Sildëyuir
Encyclopedia
Sildëyuir is a fictitious demiplane in the Forgotten Realms
setting of Dungeons & Dragons
and is one of the primary settings in the fantasy novel Farthest Reach by Richard Baker
. It is the home of the reclusive star, or mithral, elves, who constructed the realm nearly two thousand years ago.
Sildëyuir is a plane
of finite size that is conterminous with the Yuirwood in Faerûn
, perhaps two to three hundred miles from end to end. The plane has many of the same features and hills as the Yuirwood, and its borders match those of the Faerûnian forest. Sildëyuir is covered with dells with silver-boled trees and streams. Its forests are not as dense as the Yuirwood’s, and its trees are taller and more majestic with very little undergrowth. Phosphorescent lichen
s grow on the silver-trunked trees, and unlike the humidity of the Yuirwood, the air of Sildëyuir is cool. At the borders of the demiplane, the forest grows thicker and thicker, and any track one follows or makes simply bends back on itself. Sildëyuir is in perpetual twilight. The sky in the distance above the crowns of the trees is a soft pearl-gray, and it seems as if there is no east or west, for the same source-less illumination lights the horizon no matter in what direction one looks. Near the sky’s zenith, however, the skies are the purple velvet of true night and are filled with preternaturally brilliant stars. During the “night,” the sky darkens into pure blackness. Time is slower in Sildëyuir; two days or years on the Material Plane
is about one day or year in Sildëyuir. Sildëyuir can be accessed by circles of ancient stone menhir
s built by the star elves which serve as portals from the Yuirwood, and vice versa. Sildëyuir is not connected to the Ethereal and Shadow Planes, although it is linked to the Astral Plane.
Sildëyuir is a relatively quiet place. There are a few animals such as white owls, silver-gray deer, black squirrels, large gray-furred bears, and foot-long emerald and sapphire dragonflies. The star elves, masters of song magic and the lords of the realm, live in elegant citadels of glass and pale white stone. They are a peaceful people, and their demiplane is a closely guarded secret, unknown even to most elves. The star elf population has been dwindling for centuries. They once had true cities long ago, but with the entire plane to themselves, they never saw a need to crowd together, so their keeps, towers, and small towns are separated by great distances, and several citadels are abandoned.
For several centuries, Sildëyuir has been slowly invaded by strange sorcerers
from the Ethereal Plane called nilshai
. They haunt the lonelier stretches of the forests, creating portals to their own realm that exude sluggish, silver-gray mists. The gray mists mark the border of a creeping blight. Beyond them, Sildëyuir is tainted and corrupted. The trees are dead and rotting, and thick, oily black moss grows everywhere. The silver starlight in these areas is gone, and the sky is black. The air is humid and stinks of overpowering rot. The blight essentially transforms the land into a pallid, festering jungle. There are huge, rotting toadstools that emanate a sickly green phosphorescence, and bulging, fluid-filled fungi hang from the rotting trees. The nilshai also loose monsters in the forests. Recently, the nilshai invasion has gotten worse. The nilshai now occupy citadels that were recently occupied by star elves, the former residents mysteriously vanishing. Some star elves are now considering leaving Sildëyuir and returning to the Yuirwood, while others advise seeking help from Aglarond and beyond. The Evermeet
ian sun elf Araevin Teshurr, now Grand Mage of the reestablished Myth Drannor, has promised to aid the star elves, and the high mages of Evermeet are considering to help.
, the Yuirwood was settled by green elves in the aftermath of the Crown Wars
. In −6950 DR, the star elves began leaving other elven nations and gathering in the Yuirwood. In −6600 DR, the star and green elves founded the realm of Yuireshanyaar in the Yuirwood. The human empire of Unther battled Yuireshanyaar in −1250 DR for control of the southern Aglarondan coast, and the Yuir were driven back into the woods. From −1076 to −1069 DR, the Orcgate Wars occurred after an Imaskari
wizard
opened up a gate in Mulhorand to the orc
’s home world, and Yuireshanyaar was pressed hard by the orcs. Faced with the encroaching humans along the Wizard’s Reach (most from Old Unther), the star elf High Mages of Yuireshanyaar created a forest-wide network of stone circles and worked a mighty high magic spell through the stone menhirs to construct the extraplanar world of Sildëyuir from −900 to −600 DR. In −699 DR, the Year of Moon Blades Crashing, the star elves completely abandoned Yuireshanyaar for Sildëyuir, but many wild, or green, elves chose to remain in the Yuirwood. Araevin Teshurr and his companions visited Sildëyuir in 1374 DR, the Year of Lightning Storms.
