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• There's been big news on Baldur's Gate III. We've got what's known and are getting ready for more.
• Artemaz resurfaced in the Gateway City of Dihliz, working for the Ministry of Secrets. But, outside the Ivory Palace, he was ambushed by the savage Cult of Ragarra and carried off to their temple in Kadarasto, the City Most Sinister, for sacrifice. Which was just as well; he was going there anyway.

• Exploring Amruthar and asking too many questions about Zulkir Maligor, Artyom.pavlov ate some bad yarberries at the Gold Dragon Inn and awoke as a slave in the Thayvian gold mines. He was allegedly rescued by a Underdark-dwelling giant catfish, but was still a bit delirious at the time.
• Fleeing Shou-town yakuza on the Rock of Bral, Lhynard stumbled into the Temple of Odin and ran into space vikings instead. Inspired by legends of the alien Norse gods, he went spelljamming with them to see Yggdrasil's Child, the colossal tree of Garden, and its many moons.
• Stuck at home with nothing to do? Then stay in and explore, and become a wiki writer. Make an account, use the Source Editor, learn the ropes, and get stuck in!

Featured Article

The Vast was a land in north Faerûn resting along the north coast of Inner Sea, bounded by the Dragon Reach in the west; the Earthspur Mountains, the Gray Forest, and Impiltur in the east; and the Moonsea and Damara in the north. It was a land of open spaces and rolling farmlands, sparsely settled but far from empty. It was home to fertile fields and hunting grounds; long rivers like the Fire and the Vesper; old-growth forests like the Brynwood and Adhe Wood that survived logging, as well as new-growth woodlands; and the great mountain ranges of the Earthspurs that girded it and the Earthfasts that ran through to meet the sea at sheer cliffs.

Over its history, the Vast was home to many great cities and realms. There was the ancient elf city of Ylraphon, an outpost Cormanthyr and once the abode of the famed Srinshee. Among the oldest human cities north of the Inner Sea were Procampur, orderly, mannered, and proud; and Tsurlagol, oft-ruined yet the Gateway to the Unapproachable East; both settled by the fallen Jhaamdathan Empire. There was also Vastar, for which the land was named, an ancient orcish nation with a turbulent history of strife and hordes that poured into other lands. It fell to the dwarf kingdom of Roldilar, the Realm of Glimmering Swords, a brief but shining surface holding for the Stout Folk. Next came the so-called Time of Glorious Fools, a fresh wave of human settlement and human adventurers who carved a new land out of the ashes of the old, giving rise to the new cities of Calaunt, corrupt and gloomy and foul; Tantras, boisterous and home to many temples, and once even the god Torm the True; and finally the famous Ravens Bluff, the Living City, freewheeling, vibrant, and a city of adventurers. Lastly, these three united in the nation of Vesperin, a neutral land of trade and intrigue in the 15th century.

The peoples of the Vast were diverse: there were orcs and goblinkin; dwarves, halflings, gnomes, and elves; and a variety of human immigrants, Chondathan, Damaran and even immigrants of far-eastern Thesk. On one hand, Vast folk oft-preferred to keep to themselves, satisfied with home and community, feeling one with their land. On the other, they were known as adventurers, explorers, and pioneers, with a spirit of daring, optimism, and opportunity, more so than anywhere else in Faerûn. Here all the monsters and evils of the world seemed more easily defeated and the heroes to win out more often, by pluck, determination, or luck.

New & Upcoming Releases

The Heroes of Baldur's Gate continue their descent into Avernus in Infernal Tides #2, written by Jim Zub and drawn by Max Dunbar.

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A devil-tainted puzzle box sends our heroes to the fortress-library known as Candlekeep. If Minsc and his companions can’t unravel its secrets in time, thousands of innocent souls will be lost, including their own!

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Can Helene and her friends overcome not one, but two evil red dragons? Find out in A Darkened Wish #4, written by B. Dave Walters and drawn by Tess Fowler.

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In the shadow of Hoondarrh's mountain, something even darker is revealed as the death of a friend sends Helene into a rage!

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Featured Source

The Twilight Tomb is an adventure module set in the Forgotten Realms for the Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition ruleset, designed by Greg A. Vaughan.

