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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fallen Stars, Sea}}
[[Image:Inner_Sea.JPG|thumb|right|350px|A map of The Sea of Fallen Stars around 1372 DR]]
 
 
{{otheruses4|the inland body of water|the sourcebook|Sea of Fallen Stars (sourcebook)}}
 
{{otheruses4|the inland body of water|the sourcebook|Sea of Fallen Stars (sourcebook)}}
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{{Body of water
The '''Sea of Fallen Stars''', also known as the '''Inner Sea''', is the largest inland body of water in [[Faerûn]].<ref name="FRCS-p142">{{Cite book/Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition|142}}</ref> Its major ramifications include the [[Dragonmere]] (Lake of Dragons) on the west, the [[Moonsea (lake)|Moonsea]] on the north, the [[Alamber Sea]] on the east and the [[Vilhon Reach]] on the south.<ref name="FRmap">{{Cite web/FRmap}}</ref> The sea floor is covered with hundreds of shipwrecks.<ref name="SoFS-p14">{{Cite book/Sea of Fallen Stars|14}}</ref>
 
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| image = Inner_Sea.JPG
 
| caption = A map of the Sea of Fallen Stars around 1372 DR.
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| name = Sea of Fallen Stars
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| aliases =
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| type = Sea
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| region = [[Interior Faerûn]], [[Toril]]
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| size =
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| depth =
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| river source =
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| river mouth =
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| tributaries =
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| tributary of =
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| georefs =
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| races =
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| socrefs =
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| usethe = yes
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| useon = yes
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| usein+on = yes
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| inhabitants = yes
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| locations = yes
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| organizations = yes
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| settlements = yes
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| mountains =
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| events =
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| food and drink =
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| items =
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}}
 
The '''Sea of Fallen Stars''', also known as the '''Inner Sea''', was the largest inland body of water in [[Faerûn]].<ref name="FRCS-p142">{{Cite book/Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition|142}}</ref> Its major areas included the [[Dragonmere]], also known as the Lake of Dragons, in the west; the [[Dragon Reach|Dragon]] and [[Easting Reach|Easting]] Reaches in the north; the [[Alamber Sea]] in the east; and the [[Vilhon Reach]] in the south.<ref name="FRmap">{{Cite web/FRmap}}</ref>
  +
  +
The sea served as a crucial trade way for the powers of [[Interior Faerûn|central]] and [[North Faerûn|northern Faerûn]] and beyond.<ref name="FRCG-p172">{{Cite book/Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide|172}}</ref> From [[Cormyr's Imperial Navy]]<ref name="PotFS-p34">{{Cite book/Pirates of the Fallen Stars|34}}</ref> and [[Sembia]]'s 15,000 sailors and corsairs in the west,<ref name="PotFS-p37">{{Cite book/Pirates of the Fallen Stars|37}}</ref> to the small but hardy fleet of dozen [[Impiltur]]an warships in the east,<ref name="PotFS-p42">{{Cite book/Pirates of the Fallen Stars|42}}</ref> and the militia-navy of [[Turmish]] in the south,<ref name="PotFS-p48">{{Cite book/Pirates of the Fallen Stars|48}}</ref> the waters of the Inner Sea were well-traveled by ships that flew the flags of coastal nations in central Faerûn.<ref name="FRCG-p172"/>
  +
  +
==Description==
  +
The sea floor was covered with hundreds of shipwrecks.<ref name="SoFS-p14">{{Cite book/Sea of Fallen Stars|14}}</ref><ref name="AL:SFP">{{Cite web/Adventure Locales: Ship From the Past}}</ref>
  +
  +
==Inhabitants==
 
The Inner Sea was home to many types of aquatic life, and including kingdoms of [[dragon turtle]]s,<ref name="SoFS-p14"/> [[aquatic elves]], [[merfolk]], and [[sahuagin]]. With the exception of a notable violent excursion in [[1369 DR]], these races rarely interacted with the coastal land folk.<ref name="FRCS-p142"/>
  +
 
===Territorial Waters===
 
There was a recognized territorial limit of ten miles (16.1 kilometers) offshore among all the nations on the Sea of Fallen Stars. Areas of sea further than ten miles from the nearest land were considered neutral territory. Any attacks on shipping within a country's waters were considered to be acts of war. For most areas, these boundaries were clear, but they became more ambiguous in [[Mulhorand]], [[Thay]], and [[Unther]], owing to continual border disputes.<ref name="SoFS-p15">{{Cite book/Sea of Fallen Stars|15}}</ref>
   
 
==History==
 
==History==
  +
===Creation===
The name of the sea is from the origin story which states that the Inner Sea formed when the four Inner Seas merged together, coinciding with the loss of entire continents from earthquakes, fires and windstorms due to a star sent by deities to punish the [[titan|titans']] arrogance. Other theories have sprung up maintaining it was actually the eggs of the first [[dragon]]s raining down onto the planet.
 
