Template:DidYouKnow/current

This page collects old trivia from Template:DidYouKnow. Please make sure there are 53 sections of trivia in each archive year (every 5 or 6 years we get a year with 53 weeks in it. See ISO week date). 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

1/01/2017 – 8/01/2017

 * Gundren Rockseeker was one of three dwarf brothers who discovered Wave Echo Cave before he was captured by the Cragmaws.
 * The Book of Bats was a spellbook of vile magic known to be owned by wicked mages. Its covers were stamped with real bat wings.
 * Vokkrzyr Rualfren, a drow cleric of Vhaeraun in Ultoksamrin, called for cooperation with surface elves against Lolth-worshipers.
 * Dumathoin's Wrath was a magic warhammer that was devastating in dwarf hands. It was crafted by the archlich Bandaerl.
 * King Alemander II of Tethyr was pressured by his nobles to execute his own vizera for accusations she had consorted with a lich.
 * Sea spawn, humanoid beings transformed into hybrid sea creatures, were the result of dark pacts from powerful marine entities.
 * Ghelryn Foehammer was named Royal Armorer of Citadel Felbarr in 1485 DR for the fine armors he made for the king and queen.
 * Zenobia was a dwarf adventuress from the world of Oerth who became marooned on the world of Toril after angering a mage.
 * The City Bastion was the upper level of the pyramidal dragonborn city of Djerad Thymar, and was home to the clan enclaves.

8/01/2017 – 15/01/2017

 * The Hungtse River was one of the longest rivers on Toril, crossing much of the Hordelands and the provinces of Shou Lung.
 * The Dang Caverns of Koryo were big enough to house armies or whole clans, but evil monsters and dark spirits lurked there.
 * Kayalithica was a stone giant thane who sought divine guidance from Skoraeus and to destroy the settlements of small folk.
 * Create jungle minions allowed a priest of Ragarra to transform crocodiles, alligators, and even people into savage servants.
 * Spirit annihilation allowed a priest of Bane to obliterate the soul of a dying foe, stopping it from being resurrected or questioned.
 * Thogaf learned magic from fellow prisoner Yrlamar while held captive in the Fortress of the Five Vultures of Calaunt.
 * The First Tymanther–Unther War broke out when the realm of Unther returned to Toril where the realm of Tymanther now lay.

15/01/2017 – 22/01/2017

 * A Zakharan coffee ceremony was a key custom showing a host's manners. It was practiced by both nomads and city-dwellers.
 * Zallara was a quintessential drow priestess of Eilistraee of good heart who sought to aid her people's return to the surface.
 * Alak Abaeir was a drow assassin serving the church of Vhaeraun who made himself as nondescript and forgettable as possible.
 * Castle Hartwick was the seat of power in Hartsvale. It held a high gate allowing very tall giants to meet with the monarch.
 * Ustilagor, the larval stage of intellect devourers, were a delicacy for the mind flayers of Oryndoll, whether raw, pickled, or seasoned.
 * Caiphon was an elder evil dwelling in a purple star, with whom some warlocks made pacts and to whom some folk pleaded for aid.
 * In −2374 DR, the spell cloudkill, which conjured a toxic cloud, was first developed by the Netherese arcanist Tolodine.
 * Khaspere Drylund, a noble of Yartar and member of the Kraken Society, owned the Golden Goose, a riverboat gambling hall.
 * Swords Meet was an inn in Voonlar that catered to Zhentarim and their allies, but had excellent service for regular patrons.
 * Taiku Fountain bestowed invulnerability on any who bathed in its waters, so it was well guarded against those who would misuse it.

