Unicorn

A unicorn was a mysterious and majestic magical beast resembling a horse with a horn protruding from its forehead.

Description
A unicorn resembled a horse with a white coat, mane, and tail. However, it had a number of traits that distinguished it from a horse, including cloven hooves and a long ivory-colored horn that protruded from its forehead head. Males had a white beard.

Unicorns were not subject to poison, death magic, or charm spells.

Society
Unicorns dwelt deep within their forests and shunned most creatures, only conferring with fey such as pixies, dryads, and sprites. They usually showed themselves only in defense of their forests. They scratched glyphs into the bark of trees in the areas under their protection.

Unicorns mated for life.

Unicorns that rested at the Place of the Unicorn, sacred to the unicorn goddess Lurue, in the Sword Mountains were healed of all injury and disease.

Combat
Unicorns were able to sense evil nearby and radiate an aura which protected them from most evil spells. A touch of the unicorn's horn could both heal wounds and cure poison. Unicorns could fey step (teleport) to a nearby location. Unicorns attacked primarily by impaling foes on their horns, although they could also use their hooves as weapons.

Locations
At least 100 unicorns could be found in the High Forest, as well as a few down through the Unicorn Run. Unicorns were most likely to be seen near the Sisters waterfalls, where seeing them and the moon rise above the cliffs were seen as a sign of good fortune from the goddess Mielikki. Other locations home to unicorns included the Forgotten Forest.

History
A cavalry of 50-100 "unicornriders" existed in ancient Cormanthyr.

During the Shoon Dynasty, rulers experimented on unicorns in an attempt to discover the secrets of eternal youth. A herd of unicorns used to inhabit Shilmista before they and the elves that tended them were slaughtered in 355 DR by Necroqysar Shoon VII for use in the Tome of the Unicorn and the Staff of Shoon.

Ecology
Unicorn horns were reputed to have magical and healing properties. They could be used in the production of antidotes and healing potions. They could be sold to alchemists for thousands of gold pieces. However, there were many people in the Realms, particularly followers of Mielikki and Lurue, who were willing to punish slayers of unicorns with death.

Notable unicorns

 * Kamerynn, a unicorn on the Moonshae Isles.
 * Andahar, a magical unicorn able to be summoned by Drizzt Do'Urden.

Varieties
Black unicorns were the evil counterparts of regular unicorns. They were created through magical breeding programs by the the Red Wizards of Thay.
 * Black unicorn:

Celestial chargers were unicorns from Celestia that were the enemies of all evil creatures that would destroy woodlands. Sea unicorns were aquatic unicorns found in the Sea of Fallen Stars.
 * Celestial charger:
 * Sea unicorn:

Trivia

 * The symbols of the goddesses Lurue and Mielikki were unicorns.
 * A number of the locations in Faerûn were named after unicorns, such as Unicorn Run and the Place of the Unicorn.
 * Unicorns were a popular theme for inns and taverns, such as The Unicorn and Crescent, the Weeping Unicorn, The Jaded Unicorn, and House of the Wise Unicorn.
 * The name of the year 355 DR, the Year of the Mourning Horns, may refer to the slaughter of unicorns in that year.
 * In Cormyr, the unicorn symbolized the "hidden mysteries and serenity at the heart of the forest."
 * Stone unicorns from a bridge over the Silverymoon Ford were relocated to the High Palace of Silverymoon.

Appearances

 * Novels:
 * Darkwalker on Moonshae
 * Dawnbringer (mentioned)
 * Lady of Poison
 * Queen of the Depths
 * Night of the Hunter
 * Rise of the King
 * Son of Thunder
 * Starless Night
 * The Thousand Orcs
 * Vengeance of the Iron Dwarf


 * Sourcebooks:
 * Monster Manual 1st edition
 * Monstrous Manual
 * The North: Guide to the Savage Frontier
 * Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition
 * Monster Manual 3.5
 * Monster Manual 4th edition


 * Magazines:
 * "The ecology of the unicorn" (Roger E. Moore) in Dragon #77
 * "Unique Unicorns" (Michael John Wybo II) in Dragon #190
 * "Good Monsters" (Chris Tanner) in Dragon #307


 * Other:
 * A Reader's Guide to R. A. Salvatore's the Legend of Drizzt