What Are the Forgotten Realms?

The Forgotten Realms is the most famous campaign setting in the history of Dungeons & Dragons. It is the world of Faerûn — a sprawling continent of ancient empires, warring gods, hidden dungeons, and legendary heroes. Created by novelist and game designer Ed Greenwood in the 1960s as a personal fiction project before being officially published by TSR in 1987, the Realms have grown into one of fantasy's richest fictional universes.

The Dawn of History: The Days of Thunder

Long before humans walked Faerûn, the continent was dominated by the creator races — ancient, powerful beings who shaped the world in their image. The sarrukh (ancestors of reptilian races), the batrachi (ancestors of amphibious creatures), and the aearee (ancestors of bird-folk) each built mighty empires before catastrophic wars and planar events shattered their civilisations.

This era established Faerûn's deep geological and magical history — the reason ruins, artifacts, and ancient horrors still lurk beneath the earth in every corner of the setting.

The Age of Elves: Aryvandaar and the Crown Wars

As the creator races faded, the elves rose to dominance. Their great empire, Aryvandaar, and rival nations engaged in the devastating Crown Wars — a series of five conflicts spanning thousands of years that nearly destroyed elven civilisation. The most catastrophic moment was the Dark Disaster, a magical catastrophe that transformed much of the Elven Court into the haunted forest known as the Darkwood.

These wars ultimately led to the Retreat — the slow withdrawal of elves from Faerûn to the mystical isle of Evermeet — creating the historical vacuum that human nations would eventually fill.

The Rise of Human Empires

Several ancient human empires shaped the modern Realms:

  • Netheril: A magocracy of unparalleled arcane power. Netherese arcanists invented the Nether Scrolls and eventually created floating sky-cities. Their fall came when the arcanist Karsus attempted to steal the power of a god — destroying the Weave of magic and sending the sky-cities crashing to earth.
  • Imaskar: A secretive empire that kidnapped people from other worlds (including early humans from Earth) to serve as slaves, inadvertently seeding the diverse human ethnicities of Faerûn.
  • Jhaamdath: A psionic empire destroyed by elven magic, whose sunken ruins form the Sea of Fallen Stars.

The Time of Troubles: When Gods Walked the Earth

One of the most significant events in Realms history is the Time of Troubles (1358 DR), in which the overgod Ao cast all deities down from the heavens to walk Faerûn in mortal form. Several gods died during this period — most notably Mystra (goddess of magic) and Bhaal (god of murder). The death of Bhaal seeded countless mortal children with divine essence — the Bhaalspawn — whose story is told in the classic Baldur's Gate games.

The Spellplague and the Second Sundering

In 1385 DR, the murder of the reborn Mystra triggered the Spellplague — a catastrophic magical event that reshaped the geography of Faerûn, merged parts of the world with another plane, and fundamentally altered how magic worked. This era (corresponding to D&D 4th Edition) remains controversial among fans but added new layers of complexity to the lore.

The Second Sundering (circa 1482–1487 DR) restored much of the old order — gods returned to their proper roles, Mystra was reborn again, and the Realms were reset to a state closer to classic lore, ushering in the era of D&D 5th Edition.

Why the Forgotten Realms Endures

What makes the Forgotten Realms so compelling is its lived-in depth. Every city has centuries of history. Every ruin tells a story. Every god has a personality, agenda, and complicated relationship with others. For Dungeon Masters and players alike, it offers an inexhaustible well of inspiration — and a guarantee that no matter where your adventurers wander, the world has something waiting for them.