Forgotten Realms Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Forgotten Realms Wiki

An earthmote was a piece of land that, due to the influence of magic, floated above the earth. Despite their appearance, the earthmotes were as durable and stable as any piece of land in the ground.[1]

Although earthmotes could be raised artificially with the use of magic,[2] most of the existing earthmotes in the 15th century DR were a direct consequence of the Spellplague.[1]

Description[]

Each earthmote was unique in size, shape and altitude. Some were no bigger than chunks of earth, while others were almost as big as a mountain or an island. Some hovered no more than a few meters above ground, while others floated in the sky, alongside the clouds. A few earthmotes moved across the lands, either in programmed routes or erratically, but most of them were stationary, hovering near an earthbound feature. Disruptions, whether natural or magical, didn't have any effects on an earthmote's ability to float.[1]

Almost all earthmotes could support life, and their natural flora mirrored that of the landscape below them, allowing some earthmotes to be settled by those who had the resources to do such a thing. Likewise, some earthmotes had natural portals to the Elemental Plane of Water, allowing them to create never-ending water sources.[1]

Some spellcasters were able to master rituals that allowed them to create earthmotes by magically raising chunks of earth from the ground, or to control the movements of existing ones.[2]

History[]

It was believed the Netherese were the first spellcasters that developed the magical rituals to create artificial earthmotes, when they were building their flying cities.[3]

After the Spellplague of 1385 DR, and due to the wild magic effects released during that cataclysm, many earthmotes appeared across Toril. Usually, the earthmotes were more common in places where Toril and Abeir had exchanged lands,[1] specially in Akanûl,[4] the Vilhon Wilds,[5] and around the Underchasm.[6] In the following century, earthmotes became widely common in Faerûn, and some kingdoms even went to war with one another for the dominion of such new territories.[1]

When the Second Sundering came to an end, around 1487 DR, most earthmotes lost their magical properties and fell from the sky[7][8][9] or were taken over to Abeir.[7] However, not all of them disappeared, and a few lonely earthmotes or isolated groups of them were still common across Toril even after the Sundering came to an end.[7][8][9]

Notable earthmotes[]

Appendix[]

See Also[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 52. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Rob Heinsoo, Logan Bonner, Robert J. Schwalb (September 2008). Forgotten Realms Player's Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 144–145. ISBN 978-0-7869-4929-8.
  3. Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 261. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
  4. Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 90. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
  5. Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 86. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
  6. Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 120. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Ed Greenwood on Twitter. (13-01-2019). Retrieved on 20-11-2020.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Steve Kenson, et al. (November 2015). Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 11. ISBN 978-0-7869-6580-9.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 58. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  10. Brian R. James (May 2010). “Backdrop: Chessenta”. In Chris Youngs ed. Dungeon #178 (Wizards of the Coast) (178)., p. 71.
  11. Rob Heinsoo, Logan Bonner, Robert J. Schwalb (September 2008). Forgotten Realms Player's Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 78. ISBN 978-0-7869-4929-8.
  12. Rob Heinsoo, Logan Bonner, Robert J. Schwalb (September 2008). Forgotten Realms Player's Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 84. ISBN 978-0-7869-4929-8.
  13. Matt Sernett, Erik Scott de Bie, Ari Marmell (August 2011). Neverwinter Campaign Setting. Edited by Tanis O'Connor. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 189. ISBN 0-7869-5814-6.
  14. Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 63. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
  15. Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 121. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
  16. Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 256. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
  17. Rob Heinsoo, Logan Bonner, Robert J. Schwalb (September 2008). Forgotten Realms Player's Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 111. ISBN 978-0-7869-4929-8.
  18. Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 154. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
  19. Matt Sernett, Erik Scott de Bie, Ari Marmell (August 2011). Neverwinter Campaign Setting. Edited by Tanis O'Connor. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 142. ISBN 0-7869-5814-6.
  20. Christopher Rowe (March 2011). Sandstorm. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0786957422.
Advertisement