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

3/1/2016 – 10/1/2016

 * Cymbals were a musical instrument commonly used by gnomes and Zakharans and in Khazari monasteries.
 * Arcorar, the Great King Forest, once stretched from Cormyr to the Moonsea and survived in the form of Cormanthor.
 * Dispel fog, a spell often employed by pirates of the Sea of Fallen Stars, eradicated mist or fog in an area.
 * The Cult of the Howling Hatred was fascinated by the destructive power of wind but used it only to further their own goals.
 * Nari al-Farif, dean of the College of Fine Arts in Huzuz, often sat in on lectures to ensure the competency of her staff.
 * Quang Muku Forest in Koryo was the source of many potent herbs from which love potions and sleep dust could be made.

10/1/2016 – 17/1/2016

 * Drums were used by many peoples of Toril, from the kilat of the Iulutiuns to the elephant drums of the Zakharans.
 * The Quivering Forest of the Moonsea grew from a small copse to a mighty forest within a single human generation.
 * The spellstrike spell, invented by Nezram the World-Walker, could completely eliminate another spell, even retroactively.
 * The High Temple of Mystra on Mount Talath, Halruaa, held one of the greatest libraries of magic in all Faerûn.
 * Almari bint-Kafira, a notorious pirate of Suq Bay, Zakhara, was called "the Dread Porpoise" after a badly designed flag.
 * Ploopploopeen, a kuo-toan archpriest of Blibdoolpoolp, was tolerant but feared his daughter's faith in a new god.
 * The Ky Trencha Ukang was a potent magical staff that was divided by its creator, Kixa To'u of Koryo, into five scroll cases.

17/1/2016 – 24/1/2016

 * A singdown (huuk in Ulutiun) was a battle of wits to settle disputes among Iulutiuns, in which opponents sang insults at each other.
 * The Ghost Holds of Battledale were a series of ruins home to mercenaries and pirates and ruled by the unpredictable King of Ghosts.
 * The Empty-Scabbard Killers were a secretive order of duergar psionic assassins in Gracklstugh, legendary across the Underdark.
 * The Caves of a Thousand Gods, carved into a cliff-face in the Hordelands, were home to monks and shrines of the Path.
 * Elminster's effulgent epuration created several silvery bubbles that could be commanded to cancel hostile spells.
 * A sorcerous duel, in which two feuding sorcerers pitted their magic against each other, was a respected custom in Zakhara.

24/1/2016 – 31/1/2016

 * Elminster's evasion whisked the caster away from dire circumstances, taking their mind, body, and soul to a chosen location.
 * A sunwyrm, an eight-legged draconic creature that constantly blazed with light and heat, hid before the sun when hunting.
 * Bagpipes were naturally held in high esteem by dwarves, while a similar instrument, the mizwid, was known in Zakhara.
 * The Neverwinter River kept the city of Neverwinter from freezing in winter, as it was heated by the Mount Hotenow volcano.
 * Those who visited the buried city of Raudor, built during the ancient Imaskari Empire, often returned mad or twisted by the evil there.
 * A shrine outside the town of Goisho in Koryo once housed a magical brazier that could reveal the future, before it was stolen.
 * The hidden fortress of Sarahin in Zakhara was ultimately taken by trickery by Grandfather Hasan of the Everlasting holy slayers.
 * The self-proclaimed Pudding King was an insane deep gnome cultist of Juiblex who gathered around him tame oozes.

31/1/2016 – 7/2/2016

 * Phelzel was the second-largest city in Semphar and center of the realm's lumber trade, but it was rife with crime and corruption.
 * A find the path spell showed one the route to a chosen, specific location, through the use of divination bones, sticks, or the like.
 * Spell invulnerability, which bestowed immunity to a single spell, was found by Dabron Sashenstar and later published by Volo.
 * The Hu'i Wing was a vast copper brazier in Koryo that could reveal the future, but it was stolen and lost in the bowels of Karak.
 * The Pit of a Thousand Voices, the doom of disgraced holy slayers of Sarahin, Zakhara, was home to a huge gibbering mouther.
 * Vizeran DeVir once studied magic alongside Gromph Baenre, until Gromph discovered his true faith and denounced him.
 * Elemental air, one of the components of matter, represented change, flexibility, and freedom, and was claimed by several deities.
 * Shaani, the second-to-last ruler of the Shoon Imperium, kept over 100 jhasinnar in her harem yet only bore four children.

