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Fireworks were a type of low explosive in the Realms designed for the purpose of entertainment and aesthetic displays.[3][4] Those who made or handled fireworks were sometimes known as pyrobolists.[3]

Ah, delight. This is the point entire of the art of fireworking. To enchant, to move, to titillate. Within these pages you'll find the distillation of my many years of fire-craft with the hope of elevating this craft I love so well.

Description[]

Professional Fireworks

A more exciting use for dyes.

Fireworks produced a sort of popping sound when they went off,[5] usually in a rapid succession that could be heard from great distances,[6] and dazzling displays of colors[4][7] and lights in the sky.[8][9] Through the use of dyes, different effects could be achieved. Some fireworks required a mortar in order to be shot into the air,[3] while others flew by their own propulsion.[4]

Smokepowder was used in the production of fireworks.[10] More specifically, small, magically limited kernels known as fireseeds. These were what imparted fireworks their distinctive "popping" noise.[5]

The smell of fireworks was compared by some to that of brimstone.[11]

Availability[]

Across the Realms, fireworks were produced in Baldur's Gate,[4][12][13] Lantan,[14][15] Shou Lung,[7][16] and in Waterdeep.[17] The fireworks made in Shou Lung were exported all across Kara-tur[7] and even farther afield to the Blade Kingdoms[18] and western Faerûn's Sword Coast,[3] though Shou fireworks were an uncommon sight in Waterdeep.[17] Outside of Kara-Tur, fireworks were considered by some to be a rather Gnomish field of crafts, with some becoming quite devoted to their making.[4] Most fireworks in Waterdeep were produced by rock gnomes.[17]

Feast vendor year of the boar

A merchant of Far Eastern goods has a crate of fireworks on display during the Year of the Boar Feast of Lanterns.

In the city of Baldur's Gate, Felogyr's Fireworks had a monopoly on fireworks production,[10] as its owners were the only Baldurians with a license to produce smokepowder,[19] a state of affairs that went as far back as the shop's founding.[20] In the late 1360s DR, the prices for fireworks ranged from 25 to 75 gold pieces.[8]

Additionally, a number of Gondar temples produced and sold fireworks.[5] Beyond manufacturers, fireworks were found to varying degrees in Calimshan,[21] Delzimmer,[22] Gana,[1] Halruaa,[23][24] the Blade Kingdoms,[25] Neverwinter,[3] Ravens Bluff,[26] and Westgate,[27] as well as in the City of Brass in the Plane of Fire,[28]

Varieties[]

  • Firecrackers, a type of small ground firework that was developed in Shou Lung.[16]
  • Oddfire, a brand of fireworks that used a unique mixture of powders to create particoloured explosions. Named for the company that produced them, Oddfire, they could be found for sale at Felogyr's Fireworks in the late 15th century DR.[4]
  • Twinkledust, a type of firework similar to firecrackers, but produced in the Blade Kingdoms.[25]
  • Whizbangs, a type of firework sold at Felogyr's Fireworks in the late 15th century DR.[4]

Safety[]

You could cast fireballs of sorts, without having to spend years studying magic.
— Halsin, commenting on offensive utilities while inside Felogyr’s Fireworks[4]

Though fireworks were designed for recreational purposes,[3][4] like any explosive they could become dangerous if misused or handled improperly,[4][5] both to the person operating them and bystanders, ranging from burns to serious wounds. For safety it was often recommended that one wear gloves while handling them, to ignite them at arm's length, and to be mindful of wind direction.[4]

Animals, such as dogs, could be frightened by the loud noise they produced.[3]

Usage[]

Fireworks were often used at festivals[29][30][31] and celebrations.[7]

  • In Thentia, fireworks featured in many periodic, popular festivals.[31][note 1]
  • They were used as part of some Feast of the Moon celebrations in Baldur's Gate[32] and Delzimmer.[22]
  • In Neverwinter, celebrations of the Shou festival Feast of Lanterns featured fireworks displays, which were organized by Far Eastern pyrobolists.[3]
  • In west Zakhara, fireworks were fired off in the city of Gana as part of the Festival of the Pearl.[1]
  • Small fireworks were used by House Baenre during celebrations.[33]
  • The Church of Berronar Truesilver used sparkler fireworks on their holy days, Midwinter day and Midsummer night, to mark the ending of each unison prayer.[34][35]
  • In Waterdeep, the Church of Mystra celebrated the holiday Gods' Day with a huge festival that culminated in a magical fireworks display that went on well into the night.[36]
  • A fireworks display was a common feature of the festival of Lliira's Night in the Sword Coast in the late 15th century DR, having been first popularized in Baldurian celebrations of the festival by Felogyr's Fireworks.[37][38]

History[]

By 1357 DR,[39] fireworks had been a common fixture in the nation of Shou Lung for several hundred years.[7] Meanwhile, in the city of Westgate, they were considered to be a relatively rare sight around 1368 DR,[27] being viewed as a luxury.[40]