22/01/2017 – 29/01/2017

 * Ziss al-Waran was a lizardfolk purveyor of trained monkeys—who could perform tricks or even pickpocket—in the markets of Huzuz.
 * Dwarf prince Bapar Ghalmrin fought a tavern brawl with the Shields of the Highland after disturbing a dirge for their fallen comrades.
 * A jungle avatar spell transformed a Ragarran priest into a crocodile-headed, even bat-winged monster compelled to devour the slain.
 * Golden Creek, part of the Esmelflow in Amn, was considered good for fishing and for panning for gold by the people of Keczulla.
 * Night ale was a unique beverage, brewed only in Voonlar for sale at the Swords Meet inn. Its name derived from its dark color.
 * Jadethread was a thief who stole difficult treasures and left a single green thread as his calling card, hence his nickname.
 * Yrjixtilex Kallan, a dragonborn mercenary and interim Vanquisher of Tymanther, was seen as handsome by even human standards.
 * Tomphael Arkenrret, a drow-dragon leader of the Jaezred Chaulssin, was cautious and pragmatic, preferring to pool his strength.

29/01/2017 – 5/02/2017

 * Essembramaerytha was a song dragon adventuress famed for performing many great exploits while in the guise of a human.
 * Gontal City, capital of the Abeiran realm of Gontal, was a mandatory trade stop for merchants crossing the Elkannath Mountains.
 * Fasruil was a halfling city in northern Luiren. It was famous for its tasty red rhubarb, which was traded across the Shining South.
 * Vhaemas the Elder was the merfolk king of Eadraal, but was defeated in battle by the wereshark Iakhovas and left in a coma.
 * Aldamair Galashar was a former thief who served as steward of a hunting lodge and surrounding lands for Gormstadd of Voonlar.
 * Winthrop was an innkeeper at Candlekeep who was good friends with both Bhaalspawn there, Imoen and Gorion's Ward.
 * A yeth hound was a predatory, dog-like outsider that would never step foot in sunlight, even if its life depended on it.
 * In −2319 DR, the Netherese arcanist Noanar created the first of his many fire-related spells, which would later be called fire trap.
 * The Mulani languages group of the Rauric languages family was found in east Faerûn, and encompassed Mulhorandi and Muhjuri.

5/02/2017 – 12/02/2017

 * The Faith of the Nine Travelers, common to the lower classes of Shou Lung and Wa, held that anyone could rise to great power.
 * Wessalen Arturia, a Chessentan nobleman, sailed the Pirate Isles in search of an artifact, but didn't even know what it was.
 * Sargh'elgg was a drow martial style for low-class soldiers that exploited their natural dexterity and focused on a single weapon.
 * Nasr-uddin the Lame seemed to be a Muhjari prophet wandering the Hordelands, but was in fact an assassin who followed Cyric.
 * Vast, ancient, and strange, the ruined fortress of Glaur in Gontal on Abeir was home to a quicksilver lake and a desert of rust.
 * Nhar-del the Black was a Zhentarim necromancer who was tricked into putting on a cursed ring by a neglected lover.

12/02/2017 – 19/02/2017

 * The Ardeep River flowed from Ardeep Forest into the Sea of Swords and served as a moat for the island village of Nightstone.
 * The Dusk Ports were five trade cities on Returned Abeir, operating as independent and uncooperative rival city-states.
 * Sharna was a proselytizing paladin of Helm who possessed great strength despite her small stature.
 * Weldrarn Orblin held the coveted position of Magister for less than a year in 242 DR, and spent his time fending off challengers.
 * Quaervaxthanus was a blinded beholder Magister who gave some elven wizards new spells but slew all who sought him out.
 * In −2311 DR, the Netherese arcanist and Fire Warden Noanar created another fire-related spell, which would be called wall of fire.
 * The Giants in Gray were mysterious creatures of Shou Lung legend. Their visitations were said to presage immense tragedies.
 * Ziran, or "bloodfast", was an addictive drug produced by the drow. It boosted agility and reflexes, but left one sick and detached.