7/2/2016 – 14/2/2016

 * The watery form spell gave a pirate of the Inner Sea excellent camouflage on a wet deck or in the water.
 * A finger of death spell could kill a being outright, and the slain creature could even rise as a zombie under the caster's command.
 * The Fortress of Jorhat in the Hordelands was thought to have been built by rebels against Mulhorand, before it fell into ruins.
 * Elemental fire, a component of matter, represented change, purification, and consumption, but it was viewed as evil and aggressive.
 * Shedrak of the Eyes was the favorite slave of the beholder Karazikar, driven mad and believing his master to be a god.

14/2/2016 – 21/2/2016

 * Pirates of the Inner Sea made use of the preserve wood spell to protect their ships against warp wood and similar spells.
 * The fortified Nar town of Nathoud in the Hordelands was famous for its annual horse-trading fair, which also hosted horse-racing.
 * The Mulmaster Beholder Corps were a band of beholders who hoped to seize power in Mulmaster and be feared and respected.
 * The powerful virus charm spread a charm effect from person to person, making them all view the caster as a good friend.
 * Elemental water, a component of matter, represented fluidity and transformation, and was considered vital to life.

21/2/2016 – 28/2/2016

 * A ball lightning spell, often linked to Inner Sea pirates, produced spheres that moved at random and shocked and burned victims.
 * The Tower of Adnan al-Raqi in Huzuz taught the art of the sha'ir, provided a student survived the entrance test and returned alive.
 * A tirichik, one of the most dreaded monsters living on the Great Glacier, could reproduce asexually, producing clones of itself.
 * Arrizz was a drow merchant who fell in love with a moon elf scout named Deriel Rethslane, but couldn't escape old and new threats.
 * Korax of Manchar, a famed holy man of Koryo, was granted magic items by an envoy of Heaven to use them to better mankind.

28/2/2016 – 6/3/2016

 * Worldwalk was a potent spell that formed a portal between two planes, allowing two-way travel directly between them.
 * Thasmudyan was a god of undeath worshiped on the isle of Sahu by the Cult of Worms, who worked to infiltrate positions of power.
 * The fifty-year-long Keryjek Wars, the only significant conflict between the Ulutiun tribes, ended in a lasting peace between them.
 * A kishkoman or "whistle-knife" was a small horn knife perforated with holes, commonly used in the Cold Lands to call for aid.
 * Xaven Tanor'this, a drow alchemist of Szith Morcane, devised a way to drain fiendish blood from the fire giants of Maerimydra.
 * Shadowstuff could be used as a building material or to make weapons, but it was vague, insubstantial, and apt to dissipate.

6/3/2016 – 13/3/2016

 * Kaeth, also called coffee, was mixed with chocolate or alcohol in Sembia and drunk pure or with powdered ginger in Calimshan.
 * A kupuk, or walrus-dog, was a strange beast of the Great Glacier that was a loyal guardian and sled-puller for the Ulutiun people.
 * The Golden Mosque, the center of Enlightened faith in Zakhara, had chambers from which one's voice was projected all over Huzuz.
 * Inner Sea pirates were known to employ a sargasso spell, which conjured dense seaweed to slow or even tangle a ship.
 * Kassawar Plickenstint, a deep gnome trade representative in Mantol-Derith, mourned the loss of his home city, Blingdenstone.
 * The magic aura of a wizard could be passed to their children, allowing them to operate magical devices keyed to their parent.

13/3/2016 – 20/3/2016

 * The yak folk were among the most terrifying beings of Zakhara, being cruel slavers who sacrificed daily to the Faceless God.
 * The common web spell, known as Shan's web to the ancient Netherese, could trap and hinder beings caught in its sticky fibers.
 * Ithvar Wordkiller, a disgraced wizard of Cormyr, had a business in Skullport using a deepspawn to breed monsters for dungeons.
 * The Cathedral of Emerald Scales in Hlondeth had a giant snake sculpture on its dome, which some feared could fountain venom.
 * Half-goblins could be found in places such Icewind Dale. Those with human blood were taller and had blue eyes.

