General Realms Misc. Info

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Drinks from around the Realms.

Ales of the Dales

1. Archenwood Stout
2. Ashaben Ale
3. Bitter Black
4. Black Boot Stout
5. Blackwater Stout
6. Highmoon Dark Beer
7. Highwater Ale
8. Old Smoke Ale
9. Shadowdark Ale
10. Suzale
11. Tantul's Dark

Beer of Cormyr

1. Dragon's Breath Beer
2. Elder Root Stout
3. Elminster's Choice
4. Golden Sands Basic
5. Golden Sands Gold
6. Golden Sands Orange
7. Iriaeboran North Brew
8. Luiren's Best
9. Old Dark Ale
10. Old One Eye
11. Tanagyr's Stout

Ales of the North

1. Beldabar’s Ale
2. Bitterroot Beer
3. Black Grog Ale
4. Butternut Beer
5. Calling Horns Ale
6. Calling Horns Stout
7. Conyberry Beer
8. Flounder Beer
9. Luskan Black Ale
10. Slaker
11. Westbridge Red Ale

Spirits of the North

1. Almond Brandy - Moonshae
2. Best Old Mintarn Whiskey
3. Firebelly Whiskey
4. Fires of Mirabar Whiskey
5. Lantan Blackthroat
6. Wyvern Whiskey
7. Zzar


Ciders of the Realms

1. Jalanthar Amber
2. Knee Cracker Cider
3. Purple Hill Cider
4. Tashlutan Amberthroat
5. Thorl Beldarakul
6. Vilhon Cider

Wines of the North

1. Brandywine
2. Clarry
3. Evershimmer
4. Fighting thingy Wine
5. Fire Wine
6. Firestar Wine
7. Mintarn Wine
8. Mushroom Wine
9. Neverwinter Black Icewine
10. Saerloonian Glowfire
11. Sloegreen Wine
12. very *friendly* personh
13. Westbridge Red
14. Winter Wine

Wines of the Inner Sea

1. Arabellan Dry
2. Berduskan Dark
3. Blood Wine
4. Calimsharian Amber Wine
5. Kaorph
6. Kirinwood Wine
7. Pearls of the Moon Wine
8. Rice Wine
9. Saerloonian Special Vat
10. Saerloonian Topaz
11. Spiced Wine
12. Undermountain Alurlyath
13. Utterdark
14. Westgate Ruby

Meads

1. Evermead
2. Elvan Silvermead
3. Neverwinter Mead
4. Mother Gothal’s Mead
5. Sleeping Cat’s Mead
6. Maztican Mead
7. God's Mead

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Time in the Realms:

A year in the Realms consists of 365 days: 12 months of exactly 30 days each (due to the single moon and its followers), plus five days that fall between months. These days are special occasions. Leap year is retained purely for social convenience, and provides a sixth special day that is used as the basis for long-term agreements and
such contracts and activities.

Months are subdivided into three ten-day periods. These are known variously as eves, tendays, weeks, domen, hyrar, or rides throughout the Forgotten Realms. While rides is the standard term used in Cormyr and the Dalelands, this text uses weeks to avoid confusion. Although the months that comprise a year are standardized, the system of dating years varies from place to place. Usually, years are numbered from an event of great political or religious significance. Each nation or region has cultures with unique histories, and thus, different reckonings. The system of naming the months is named for its inventor, the long-dead wizard Harptos of Kaalinth, and is in use throughout the North.


Marking the Years:

Years (winters) are referred to by names, each name consistent across the Realms. Each kingdom or city-state numbers years differently, usually to measure the reign of a dynasty or the current monarch, or since the founding of the country. The result is a hodgepodge of overlapping numbers that serve to confuse the ordinary person and frustrate the sage. The widespread differing year dates include the following:

Dalereckoning (DR): Dalereckoning is taken from the year that humans were first permitted by the Elven Court to settle in the more open regions of the forests. In some texts, primarily those which do not have direct ties to Dales history, Dalereckoning is called Freeman's Reckoning (FR). All dates in this chronology use
Dalereckoning as its standard.

