Pelleor's Prairie, sometimes called the Prairie of Pelleor,[6] was a large grassland located in the Backlands of the Western Heartlands.[1][3][2]
Description[]
The Prairie was a warm, dry, and windy plain of tall grasses.[7] Both water and shelter were rare on the open grassland.[5]
Geography[]
The name "Pelleor's Prairie" was given to the grasslands between the Battle of Bones to the south and the Marsh of Chelimber and the Shaeradim to the north.[4][8] It was bounded to the east by the Anauroch desert and to the west by the Serpent's Tail Stream.[9]
The Hill of Lost Souls dominated the southeastern reaches of the prairieland, and the soil near the mountain was more volcanic than elsewhere on the prairie.[9][10]
Flora & Fauna[]
The prairie was home to a wide variety of vegetation, including an incredible number of unique types of grass[1] as well as many herbs, mosses, shrubs, and even the occasional copse of trees.[11][12] Wildflowers bloomed in the summer and autumn, creating seas of vibrant colors across the normally green and tan plains.[7] Notable plants included Kaitlin's weed, dragon's breath,[7] diamond cure,[13] bison-gourd, water globe,[11] white heart,[14] camel tree, and silver tree.[15] Dangerous plants included razor grass, squid jail, hooded monk,[11] spirit moss, the four petal white flower,[14] and killer grass.[16]
The prairie was home to many types of animals, including prairie dogs, bison, wild horses, ants, rabbits, and snakes (including giant snakes as well as venomous dead grass snakes and reed snakes).[1][12] The massive herds of bison were perhaps the most notable presence, and potentially one of the Prairie's great hazards in the case of a stampede.[7] Even more dangerous, however, were the massive plagues of locusts which arose every five to eight years and could strip the grassland to nothing but twigs.[17]
Monstrous fauna of the prairie included ankhegs—notably lava ankhegs found near the Hill of Lost Souls[10]—and bulettes.[18] Additionally, rocs from the Greycloak Hills and Sunset Mountains were known to hunt on the prairie,[1][18] as were green dragons from the Forest of Wyrms.[10] The stretch of grassland between the Hill of Lost Souls and the Battle of Bones was occasionally the site of skirmishes between rival giant clans from those two locations.[19]
Climate[]
Spring
Ches-Mirtul
Summer
Kythorn-Eleasias
Autumn
Elient-Uktar
Winter
Nightal-Alturiak
Pelleor's Prairie had a mild climate, generally experiencing only short winters beginning in Nightal with any lingering snow melted by Ches. The plains most often experienced sunny and dry weather, meaning that sun sickness and wildfires could be sources of concern year-round, especially during the summer. Temperatures on the prairieland ranged from about 103 ℉ (39.4 ℃) at the hottest to 15 ℉ (−9.4 ℃) at their coldest, and the area received about 32 inches (81 centimeters) of rain annually, much of which was delivered by savage thunderstorms. These were the result of the mixing of hot desert air from the Anauroch, which arrived usually in Mirtul to herald the beginning of spring, with moist air from the Marsh of Chelimber and the High Moor. These conditions created massive and awe-inspiring thunderclouds that could be seen for miles.[1][7]
Wildfires sparked by lightning strikes and fed by the region's winds were one of the greatest hazards of the prairie[17] such that local druids had been known to alter the weather to bring rain if they believed the danger of a catastrophic fire to be too high.[1]
History[]
In the time of ancient Netheril, this region was the site of fertile farmlands.[2]
Pelleor's Prairie was named in honor of Pelleor the Wanderer, a ghost said to have been a soldier who died at the Battle of Bones who eternally wandered the region trying to find the comrades who left him behind as they retreated.[6]
In the mid-to-late 14th century DR, the druids of the region observed that the Anauroch desert was slowly expanding and encroaching on the prairieland. They began investigating whether this expansion was natural or magical.[16]
Rumors & Legends[]
Some settlers reported that a hill would occasionally "come alive" and move of its own accord with sufficient speed to destroy their homes. It was unknown whether these "rolling hills" were moved by magic or were perhaps some kind of creature, potentially a large earth elemental or a massive subterranean turtle.[20]
Notable Locations[]
The most notable landmark was the Hill of Lost Souls, a dormant volcano that sat in the southeast of the prairie.[9] The Hill was home to hauntings, firenewts, and hill giants, and travelling orcs were known to make pilgrimages to it.[1][21][22]
There were no notable permanent settlements on the Prairie itself, but Drawn Swords and Yarthrain lay near its southeastern border.[23]
Inhabitants[]
Pelleor's Prairie was home to a druid circle that maintained the land and monitored the safety and actions of visitors as well as of the occasional caravans that crossed the plains.[3][7]
