A Discovery of the World

"Be it known that according to the dwellers of the wasteland the fabric of this world is divided into two parts, East and West, that reach from the points of sunrise and sunset..."

- Vilhiard of Procampur, A Discovery of the World

A Discovery of the World, also called A Description of the World, was a book written by Vilhiard of Procampur, a renowned scholar and monk of Deneir. It told of his travels into the Hordelands and other lands of the East, and described all the lands he explored and the customs of the peoples he met, such as the Tuigan.

The book was written in Thorass with a corresponding archaic language and varied spellings for Tuigan terms, such as naming them "Taangan". It was an illuminated manuscript, that is, it contained painted images.

Vilhiard wrote his book after carrying out a number of missions to the East on the orders of his Hierarch, telling of all that he saw and discovered on his journeys. Though his observations were generally accurate, he also saw many strange things he could not fully explain, either in amazement or for lacking the right words, which led to some clumsy descriptions in his work. This, combined with some rough abridgements of his book, lead to number of inaccurate tales of his exploits, which became confused with even less accurate tales from other travelers.

Nevertheless, his work became the basis for the majority of Faerûnian scholarly knowledge about the Hordelands, particularly the Tuigan, and provided context for the rise of the Tuigan Horde under Yamun Khahan. A Discovery of the World was referenced for modern histories of the Horde.

A complete manuscript of A Discovery of the World was kept within the temple of Deneir in Procampur. Prelate Wenslan Amthur allowed researchers to examine it.


 * The dates of Vilhiard's travels are not known, but the mention of Zulkirs places them sometime after they seized power in 1074 DR. As his book is described as an older work than those that reference the Tuigan Horde, his travels likely also occurred sometime prior to 1360 DR.


 * A lengthy extract appears as a handout in The Horde''.