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Aglarond is an autocratic kingdom on the continent of Faerûn in the southwesternmost part of the Unapproachable East, with the capital of Velprintalar. It is a peninsula bordered on the west by the Sea of Fallen Stars and Altumbel and on the East by Thay. Most of its land is covered by the Yuirwood. Filled with magic and mystery, it is ruled by one of the most potent spellcasters of the Realms, the Simbul, who also has an affair with the immensely powerful archmage Elminster. On the north are the Dragonjaw Mountains. It is mostly humans who make up the nearly 1,300,000 inhabitants, though one third are half-elves and a fair number elves. This area is rumored to have once been the elven realm of Yuireshanyaar, home to the all but forgotten race of Star Elves.
Aglarond is constantly fending off attacks from Thay.
Altumbel is a "sub-peninsula"; that is, a peninsula's peninsula, which is located at the western end of the peninsula of Aglarond. Its capital is Spandeliyon, and the inhabitants distrust non-humans, especially elves. It has the reputation of being backward.
The economy is mostly fishing, but piracy is exceptionally high here and may be counted as part of the economy.
Amn is a place where everything is geared towards the acquisition of money, and the conspicuous consumption of the rich is evident everywhere. Conversations are filled with references to money, whether or not the current topic has any connection with financial transactions.[1] The country was once divided, with its cities banding together only for mutual defense, while the rest of the time they struggled with each other over trade routes. During one trade war, the Council of Six, with a mysterious membership comprising some of Amn's most powerful trade houses, emerged as leaders of a united country. With the council promoting free enterprise, the making of money takes precedence over everything else, and anyone who can make money is well respected.[1] Adventuring groups and magic-users are actively discouraged from plying their trades, unless they are properly licensed with the government.[1]
It is a tremendously wealthy nation, holding colonies in far away Maztica and controlling important trade routes to Calimshan and Baldur's Gate. It attracts adventurers from many lands, even from outside Faerûn. Amn's capital is Athkatla, which was founded in 100 DR, which is year 0 in Amnreckoning (little used except in official documents). Major towns include Crimmor (pop 35,491), a walled trade hub; Eshpurta (pop 105,000), the main military city; Keczulla (pop 47,733), a gem mining town; and Purskul (pop 27,210), a granary city. The city of Murann (pop 43,773) has fallen into the hands of two Ogre mages and their forces, capturing many of the treasure ships in harbour.
Spellhold is an asylum located on the island of Brynnlaw, off the western coast of Amn, under the command of the Cowled Wizards of Athkatla, used to house the 'deviants' they have found in Amn, practicing magic without an official license.
The Calim desert covers a sizable area of Calimshan, and dominates much of Calimshan's life and outlook as a result. The lands bordering it are only slightly more fertile. In Calimshan, wealth is of the utmost importance, which is sought after so that the seeker can lead a life of leisure. While few attain this goal, most Calimshanites aspire towards it. Gadgets and magical items are commonly found in Calimshan, where they are widely used as labor-saving devices. Magic-users are held in high esteem, being the providers of the much-sought-after magical devices. Calimshan is ruled by the Pasha in Calimport, although each city governs itself in practice, with the Pasha being unable to carry out any major actions without the permission of at least some of the cities' viziers. The magic-users of Calimshan have accidentally or intentionally summoned and released a substantial number of other-planar beings; after a good time running amok through their summoners’ homes and villages, those planar beings who are unable to undertake the return trip home on their own gravitate toward the Calim Desert, which they find greatly to their liking.[1]
Successor of Coramshan, Calimshan's capital is the sprawling port-city of Calimport, home of the assassin Artemis Entreri, known for his longstanding feud with Drizzt Do'Urden in a number of novels by R.A. Salvatore. Other major cities includes Memnon and the coastal city of Schamedar.
Calimshan covers the southern corner of Faerûn, including the Calim Desert and the Spider Swamp.
This is a powerful empire; trading rivals with Waterdeep; ruled by emperor; has many powerful and wealthy "nobles" called pashas.
