Faerun
From the bitter, windswept steppes of the Endless Waste to the storm-lashed cliffs of the Sword Coast stretches a wide, wild land of shining kingdoms and primal wilderness. Faerûn is only one continent of the world known as Toril. Other lands lie in distant corners of the world, but Faerûn is the center of it all, the crossroads and crux upon which all else turns. Dozens of nations, hundreds of city-states, and countless tribes, villages, and settlements dot its expanse.
The continent of Fearûn measures more than thirty-five hundred miles from east to west and and twenty-five hundred from north to south. It includes sun-blasted deserts, vast forest deeps, forbidding mountains, and gleaming inland seas. Across this vast expanse travel minstrels and peddlers, caravan merchants and guards, soldiers, sailors, and steel-hearted adventurers carrying tales of strange, glorious, faraway places. Good maps and clear trails can take even an inexperienced youth with dreams of glory far across Faerûn. Thousands of restless, young would-be heroes from backcountry farmsteads and sleepy villages arrive in Waterdeep and the other great cities every year in search of wealth and renown.
Known roads may be less traveled, but they are not necessarily safe. Fell magic, deadly monsters, and cruel local rulers are all perils that you face when you fare abroad in Faerûn. Away from the main roads and the great cities, the countryside is far wilder than the city folk remember. Even farms and free holds within a day's walk of Waterdeep itself may fall prey to monsters, and no place in Faerûn is safe from the sudden wrath of a dragon.
Algarond
Capitol: Veltalar
Population: 1,270,080 (humans 64%, half-elves 30%, elves 5%)
Government: Oligarchic magocracy
Religion: Chauntea, Valkur, Selune, Mielikki, Silvanus, the Seldarine
Imports: Glass, iron, textiles
Exports: Copper, gems, giants, lumber, wine
Alignment: Usually NG, TN, or CG
Situated on a long peninsula that stabs like a knife into the heart of the Sea of Fallen Stars, Aglarond is a land of open water and deep woods. Here humans and elves have intermingled for centuries, and nowhere else in Faerûn is there a greater concentration of half-elves. The land has long stood as a bulwark holding back the Red Wizards of Thay from the western lands. This is a thankless task, but the people of Aglarond take it up not for the survival of other countries, but their own.
Altumbel
Populated by clannish humans and merchant-pirates, Altumbel lies near the center of the Sea of Fallen Stars.
Altumbel is an isolated nation of human fisherfolk and pirates at the westernmost tip of the Aglarondan peninsula, the folk of Altumbel distrust nonhumans -- especially elves. Altumbel is viewed as an insular, almost backward, land by most of its neighbors, but roguish merchants from Spandeliyon roam the Inner Sea in search of profits.
Amn
Capital: Athkatla
Population: 2,961,520 (humans 83%, halflings 15%, halforcs 1%)
Government: Plutocracy
Religion: Bane, Chauntea, Cyric, Selûne, Sune, Waukeen
Imports: Exotic goods (from Maztica), magic items, mercenaries, pearls, siege weaponry
Export: Ale, armor, beer, caravan items (wagons, wheels), gems, gold, grain, horses, iron, jewelry, weapons
Alignment: Usually LN, LE, or NG
Amn is a nation of merchants, a place where caravans start and end and ships leave for exotic ports and return laden with gold and strange items. The Shadow Thieves have their hand in everything, and the rulers are an anonymous group known only as the Council of Six. Divine spellcasters are respected if their work brings money to Amn, while arcane spellcasters are universally reviled and feared.
Amn maintains a large colony on the distant tropical continent of Maztica and has profited greatly from its trade. The government's disregard for the humanoids in its southern mountains has come back to haunt the country; two ogre mage leaders forged an army and took over much of southern Amn, including its secondary port city. Now Amn struggles to retake its territory while maintaining its trade routes and dominance in Maztica.
Anauroch
Capital: Shade (none for the Bedine)
Population: 114,048 [not including the city of Shade] (humans 77%, asabi 17%, gnolls 5%)
Government: Magocracy (city of Shade); tribal (the Bedine)
Religions: Beshaba, Elah (Selûne), Kozah (Talos), N'asr (Kelemvor), place spirits, Shar
Imports: Livestock, wooden goods
Exports: Salt, spices
Alignment: Usually NE, CE, or CG
Anauroch (Ah-nor-ach) is a barren wasteland that has grown to split the north of Faerûn into eastern and western halves. Also known as the Great Desert or the Great Sand Sea, Anauroch swallowed the ancient empire of Netheril more than fifteen centuries past, then devoured the shining kingdoms that rose in its wake. For generations Anauroch's relentless encroachment has destroyed realms and driven monsters into the neighboring lands.
Anauroch is the greatest of Faerûn's deserts, but far from empty. A nomadic race of noble barbarians known as the Bedine roams its wastes. Zhentarim garrisons and patrols hold down a line of oases along the Black Road, the trade route that winds west from the ruins of Teshendale to Llorkhninder the eaves of the Graypeak Mountains. Finally - and most significantly - the Empire of Shadows has settled over the anvil once known as the Shoal of Thirst. Shade, a city of Netheril that escaped that land's fall by removing itself to the Plane of Shadow, has now returned to Faerûn, and its masters contemplate the current shape of the world and consider what conquests to undertake next.
The Border Kingdoms
The Border Kingdoms are little more than names on a map to most folk in the Heartlands of Faerûn. Only a few sages and well-traveled merchants know anything useful about them, thanks to their ever-changing nature, and travel there being hampered by incessant Borderer wars with each other and land-hungry satraps of Calimshan.
According to the sage Meriadas of Westgate: "The Border Kingdoms are the most favored destination for adventurers who want to proudly and boldly conquer a realm or establish their own new kingdom. Lords, counts, dukes, kings and emperors rise, proclaim themselves, and are swept away with the speed and regularity of waves crashing upon a shore. What comes to our ears are a stream of amusing or colorful little tales of their most daring, disastrous, or funny deeds. Few folk go there except those who want to carve out a place for themselves with a sword... Borders and even the names of the realms they define change with each passing month and even tenday; there is no such thing as an accurate history or even map of the Border Kingdoms (which are named thus) because they stand in the way of Calishite expansion, their turmoil and stubborn strength defining the eastern border of that proud realm... south of the Lake of Steam... the Border Kingdoms spread east and south to take in all the lands drained by the River Scelptar as far as the Shieldmaidens (the hills at the western end of the Firesteap Mountains, just east of The Duskwood) and the rising land that defines the northern edge of the vast rolling grasslands known as The Shaar."
Calimshan
Capital: Calimport
Population: 5,339,520 (humans 94%, halforcs 2%, halflings 2%, half-elves 1%)
Government: Autocracy
Religions: Anachtyr (Tyr), Azuth, Bhaelros (Talos), Ilirandul (dead god, now an aspect of Shar), Ilmater, Shar, Sharess
Imports: Food, slaves, wizards
Exports: Armor, books, gems, jewelry, leather goods, mercenaries, minor magic items, pearls, pottery, rare herbs, rope, ships, silk, spices, weapons, wine
Alignment: Usually LN, TN, or NE
Calimshan is a land obsessed with wealth and unimpressed by magic. Its people are heirs to an old empire founded by genies; and now fear such creatures and ban them from their lands. Familiar with displays of magic, they see the Art as any other skill that can be learned. Some say the blood of the efreet runs in some Calishites, giving them sorcerous powers and a talent for fire magic.
Calimshan is renowned for its chauvinism, exotic markets, thieves' guilds, decadent harems, desert landscape, and wealthy ruling class, as well as its enormous population and many slaves.
Channath Vale
The Channath Vale is a narrow stretch of land along the southern side of the Shaar, where the River Channath flows west into the River Talar. The North Wall of Halruaa and the Bandit Wastes form its southern boundary, while the Shaar flanks it on the north. The vale consists of three separate woodlands (the Channathwood, the Misty Vale, and the Shaareach Forest), as well as the Dun Hills and the tiny range of mountains known as the Wyrmbones. A major caravan route follows the south side of the vale, connecting the Great Rift with lands west of the Shaar. Several communities have arisen in Channath Vale along this trade way, and their citizens reap the benefits of caravan traffic.
Chessenta
Capital: Cimbar (theoretically)
Population: 3,386,880 (humans 82%, halflings 6%, dwarves 5%, half-orcs 4%, lizardfolk 2%)
Government: Varies by city (militocracy, theocracy, monarchy)
Religions: Anhur, Assuran (old name of Hoar), Azuth, Lathander, Red Knight, Tahazzar (aspect of Tiamat), Waukeen
Imports: Cheese, glass, horses, magic weapons, mercenaries, perfume, pork, slaves.
Exports: Art, cattle, gold, grapes, olive oil, quality iron, silver, slaves (to Thay), statues, weapons, wine
Alignment: Usually TN, CG, or LN
A group of cities considered a single nation by the rest of Faerûn, Chessenta is anything but united. The cities war against each other over old slights, philosophical differences, or economic leverage. Adventurers and mercenary companies make a good living here, hired by various governments for sneak attacks, strategic planning, or protection.
The culture of Chessenta is obsessed with physical conflict, with war heroes considered very highly. The nation is friendly to dwarves and half-orcs, but uneasy with elves. The Chessentans appreciate the arts and are great fans of theater; the bardic profession is second only to that of fighters.
The Chondalwood
This long stretch of forest runs from the north side of the Shaar past the north end of the Landrise and behind the Firesteap Mountains, extending all the way to the coast of the Vilhon Reach. Though much of this woodland is beyond the area known as the Shining South, the southern end of it flanks the Old Road,a trade route that connects Chondath with many locales throughout the Shaar. At the very southern tip of the grasslands, the Old Road and the Road of Dust merge at Hardcastle.
