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• Deciding to see it while he still can, BadCatMan went to the well-defended trade city of Elturel, exploring from the Docks to the High District via the Winter Garden and seeing the imposing Helm's Shieldhall. He learned about the legendary Hellriders and how safe and secure the city was. When he asked about thieves, he learned from the Hellriders just how safe and secure. After doing some detective work on counterfeit Elturian Grey cheeses at the Bent Helm tavern, he spent a sleepless night at the Oar and Wagonwheel Inn, blaming the noise rather than the cheese, but it beat the dungeons. He apologizes for missing the Clacks again, but promises the time was spent working on the wiki in other ways.

• After telling us more than we ever wanted to know about skull lords, bulezaus, gorgimerae, and turnips, Possessed Priest sailed with the Heroes of Ascore to Farr Windward, a colony of (fellow?) outcasts and misfits, meeting Ougo the Strange among others. There he saw an impressive performance of the original Neverwinter Nights epic poem, complete with kumquats on the actors' heads.
• Meanwhile, Regis87 continued her Year of Magic, documenting the spells of Maztica's hishnashapers, such as pestilence, scalesnare, and scrollsee, and plumaweavers, with bird charm, blossom, and featherweaving, and modern spells like minor illusion, thaumaturgy, and spirit guardians. After running afoul of a Hell Knight, Regis took refuge on Mount Celestia, ascending through the layers of Solania, Mertion, and Jovar.

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Goliaths were a nomadic race of humanoids who roamed the cold, mountainous regions of Toril, but their exploratory nature occasionally brought individuals or small groups to more temperate and populated areas. A typical goliath stood between 7 and 8 feet (210 to 240 cm) tall and weighed 280–340 lb (127–154 kg). They were very strong and had extremely tough skin that varied in shade from gray to brown with distinctive markings in darker shades. Goliaths believed these markings were an abstract map of their destiny and for this reason never tattooed themselves for fear of altering their fate for the worse.

Fiercely competitive, especially with themselves, goliaths kept a running account of their accomplishments and personal bests, and always desired to improve. Those not familiar with goliath culture could misconstrue this as boasting, but to them it was the matter-of-fact measure of their lives—goliaths looked upon cheating, gloating, holding grudges, and whining with disdain. They lived by the maxim "Today's rival is tomorrow's teammate."

Goliaths tried to get along with anyone that didn't threaten their livelihood, but expected everyone to pull their own weight and contribute to an endeavor. They were particularly fond of dwarves and their weapons-crafting skills, enough that goliaths would venture underground to seek out trading opportunities. They were known to hunt with human rangers and druids, but were a bit awestruck by elves that were old enough to have first-hand knowledge of their ancestors.

New & Upcoming Releases

Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus by Christopher Perkins is a 5^th-edition Dungeons & Dragons adventure module released on September 17, 2019. It sees players adventure from Baldur's Gate down to Avernus, the first of the Nine Hells.

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Welcome to Baldur's Gate, a city of ambition and corruption situated at the crossroads of the Sword Coast. You've just started your adventuring career, but already find yourself embroiled in a plot that sprawls from the shadows of Baldur's Gate to the front lines of the planes-spanning Blood War! Do you have what it takes to turn infernal war machines and nefarious contracts against the archdevil Zariel and her diabolical hordes? And can you ever hope to find your way home safely when pitted against the infinite evils of the Nine Hells?

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Boundless by R.A. Salvatore is the second entry in the Generations trilogy featuring Drizzt Do'Urden. It was released on September 10^th. The novel's story is split into two parts: one following Drizzt in the present time of the Realms, and the other focusing on Zaknafein and Jarlaxle's adventures in the distant past.

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Split between time and two worlds, Zaknafein had always been conflicted. That inner turmoil was magnified by his inferior position as a male dark elf in the matriarchal drow society. Only his status as one of the greatest warriors—as well as his friendship with the mercenary Jarlaxle—kept him sane. When he finally perished, he was content knowing he left behind a legacy as substantial as his son Drizzt...

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Dragon+ #28 was released on October 30, 2019.

For the Realms, this issue gives previews of the Warriors of Waterdeep mobile game, a Tyranny of Dragons Special Edition, a Descent into Avernus Soundpack, and new Icons of the Realms. There are articles on the Nine Hells, infernal war machines, and neo-otyughs, and a short story set in Elturel, as well as Maps of the Month for Baldur's Gate.

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Realms of the Dead was an anthology of short stories from the Forgotten Realms, and the last published anthology of original tales to date. It accompanied the The Haunted Lands trilogy by Richard Lee Byers, and had stories spanning both sides of the setting-changing Spellplague. It was published in January 2010 and edited by Susan J. Morris.

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Not even the mightiest mage, working spells that remain utterly reliable, can hope to prevail against dozens of tireless, ruthless UNDEAD who suffer no pain and can be distracted by nothing. Every creature on Faerûn has its dark mirror in the undead—from the ghosts of ancient warriors to the rune-scribed skeletons of dragons. And in a world with as rich and bloody a history as the Forgotten Realms, they are legion—outshining the living in variety and number. Here are a dozen of the most terrifying tales of the haunted Realms.

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Today in the Realms...

...it is 14 Uktar, or the 14th of the Rotting. Selûne is a waning crescent moon .   

Realmslore

• Fort Tamal was a keep near Boareskyr Bridge operated by the Order of the Companion. An oddly substantial contingent of paladins was stationed here despite there being seemingly little to protect nearby.
• The paladin Justin Melenikus worked to protect small settlements in the Savage Frontier from the myriad threats found in the area. This was motivated in part by his own experience as a survivor of an orc raid.
• Become bones was a spell that rendered the caster's flesh, organs, and clothing invisible, causing them to appear as a skeleton. Curiously, this also caused undead creatures to ignore the caster.
• Shaundyl Berethryl was an elven warlord in the Hullack Forest. Considering humans "bestial and unwashed", he sought to foment unrest in Cormyr with the aim of toppling the ruling Obarskyr dynasty.
• Dracolisks were extremely rare crossbreeds of dragons and basilisks. They were armed with the breath of a dragon and the petrifying gaze of a basilisk, as well as a cunning that belied their bestial forms.
• The fiendish flesh golem Mickey was a member of the Knucklebones Gang in Avernus, led by his creator, the night hag Mad Maggie. He was picked on by his fellow redcap and madcap gang members.
• Amrik Vanthampur was a member of the patriar Vanthampur family of Baldur's Gate. He operated a moneylending business out of the Low Lantern tavern and gambling hall.
• Nan Wu was a wu jen in Shou Lung affiliated with the criminal Tsui Tong syndicate. He eventually retired to spend time on scholarly pursuits, but was still frequently called on by the Tsui Tong for "one last task".
• Dragonshape was an extremely potent alteration spell that allowed its caster to take the form of a dragon, though they were limited to dragon types whose ethos aligned with their own.
• A wand of secrets could reveal the location of the nearest secret passage or trap within a limited range. This power, which the wand recharged at dawn, could be used up to three times a day.

And, from the archives:

• Arcanists of the Netherese Sargauth Enclave in Undermountain became the Skulls of Skullport after the Fall of Netheril.
• A tchazar was a fragile, straw-yellow semi-precious stone that when cut and polished could blur scrying in a 2 ft (60 cm) radius.
• The breath of life spell could cure an entire small town of a natural disease, but could also be reversed to become breath of death.
• The Worried Wyvern was a high-quality inn located in Sevenecho in the Vast. The sprawling structure had been greatly extended.
• Cherlrigo's Darkness was a translation of a prophetic sonnet cryptically referring to the Chosen, the Shadowfell, and the Sundering.

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