A Short (for him) Greeting From Elminster by Ed Greenwood the great trees of the Elven court, or glimpse (from afar, if ye would live long) Tantam! Oh...er, hello, as ye say the devil-haunted ruins of Myth Dran- it...tantam is what merchants of the nor. To see the welcoming farms of Sha- North say, here in the Realms. dowdale, or half a world away, the The Realms, the Forgotten Realms, many proud spires of great Waterdeep, ocourse, as yeve all forgotten the way the City of Splendors! Ah, tis a grand here, until now, that is. Of all the sages world, I tell thee (and who should know in Faerun, I am the first to walk among better?) and it awaits thee, here and in ye since Myth Drannor fell so it has pagesand other ways, who knows? fallen to me to welcome yeye who to come. When ye have seen a sunrise have discovered the Realms through over the Moonshae Isles, or watched the offices of the good scribes of TSR, the stars glimmering above the beauti- Inc. I bid ye fair welcome to my home, ful city of Silverymoon on a clear deep for tis a fair world, perhaps the fairest night, ye will thank me! Aye, and it of all those Ive walked. And mind ye, makes me glad to know the joy that there have been a few and a few again, awaits and proud, too, for the Realms over the years. are my home, even as ye would be Five hundred-odd winters I have proud to show a wayfarer thy abode, lived in Faerun, most of them in the whateer it be. Dragonreach landsthat is, those lands One thing more: know ye all that the that border the Sea of Fallen Stars on Realms ye have seen in the box is but a the northwest. Ive learned the odd small corner of the Realms! One of my thing in my time, here and there along to more attentive ears, know ye, in the favorite corners, aye, but only a small my road; and so it is that I can pass on to last season than in many seasons piece indeed of the mighty land that is ye what I think ye should know of the before, here and in Faerun. Ye who like Faerun. Ye have seen little of the North, Forgotten Realms. to read what ye term novelsa novel little indeed of the lands between the One cannot know too much beauty term indeed, eh-heh...ahem...can Sword Coast and the Dragonreach, and in ones life. Some such beauty is too expect to see more than a few tales of little or nothing of Impiltur, Aglarond, fleeting, or too personal, to be passed the Realms in times ahead. Some words and Thay to the east. on to others, but tis the duty of all ye can read already, as novels and game And these, too, are but a fewthe beings who would rise to better them- tomes, and of these I would speak now. entire South, from the Vilhon Reach selves to pass on to others beauty that In all tales, a teller misses something, through proud Amn, Tethyr, and hot others can know. So it is that sages, of or speaks here and there with words Calimshan, ye have not even been all worlds, preserve the lore and learn- unclear to someone who reads or shown yet. Nor Lantan, or Nimbral, the ing of their lands and peoples. Music, hears, or tells not enough of what his island realms (nor, far out to sea in the art, legends, and magecraftall these listeners would hear about, if they west, Evermeet of the elves); nor we treasure, and TSR will bring ye as could guide his tongue. Elminsters Tharsultnor the wild jungles of Chult, the years pass. And ye shall come to business is answering questionsaye, nor Tashluta and the lands about it, that know the beauty of the Forgotten and his pleasure, too. So, ask, I charge we call Tashalar. Beyond this last lies a Realms. thee! Send thy queries to the good whole coast of realms, in the far south For the life of a world can only be scribes, and I shall do mine own level of Faerunand ye could travel for captured, howeer imperfectly, in tell- best to answer, if not directly, then by many years walking east, across ings that give one views of its land- producing more lore on locales, and Raurin, and Durpar, and the Plains of scapes and its lifeits plants, its matters, and beings, ye would know Purple Dust, ere ye came at last to the creatures, and their doings. I would like more of. The busy scribes of the realms mysterious lands of Kara-Tur. And to see the Realms come alive for ye, in can then turn such into modules, rule- Faerun is not the only continent of this world, to delight ye as it has me. I books, articles, and novels for thy Abeir-Toril, know ye! Ah, rich years lie