Jim Bambra notes that "Calimshan is a good place for magical research".[1]
Chessenta is a country of individual city-states. Apart from the most affluent city of Cimbar, an important town is Luthcheq. Its approximately 3,400,000 inhabitants are mostly humans, with halfling, dwarven, half-orc, and lizardfolk enclaves.
Chondath is a country with a long history, located in the Vilhon Reach on the continent of Faerûn. It is located on what once was the psiocracy of Jhaamdath.
It is a confederation of city-states under the capital of Arrabar, but used to be a powerful nation in times long past. It has an estimated 2,000,000 inhabitants, most of whom are humans, but with elven and dwarven minorities.
Waukeen, the goddess of trade, is highly worshipped here. Other important gods are Helm, god of guardians; Lliira, goddess of joy; Malar, god of the hunt; Talos, god of storms; and Tempus, god of war. It is more or less of a plutocracy.
Reth is one of the five free cities which form the city-state of Chondath.
Trenton Webb, in his review of the book The Vilhon Reach for British RPG magazine Arcane, described the nation: "In a Soviet fashion, Chondath is a belittled ex-empire humbled by its own experiments with magic of mass destruction and expansionist greed. Now the satellite states that were once united by their fear of Chondath are nervously vying for prominence during its decline."[2]
Damara is a sparsely populated northern kingdom of Faerûn. Its estimated 1,300,000 inhabitants, of human, dwarven, halfling and half-orc blood, are ruled by King Gareth Dragonsbane. The main city of Damara is Heliogabalus, to the west of which lies Bloodstone Village on the border of Damara and Vaasa. While King Gareth and his court reside in Bloodstone Village, most inhabitants of Damara live in Heliogabalus.
Dambrath
Dambrath is a land at the very south of the Shining South on the continent of Faerûn. The majority of the population are human peasants, but the ruling class are half-drow. The half-drow call themselves the Crinti, and they maintain close ties and trade with their drow relatives in the Upper Underdark. Tasloi are commonly encountered in this region.
Durpar
Durpar is, together with Var the Golden and Estagund, a part of the Shining Lands. It is hardly in a good location, as it is surrounded by mountains and a sea for which it doesn't have guaranteed free access on North, East and South and by the even more dangerous Veldorn on the West. Like Var the Golden, Durpar follow the teachings of Satama, Toril's Siddharta Gautama (Bouddha) and has an Indian flavour.
Erlkazar
The land now known as Erlkazar was, until the last millennium, untamed wilderness. Karazir Tiiraklar of Tethyr, the consort of queen Vajra Korrunhel, and his brother Ellessor mustered an army and marched on this land. In 309 DR, Ellessor became the first duke of Elestam. When Shoonach fell, the lands reverted into wilderness. King Strohm II, after defeating Tathtar's invading army, claimed Elestam as part of Tethyr in 731 DR.
Nothing much of note occurred in the duchy until the time of the persecutions of the elves which left duke Valon Morkann torn. He supported the elves but was loyal to the crown. In the end, his loyalty won out and he kept the disputed trade routes open. Loyalty would play an important role during the Interregnum as well. During the Ten Black Days of Eleint in 1347 DR the political situation forced Morkann to accept the treacherous nobles in the realm who were allied to the tyrannical Duke of Dusk, even after four separate attempts on his life sponsored by them were foiled only by Morkann's friends in Elestam's Crusaders. Though his people were loyal to Morkann, they despised the other nobles, a fact which Morkann hadn't grasped until they rose up in rebellion against them. All of these traitors fled the duchy rather than face arrest by the duke or murder at the hands of the peasants.