Most humanoid inhabitants of the prairie dwelt in the west and north, putting distance between themselves and the Anauroch to the east and the Battle of Bones to the south. Life was harsh and resources were scarce—particularly water—thus it was somewhat rare to find a settlement of more than one family. Homes were usually made of sod, with some living in structures of wood where it could be found or simply in tents where nothing better was available.[5][9]
The Prairie was also home to prides of wemics.[4][18] Individual prides were sometimes no bigger than a mated pair and their cubs. The prides dwelt in the north of the region, and each carved out territory for hunting but also engaged in some small-scale farming.[9][18]
A near mythical inhabitant of the Prairie was the Great White Bison, a spectral creature said to be the "leader" of all bison in the region.[13]
Notable Inhabitants[]
- Mrowl, a wise wemic who was leader of the Rambrowrl pride in the mid-to-late 14th century DR.[18]
- Pheszeltan, the Hierophant Druid in charge of the prairie in the mid-to-late 14th century DR.[3]
- Tharnn Greenwinter, a half-elf druid active in the region in the mid-to-late 14th century DR.[3]
Appendix[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Donald J. Bingle (April 1995). “The Hill of Lost Souls”. In Elizabeth T. Danforth ed. Elminster's Ecologies Appendix I (TSR, Inc), p. 16. ISBN 0-7869-0115-2.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 105. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Donald J. Bingle (April 1995). “The Hill of Lost Souls”. In Elizabeth T. Danforth ed. Elminster's Ecologies Appendix I (TSR, Inc), p. 3. ISBN 0-7869-0115-2.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 James Wyatt, Rob Heinsoo (February 2001). Monster Compendium: Monsters of Faerûn. Edited by Duane Maxwell. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 84. ISBN 0-7869-1832-2.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Donald J. Bingle (April 1995). “The Hill of Lost Souls”. In Elizabeth T. Danforth ed. Elminster's Ecologies Appendix I (TSR, Inc), p. 23. ISBN 0-7869-0115-2.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Donald J. Bingle (April 1995). “The Hill of Lost Souls”. In Elizabeth T. Danforth ed. Elminster's Ecologies Appendix I (TSR, Inc), p. 28. ISBN 0-7869-0115-2.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 Donald J. Bingle (April 1995). “The Hill of Lost Souls”. In Elizabeth T. Danforth ed. Elminster's Ecologies Appendix I (TSR, Inc), p. 17. ISBN 0-7869-0115-2.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 85. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Donald J. Bingle (April 1995). “The Hill of Lost Souls”. In Elizabeth T. Danforth ed. Elminster's Ecologies Appendix I (TSR, Inc), p. 31. ISBN 0-7869-0115-2.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Donald J. Bingle (April 1995). “The Hill of Lost Souls”. In Elizabeth T. Danforth ed. Elminster's Ecologies Appendix I (TSR, Inc), pp. 8–9. ISBN 0-7869-0115-2.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Donald J. Bingle (April 1995). “The Hill of Lost Souls”. In Elizabeth T. Danforth ed. Elminster's Ecologies Appendix I (TSR, Inc), p. 24. ISBN 0-7869-0115-2.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Donald J. Bingle (April 1995). “The Hill of Lost Souls”. In Elizabeth T. Danforth ed. Elminster's Ecologies Appendix I (TSR, Inc), p. 21. ISBN 0-7869-0115-2.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Donald J. Bingle (April 1995). “The Hill of Lost Souls”. In Elizabeth T. Danforth ed. Elminster's Ecologies Appendix I (TSR, Inc), p. 19. ISBN 0-7869-0115-2.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Donald J. Bingle (April 1995). “The Hill of Lost Souls”. In Elizabeth T. Danforth ed. Elminster's Ecologies Appendix I (TSR, Inc), p. 25. ISBN 0-7869-0115-2.
- ↑ Donald J. Bingle (April 1995). “The Hill of Lost Souls”. In Elizabeth T. Danforth ed. Elminster's Ecologies Appendix I (TSR, Inc), p. 26. ISBN 0-7869-0115-2.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Donald J. Bingle (April 1995). “The Hill of Lost Souls”. In Elizabeth T. Danforth ed. Elminster's Ecologies Appendix I (TSR, Inc), p. 29. ISBN 0-7869-0115-2.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Donald J. Bingle (April 1995). “The Hill of Lost Souls”. In Elizabeth T. Danforth ed. Elminster's Ecologies Appendix I (TSR, Inc), p. 27. ISBN 0-7869-0115-2.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 Donald J. Bingle (April 1995). “The Hill of Lost Souls”. In Elizabeth T. Danforth ed. Elminster's Ecologies Appendix I (TSR, Inc), p. 19. ISBN 0-7869-0115-2.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (1994). Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast. (TSR, Inc), p. 123. ISBN 1-5607-6940-1.
- ↑ Donald J. Bingle (April 1995). “The Hill of Lost Souls”. In Elizabeth T. Danforth ed. Elminster's Ecologies Appendix I (TSR, Inc), p. 30. ISBN 0-7869-0115-2.
- ↑ Donald J. Bingle (April 1995). “The Hill of Lost Souls”. In Elizabeth T. Danforth ed. Elminster's Ecologies Appendix I (TSR, Inc), pp. 5–6. ISBN 0-7869-0115-2.
- ↑ Donald J. Bingle (April 1995). “The Hill of Lost Souls”. In Elizabeth T. Danforth ed. Elminster's Ecologies Appendix I (TSR, Inc), pp. 11–12. ISBN 0-7869-0115-2.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (1994). Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast. (TSR, Inc), pp. 127, 141. ISBN 1-5607-6940-1.