20/3/2016 – 27/3/2016

 * Semorav of the Cobra's Hood, a yuan-ti necromancer in Hlondeth, dumped the results of his foul experiments in the city's sewers.
 * The Great Door, a huge gate to the planes hidden outside Waterdeep, was subverted and began to unleash monsters in 1357 DR.
 * Setara bint Farid, a sea captain from Gana, once insulted a marid, triggering a personal feud between it and herself.
 * The Guts and Garters inn in Skullport had a secret passage into an alley for those who paid the innkeeper Bolton Brimwell extra.
 * Ysele the Cat, a half-elf businesswoman, contracted a lower planes creature to murder her father, and sold all his holdings.
 * Mystics of Nog learned to store magical energy within their bodies, enhancing their physical prowess to perform feats of skill.

27/3/2016 – 3/4/2016

 * The calm water spell smoothed out rough or choppy waves, and was long associated with pirates of the Sea of Fallen Stars.
 * Koresh was a fierce and criminal mercenary leader who would do anything for wealth, and he owned a carpet of flying.
 * Blind Issayk was the most infamous forger in Skullport, and was up-to-date on all bureaucratic changes in a kingdom.
 * Cloud palaces, magical floating castles inhabited by cloud giants, were kept afloat by a rune-covered pebble in a leather pouch.
 * In Xi Hulang, the capital city of Koryo, King Wanang Sun regularly went out among the people to hear their concerns.
 * The Royal Gate of the Palace of the Enlightened Throne in Huzuz was made of stone that could be drawn across like a curtain.

3/4/2016 – 10/4/2016

 * The Primus was the godly ruler of Mechanus, which was discovered by the Netherese archmage Lady Polaris around -346 DR.
 * A "spider's kiss" was a euphemism for a drow woman killing a male after mating, based on the black widow spider.
 * The deity Shu of Earth, god of wind, was never worshiped in Mulhorand, but was followed by some djinn in Zakhara.
 * The shu were a halfling race who dwelt in the jungles of Malatra and were masters of blowguns with poison darts.
 * Shur was a wizard who appointed herself protector of the wild, especially trees, and hunted those who would destroy it.
 * A spell often linked to Inner Sea pirates turned oars to snakes that could either strike at boarders outside or at rowers inside.
 * Gharreil, a city of the old giant empire of Jhothûn, lay in ruins under the Great Glacier, with a gelugon guarding its last portal.
 * Daleen Duerna, the duergar Laird of Zortagra, once led a raid to rescue her consort from the fire giants of Maerimydra.
 * An astrologer was a Zakharan mage who studied the stars and could "hang" spells upon the constellations to cast them later.

10/4/2016 – 17/4/2016

 * Evernight was the echo of Neverwinter in the Shadowfell, a city in ruins home to undead, necromancers, and their slaves.
 * In north Zakhara, the arid deserts were broken by short rivers, at the mouths of which lay cities like Hafayah, City of Secrets.
 * Carrelath in Erlkazar was nominally ruled by a baron, but true power had lain with shield dwarf priests since the time of Shanatar.
 * Wynter, a centaur Harper from Thay, was a highly skilled fighter but preferred to resolve disputes through diplomacy.
 * Merquam Pang, one of the most prosperous merchants of Koryo, achieved his status by dealing with yakuza and ninja.
 * Manass, the City of White Walls, so-named for its white-washed and heavily fortified walls, guarded entry to the land of Khazari.
 * A gal-ralan staved off death magic and the shadar-kai's shadow curse by nailing one's soul to their body with cold iron spikes.

