Living spell

Living Spell
5th Edition Statistics
Size	Medium or Large
Type	Construct
Alignment	Unaligned
4th Edition Statistics
Size	Large
Origin	Aberrant
Type	Beast
Keyword(s)	Ooze
Alignment	Unaligned
3rd Edition Statistics
Size	Varies
Type	Ooze
General Information
Homeland(s)	The Mournland
Language(s)	None
Appearance
Average height	Varies
Average length	Varies

Living spells are semi-sentient spells that roam the Mournland. Whatever created the Day of Mourning during the Last War transformed any spell being cast when it happened into a living being. These creatures, dubbed living spells, still roam the Mournland, instinctively going after any creature they come across. Occasionally, a living spell emerges from the gray mists of the Mournland, attacking a local town.

History

On the day of Olarune 19, in the year 994 YK, the nation of Cyre was mysteriously destroyed. On that day, the Last War was in full effect, with the nation of Cyre in combat with a number of enemies around it, including Breland and Karrnath. During that event, whatever spells were in effect underwent an unusual metamorphosis into living spells. These spells continued in effect, though instead of going after their intended target, they continued on to target whatever they could. To this day, living spells continue to wander the Mournland.

Creation

Living spells escaped magic items such as wands, leaving them exhausted, or emerged from the bodies of wizards and magewrights. While most are oozes, some are elemental in nature.

Abilities

Living spells are not a natural form of life. They have no need for self-preservation, and communicating with these creatures is nearly impossible. They have no earthly needs: they don't eat, sleep, or reproduce. They are drawn naturally to sites of arcane power.

Scholarship

The creation of living spells has received much study by the sages of Morgrave University. In addition, a new sect of arcane artists, calling themselves spell sovereigns, have taken the challenge of controlling living spells, using them as summoned creatures and binding them to magic items. To date, though, no one has been able to replicate the process of creating living spells.

Known Types

Many types of living spell, such as of cantrips, are more-or-less harmless. For example, as seen in Eston, living continual flames crawl through the streets, climb lampposts, and flee visitors, while living scrying spells shift, shimmer, and show images of faraway places upon them. Other living spells are stationary, such as glyphs of warding twisted beyond recognition. A few living spells remain in their wands, which have warped and produce unexpected, extreme effects; though dangerous, their study may lead to wholly new spells.

Known examples of living spells are:

• Chilling fog
• Chillspark
• Corrosion web
• Frostclutch
• Glitterfire
• Living blasphemy
• Living burning hands
• Living cloud of daggers
• Living cloudkill
• Living fireball
• Living flaming sphere
• Shroud of death and despair
• Sickening sleep
• Withering grasp

In addition, living walls of ice are known in Eston that surround, freeze, and crush their victims.

Lands

Living spells roam the Mournland, which was formerly the nation of Cyre. They are not restricted to the Mournland, though, and will sometimes wander out into the lands nearby. For instance, when Cyran refugees tried to find a location near the Breland/Cyre border to rebuild their lives, they found themselves under attack from living fireballs. In particular, the ruins of Eston are rife with living spells.

Appendix

External Links

• Living spell article at the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.