''Lost Empires of Faerûn'' is a campaign supplement for the fictional

Forgotten Realms ''Forgotten Realms'' is a campaign setting for the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as ...

campaign setting A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A '' campaign'' is a series of individual adventures, and a ''campaign setting'' is the world in which such adventures and c ...

for the 3.5 edition of the ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TS ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

role-playing game.

This 192-page hardcover book begins with a two-page introduction explaining that this book covers the various ruined kingdoms of the ancient world of

Faerûn Faerûn is a fictional continent and the primary setting of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' world of ''Forgotten Realms''. It is described in detail in several editions of the ''Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting'' (first published in 1987 by TSR, Inc. ...

, in other words the Lost Empires of Faerûn. Chapter 1: ''Ancient Secrets'', on pages 6–35, details prestige classes, feats, and

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common for characters that keep alive the ancient secrets and traditions of the past. Chapter 2: ''Dreams of the Past'', on pages 36–50, examines how the ancient past plays a role in the modern Realms. Chapter 3: ''The Crown Wars'', on pages 51–59, described the elven realms of the Crown Wars, which were waged upon each other and resulted in the descent of the

drow The drow ( or ) or dark elves are a dark-skinned and white-haired subrace of elves connected to the subterranean Underdark in the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. The drow have traditionally been portrayed as generally evil a ...

and the establishment of Evereska and

Evermeet ''Forgotten Realms'' is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as ...

. Chapter 4: ''God-Kings of the East'', on pages 60–82, details the Old Empires of Mulhorand and Unther, and rival empires Narfell and Raumathar. Chapter 5: ''Realms of the High Forest'', on pages 83–94, describes the kingdoms of Eaerlann, Siluvanede, Sharrven, and the surrounding states. Chapter 6: ''Fallen Netheril'', on pages 95–112, describes Netheril, the most famous of Faerûn's fallen states, which now lies buried under Anauroch. Chapter 7: ''The Imperial South'', on pages 113-124, examines Coramshan and Jhaamdath. Chapter 8: ''The Dream of Cormanthyr'', on pages 125-135, described the fabled realm of Myth Drannor. Chapter 9: ''The Old North'', on pages 136-150, details the history of the

Sword Coast A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed tip ...

North. Chapter 10: ''Artifacts of the Past'', on pages 151-159, introduces

magic items Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

created and used by people of the various lost empires. Chapter 11: ''Monsters of the Ancient Lands'', on pages 160-192, presents twenty-nine monsters that originated in these long-lost lands, including the crawling claw, the deepspawn, the flameskull, the helmed horror, the phaerimm, and the tressym.

Publication history

The book was published in 2005, and was written by Richard Baker,

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, and Travis Stout, with cover art by

Mark Sasso Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fin ...

. Interior art is by Thomas M. Baxa, Matt Cavotta,

Brian Despain Brian Despain is an artist whose work has appeared in galleries, in video games, on book covers and in role-playing games. Career Despain has worked as a graphic designer, 3D modeler, photo retoucher, and illustrator. He worked for ten years in ...

, Marko Djordjevic,

Jason Engle Jason A. Engle is an American artist, whose work has appeared in role-playing games and collectible card games. Early life Jason Engle was born in southern California in 1979. Career His ''Dungeons & Dragons'' work includes '' Shining South'' ...

, Earl Frank,

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Rafa Garres Rafael Garrés Cervantes is a Spanish artist who worked in comic-books and role-playing games. He commonly signs as Rafael Garrés or Rafa Garrés. Early life and education He was born in Barcelona, Spain. His hometown is Canovelles. Garrés stu ...

, Chris Hawkes, Ralph Horsley,

Jeremy Jarvis Jeremy Jarvis is an artist whose work has appeared in role-playing games. Early life and education Jeremy Jarvis grew up in a small town in Alabama, and moved to New York City right after high school just before his eighteenth birthday. There, he ...

Dana Knutson Dana Knutson is an artist best known for his work on role-playing game products. Career Dana Knutson has had a long career as an artist on role-playing games. He worked at FASA for 10 years, producing art on numerous works for their '' Star Tre ...

Vince Locke Vincent Locke () is an American comic book artist known for his work on ''Deadworld'' and '' A History of Violence'' and for his ultraviolent album covers for death metal band Cannibal Corpse. Biography Locke began work in 1986 illustrating ''De ...

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, William O'Connor, Jim Pavelec, Steve Prescott,

Wayne Reynolds Wayne Reynolds is a British artist whose work has appeared in comics and role-playing games. Early life and education Wayne Reynolds was born in Leeds, UK. He attended art college in Dewsbury and Middlesbrough. Games Wayne Reynolds has continu ...

Richard Sardinha Richard Sardinha is an American artist based in Providence, Rhode Island, whose work has appeared in role-playing games. Works Richard Sardinha has been illustrating books since the 1980s. He provided the art work for ''At Lovecraft's Grave'' (re ...

, and

Francis Tsai Francis Tsai (April 14, 1967 – April 23, 2015) was an American comic book artist, illustrator, author and conceptual artist. He was of Taiwanese and Japanese ancestry. Early life Tsai was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and raised in Lubbock, Te ...

Reception

In a review of ''Lost Empires of Faerûn'' in '' Black Gate'', John ONeill said "''Lost Empires'' is a sourcebook exploring the ruins and secrets of the fallen empires of the ''Forgotten Realms'' campaign setting. Admit it — any time 'sourcebook' and 'ruins' go together, you know you're going to get good some use of it." In a review for

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, Matt Drake says that ''Lost Empires of Faerûn'' gives a complete history of

, as well as enough information to run adventures in the lost empires described.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lost Empires of Faerun (accessory) Forgotten Realms sourcebooks Role-playing game supplements introduced in 2005

Contents

Publication history

Reception

References