Axial Tilt of Forgotten Realms?

[d4]

Been doing research for the next book

if you're doing a book on geography and climatography with the same level of detail as MMS:WE, put me down for a copy right now!

 

[William Ronald]

Okay, time for a homebrew DM to chime in -- and let some of the work I did for my own world help jgbrowning out.

On Earth, a degree of Latitude is roughly 68.704 miles at the equator and 69.403 at the poles.

I could not find my FRCS main map, and may have lost it. (Any idea on how to get another without spending $40 on a new book?) However, I can use some of the resources on the thread listed in my sig to do a few Realms map measurements. It seems that the Rheged Glacier north of Icewind Dale is some 500 miles from Waterdeep. The Great Glacier seems to be somewhat less than 500 miles of Waterdeep.

So, let us assume that Waterdeep is indeed at 45 degrees north latitude from Toril's equator as previously stated. Let us make a degree of latitude equal to roughly 69 miles, assuming a similar size of Earth and Toril. (I recall that the two worlds have similar sizes.) So, using this scale and doing some simple math, Rheged Glacier is at roughl 52.75 degrees north latitude. In North America, this would be a point slightly south of Edmonton, Canada. In Europe, I believe this would mark a point slightly north of Berlin, Germany. Toril, compared with our world, seems to indeed be slightly colder. (By contrast, the Greenland glaciers reach to perhs 60 degrees north looking at my maps. And many places well north of 60 degrees latitude on Earth are not covered by glaciers, but by forests and tundra.)

We also know that the Great Glacier retreated in Dale Reckoning 1038 (some three centuries befoe the current year of 1373) to allow Vaasa and Damara to be completely free of ice. So, Toril may be warming up.

jbbrowning, this does help you determine anything about Toril and its axial tilt?

 

[jester47]

p79 of the FRCS states that Waterdeep is just a little bit north of the 45th. It is assumed the Equator goes through the Chult. Somewhere. But this may be wrong. Judgeing from the fact (using science in a magic world...) that Toril and earth have almost the same number of days in the year (earth has 1/4 more!) and assuming that the sun in Toril has the same properties (its yellow) as our own, then we can assume that Toril has a similar mass and make up to earth. I would also assume that the tilt was similiar to that of earth because Faerun has 4 distinct seasons in most temperate places. With all that being similar to earth, then the conclusion is that Toril is about the size of earth. This puts the Equator somewhere in the Great Sea.

So if you take the distance from the city Taruin in the Samarach on the Chultan Peninsula to waterdeep then divide it by 45 you get the distance in one degree of Latitude. Then multiply by 360 to get the circumference of Toril, assumeing that the equator does go through there.

Aaron.

 

[jgbrowning]

if you're doing a book on geography and climatography with the same level of detail as MMS:WE, put me down for a copy right now!

We're not accepting pre-order yet, but I'll hold you a copy... I'll respond more in the morning.... gotta go to sleep.

joe b.

 

[Avarice]

At least along the Sword Coast, the colder temperatures probably have more to do with the ocean currents than anything else. IIRC, the same current that flows up from the south to keep Evermeet temperate year round turns around far to the north and makes its way back down the coast, bringing the cold with it.

 

[S'mon]

I seem to recall references that, compared with our own world at the same latitudes, Toril (the planet that FR is set on) is slightly colder than out world. The glaciers seem to be somewhat further south on the map than glaciers in our own world. This may imply that Toril has slightly more sharply defined seasons than our own world. (For reference, in the World of Greyhawk, the Land of Black Ice is at about 60 degrees north latitude.)

On our world the ice cap is determined (it's now believed) by the latitude at which snow melts in summer. Therefore extended ice caps would imply cooler summers than on Earth, which could be due to a lesser axial tilt. It definitely doesn't imply a greater axial tilt, which would cause hotter summers.

 

[S'mon]

It's not llike much in mapping calls for knowing the axial tilt anyway.

No, but it does determine the difference in day length summer-winter. I would advise assuming it's the same as Earth unless you want to work through all the implications.

 

[jgbrowning]

p79 of the FRCS states that Waterdeep is just a little bit north of the 45th. It is assumed the Equator goes through the Chult. Somewhere. But this may be wrong.

Based on the map i looks more like that the Chult is around 15-20 degrees North of the equator. However, the books say Halruaa have mostly 12 hour days, regardless of season so that implies the equator is right around there. You could stretch it to 10 degrees and that would be 12.75 and 11.5 hour days in summer/winter. That might work.

Judgeing from the fact (using science in a magic world...) that Toril and earth have almost the same number of days in the year (earth has 1/4 more!) and assuming that the sun in Toril has the same properties (its yellow) as our own, then we can assume that Toril has a similar mass and make up to earth. I would also assume that the tilt was similiar to that of earth because Faerun has 4 distinct seasons in most temperate places. With all that being similar to earth, then the conclusion is that Toril is about the size of earth. This puts the Equator somewhere in the Great Sea.

So if you take the distance from the city Taruin in the Samarach on the Chultan Peninsula to waterdeep then divide it by 45 you get the distance in one degree of Latitude. Then multiply by 360 to get the circumference of Toril, assumeing that the equator does go through there.

Aaron.

It looks like it may be just slightly smaller than earth. Still thinking about what so many glaciers so far south could mean (sounds like Ice Age recession). But it might mean in a few hundred years that waterdeep will really be waterdeep because the oceans are probably rising.

joe b.

 

[jgbrowning]

jbbrowning, this does help you determine anything about Toril and its axial tilt?

not directly, but every bit of information helps. I didn't know about the glacier retreating.

joe b.

 

[hong]

Everyone knows that the Forgotten Realms has an axial tilt of 15 degrees towards Elminster's ass.

Oops! My bad! That's the Forgotten Realms' _axis of rotation_. Sorry!


Hong "random FR flame of the day" Ooi