Over the next year, Morkann fortified the duchy's borders and built up his armed forces until his people petitioned him to declare himself king over the region. He accepted and officially seceded from Tethyr, choosing to rename the land Erlkazar and rule directly, rather than through barons and counts. Erlkazar survived the Interregnum unscathed, though they were plagued with vampires and dragons throughout. The realm survived through Elestam's Crusaders and the Emerald Brotherhood until the Brotherhood was abducted by spacefaring illithid in 1359 DR (though the people were not informed of this; to them, the brotherhood's disappearance is a mystery to this day). 1358 DR saw an attack from the goblin hordes of King Ertyk Uhl down from the High and Kuldin Peaks that lasted nearly the entire year. For over three months, the goblins laid siege to the city of Duhlnarim until Elestam's Crusaders forged an alliance with the Shieldbreaker Ogres. The war turned and the goblins were cut down to a third of their number (according to reports, the horde had regained its strength by 1367 DR but didn't attack Erlkazar like that again).
In 1366 DR, King Morkann died, appointing his son Korox, the leader of Elestam's Crusaders, to succeed him. Korox appointed the other four Crusaders as his barons, who ruled justly over Erlkazar for the rest of their reigns. Out of the way and well fortified, Erlkazar still maintained good trade arrangements with many other countries, though their trade routes became infested with bandits over the years.
Saestra Karanok of Luthcheq, who was driven from her home when it was discovered that she was a vampire, traveled to Erlkazar and converted the massed bandits into her own personal army, who suddenly ceased their raids on the traders. She seduced the king at the time and turned him into a vampire after gaining the cooperation of the four barons with threats and manipulation. During the day, Erlkazar is a peaceful, sleepy land of farmers and hillfolk, much as it has been for decades, but at night, Saestra's bandit army emerges from the deep cavern she found beneath Ahlarkhem. They raid all of the countries that border Erlkazar, most often at midnight, provoking angry nobles to bring invading armies across the border, only for them to leave again when they find absolutely nothing but pastoral villages.
Evermeet was the subject of a second edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook called Elves of Evermeet, by Anthony Pryor (1994).[3]
Evermeet is also the setting of the novel Evermeet: Island of Elves, also by Elaine Cunningham.[4]
Description
Evermeet is ruled over by Queen Amlaruil Moonflower, who rules from its capital city of Leuthilspar, and is home to many prominent elven houses, including the Durothils. Many have tried to invade it over the years, including the Red Wizards, the Zhentarim, the drow of Faerûn, and various pirates of the Sword Coast and the Trackless Sea.
None of these attempts came close to bringing the island, with its many defenses including Spelljamming ships and dragons, down. When many of these forces allied under the leadership of the drow goddess Lolth, the god Malar, and the traitorous gold elf Kymil Nimesin in 1371 DR, however, much of the island was laid to waste[citation needed]. However, the island kingdom was not conquered.
In 1374 DR the Island Kingdom was assaulted yet again: Daemonfey, demonic elves who were imprisoned as a means of punishment for consorting with demons, raided Tower Reilloch, a tower of mages on Evermeet. They were after a piece of a legendary artifact that, when made whole, had the power to release the imprisoned army of the Daemonfey. While doing so they planted a loregem containing information that no Daemonfey could access, in order to trick the elves into unlocking it and handing them the information.
Evermeet unofficially sent an army to Faerun under the command of Lord Seiveril Miritar, a priest of Corellon Larethian, to assist the elves of Evereska and the High Forest in their fight against the Daemonfey. After successfully repelling the daemonfey in Evereska, Seiveril's army pursued their foe to Cormanthyr.
Following the Spellplague in 1385 DR, Evermeet changed dramatically. Most of Evermeet's population was transported to the Feywild's version of the isle, leaving the original island deserted yet pristine. Numerous fey crossings facilitated transportation between the prime and fey isles, but the increased isolation made the eladrin (as most sun and many moon elves took to calling themselves) even warier of visitors, and more and more of the mainland elven peoples chose to remain amongst the other races in Faerun proper. Queen Amlaruil disappeared at some point following the Spellplague, and Leuthilspar was governed by a council of the prominent houses. A sect of warlocks dedicated to preserving the isle as a refuge for elves and eladrin also emerged. By 1479 DR, Evermeet had all but passed into legend, visited only by adventurers seeking power or knowledge.
