Approved Setting Source Material

[ladybug]

APPROVED SOURCE MATERIAL FOR CORMYR & THE DALELANDS

The Forgotten Realms setting contains a wealth of materials that span several decades of published books and magazines. Cormyr & The Dalelands uses the 3.5 Forgotten Realms setting material, as well as select material from outside sources. The available published source material can be broken down into core rule books, setting specific area reference books, secondary (non-setting specific) books, and Dragon magazines. The admin team has reviewed the available materials, and determined the following list appropriate for our setting.

Conflicting Source Material

Within the list of materials below, latter material overrides prior writings unless otherwise noted. All events after 28 Eleasias 1372 DR (after Lolth's Silence) did not occur.

Core Rule Books

• Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd Edition (2001)**
  
• Lords of Darkness (2001)
  
• Magic of Faerûn (2001)
  
• Monster Compendium: Monsters of Faerûn (2001)
  
• Faiths and Pantheons (2002)**
  
• Races of Faerûn (2003)
  
• Underdark (2003)*
  
• Player's Guide to Faerûn (2004)
  
• Champions of Ruin (2005)
  
• Lost Empires of Faerûn (2005)
  
• Champions of Valor (2005)

*Note that Sschindylryn as presented in CD is noteably different by the present date of CD's timeline, having undergone changes in the intervening years, with surface organizations and others establishing a presence, and is more of a cosmopolitan trade city a la Skullport rather than a fully drow city.

**CD uses the cosmology as described in the Manual of the Planes (ie the Great Wheel) rather than the FR specific planar mechanics described in FRCS and other setting specific books. Realms of the respective deities exist as parts or sub-parts of their aligned planes (e.g. Brightwater being part of Olympus/Arvandor).

Setting Specific Area Reference Books

Exact details of the NPCs and details from these regions may change due to events in-game on Cormyr & The Dalelands. See the Cormyr/Dalelands Timeline for specific setting events.

• Silver Marches (2002)
  
• Unapproachable East (2003)
  
• Serpent Kingdoms (2004)
  
• Shining South (2004)
  
• City of Splendors: Waterdeep (2005)
  
• Mysteries of the Moonsea (2006)

Caveated Material

• Dragons of Faerûn (2006) - Any references to events in 1372 and later, and related topics or consequences of these events, are not valid for our setting. While the Dracorage mythal does exist, it remains undiscovered and untampered with.
  
• Power of Faerûn (2006) - Any references to Amaunator and related Heresies are not valid for our setting.
• The Grand History of the Realms (2006) - Any references to the events of Lolth's silence and afterwards (which is itself truncated to a period of no more than a few days, with no lasting repercussions) are not canon, nor is the reference to the Wailing Death in Neverwinter canon. Additionally, any recent timeline events referencing Sammaster and the Dracorage mythal are not canon, nor are references to "fourth wall breaks"/RL Earth/etc. Lastly, references to a dragon-made weapon causing the Tears of Selûne to break off is considered IC myth/legend (one of many about the Tears), and did not actually happen (although the building of the weapon itself was a real attempt).

Secondary Rule Books

• Manual of the Planes (2001) - CD uses the cosmology as described in the Manual of the Planes (ie the Great Wheel) rather than the FR specific planar mechanics described in FRCS and other setting specific books.
  
• Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss (2006)
  
• Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells (2006)
  
• Book of Vile Darkness (2002)
  
• Book of Exalted Deeds (2003)
  
• Draconomicon (2003)
  
• Races of Destiny (2004), Races of Dragon (2006), Races of Stone (2004), Races of Wild (2005) - These books use the generic setting of Oearth, and as such their entries regarding religions and setting-specific locations do not apply.

Web Enhancements

Web enhancements for the source material listed above may be considered valid from the Admin team. These publications are extensions to the books. Most of the material published in these sources includes minor, flavor-related, information that expands on information included in the original source book. It is not expected that players know the information contained in these.

• Web Article/Supplement – "State Visits to Cormyr", Part 1 and Part 2 (Note that any mentions of the Regency, and how it should progress, was changed when Laspeera suggested the Regency Council after the first invasion of the Far Realm.)

Prior Edition Source Material

Material contained in first and second edition source books is considered valid when not contradicted by one of the 3.5 sources listed above. However, players are not expected to know the information contained in prior editions.

• Dragon Magazines
  
• Dragon magazines published pre-2007 will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Approved articles will be listed here.
  
• Dragon Magazine – Annual 4, pp. 114-120 "The Ghazneths"
  
• Dragon Magazine – 279, pp. 34-40 "Leaf & Thorn: The Secret Life of Elves"

CD Past Events

Events that have taken place on CD in the past are considered canon parts of our timeline, with the sole exception of certain rare specific instances where the Admins have had to retroactively revoke events (which will be relayed to the players involved when/if such occurs). Details of events listed here, and past Chronicles and Rumors and Stories forum posts by DMs, are all considered canon (although "unreliable narrator" rules may apply to Rumors).

Apocrypha - Related Writings as Inspiration

Ed Greenwood presents Elminster's Forgotten Realms is a great source for inspiration on various topics and adding Realms flavor to roleplay and storiy details, and recommended for use as such. However, it is not considered formal 'canon' in that players and DMs are neither required to know it nor use it, and no one should be penalized for not knowing or using it, ICly or OOCly, unless referenced in a DM plot (and then only because it was something in a DM plot.)

Similarly, other writings, answers, and inputs are not themselves canon, but DMs nonetheless are free to use whatever inspiration they wish, on equal footing, subject to Admin approval/oversight.
3rd Edition Forgotten Realms adventures (pre-2007) are not considered canon. Subject material from these sources may be used as ideas for plots and adventures by Dungeon Masters, but are treated exactly as any other server event or plot. Characters should not know about any specifics or events until after they are presented in a server event or plot.

Novels are likewise not considered canon. At best novels could be considered an in-character (often inaccurate) retelling of various events, provided those events are also mentioned in an approved source book.

Heresy - Writings That are Not Valid

Any material published in 2007 or later is not considered valid source material for our server unless explicitly mentioned above. This includes any of the 2007 adventure sourcebooks such as Cormyr/Shadowdale/Anauroch or Expedition to Undermountain.

Any source material from 4th or 5th edition is not valid.

Any 3rd Party publications are not considered valid.

[Fire Wraith]

Updated to include The Grand History of the Realms.