Mussels were a variety of simple bivalve mollusks[1][2] found in both freshwater[3] and saltwater bodies,[4] including marshes.[5] They had soft bodies that were protected by a hard shell.[1]
Varieties[]
- Giant mussel
- Some mussels could grow to monstrous proportions, becoming giant mussels.[1][6][7] Some of these could be found beneath the Trackless Sea.[7]
- Lance mussel
- A common mussel in the land of Kara-Tur, often found in the Mokan River, that were noted for having a pearly inner shell with long, razor-sharp edges. They were dredged up by the thousands for their meat and the ocassional large pearl, which could sometimes be as big as an eye and coveted for use as false eyes.[2]
- Unio
- Unusually large freshwater mussels that were drag-netted from rivers. Their shells were commonly used to make gambling tokens.[8]
Uses[]
Mussels were widely harvested by people across Toril for their meat[2] or occasional produce pearls.[2][9][8] They were often served in restaurants alongside other types of shellfish[10][11] or sold in open-air markets, such as Skullport's fish market.[12] Some even pried them open with knives and ate them raw.[13] Some dishes included mussels, such as bouillabaisse[14] or the spicy Calishite mixture emerald eyes, which had them diced.[15]
The demand for mussel meat was such that some found it profitable to ship them to parts of Faerûn,[16][17] such as the Ravenian business Ornagar's Smoked Eels & More[17] or the Sembian merchant Malthus Traganther,[16] who imported kegs of them from small islands and ports across the Inner Sea to be eaten in Sembia.[16] Both practiced smoking their mussels before packaging them in a container to be transported elsewhere,[16][17] as this helped them to maintain their shelf life for longer.[17]
Beyond their use as seafood, mussels were boiled alongside other shellfish in alcohol to produce the perfume Sunrise.[18] And some storm giants found use for giant mussel shells as tables, as was done in the fortress Maelstrom.[7]
Ecology[]
Habitats[]
In Faerûn these creatures could be found in the Dragonmere,[19] the shallow waters of Kilmaruu Swamp,[13] Lizard Marsh,[20] the Sea of Fallen Stars,[4][16] and in the waters of Wave Echo Cave.[21] Within Faerûn's Underdark, mussels could be found in Lake Donigarten[22] and possibly the River Sargauth.[12][note 1]
In neighboring Zakhara, mussels could be found within the Great Sea.[9] Further across the globe, mussels lived within the streams that crisscrossed the island of Evermeet[3] and in the Western Ocean of Maztica.[23]
Predators[]
In the wild, mussels were preyed upon by alguduir[5] and starfish.[4]
Notable Users[]
- In the Pasocada Basin, mussels were regularly harvested by Metahel and used as trade goods with the Azuposi.[23]
Businesses[]
- The Adamantine Mug, a cheap tavern in Athkatla that served sea-salt and spice-flavored snail-mussel pâté.[24]
- The Blushing Mermaid, an inn and tavern in Baldur's Gate.[10]
- Copper Coronet, a large tavern in Athkatla, featured mussels in their crudely named harbor stew Sark.[25]
- The Cutlass, a festhall in Luskan, offered bowls of smoky-flavored mussels wrapped in salty bacon [26]
- Flying Stag, an inn in Voonlar.[27]
- Ornagar's Smoked Eels & More, a business in the city of Ravens Bluff that smoked their shellfish like mussels before sealing them in jars to be sent throughout the Vast and as far north as the Moonsea.[17]
- The Painted Boat, a restaurant in Ravens Bluff, served mussels at a cost of 10 sp.[11]
- Stargath House, an inn in Purskul that served mussels in their bowls of spicy vegetable broth.[28]
Appendix[]
See Also[]
- Tadjani, a type of shellfish similar to mussels.
Notes[]
- ↑ The text of Skullport states that whilst some of the Fish Market's seafood was locally sourced from the River Sargauth, others were brought down from above, making it ambiguous as to which of these apply to the mussels. Within that same book it is also stated that mollusks could be found in Sargauth (p.26), so there is a likelihood that mussels could be found within its waters.