have told one among ye, Ed Green- entertainment. For, look ye, what ahead of ye yet, ye who come along for wood, of my world for years; through greater purpose is there, if ye cannot the ride across this rich world of mine! I him, and others, TSR will bring ye more heal or shape mountains or create life welcome ye, and wish ye welland will of the Realms in days to come. For some anew, than to entertain? have more to say to ye anon (for I say twenty winters only he listened to my Ah, I envy thee all. To discover the much, and often, as they say). But for tales, but Ive talked long evenings away Realms anew, as ye will! To walk amid now, until swords part! 1 High Fantasy...High Art FORGOTTEN REALMS Calendar The Forgotten Realms is more than just a land of endless adventure and tireless foes. It is also a realm of wonder, a land of legends and tales of grand heroics and personal sacrifice, of love, war and honor! And it is a realm of striking beauty and splendor. Now let that world of fantasy come to life for you with TSRs colorful FORGOTTEN REALMS Calendar and Novels of new legends. The black and white illustrations on this page cannot begin to do justice to the spectacular color of the latest FORGOTTEN REALMS Calendar and novels. You have to see it for yourself. The 1989 Calendar is a magnificent collection of fourteen full color paint- ings gleaned from the covers of the new FORGOTTEN REALMS products. Illus- trated by top artists: Jeff Butler, Clyde Caldwell, Jeff Easley, Larry Elmore, and Keith Parkinson, this calendar has already become a best seller. TSR8889 Forgotten Realms 1989 Calendar $7.95 ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, FORGOTTEN REALMS, and the TSR logo are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc FORGOTTEN REALMS ©1988 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in U.S.A. Novels Darkwalker on Moonshae by Doug Black Wizards, by Doug Niles, con- The Crystal Shard by R. A. Sahratore. Niles. This is the very first novel set in tinues the Moonshae Trilogy. In the sec- This new Forgotten Realms story, set the Forgotten Realms, and the first of a ond book, Prince Tristan Kendrick of east of the Sea of Moving Ice and far major trilogy set in the Moonshae Isles. Corwell departs on a blood quest. His north of the Moonshae Isles, tells of the In this tale, which made the New York journey is interrupted when the vision young barbarian Wulfgar, an unortho- Times best-seller list, the evil Kazgoroth of a queen long dead rises from the sea dox dwarf, a renegade dark elf, and the has awakened and only Prince Tristan to challenge him with an obscure people of Ten-Towns, who must unite Kendrick can rally the forces of Moon- prophecy that will rule his destiny and against the forces of the crystal shard shae against its encroaching darkness. that of the Isles. Crenshinibon and the Tyrant of Ice- wind Dale. TSR8410 TSR8412 Darkwalker on Moonshae $3.95 Black Wizards $3.95 TSR8411 The Crystal Shard $3.95 2 Lands of the Forgotten Realms During the scribing of the Forgotten Simbuls realm from the mainland. Tra- by a few sylvan elves, satyrs, and the Realms tomes, some information was vel in Aglarond is by griffon, ship, or fell forest denizens known more to men unintentionally overlooked by over- forest trails. It trades lumber, gems, and in fable than in fact (owlbears, stirges, worked scribes working by far-too- some copper for glass, iron, cloth and the like), Aglarond was little dis- feeble candlelight. The errant goods, and food when freetrading ves- turbed by men as settlement spread information literally came to light sels come to port, but sends out no trad- east across the Inner Sea lands an age recently (when the scribery windows ing ships of its own. ago. Often visited by pirates and others were at last washed) and is here includ- Aglarond cannot boast a field army of seeking a temporary refuge or to cut ed for your education, edification, and any size, nor a navy, but within its timber, Aglarond remained unsettled perusal. woods The Simbuls foresters are for many long winters. A few adventur- expert and deadly troops, adept at fire- ers ceased their explorations to colo- AGLAROND fighting and at using coastboats (long, nize the land, mostly those too old, canoe-like open boats handled with notorious, or badly maimed to continue A small realm that keeps to itself, lateen sails, oars, and poles) to raid by faring.