Cormyr Reckoning (CR): Cormyr Reckoning begins at the foundation of House Obarskyr, the dynasty that still rules that land. The 25-year gap between Cormyr Reckoning and Dalereckoning has caused much of the confusion regarding elder days. Time lines and calendars of the period often use DR designators, but place the
founding of Cormyr at 1 DR instead of 26 DR. This is understandable, given that the two reckonings are from two nearby parties and spread by a third (the merchants of Sembia), but it causes learned sages to slam their heads violently against their desks trying to figure things out.

Northreckoning (NR): Used in the City of Waterdeep, Northreckoning dates from the year Ahghairon became
the first Lord of Waterdeep. A more archaic system called Waterdeep Years (WY) dates from the supposed first use of Waterdeep as a trading post. This reckoning is now largely abandoned except in ancient texts.

Mulhorand Calendar (MC): One of the oldest calendars in use in the Realms, this ancient scheme of recordkeeping dates from the founding of Skuld, the City of Shadows, reputedly by a Mulhorandi god.

Present Reckoning (PR): In an attempt to get a handle on the various number systems in use, a new type of reckoning has been implemented with the approval of such worthies as Khelben Arunsun of Waterdeep and Vangerdahast of Cormyr and carried abroad by the Harpers. All year-dates trace back to the Time of Troubles as Year 0.

From Grand History of the Realms

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Special Calendar Days:

Midwinter: Midwinter is known officially in Cormyr as the High Festival of Winter. It is a feast where, traditionally, the local lords of the land plan the year ahead, make and renew alliances, and send gifts of goodwill. To the commonfolk throughout the Realms, this is Deadwinter Day, the midpoint of the worst of the cold.

Greengrass: Greengrass is the official beginning of spring, a day of relaxation. Flowers that have been carefully grown in the inner rooms of the keeps and temples during the winter are blessed and cast out upon the snow to bring rich growth in the season ahead.

Midsummer: Midsummer, called Midsummer Night or the Long Night, is a time of feasting and music and love. In a ceremony performed in some lands, unwed maidens are set free in the woods and "hunted" by their would be suitors throughout the night. Betrothals are traditionally made upon this night. It is very rare indeed for the weather to be bad during this night—such is considered a very bad omen, usually thought to foretell famine or
plague.

Higharvestide: Higharvestide heralds the coming of fall and the harvest. It is a feast that often continues the length of the harvest so that food is always on hand for those comin in from the fields. There is much traveling about on the heels of the feast, as merchants, court emissaries, and pilgrims make speed before the worst of the mud arrives and the rain freezes in the snow.

The Feast of the Moon: This festival, also called moonfest, is the last great festival of the year. It marks the arrival of winter and is also the day when the dead are honored. Graves are blessed, the Ritual of Remembrance is performed, and tales of the doings of those now gone are told far into the night. Much is said of heroes and treasure and lost cities underground. Wars, by the way, are often but not always fought after the harvest is done, continuing as late as the weather permits. The bulk of the fighting takes place in the month of Uktar, and the ironic practicality of the Feast of the
Moon is readily apparent.

Shieldmeet: Once every four years, another day is added to the year in the manner of February 29 in the Gregorian calendar. This day is part of no month and follows Midsummer Night. It is known as Shieldmeet. It is a day of open council between nobles and people, a day for the making and renewing of pacts, oaths, and
agreements. It is a day for tournaments, test and trials for those wishing to advance in battle fame or clerical standing, for entertainment of all types, particuarly theatrical, and for dueling.

Taken from Grand History of the Realms

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The Calendar of Harptos:

The Calendar of Harptos is summarized in the table below. Each month's name is followed by a colloquial description of that month, plus the roughly corresponding month of the Gregorian calendar in parentheses.

Special days are listed when they occur between months, and appear in italic type. Each special day is described in the Special Calendar Days section, below.

Order Name : Colloquial Description: Gregorian Month



1 Hammer: Deepwinter (January)

—Midwinter—

2 Alturiak: Claws of the Cold (February)

3 Ches: Claws of the Sunsets (March)

4 Tarsakh: Claws of the Storms (April)

—Greengrass—

5 Mirtul: The Melting (May)

6 Kythorn: The Time of Flowers (June)

7 Flamerule: Summertide (July)

—Midsummer—


8 Eleasias: Highsun (August)

9 Eleint: The Fading (September)

—Highharvestide—

10 Marpenoth: Leafall (October)

11 Uktar: The Rotting (November)

—The Feast of the Moon—

12 Nightal: The Drawing Down (December)