Page 20 - D&D - Player's Handbook

Fallen Stars had grown, submerging great swaths of MAGIC IN THE REALMS
land beneath its waves.
Early in 1487, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions From the simplest cantrip to the mightiest workings of
abounded for months, as if the whole world was con- High Magic, from the blessings of healing mercy to the
vulsing. Rumors spread of chasms caused by the raising of mighty heroes from the dead, magic perme-
Spellplague suddenly vanishing, and stories circulated ates the Realms. Any understanding of magic begins,
of known destinations being farther away from one and ends, with an understanding of the Weave.
another, as if the world had quietly added miles of wil-
derness to the distance between them. Word began to THE WEAVE
spread of places and peoples not heard from since the The Weave is an essential element of the universe,
Spell plague. It became apparent that some of the effects running through everything in unseen threads. Some
of that terrible time had been reversed. During the year, creatures, objects, and locations have deep, intrinsic
ships claiming to be from Evermeet, Lantan, and Nim- ties to the Weave and can perform extraordinary feats
bral- nations thought vanished or destroyed- sailed that come naturally to them (a beholder's flight, a vam-
into ports on the Sword Coast and in the Shining South. pire's charming gaze, a dragon's breath weapon, and so
Tales spread of the legendary skyships of Halruaa being forth). Creatures with the necessary talent and skill can
spotted in southern skies. No longer engaged in Cormyr, also manipulate the Weave to perform magic by cast-
Netheril attacked Myth Drannor by floating the City of ing spells.
Shade over it. In a struggle for control of Myth Dran- The Weave isn't normally visible or detectable, even
nor's mythal and the Weave itself, the flying capital of through the use of spells. Detect magic doesn't let you
Netheril was brought crashing down on Myth Drannor, perceive the Weave, for instance. The Weave isn't magic,
resulting in the cataclysmic destruction of both. precisely, any more than a collection of threads is a gar-
As the year drew to a close, there were nights when ment; it's the raw material from which the tapestry of
the heavens seemed to hang motionless. Throughout magic is woven.
much of Faeriln, the winter of 1487 and 1488 lasted lon- In two senses, both the metaphorical and the real,
ger than any on record. The solstices and equinoxes had the goddess Mystra is the Weave. She is its keeper
somehow drifted. Later seasons followed suit, with each and tender, but all three times the goddess of magic
starting and ending later than expected. Prayers to the has died or been separated from her divinity (twice as
gods for knowledge and mercy seemed to go unacknowl- Mystra, and once as her predecessor, Mystryl), magic
edged, apart from the presence of their Chosen. has been twisted or has failed entirely. With Mystra's
Although the ores were defeated in the North, the last death and the coming of the Spellplague, the
League of Silver Marches was disbanded in 1488, as Weave was thought destroyed, and the term lost its
former allies blamed one another for failures in the war. significance. Since the end of the most recent Sunder-
Sembia divided into separate city-states only nominally ing, both Mystra and the Weave have returned to their
allied with one another. While a handful of settlements roles of centuries past, and spells and magic items
survived, the Netherese Empire was no more. The re- are more reliable than they had been while the Spell-
mainder of the Netherese forces battle with the Bedine plague raged.
over control of the Memory Spire, thought to be a tomb
of the phaerimm, Netheril's ancient enemies. The battle SUPERNATURAL POWERS
awakens what turns out to be a hive of the creatures,
AND PSIONICS
and they use the life and magic-draining power of the
spire against the lands below. The inborn magical abilities of certain creatures, the
By 1489, many of the wars that began during the Sun- acquired supernatural powers of people such as monks,
dering had ground to a close. Other conflicts arose, and and psionic abilities are similar in that their users don't
mighty threats still imperiled the world, but the deities manipulate the Weave in the customary way that spell-
ceased interfering with the world through their Chosen. casters do. The mental state of the user is vitally import-
The gods were no longer silent but quiet, and in many ant: monks and some psionics-users train long and hard
places new priesthoods arose to interpret the gods' now to attain the right frame of mind, while creatures with
subtle signs. supernatural powers have that mind-set in their nature.
The world today seems a place filled with new lands How these abilities are related to the Weave remains a
and opportunities, where those who dare can leave their matter of debate; many students of the arcane believe
mark. Students of history and those elves and dwarves that the use of the so-called Unseen Art is an aspect of
who recall the past that short-lived humans see as dis- magical talent that can't be directly studied or taught.
tant perceive a world much like it was over a century
ago. For most folk, wild tales of people empowered by MAGIC ITEMS
the gods, and of far-off lands returned to the world, are Where a spell effect is brought to life by manipulating
the subjects of fireside chatter. Daily concerns and the the threads of the Weave, the creation of a magic item
dangers and opportunities just beyond their doors take ties some of those threads together in a specific way, to
precedence, and plenty of both remain on the Sword produce the desired effect for as long as the item lasts.
Coast and in the North. The Weave provides immediately available energy for
spells and also enables those who know the craft to har-

CHAPTER l I WELCOME TO THE REALMS