Estagund
Estagund is, alongside Durpar and Var the Golden, a part of the Shining Lands. It is modeled after an Indian culture mindset. As all Shining Lands, it is largely centered toward trading.
Halruaa is a land of wizards on the continent of Faerûn. The fabled, quiet and wealthy magocracy of Halruua is justly depicted as a land of wonders. Created by archwizards foreseeing the fall of Netheril, this land combines the peace and harmony of Cormyr with the magic powers of Thay (Like Thayans, they practice circle magic and two thirds of Halruaans have magical powers of some sort).
Well protected by mountain ranges on three sides acting as natural fortifications (Nathaghal-North Wall, Muaraghal-East Wall, and Lhairghal-West Wall) and the Great Sea along the south and led by a score of diviners, Halruaans live in a perfect haven. They don't really want to leave their place except for adventuring and why would they? Nowhere else in Faerûn would they find a better place than home.
The nation is divided into sections by three rivers that meet at Lake Halruaa in the center. Along its northern shores lies the small capital city of Halarahh, with around 8000 inhabitants.
Halruaa is not safe from harm, though. They are constantly under the threat of the Crinti marauders from Dambrath and next to them (although separated by a mountain range) lies Rethild, the Great (and cursed) Swamp.
Imaskar
Imaskar was the first overpowering human empire, predating even Netheril. It was responsible for the creation of the oldest empires still in existence, the ancient empires of Mulhorand, Unther and Chessenta. They were the first astronomers and the first to give names to the planets. Their artificer-kings held tremendous power and respect, leading forays into other planes to bring back otherworldly slaves for use in building the cities of Imaskar (one such plane was Earth's). Later, Southern elves and the Shou (at least, people from Kara-Tur) helped them to improve their knowledge and expand their power, further strengthening the empire.
The empire was destroyed in -2488 DR by a cataclysmic uprising among their Mulan and Untheric slaves assisted by the incarnate gods of the slaves themselves. By this time it is suggested that the slaves in Imaskar numbered in the tens of millions. The war that followed was brief but catastrophic, and the destructive battles between the Imaskari artificer-kings and the slave's vengeful gods destroyed most of the empire, whilst the freed slaves looted and burned the once proud cities. The event led to the creation of the Raurin Desert.
Everyone thought Imaskari to be long dead, but a group led by the wizard-lord Ilphemon actually survived the cataclysm by descending into the Underdark and creating a hidden city called Deep Imaskar. The city was constructed to be magically self-sufficient and was concealed by a great magical seal. In -634 DR a cabal of necromancers overthrew the descendants of Ilphemon, ending his line of hereditary kings, and in -511 DR the necromancers were themselves overthrown by a champion named Chaschara. She established a non-hereditary system of government by three officeholders that continued to the present day.
The Deep Imaskari dabbled with expanding their territory into the elemental planes, but an invasion from the elemental plane of Air in 799 DR led them to give that up and seal the portals there. For the next five hundred years the Imaskari chose to live in isolation, but recently they have decided to break the seal on their underground city and began sending adventurous individuals to explore the outside world. The location of Deep Imaskar remains a closely held secret, however, and is magically erased from the minds of the adventurers that leave it.[5][6]
Impiltur is a kingdom of 1,200,000 inhabitants, mainly humans, but also dwarves and halflings, which is ruled by Queen Sambryl from the capital of Lyrabar. Many Paladins are part of Impiltur's army, the most powerful commanders mounting a legion of Bronze Dragons to protect the realm.
Lantan
Lantan is a grouping of three remote islands north of Chult. It is populated primarily by humans and gnomes, and is thought by many to be the ancestral homeland of the gnomes. The largest and most heavily populated island is Lantan; the more mountainous southern island is Suj; and the third, almost uninhabited island, is Orlil. After Captain Cordell from Amn discovered Maztica, Lantaneses, being the westernmost extension of Faerûn (with the reclusive Evermeet and the enigmatic Nimbral), also claimed some lands.
