Returned Abeir "Continent"

[SPECTRE666]

Forgotten Realms: I pulled some maps off the internet and decided to scale Returned Abeir and see how large it was compared to the other continents on Toril. The map of Returned Abeir is approximately 800 miles x 800 miles meaning it is a very small continent and fits nicely in the Trackless Sea between Maztica and the Faerun. If I were to use it then I can put it in the middle of the Amn-Helmport shipping lane which would cause problems with trade. I have attached a map, but if there are copyright issues please take it down.

Looks like one of Mark Taylor's maps.

 

[Achan hiArusa]

Who? If there is a good cartographer out there I would like to have a link.

 

[Trevalon Moonleirion]

The 'returned Abeir' thing was my biggest gripe with the 4e realms. I can live the the Spellplague, and other various changes, but that one bugged me. For one, I'd never read about this twin-world thing in the first place (in either the 2e box set, or the 3e FRCS), nor any of the supplements I own, and for another, why replace Maztica when you've got a huge continent in the southwest of the map that you could use instead.

My homebrewed Realms just put Returned Abeir on that pseudo-Australia in the southwest, and say it was always there, just not really known to many.

 

[Orius]

I think it's Anchorome.

The southern one is possibly Osse, btw. And note, 'Returned Abeir' replaces Maztice rather than sits alongside it.

IIRC, Anchorome is supposed to be somewhere to the north of Maztica.

And yeah, Abeir supposedly booted out Maztica. I have no idea why they did that. Probably I should be glad I'm not a huge Realms fan, given everything that's happened to it with the Spellplague, etc.

 

[TarionzCousin]

What I don't understand is why they didn't just drop Returned Abeir between the Maztican continent and Faerun.

Maztica probably isn't the most popular of the Realms' subsettings, but why get rid of it completely?

Hey, the continent just crashed through time and space on its own; they couldn't control where it landed.

 

[SPECTRE666]

Who? If there is a good cartographer out there I would like to have a link.

A friend from candlekeep. Here is his deviant art page.

 

[Hunter In Darkness]

The 'returned Abeir' thing was my biggest gripe with the 4e realms. I can live the the Spellplague, and other various changes, but that one bugged me. For one, I'd never read about this twin-world thing in the first place (in either the 2e box set, or the 3e FRCS), nor any of the supplements I own, and for another, why replace Maztica when you've got a huge continent in the southwest of the map that you could use instead.

My homebrewed Realms just put Returned Abeir on that pseudo-Australia in the southwest, and say it was always there, just not really known to many.

This to me is how it should have been done, Abeir is not another world. FR has tons of empty space. They should have just used it.

 

[Achan hiArusa]

Thanks SPECTRE666.

I think the continent south of Maztica is called Akota. It was mentioned in passing as another land in the Al-Qadim book as a place that they traded with and is possibly an African analog. Traders probably Island hopped off the Southwestern Isles, braved the open water to the next island and then traded, but that is all my conjecture based on the map and about two mentions of Akota in the Al-Qadim sourcebook.

 

[Achan hiArusa]

The 'returned Abeir' thing was my biggest gripe with the 4e realms. I can live the the Spellplague, and other various changes, but that one bugged me. For one, I'd never read about this twin-world thing in the first place (in either the 2e box set, or the 3e FRCS), nor any of the supplements I own, and for another, why replace Maztica when you've got a huge continent in the southwest of the map that you could use instead.

My homebrewed Realms just put Returned Abeir on that pseudo-Australia in the southwest, and say it was always there, just not really known to many.

Darn, I'm double posting again. I thought about doing that also and just spread the cities out on the Northern coast (along with Thymanther and Akundul) and move the Living Jungle from South of Kara-Tur to the plateau in the center of the large unknown continent. It would be an interesting place after those additions (especially if the magic that protects Malatra were to fail).

 

[El Mahdi]

...I'd never read about this twin-world thing in the first place (in either the 2e box set, or the 3e FRCS), nor any of the supplements I own...

Yeah, I don't think there ever really was anything in any of the FR products, other than an occasional mention of the worlds full official name as Abeir-Toril. I think the Abeir part comes from Ed Greenwood's original notes. It might be in a book somewhere and I've just never seen it though. Maybe a resident FR expert here on the boards might know better. I think it's kind of like the concept that Abeir-Toril was once linked with our world but has since drifted away, thus the "Forgotten" Realms. I'm not sure if that was really in any products either, but ir was definitely part of Ed's original gameworld. I just don't remember where I read it...