Centuries ago, a star elf wizard named Mourel Duskwalker tried to seize control of all of Sildëyuir. He marshaled evil forces against the main star elf city and was eventually defeated. His body and remaining life force were sealed in his glass citadel, which was then removed from Sildëyuir and became a “loose” piece of the demiplane. Unbeknownst to the star elves, Mourel’s citadel has a portal that is connected to the Yuirwood. The nilshai sorcerer Tolg’byri discovered this portal and used the citadel as a base of operations for gathering an army to conquer Sildëyuir, which has awakened the spirits of Mourel and his followers. Tolg’byri was betrayed, and now his army is led by a supposed half-orc named Savera, whose true identity is unknown to “his” followers.
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons 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 a setting for his childhood stories...
setting of Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
and is one of the primary settings in the fantasy novel Farthest Reach by Richard Baker
Richard Baker (game designer)
Richard Baker is an American author and a game designer who has worked on many Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings.-Early life, education, and military:...
. It is the home of the reclusive star, or mithral, elves, who constructed the realm nearly two thousand years ago.
Sildëyuir is a plane
Plane (Dungeons & Dragons)
The planes of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game constitutes the multiverse in which the game takes place.In the earliest versions of Dungeons & Dragons, the concept of the Inner, Ethereal, Prime Material, Astral and Outer Planes was introduced; at the time there were only four Inner Planes...
of finite size that is conterminous with the Yuirwood in Faerûn
Faerûn
Faerûn is a fictional subcontinent, the primary setting of the Dungeons & Dragons world of Forgotten Realms. It is described at a relatively high level in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting from Wizards of the Coast, and various locales and aspects are described in more detail by separate...
, perhaps two to three hundred miles from end to end. The plane has many of the same features and hills as the Yuirwood, and its borders match those of the Faerûnian forest. Sildëyuir is covered with dells with silver-boled trees and streams. Its forests are not as dense as the Yuirwood’s, and its trees are taller and more majestic with very little undergrowth. Phosphorescent lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
s grow on the silver-trunked trees, and unlike the humidity of the Yuirwood, the air of Sildëyuir is cool. At the borders of the demiplane, the forest grows thicker and thicker, and any track one follows or makes simply bends back on itself. Sildëyuir is in perpetual twilight. The sky in the distance above the crowns of the trees is a soft pearl-gray, and it seems as if there is no east or west, for the same source-less illumination lights the horizon no matter in what direction one looks. Near the sky’s zenith, however, the skies are the purple velvet of true night and are filled with preternaturally brilliant stars. During the “night,” the sky darkens into pure blackness. Time is slower in Sildëyuir; two days or years on the Material Plane
Prime Material Plane
The Prime Material Plane is the central plane of existence in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game...
is about one day or year in Sildëyuir. Sildëyuir can be accessed by circles of ancient stone menhir
Menhir
A menhir is a large upright standing stone. Menhirs may be found singly as monoliths, or as part of a group of similar stones. Their size can vary considerably; but their shape is generally uneven and squared, often tapering towards the top...
s built by the star elves which serve as portals from the Yuirwood, and vice versa. Sildëyuir is not connected to the Ethereal and Shadow Planes, although it is linked to the Astral Plane.
Sildëyuir is a relatively quiet place. There are a few animals such as white owls, silver-gray deer, black squirrels, large gray-furred bears, and foot-long emerald and sapphire dragonflies. The star elves, masters of song magic and the lords of the realm, live in elegant citadels of glass and pale white stone. They are a peaceful people, and their demiplane is a closely guarded secret, unknown even to most elves. The star elf population has been dwindling for centuries. They once had true cities long ago, but with the entire plane to themselves, they never saw a need to crowd together, so their keeps, towers, and small towns are separated by great distances, and several citadels are abandoned.
For several centuries, Sildëyuir has been slowly invaded by strange sorcerers
Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)
The sorcerer is a playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A sorcerer is weak in melee combat, but a master of arcane magic, the most generally powerful form of D&D magic. Sorcerers' magical ability is innate rather than studied...
from the Ethereal Plane called nilshai
Nilshai
Nilshai are fictive creatures that are primarily in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Publication history:...
