Life on Ansalon
While Krynn holds many lands and cultures, the War of the Lance and adventures surrounding that conflict unfold on the continent of Ansalon. Here are a few details regarding everyday life there.
Travelers approach the town of Gateway, a community sheltered amid the roots of a toppled Vallenwood tree
Languages
Across Ansalon, language is an expression of upbringing and exposure. Before the Cataclysm, Common served as a language of commerce under the empires of Ergoth, Solamnia, and Istar. After the Cataclysm, migrating refugees communicated using Common, and today it’s spoken in every corner of the continent. Nevertheless, the local languages of most lands still flourish, and Common is used primarily in markets and in dealings with travelers.
With the DM’s approval, players can exchange a language granted by their characters’ race for a different language from the Standard Languages of Ansalon table or the Rare Languages of Ansalon table.
Language | Main Speakers | Script |
---|---|---|
Common | Trade language of Ansalon | Common |
Abanasinian | Abanasinia | Common |
Dwarvish | Abanasinia, Kayolin, Thoradin, Thorbardin | Dwarvish |
Elvish | Qualinesti, Silvanesti, Southern Ergoth | Elvish |
Ergot | Northern Ergoth | Common |
Gnomish | Sancrist | Common |
Kenderspeak | Goodlund, Hylo | Common |
Kharolian | Plains of Dust, Tarsis | Common |
Khur | Khur | Istarian |
Nordmaarian | Nordmaar | Istarian |
Solamnic | Sancrist, Solamnia | Common |
Language | Main Speakers | Script |
---|---|---|
Draconic | Dragons | Draconic |
Goblin | Taman Busuk | Dwarvish |
Istarian | Ancient Istarians | Istarian |
Kothian | Minotaurs | Kothian |
Nerakese | Neraka | Istarian |
Ogre | Blode, Kern | Ogre |
Primordial | Elementals | Primordial |
Sylvan | Fey creatures | Sylvan |
Calendar
The lands around Kalaman use the Solamnic calendar, which has twelve months, each containing four weeks. Weeks have seven days, and days have twenty-four hours.
Month | Name | Day | Name |
---|---|---|---|
January | Newkolt | Sunday | Linaras |
February | Deepkolt | Monday | Palast |
March | Brookgreen | Tuesday | Magetag |
April | Yurthgreen | Wednesday | Kirinor |
May | Fleurgreen | Thursday | Misham |
June | Holmswelt | Friday | Bakukal |
July | Fierswelt | Saturday | Bracha |
August | Paleswelt | ||
September | Reapember | ||
October | Gildember | ||
November | Darkember | ||
December | Frostkolt |
Currency
Since the Cataclysm, the harsh realities of daily survival leave little room for impracticality. For years after the devastation, steel’s value skyrocketed until it was valued as highly as gold, thanks to the difficulty of forging steel and its obvious practical applications. Similarly, bronze was valued on par with silver. While the value of steel and bronze has diminished to pre-Cataclysm standards, trade coins of bronze and steel remain in use across Ansalon.
Coin | cp | bp/sp | gp/stl | pp |
---|---|---|---|---|
Copper (cp) | 1 | 1/10 | 1/100 | 1/1,000 |
Bronze (bp) or Silver (sp) | 10 | 1 | 1/10 | 1/100 |
Gold (gp) or Steel (stl) | 100 | 10 | 1 | 1/10 |
Platinum (pp) | 1,000 | 100 | 10 | 1 |
Kalaman Region
Situated in the province of Nightlund in Solamnia’s eastern reaches, Kalaman is one of the nation’s most vital gateways to the outside world. The city, known as the Beacon of the East, rises along a deepwater port near the mouth of the Vingaard River, Solamnia’s greatest trade artery. Blessed with the bounty of the river, the benefits of trade, and the fertile soil of the Solamnic plains, the Kalaman region flourished even after the Cataclysm.
City of Kalaman
Kalaman began as a sleepy fishing village on the coast of the Turbidus Ocean. It might have remained so if not for the arrival of an Istarian trading mission centuries before the Cataclysm. Seeing the potential of a deep harbor so close to the mouth of a great river, the Empire of Istar invested heavily in the town, transforming it into a thriving trade hub. Solamnia soon found Istar’s stranglehold on the booming port intolerable, and after a climactic battle on the plains west of the city, Istar ceded control of Kalaman.
Today, long after the fall of Istar and the trials of the Cataclysm, Kalaman remains a thriving port city surrounded by tall Istarian-built walls that have never been breached. In its busy harbor, vessels from all over Ansalon go about their business under the light of the city’s two grand beacons, pre-Cataclysm marvels that have survived for generations. At the center of the city, the ancient Castle Kalaman rises intimidatingly on a sheer hill. The castle’s architectural marvels include defenses yet to be recreated in the modern age.