The denizens of the Chondalwood actively discourage outsiders from entering its deep, dark interior. In addition to the usual dangerous animals -- such as snakes, spiders, tigers, and so forth -- the forest houses numerous dangerous plants and plant creatures. Various fungi and mushrooms, as well as mistletoe and other parasitic plants, are prominent along the forest floor. Shambling mounds, tendriculoses, assassin vines, and other evil vegetable creatures also sprout here from time to time. But the true menaces to foreigners traveling these woods are the satyrs, centaurs, wild elves, and feral ghostwise halflings. In addition, rumors that a sizable contingent of giants has settled here have been drifting through the nearby towns of late.
The druids who live in the Chondalwood jointly watch over the woodland and keep it healthy. Their enclave, which is even more secretive and aloof than most such groups, has assembled various kinds of creatures into patrols and instructed them to watch for and be wary of any groups other than trade caravans that pass along the Old Road. When evidence of adventurers or loggers comes to light, the creatures begin a campaign of terror against the encroachment, making menacing sounds and displaying strange lights in hopes of scaring off intruders before they set foot beneath the forest canopy. When that doesn't work, the creatures do not hesitate to take more aggressive action.
Chondath
Capital: Arrabar
Population: 1,982,880 (humans 96%, elves 2%, dwarves 1%)
Government: Confederation of city-states
Religions: Helm, Lliira, Malar, Talos, Tempus, Waukeen
Imports: Metal
Exports: Lumber, mercenaries, salt, spices
Alignment: Usually TN, LN, or NE
To look on Chondath now, a scattering of allied city-states and towns strung along the southern shore of the Sea of Fallen Stars, it's hard to believe this is the same nation that produced the merchants who settled the powerhouse country of Sembia. Most other cities in the Vilhon were once part of its empire or suffered under its cruel armies. Now, Chondath is a land darkened by its fall from glory, by the grasping ambitions of its rulers, and by foes all around it.
Trade keeps a constant flow of folk leaving and arriving in Chondath from afar, and leads to more tolerance of varying ways and outlanders than visitors expect.
Chult
Population: 440,640 (humans 60%, goblins 20%, lizardfolk 10%, wild dwarves 5%, pterafolk 4%)
Government: Tribal (rural areas); theocracy (in the city of Mezro)
Religions: Eshowdow (an aspect of Shar), Tharrd Barr, Ubtao
Imports: Food, jewelry, weapons
Exports: Furs, gems, ivory, perfume
Alignment: Usually LN, CE, or LG
Located at the westernmost end of the Chultan peninsula, Chult is a mountainous jungle of savage beasts, hulking dinosaurs, and disease-ridden swamps. Reclusive human tribes, fierce goblins, and strange monstrous folk haunt this dangerous land. Nevertheless Chult draws adventurers who search for its legendary riches.
Faith in the many aspects of the deity Ubtao holds dominion in this land, for the divine powers of Faerûn awarded Ubtao the land of Chult in exchange for his vigilance over the threat from under the Peaks of Flame.
Cormyr
Capital: Suzail
Population: 1,360,500 (humans 85%, half-elves 10%, elves 4%)
Government: Monarchy
Religions: Chauntea, Deneir, Helm, Lathander, Lliira, Oghma, Malar, Milil, Selûne, Silvanus, Tempus, Tymora, Waukeen
Imports: Glass, ivory, spices
Exports: Armor, carved ivory, cloth, coal, food, swords, timber
Alignment: Usually LG, LN, or NG
Founded over a thousand years ago, the kingdom of Cormyr benefits from an enlightened monarchy, hard-working citizens, and an advantageous location. Cormyr is a civilized land surrounded by mountains, forests, and settlements of evil humanoids. Known for its well-trained military and its active group of government-sanctioned spell-casters, Cormyr boasts fine food, honest people, strange mysteries, and abundant contacts with other parts of the world.
In the past decades Cormyr has been challenged by treacherous noble families, a war with the Empire of Shade, armies of goblins and orcs, famine, a marauding ancient red dragon, the death of its beloved monarch, threats from the Far Realm, and most recently an army of undead led by an ancient and powerful lich. Under the rule of the restored Queen Tanalasta, Cormyr is in need of resourceful individuals willing to defend the crown and confront its various monsters and enemies.
The Dalelands
Population: 602,640 (humans 80%, drow 6%, half-elves 5%, elves 4%, halflings 2%, gnomes 1%, dwarves 1%)
Government: Varies by dale; Dales Council loosely unifies all dales.
Religions: Chauntea, Lathander, Mielikki, Silvanas, Tempus, the Triad (Ilmater, Torm, Tyr)
Imports: Armor, books, glass, jewelry, metalwork, paper, text weapons
Exports: Ale, bread, cheese, fruit, grain, hides, timber, vegetable
Alignment: Usually CG, NG, or TN
The Dales are broad forest vales with rolling farmlands, linked by narrow trade roads running through beautiful woods. Blessed with fertile soil and a temperate climate (aside from the extremely harsh winters), the Dales are the breadbasket of the Heartlands. The Dales' independent spirit and age-old alliance with the elves of Cormanthor have made them the historic birthplace or favored home of many of Faerûn's greatest heroes.
Twelve separate dales exist today, with the Elves of Semberdale having recently seceeded from Deepingdale in 1383 DR. Each dale comes with its own territory, government (or lack of it), militia, trading pacts, ambitions, and character. Archendale and Harrowdale value trade over all else. Tasseldale values industry and craftsmanship. Daggerdale stands alone against a powerful enemy, while Scardale struggles to recover its independence after years of occupation. Meanwhile the other dales respect the old Dales Compact and prefer to be left alone.
Damara
Capital: Heliogabalus
Population: 1,321,920 (humans 87%, dwarves 6%, halflings 4%, half-orcs 2%)
Government: Monarchy
Religions: Ilmater, Silvanus, Tempus (barbarians)
Imports: Food, livestock, wood
Exports: Gems, gold, iron, silver
Alignment: Usually LN, TN, or NE
North of Impiltur and east of the Moonsea lies the once-mighty realm of Damara, now rebuilding from decades of war against its neighbors and the orcs and gnolls of the mountains. Tolerant of all races and most religions, the country is friendly to visitors, especially those who have skill in slaying monsters. Those interested in politics and adventure can find plenty of opportunities here.
Damara maintains friendly relations with its neighbors and has a thriving gem trade based on its bountiful chalcedony (known as "bloodstone" for its red flecks) mines. However, the leaders of Damara keep a wary eye on the neighboring land of Vaasa and stay prepared for any strange threat that may arise from there.
Dambrath
Capital: Cathyr
Population: ~200,000 (humans 75%, half-drow 15%, other 10%)
Government: Matriarchal Monarchy (Hasifir Hazm'cri, Ruler)
Religions: Loviatar, Lolth, Malar, Eilistraee
Exports: Horses, silver, pearls, wood items, fruit, fish
To outsiders, Dambrath seems a land of contrasts. Its people dwell in open grasslands under a sweltering sun and endless blue sky, but they owe fealty to the drow, who shun the light. Though the majority of its population is human, Dambrath is ruled by the Crinti - people of mixed human, drow, and elf heritage. The nation draws its most lucrative trade commodities from both the land and the sea. Because of its leaders' surprisingly non-aggressive policies toward their neighbors and their aversion to allowing outsiders too far inside the nation's borders, Dambrath has remained a lard of mystery to most of Faerûn's folk. That situation suits its noble class just fine.
The Dragon Coast
Capital: No unified nation, no capital
Population: 820,800, (humans 92%, halflings 3%, half-elves 2%, gnomes 2%)
Government: Independent city-states and pirate holds
Religion: Helm, Sune, Tempus, Tymora, Umberlee
Imports: Food, precious metals, slaves, trade goods for export
Export: Ships, trade goods from other nations
Alignment: Usually TN, NE, or LE
The Dragon Coast consists of the lands and islands on the south shore of a branch of the Sea of Fallen Stars. It's more of a way of life than a geographical area for the three powerful city-states, seven or so major thieves' guilds, dozen pirate bands, and agents of Faerûn's darkest secret societies who live and work here.
To outsiders who don't know how to play the game, the Dragon Coast is a nest of vultures and thieves located in the center of too many otherwise-ideal trading routes.
To the initiated (canny Sembian merchants, shrewd rogues, and caravan masters who aren't afraid to grease a palm), the Dragon Coast is a perfect place to get things done ... to get anything done. As the Sembians say, "Everyone has a price. But the price is more reasonable on the Dragon Coast."
Elven Court
Established after the Crown Wars as a place of judgment against the mad Vyshaan lords of Aryvandaar, the Elven Court remained a destination for religious pilgrimages up until the founding of Cormanthyr. Because the drow had destroyed or desecrated much of the Elven Court in the Dark Court Massacre, the elves let it lie ruined for many long centuries. Near the close of the Weeping Wars, when Myth Drannor's impending fall became apparent, the elves mounted a campaign to reclaim the Elven Court.
After the Weeping War, the Elven Court became the de facto center of elven government in the forest of Cormanthor. But when the Retreat began, the Fair Folk dismantled most of the realm's grandest structures, removed its most powerful artifacts, and abandoned it once again, leaving it open for anyone to claim.
Today the Elven Court consists of a few widely scattered tree homes linked by miniature portals. The newly arrived Cormanthor drow have claimed much of its area, but they have been careful not to stray too far into the old buildings or burial grounds, since they know that many powerful defensive magics are still in effect.
