was opposed to Severin Silrajin's Tiamat-worshiping direction for the organization, preferring the Cult's more traditional dracolich-summoning schemes.
 * "The Prophet" was a painting found in the Merchant Guild Hall of Neverwinter depicting a female elf with a mechanical owl perched on her arm&mdash;possibly the warlock Nostura of the Many-Starred Cloak.
 * The Church of Nobanion consisted of clerics, crusaders, shamans, and firemanes dedicated to Nobanion, the King of Beasts. The worship of Nobanion attracted a wide array of different creatures, including wemics and lammasu.
 * The utensils of the cultured palate gave their users the exact taste they desired, regardless of the quality, type, or age of whatever they were actually eating. The Codex of Eldritch Cuisine recommended all aspiring cooks acquire a set.
 * The Ford of Goliad was a strategically important crossing point of the Beaumaris River in Vaasa, making it the site of no less than two large-scale battles in the Vaasan War and the Bloodstone Wars, respectively.
 * Skull Fortress on the earthmote known as Pirates' Skyhold was built by the skyship pirate crew of Bartholomew Blackdagger, and served as the band's headquarters until the black wyrm Garrundar grew annoyed with them, forced them out, then turned them all into undead.
 * The Oasis of the White Palm in the Raurin desert was ruled by a line of Durpari sheiks who had been entrusted by the ancient wizard Martek with guarding a magical amulet that could cause great pain to the efreeti Khalitharius if he ever broke free of his prison.

1/8/2021 – 8/8/2021

 * The Bloodstone Wars of Damara were a series of conflicts between the Barony of Bloodstone and the baronies of Zhengyi the Witch-King in 1359 DR, eventually resulting in the Kingdom of Bloodstone's formation.
 * Braethan Cazondur was a ruthless and ambitious Lord of Waterdeep who orchestrated the murder of Laeral Silverhand in 1491 DR. However, her death was temporary as she was soon restored to life by Elminster.
 * The Cragmire Barrow was the final resting place of the Cragmire noble family from Neverwinter who conspired to take over the Jewel of the North with their necromancy under the leadership of Olandus Cragmire.
 * The Cult of Karsus consisted of wizards and Heartbloods who worshipped Karsus, the Momentary God. After the fall of Netheril, the Cult believed that Karsus would be reborn, delivering mortals into a new golden age.
 * If dragons and hydras were lacking in challenge, dracohydras were there for cocky adventurers, but were most likely to devour unwitting adventurers after scorching them with their many-headed dragon breaths.
 * Kabuki was one of the most prevalent forms of theater in the land of Wa. The Wise Carp and the Vulgar Maiden plays were performed in the cities of Uwaji, Semmishi, and Iiso.
 * Muckdwellers were small amphibious creatures that inhabited swamps and were subservient to various kuo-toa and lizardfolk tribes. They spat water at the eyes of foes.
 * Norold Dlusker was the unfortunate scion of the disgraced Dlusker family of Baldur's Gate and brother of Guinever, who was happily married into the Caldwell family.
 * Periapts of foul rotting were cursed amulets that inflicted a deadly form of leprosy on the wearer, slowly killing them over the course of a couple of months. Some were recovered from the Imaskari city of Solon.
 * The Pirate King's Retreat, on the floating isle of Pirates' Skyhold, was the stronghold of the notorious Captain Bartholomew Blackdagger and his crew, who were cursed by the black dragon Garrundar to be undead.
 * The Plate of Eels was a restaurant in the Cormyrean village of Hultail that specialized in crayfish, freshwater eels, clams, and various freshwater fish.
 * Soulknives were extraordinary individuals who possessed the psionic ability to conjure "mindblades" from their hands, which were effective and deadly weapons and them ideal assassins.
 * Viol of the Hollow Men was an infamous violin from the Vast with a tragic story that once proved its music was so ethereally good, it could raise the dead, literally.

