Abeir-Toril
| Prime Material Plane | |
|---|---|
| System: | Realmspace |
| Factions Present: | None |
Abeir-Toril, commonly known simply as Toril, is a planet located in Realmspace. The name is archaic, believed to mean "cradle of life." It is orbited by a single moon, called Selûne, and a cluster of asteroids known as the "Tears of Selûne". The world consists of various continents and islands, including Faerûn, Kara-Tur and Zakhara in the central super-continent and Anchorome, Maztica and Katashaka on the western continent. There is a third large continent east of Kara-Tur called Osse, which is veiled in mystery to the prime's inhabitants.
Travel to other planes is often more common to Toril's people than travel between continents, and much of the world is considered "unexplored".
Faerûn
The continent of Faerûn has many different types of terrain. Excluding the exterior coastline to the south and west, the most dominant geographical feature is the Sea of Fallen Stars. This is an irregular inland sea that keeps the interior lands fertile and serves as a major trade route for many of the bordering nations. A broad grassland called the Shaar, together with the Lake of Steam, separates the area around this inland sea from the coastal nations at the southern edge of the continent.
To the east, Faerûn is bordered by vast regions of steppe from Kara-Tur, and in the north are massive glaciers and tundra. South of the continent, separated by the Great Sea, is the sub-tropical land of Zakhara.
Faerûn is a highly magical, cosmopolitan land with many portals to other planes. Its inhabitants adopt better to the planes beyond than the superstitious inhabitants of a typical world on the Prime Material Plane. While the demihumans of Faerûn worship their individual pantheons, the humans primarily venerate their own powers of the Faerûnian Pantheon. The Egyptian powers have a small presence, though are uniquely called the "Mulhorandi Pantheon" by their worshippers on this prime.
Kara-Tur
Kara-Tur is a massive, culturally varied land, found east of Faerûn on their shared super-continent. A great wall of stone lies between Faerûn and Kara-Tur, said to have been carved from the body of a petrified sea dragon. Trade between the two powerful continents is done via the Golden Way, a well-maintained route through the Hordelands.
The vast human empire of Shou Lung, arguably the largest and most powerful nation on the whole Prime, is found in Kara-Tur. The country is ruled by the Celestial Emperor and his chancellors, and is also a major Spelljamming power. While generalities cannot hold true concerning the populations and topography of Kara-Tur, the educated folk here are more likely to know and accept spelljamming than the people of any other region on Toril.
Kara-Tur is home to a variety of cultures and traditions, and numerous powers of the Chinese, Indian, and Japanese pantheons are worshiped there.
Zakhara
Zakhara is a giant peninsula on the same super-continent that hosts Faerûn and Kara-Tur. Zakhara is mostly isolated from the rest of the world, separated by the World Pillar Mountains and the pirates infesting the surrounding waters. Traders wishing to export Zakhara's bounties are often forced to pay exorbitant fees to these corsairs, and many are willingly to pay: Zakhara's exotic goods are well worth this price elsewhere.
The lands of Zakhara are full of secretive cities, huge deserts, lush oases and powerful genies who meddle in the affairs of humans frequently. The continent is governed by a theocracy headed by the Caliph, a prestige ruler of the state, who rules from the capital city of Huzuz, the City of Delights. Tales tell of demon-infested cities and godless sorcerers, like the genie-binding Sha'irs wielding strange magic. Zakhara's people are firmly convinced they are more civilised than the rest of the world, and they treat these 'barbarians' accordingly when they enter their lands.