Evereska
The elven refuge of Evereska is a lush garden paradise and the largest moon and sun elven city left on Faerûn. None but the elves are allowed into the Last City, although a lucky few half-elven and human "elf-friends" have caught tiny glimpses of its beauty through the entrance most used by the elves. Mighty elven warriors clad in enchanted armor that allowed them to fly kept guard over the area, and they did not hesitate to use the wands, rods, and blades of mighty magic that they possessed to protect their valley.
Evereska is a verdant valley encircled by twelve high hills. The elves sculpted the entire valley into a terraced garden. Homes worked into the landscape so as to blend in with the growing plants and form a series of beautiful bowers, dells, and vistas. Evereska itself has no streets, but only winding paths. Large items floated through the city by magic, not on wagons, and no inch of the inner slopes of the encircling hills was wasted. Blueleaf trees sculpted alive by Evereskan-perfected elven magic wreathed much of the valley in royal blue foliage. A powerful mythal that governs weather and physical conditions within the valley inhibited certain sorts of magic and worked against blights and diseases.
Laid waste by the onslaught of Anauroch's phaerimms, this realm of moon and sun elves is slowly recovering from the furious battles of recent years.
Evermeet
Capital: Leuthilspar
Population: 1,658,880 (sun elves 50%, moon elves 30%, sea elves 10%, wood elves 9%)
Government: Monarchy
Religions: Corellon Larethian, the Seldarine
Imports: Elven items retrieved from Faerûn, otherwise self-sufficient
Exports: Elven adventurers, jewelry, magic items
Alignment: Usually CG, CN, or NG
Originally populated by sun elves, Evermeet is now the refuge for the Elven Court that has withdrawn from Faerûn. Moon elves, sun elves, and some wood elves followed Queen Amlaruil when she moved the center of elven life out of its ages-old home in the forest of Cormanthor. Evermeet is a defensible location far removed from human power centers such as Cormyr and Zhentil Keep.
The magical kingdom of the elves lies eighteen hundred miles to the west of Faerûn in the Trackless Sea. Elven high magic, sea elves, vigilant wizards, and a powerful navy guard the island. Few approach Evermeet who are not already the elves' guests.
The Forest of Lethyr
The Forest of Lethyr occupies the southern half of the Great Dale and is a natural boundary between that land and Thesk. The portion of the forest south of the River Flam is considered Theskian land. The residents of the Great Dale hardly notice. This area has been constantly logged over the years, making it the poor cousin of the northern reaches. Close to the Golden Way, these lands are too near civilization for comfort in the minds of druids and rangers.
The Forest of Lethyr is home to the Nentyarch, the most powerful druid in northeastern Faerûn. The Nentyarch leads the Circle of Leth and their agents, the Nentyar hunters. From his seat at Yeshelmaar, the Nentyarch and the druids who serve him defend the forest against wanton cutting and oversettlement. The Nentyarch is also the master of the Rawlinswood, but two years ago the frenzied hordes of the Rotting Man stormed Dun-Tharos, his former seat of power, and drove the Circle of Leth to the southern forest. Separated by the sparsely populated valley of the Great Dale, these two opposing forces are engaged in a mortal struggle for both woodlands.
The Forest of Lethyr is filled with all sorts of creatures, but the most prominent ones are the treants who work with their humanoid friends to protect the woods. Lethyr is also home to several villages of secretive wood elves, as well as a handful of volodni bands. Human settlements are limited to the forest's southern edges. Spearsmouth Dale is nestled on the edges of the treeless valley closest to the source of the Flam. The next valley to the northeast along the forest's edge is home to Mettledale.
The Galena Mountains
Flanked by Impiltur, Damara, and the Vast, the Galena Mountains (and nearby Earthspur Mountains) are home to numerous shield dwarf delvings.
The Golden Water
This tranquil bay forms the coastline for the majority of the Shining Lands. Protected from the harsher ravages of the sea by both land and barrier reef, the waters of this sheltered inlet are unusually calm and clear. The fishing in the Golden Water is sublime, and the daily catch keeps almost every table in the coastal settlements supplied with fresh seafood. At any given moment, scores of trading ships and naval vessels are visible from any point along the surface of the bay. Some of these ships carry cargo to the various ports along the shore; others keep watch for creatures that could menace the shipping.
The Golden Water contains certain minerals that give off a warm, golden hue when struck by the light of the rising or setting sun. This phenomenon is what originally gave both the bay and the Shining Lands their names, though now, most Faerûnians associate these monikers with the locals' love of trade and the gold it brings them.
Most of the sea creatures that dwell in the Golden Water are peaceful, though schools of sharks sometimes disrupt the pearl-diving and coral-gathering operations. The aquatic elf city called Nemilar sits at the bottom of the bay in the middle of its expanse, just northeast of Ormpé.
The Great Dale
Sandwiched between Narfell and Thesk, the Great Dale is considered a vast wilderness by most. The land is speckled with lonely farmsteads and clanholds, guarded by druids and rangers who enjoy their solitude and protect their homes with a vengeance. Few foreigners have reason to journey to the Great Dale, and that's just how its inhabitants like it.
Narfell and Damara bound the Great Dale to the north, Impiltur and the Easting Reach to the west, Thesk to the south, and Rashemen to the east. While a decent road runs the length of the country (if it can be called that) between the Rawlinswood and the Forest of Lethyr, it is not a major trade route. There are few stops along the way, and the residents of the Great Dale show so little hospitality to strangers that a popular joke is "There's no room in the dale!"
The land here was once part of the ancient Empire of Narfell, although it was originally settled by folk from Jhaamdath. When Narfell and Raumathar destroyed each other 1,500 years ago, the Great Dale was decimated in the fighting and lay virtually empty and wild for centuries. The land is now a frontier for the populous kingdom of Impiltur to the west. For generations, Impilturans in search of land and independence have been trickling eastward, carving out homes from the Dale's wide-open spaces.
The Great Glacier
This fierce land is the home both the Ulutiuns and Inugaakalikurit. The Ulutiuns are skilled hunters and nomads who survive where few others can, whilst the Inugaakalikurit arctic dwarves dwell in the icebound mountain ranges of the Great Glacier.
The Great Rift
The traditional home of Faerûn's gold dwarves, the wide canyon known as the Great Rift lies near the western end of the Eastern Shaar, not far from the Landrise. The bottom of this chasm lies more than 1,000 feet below the plains, surrounded by sheer cliff walls on every side. The arid, hilly ground that serves as the floor of the Great Rift is split down the middle by the Riftlake, a deep, icy-cold body of clear water that is often shrouded in morning mists. The lake is fed by the numerous small streams and rivers that flow throughout the Great Rift, as well as some very deep springs, which rumors suggest are fed by portals from the Elemental Plane of Water. The lake in turn drains into the River Shaar, which snakes along the valley floor before disappearing into a spray-filled gorge on the north end of the canyon. From there, it winds along a subterranean route more than 150 miles long before emerging in an impressive waterfall from a cave set into the side of the Landrise. Despite its high cliff walls, the Great Rift is wide enough that a person standing on the shore of the Riftlake can't actually see the walls on the other side. Thus, in many places, the valley floor seems more like open ground than the floor of a deep canyon.
The weather inside the Great Rift is somewhat wetter than it is on the surrounding plains, though the ground is far from damp. The grasses that grow on the valley floor are a bit thicker and greener than the sparse, coarse weeds native to the rest of the Shaar, and plenty of animals--some herded by the dwarves for food--graze on this lush abundance.
Halruaa
Capital: Halarahh
Population: 1,676,160 (humans 90%, dwarves 5%, halflings 2%, elves 1%, half-elves 1%)
Government: Magocratic oligarchy (Council of Elders)
Religions: Azuth, Mystra, Shar
Imports: Exotic magic items, precious metals
Exports: Electrum, Haerlu wine
Alignment: Usually LG, LN, or NG
Far to the south and ringed by mountains lies Halruaa, a nation of wizards. The Halruaans are descendants of refugees from mighty Netheril, a kingdom of human wizards who allowed their own power to grow unchecked, corrupt their souls, and blast all their works into splinters. Halruaa has maintained the Netherese fascination with magic, pursuing the Art with fanatical devotion and considering all other studies to be inferior pursuits. So far the Halruaans have avoided the soul-blindness that doomed Netheril.
Halruaan wizards are a self-satisfied lot, more interested in pursuing their research in the privacy of their home laboratories than in exploring or exploiting the rest of Toril. Those who do leave their native land are merchants or agents in search of unusual spell components. Sometimes such agents are important enough to travel in one of the fabled Halruaan skyships, but the flying craft are fragile and so valuable that they are not sent outside Halruaa on anything less than major missions.
The High Forest
Population: 29,088 (elves 52%, gnolls 12%, centaurs 10%, orcs 10%, half-elves 5%, half-orcs 5%, humans 3%, halflings 2%)
Government: Many competing forces
Religions: Corellon Larethian, Eilistraee, Malar, Mielikki, Silvanus, Vhaeraun
Imports: Adventurers, armor, food, weapons
Exports: Ancient artifacts
Alignment: Usually LN, TN, NE, CG, CN, or CE
The High Forest is a holdover from the early days of the world, when elves, giants, and dragons ruled a continent covered in green. The forest is home to all the woodlands races, including aarakocras, centaurs, drow (including Vhaeraun- and Eilistraee-worshiping surface-dwellers and Lolth-worshiping Underdark marauders), gnolls, gnomes, hybsils, moon elves, pixies, satyrs, treants, and wild elves.
