Dancing Place in th e high valleys of the Thunder Peaks,
a longside their fey a lli es. The Watche rs of S evreld meet
in Old Mushroom Grove in the High Forest, northeast
.of Secomber, and the Starwate r Circle gathers around
the ir na mesake pool in the northern forest of Mir.
THE CIRCLE OF SWORDS
Protectors of the Neverwinte r Wood, the Circle of
Swords drives destructive huma noids like hobgoblins ,
bugbear s , a nd their kin from the wood, while also safe -
guarding it agains t exploitation at the hands of civili zed
folk and protecting th e wood's a ncie nt ruins and sacre d
s ites from looters.
In the Druid Circle class feature in th e Player 's Hand-
book, the Circle of the Moon is common for Circle of
Swords druids, although some belong to the Circle of
the Land (Forest).THE EMERALD ENCLAVE
Less a druid circle and more a loose confederation of
circles and the ir a lli es, the Em er ald Enclave is devote d
to protecting the r edoubt of civilization in the North
from destruction. Elsewhere in the world, the Emerald
Enclave mus t purs ue a more ba la nced path, but the vas t
wilderness of the North holds far more da nger t o people
than they pose to it.
Founded in the Vilhon Re ach over a thous and year s
ago, the Eme rald Enclave has spread across much of
Faerfin. Its m embers include druids, range rs, barbar-
ians, and others who live in the wilderness a nd know
and respect its ways. They wear a n article of em erald
green clothing as a symbol of the ir membe rs hip, often
bearing the emble m of a stag's he ad.
In the Druid Circle class feature in the Player's Hand-
book, Emera ld Enclave druids belong to the Circle of the
La nd and Circle of the Moon in e qual me asure.THE MOONSHEA CIRCLES
The Ffolk of th e Moons hea Is les venerate the land as
the great goddess they call the Earthmothe r. The ir cir-
cles gather a round sacred pools known as moonwells,
their link between the natural world and th e goddess,
ringed by standing stone circles, raised by their a ncient
a ncestors.
In the Druid Circle class feature in the Play er 's Hand-
book, Moons hea druids mos t often belong to the Circle
of the La nd (Coas t, Forest , and Mounta in).MOONWELLS
The water of a moonwell, drunk directly from cupped
hands, restores ld8 hit points , plus the drinke r's Wis-
dom bonus, if any .. If the drinker has threatened the bal-
a nce of nature since the las t full moon, the water ins tead
deals ld8 pois on damage to the drinker. This damage
is als o dealt by a corrupted moonwell. Either effect oc-
curs once only per day per drinker. On the nights of the
full moon, drinkin·g the water of a moonwell can, a t the
DM's discretion, have additiona l effects, s uch as confer-
ring the benefits of a less er restoration s pell.
The Harpers and Druids
Druid circles in the North are often allied with the Harpers,
as they have common purpose, with bards and rangers
serving as go-betweens. Individual Harpers can usually ex-
pect a circle to at least grant them food and shelter, and an
opportunity to attend a gathering and speak, if they wish.
Still, the Harpers aren't a druidic organization and,
despite what some common folk might believe, not every
druid or druid circle is allied with, or even friendly toward,
the Harpers and their cause. Indeed, some druids consider
the Harpers busybodies who threaten the natural balance
almost as much as the evils that they fight against.Moonwell water pl aced in a conta in er or ta ken more
th a n 30 feet away from the well no longer has any of
these properties; it is simply water.
On the three nights of the full moon, three or more
druids gather ed around a moonwell can cast commune
a nd scrying once each without expending spell s lots and
without materia l components, provided th at one of the
druids is at least 9th level a nd the rest a re at l east 4th
level. At the DM's option, the druids can use a moonwell
on such ni ghts to cast differe nt s pells.Fighters
"SLOW T O LEARN, AREN'T THEY?" A WHJTE- HAJRED OLD
knight who'd lost his helm in the last f ray drawled. "This is
getting to be like a proper romp in the Dragonjaws, it is! I'll
have to get my minstrel to write a ballad about this ... "
"I hope he sings swiftly," a Purple Dragon armsman
growled. "Here they are!"
The howling spilled over the bodies in another rushing
tide of flapping leather, slashing swords, and beady goblin
eyes. Men planted themselves- no running and leaping
now-to hew steadily, like harvesters with scythes and many
fields in front of them, in a rhy thm of death.
-Troy Denning, Death of the DragonWhether doughty warriors, id ealistic young soldiers , or
ha rd-bitten mercena ri es, fighte rs are found eve rywhe re
in the Forgotten Realms. Even the mos t pe aceful lands
have militia for protection a gains t their enemies, and
many great ruler s in the Realms' past we re fighters of
some sort. The re are always opportunities for those
who know how to ha ndle themselves in a fight.
Able-bodie d folk in many parts of the Sword Coas t
a nd the North learn at lea s t the rudiments of combat
as part of a lo cal militia, serving in times of need , while
a few go on to become profe s sional soldie rs , guards,
or the like. Officer s tend to come from th e nobility, a l-
though there are opportunities for capable leade rs to
demons trate their s kills and rise through the ranks.
Fighter s who don't make a career of s oldiering find
other ways to de mons trate their prowess. Merce narie s
find e mployment with those who need skille d warriors
but who lack the time or means to train the m. Such
employers include adventuring companies, which are
almost always in need of a re liable fighte r.CHAPTER 4 I CLASSES