In the Year of Shadows, 1358 DR, the arcanaloth Yrkhetep impersonated Khan Kertep and led his barbarian army against the city of Hlath in Chondath. During the siege of Hlath, in the heat of battle against the city's gathered defenders, he set off fireworks to confuse and frighten the Faerûnians, counting on them having no experience with them.[41]

In the Year of the Gauntlet, 1369 DR,[42] Iakhovas attacked Baldur's Gate with his army of sahuagin and other sea creatures as part of the Twelfth Serôs War. Adventurers Khlinat Ironeater and Jherek Wolf's-get managed to kill many sahuagin and repel the attack by detonating a wagon full of kegs of smokepowder and fireworks that they had gotten from Felogyr's Fireworks.[43]

Celebratory fireworks became a common occurrence in the skies of Halruaa following the nation's victory against the Crinti[24] in the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR.[44]

Sometime in the Year of the Narthex Murders, 1482 DR,[45] a disguised Imbralym Skoond visited Felogyr's Fireworks and bought everything it had in stock, as well as all of its raw materials, under the alias "Horus Kope",[46] on behalf of Grand Duke Torlin Silvershield. Initially he sought to break Felogyr's monopoly on fireworks, having Skoond line up suppliers so he could arrange to produce more smokepowder, though his plans were derailed by Bhaal's growing influence on his mind.[10] By 1492 DR, Felogyr's continued to have a monopoly over fireworks in the city.[4]

Honor Among Thieves - Fireworks over Neverwinter

Just don't tell the druids about the smoke, falling embers, and startled animals...

Following the end of the High Sun Games, the downfall of Forge Fitzwilliam and Sofina, and the liberation of Neverwinter and the Neverwinter Wood in the late 1490s DR,[note 2] the people of the area celebrated with a display of fireworks in the air between the city and the forest. These were watched by the adventurers responsible—Edgin Darvis, Holga Kilgore, Simon Aumar, Doric, and Kira Darvis—from a wood elf tree village in the forest.[47]

Appendix[]

See Also[]

  • Pyrotechnics, a spell that could put on a similarly colorful display.

Notes[]

  1. Due to the phrasing of this source, it is unclear if the text is referring literally to fireworks or using the term descriptively for displays of magic.
  2. The Honor Among Thieves movie and its tie-ins are as yet undated. As discussed here, from the condition of Castle Never and Dagult Neverember's reign, this wiki estimates a date of the late 1490s DR for the main events of the movie. Prequels and flashback scenes are set up to 11 years before this.

Appearances[]