The few humans who live or travel within the forest are usually druids, rangers, members of the Harpers, or adventurers used to surviving in environments in which they are not entirely welcome. Druids say that the forest is under the protection of the deities Eldath and Mielikki. If true, that explains how the High Forest has survived the woodcutter's axe unscathed.
The forest is too large for any one group to rule completely. At present, the greatest powers within the forest are the treants, the wood elves, and the centaurs.
The Hordelands
Population: 133,488 (humans 85%, gnolls 8%, centaurs 5%, dwarves 1%)
Government: Tribal
Religions: Etugen (Grumbar), Teylas (Akadi), local spirits, aspects of Eldath, Malar, and Selune.
Alignment: Usually CN, CG, or TN.
Often considered a completely barren region, the Hordelands features sparse vegetation, rare oases, and the quarreling tribes of the Tuigan. These horse-riding nomads are best known for their invasion of Faerun more than a decade ago. Fierce riders expert with their composite shortbows, the nomads are divided among at least ten tribes, living in tents and surviving on meat and milk. Their few permanent settlements center around oases, for water is their most precious commodity.
The superstitious local people are distrustful of strangers, especially after their defeat by the western armies. It will be at least a generation before the Tuigan again pose a significant threat to Faerun...
Impiltur
Capital: Lyrabar
Population: 1,205,280 (humans 90%, dwarves 5%, halflings 4%)
Government: Monarchy
Religions: Ilmater, Selune, Tymora, Valkur, Waukeen
Alignment: Usually LG, LN, or CG
Impiltur is a kingdom of friendly merchants, preferring peace, but capable of calculated acts of war when necessary. While the Impilturans vigorously defend their own borders, the government traditionally remains neutral and leaves neighboring lands to defend themselves. Impilturans see all sorts of raw valuables come from their northern neighbors and exotic goods arrive in their ports.
Among Faerunians elsewhere, Impiltur is often "the Forgotten Kingdom". It has the mines and pines of the northern realms, but lacks witches or tyrants who send armies to attack neighboring countries. Its shipborne trade passes through the hands of either Sembia or Telflamm, so the Impilturran origin of the copper-work, silver, and iron bars is lost to purchasers.
Impiltur is also the gateway to the riches of Damara, and a land fast growing in farmers now beginning to export smoked meats, cheeses, and fireslake (strong, sour wine of poor quality but great potency).
Impiltur is at peace with its neighbors, but persistent brigands, orc and hobgoblin raids out of the Earthspun Mountains, monsters aroused by the ongoing mining and prospecting, and intrigues hatched in the cities of Impiltur by agents of Thay, the newly energetic clergies of Shar, and other dark powers keep the armies of Impiltur war-ready.
The Inner Sea
Also known as the Sea of Fallen Stars, this huge body of water connects the east and west of Faerûn. Through the River Lis, the Inner Sea also connects with the Moonsea to the northeast. The Sea of Fallen Stars was the original migration route for the Chondathan humans who spread out from the Vilhron Reach and settled the center and north of Faerûn.
Cormyr, Sembia, and to some extend the Impilturans maintain powerful navies on the Innsea Sea, but for the most part these are merchants' waters rather than the warships' domains. Undersea kingdoms of aquatic elves, merfolk, and sahuagin populate the Sea, but surface dwellers have little to do with them aside from violent flare-ups like the sahuagin attacks that battered the human cities of both the Inner Sea and the Trackless Sea in 1369 DR.
Lake of Steam
Capital: None, (largely independent city-states)
Population: 1,74,280 (humans 90%, halflings 9%; higher proportions of nonhumans in the Border Kingdoms)
Government: Varies
Religions: Any
Imports: Grain, horses, livestock, small ships, soldiers, stone, wood (varies by region)
Exports: Cast brass and bronze,, chains, dyed wool, dyes, fruit, gems, ink, magic items, mercenaries, mirrors, pearls, seafood, sheep-skins, spellbooks, sturdy books, vegetables, wagons, weapons, wine (varies by region)
With independent city-states on the north shore and a succession of small countries founded or conquered by people of many races, faiths, and agendas to the south, the Lake of Steam is a hodgepodge of varying interests, bustling trade, and frequently changing boundaries.
Most of the cities on the north shore were part of Calimshan in the past and retain their parent's desire for wealth, comfort, and influence, as well as a strong desire to remain independent. The intrigues brewing around these cities led observers to dub the northern shore the Moonsea of the South.
Lapaliiya
Capital: Sheirtalar
Population: 1,217,642 (95% human, 2% yuan-ti, 2% rock gnomes, 1% wild dwarves)
Government: Limited monarchy
Religons: Sseth, Talos, Deneir, Chauntea, Eldath, Garlglittergold, Illmater, Kelemvor, Lliira, Selune, Silvanus, Tempus, Tiamat, Umberlee, Waukeen
Imports: Armor, beef, gems, fruit, iron, jewelry, pottery, weapons
Exports: Olives, pearls, roe, seafood, spices, wine, wood
Alignment: Usually LE or NE
The Lapal League is a confederation of city-states along the southeastern shore of the Shining Sea. Loosely ruled by the Overking of Sheirtalar, these small realms are sometimes known as the Cities of the Seabreeze, though that phrase technically also includes Narubel, Tashluta, Ormpur, and the ruins of Procalith. Lapaliiya stetches from the eastern end of the Delphin Mountains to the Sheir Peninsula, and from the shores of the Shining Sea to the northern edge of the Mhair Jungles, the Great Wall of Halruaa, the western edge of the Bandit Wastes, and the peaks of the Dun Hills.
Lantan
Capital: Sambar
Population: Gnomes and humans (lantanna)
Religion: Gond (state religion)
Government: the Ayrorch (council of 12 lifetime members)
Lantan is a southern nation some thousand miles south of the Moonshaes that is known for its merchant traders, found up and down the Sword Coast. Lantan is widely known for its maroon-sailed, lateen-rigged ships, which ply the crystal and deep green waters of the southern seas of the Realms.
Lantan itself is a land of lush jungle and rock pinnacles, atop which perch the turreted aerial homes of the Lantanna. These homes are often joined to neighboring abodes by spidery, railless bridgespans. Lantan is peopled by contented folk who worship Gond Wonderbringer, god of artificers. The Lantanna carry on energetic independent sea trading in order to make enough money to enrich their homes with splendid ornamentation and new ideas or inventions, which they are always encouraging the experimentation with and implementation of.
Folk hear tales of Lantan, "where Gond is worshiped and magic shunned." Most know very little more beyond the hearsay that Lantan is a strange and dangerous place where clockwork machines and infernal devices work great wonders and terrors at their makers' direction. Common wizardry pales in comparison.
The humans of the island of Lantan pioneer technological solutions to problems that citizens of Faerûn solve with magic. The faith of Gond rules the pleasant island realm, and its inhabitants farm, craft things, and experiment endlessly. The Lantanese inventors constantly create new "small wonders" for the greater glory of Gond, and sometimes sell or trade these devices for glass, charcoal and other odd ingredients their clients require.
Luiren
Capital: Beluir
Population: 838,080 (halflings 92%, humans 4%, elves 2%, half-elves 1%)
Government: Benevolent Theocracy
Religions: Brandobaris, Tymora, Yondalla
Alignment: Usually LG, LN, or TN.
Luiren, the land of the halflings, is both peaceful and bustling. Though halflings can be found in every country in Faerûn, all their ancestors originally migrated from Luiren. Sometimes known as Small Folk, halflings actually prefer the term hin, the name they call themselves. But they don't hold the use of other names against visitors who don't know any better. They're happy enough to welcome newcomers with a smile and a place to stay - though that lodging might be a half-sized stable or barn.
The Moonshae Isles
Capital: Caer Callidyrr
Population: 680,400 (human 89%, halflings 4%, elves 3%, dwarves 1%, half-elves 1%)
Government: Monarchy
Religions: Chauntea (in an aspect as the Earthmother) among the Ffolk, Tempus among the Northlanders
Imports: Coal, horses, minor magic items, ore, parchment, silk
Exports: Armor, timber, weapons
Alignment: Usually NG, TN, NE
A cold cluster of rocky islands cloaked in mists and deep woods and sprinkled with abundant beasts, bogs, and soaring mountains, the Moonshae Isles are shared by two dominant races of human folk. The northern section of the islands is dominated by seafaring Northlanders descended from the raiders of Ruathym. A darker-haired and darker-skinned human race known as the Ffolk, the islands' longer-term residents, control the southern part. The Ffolk thrive in a dozen petty kingdoms ruled over by a High Queen.
In previous years the Northlanders and the Ffolk spent much of their time at each other's throats, particularly because of the Northlanders' penchant for bloody raiding. The rise of High King Tristan Kendrick unified the two peoples of the Moonshaes. Tristan's daughter, High Queen Alicia, has held her kingdom together through the usual small wars between petty lords. Compared to the nations of mainland Faerûn, the Moonshaes have enjoyed several decades of relative peace.
The Moonsea
Capital: None
Population: 1,745,280 (humans 69%, orcs 10%, half-orcs 6%, halflings 5%, dwarves 5%, ogres 2%, gnomes 2%
Government: Independent city states usually under oligarchic rule
Religions: Bane, Cyric, Loviatar, Mask, Talos, Talona, Umberlee
Imports: Food, textiles
Exports: Forged metal, furs, gems, lumber, raw minerals, slaves
Alignment: Usually TN, LE, or LN
The Moonsea proper is a deep natural lake located north of the Dalelands and west of the Vast, connected to the Sea of Fallen Stars by the shallow, swampy River Lis. The name "Moonsea" applies to both the lake and its environs, which stretch south as far as the mouth of the Lis where the river flows into the Dragon Reach, west to the Dragonspine Mountains, north to the frigid steppes of the Ride, Thar, and the Tortured Land, and east to the Galena and Earthspur Mountains.