19/02/2017 – 26/02/2017

 * Melabrauth, the Jungle Empire, was a dragon realm on Abeir. The few humans and dragonborn existed to entertain their masters.
 * Onsilur Maerdrathom, Magister from 321 DR, tried to persuade the Tashalar government to give legal protection to mages.
 * The Fields of Mythal—inventive, mentalism, and variation—were the three schools of magic known to the arcanists of Netheril.
 * Kishiria, a warrior in service to the Red Wizards of Thay, notably beheaded three foes with a single stroke of her claymore.
 * The Cliffs of Tanghai in Shou Lung were inscribed with the words of the Path of Enlightenment by red lightning from Heaven.
 * Born into slavery in Mulhorand, Nekiset was freed for her evil nature and devotion to Set, becoming his highest-ranked priest.
 * A lesser son of a well-to-do Sembian family, Meirgin Windtalon was a cleric of Cyric and a scribe and record-keeper in Voonlar.

26/02/2017 – 5/03/2017

 * Dwarfbane was a poison potent against dwarves and mostly used by poison-immune gray dwarves against the other dwarf races.
 * The magic mouth spell typically required jade dust to cast, but this could sometimes be substituted with amethyst dust.
 * Theras was the half-elf bastard son of a prince turned druid who was drawn into conflict with his legitimate half-brother.
 * House Karanok of Luthcheq began persecuting arcane magic users after blaming the wizard spies of Mordulkin for their defeat.
 * Tae kwon do, also called "Foot and Fist", was a martial art common in Koryo and taught at the Do Jang of Won Kwang.
 * Bastabar Yulgont, a cleric of Cyric in Voonlar, knew the secret of controlling wands remotely. This he stole from a priest of Bane.
 * Fimbrul was a realm of giants in the north of Returned Abeir, comprising self-sufficient independent trademoots and strongholds.

5/03/2017 – 12/03/2017

 * The Adordabe were the largest Nar tribe in Narfell. More willing to trade with outsiders, they oversaw the annual Trade Fair.
 * Tortillas were baked in Maztica and shipped from the Temple of Helm at Ulatos. The funds went to native healing and education.
 * The priest Wesclodat the Aged was rumored to have been traded by his god to the service of Deneir, whom he then followed.
 * Lefeber's mark, a spell developed by inventor Lefeber in −2134 DR, was a possible precursor to wizard mark.
 * Dashard Devlin became Duke of Carmarthan, Damara, after Zhengyi slaughtered his entire family and made him their heir.
 * Wizard's Quaff was a cheap small beer brewed in Voonlar offered as a complimentary beverage at the Whistling Wizard inn.
 * Scions of Amber were a rebel group in the Dusk Ports of Returned Abeir who sought dragonbane amber to thwart dragon rule.
 * The Maraloi were an ancient and mysterious race of Kara-Tur's Northern Wastes. The touch of iron was poison to them.

12/03/2017 – 19/03/2017

 * King Mhoaran the Tusk-Bearded of 10th-century Tethyr had three wives and over forty children but lost many to assassins.
 * Kara-Turan noodles, considered superior to Faerûnian recipes, came in many types, such as the dried, easy-to-cook ramen.
 * Trader Bob was an adventurer who got out early and instead found profit selling equipment, with shops across the world.
 * Bezoldur Thornhand was a dwarf cook at the Whistling Wizard, Voonlar, known for his bad language and bad temper.
 * Bosturo, the Master of Muradi Lighthouse in Koryo and noted scholar, had braided hair so long it swept the floor behind him.
 * Some members of the Dag Nost, a large and civilized tribe in Narfell, regularly went to Impiltur to hone their skills in trade.
 * The Twilight Riders worked to right wrongs in Damara. They rode seven magical steeds created from the last light of day.