. They haunt the lonelier stretches of the forests, creating portals to their own realm that exude sluggish, silver-gray mists. The gray mists mark the border of a creeping blight. Beyond them, Sildëyuir is tainted and corrupted. The trees are dead and rotting, and thick, oily black moss grows everywhere. The silver starlight in these areas is gone, and the sky is black. The air is humid and stinks of overpowering rot. The blight essentially transforms the land into a pallid, festering jungle. There are huge, rotting toadstools that emanate a sickly green phosphorescence, and bulging, fluid-filled fungi hang from the rotting trees. The nilshai also loose monsters in the forests. Recently, the nilshai invasion has gotten worse. The nilshai now occupy citadels that were recently occupied by star elves, the former residents mysteriously vanishing. Some star elves are now considering leaving Sildëyuir and returning to the Yuirwood, while others advise seeking help from Aglarond and beyond. The Evermeet
Evermeet
Evermeet is an island in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons game, located far west of the continent of Faerûn...
ian sun elf Araevin Teshurr, now Grand Mage of the reestablished Myth Drannor, has promised to aid the star elves, and the high mages of Evermeet are considering to help.
History
In −9800 DRCalendars in the Forgotten Realms
In the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, years are referred to by names, each name is not consistent across the Realms. This helps alleviate any confusion from multiple writers using different names for the same year...
, the Yuirwood was settled by green elves in the aftermath of the Crown Wars
Crown Wars
The Crown Wars were a series of elven wars in the Forgotten Realms game setting of Dungeons & Dragons. Over a period of three thousand years, the great elven kingdoms participated in five primary conflicts, leading to the decline of elven power in Faerûn.-First Crown War:When, in approximately...
. In −6950 DR, the star elves began leaving other elven nations and gathering in the Yuirwood. In −6600 DR, the star and green elves founded the realm of Yuireshanyaar in the Yuirwood. The human empire of Unther battled Yuireshanyaar in −1250 DR for control of the southern Aglarondan coast, and the Yuir were driven back into the woods. From −1076 to −1069 DR, the Orcgate Wars occurred after an Imaskari
Imaskar
In the fictional fantasy setting of the Forgotten Realms, on the continent of Faerûn, Imaskar was the first overpowering human empire, predating even Netheril. It was responsible for the creation of the oldest empires still in existence, the ancient empires of Mulhorand, Unther and Chessenta. They...
wizard
Wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)
The wizard is one of the standard character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A wizard uses arcane magic, and is considered less effective in melee combat than other classes.-Creative origins:...
opened up a gate in Mulhorand to the orc
Orc (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, orcs are a primitive race of savage, bestial, barbaric humanoid.-Publication history:The orc was one of the earliest creatures introduced in the D&D game. The D&D orc is largely based upon the orcs appearing in the works of J.R.R...
’s home world, and Yuireshanyaar was pressed hard by the orcs. Faced with the encroaching humans along the Wizard’s Reach (most from Old Unther), the star elf High Mages of Yuireshanyaar created a forest-wide network of stone circles and worked a mighty high magic spell through the stone menhirs to construct the extraplanar world of Sildëyuir from −900 to −600 DR. In −699 DR, the Year of Moon Blades Crashing, the star elves completely abandoned Yuireshanyaar for Sildëyuir, but many wild, or green, elves chose to remain in the Yuirwood. Araevin Teshurr and his companions visited Sildëyuir in 1374 DR, the Year of Lightning Storms.
Centuries ago, a star elf wizard named Mourel Duskwalker tried to seize control of all of Sildëyuir. He marshaled evil forces against the main star elf city and was eventually defeated. His body and remaining life force were sealed in his glass citadel, which was then removed from Sildëyuir and became a “loose” piece of the demiplane. Unbeknownst to the star elves, Mourel’s citadel has a portal that is connected to the Yuirwood. The nilshai sorcerer Tolg’byri discovered this portal and used the citadel as a base of operations for gathering an army to conquer Sildëyuir, which has awakened the spirits of Mourel and his followers. Tolg’byri was betrayed, and now his army is led by a supposed half-orc named Savera, whose true identity is unknown to “his” followers.
External links
- “The Twilight Tomb Excerpt” by Greg A. Vaughan, at the official Dungeons & Dragons Web site