The adventure sees the PCs on an expedition into the Yuirwood of Aglarond, where they discover a passage to the Night Realm, a demiplane splintered off the plane of Sildëyuir, realm of the star elves. Here, they venture into a citadel of glass and are caught between the mad schemes of a corrupted star elf named Mourel Duskwalker, a yochlol sorceress named Savera, and contend with armies of skeletons and orc and hobgoblin mercenaries and much stranger monsters. The theme is one of weird horror, with bizarre undead and aberrations appearing. The storyline reveals some of the history and culture of the star elves first introduced in Unapproachable East, as well as their conflict with the nilshai.

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Stand Against the Coming Night! Shadows in the forest deepen as an oracle among the Yuirwood's half-elf inhabitants foretells the reemergence of the Duskwalker, an ancient and corrupt star elf wizard. Missing travelers and lost goods all point to a circle of standing stones within the forest. Perhaps, like its counterparts elsewhere in the Yuirwood, this stone henge allows for travel to another place—but where? And what growing darkness awaits those bold enough to find out?

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Today in the Realms...

...it is 30 Ches, or the 30th of the Claw of Sunsets. Selûne is a full moon . On this day:

• Worshipers of Waukeen observe High Coin (or Highcoin), a High Festival including a great feast and the gathering of offerings for the next festival, Spheres (10 Tarsakh)
• Waterdhavians celebrate the second day of the Fair Seas Festival, marking the end of Fleetswake, a tenday-long festival honoring maritime deities and trade.
• In 1369 DR, the Second Siege of Myratma ended with the Storm Siege, when the Loyalist Army of Queen Zaranda and King Haedrak III bombarded Myratma with lightning magic and breached its Eastgate.
• In 1369 DR, the city of Waterdeep repelled an attack from the sea led by Iakhovas the Ravager but the loss of ships and infrastructure disrupted trade with Maztica for almost a year.
• In 1373 DR, the siege of Menzoberranzan ended when the Scoured Legion faction withdrew from the battlefield.

Realmslore

• The Magical Chessmen of Ultham-Urre were a magical set of chess pieces enchanted with a vast array of sorcerous properties, including a strange quirk causing them to jump between owners.
• The world of Athas was nigh impossible to access from Realmspace because of the relative isolation of its crystal sphere. Nevertheless, its existence was known to certain learned few on Toril.
• Ilinvur, a mining town near the Moonsea, was at one point governed by a wizard installed by the cities of Melvaunt and Thentia in partnership. In return, Ilinvur was protected by both cities.
• The Black Chronology of Augathra the Mad was a dark alternative to her Roll of Years prophecy, based on nightmare visions received while sleeping that she believed were granted by Shar.
• Sieronius Dethick, a drow priest of Vhaeraun, was imprisoned and cursed with vampirism by the wizard Sunder Halyndliam. He sought an undead bride to help him break Sunder's curse.
• The alteration spell Melisander's harp created an illusion of a floating, shadowy harp. The music from this harp caused effects similar to the slow, sleep, and feather fall spells.
• The Prince of Frost was a cruel archfey who occasionally made pacts with Torilian warlocks. He was once called the Sun Prince, but lost his sunny disposition when his betrothed left him for a mortal man.
• The Caravan Quarter of Daggerford was the city's center of commerce. Many establishments catering to traveling merchants, traders, and other visitors were found here.
• Calimport's Quill Ward was known for its many libraries, both private and public. The Ward was protected by a potent magical ward created by the wizardess Nureh yr Catahra el Namor.

And, from the archives:

• The slow spell, formerly known as Quantoul's slowmorph, first appeared in −2026 DR and required a drop of molasses to cast.
• A blue slaad had bone hooks sprouting from its knuckles. These inflicted a disease that could turn a victim into a slaad.
• Helmsdale, a farming village in Damara, was called "the cursed village" because Zhengyi the Witch-King made his base there.
• The Ulgarian prince Surtava gave up his crown to seek enlightenment as a beggar. He found it and became the Padhra.
• Paronder was a belief in cosmic balance, holding that one who did good would be rewarded, and one who did evil punished.
• Messanth was a bronze dragon until he was trapped in the Shadowfell and corrupted, becoming a shadow dragon.
• Ghaurann Rhee was a wizard and salesman who sold cosmetics and skin-care products, as well as beauty spells.
• Su-monsters were evil, psionic predators who could use their claws and prehensile tails to climb and ambush victims.

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