  +
Over the millennia, different creation myths regarding the sea spread across the Realms. One tale, which explained how the sea earned its name, was detailed in the [[book]] ''[[History of the Last March of the Giants]]''. It said that the gods above sent a star crashing down to [[Abeir-Toril]] as a punishment for the arrogance of the [[titans]]. Entire continents were lost in the ensuing earthquakes, fires, and windstorms and the four centrally located seas of [[Faerûn]] merged together, forming the "Sea of Fallen Stars".<ref name="BG">{{Cite game/Baldur's Gate}}</ref>
   
  +
Other theories maintained the cataclysmic change of landscape was actually the eggs of the first [[dragon]]s raining down onto Toril.{{fact}}
Tens of thousands of dragon eggs did hatch soon after the event, though the real reason for the destruction was the [[primordial]] [[Asgorath|Asgoroth the World Shaper]] hurling an ice moon down to Abeir-Toril's surface.
 
   
  +
The true creation of the sea occurred ages ago, in the final years of the [[Days of Thunder]], when the [[primordial]] [[Asgorath|Asgoroth the World Shaper]], along with the first [[dragon]]s, were released from their imprisonment by the [[creator race]] known as the [[batrachi]]. In an event known as the [[Tearfall]], the deity hurled an ice moon down to the surface of [[Abeir-Toril]], which wiped out the batrachi and formed the sea.<ref name="FRCG-p41">{{Cite book/Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide|41}}</ref><ref name="GHotR8">{{Cite book/The Grand History of the Realms|8}}</ref><ref name="Draco2e3">{{Cite book/Draconomicon (1990)|4}}</ref>
[[Sarrukh]] accounts dated around [[-31000 DR]] mention a "changing of the stars" in relation to this event. Few know what this really signified, but the fact is [[Ao]] created a clone of Abeir-Toril and sent the new world to another realm, with different stellar cartography.
 
   
 
[[Sarrukh]] accounts dated around {{Yearlink|-31000}} mentioned a "changing of the stars" in relation to this event. Few knew what this really signified, but the fact was [[Ao]] created a duplicate of the planet, [[Abeir]], and sent the new world to another realm, with different stellar cartography.{{fact}}
Regardless, this event, known as the [[Tearfall]] caused a climate shift that wiped out the [[batrachi]] civilisation.<ref name="FRCG">{{Cite book/Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide|41}}</ref>
 
   
==Inhabitants==
+
===Pirate Wars===
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{{sectstub}}
Home to many types of aquatic life, the sea can be quite dangerous. The sea is home to kingdoms of [[aquatic elves]], [[merfolk]] and [[sahaugin]]. With the exception of a notable violent excursion in [[1369 DR]], these races rarely interact with the coastal land folk.<ref name="FRCS-p142"/>
 
   
  +
===Time of Troubles===
==Surrounding lands==
 
  +
{{sectstub}}
  +
  +
===Spellplague===
  +
On [[Tarsakh 29]] [[1385 DR]], the [[Spellplague]] hit Toril and greatly changed the landscape of the planet. Large openings erupted within the [[Underdark]] and large portions of the sea drained out beneath Toril's surface, greatly lowering the sea level over the next ten years. Coastal cities that once rested on the banks of the sea were made land-locked, and formerly submerged ruins and wrecks were subsequently exposed.<ref name="FRCG-p172"/> One of such resurfaced islands was Hegruth, an Island with a tower that's been submerged in the Sea of Fallen Stars for millennia. The tower ruin of unknown origin and obscurity made it the perfect place for clandestine meetings. The island did not appear on any terrestrial maps.<ref>{{Cite book/Plague of Spells/MMP|200|chapter=10}}</ref>
  +
  +
===The Second Sundering and the Great Rain===
  +
During the [[Second Sundering]] in the autumn of [[1485 DR]], the [[Great Rain]] began to fall around the Sea of Fallen Stars and continued unceasingly for over a year. This constant storm caused massive floods; thousands perished from drowning, lightning strikes, or bursts of wind that capsized ships. By the time the rain abated, the Sea of Fallen Stars had swollen back to something approximating its former size, flooding vast tracts of land and numerous cities beneath the waves.<ref>{{Cite book/Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide|17-18,136}}</ref>
  +
  +
==Notable Locations==
 
