Geography
Fearun, also known as the Material Plane, is comprised mainly of one content and one vast ocean, with land and water covering approximately equal parts of the plane. The single continent is simply known as Fearun and holds an amalgam of ecosystem ranging from tropical rainforest to sandy, arid deserts to mountain peaks and expansive tundra-- a mix of ecologies that cannot be found on the elemental planes.
Culturally, the continent has been split into five major regions since the start of the Era of War:
- The Civilized West stretches along the Sword Coast from the great Northern Mountains south to the Sharwood and east to the Watching Wood.
- The Wild South encompasses the Chultan Peninsula west to the Sea of Fallen Stars.
- The Savage East contains the deserts of Thay southward, including islands off the coast.
- The Swordlands refer to the islands east of the Sword Coast.
- The Northern Wastes contain the great Northern Mountains and the artic land north of it.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the naming system, most of sentient civilization is retained within the Civilized West. However, large settlements do exist in the Savage East and the Wild South, though both regions do not often partake in global relations, preferring to keep to themselves.
History
The early history of Faerun is speculative at best, as although evidence of sentient life reaches back at least three million years, writing did not appear in historical records until the discovery of the
Dying Sea Scrolls. These scrolls reference the events by which elves gained magic by fae-bonding with citizens of the
Feywild over a million years ago. Archeological discoveries prior to this event document a cycle of mass extinction events on the plane which continuously set back the potential development of sentient life.
Much of the known historical record comes from a scattering of documents sourced from no earlier than ten thousand years ago. Some of these early documents describe an 'event' that occurred some undetermined amount of time prior which may have reshaped the continent of Faerun. Descriptions of this event include tsunamis off the coasts, massive loss of crops, unexplained death, and enormous earthquakes. Given these descriptions, some scholars believe that Faerun may have been struck by a celestial body during this time.
Era of War
In the thousands of years after the devastating event, the sentient races appear to have rebuilt their societies, often race-based, primarily within what is now considered the Civilized West. Documents claim that resources were exceedingly scarce during this time and even minor conflicts escalated into full-on war as the developing kingdoms grappled for dominance. Almost 900 years passed before the cities ceased their continuous waring by uniting several of the most powerful churches in what is known as
The Union at the end of
The Peaceful War. The union's decision to ban worship of
The Exiled Five at this time marked the start of the Post-union Era.
Post-union Era
With world-wide war at an end, the sentient races of Faerun were free to pursue arcane, scientific, and technological advancements. Cultures have become less distinct in the 130 years since the union and kingdoms freely share their advancements within the Union of Churches. Thay, which was invited to the union but declined, along with the other major regions, continue to fall behind in technological and cultural advancement, although most citizens of these regions seem to prefer their simpler life.
Connection to Other Planes
Fearun acts as a central hub and cultural melting pot of the known universe. The plane is unique in that it boasts more than one race of sentient life, an oddity found either delightfully curious or strongly revolting to sentients of the elemental planes. Although sentients from the elemental planes rarely interact, it is known that they cannot produce offspring with each other. However, these elemental sentients are sometimes able to successfully procreate with humans from the Material Plane. It is unknown why offspring may result from elemental unions with humans but not other Faerunian races.
Faerun hosts portals to all other planes excluding the
Astral Plane which houses the gods while the other planes only contain portals to Faerun and not between each other. This had led some scholars to brand Faerun as a 'Universal Crossroads'. However, portals to the other planes are rare and ephemeral, with no patterns in portal activity detected. A portal may open anywhere in the world, though portals to elemental planes are usually only found within the element they represent. For example, the only known portal to
Shaetheon, Plane of Water, resides in the middle of the Sword Sea. Although some evidence suggests that sentients from other planes know how to control these portals, Faerunians have yet to discover the secret. Arcane scholars warn that these portals should be avoided, as the exit location is oftentimes random, and the portal may not be accessible, or even exist, on the other side.