Lantan is by far the most technologically advanced country on Faerûn, with only the technology of the eastern Shou Empire coming in a close second. After the Time of Troubles, Gond gave the gnomes of Lantan the secret of smokepowder, (Toril's black powder), and they are on the verge of inventing the printing press.[7] Other inventions said to exist in Lantan include the steam engine and rudimentary flying machines not unlike the zeppelin. They still are a minor power, because, due to the emphasis and reliance on magic on the Realms, technology is seldom used.
Luiren is the land of the halflings and is a theocracy ruled by Faran Ferromar, who oversees 840,000 inhabitants, made up almost entirely of halflings, with a small number of humans, elves, and half-elves. Its capital is Beluir.
The city of Delzimmer is north of Luiren, close to the Eastern Shaar.
Moonshae Isles
The Moonshae Isles are a group of islands in the Trackless Sea, in the west of Faerûn. They are modeled after Wales and Scotland. The islands form a roughly circular archipelago with the Sea of Moonshae in the centre. They lie roughly 400 miles (644km) west of the region of Amn and to the southwest of the Sword Coast. The Moonshaes are ruled by the High Queen Alicia Kendrick, who rules from the capital city of Caer Callidyrr on Alaron. But this title could be disputed since the rise in 1375 of Karador and the queen self-proclamation of the leShay High Lady Ordalf.
The isles were described in FR2, Moonshae published in 1987 by TSR, Inc.[8] The Moonshae Isles are the setting for Darkwalker on Moonshae and the Moonshae trilogy as a whole.[9] They have been the geographic location of multiple works of fiction and game adventure modules.
Islands
The Moonshae Isles are bordered by several other islands, including Ruathym, the Nelanther Isles, Mintarn, and The Whalebones. The islands that make up the Moonshae Isles are as follows:
Alaron
Gwynneth
Korinn Archipelago
Moray
Norheim
Norland
Oman's Isle
Snowdown
Societies
Two major human societies populate the isles of the Moonshaes. The original human inhabitants of the islands are the Ffolk. The later arrivals are the more Viking-like Northmen, who came from the lands north of Waterdeep.[9] The Ffolk are organized into a number of small kingdoms, loosely collected under the leadership of a High King. The High King is more of a figurehead than a true ruler, however.[9] The Ffolk are primarily an agricultural society, though they can fight savagely when called on to defend their homes. The Ffolk are of normal stature, with light to dark hair and eyes.
The Northmen scorn agriculture in favor of raiding and making war. They have wrested much of the northern Moonshaes from the hands of the Ffolk.[9] The remaining kingdoms of the Ffolk are the favored raiding targets of the northmen, but their adventures also carry them to the Sword Coast, and occasionally as far south as Calimshan. The Northmen are tall in height, with hair of light to dark blonde and blue eyes.
The race of elves living on the Moonshaes is the Llewyrr. Once the dominant race on the isles, the Llewyrr now claim only small and remote portions of Gwynneth and Alaron as theirs. The Llewyrr are very similar to High Elves.
Like that of the Llewyrr, the Shield Dwarves on the Moonshaes go back a long way. These stocky and war-like demihumans have also been driven into small holdings on the isles. More numerous than the Llewyrr, the dwarves love their privacy and vigorously defend their lands against any further human encroachment.
Of all the demihumans, halflings have adapted most easily to human domination of the Moonshaes. Halfling communities are located beside most major communities of the Ffolk; some halfling towns can be found near the strongholds of the Northmen. The halflings thrive on the trade with their human neighbors and welcome the security provided by nearby castles.
There are no known communities of gnomes on the Moonshaes, but many gnomes live among the halflings and humans.
Economies of the Moonshaes
While each Moonshae kingdom is relatively self-sufficient, a certain amount of trading nonetheless serves to supply goods that a particular nation does not produce. This trading occurs via overland transport between kingdoms on the same island, and overseas trading of goods between the various islands and the lands along the Sword Coast. Trading partners of the Moonshae kingdoms include Calimshan, Amn, Tethyr, and Waterdeep.