===Islands===
 
===Islands===
  +
There were numerous islands in the Sea of Fallen Stars:
There are numerous islands in the Sea of Fallen Stars. The [[Pirate Isles]] are a group of about sixty rocky islands notable for the concentration of pirate activity that occurs there. [[Prespur]], sometimes known as the Isle of Prespur or the Isles of Prespur, consists of a main island under [[Sembia]]n control and a smaller unoccupied island called [[Traitor's Isle]].<ref name="SoFS-p11">{{Cite book/Sea of Fallen Stars|11}}</ref> [[Alaor]] is a former [[Thay]]an shipyard now under independent rule. The [[Ship of the Gods]] is a island volcano in the [[Alamber Sea]].<ref name="SoFS-p13">{{Cite book/Sea of Fallen Stars|13}}</ref> The [[Whamite Isles]] are a small chain of islands once ruled by a great Khan.{{fact}}
 
  +
*[[Alaor]]: A former [[Thay]]an island that gained its autonomy.<ref name="SoFS-p13" />
  +
*[[Pirate Isles]]: A group of about sixty rocky islands notable as the home of the pirates of the Inner Sea.<ref name="FRCS-p142" />
  +
*[[Prespur|Isles of Prespur]]: A main island under [[Sembia]]n control accompanied by the smaller unoccupied [[Traitor's Isle]].<ref name="SoFS-p11">{{Cite book/Sea of Fallen Stars|11}}</ref>
  +
*[[Ship of the Gods]]: An island volcano in the [[Alamber Sea]].<ref name="SoFS-p13">{{Cite book/Sea of Fallen Stars|13}}</ref>
  +
*[[Whamite Isles]]: A small chain of islands once ruled by a great khan.<ref name="SoFS-p13" />
  +
*Hegruth (an Island with a tower, surfaced due to receded water levels circa [[1396 DR]])
   
===Coastal===
+
===Undersea===
  +
*[[Myth Nantar]]:<ref name="FRCG-p172" />
The Sea of Fallen Stars has coastlines in many different lands, including [[Aglarond]], [[Altumbel]], [[Cormyr]], [[Chessenta]], [[Chondath]], the [[Dalelands]], [[Impiltur]], [[Sembia]], [[Mulhorand]], [[Priador]], [[Thay]], [[Thesk]], [[Turmish]] and [[Unther]].<ref name="FRmap"/>
 
  +
*[[Serôs]]: The underwater realm of the merfolk,<ref name="SoFS-p153">{{Cite book/Sea of Fallen Stars|153}}</ref> who were protected by the Nantari [[dukar]].<ref name="SoFS-p114-115">{{Cite book/Sea of Fallen Stars|114-115}}</ref>
  +
*[[Xxiphu]]:<ref name="FRCG-p172" />
   
  +
===Coastal===
==Territorial waters==
 
 
The Sea of Fallen Stars had coastlines in many different lands, including [[Aglarond]], [[Altumbel]], [[Cormyr]], [[Chessenta]], [[Chondath]], the [[Dalelands]], [[Impiltur]], [[Sembia]], [[Mulhorand]], [[Priador]], [[Thay]], [[Thesk]], [[Turmish]], [[Unther]], and the [[Vast]].<ref name="FRmap" />
There is a recognised territorial limit of ten miles (16.1km) offshore amongst all the nations on the Sea of Fallen Stars. Areas of sea further than ten miles from the nearest land are considered neutral territory. Any attacks on shipping within a country's waters are considered to be acts of war. For most areas these boundaries are clear, but they become more ambiguous in [[Mulhorand]], [[Thay]] and [[Unther]] due to the continual disputes over borders.<ref name="SoFS-p15">{{Cite book/Sea of Fallen Stars|15}}</ref>
 
   
  +
==Myths & Rumors==
== Official Material ==
 
  +
Legends told of an aquatic race of [[dwarves]] inhabiting the Sea of Fallen Stars, but any time a scholar looked into the manner they found no evidence of such a race existing.<ref name="DDGttU-p19">{{Cite book/Drizzt Do'Urden's Guide to the Underdark|19}}</ref>
* Pirates of the Fallen Stars (2E)
 
