Why are the Realms forgotten?

[diaglo]

I think you are correct, and the source would be the pre-grey-box DRAGON magazine articles - perhaps the one that first described Elminster (#110, IIRC)?

Elminster used to visit Ed Greenwood and give him advice for his writing.

 

[Nightfall]

Cause some one didn't draw some people the right map.

 

[Tsyr]

A little chime-in from a Spelljammer fan-

In the Spelljammer splatbook "Realmspace" there is an artical on Elminster's "sanctuary" at the core of a planet... It contains a number of planar gateways he can use, and two of them connect to earth... One to 1800-s Yellowstone, the other to Ed Greenwoods office.

Some vauge mention I think of Elminster enjoying earth beer, though I don't have the book around right now to confirm that specific point.

 

[Neo]

Well if you look at the map Faerun only seems to be on of Torils many continents....which implies most of the world at large is unknown or cut off and hence Forgotten.

Plus many of the remote places on toril Kara Tur, Hordelands, Unther, Maztica, and so on and so forth are all based on ancient cultures... so again Forgotten or ancient in nature.

Much of the lore and and history of Forgotten Realms is lost and hence forgotten...with Netheril and greater heights of magic having once existed, but few if any remember or know about it....yet traces of it are all over Faerun....so again forgotten.


As for a portal to earth... I do seem to recall some Dragon sections that had Elminster, Dalamr and one of the Seven from Greyhawk (Mordenkainen?) coming together to share ideas, spells, knowledge of magic items....etc... and Elminster once served them all German beer and Microwave lasagne, which he almost certainly got from earth.

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

Some vauge mention I think of Elminster enjoying earth beer, though I don't have the book around right now to confirm that specific point.

It specifically mentions German beer (you surely don't believe that any archmage would create a portal to Earth just to purchase American beer, now would you? ). It also mentions that some guy on the Rock of Bral ("Gamalon") keeps trying to buy some of it from him...

 

[shadow]

Although I know this is not canon, I always envisioned Forgotten Realms as kind of like the Star Gate movie. Eons ago the two worlds were linked via portals and denizens traveled back and forth. Hence, many areas of the realms have similar cultures to our world. However, a huge war broke out betweent the two worlds and the portals were sealed off. Forgotten Realms are "forgotten" by the people of earth. It's not canon but it'd make one cool backstory for a Forgotten Realms campaign.

 

[Phowett]

Although I know this is not canon, I always envisioned Forgotten Realms as kind of like the Star Gate movie. Eons ago the two worlds were linked via portals and denizens traveled back and forth. Hence, many areas of the realms have similar cultures to our world. However, a huge war broke out betweent the two worlds and the portals were sealed off. Forgotten Realms are "forgotten" by the people of earth. It's not canon but it'd make one cool backstory for a Forgotten Realms campaign.

That's how I envisioned it.

 

[Shadowdancer]

I forget.

 

[The Forsaken One]

Now I know and understand that the Portal from the Movie and series from "stargate" go straight to Toril/Faerun

 

[Victim]

Although I know this is not canon, I always envisioned Forgotten Realms as kind of like the Star Gate movie. Eons ago the two worlds were linked via portals and denizens traveled back and forth. Hence, many areas of the realms have similar cultures to our world. However, a huge war broke out betweent the two worlds and the portals were sealed off. Forgotten Realms are "forgotten" by the people of earth. It's not canon but it'd make one cool backstory for a Forgotten Realms campaign.

Actually, it is almost cannon. When there were lots of portals open and big magical empires, these guys called the Imaskari or something like that had portals to this world. They pulled their slaves from that planet. The gods of those people found out about their oppression and traveled to Toril to free their people. Of course, since the Imaskari were hotshot super wizards, they decided to fight. Eventually they lost, and their empire is now some ruin (the planes of purple dust IIRC). And the people were the ancestors of the Untherites and Mulhroundi - the same ones with the complete rip off of the Egyptian pantheon.

Connection?