The Moonsea region holds a huge amount of mineral wealth for those hardy enough to brave peril to win it. The area is infamous for its bleak landscapes, harsh winters, ravaging dragons, pirates, and rapacious local governments: Some of the most aggressive cities in Faerûn rise from the Moonsea's shores: Hillsfar, Mulmaster, and Zhentil Keep. Wherever a government exists in the Moonsea; it rules with an iron grip. Tombs, ruins, and monster lairs abound in the Moonsea, as do complex intrigues and double dealing tyrants. The battle cry of the area is well chosen: "Dare - and Beware!"
Mulhorand
Capital: Skuld
Population: 5,339,520 (humans 99%)
Government: Theocracy
Religions: Mulhorandi pantheon, Gond, Mask, Mystra, Red Knight
Imports: Pine timber, incense, iron, perfume, slaves from Thay, spices
Exports: Ale, beer, blank spellbooks, gold, granite, paper, precious stones
Alignment: Usually LN, LG, or LE
One of the few ancient empires that has survived to the present day, for millennia Mulhorand existed under the rulership of physical manifestations of its deities. Now in the hands of. those deities' mortal descendants, Mulhorand has begun to change and accommodate the rest of the world, opening itself to foreign trade and ideas.
With the collapse of Unther's government, Mulhorand has conquered much of its old rival's territory and may be looking to remake itself into the empire it used to be. Still unpopular in some western countries for its acceptance of slavery, Mulhorand remains an exotic land with powerful magic, old technology, and a powerful clergy.
Narfell
Capital: Bildoobaris (summer only)
Population: 36,720 (humans 99%)
Government: Tribal
Religions: Lathander, Tempus, Waukeen
Imports: Clothing, jewelry
Exports: Horses
Alignment: Usually CN, CG, or CE
A country where only the strong survive, Narfell is a land of infertile soil that supports only scraggly grass. The people of Narfell are tribal folk called the Nars, fierce horse-riders who believe that all people are judged by their actions. Their motto, "Deed, not blood," shows their disregard for those who expect deference because of "noble" birth. Some of the tribes are hostile to outsiders, but all set aside their differences once a year for their great trademeet.
In addition to the riders, Narfell is home to tundra yeti (dire apes) and hordes of hobgoblins in the mountains. Ancient Narfell was a powerful, wizard-ruled state that was destroyed in wars against the now-fallen empire of Raumathar. The barbaric folk living here today remember little of their civilized past, but the Nars occasionally find buried cities within their land, each containing great items of battle-magic.
The Nelanther Isles
Capital: None
Population: 2,822 (orcs 30%, humans 20%, half-orcs 15%, lizard-folk 15%, ogres 10%, humanoids 9%)
Government: Armed anarchy
Religions: Beshaba, Cyric, Talos, Tempus, Umberlee
Imports: Anything natives can steal, loot, or salvage
Exports: Slaves, stolen and salvaged goods of all types
Alignment: Usually NE, CE, or CN
The Nelanther Isles are a widely scattered chain of nearly a thousand islands sprinkled from Amn into the Trackless Sea. More than half the islands lack water and are fit only for wrecking ships upon. The hundreds of islands that have drinkable water and can support life are fought over by seagoing pirates who prey upon the shipping of Amn, Calimshan, the Sword Coast, and the Moonshae isles.
Aside from their dependence on violence and larceny, the Nelanthers have surprisingly little in common with the Pirate Isles of the Dragon Coast. The Pirate isles are predominantly human, while the Nelanthers' pirates are non-humans such as orcs, lizardfolk, ogres, and minotaurs. The various races and factions of Nelanther pirates war on each other as often as they war on outsiders.
Nimbral
Nimbral the Sea Haven is a fabled and seldom visited land that lies off the western coast of Faerûn, southwest of Lantan. it is a small realm of forests, high meadows, and deep green forests. Little farms and spired, fairytale castles dot the countryside. The small coastal sites serve as fishing ports and docks for infrequent visitors. Many believe the land to be a mere legend.
The reclusive folk of Nimbral have a well-deserved reputation as great wizards. An enclave of studious, introverted, and extremely powerful archmages called the Nimbral Lords rule the place. The lords keep to themselves and split their time between governing and magical research. There are reputed to be more than two dozen of these lords and half as many apprentices, and they form a tight-knit, loyal family. They guard their secrets jealously, fearing attacks from groups such as the Red Wizards, the Arcane Brotherhood, the Cult of the Dragon, and, the Twisted Rune.
Nimbral is also known as the land of the Flying Hunt. Aerial knights mounted on pegasi and clad in armor of glass patrol the skies and waters of the island, seeking out flying monsters and keeping pirates and raiders away from Nimbral's shores. These knights follow the highest ideals of romantic chivalry, though some (mostly Calishite slavers) revile them as raiders and bandits.
The North
Despite settlements and civilizations that have endured for a thousand years, the constant orc invasions, harsh weather, and unyielding wilderness prove that the North is still a frontier. "The North" is a term Cormyrians and Dalesfolk use to refer to the lands west of Anauroch and north of the High Moor.
The North can he divided into five separate areas: the High Forest, the greatest existing forest in all Faerûn; the Savage Frontier, which encompasses the lands outside the High Forest and Silverymoon; the Silver Marches, a new confederation of cities, towns, and fortresses centered around the shining city of Silverymoon; the Sword Coast North, the lands west of the Dessarin River; and Waterdeep, the City of Splendors, virtually a nation unto itself.
Rashemen
Capital: Immilmar
Population: 654,48O (humans 99%)
Government: Monarchy/magocratic gynarchy
Religions: Bhalla (Chauntea), the Hidden One (Mystra), Khelliara (Mielikki)
Imports: Cloth, food, wood products
Exports: Carvings, cheese, firewine, furs, wool
Alignment: Usually NG, CG, or TN
Rashemen is a cold, rugged land, populated by hardy and fiercely independent people. Its men are berserkers, disdaining armor and fighting with axe, spear, sword, and bow. Its women wield powerful magic tied to the land, training those with magical potential to serve the land and the Rashemi race. Although Rashemen is ostensibly ruled by a powerful warrior called the Iron Lord, the true powers behind the throne are the Witches, who choose the Iron Lord.
The land is full of nature spirits, any of which can turn jealous or vindictive against those who offend them. Rashemi laws are simple and based on honor, and they disdain the trappings of civilization. The people are devoted to the warrior ideal competing in athletic contests and other harsh physical activities such as swimming in near-freezing rivers. These challenges keep them strong, for weakness would doom them to death at the claws of the land's many monsters.
The Ride
North of the Moonsea and south of the Tortured Land lies the broad green swale known as the Ride, which is home to numerous roaming barbarian tribes, believed to be the descendants of the Angardt barbarians of northern Netheril.
Samarach
Capitol: Samargol
Population: 434,510 (humans 99% [Tashalans 80%, Chultans 19%, Halruaans (Nimbrese) 1%], yuan-ti 1%)
Government: Monarchy (vassal state of Nimbral)
Religions: Leira (Gyric), Squamata the Black (Sseth [now Set])
Imports: Weapons
Exports: Pearls, salt, spices
Alignment: Usually CN or NE
The Hidden Kingdom of Samarach lies along the southern shore of the Chultan Peninsula, between Thindol and the Jungles of Chult. Although independent of Nimbral, Samarach is a vassal state of the Seahaven ruled by one of the twelve Nimbral Lords. Mountain passes leading to Samarach are cloaked in veils of illusion (treat as widespread hallucinatory terrain effects made permanent), and the kingdom's settlements are protected by high walls and overlapping permanent images.
Sembia
Capital: Ordulin
Population: 2,462,400 (humans 96%, halflings 3%)
Government: Plutocracy (merchants' council with elected Overmaster)
Religions: Azuth, Deneir, Lathander, Loviatar, Mystra, Shar, Sune, Tymora, Waukeen
Imports: Anything it can trade to someone else
Exports: Anything it acquires from others, books, food, livestock, pottery, spiced sausage, silk, weapons, wine
Alignment: Usually LN, NG, or LE
Sembia is a land of experienced merchants who know how to hold onto power and young traders who scheme for a share of it. Sembians relish the art of the deal, the skill of gaining advantage through negotiation instead of through outright falsehood or cheating. Although Sembia does not control as great a proportion of Faerûn's trade as Amn, trade controls Sembia much more than trade controls Amn.
Unlike the lawless thugs of the Moonsea cities and the Pirate Isles, Sembians generally observe laws of contracts, debts, and interest payments.
Quite often Sembians observe these laws all too well, exploiting loopholes that others had not imagined.
Sembia conceives of itself as a young, aggressive, and expansionist nation. It has already co-opted one of the Dales, the former Moondale, and transformed it into a new capital fit for a great power: the City of Ordulin, and recently as of 1384 DR sought to annex several others, although that attempt was met largely with failure. For the most part however, the Sembian elite are usually too interested in seeking advantage over each other to unite behind a single foreign policy or a single warlord, save for rare exceptions.
Sembia uses its position on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Fallen Stars to serve as the broker between the north and the south of Faerûn. The Zhents of the Moonsea also trade with other countries, but the Sembians don't consider them a true threat now that the Zhentarim military presence in Silverdale (formerly Scardale) has been removed, as well as because a great deal of Zhent commerce flows through Sembian ports at one point or another, mostly through Ordulin. The Sembians do think of the Zhents as a magical threat, but the foremost worry of Sembia is the magical goods that the Sembians can't duplicate.
