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• Sailing north from the River District of Athkatla (and somehow crossing land), Ruf landed in Ravens Bluff and explored its luxurious Temple District. He went sightseeing in Altarside, visiting the Helmite Citadel of Protection and the Turning Wheel of Gond before grabbing a bite to eat at the famous Kettle of Many Things.
• On fall break from teaching alchemy, Lhynard instead studied comparative biology, focusing on some of the strange mollusks of the Realms, including the dangerous stalactoids—the simple piercer and its magical and more highly evolved cousin, the darkmantle.
• Returning to the matter of Siluvanede and the Seven Citadels' War, BadCatMan explored the ruins of Telardon, but had to flee the horrific greenbound trolls. He went next to the Temple Beyond Time to consult the Timespinners, but when he emerged, two months had passed and he'd forgotten to update the Clacks.

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The mysterious Plane of Shadow was a dark and twisted analog of the Prime Material Plane that was discovered by the ancient Imaskari, forgotten for thousands of years, then rediscovered by the first Netherese Empire. Areas of deep shadow on the Prime Plane, especially subterranean darkness, could become a focus for a vortex to the Plane of Shadow, allowing travel between the planes while the vortex remained open. Upon entering the Plane of Shadow, the dim surroundings looked oddly familiar, but the similarities diverged rapidly as one moved away from the entry point, making mapping the plane impossible. Skilled practitioners of the Art could cast the shadow walk spell, and either enter the Shadow Plane or traverse great distances very rapidly by skirting along the border between the planes before stepping back into the Prime.

Despite its forlorn appearance of abandonment, the Plane of Shadow was home to a wide variety of creatures. Over the millennia, all manner of animals and monsters either wandered into or fell through a vortex and got lost or became trapped. Those that survived eventually became dark creatures imbued with shadowstuff, often with unique abilities. A nearly immortal race of shapeshifters known as the Malaugrym were also quite at home here. Probably the most dominant inhabitants were the descendants of the ancient Netherese enclave of Thultanthar which escaped the Fall of Netheril by shifting the entire floating city into the Plane of Shadow. Over centuries, each generation adapted to the new environment a little better as it replaced part of their humanity with shadow essence, until they became shades.

At some point in its history, the deities Mask and Shar carved out their dominions on the Plane of Shadow. When Shar choreographed the demise of Mystra, precipitating the Spellplague, she managed to inject some of the energy from the Negative Energy plane into the Plane of Shadow, which changed its fundamental nature. Suddenly, the souls of the dead were drawn here first on their way to the afterlife. Shar named the altered plane the Shadowfell.

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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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New & Upcoming Releases

Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is a 5th-edition Dungeons & Dragons adventure set in the city of Waterdeep. It was released on September 18, 2018.

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A fantastic treasure trove is yours for the taking in this adventure for the world's greatest roleplaying game. Famed explorer Volothamp Geddarm needs you to complete a simple quest. Thus begins a mad romp through the wards of Waterdeep as you uncover a villainous plot involving some of the city's most influential figures. A grand urban caper awaits you. Pit your skill and bravado against villains the likes of which you've never faced before, and let the dragon hunt begin!

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Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage is a 5^th-edition Dungeons & Dragons adventure set in the city of Waterdeep and a sequel to Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. It is due to be released on November 20, 2018.

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The Greatest Dungeon of Them All Explore the mega-dungeon of Undermountain in this adventure for the world's greatest roleplaying game. In the city of Waterdeep rests a tavern called the Yawning Portal, named after the gaping pit in its common room. At the bottom of this crumbling shaft is a labyrinthine dungeon shunned by all but the most daring adventurers. Known as Undermountain, this dungeon is the domain of the mad wizard Halaster Blackcloak. Long has the Mad Mage dwelt in these forlorn depths, seeding his lair with monsters, traps, and mysteries—to what end is a constant source of speculation and concern. This adventure picks up where Waterdeep: Dragon Heist leaves off, taking characters of 5th level or higher all the way to 20th level should they explore the entirety of Halaster's home. Twenty-three levels of Undermountain are detailed herein, along with the subterranean refuge of Skullport. Treasures and secrets abound, but tread with care!

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Today in the Realms...

...it is 19 Uktar, or the 19th of the Rotting.   

Realmslore

• The Tomb of Annihilation board game took one to five players on quests through the jungles of Chult to the Tomb of the Nine Gods.
• Giant octopuses big enough to attack ships were found in saltwater seas and oceans all over Toril. They were hunted because their ink was used to scribe magical scrolls.
• The Golden Mane was a pride of wemics in the Shaar led by Shaq'ar, their greatest warrior, in the 14^th century DR.
• Prized mithral shirts were owned by such luminaries as Mirt the Moneylender of Waterdeep, Xara Tantlor of Silverymoon, and Zabbas Thuul of Skullport.
• Aldurghen Stormhammer, known as the Black Dwarf, was so named because he wore black armor, had a black beard, and never bothered to wash the black thaolet oil off his face.
• Aganazzar founded a wizarding school in Neverwinter in the Year of the Unfurled Flag, 457 DR. His scorcher spell was widely known across Faerûn.
• A lord's ensemble was a magical helm, robe, and amulet that allowed the Masked Lords of Waterdeep to maintain anonymity, secrecy, and the privacy of their own thoughts.
• The church of Amaunator slowly faded away after the Fall of Netheril, but the Brotherhood of the Glorious Sun kept it alive. Believers in the Risen Sun heresy thought it was reborn.
• Quarrelshigh was a gnomish village high in the Troll Mountains of eastern Amn. It thrived on mining mithral and diamonds behind impenetrable defenses.

And, from the archives:

• Black Helm Tower, lying a day's ride north-east of Daggerford, was the home of Black Vizor, one of the High Heralds.
• In the Year of the Fell Firebrake, 886 DR, Harpers erected wards around Hellgate Keep to contain the demons there.
• Karrlon, a wemic scout, left the Mindulgulph Mercenary Company to found the the Legion of Lions, devoted to Nobanion.
• The Cavern of Cloven Heads was home to the grimlock descendants of the Uthgardt Golden Eagle and the Red Pony tribes.
• The Courtyard of Lolth in Maerimydra was long the hiding place of the stolen Warblade of Cormanthyr.

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