Snippet: The Warrior's Judgement

So tall, so tall, she stands,
the warrior, the law, embodied in flesh.
She judges, her verdict final,
finality for those aware of their place.
Her servants fall, one by one,
but again and again they stand.
Divided they fall, but together they rise,
driven by her unfailing cause,
her unflinching duty from the Gods.

- Ravings of Aphril, inmate of Spellhold

Snippet: The Planes

As a renowned travelling scholar, I can assure you that the Realms are home to more mysteries and oddities than most can imagine. Yet that strangeness pales in comparison to the near infinite possibilities of the planes that make up existence as we know it. While only a few unique (and highly unusual) individuals could claim to have visited a substantial number of these, I will attempt in this guide to present what information I can on them.

Of course, not even I could provide a definitive and exhaustive guide on this subject, for their are many realms that have never been visited, or that visitors do not truly understand. I have heard many scholars argue evenings away over the existence of planes comprised of all sorts of things, from magic or dust to dreams and pure emptiness.

- Excerpt from 'Volo's Brief Guide to the Planes'

Snippet: Meddling or ignorance?

Despite everything that has happened, I still doubt my role in the events that transpired. I was freed from my curse, but ever dwelt in the shadow of a struggle far greater than my own. I was drawn into the power well of a magic older and more powerful than the curse of my family, and many times I feared that it might destroy me entirely.

The stakes resolved themselves to be far higher than I had ever dreamed, and most certainly far beyond what I had hoped. Some may revel in taking part in such climatic events, but I never had such desires. A simple life offers far fewer questions, and certain does not raise any so troubling as those that sometimes still plague me. Did I meddle in the affairs of the Gods, or was I merely drawn along for the ride, playing in a realm of magic and fate of which I was totally ignorant? And what consequences have those actions caused, or might still be causing even to this day?

- Diary of Valygar Corthala, a hero of the Bhaalspawn war

Snippet: The Nature of Magic

Yesterday was the first post in a series of snippets I'm going to be releasing as teasers for my new project. These are little pieces of lore that relate the events and characters within, each small fragments of a puzzle that players will come to unravel and understand through their journey...

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Throughout all my research into the nature of magic and use of it, I have come to know the truth of how little of it I truly understand. There are so many branches of magic of which we have limited knowledge. The ability of sorcerors to draw upon their heritage to harness magical power or wild mages with the untamed control of the weave are not well understood by most scholars.

In my studies and writing, I have sought to shed light on some of the rarer and more unusual aspects of magic such as these. I have come across people who claim to have the ability to draw upon their dreams, or to draw power through others around them who have no aptitude for magic. When arcane power can be drawn from so many sources, I wonder how much magic pervades our life in unknown ways. If dreams can provide the means for casting spells of great power, what other secrets might they hold?

- Excerpt from 'A Treatise on Magic', by Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun

Snippet: Choice

Throughout the ages, we have been told that our destiny is ours to decide. Given I have the blessing of our most benevolent Mystra, I know that I have been chosen for a role which I happily and gracious accept. Some measure of my own destiny must have been bound to this choice, but I know I have am both blessed and cursed with a position that will see me affect all of Faerun.

Yet I wonder from my own experience whether the lore passed down from our elders is entirely accurate. How many of our brethren are doomed my actions or those of my sisters? How will our choices affect us, or more importantly, those for whom we are allocated as caretakers? Will our actions doom our race? Will they doom other races? And do our choices preclude others being able to determine their own destiny? These are questions I fear I cannot answer, or questions that have already been answered by the choices of the Gods themselves.

- Excerpt from 'The Destiny of the Elves', by Alustriel Silverhand.