Flavour books in 3E:
- FRCS: "The Western Heartlands cover a vast area between the Storm Horns of Cormyr and the Sword Coast south of Waterdeep, from the Lizard Marsh in the northwest to the Lonely Moor on the fringes of Anauroch in the northeast, down to Beregost and Green Fields in the southwest and Easting on the border of the Dragon Coast in the southeast.
"... The Western Heartlands welcome ambitious adventurers. A dozen crumbled empires have sought to conquer or dominate the region, leaving behind fortifications built upon by waves of subsequent would-be monarchs. Others left behind treasure troves, high and perilous magic, or both. Unlike the densely packed regions in the Heartlands and the North, the Western Heartlands require long stretches of overland travel between destinations -- but at least no one freezes en route."
- Magic of Faerun: "Faerun blossoms with a nearly infinite number of sites of power. From swamps to spring-fed lakes, from bustling city squares to serene private gardens, from statues to remote groves to signposts at major intersections -- these are the remarkable places of Faerun, the ones that people can never forget, that serve as a crossroads to the explorers traveling across the land."
- OA: "Of all the elemental forces that make up the universe, the most powerful and the most difficult to control is the one that lies between and joins the others: Void. Most shugenjas [sic] can call upon and direct only the individual forces of specific elements, while wu jen use them all. But Void disciples understand that everything in the world contains all the basic elements, held together by the least tangible essence. Void is like the silence between notes of music, giving rhythm and shape to the whole. To those who understand the relationship of Void to all other things, and who have the innate ability to personally perceive that relationship, distance and form become inconsequential."
- Eberron CS: "It rises out of the mist to the south of Khorvaire, beyond Shargon's Teeth and the Thunder Sea. Today, Xen'drik is a continent of secrets and mystery, a wild place full of promise and danger. In the distant past, Xen'drik was home to a great civilisation of giants, and the remains of these kingdoms hide within the dense jungles of the continent. Giants of all types still roam the jungles and mountains of Xen'drik, but they are primitive and disorganised compared to the society of the distant past. The elves of Aerenal also trace their origin to these mysterious shores, and the dark-skinned elves called drow still live among the ruins of the giant civilisation."
Etcetera. Tons of the stuff out there.
. As I said, I was talking about all those people who never see anything else than the PHB.