* [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/al/20040804a&pf=true Ship from the Past]
 
   
==External links==
+
==Appendix==
  +
{{incomplete}}
* [http://www.sorcerers.net/Worlds/FR/17.php History of the Last March of the Giants]
 
  +
===Further Reading===
 
* [http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/al/20040804a Adventure Locales: Ship from the Past]
   
==Notes==
+
===References===
{{refs}}
+
{{Refs}}
===Sources===
+
===Connections===
  +
{{Toril}}
* {{Cite book/Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide|172-175}}
 
  +
[[pl:Morze Spadających Gwiazd]]
[[Category:Seas|Fallen Stars]]
 
  +
[[Category:Locations in Interior Faerûn]]
  +
[[Category:Locations in Faerûn]]
 
[[Category:Locations on Toril]]

Revision as of 20:41, 17 May 2020

The Sea of Fallen Stars, also known as the Inner Sea, was the largest inland body of water in Faerûn.[1] Its major areas included the Dragonmere, also known as the Lake of Dragons, in the west; the Dragon and Easting Reaches in the north; the Alamber Sea in the east; and the Vilhon Reach in the south.[2]

The sea served as a crucial trade way for the powers of central and northern Faerûn and beyond.[3] From Cormyr's Imperial Navy[4] and Sembia's 15,000 sailors and corsairs in the west,[5] to the small but hardy fleet of dozen Impilturan warships in the east,[6] and the militia-navy of Turmish in the south,[7] the waters of the Inner Sea were well-traveled by ships that flew the flags of coastal nations in central Faerûn.[3]

Description

The sea floor was covered with hundreds of shipwrecks.[8][9]

Inhabitants

The Inner Sea was home to many types of aquatic life, and including kingdoms of dragon turtles,[8] aquatic elves, merfolk, and sahuagin. With the exception of a notable violent excursion in 1369 DR, these races rarely interacted with the coastal land folk.[1]

Territorial Waters

There was a recognized territorial limit of ten miles (16.1 kilometers) offshore among all the nations on the Sea of Fallen Stars. Areas of sea further than ten miles from the nearest land were considered neutral territory. Any attacks on shipping within a country's waters were considered to be acts of war. For most areas, these boundaries were clear, but they became more ambiguous in Mulhorand, Thay, and Unther, owing to continual border disputes.[10]

History

Creation

Over the millennia, different creation myths regarding the sea spread across the Realms. One tale, which explained how the sea earned its name, was detailed in the book History of the Last March of the Giants. It said that the gods above sent a star crashing down to Abeir-Toril as a punishment for the arrogance of the titans. Entire continents were lost in the ensuing earthquakes, fires, and windstorms and the four centrally located seas of Faerûn merged together, forming the "Sea of Fallen Stars".[11]

Other theories maintained the cataclysmic change of landscape was actually the eggs of the first dragons raining down onto Toril.[citation needed]

The true creation of the sea occurred ages ago, in the final years of the Days of Thunder, when the primordial Asgoroth the World Shaper, along with the first dragons, were released from their imprisonment by the creator race known as the batrachi. In an event known as the Tearfall, the deity hurled an ice moon down to the surface of Abeir-Toril, which wiped out the batrachi and formed the sea.[12][13][14]

Sarrukh accounts dated around −31,000 DR mentioned a "changing of the stars" in relation to this event. Few knew what this really signified, but the fact was Ao created a duplicate of the planet, Abeir, and sent the new world to another realm, with different stellar cartography.[citation needed]

Pirate Wars

This section is a stub. You can help us by expanding it.


Time of Troubles

This section is a stub. You can help us by expanding it.


Spellplague

On Tarsakh 29 1385 DR, the Spellplague hit Toril and greatly changed the landscape of the planet. Large openings erupted within the Underdark and large portions of the sea drained out beneath Toril's surface, greatly lowering the sea level over the next ten years. Coastal cities that once rested on the banks of the sea were made land-locked, and formerly submerged ruins and wrecks were subsequently exposed.[3] One of such resurfaced islands was Hegruth, an Island with a tower that's been submerged in the Sea of Fallen Stars for millennia. The tower ruin of unknown origin and obscurity made it the perfect place for clandestine meetings. The island did not appear on any terrestrial maps.[15]