19/03/2017 – 26/03/2017

 * Xantharl's Keep, a fortified village south of Mirabar was home to 475 people, who dwelt in tall steep-roofed stone houses.
 * Brotha, a productive farming village in Damara. Many of its 400 people harbored rebellious feelings towards Baroness Sylvia.
 * Drowcraft weapons and armor were energized by faerzress underground but dissolved in sunlight, and so fell out of fashion.
 * Stagwick, a village in Hartsvale led by the Dobbins family for 35 generations, was the home of Tavis Burdun and the thief Avner.
 * An Anstruth harp, one of the Instruments of the Bards from the Moonshaes, had powers of healing and controlling the elements.
 * Maastik, a drow priestess of Ghaunadaur, regular participated in sacrifices of living creatures in honor of her dark god.
 * A rusalka, a water fey in Lake Ashane, Rashemen, used her beguiling song to lure people into her arms or a watery grave.
 * Eskorn, a human kingdom of Returned Abeir, was generally lawless, with authority shifting as the royals traversed the realm.
 * The Battle at the Bar was a brawl in the Whistling Wizard inn between Harpers, Tarntar slavers, various monsters, and the law.
 * Enda Yate was a halfling rogue in Waterdeep on a treasure hunt to find the ruby eyes of a statue in Undermountain.

26/03/2017 – 2/04/2017

 * Brandiar, a duchy of Damara, suffered in the decade-long war against Zhengyi the Witch-King, and spent years recovering.
 * Queen Neri of the Maelstrom storm giants was known for being friendly to "the small folk", and visited them on the Sword Coast.
 * The Windrise Ports, a loose confederation of free cities in Returned Abeir, were shunned by dragons, allowing them to prosper.
 * Members of the Tsu-tsu tribe of the Plain of Horses had two homes: tents on the steppe in summer and brick houses in winter.
 * Haroistem, an aging priest of Lathander, chose to spend his days as a scholar documenting the deeds of this fellow priests.
 * In −2277 DR, the Netherese arcanist Trebbe developed the spell Trebbe's scry undead, later called detect undead.
 * Maggarl Helck, a corrupt commander of the Red Plumes of Hillsfar, rose to his position through nepotism and bootlicking.
 * Skulto Mreth, a wizard slaver of the Tarntar, used his illusions to create false identities for business all around the Moonsea.
 * A Fochlucan bandore, one of the Instruments of the Bards, was a bandore carved of maple wood with various magical powers.
 * Maegera the Inferno was a primordial taking the form of living flame. It was bound in Gauntlgrym to power the Great Forge.
 * The Mulhorandi languages of Mulhorand and Thay utilized tens of thousands of pictographs in their older written forms.

2/04/2017 – 9/04/2017

 * The slow spell, formerly known as Quantoul's slowmorph, first appeared in &minus;2026 DR and required a drop of molasses to cast.
 * A blue slaad had bone hooks sprouting from its knuckles. These inflicted a disease that could turn a victim into a slaad.
 * Helmsdale, a farming village in Damara, was called "the cursed village" because Zhengyi the Witch-King made his base there.
 * The Ulgarian prince Surtava gave up his crown to seek enlightenment as a beggar. He found it and became the Padhra.
 * Paronder was a belief in cosmic balance, holding that one who did good would be rewarded, and one who did evil punished.
 * Messanth was a bronze dragon until he was trapped in the Shadowfell and corrupted, becoming a shadow dragon.
 * Ghaurann Rhee was a wizard and salesman who sold cosmetics and skin-care products, as well as beauty spells.
 * Su-monsters were evil, psionic predators who could use their claws and prehensile tails to climb and ambush victims.

9/04/2017 – 16/04/2017

 * King Alemander the Spellbinder of Tethyr avenged the death of his younger brother, Coram II, and reclaimed the throne.
 * Flamebeard's Firebrandy, a fiery liquor and signature drink of Kelvin's Comfort in Bryn Shander, was in fact a relabeled rotgut.
 * Ansilber Klauthaudra, owner of the Whistling Wizard inn in Voonlar, was gruesomely murdered and his inn quickly bought up.
 * In −2271 DR, the Netherese arcanist Trebbe created a spell called Trebbe's scry identify, later known simply as identify.
 * The Lord's Court of Waterdeep heard all the most severe criminal cases, as well as proclamations of noble succession.
 * Mother was a monstrous fiend, a daughter of Graz'zt, who devoured derro and myconids and spawned various demons.
 * Nhalloth was a Netherese enclave that fell below the waves and eventually emerged again, displaying its grand architecture.

