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• Inspired by recent news, Ruf explored Baldur's Gate: its history, its politics, its people, its defenses, layout, and more. He mapped its Upper City and visited the grand High Hall, the seat of government, where he hobnobbed with the noble "patriar" families, such as the unlucky Dluskers.
• Looking for a new way of getting around the planes? Lhynard studied the color pools (aided by Emolyn) in the Astral Plane (just mind the githyanki pirates) and the just-as-colorful ethereal curtains in the Ethereal Plane. He took a faceted-green color pool to Wenimats, home of the Azuposi gods.

• Meanwhile, Sir Whiteout heard the music of the planes and impressively recorded all the planar tuning fork sounds needed for the plane shift spell, in convenient six-second durations. But experimenting with F♯ ( listen) sent him to Cania and Nessus, bottom two of the Nine Hells, and he had to follow the River Styx out.
• We welcome back Gem Hound, who took one of those color pools into the mind flayer city of Oryndoll, City of Loretakers. Passing through the Thrall Caverns, she stopped at the Spinal Tap (no heavy metal, just the dread music of the bonethriven) and took in a show at the Amphitheater, until she was caught poking around in the Undervaults of Ilsensine. We hear the drooling has stopped now…

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Larloch was a Netherese male human and a lich. He was the former Sorcerer-King of the enclave of Jiksidur in ancient Netheril and later the master of the Warlock's Crypt and Shadow King of its undead inhabitants. He was one of the oldest non-draconic beings in Faerûn and one of its most powerful mages, as well as one of the few surviving Netherese sorcerer-kings.

A lich of extreme age, Larloch's body was greatly decayed, leaving only his white-boned skeleton, with two orbs of red light in place of eyes. Streaks of emerald energy moved about his body, and at least two dozen ioun stones floated around his skull. He was also insane, his mind affected by his extreme age. Sometimes he could be calm and even whimsical. Other times he was crazed, snarling and launching spells at random.

Larloch possessed incredible power and was a superintelligent genius. He sought only greater arcane Art and was a talented and cunning inventor of new spells, magic items, and magical techniques and strategies. He forged the Death Moon Orb artifact. He was a master of curse magic, and modified many of his own spells and abilities in surprising ways. He enjoyed inflicting horrible transformations and curses on those who failed him or trespassed in his tower. He also performed cruel necromantic experiments on captured travelers.

New & Upcoming Releases

A Darkened Wish #2 by B. Dave Walters with art by Tess Fowler is the second of a new five-issue comic series published by IDW Publishing. It will be released on July 24th, and is set around the Sea of Swords, following the adventures of the young wizard Helene and friends.

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Enter Hoondarrh: the Red Rage of Mintarn; the Sleeping Wyrm of Skadaurak; a red dragon of legendary size, cunning, and strength. None shall prevail against his might.

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The D&D Essentials Kit received a limited release on June 24^th, 2019. This boxed set is intended as an introduction to D&D for newer players, and contains a basic ruleset, a dice set, and a map of the Sword Coast. Also included is the adventure "Dragon of Icespire Peak," which ties into the introductory adventure in the earlier D&D Starter Set. The Essentials Kit will be available everywhere on September 3^rd.

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Storm King's Thunder is an adventure module and sourcebook for the Forgotten Realms using the 5th-edition ruleset of Dungeons & Dragons. Set in the Savage Frontier region of the late 15th century DR, it pits players against giants of many varieties.

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To Fight Giants, You Must Be Giant Ages ago, giants and dragons waged war across the Savage Frontier. These battles are long forgotten by the human civilizations of today, but ancient relics remain. And now, the land shudders once more with the thunder of giant footsteps. Hill giants raid farms for food and livestock, as stone giants lay waste to settlements in their path. Frost giants plunder coastal towns, as fire giants gather slaves. Cloud giant castles drift across the sky, casting ominous shadows on the cities of the North. But no threat compares to the wrath of the storm giants, who stand betrayed. Puny adventurers must rise to the challenge, gather their strength, unlock the power of ancient runes, and take the fight to the giants' doorsteps. Only then can they discover a hidden evil fomenting a war between giants and small folk. Only then can they forge an alliance to end the war before it begins. A Dungeons & Dragons® adventure for characters of levels 1–10. For use with the fifth edition Player's Handbook®, Monster Manual®, and Dungeon Master's Guide®.

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Today in the Realms...

...it is 21 Flamerule, or the 21st of Summertide. Selûne is a waxing crescent moon . On this day:

• The city of Silverymoon celebrates Oldcasks, the first of its ten summertime festivals leading up to Midsummer.
• In 1374 DR, the Standing Stone, which commemorated the signing of the Dales Compact in 1 DR, was destroyed by House Dlardrageth. House Dlardrageth and House Jaelre then proceeded to declare an alliance.

Realmslore

• The psionic power psionic blast allowed a caster to affect the minds of nearby victims, producing a mental blast, shock, or stun.
• The Great Drunkard was a Walking Statue of Waterdeep, located just south of the city's market. A tavern was eventually built in the statue's lap.
• The dragon Alhazmabad lived in the ancient past of the island Lurath. Although Lurath was full of portals bridging the past and the present, he could not pass through them.
• Pygmywort was a faerzress-infused fungus found only in the Whorlstone Caverns in the Underdark. When ingested, it caused a temporary shrinking effect.
• Danse macabre was a necromancy spell that raised a group of corpses as undead. The corpses would follow the caster's command until the spell's expiration.
• Broadhand was a blacksmith in Silverymoon, and a high-ranking agent of Bane. He kept a shrine to his deity in a hidden back room in his shop.
• Find greater steed allowed paladins to summon a spirit to take the form of an impressive mount. The spirit could take the form of a pegasus or rhinoceros, among others.

And, from the archives:

• The Mosque of Honored Elders in Muluk was devoted to Old Kor. It supported a hospital for followers of the Zakharan gods.
• Rassalice Olaundran was one of the Olaundran satrap family of Delzimmer. She was a patron of local arts, but flitted between fads.
• Barrom Quiverleaf was a half-elf wizard who wandered in search of a mysterious woman and a promise of long life and knowledge.
• In −2024 DR, the Netherese arcanist Quantoul introduced the spell Quantoul's strength, later known commonly as bull's strength.
• Jhalass Huntsilver was queen of Cormyr in the early 13th century DR, until she and King Dhalmass were slain by assassins.
• Darthurn was the lord of the ruined dwarven logging town of Caddarak, which lay west of the High Forest. Only his hall survived.

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