17/4/2016 – 24/4/2016

 * Many islands laid in the Crowded Sea of southeast Zakhara, the largest being Harab, the Isle of War, and Bariya, the Wild Isle.
 * The orc chieftain Arktash won his position through guile, but was slain by usurpers within a year for not using force.
 * The Phoenix Prophecies by the seer Nar'ysr of Calimshan foretold many great and small events, including the Time of Troubles.
 * The catastrophic tidal wave spell was one of the most potent in the Realms, mimicking the natural disaster in flooding a shore.
 * Grand Caliph Arash bint Sanjar of Zakhara sent a force to the Utter East in 657 DR to put down a plague of fiends and undead.
 * The monks of the village of Lagiluri in Ra-Khati grew green peas and golden barley, watered by streams of the Jumpa River.
 * Radoc, an archmage and healer in the Star Mounts, actually came from another world and bore a glowing sigil left by a titan.
 * Vreesar was an ice devil who stepped from a rift to the Plane of Ice and tried to summon devils to conquer Faerûn.
 * Tymanchebar was a dragonborn realm on the world of Abeir, established by revolting slaves who broke away from Skelkor.

24/4/2016 – 1/5/2016

 * The animal spirit Eagle, who gave good fortune, was followed by green elves of Evermeet and some djinn of Zakhara.
 * The Talons of Justice were silver dragon paladins who worked for goodness but made plans too long in scope to comprehend.
 * The Annulus Conflagros, a ring forged for the Shoon emperors, gave protection from flame and a command of fire magic.
 * Grash Crackbacker, a dull-witted half-orc priest of Bhaal, favored crushing his victims to death in a bear hug.
 * Aluvauna Thornym founded the Guardians of the Weave to defend Mystra's Weave of magic and oppose the Shadow Weave.
 * Morok Ulgren was the most talented orc blacksmith of Many-Arrows, and he had even trained with the dwarves of Sundabar.
 * Choshein was once a city of giants beneath the High Ice, before a Netherese army razed it and carted even the ashes away.
 * Ambuchar's Amulet was a cursed skull-shaped pendant that, when worn, made sarcastic comments at the wearer's expense.
 * The interloper god Poseidon, known as a fickle god of waters, was venerated by some clerics in the Impilturan navy.

1/5/2016 – 8/5/2016

 * Remnis, the god of giant eagles, also followed by aarakocra of the North, flew across the planes in search of secrets and prey.
 * Amahl Shoon I of Tethyr never wanted to be king, rather to be a druid, but refused to be a puppet of the Shoon Imperium either.
 * The Silver Scimitar of Amahl the Mad could be commanded to fight independently, and it could sever arms below the elbow.
 * Doin Sanehiro was an administrator turned shukenja who fought against the conquering Jinchin and the Earth Spider.
 * The Gate of Revelations, the true entrance to the Palace of the Enlightened Throne was flanked by domes of solid gold.
 * The Harvest of Horrors was a war waged between the Kingdom of Nix and the defenders of Vanesci Hamlet in the Utter East.

8/5/2016 – 15/5/2016

 * The school of song, practiced by song mages and spellsingers, was a group of spells using the voice to access magical energy.
 * The Tabotan people were descended from monks who fled persecution in Shou Lung, as well as nomads of the Plain of Horses.
 * Unicorn's Bane was a magical ring, so-named for its owner Shoon VII's massacre of the unicorns of Shilmista in 355 DR.
 * Kuda, a city of 7000 people in Kozakura, was the former capital of Miyama Province, before the shogun moved it to Tamanokuni.
 * The Footmen were the city watch of Huzuz. Their 20-person patrols were each commanded by a mamluk from the the Faithful.
 * The Han people lived in Koryo in prehistoric times and settled Wa and Kozakura, becoming the basis for all three realms.

15/5/2016 – 22/5/2016

 * The unluck spell caused misfortune for its victim, and was commonly used by wild mages and oathbinder genies.
 * The shoonring of swimming, rumored to be one of the Qysari Rings, was instrumental in a plot by Manshoon in Westgate.
 * Wei Do Peak in Koryo was the site of a three-day ceremony in which monks and shukenja blessed the king and his dynasty.
 * The Affluent District was home to the wealthier citizens of Huzuz, and it was naturally peaceful and patrolled by the Footmen.
 * The Inn of the Globefish in Kozakura was a gift by the first emperor after a chef saved him from poisoning by fugu.