Conflicts
The Northmen are a violent, Viking-like society with little interest for or tolerance of the Ffolk's monarchical ways. This creates a continuous tension between the two human peoples, with Northmen raids on Ffolk farmsteads a common occurrence. The raids of the Northmen have gradually become oriented toward conquest, and the kingdoms of the Ffolk have succumbed one after the other to the enemy longships.
However, in recent years, the conflict between the Northmen and the Ffolk has slowed down due to the hard work of the High King Tristan Kendrick and later through his daughter, High Queen Alicia Kendrick. Through their queen's work for peaceful solutions to arguments between the Northmen and the Ffolk, the Moonshaes have enjoyed several decades of relative peace.
Magic-users are viewed with suspicion by both races, and clerics from elsewhere in the world attempt to spread their faiths in the face of druidic opposition.[9]
The firbolgs are the scourge of the remote areas of the Moonshaes. Huge, ugly, and mean, these giants are prone to attack anything that is not of their race. Fortunately for the other inhabitants of the isles, the firbolgs rarely leave their remote domains. This makes them primarily a threat to those who venture to explore these areas.
The firbolgs do, however, occasionally muster a large force and venture into civilized areas for raiding and plunder. These outings consist mainly of slaughter and destruction as the firbolgs are not much inclined to stealing or enslaving.
The Moonshaes are also home to marauding orcs, goblins, trolls, and other more dangerous monsters.[9]
Supernatural beings
The Earthmother is the most important supernatural entity in the Moonshae Isles. She gives life and vitality to the land, and her power is manifested in the Moonwells. The Moonwells are pools of water with the magical power to cure the wounds of those who strive to maintain the mystic balance, and are tended by druids who can use them to charge or restore magical items.[9]
The Earthmother's three immortal children serve her will: Leviathan, a huge whale; Kamerynnm, a majestic unicorn; and the Pack, a pack of dire wolves who roam the isles.[9] Kazgoroth the Beast seeks to disrupt the balance and bring corruption to the Isles, and is aided by its magically created Blood Warriors: undead soldiers who obey the commands of Kazgoroth.[9]
Mulhorand is a country located on the continent of Faerûn. Actually, Mulhorandi are Egyptians but, contrary to their Earth counterpart, their specific civilization never faded away and they are still building pyramids and being governed by pharaohs. They were brought to Toril by the evil Imaskar in order to help rebuild after a great plague swept through the nation. After countless praises, Lord Ao contacted Ptah who led a part of the Egyptian pantheon (actually, avatars of themselves) from Earth to Toril.[10]
Ironically, their traditional enemy is another tribe of Mulan (the name given to the ethnic group that both nationalities belong to) who had been captured by the Imaskari at the same time, the kingdom of Unther, whose people come from ancient Mesopotamia (and thus are of Babylonian or Sumerian origin).
Murghôm, inhabited by the Murghômi, is an eastern kingdom of Faerûn. It is theoretically a subject territory of Mulhorand. Its second largest city is Phannaskul and another major town is the heavily militarized Port Ghaast. It may be related to real-world Israel/Canaan, however certain details in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting sourcebook suggest that the area is likely inspired by Cossack culture. Like the Cossacks, the leaders of the Murghômi are called ataman, and the people are known for their skill with horses. Their position beside the Hordelands, which draws on the history of the Mongol Empire, also suggests the Cossacks, as does the organization of the Murghômi state as a series of “semiautonomous communities” that “gather into collective government only in times of war.” However, the Second-Edition sourcebook The Hordelands mentions a powerful "Bey of Murghôm," suggesting Turkish culture.
There is no mention of Beys in the Third-Edition materials. The Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting describes the Murghômi as speakers of Mulhorandi and believers in the Mulhorandi Pantheon, and describes Murghôm as a “daughter state.” The Player’s Guide to Faerûn adds that the Murghômi are ethnically Mulani, as are the Mulhorandi. The Third-Edition materials seem to suggest a mixture of Egyptian and Cossack culture that may not have a real-world equivalent.