Sespech
Capital: Ormpetarr
Population: 952,560 (humans 96%, dwarves 2%, elves 1%)
Government: Feudal barony with an elected baron
Religion: Eldath, Helm, Lliira, Malar, Talos, Tempus, Waukeen
Imports: Metal
Exports: Horses, mercenaries, salt
Alignment: Usually LG, NG, or TN
Sespech is a barony located at the southwest end of the Vilhon Reach. Once a part of Chondath, Sespech maintains its independence through naval power and diplomacy.
Baron Aldorn Thuragar, sometimes known as the Foesmasher, rules Sespech. Once a bold adventurer, Thuragar relies on several old comrades from his adventuring company, the Band of Iron, to help him govern the country.
The Shaar
Capital: None (Council Hills)
Population: 587,520 (humans 60%, wemics 15%, gnolls 14%, centaurs 10%)
Government: Various nomadic chieftains
Religions: Mask, Oghma, Tempus
Imports: Armor, weapons, wine
Exports: Ivory, jewelry, slaves
Alignment: Usually CN, TN, or CG
The Shaar is a vast, rolling grassland running from the Shining Sea to the distant lands of the east. Civilization has almost no hold on the area. Nomadic humans (the dozen or so tribes of the Shaaryan) and non-humans such as centaurs, gnolls and wemics populate the Shaar. The wemics hunt, the Shaaryan humans herd rothé and horses, and the gnolls raid. The land supports its native grasses splendidly but is ill suited for agriculture - it's not a desert, but the land bakes by day and freezes by night.
The Shaaryan humans seldom stray in large numbers from their ancestral plains, largely because their treasured horses do not do well outside the Shaar. Shaaryan horses are stronger and faster than horses from other regions of Faerûn, as long as they roam their native grasslands. The great horses grow sick and die if they do not eat the grasses that thrive only on the wide plains of the Shaar. The Shaaryan understand this, and few of them leave their native culture behind to travel Faerûn.
Shadovar
The City of Shade returned to Faerûn abruptly in 1372 DR, appearing in the sky over the Dire Wood and then proceeding directly to the Anauroch, where it has remained since except for brief forays into the neighboring lands. Basing their home high over the Shoal of Thirst, the Shadovars lost no time in establishing the Empire of Shadows. They have made it clear that they consider the entire expanse of the great desert to be their rightful territory, and the disappearance of several Zhentarim caravans from the southern portion of the wasteland is considered testimony to the Shadovar claim.
Thus far, the new masters of the Anauroch have not deigned to take action against the Bedine, the nomadic peoples who inhabit the desert, considering them beneath notice. Their attitudes toward races and cultures beyond Anauroch have ranged from aloof to curious, and from disdainful to aggressive.
The Shining Lands
Population: 82% humans, 7% halflings, 4% half-elves, 3% dwarves, 2% gnomes, 2% half-orcs
Religions: The Adama (Zionel (Gond), Curna (Oghma), Lucha (Selune)), Torm, Waukeen
Exports: Field glass, grain, gems, coffee, fish, fruit and vegetables
Durpar, Estagund, and Var the Golden, the three trading nations collectively known as the Shining Lands, sprawl around the large bay known as the Golden Water, just off the Great Sea. These balmy countries soak up the warmth of the southern sun at what most folk consider to be the extreme southeastern end of Faerûn.
Many assume that the Shining Lands mark the end of the civilized world, since all that lies beyond the bay is the Utter East - a collection of lands known to most of Faerûn only through legends too fantastic to be believed. Some claim that the Shining Lands have taken on many of the strange characteristics of their more bizarre eastern neighbors and as such are hardly recognizable as part of Faerûn at all.
Though Durpar, Estagund, and Var the Golden differ in their forms of government and internal operations, all three champion trade as a way of life. Merchant consortiums known as chakas provide products and services, and their leaders, known as nawabs, hold both political and economic power. All three nations also embrace the Adama, a combination of a religious belief and a code of conduct that guides citizens in their daily lives.
The Silver Marches
Capital: Silverymoon
Population: 1,090,800 (humans 40%, dwarves 20%, elves 20%, half-elves 10%, halflings 5%, gnomes 2%, half-orcs 2%)
Government: Confederation of lords headed by Alustriel of Silverymoon
Religions: Corellon Larethian, Helm, Lathander, Mielikki, Moradin, Mystra, Oghma, Selûne, Sune, Tymora
Import: Armor, books, manufactured goods, pottery, spices, wine
Export: Dwarven and elven craftwork, furs, heroes, precious metals
Alignment: Usually LG, NG,or CG
Silverymoon is the Gem of the North, a city built as a center of learning and a symbol of the greatness that once shone out of the elven capital of Myth Drannor. In 1369 DR, the ruler of Silverymoon, High Lady Alustriel reached out to the rulers of other human, elven, and dwarven strongholds north of the High Forest, west of the Evermoors, and south of the great mountains.
After much debate, the diverse dwarfholds, human and half-elven settlements, and human cities decided to ally in a mutual defense pact headed by Alustriel, who stepped down as ruler of Silverymoon in order to oversee the new confederacy of the Silver Marches.
The present member settlements of the Silver Marches include Citadel Adbar, Citadel Felbarr, Deadsnows, Everlund, Jalanthar, Mithral Hall, Quaervarr, Silverymoon, and Sundabar.
Silverymoon
The city of Silverymoon is a beautiful place of ancient trees and soaring towers, with curving lines in its stonework and garden plantings adorning every nook and balcony. Aerial steeds carry riders on high, magic and learning is revered, music and laughter are heard often in the streets, and the city contains fascinating shops brim-full of maps, books, minor magic items, and beautiful things.
Even more so than Waterdeep, Silverymoon is built on the spirit of cooperation between the races. Humans, elves, and dwarves all maintain dwellings in the same areas of the city instead of dividing into separate wards. A human home might be built around the base of a tree, with elves using the tree above as part of the walkway to their central tree home, and dwarves caverns beneath the surface.
Silverymoon is considered the foremost center of learning and culture in the North. It is noted for its musicians, its cobblers, its sculptors, and its stonemasons - as well as the mages, who are gathered here in greater numbers than in any other city of the Sword Coast lands except Waterdeep. Their might alone keeps the Arcane Brotherhood of Luskan and other evils of the North at bay - were these mages to vanish tomorrow, the civilized North might well be swept away in blood and ruin.
Silverymoon boasts a conservatory of music, a great library, parks, castle-like residences of many noble folk, and temples and shrines to such deities as Helm, Lathander, Mielikki, Milil, Mystra, Oghma, Selûne, Silvanus, Sune, Tymora, and the dwarven and elven deities. Perhaps the most famous structure is the University of Silverymoon; a school of magic composed of several formerly separate colleges.
The city's army, the Knights in Silver, numbers over five hundred and patrols the city constantly. Harper scouts and mages assist them, and when they must turn back orc hordes, awesome mage-might gathers to fight with them, Silverymoon is also protected by a number of wards that detect the presence of evil beings and the use of magic in certain areas.
The Smoking Mountains
The Smoking Mountains are a range of volcanic mountains located to the southwest of Unther. The gold dwarves of the Great Rift have established strongholds, foundries, and smelters near both the volcanic fires of the mountains and the Black Ash Plain of Unther to the mountain's south.
Snow Eagle Aerie
The last redoubt of the avariels today is known as the Aerie of the Snow Eagles, a crystal citadel hidden atop one of the most remote peaks in the Icerim Mountains of distant Sossal. The exact location of the Aerie of the Snow Eagles is one of the avariels' most closely guarded secrets.
The aerie itself resembles a tremendous castle or tower of glass, built on a sheared-off mountaintop. A flight of avariel nomads discovered it abandoned ages ago. The avariels believe that the original mountaintop was taken by a Netherese archmage who wished to use it to build a floating city. The present-day aerie is a wonder to behold. The walls of the glass aerie are magically hardened to the strength of steel. Inside, the Aerie of the Snow Eagles supports a tropical climate, complete with jungles of plants and trees long extinct elsewhere in Faerûn.
Sossal
Capital: Naupau
Population: Human
Goverment: Monarchy
Religions: Auril (benign aspect)
Imports: Fine wooden furniture, furs, gold, seal meat
Exports: Dwarven weapons, silver, meats
This remote realm far to the north of Narfell has little contact with the rest of Faerûn. Once or twice a year (generally in the summer), visitors from Sossal arrive in Damara, bringing furs, seal meat from the Great Glacier, beautiful items of shaped wood, and, gold. They leave with dwarven weapons, silver, and various kinds of meat to trade with the people of the glacier.
Some Sossrim have natural powers akin to druidic magic and can bend plants to their will, pass through growth impenetrable to others, or even transport themselves from one tree to another. In fact; the ornate and smoothly shaped Sossar furniture sold so steeply in Sembia is not carved at all, but sculpted by the minds of Sossrim "carvers."
Outsiders who visited Sossal were confined to the walls of the port capital.
The Spine of the World
To Faerûnians, the Spine of the World is simply an endless, nigh impassable wall of tall, frozen mountains that marks the end of the world. Beyond it lies the Endless Ice Sea, a howling, frigid waste where nothing can live, which eventually stretches through deadly white mists to divine realms. Citizens of Scornubel refer to this mountain range simply as the Wall. The propensity of the monstrous inhabitants of these peaks to raid the lands below keeps the conifer-cloaked, stag-roamed rolling foothills of the Wall relatively uninhabited, though fierce and hostile barbarian human tribes wander here.