22/5/2016 – 29/5/2016

 * The black blade of disaster, a spell favored by drow and dimensionalists, conjured a sword-like crack between the planes.
 * Priests of Akadi and Aerdrie Faenya could cast an awesomely destructive whirlwind spell that formed tornadoes or hurricanes.
 * The Shining Temple of Bishamon in Aru, Wa, housed a huge gold-covered idol of the god and 3,333 statuettes of his priests.
 * Sa'id Firdawsi, an amiable halfling cloth merchant of Huzuz, was in fact its spymaster, leading a Zakhara-wide spy network.
 * The Many-Hued Peacock Society plotted the ruin of Shou Lung yet managed to save the empire on more than one occasion.
 * King Amahl Shoon II of Tethyr swore fealty to Pasha Akkabar Shoon of Calimshan and warred against the former ruling Clan.

29/5/2016 – 5/6/2016

 * The Axe Grinders was a bodyguarding business based in Skullport. It was mostly staffed by down-on-their-luck sellswords.
 * Nahal's reckless dweomer was a spell of wild magic that could replicate another spell but with unpredictable results.
 * The cold snap spell, recorded in Revelations of the Icedawn, could only be cast by priests of Auril the Frostmaiden.
 * Chan Cheng, the Mighty Lord of Heroes of the Celestial Empire, was the Kara-Turan god of war, courage, and martial arts.
 * Zelpir in Var the Golden was famous for its fine jewellery and mechanical devices, such as water clocks and field glasses.
 * Emperor Kai Tsao Shou Chin of Shou Lung was raised as a minor noble away from court after his mother left his emperor father.

5/6/2016 – 12/6/2016

 * The Sun, the source of light and heat for worlds in Realmspace, was home to a variety of fiery creatures, such as firenewts.
 * Trillimac, a type of fungus that grew in the Underdark, could be used to make food, writing materials, and even hats.
 * The Vorkani Mountains that arced across Koryo were home to the feared Krestung and enigmatic "birdmen" who ruled its peaks.
 * Bauhei, the Black Leopard, was a great spirit of Kara-Tur who was worshiped and once imprisoned by the rogue Black Leopard Cult.
 * Leaves of the singing trees of Zakhara emitted beautiful tunes, luring creatures closer so that they could drink their blood.
 * It took Lashilmbrar the Sly of Impiltur three separate attempts to have his elder brother Talryn executed so that he could be king.

12/6/2016 – 19/6/2016

 * The kingdom of Valashar briefly conquered the Western Heartlands in the 300s DR before being repelled by King Azoun I of Cormyr.
 * When the Sharran priestess Lalondra Worul attained lichdom, all her followers died, erasing the church's power overnight.
 * The disturbing Stormkeep in the Fallen Lands housed oil-filled vats containing bestial limbs that could be grafted to any wound.
 * The create crypt servant spell was first used in the ruined kingdoms of Nog and Kadar to raise undead to guard tombs.
 * Nilhogg's nose was an Underdark breed of fungus that, when consumed, enhanced one's sensitivity to smell, for better or worse.
 * The Spirit Warriors of Kara-Tur's Celestial Bureaucracy inspired courage in warriors and aided those who were in slain in battle.
 * The great Zakharan roc rivaled or surpassed dragons in size, making it one of largest flying creatures around.
 * Ting Mei Wan was the fanatical and distrustful Minister of State Security of Shou Lung, who executed all who failed her.

19/6/2016 – 26/6/2016

 * The spell shadow evocation, which mimicked an evocation spell, was first developed by the Netherese arcanist Shadow.
 * The Bat's Roost tavern in Skullport hosted bat fighting and obstacle courses, but smelled strongly of bat guano for its sins.
 * Priests of the Red Knight could cast the spell telepathic broadcast to covertly transmit information and plans to their allies.
 * Claw Hollow was a fortified lair of the People of the Black Blood in the Moonwood, its territory marked by splashed blood.
 * The Angulutiuns ate caribou as a staple, whether boiled, dried, smoked, stewed, or just raw, with even the bones used for soup.
 * The Celestial Emperor, ruler of the Celestial Empire of Kara-Tur had all-seeing eyes that blazed white with karma.
 * Nung Chiang, the Teacher of the Plow of the Celestial Empire, was the god of agriculture and fertility and the patron of peasants.
 * Lost City of Ubar was said to rise from the sands of the High Desert whenever the genies who lived there wished it to.