External Links[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jeff Grubb (August 1992). Land of Fate (Adventurer's Guide to Zakhara). (TSR, Inc), p. 88. ISBN 978-1560763291.
  2. Jeff Grubb and Kate Novak (July 1995). Masquerades. (TSR, Inc), chap. 13, p. 195. ISBN 0-7869-0152-7.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Cryptic Studios (June 2013). Neverwinter. Perfect World Entertainment.
  4. 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 Larian Studios (October 2020). Designed by Swen Vincke, et al. Baldur's Gate III. Larian Studios.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Ed Greenwood (2019-07-20). Firecrackers & Fireworks in the Realms (Tweet). theedverse. Twitter. Archived from the original on 2022-03-15. Retrieved on 2022-03-15.
  6. Tom Dupree (1995). “The Wild Bunch”. In Brian Thomsen and J. Robert King ed. Realms of Magic (TSR, Inc), p. 237. ISBN 0-7869-0303-1.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Mike Pondsmith, Jay Batista, Rick Swan, John Nephew, Deborah Christian (1988). Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (Volume I). (TSR, Inc), p. 29. ISBN 0-88038-608-8.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Ed Greenwood (1994). Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast. (TSR, Inc), p. 217. ISBN 1-5607-6940-1.
  9. Jeff Grubb and Kate Novak (July 1995). Masquerades. (TSR, Inc), chap. 13, p. 192. ISBN 0-7869-0152-7.
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 Ed Greenwood, Matt Sernett, Steve Winter (August 20, 2013). “Murder in Baldur's Gate”. In Dawn J. Geluso ed. Murder in Baldur's Gate (Wizards of the Coast), p. 27. ISBN 0-7869-6463-4.
  11. Jennell Jaquays and William W. Connors (March 1990). Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb Guide. Edited by William W. Connors and Warren Spector. (TSR, Inc.), p. 22. ISBN 0-88038-817-X.
  12. Christopher Perkins, James Haeck, James Introcaso, Adam Lee, Matthew Sernett (September 2018). Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. Edited by Jeremy Crawford. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 186. ISBN 978-0-7869-6625-7.
  13. Adam Lee, et al. (September 2019). Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus. Edited by Michele Carter, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 188. ISBN 978-0-7869-6687-5.
  14. Ed Greenwood (September 2002). Hand of Fire. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 18, p. 322. ISBN 0-7869-2760-7.
  15. Ed Greenwood (July 2012). “Spin a Yarn: Jantharl's Surprising Journey”. In Steve Winter ed. Dragon #413 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 3.
  16. 16.0 16.1 Mike Pondsmith, Jay Batista, Rick Swan, John Nephew, Deborah Christian (1988). Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (Volume I). (TSR, Inc), p. 14. ISBN 0-88038-608-8.
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 Ed Greenwood, The Hooded One (2005-03-04). Questions for Ed Greenwood (2005). Candlekeep Forum. Archived from the original on 2024-05-03. Retrieved on 2025-01-09.
  18. Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), p. 150–151. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  19. Ed Greenwood, Matt Sernett, Steve Winter (August 20, 2013). “Murder in Baldur's Gate”. In Dawn J. Geluso ed. Murder in Baldur's Gate (Wizards of the Coast), p. 16. ISBN 0-7869-6463-4.
  20. Ed Greenwood, Matt Sernett, Steve Winter (August 20, 2013). “Campaign Guide”. In Dawn J. Geluso ed. Murder in Baldur's Gate (Wizards of the Coast), p. 54. ISBN 0-7869-6463-4.
  21. Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 25. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.
  22. 22.0 22.1 Tim Pratt (March, 2012). Venom in Her Veins. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 3, p. ?. ISBN 0786959843.
  23. Elaine Cunningham (April 2001). The Floodgate. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 24, p. 307. ISBN 0-7869-1818-7.
  24. 24.0 24.1 Elaine Cunningham (March 2002). The Wizardwar. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 18, p. 261. ISBN 978-0786927043.
  25. 25.0 25.1 Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), p. 31. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  26. Bill Reynolds (December 1999). Stormbreaker. (RPGA), pp. 7, 21.
  27. 27.0 27.1 Jeff Grubb and Kate Novak (July 1995). Masquerades. (TSR, Inc), chap. 13, p. 190. ISBN 0-7869-0152-7.
  28. Wolfgang Baur (November 1993). Secrets of the Lamp. Genie Lore. (TSR, Inc.), p. 7. ISBN 978-1560766476.
  29. Elaine Cunningham (March 2003). Tangled Webs. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 11, p. 173. ISBN 0-7869-2959-6.
  30. Elaine Cunningham (April 2001). The Floodgate. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 296, 303. ISBN 0-7869-1818-7.
  31. 31.0 31.1 John Terra (January 1995). “Reference Guide”. In Allison Lassieur ed. The Moonsea (TSR, Inc.), p. 16. ISBN 978-0786900923.
  32. Ed Greenwood, Matt Sernett, Steve Winter (August 20, 2013). “Murder in Baldur's Gate”. In Dawn J. Geluso ed. Murder in Baldur's Gate (Wizards of the Coast), p. 30. ISBN 0-7869-6463-4.
  33. R.A. Salvatore (September 2015). Archmage (Hardcover). (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 10, p. 179. ISBN 0-7869-6575-4.
  34. Ed Greenwood (October 1990). Dwarves Deep. (TSR, Inc.), p. 32. ISBN 0-88038-880-3.
  35. Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). Demihuman Deities. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 47–48. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
  36. Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), p. 129. ISBN 978-0786903849.
  37. Christopher Perkins, James Haeck, James Introcaso, Adam Lee, Matthew Sernett (September 2018). Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. Edited by Jeremy Crawford. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 186. ISBN 978-0-7869-6625-7.
  38. Cryptic Studios (June 2013). Neverwinter. Perfect World Entertainment.
  39. Mike Pondsmith, Jay Batista, Rick Swan, John Nephew, Deborah Christian (1988). Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (Volume I). (TSR, Inc), pp. 48, 66. ISBN 0-88038-608-8.
  40. Jeff Grubb and Kate Novak (July 1995). Masquerades. (TSR, Inc), chap. 13, p. 193. ISBN 0-7869-0152-7.
  41. Bill Connors, Christopher Mortika, Rick Reid, Scott Bennie, John Terra, Jay Batista, Roy Schelper, Rick Swan (April 1988). Swords of the Iron Legion. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 40–41. ISBN 978-0880385596.
  42. Eric L. Boyd, Ed Greenwood, Steven E. Schend (2000). Presenting...Seven Millennia of Realms Fiction. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2003-06-21. Retrieved on 2015-08-12.
  43. Mel Odom (October 1999). Under Fallen Stars. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 7, p. ?. ISBN 978-0-7869-1378-7.
  44. Thomas Reid (October 2004). Shining South. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 132. ISBN 0-7869-3492-1.
  45. Steve Kenson, et al. (November 2015). Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 17. ISBN 978-0-7869-6580-9.
  46. Ed Greenwood, Matt Sernett, Steve Winter (August 20, 2013). “Murder in Baldur's Gate”. In Dawn J. Geluso ed. Murder in Baldur's Gate (Wizards of the Coast), p. 18. ISBN 0-7869-6463-4.
  47. Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley (2023). Honor Among Thieves. (Paramount Pictures).
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