Richard Baker, Forgotten Realms author and game designer, explained the Murghômi in a discussion on the Wizards Community, the official message board of Wizards of the Coast:
"They sort of remind me of the Turanians from Robert E. Howard's Hyborian Age."
"If you want a real-world parallel... well, Cossacks aren't bad. Maybe the relationship is something like this: Murghom is to Mulhorand as Cossack is to Russia (not Turkey). Mulhorand is the imperial state that keeps trying to exert more control over its free-spirited and wild frontiersmen. But the Earth history analogy really shouldn't be taken too far. It's a fantastic world, and there should be many things in Faerûn that don’t have easy Earth analogues."[citation needed]
Narfell
Narfell is a country in the eastern part of the fictional continent of Faerûn, in the Forgotten Realms setting of the Dungeons & Dragonsfantasyroleplaying game. Narfell lies in the Cold Lands region but was once the heart of a vast empire that stretched from the Giantspire Mountains to Lake Ashane and included the Great Dale, much of Thesk, part of the Plateau of Thay, what would become Impiltur, and other lands.
In its height of power, Narfell was ruled by evil priests. They maintained their power through horrid blood-pacts with demon lords, gaining the control of demonic armies. This once great civilization fell over 1,500 years ago in a terrific battle with its ancient enemy, Raumathar. In −970 DR, the Nentyarch of Tharos built his capital at Dun-Tharos and forged the artifact known as the Crown of Narfell. He then began to conquer the surrounding Nar kingdoms, bringing them under his rule. In −946 DR, the nentyarch's armies destroyed Shaundaular, the capital of Ashanath, and all of the Nar kingdoms were united into the new empire of Narfell. Circa −900 DR, both the Nar and Raumathari Empires rose to prominence. In −623 DR (the Year of Clipped Wings), Narfell attempted to invade both Mulhorand and Unther by sea, which failed. In −160 DR (the Year of the Stone Giant), Narfell and Raumathar began their decade-long war that involved the summoning of demon lords and an avatar of Kossuth. This final war resulted in the destruction of both empires. The empire's few survivors fled to Narfell's current borders, vowing to rebuild their mighty realm. That dream, however, has long since faded. Now, Narfell is a frigid land of barbarian tribes who have little or no knowledge whatsoever of their grand and sinister past, preoccupied as they are with simply surviving the region's harsh and bitter winters.
Trade is minimal, but merchants who do not wish to traverse the empire of Thesk sometimes pass through Narfell instead by way of the Long Road. The Long Road starts in Damara and enters Narfell through the pass in the Giantspire Mountains before intersecting with the Cold Road at N'Jast. From that point, the road continues on to Nathoud, which stands in the shadows of the Icerim Mountains in northern Rashemen. The Giant Gap, as the road is commonly called, is virtually impassable in the winter and is plagued by hobgoblins.[11][12]
Locations
Bildoobaris – the unofficial capital of Narfell, is little more than an open plain that rests in the towering shadow of Mount Nar. For one tenday every summer, this plain turns into a bustling city consisting of over 30,000 Nars. Also called Bildoobaris, this festival is the largest and most important holiday in all of Narfell; even the cruelest and most fierce Nar tribes come to drink, feast, and trade together.
Dun-Tharos – a ruined city in the heart of the Rawlinswood that was once the imperial capital of Narfell. Raumathari battle mages laid waste to the city, leaving only ruined buildings and rubble.
Fortress Narder – located at the far eastern edge of the Forest of Lethyr, Fortress Narder was a gathering point for Nar armies preparing to invade Raumathar in the days of the empire. A Raumathari spell reduced the fortress into a pile of rubble and broken stone. A foul sickness currently permeates the ruins of Fortress Narder. This sickness seeps from the dungeon and poisons the surrounding water, soil, and air.