Appearances[]
Adventures
Wyrmskull Throne
Novels & Short Stories
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
Cuckolds and Mussels
External Links[]
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the following links do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki, nor does any lore presented necessarily adhere to established canon.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Keith Francis Strohm (September 1997). Of Ships and the Sea. (TSR, Inc), p. 120. ISBN 0786907061.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Mike Pondsmith, Jay Batista, Rick Swan, John Nephew, Deborah Christian (1988). Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (Volume I). (TSR, Inc), p. 64. ISBN 0-88038-608-8.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Anne Gray McCready et al. (March 1994). Elves of Evermeet. (TSR, Inc), p. 10. ISBN 1-5607-6829-0.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Steven E. Schend, Thomas M. Reid (1999). Wyrmskull Throne. (TSR, Inc), p. 48. ISBN 0-7869-1405-X.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 David Cook (1991). Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix (MC11). (TSR, Inc), p. 5. ISBN l-56076-111-3.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (1995). Cloak of Shadows. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 10, p. 210. ISBN 0786903015.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Christopher Perkins, et al. (September 2016). Storm King's Thunder. Edited by Kim Mohan, Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 207, 212, 214. ISBN 978-0-7869-6600-4.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Jeff Grubb and Ed Greenwood (1990). Forgotten Realms Adventures. (TSR, Inc), p. 142. ISBN 0-8803-8828-5.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Steve Kurtz (1993). A Dozen and One Adventures. (TSR, Inc), p. 8. ISBN 1-56076-622-0.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Ed Greenwood (1994). Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast. (TSR, Inc), p. 21. ISBN 1-5607-6940-1.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Terence Kemper and Eric Kemper (January 1993). “The Living City: The Painted Boat Restaurant”. In Jean Rabe ed. Polyhedron #79 (TSR, Inc.), p. 17.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Joseph C. Wolf (1999). Skullport. (TSR, Inc), p. 30. ISBN 0-7869-1348-7.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Elaine Cunningham (April 2000). The Magehound. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 16, p. 233. ISBN 978-0-7869-1561-3.
- ↑ Kyle Newman, Jon Peterson, Michael Witwer (October 2020). Heroes' Feast: The Official D&D Cookbook. (Ten Speed Press), p. 11. ISBN 978-1-9848-5890-0.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (November 2000). “The New Adventures of Volo: Dragonwing Stew”. In Dave Gross ed. Dragon #277 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 93.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 Ed Greenwood (Feburary 2012). “Eye on the Realms: The Enchanted Painting of Manyshields Hall”. In Steve Winter ed. Dragon #408 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 44.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 Ed Greenwood (October 1998). The City of Ravens Bluff. Edited by John D. Rateliff. (TSR, Inc.), p. 107. ISBN 0-7869-1195-6.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (October 2012). Ed Greenwood Presents Elminster's Forgotten Realms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 127. ISBN 0786960345.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, The Hooded One (2004-07-18). Questions for Ed Greenwood (2004). Candlekeep Forum. Archived from the original on 2023-12-08. Retrieved on 2023-12-08.
- ↑ Elaine Cunningham (August 1998). Thornhold. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 5, p. 115. ISBN 978-0786920259.
- ↑ Wizards RPG Team (July 2014). “Lost Mine of Phandelver”. Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set (Wizards of the Coast), p. 46. ISBN 978-0-7869-6559-5.
- ↑ Elaine Cunningham (September 1995). Daughter of the Drow (Hardcover). (TSR, Inc), chap. 4, p. 56. ISBN 978-0786901654.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 John Nephew and Jonathan Tweet (April 1992). City of Gold. (TSR, Inc), p. 9. ISBN 978-1560763222.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (July 2000). Volo's Guide to Baldur's Gate II. Edited by Duane Maxwell, David Noonan. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 33, 35. ISBN 0-7869-1626-5.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (July 2000). Volo's Guide to Baldur's Gate II. Edited by Duane Maxwell, David Noonan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 11. ISBN 0-7869-1626-5.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (1993). Volo's Guide to the North. (TSR, Inc), pp. 126–127. ISBN 1-5607-6678-6.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (2001-05-02). Part #17: A Place to Stay. Elminster Speaks. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved on 2016-09-17.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (July 2000). Volo's Guide to Baldur's Gate II. Edited by Duane Maxwell, David Noonan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 57. ISBN 0-7869-1626-5.