16/04/2017 – 23/04/2017

 * Trebbe's scry magic, developed in Netheril by the archwizard Trebbe in −2270 DR, may be a precursor to detect magic.
 * Oni were violent, powerful, and magical beings common in Kara-Tur, and the ogre mage of the west was one of their kind.
 * Yampa was the holy water buffalo said by the Padhran faithful to have carried the Enlightened One to the realms of perfection.
 * Axelcrantz was a dwarf mystic of Citadel Adbar. Foreseeing the future, he summoned adventurers to deal with a drow artifact.
 * The Locktower was a fortified keep in Voonlar, serving as armory, barracks, jail, and stable for the lawkeepers and the Bron.
 * In −959 DR, the Netherese arcanist Oberon developed a spell called Oberon's teleportation, later known simply as teleport.
 * Swendi, a proud warrior of Maztica and the son of his tribe's chief, once helped take down a pteranodon.

23/04/2017 – 30/04/2017

 * Fayed, a priest of Ilmater in Baldur's Gate, was the only one to survive when a strange orb turned his fellow priests into undead.
 * Errilam I of Tethyr was known as a good and just king, despite suffering the murders of much of his family by his own brother.
 * The Sly Fox was an inn in Zelbross that was rather popular until it was burned down. It was later used as a hideout by Orok.
 * Phylornel, a floating enclave of Netheril, never moved from its place throughout its existence, at the behest of Buoyance.
 * Valladonra Dluthree was the chatelaine of the Flying Stag in Voonlar. Romantically minded, she advertised her inn's privacy.
 * The Red Mountain Sect of the Padhran faith was devoted to Furo, Padhrasattva of Knowledge, and the Enlightened One.
 * Sial Sapphire proclaimed herself to be the finest thief in Skullport and got a place as lieutenant of the Xanathar's Thieves' Guild.

30/04/2017 – 7/05/2017

 * In −2261 DR, the Netherese arcanist Trebbe introduced two new spells: antimagic shell and minor globe of invulnerability.
 * In −1798 DR, another Netherese arcanist, Stoca, developed Stoca's change shape, later called shapechange.
 * The Black Bandit, a notorious jewel thief of Marsember, left a small black doll at the scenes of his crimes as his signature.
 * The beholder Xathcrism masqueraded as a manifestation of the god Bane, leading a cult in the woods outside Voonlar.
 * Tu Pe, a port city of Koryo, was home to a permanent agglomeration of boats and junks that bore whole roads and buildings.
 * Mistress Noralli, a friendly halfling necromancer, operated a merry-go-round with ride-on zombie animals for children.
 * Bartley was a crusty old sot and shopkeeper operating out of the Elfsong Tavern in Baldur's Gate who always had a sales pitch.

7/05/2017 – 14/05/2017

 * A crypt thing was a skeletal undead bound to serve as a guardian of a burial place by using its magical teleporting powers.
 * The Alzho languages were an early Untheric language group influenced by the Auran tongue of djinn. It gave rise to Alzhedo.
 * Chukei was the northernmost province of Shou Lung, known for its harsh plains and fierce, hardy people and talented warriors.
 * Catlindra Serpentar, leader of the all-woman Company of the Catlash, slew the doppelganger that impersonated her mother.
 * The Coin of Jisan the Bountiful, a Zakharan artifact, gave great prosperity to the generous and immense hunger to the greedy.
 * In −924 DR, a Netherese arcanist called Zahn introduced the Zahn's ESP spell, later known as detect thoughts.

14/05/2017 – 21/05/2017

 * Romas Thunderclap, leader of the Tenblades adventurers, erected the fortress of Darmshall as a bastion of good in Vaasa.
 * Unthalass, capital of Unther, could once be called the greatest city in Faerûn, but disaster and godly conflicts took a toll.