Elayne's Diary 0 (2/5/02)
Toril, before the disaster
Toril has two features that immediately distinguish it from Amber: it is rich in the arcane, and it's inhabitants are of the (black and white) view that creatures are inately good, inately evil, or inately neutral.
Lands
Most of the civilization on Toril is located on a large [Pangea-like] continent. It sports all sorts of terrain: from deserts to inland lakes of various sizes, from tundra to jungle, from plains to forests, and from plateau's to mountains. The western coast is named the Sword Coast. Ninety-eight percent of the population lives somewhere on this continent.
A second continent, known as the southern wilds encircles about three-quarters of the globe along latitude lines two-thirds the way from the equator to the South Pole. This continent is uninhabited.
The Moonshey Isles, a small island chain, lies about six weeks from the Sword Coast. They venerate Sarafin, known to them as the Earth Mother. A large island [the size of Greenland], known as Evermeet, lies eight weeks to the west of the Moonshey Isles. It is inhabited solely by Elves. There are many islands on Toril that are, as of yet, unexplored.
Silverymoon (Population: 200,000)
Geography
Silverymoon lay about six weeks north of Waterdeep, inland from the Sword Coast. The ocean lies a week to the west, and Sundabar two weeks to the east along the Shining River. The city rests in a valley that is protected from the harsh wind of the North, yet is defended by the surrounding hills and mountains.
Government
Lady Alustrial is one of the more potent wizards in the world. Silverymoon prospers under her watchful eye. Her rule is gentle, but her wrath is potent. She has loyalty of nearly every citizen in Silverymoon.
Local Establishments
Silverymoon gets less tourism then Waterdeep, but does have some famous taverns. Oldimara's Blessing features some of the best entertainment on Toril, thanks to the nearby Lady's College.
The Lady's College of Silverymoon was the first academic institute established on Toril. It was established by Alustrial's mother, and Alustrial was its first student. The college teaches both the arcane and the bardic arts.
The popularity of Oldimara rival's that of Mystra in Waterdeep. There are medium sized temples to both, and a medium sized common temple to the rest of the pantheon.
Island: Evermeet (Population: 300,000, all Elvish)
Elves are a strange lot. They don't sleep, but instead spend all night meditating. They like strong wines that should be outside their tolerance levels. The live almost ten times as long as humans. They pursue magic, but even the best of get little farther in their studies as normal humans. Perhaps their long lives make them think they will "have time to study later" until it is too late. Whatever the reason, if normal elves are strange, then these elves of Evermeet were bizarre.
Evermeet elves live even longer than other elves. They are even haughtier than normal Elves, if that is possible. They are extremely suspicious of outsiders, even other elves, and swore death upon all non-elves who visited Evermeet.
Geography
Evermeet is an island, approximately the size of Greenland. If the Sword Coast were California, and the Moonshey Isles were Hawaii, then Evermeet covers Japan.
Government
A council of elder Elves rules Evermeet.
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