8/8/2021 – 15/8/2021

 * The Anchorites of Talos were a reclusive group of half-orc shamans and mystics who also happened to all be wereboars, presumably because they revered Gorthok the Thunderboar, a primal spirit in the service of Talos.
 * The Church of Oghma experienced a schism when Cullen Kordamant, the Grand Patriarch of Oghma, mysteriously disappeared. One faction, insisting Cullen would return one day, formed the Orthodox Church of Oghma, while the remainder of the Church appointed a new Patriarch.
 * Waterdeep's Zastrow Street, previously "Slut Street", was a rather unremarkable thoroughfare save, perhaps, for the Old Xoblob Shop, which specialized in curious and trinkets from all over Toril and even other worlds.
 * Elminster's castle in the Thunder Peaks was originally a dwarf hold belonging to Clan Blackhammer, then later the site of a failed mining venture by the humans of Archendale. Elminster used the castle as a romantic getaway for his trysts with the Simbul, but she was entirely unimpressed with the barebones structure.
 * Korolnor was once a thriving dwarven kingdom, part of the greater realm of Shanatar and renowned for its exquisite stonework. When Korolnor fell, it was taken over by trolls and eventually came to be ruled by the charming troll king Ursummnogh the Unkillable.
 * The Moonlight Men who fell in the Battle of Turnstone Pass were interred in the Cairn of Moonlight in the Nether Mountains. Despite hints to its location in the Moonlight Paean, any would-be tomb robbers would struggle to find the cairn as its entrance was covered by a massive avalanche.
 * The efreeti Khalitharius terrorized the Raurin desert until the wizard Martek bound him under the Star of Aga-Pelar in Pazar. He was accidentally freed by careless adventurers a mere thousand years later.
 * The half-elven barkeep Squid tended the bar at Neverwinter's Stable Quiver, and was so named for the squid-shaped birthmark on his face. He was also a known associate of the doppelganger Oppal DeScart.
 * The Baldurian statues Balduran Looks Out to Sea, Faithful Shopkeeper Meets the Honest Trader, Fury of the Fist, Seaserpent Tamed by Umberlee, and Six Wise Machinists all had their hands cut off by the Guild in 1482 DR.
 * The Mighty Rat of Cunning Demeanor was an uncannily intelligent and charismatic rat that spoke Common and ruled a small swarm of its kin in a cave near Daggerford, from whence it preyed on unlucky travelers and foolhardy adventurers.

15/8/2021 – 22/8/2021

 * Dung was a common material component of several spells; for example, eagle droppings could be used to cast eagle's splendor, although handling bird poop might arguably lessen the splendor involved.
 * The Purple Palace was a festhall on Waterdeep's Zastrow Street notable for hosting several famous courtesans. The Palace was once described by Volo as "the closest thing Waterdeep has to a Calishite silks-boudoir".
 * The Ship's Prow, a favored haunt of Waterdeep's drunken sailors, was once owned by Halagaster Brutheen, who was secretly both an agent of the Cult of the Dragon and a red dragon himself.
 * The Dragon Barrow near the Neverwinter Wood was so named because it resembled a dragon in flight when viewed from above, but likely also because it contained the bones of the green dragon Azdraka.
 * Holorarar was an ancient dwarven kingdom beneath Tethyr, once part of the greater realm of Shanatar. It fell during the Kin Clashes as invading duergar burned the kingdom's many kelp and mushroom farms.
 * Princess Shadalah was to marry the son of sheik Kassim Arslan of the Oasis of the White Palm, but the efreeti Khalitharius kidnapped her before the wedding because he feared she might be linked to the wizard Martek.
 * House Sseradess was a tribe of water-breathing yuan-ti who lived in the underwater coral fortress of Khass'insara in Chult and controlled the Thindol Basin, the Lapal Sea, and the kuo-toa state of Gathgoolgapool.
 * Horgold Hadru, a potter from Baldur's Gate, found himself involved in a scandal when he agreed to hide a group of young patriars who had vandalized the well-known Beloved Ranger.
 * During the Time of Troubles, spider hounds could be found in the wild magic zones of the Helmlands. These predatory pooches sported eight legs and up to three heads, and were by all accounts not very good boys.
 * Zombie dragons were, like most zombies, mindless undead who blindly served their masters. Some dracoliches used the bodies of zombie dragons as backups with which to reform their true dracolich bodies.

22/8/2021 – 29/8/2021

 * Mirrors were often the subject of various magical effects; some mirrors could be used to scry on others, some could imprison beings, and others still could lead to the Plane of Mirrors.
 * Nutmeg was a popular spice on Toril, which made it a valuable trading commodity. Many wealthy merchants made their coin importing nutmeg via caravans crossing the Hordelands that separated Faerûn from Kara-Tur.
 * The Downunda Patisserie of Ravens Bluff was so named because a bearded old mage from Shadowdale had told the owner that bakeries like hers were sometimes called patisseries in "far places indeed".
 * The sewer system of Westgate could not be recommended for its charm, being a flooded and disease-ridden place thick with the overpowering stench of decay and filled with horrifying aquatic monsters like the foul quelzarn.
 * The Temple of Eilish in the lost city of Pazar in the Raurin desert was dedicated to whatever or whoever Eilish was. The efreeti Khalitharius was imprisoned there beneath the Star of Aga-Pelar.
 * In order to cast the alteration spell distance distortion, a magic-user first had to cast conjure elemental and inform the summoned earth elemental of his or her magical intentions.
 * The Church of Talos was, predictably, preoccupied with both preaching and spreading destruction. This made its priests and stormlords rather unpopular, and so the Talassan faith was outlawed in many places.