The Second Sundering and the Great Rain

During the Second Sundering in the autumn of 1485 DR, the Great Rain began to fall around the Sea of Fallen Stars and continued unceasingly for over a year. This constant storm caused massive floods; thousands perished from drowning, lightning strikes, or bursts of wind that capsized ships. By the time the rain abated, the Sea of Fallen Stars had swollen back to something approximating its former size, flooding vast tracts of land and numerous cities beneath the waves.[16]

Notable Locations

Islands

There were numerous islands in the Sea of Fallen Stars:

Undersea

Coastal

The Sea of Fallen Stars had coastlines in many different lands, including Aglarond, Altumbel, Cormyr, Chessenta, Chondath, the Dalelands, Impiltur, Sembia, Mulhorand, Priador, Thay, Thesk, Turmish, Unther, and the Vast.[2]

Myths & Rumors

Legends told of an aquatic race of dwarves inhabiting the Sea of Fallen Stars, but any time a scholar looked into the manner they found no evidence of such a race existing.[21]

Appendix

Further Reading

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 142. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Forgotten Realms Poster Map (3rd edition) (6MB JPG). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2008-03-17.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 172. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
  4. Curtis Scott (March 1992). Pirates of the Fallen Stars. (TSR, Inc), p. 34. ISBN 978-1560763208.
  5. Curtis Scott (March 1992). Pirates of the Fallen Stars. (TSR, Inc), p. 37. ISBN 978-1560763208.
  6. Curtis Scott (March 1992). Pirates of the Fallen Stars. (TSR, Inc), p. 42. ISBN 978-1560763208.
  7. Curtis Scott (March 1992). Pirates of the Fallen Stars. (TSR, Inc), p. 48. ISBN 978-1560763208.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Steven E. Schend (1999). Sea of Fallen Stars. (TSR, Inc), p. 14. ISBN 0-7869-1393-2.
  9. Robert Wiese (August 2004). Adventure Locales: Ship From the Past (HTML). Adventure Locales. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved on 2018-11-06.
  10. Steven E. Schend (1999). Sea of Fallen Stars. (TSR, Inc), p. 15. ISBN 0-7869-1393-2.
  11. BioWare (December 1998). Designed by James Ohlen. Baldur's Gate. Black Isle Studios.
  12. Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 41. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
  13. Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 8. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
  14. Nigel Findley, et al. (October 1990). Draconomicon. Edited by Mike Breault. (TSR, Inc.), p. 4. ISBN 0-8803-8876-5.
  15. Bruce R. Cordell (December 2008). Plague of Spells (Mass Market Paperback). (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 10, p. 200. ISBN 978-0-7869-4965-6.
  16. Steve Kenson, et al. (November 2015). Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 17–18, 136. ISBN 978-0-7869-6580-9.
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 Steven E. Schend (1999). Sea of Fallen Stars. (TSR, Inc), p. 13. ISBN 0-7869-1393-2.
  18. Steven E. Schend (1999). Sea of Fallen Stars. (TSR, Inc), p. 11. ISBN 0-7869-1393-2.
  19. Steven E. Schend (1999). Sea of Fallen Stars. (TSR, Inc), p. 153. ISBN 0-7869-1393-2.
  20. Steven E. Schend (1999). Sea of Fallen Stars. (TSR, Inc), pp. 114–115. ISBN 0-7869-1393-2.
  21. Eric L. Boyd (November 1999). Drizzt Do'Urden's Guide to the Underdark. Edited by Jeff Quick. (TSR, Inc.), p. 19. ISBN 0-7869-1509-9.

Connections

Main Continents and Seas
AnchoromeAnchoromeAnchoromeAnchoromeAnchoromeAnchoromeAnchoromeAnchoromeAnchoromeMazticaEvermeetEvermeetEvermeetKatashakaKatashakaKatashakaOsseOsseOsseZakharaSea of Fallen StarsFaerûnKara-TurKara-TurKara-TurKara-TurSea of SwordsTrackless SeaGreat SeaGreat Ice SeaShining SeaYellow SeaCelestial SeaSegara SeaToril-3e-crop
About this image

Landmasses: AnchoromeEvermeetFaerûnKara-TurKatashakaLaerakondMazticaMerrouroborosOsseZakhara
Seas and Oceans: Celestial SeaEastern OceanEastern SeaGreat Ice SeaGreat SeaSea of Fallen StarsSea of SwordsSegara SeaShining SeaSilver SeaSouthern OceanTrackless SeaWestern OceanYellow Sea