People of Kalaman
The city of Kalaman is notably cosmopolitan, while most people in surrounding communities make their livelihood through fishing and farming. Many of the region’s inhabitants are Solamnic humans, while others descend from the city’s Istarian founders. Traders from all over Ansalon settle in Kalaman through preference or necessity. As a result, some humans hail or have ancestors from Abanasinia, Nordmaar, Ergoth, Estwilde, and farther-flung lands. Kender, hill dwarves, and gnomes are common in the region, while some elves, mountain dwarves, and other people also make their home in the city. Anyone is welcome in Kalaman if they come peaceably with goods to trade.
Surrounding Regions
To the west of the Kalaman region lies Hinterlund. Even farther west lie the Plains of Solamnia, from where crops and crafted goods make their way to Kalaman for trade. Even in parts of Solamnia closer to the port of Palanthas, it’s often cheaper and easier to move goods down the river to Kalaman.
North of Kalaman, the grasslands characteristic of Solamnia give way to the broken steppes and labyrinthine canyons known as the Northern Wastes. Deadly beasts, treacherous cliffs, and unpredictable flooding make the wastes a dangerous land where it’s said nothing survives for long.
East of Kalaman, the lands of Estwilde hold inhospitable terrain and peoples who have been unfriendly to Solamnia since the days of Istar. Across the bay in northern Estwilde lie the swamps of Qwalmish. To the south and east of Kalaman are the rolling steppes of Qlettaar, which in turn give way to the forbidding peaks of the Taman Busuk region beyond Estwilde.
Nightlund
For generations, the Soths of Dargaard Keep—a family of Knights of Solamnia—ruled the Solamnic province once known as Knightlund. Before the Cataclysm, the gods of good forewarned Knightlund’s leader, Lord Loren Soth, about the coming destruction and offered him a chance to stop it, but he failed to accomplish this task. Since then, the province has had a cursed reputation. People have come to know the land as Nightlund and ascribe the region’s frequent storms to the old gods’ disfavor.
Religion and the Gods
The gods of Krynn are said to have abandoned the world, and in the great cities of Ansalon, temples and centers of faith are few. Nevertheless, small miracles occur across the world. Druids and hidden communities offer prayers in the old ways and employ mysterious magic. Long-lived peoples remember the worship of the gods and see their shapes in nature and the constellations above. Ancient, forgotten sanctuaries hold wonders beyond imagination, and divine whispers reach those with the minds and hearts to listen. The gods haven’t wholly abandoned Krynn, and as threats grow, mortals turn to them once more—sometimes after a remarkable encounter with a messenger of the gods.
The gods of Krynn loosely align with one another along the principles of good, neutrality, and evil. While such alliances can be tenuous, the gods often work together to enact their shared will across the world or to oppose unions of their foes. The Deities of Krynn table and the following sections summarize the gods most active in the world. Among Krynn’s diverse lands and peoples, gods take various names, genders, and forms. Those presented in the following sections are the representations best known in Solamnia.
Name | Alignment | Province | Symbol |
---|---|---|---|
Paladine | LG | Good dragons, guardians, rulers | Silver triangle |
Branchala | NG | Music | Bard’s harp |
Habbakuk | NG | Animal life, natural balance | Blue bird |
Kiri-Jolith | LG | Honor, war | Bison’s horns |
Majere | LG | Meditation, order | Copper spider |
Mishakal | LG | Healing | Blue infinity sign |
Solinari | LG | Good magic | White circle or sphere |
Name | Alignment | Province | Symbol |
---|---|---|---|
Gilean | N | Knowledge | Open book |
Chislev | N | Nature | Feather |
Lunitari | N | Neutral magic | Red circle or sphere |
Reorx | N | Craft | Forging hammer |
Shinare | N | Trade, wealth | Griffon’s wing |
Sirrion | N | Change, fire | Multicolored fire |
Zivilyn | N | Wisdom | Great green or gold tree |
Name | Alignment | Province | Symbol |
---|---|---|---|
Takhisis | LE | Evil dragons, hatred, night | Spiral of five dragon claws |
Chemosh | LE | Undead | Yellow skull |
Hiddukel | CE | Greed, lies | Broken merchant’s scales |
Morgion | NE | Disease, secrecy | Hood with two red eyes |
Nuitari | LE | Evil magic | Black circle or sphere |
Sargonnas | LE | Fire, vengeance | Stylized red condor |
Zeboim | CE | Seas, storms | Turtle shell |