The Sword Coast
Capital: None
Population: 660,960 (humans 65%, dwarves 10%, orcs 5%, half orcs 5%, elves 4%, halflings 4%, gnomes 2%, half-elves 1%)
Government: Diverse city-states
Religions: Nearly all
Imports: Books, manufactured items, magic items, miners, pottery, spices
Exports: Gems, leather goods, mercenaries, Neverwinter's crafts, precious metals, timber
A region of coastal mountains, forests, and cities of smoke-wreathed ironworks, the Sword Coast is dominated by Waterdeep at its southernmost end. The City of Splendors is detailed separately in the Waterdeep entry, below.) The Lords' Alliance, a loose league of like-minded rulers led by Waterdeep, allies the good cities and small settlements of the Dessarin valley in this region. The Arcane Brotherhood of Luskan and the insidious Kraken Society oppose their efforts, seeking to rule this region by spell, sword, and trade.
Tashalar
Capitol: Tashluta
Population: 889,920 (humans 94% [Tashalans 83%, Calishites 12%, Chultans 3%, Shaarans 1%], lizardfolk 4%, yuan-ti 1%)
Government: Merchant oligarchy
Religions: Amphisbaena the World Serpent (Sseth [now Set]), Chauntea, Malar, Savras, Talona, Waukeen
Imports: Beef, calantra, fruit, silver, slaves
Exports: Calantra wood carvings, cheese, crossbows, died fabric, glass, olive oil, olives, seafood, ships, spices, wine
Alignment: Usually CN, TN, or NE
Although many use the term "the Tashalar" to broadly refer to the Tashtan Coast, which stretches from Narubel to Sheirtalar, in truth it refers only to the Tashalar Basin, which is encircled by the peaks of the Hazur Mountains.
The Tashalar is a verdant coastal area full of bountiful vineyards, gardens, and groves of olive trees. Tashalaran harvests are shipped north to ports in Calimshan and along the Lake of Steam, and from there to the rest of Faerûn. Tashalaran grapes are so perfect that even the worst vineyard of the region produces wines worth 100 gp or more in Waterdeep.
Tethyr
Capital: Darromar
Population: 3,771,360 (humans 76%, halflings 20%, elves 3%)
Government: Feudal monarchy (free commoners)
Religions: Helm, Ilmater, Siamorph, Torm, Tyr
Imports: Magic items, mercenaries, spices, weapons
Exports: Ambergris, carpets, cheese, cloth, fish, fruit, livestock, nuts, pearls, pipeweed, rugs, silk, tea, vegetables, wine, whale oil
Alignment: Usually CG, TN, or LG
Tethyr recently emerged from a decades-long civil war with two new monarchs. The strong rule of Queen-Monarch Zaranda Star Rhindaun and King Haedrak III (who for years served as scribe in Shadowdale to the great wizard Elminster under the name Lhaeo) is beginning to restore hope to a cynical suspicious, wartorn land.
Tethyr is now growing, establishing ties with hesitant neighbors, and driving monsters from its lands. Its political situation still involves much intrigue, and the people distrust organizations that admit to meddling in others' affairs (such as the Harpers). The forest elves remain wary of the new rulers, for the last three kings sought to tame the great forest with axe, fire, and sword. The pirates living in the Nelanther isles to the west plague the kingdom's maritime commerce, including trade with far-off Maztica.
Thay
Capital: Eltabbar
Population: 4,924,800 (humans 62%, gnolls 10%, orcs 10%, dwarves 8%, goblins 5%, halflings 4%
Government: Magocracy
Religions: Bane, Gargauth, Kelemvor, Kossuth, Loviatar, Malar, Shar, Talona, Umberlee
Imports: Iron, magic items, monsters, slaves, spells
Exports: Artwork, fruit, grains, jewelry, magic items, sculpture, timber
Alignment: Usually LE, NE, or TN
Thay is a nation ruled by cruel wizards who rely on slavery to provide them with the wealth and luxury they need to support their magical research and dreams of conquest. The land is ruled by eight zulkirs, the most powerful wizards of the land. The zulkirs in turn choose the land's tharchions, civil governors who manage the mundane affairs of the realm and serve at the pleasure of the Red Wizards.
The power of the Red Wizards extends far beyond Thay's borders. Red Wizard enclaves exist in dozens of major cities through- out the Inner Sea lands, exchanging magic items for the goods, riches, and - in some cases - slaves of a dozen lands. The Thayans are widely disliked and distrusted, but their growing stranglehold on the trade in magic devices makes them virtually indispensable to many of their clients.
The zulkirs back in the homeland grow rich beyond belief with the spread of their sinister trade. They constantly scheme and plot against their neighbors. Thayan armies have marched on Aglarond and Rashemen many times, and folk think it is only a matter of time before the Thayans revert to their old habits of taking what they want through force of arms and deadly spells.
Thesk
Capital: None
Population: 855,360 (humans 85%, gnomes 8%, orcs 6%)
Government: Oligarchy
Religions: Chauntea, Mask, Shaundakul, Waukeen
Imports: Gold, horses, trade goods
Exports: Food, gnome goods, iron, Kara-Turan goods
Alignment: Usually TN, NG, or CG
Thesk is a land of shrewd but friendly merchants and able farmers. The trade route that leads to the far land of Kara-Tur allows the Theskians to see all kinds of people and interact with many cultures, making Thesk one of the more tolerant nations in Faerûn. After being decimated by the Tuigan horde, the people of Thesk are rebuilding their cities and towns, and they have even made a home for the orc army left behind by the Zhentarim.
The Theskians familiarity with quality and obscure goods makes them skilled at appraising items. Arcane magic in this land is rare; that fact, along with the influence of the Shadowmasters, a thieves' guild backed by the church of Mask, makes Thesk more than just another realm of traders.
Thindol
Capitol: Thindar
Population: 1,263,413 (humans 87% [Chultans 55%, Tashalans 45%], gold dwarves 7%, kuo-toa 3%, lizardfolk 2%, yuan-ti 1%)
Government: Council of Cities
Religions: Dwarven pantheon (gold dwarves), Savras, Squamata the Black (Sseth [now Set]), Talona, Ubtao, Umberlee
Imports: Grains, wine, wood.
Exports: Gold, iron, seafood, tropical fruits and vegetables, weapons.
Alignment: Usually LG, LN, TN, NE, or CE
The Realm of Running Waters encompasses the entire Thindol Basin. Its lands are encircled by the Hazur Mountains to the east and north, the Tching Mountains to the northwest, and the Sanrach Mountains to the west. At the heart of Thindol lies the Thingulph, a large sheltered gulf that is fed by six major rivers and opens onto the Great Sea. The flatlands of Thindol are covered by tall grass and scattered orchards, and the Hazur Mountains contain productive veins of gold and iron sufficient to meet the local need.
Turmish
Capital: Alaghôn
Population: 1,693,440 (humans 78%, dwarves 9%, halflings 7%, elves 3%, gnomes 2%, half-elves 1%, half-orcs 1%)
Government: Republic
Religions: Chauntea, Eldath, Helm, Lliira, Loviatar, Nobanion, Silvanus, Selûne, Tempus, Tyr
Imports: Luxury goods, metal
Exports: Glass, grain, lumber, mercenaries, salt
Alignment: Usually TN, LN, or LG
Turmish lies in the northwest of the Vilhon Reach. It is a rich, fertile, farming land of villages and few cities - peaceful, civilized, and well managed. Turmish features rolling fields divided by hedges or dense rows of trees, with ample room for wild creatures. The mountains to the west harbor orcs, kobolds, and other monsters, but few raid Turmish thanks to well-organized mercenary bands that serve as local militias.
Turmish's natives have an excellent reputation as fair traders, welcome throughout the Inner Sea. The area is remarkably popular with adventurers despite its lack of monsters. Buried treasure abounds (at least according to bards' tales), and the area offers plenty of ruins and wild lands to explore.
Unther
Capital: Messemprar (formerly Unthalass)
Population: 4,263,840 (humans 94%, dwarves 3%, halflings 2%)
Government: Magocracy (formerly direct theocracy)
Religions: Bane, the Mulhorandi pantheon, Mystra, Tempus (mainly by Chessentan mercenaries), Tiamat
Imports: Food, mercenaries, slaves, weapons
Exports: Ceramics, cloth, gold, iron, minerals, sculpture, seed oil
Alignment: Usually CN, CE, or TN
Once, a great empire like its sister nation Mulhorand, Unther fell far under the rule of the cruel manifestation of the deity Gilgeam. With Gilgeam's death at the claws of Tiamat, Unther was plunged into chaos. Slaves rebelled, commoners rejoiced at the death of the tyrant, and clerics of Gilgeam and nobles struggled to maintain order. The armies of Mulhorand took advantage of this unrest, invading southern Unther and placing conquered areas under martial law.
Now Unther is a country divided between those who cling to the old ways and those who hope the pharaoh of Mulhorand will treat them better than their old ruler did. Unther is a land of opportunity, where military force, diplomacy, subterfuge, and intrigue all play a part in survival and power.
Vaasa
Capital: None
Population: 145,440 (humans 60%, dwarves 30%, orcs 9%)
Government: None (formerly dictatorship)
Religions: Dwarven pantheon, orc pantheon
Imports: Food, weapons
Exports: Furs, gems
Alignment: Usually CE, LN, or TN
This untamed wasteland of frozen moors and tundra was the seat of power for the evil lich Zhengyi the Witch-King until his defeat by a band of adventurers. Vaasa is once again a lonely land dotted with scratch farms and inhabited by evil humanoids and other monsters. What the land lacks in hospitality it makes up for in untapped wealth, as the mountains of Vaasa are rich in metals and gems, particularly bloodstone. Miles of mountainside go unclaimed by any civilization, and many well-armed prospectors make the trip to Vaasa hoping to find gems as large as a grown man's fist - and survive long enough to sell them.