29/8/2021 – 5/9/2021

 * Status and prestige in the Amnian city of Keczulla was tied to gem mining, and although political power officially lay with the elected "Gemayor" (yes, really), the actual leader was its most prosperous gem merchant.
 * The amethyst wyrm Felrivenser was on speaking terms with the archwizards of ancient Netheril, who consulted her on matters such as magic and the affairs of dragons until she up and flew away one day, never to return.
 * The gate-town of Torch connected the plane of Gehenna with the Outlands and was nominally governed by a council of vicious, greedy, and violent citizens&mdash;most political discourse was settled via the "fist-to-face" method.
 * The residents of Quietude, the divine realm of the Mulhorandi deity Isis, were all either wizards or married couples (or both), and would often insist that unmarried visitors slept separately.
 * The Circle of Thunder in the Neverwinter Wood was a henge used by the anchorites of Talos for rituals in honor of Talos, often blood sacrifices intended to conjure storms or to summon Gorthok the Thunder Boar.
 * The airwalkers of the Church of Akadi were a flighty bunch, always wandering from place to place to spread word of their goddess and erecting few permanent places of worship.
 * The Faces of Madness were seven horrifying artifacts created by the Cabal of Madness to help overthrow the ancient Imaskari Empire. Fortunately, the Faces were all lost in the Mulan rebellion.

5/9/2021 – 12/9/2021

 * Flammuldinath "Firefingers" Thuldoum was a grandfatherly Archmage of Thentia who was involved in decoding Sammaster's research on the Rage of Dragons, and later aided the Hero of Daggerford in 1373 DR.
 * Goldflow, not to be confused with the Golden Flow, was a flowery-named waste product from Baldur's Gate that was collected in the mornings, along with nightsoil, for a nominal fee.
 * Ishen-Charac was a big and tough breed of warhorses from Tymanther beloved by their dragonborn masters.
 * Llash was an obscure snake deity of poison worshiped by intelligent serpentine creatures such as dark nagas. The god's holy symbols and idols were three-headed black marble snakes.
 * Murlynd's spoons were enchanted items named after an Oerthian deity that could create spoonfuls of nourishing but tasteless gruel.
 * Olive oil was the product of noble olive trees exported out of Chessenta, Thay, and Tashalar. The substance received a wide culinary use and even was a part of magical oil of beauty.
 * Rigus a large gate-town that connected Outlands and Acheron and mainly inhabited by military-inclined humans and tieflings.
 * Silifrey the Spraystrider was the Illuskan wizard who commissioned the often-thought-to-be-cursed Granite Tower from a dwarven engineer Iirikos Stoneshoulder.
 * Vellurith was the holy game of manipulation played by beholders as a way of venerating the Great Mother. The game's goals were always aimed at promoting the Great Mother's agenda and included such goals as slaying a deity or creating a new intelligent species, among many others.
 * Xanth was a centaur, driven out of his home in Neverwinter Wood by a gang of orcs, who, in turn, were forced from their homes in the Sword Mountains by a white dragon Cryovain.

12/9/2021 – 19/9/2021

 * The half-elf bard Teseryne Truesilver told tales of the exploits of a promising, young adventuring company in the Delimbiyr Vale in the.
 * Grannoc was an anchorite of Talos who grew and nurtured a Gulthias tree, and was otherwise known for performing eerie dances and profane rituals involving possum entrails.
 * The shield dwarven prospectors Norbus Ironrune and Dazlyn Grayshard discovered a ruined temple of Abbathor, the dwarven god of greed, in the Sword Mountains.
 * Thargaun Crell was Nentyarch of ancient Tharos&mdash;the kingdom that eventually became Narfell. He was a devout worshiper of Orcus and forged the evil Crown of Narfell.
 * Visitors to Merratet, the divine realm of the cat-goddess Bast, could avoid attacks from the realm's dangerous felines by wearing masks on the back of their heads.
 * The Wild Hills near Daggerford separated the hamlet of Gillian's Hill from the Lizard Marsh, and was home to vicious worgs, dark druids, and warring bands of gnolls and ogres.
 * Dispelling breath allowed a dragon to counter magical effects using his or her breath, much like an enormous, cone-shaped casting of dispel magic.
 * The mask of Lhestyn was created by Shilarn Silmaeril for her daughter Lhestyn, who used the mask's mind-reading and disguise-yielding properties to expose a band of Shadow Thieves.
 * The wakadoshiyori were the fourth most important office in the hierarchy of the shogunate of Wa, charged with inspecting public buildings and appointing counselors to the daimyo.

19/9/2021 – 26/9/2021

 * Silk was a popular textile across the breadth of Toril, being favored by everyone from the elves of Myth Drannor to the bureaucrats of Shou Lung.
 * The Iron Maidens were an all-female adventuring troupe consisting of the fighter Kiera, the thief Lyrissa, and the wizard Tiralia. They were sworn enemies of Fzoul Chembryl.
 * Vejoni H. Wyzz, a plane-traveling wizard and merchant of wondrous things, sold his wares out of a tent that opened into his own personal pocket plane.
 * The elven wizard Galaer Grasswave, a Chosen of Mielikki, spent his time maintaining the magical wards that protected Loudwater from the dangers of the Delimbiyr Vale.
 * Vayloss Talanthil I, the Fireblood, was Sorcerer–Arkhan of ancient Raumathar, ascending to the throne when the Nhalass Dynasty was wiped out by demons.
 * The Durpari inventor Shaddon Datharathi grafted his entire body with prostheses made from plangent crystal, and in doing so fell under the control of the elder evil Pandorym.
 * Phasms were amorphous shapechanging aberrations (not oozes!) driven by a yearning for new experiences, exploration, and hedonistic enjoyment.