Publisher: Wizards of the CoastAsk the average dull peasant when and where the Battle of Bones took place and likely he will scratch his head and stammer that it was in the year 1090 Dale Reckoning, at a battlefield bordering on the southwest edge of Anauroch, the Secret Desert. And that afterwards, the humans and their allies camped on the slopes of the Hill of Lost Souls, which has since been abandoned to all but the spirits of the fallen.
As if great wars erupted full-blown and ceased again in an instant's time! As if the places so named has no meaning before or after their enrollment in the savage carnage and waste we call war!
So begin Rolanda Invenweigh's and Thamn Greenwinter's treatises on the regions surrounding these two famous sites. These individuals were hand-picked by Elminster himself to share everything they know about these two places, revealing tidbits of information about the land itself and its inhabitants today - information that just might save the life of an adventurer or two.
Between these covers are expansion booklets for the Elminster's Ecologies series, containing:
- ecological features of The Battle of Bones region,
- the Hill of Souls region, and
- a complete set of encounter charts
These materials follow the same format as the original Elminster's Ecologies boxed set and mesh with it perfectly. Elminster himself has even thrown in a few personal notes. So read on, traveler, and learn all the secrets of these mysterious locales!
Product History
Elminster's Ecologies Appendix I: The Battle of Bones & Hill of Lost Souls (1995), by Donald J. Bingle and Scott Davis, expands the Elminster's Ecologies line with two more locales. It was published in March 1995.
Origins: More Ecologies. Appendix I follows in the footsteps of Elminster's Ecologies (1994), an innovative Forgotten Realms supplement that detailed the flora, fauna, and environs of various landscapes, all written in character by Elminster the Mage. The new Appendix expands that with two 32-page books, each depicting a new locale: the Battle of the Bones and the Hill of Lost Souls.
The biggest difference between this supplement and the original Ecologies is that the scale is much smaller. The two new locales are both relatively small, constrained locations, where the previous book detailed the entirety of the Eastern Heartlands. There's also a change in point of view in this new supplement: where Elminster was the "author" of all the previous ecologies, these new overviews are written by Rolanda Invenweigh and Tharnn Greenwinter, with some annotations by Elminster.
Exploring the Realms. The Ecologies move westward in this new Appendix, to describe The Battle of the Bones and The Hill of Lost Souls. Nonetheless, these new ecologies remain very relevant to wide swath of land described previously: The Battle of the Bones adjoins the Anauroch Desert, one of the highlights of the original sourcebook, while the Hill of Lost Souls lies somewhat further southwest.
Both locales had originally appeared in short descriptions in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Set (1987). They were then revisted in PG2: Player's Guide to the Fogotten Realms (1993), which had sections titled "A Vision Upon the Hill" and "Lost Among the Bones", telling the stories of these areas.
Monsters of Note. A great variety of monsters are found in both locales, but there is some special focus on undead, particularly in the Battle of the Bones, which is full of them. Meanwhile, spirits appear at the Hill of Lost Souls.
About the Creators. Bingle is best-known for his work with the RPGA and his own company, 54° 40' Orphyte; although he contributed to a few other supplements, this was his most substantial work for TSR. Davis did most of his TSR work for the Marvel Super Heroes line, but also contributed to MC9: "Monstrous Compendium Spelljammer Appendix" (1991).
About the Product Historian
The history of this product was researched and written by Shannon Appelcline, the editor-in-chief of RPGnet and the author of Designers & Dragons - a history of the roleplaying industry told one company at a time. Please feel free to mail corrections, comments, and additions to shannon.appelcline@gmail.com.
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