The Vast
Capital: None
Population: 1,308,960 (humans 78%, dwarves 9%, halflings 5%, elves 3%, gnomes 2%, half-elves 1%, half-orcs 1%)
Government: City-states and feudal holdings; most cities are ruled by councils of merchants and landowners
Religions: Chauntea, Clangeddin, Eldath, Mystra, Tempus, Torm, Tymora, Waukeen
Imports: Glass, luxury goods, salt
Exports: Copper, grain, iron, livestock, nickel, parchment, silver, textiles
Alignment: Usually LN, TN, or NG
The Vast is a verdant farming and hunting area on the eastern shore of the Dragon Reach, best known for its thriving ports: evil Calaunt, ever-changing Tantras, the adventurers' haven Ravens Bluff, and regimented Procampur. Orcs and dwarves vie for supremacy over the nearby mountains. Orc raids on the lowlands are rare, but troublesome enough to keep the human population concentrated along the coast. Intrigues between rival factions and a wealth of dwarven ruins beckon to adventurers.
Thanks to the Sea of Fallen Stars, the Vast enjoys a mild climate year round, with long, cool summers and short, mild winters. Most of the Vast is rolling farmland with fields divided by low walls made from rubble. Small wooded lots appear among the farms. Dozens of brooks and streams crisscross the land, but they seldom join the major rivers. Instead, they end in pools that drain into subterranean rivulets flowing toward the Inner Sea. The jigsaw water table owes its existence to broken and tilted layers of rock that lie under the deep soil of the vast. Small sinkholes, caves, and rifts are plentiful.
The Vilhon Reach
Capital: None
Population: 5,705,840 (humans 95%, dwarves 2%, elves 1%, lizard-folk 1%)
Government: Various kingdoms and independent city-states
Religions: Eldath, Helm, Lliira, Malar, Nobanion, Silvanus, Talos, Tempus, Tyr
Imports: Metal
Exports: Fish, horses, slaves, stone, wine
Alignments: Usually TN, LN, or LG
This region shares its name with the body of water called the Vilhon Reach, a long southern arm of the Sea of Fallen Stars. The region encompasses much of the southern shore of the Sea of Fallen Stars, from the mouth of the Reach west and north to the mouth of the Wet River, and south to the Golden Plains. It is a fertile, rich land divided up into quarreling city-states and petty nations. For all its unrest, the Vilhon remains vital to the whole of Faerûn: It forms the trade link between the Lake of Steam, the Shaar, and the rest of the world through its ports on the Sea of Fallen Stars.
With the subtropical and humid weather of the Vilhon Reach, winter temperatures rarely reach the freezing point, snowfalls are rare, and heavy winter rains are common. Spring arrives early, and summer comes hard on its heels with scorching temperatures and oppressive humidity. Autumn brings cooler weather and lower humidity, but an autumn day in the Vilhon can be as warm as high summer in more northerly regions.
The three important nations of the Reach are Chondath, Sespech, and Turmish. In addition, a large number of independent city-states and minor local authorities occupy the region.
Veldorn
Known as the Land of Monsters, Veldorn is bound together by the loose promise of all its monstrous inhabitants to defend one another if any of them are attacked. In times past, Durpari armies marching on one of the so called beast-chieftains have provoked a response by a dozen more, leading to bloody, pitched battles. The beast-chieftains prey on the caravans of the Trade Way and generally leave each other to their own devices, intervening only if some power threatens them all.
Waterdeep
Population: 1,347,840 (humans 64%, dwarves 10%, elves 10%, halflings 5%, half-elves 5%, gnomes 3%, half-orcs 2%) (City of Waterdeep, Metropolis, 132,661)
Government: Oligarchy (the Lords of Waterdeep, anonymous meritocratic rulers)
Religions: All, especially Deneir, Mystra, and Oghma
Imports: Grain, livestock, leather, ore, timber, and exotic goods from all lands
Exports: Ale, arms, cloth, furnishings, leather goods, pottery, refined metals, and all other sorts of finished goods
Waterdeep is the major cosmopolitan power of Faerûn. It benefits from an excellent harbor, wise rule, a tolerant spirit, and a powerful magical tradition that generally produces stronger good wizards than evil wizards. Waterdeep contains at least one of nearly everything, but it's not a melting pot - instead, it's like a gem grinder, smoothing individuals' rough edges so that their talents shine brighter.
The city's nickname, the City of Splendors, is never said sarcastically. People know that Waterdeep is a marvel and that life is better, or at least more bizarre, there. If Waterdhavians have one notable fault, it's a tendency to think that there is nothing new under the sun, and they treat the entire sum of human and nonhuman experience as their potential cultural heritage. This fault is not always a bad thing.
The Wealdath
Home of the two surviving local tribes of elves, the Suldusk and the Elmanesse, the Wealdath forest also contains fey creatures that vigorously defend it against encroachers. Gnolls, lycanthropes, giant spiders, wyverns, and dragons (two greens, a brown and a gold) pose occasional dangers, although they have learned to avoid the elves. Portals leading to the plane of the lythari (elven shapechangers) exist in the forest, although only the lythari know how to open them.
The Wizard's Reach
Along the southern shores of the Aglarondan peninsula lie the cities of the Wizards' Reach. Between the Sea of Fallen Stars and the Yuirwood stretches a broad, sunny plain more than 300 miles long and up to eighty miles wide. Unlike the northern coastal plain, the Wizards' Reach is low, marked by extensive tidal marshes and barrier islands, which makes east-west travel difficult.
The Wizards' Reach is not part of the kingdom of Aglarond and never has been. It is so named for the powerful magical empires that dominated this stretch of water for thousands of years. Its cities were founded by the people of ancient Unther (and Chessenta, which was subjugated by Unther at the time), and over, the last ten centuries they have been Untheric colonies, independent, a loose league of their own, Chessentan conquests, independent again, and finally Thayan conquests, which is the current situation.
In practice, the Red Wizards hold Escalant in strength, Laothkund loosely, and Delthuntle not at all.
The Wizards' Reach has always been wilder and less settled than the lands to the north. It has been nearly three centuries since any single power grasped these cities in one hand, so communications and settlement in the lands between are haphazard. Monsters shelter in the southern eaves of the Yuirwood, roaming the wilder places of the coastal plains, and the marshes are home to dangerous lizardfolk and sivs. Most travel and trade between cities is by sea - ruined settlements and forgotten towers are common along the abandoned coastal roads.
The Western Heartlands
Capital: None
Population: 1,641,600 (humans 78%, elves 7%, half-elves 4%, halflings 4%, half-orcs 3%, gnomes 2%, dwarves 1%)
Government: City-states, each with a different government
Religions: All
Imports: Ale, fish, herbs, iron, rugs
Exports: Gold, pottery, silver, wool
The Western Heartlands cover a vast area between the Storm Horns of Cormyr and the Sword Coast south of Waterdeep, from the Lizard Marsh in the northwest to the Lonely Moor on the fringes of Anauroch in the northeast, down to Beregost and Green Fields in the southwest and Easting on the border of the Dragon Coast in the southeast.
To the caravan drivers of Amn and Sembia, the Western Heartlands are known as "miles and miles of miles and miles" - windswept, grassy flats skirting impassable bogs, badlands, rolling hills, high moors, and lonely forests, all of which are filled with monsters. The farmers, frontier folk, walled-city dwellers, and other hardy souls who live here are strong and independent enough to carve successful lives out on the frontier where skill and intelligence count for more than one's bloodline. The Western Heartlands are home to dozens of separate walled cities, racial enclaves, farm towns, monasteries, fortified strongholds, and armed domains.
The Western Heartlands welcome ambitious adventurers. A dozen crumbled empires have sought to conquer or dominate the region, leaving behind fortifications built upon by waves of subsequent would-be monarchs. Others left behind treasure troves, high and perilous magic, or both. Unlike the densely packed regions in the Heartlands and the North, the Western Heartlands require long stretches of overland travel between destinations - but at least no one freezes en route.
The Yuirwood
The Yuirwood is named for the Yuir, the ancient star elves and green elves who once made this part of the world their home. Once this vast, green forest covered almost the entire peninsula, but today Aglarond's largest cities and most of its people are scattered along its rocky northern coast. In six centuries of human settlement, its northern edges have receded up to fifty miles from the coast at some points, but the tenacious forest seems to be making a comeback.
The Yuirwood is a temperate deciduous forest, with milder winters than typical of a land at this latitude. In the spring and summer, it is a sweltering tangle of brush and dense thickets, virtually impassable to anyone who doesn't know its ways. A low but rugged spine of forest-covered hills runs the length of the peninsula, and from these well-watered highlands innumerable streams descend to the coastal lands, although few are large enough to be termed rivers.
Game is plentiful but wary, as dangerous beasts and monstrous predators hunt through the green gloom. Few truly malevolent creatures haunt the forest, but foul-tempered beasts such as boars or monstrous spiders are every bit as dangerous to the unwary traveler.
Strange enchantments and old, strong magic are thick in the Yuirwood. The ancient star elves were masters of powerful magic, and they left behind two legacies that continue to be useful. First, the Yuirwood is impenetrable to detection and scrying magic. Attempts to pierce the Yuirwood's leafy canopy reveal the wood, but that's it. They cannot reveal any specific location, nor can they magically locate or track anyone under its boughs. The subject is not shielded in any way - it just seems not to be there, or anywhere else, at all.
The Yuirwood is littered with ruins, remnants of the great elven society that once called this land home.