Dungeons & Dragons came to life in 1974—and that means it’s celebrating an incredible 50 years of imagination and adventure. Over the last five decades, Dungeons & Dragons has immersed players in countless planes, settings, and realms and given each one of them fascinating lore and beautiful artistic renditions. To celebrate the many gorgeous and legend-filled worlds of Dungeons & Dragons (while adding to them at the same time), a brand new book by author Adam Lee is heading our way. Worlds & Realms: Adventures from Greyhawk to Faerûn and Beyond will take us on a journey deep into the art, history, and tales of many of D&D‘s most popular locations. But this won’t be just any factual guidebook running us rotely through worlds; no, in true Dungeons & Dragons fashion, we’ll receive an immersive experience as the legendary mage Mordenkainen guides us through the locations and weaves a brilliant story around us.
To give you a taste of Worlds & Realms: Adventures from Greyhawk to Faerûn and Beyond‘s adventure, we at Nerdist are pleased to reveal some delicious exclusive excerpts from the Dungeons & Dragons book itself. These selections highlight two very different, yet equally wonderous locations from Dungeons & Dragons‘ world.
We Head to the Shadowfell in This Exclusive Excerpt from Worlds & Realms
First, we have an excerpt from a section of the tome titled “The Mad Mage of Mount Baratok.” Each chapter of Dungeons & Dragons‘ Worlds & Realms book “focuses on an iconic world or setting in the D&D multiverse.” This excerpt lives in the Shadowfell chapter of Worlds & Realms. Those familiar with Dungeons & Dragons will undoubtedly know that the Shadowfell is a bleak place filled with decay and death. In fact, an official description of this Dungeons & Dragons location reads, “It is the toxic plane of darkness and power. It is the hidden place that hates the light. It is the frontier of worlds unknown.” So, it’s no surprise that this exclusive excerpt deals with a meeting that will send shivers up your spine.
In this part of the chapter, Mordenkainen recounts a trip to the valley of Barovia and his clash with its Darklord, the vampire Strahd von Zarovich. The vampire, Mordenkainen poetically intones to us, was deadly, but inside of him was a far greater evil force. In fact, it was an evil so vast and dark that Mordenkainen believes it has reached out from a Dungeons & Dragons location called “the Great Absence.” The Great Absence is “a realm that has never known warmth, or joy, or love.” The Darklords from this reality, Mordenkainen shares, “gnaw at the unknown corners of your psyche, they show you fears you never knew existed, and they pull apart the weakest fringes of your mind.” All told, words in a book could never capture this dark experience. But “The Mad Mage of Mount Baratok” certainly paints a picture.
In this section, we can really feel the way Mordenkainen’s philosophical musings bring D&D‘s vastest realms to life… And how different Worlds & Realms is from your typical Dungeons & Dragons locations guide. But let us turn the page to cheerier adventures.
Our Second Exclusive Excerpt Spotlights the Dungeons & Dragons Location, Eberron, and Its Myths
In our second exclusive excerpt from Worlds & Realms: Adventures from Greyhawk to Faerûn and Beyond, we head to Eberron. This Dungeons & Dragons location is a part of the Great Wheel’s Ethereal plane; however, it is sealed away from other Great Wheel planes, preventing external influences from impacting it. In a section of Worlds & Realms titled “Dragonmarks and Dragonshards,” we visit a cheery Golden Dragon Inn, where we learn about the dragonmarked houses of Eberron and some of their special powers. We also have a run-in with a colorful character, Hibberton Smooth. At this inn, subtle magic works to create a perfectly pleasing environment. And we feel swept up in the welcoming warmth of the spell as we read Mordenkainen’s recounting of his cozy adventure. In fact, reading this excerpt, we feel surprised not to find ourselves by the crackling fire as we look up from the page.
In addition to this hospitable anecdote, Worlds & Realms offers us a bit about Eberron’s origins myths and its tale of the three Elder dragons. Eberron’s underworld of evil, Khyber, gets a bit of a spotlight. Other tantalizing hints at the rest of Dungeons & Dragons‘ world pique our interest, such as a note about the orc druids of Gatewatch. They sound like an interesting group to us.
In addition to many pieces of official artwork curated from fifty years of sourcebooks and adventures, which include both vintage D&D and modern pieces, Worlds & Realms: Adventures from Greyhawk to Faerûn and Beyond also features original Dungeons & Dragons cover and chapter-opener illustrations. You can see one such gorgeous illustration from the “Dragonmarks and Dragonshards” section below.
Worlds & Realms: Adventures from Greyhawk to Faerûn and Beyond Journeys Through Dungeons & Dragons‘ Many Locations
After reading these two excerpts from Worlds & Realms: Adventures from Greyhawk to Faerûn and Beyond, we feel hooked. We can’t wait to explore the rest of Dungeons & Dragons incredible locations through the rich storytelling of Mordenkainen, and, of course, Adam Lee and other contributors such as Jaleigh Johnson, Jody Houser and Eric Campbell, Jasmine Bhullar, and Geoffrey Golden.
A full description of this lavish Dungeons & Dragons location-focused tome can be found below:
Worlds & Realms is an illustrated, story-driven retrospective celebrating the immersive worldbuilding of D&D since the iconic game’s inception in 1974. Legendary mage Mordenkainen takes adventurers on a fantastical journey through the multiverse, delving into memorable and fascinating lore and locations across all five editions of the game.
With Mordenkainen’s guidance, readers will revisit worlds that have come to define D&D over the decades, from the familiar realms of the Material Plane to lands beyond the Astral Sea. Mordenkainen’s philosophical musings provide a mage’s-eye view of the worlds’ unique features, creatures, and characters, captivating readers’ imaginations as they learn more about the history and mysteries of the multiverse. Additionally, readers will join adventuring parties with inhabitants of each realm through exclusive short stories by award-winning contributors Jaleigh Johnson, Jody Houser and Eric Campbell, Jasmine Bhullar, and Geoffrey Golden.
Full of exciting and enchanting artwork showing fifty years of gameplay evolution from vintage D&D through the present, with original cover and chapter-opener illustrations, Worlds & Realms is a spellbinding tour of the strange and wonderful worlds of the multiverse, appealing to both new and long-standing fans alike.
Worlds & Realms: Adventures from Greyhawk to Faerûn and Beyond releases on October 29. It retails for $50. If you ask us, it’s time for Worlds & Realms to visit one brand new location it hasn’t yet explored… your shelf.