Faerun

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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The Galena Mountains

Flanked by Impiltur, Damara, and the Vast, the Galena Mountains (and nearby Earthspur Mountains) are home to numerous shield dwarf delvings.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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...

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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.