26/6/2016 – 3/7/2016

 * Lothen of the Silver Spires, all that remained of an ancient elven city in the High Forest, was overrun by three orc tribes.
 * Leneka Jheth was a lich of Zhentil Keep who was transformed into a grisgol by a foe and assaulted adventurers in its ruins.
 * Candle magic was a kind of divine magic practiced by mystics, who burned special candles to produce magical effects.
 * Vhyridaan the Mad was a half-elf mage exiled from Myth Drannor, whose soul was sucked into a floating stone.
 * Soarimbrar the Younger, a boy king of Impiltur at only three years old, was assassinated days before his coronation in 1351 DR.
 * The Well of Kashan was a deep pit in the High Desert, with a lush and enchanted oasis flourishing at the bottom.
 * Osari Minhiro, an unlucky samurai of Wa, always miraculously escaped death thanks to a blessing by a god of luck.

3/7/2016 – 10/7/2016

 * The elemental aura was a potent spell that warded a spellcaster against a certain element, and bestowed powers related to it.
 * Rudiments of the Shadow Weave was a controversial tome telling of Sharran faith and the secrets of the Shadow Weave.
 * The Throat, a water tower in Luskan, was surrounded by grazing sheep. Daring local dwarves painted them different colors.
 * A fortune candle, crafted by mystics practicing candle magic, bestowed on those around it a measure of good fortune.
 * Sorrowsworn demons appeared after the Time of Troubles to feed on the despair of priests of dead gods like Bhaal and Myrkul.
 * Oe-Ura, the Peachling Girl, was born from a peach and grew to become a great warrior and heroine in the Fochu Peninsula in Wa.
 * A messenger genie almost never stopped moving as they delivered messages and gifts. They saw movement itself as goodness.

10/7/2016 – 17/7/2016

 * Crown Prince Alemander V of Tethyr was suspected of having started the fire that killed him and the whole royal family.
 * In an evil mystic's candle magic, the burning of a black curse candle inflicted a debilitating curse on those nearby.
 * A bushi or chanshi was a Kara-Turan fighter who fought for coin rather than feudal obligation, but tried to maintain honor.
 * A chaggrin, an elemental vermin, appeared as a bipedal lump of clay in the Plane of Earth and as skull-faced mole in the Prime.
 * Benju Matsumoto, the lord of Aru in Wa, enjoyed music and had a hobby of acting in noh plays with Yuji Takaesu.

17/7/2016 – 24/7/2016

 * The Sword was the well-known desert area of Anauroch, a hot and sandy land named for conflicts with the Bedine tribes.
 * The wheel of bones spell created a spinning disc of bone shards around an Eldathyn priest's wrist as a dangerous weapon.
 * The Restorers were a band of desert giants who struggled to reclaim the city of Ubar in the High Desert from the jann.
 * The Jaguar Guard were a mercenary force from Maztica who came west to explore Faerûn, fighting in the civil war in Tethyr.
 * Aelric the Avenger was a warrior-mage of Old Stone Keep who led armies of undead to liberate the kingdom of Doegan.

24/7/2016 – 31/7/2016

 * The College of the Eclipse in Riatavin trained students in psionics, providing laboratories, libraries, and gifts to graduates.
 * Bashal's Tendrilight was a magical lantern that also emitted a dark rubbery tendril to whip, constrict, and paralyze others.
 * Caliph Aswiyah al-Muftahir of Muluk was a cunning politician who negotiated several alliances with the Free Cities of Zakhara.
 * The greater touchsickle spell, known to druids and clerics of Eldath, transformed the caster's hand into an enchanted sickle.
 * The Company of the Singing Dawn were a mercenary band that preferred good work and even fought for free for a good cause.