Fortress of the Half-Demon – ruins lying within the borders of Rashemen in the North Country, near Lake Ashane. The keep is built of magical and mysterious stone, which is said to have prevented its destruction at the hands of the Raumvirans. The stone comprising the walls of the fortress is icy cold and gives off a harmless, glowing green vapor. The entrance to the keep is an enormous iron gate in the shape of a demonic face.
Mount Nar – a massive, snow-capped peak that lies in the lands of Narfell. It is even visible from the crossroads at N'Jast. The ancient kingdom of Jastaath, one of the small Nar kingdoms that existed before the rise of the Empire of Narfell, was ruled by powerful priest-kings who kept a fortress high atop the western slopes of Mount Nar.
Shaundaular – also known as the City of Weeping Ghosts, was once the capital of Ashanath, a minor Nar kingdom. The city's ruins lie along the shores of Lake Ashane in the Great Dale. Shaundaular was destroyed in −946 DR by the Nentyarch of Tharos when its leaders refused to join the new empire.
Val Murthag – a Nar fortress destroyed by Raumathari battle-magic during the final war between the two empires. Its ruins lie on the western edge of the Great Dale. Val Murthag was Narfell's unholy spiritual center of demon worship. All that remain of the surface structure are crumbling walls of stone, but in vaults deep below the surface reside trapped demons, undead, stolen Raumathari artifacts, and secrets regarding a ritual used to transform mortals into fiends.
Rashemen is a magocratic gynarchy, land of the famous Witches of Rashemen. Rashemen is an eastern realm of Faerûn. The 650,000 people of Rashemen are almost all humans. It is ruled from the capital of Immilmar, where the ruler called Iron Lord resides. However, the true power in Rashemen are the witches called hathran. In addition to the witches, Rashemen is also known for its berserker warriors and spirits which protect the land.
The home of raiders and pirates, Ruathym is a land of bold, proud humans and a seagoing breed of dwarves.[13]
Ruathym is a rocky, forbidding land, its coast riven with deep fjords and clear bays. The land itself has stands of magnificent pines that are protected from cutting by the authority of the First Axe, to prevent indiscriminate shipbuilding. The land is mostly civilized, with few wild creatures. Its greatest danger is the Northmen themselves, a lusty, violent people 'two steps up from barbarians,' in the words of one Waterdhavian mercenary recruiter.[13]
Ruathym is also the ancestral home of the Northmen who settled in the Moonshae Isles. The island is a regular combatant with the coastal city of Luskan. Ruathym is united under the iron grip of First Axe Aumark Lithyl, who consolidated four petty kingdoms on the island into a single unified nation during a war with Luskan in 1357 DR.[13]
“Fiercer than the Moonshaes — all cold and howling storms or chilling fogs over a land that's mostly peaks falling sharp into the sea. Ranches and farms, yes, and a few small forests, but mostly barren and hard, like the folk who dwell there. War raiders who'd knife you as soon as trade with you — why pay for your goods when they can take it for free? Not a pleasure destination.”[14]
Sembia
"Sembia" redirects here. For the Baltic peninsula, see Sambia.
Sembia is a country on the continent of Faerûn. Apart from the capital of Ordulin, additional important cities in Sembia are Saerloon and Selgaunt.
Semphar
Semphar
Information
Notable locations
Dhaztanar (capital)
Semphar is the mightiest nation of the Endless Wastes, and deserves this name as it is far from Faerûn, even more than Thay. Theoretically a part of the empire of Mulhorand, its capital is Dhaztanar, while its second largest town is Phelzel.
Sossal
The nation of Sossal (inhabitants: Sossarhim) is a chilling place locked between Pelvuria and Yal-Tengri. There is a trade city on the Great Ice Sea called Naupau. Some say Sossarhim sometimes go to Calimshan.
Tethyr is a country on the Sword Coast (western coast) of the continent of Faerûn. There is an important elven population in its forests that frequently come into conflict with the overwhelming human majority.
At the time when the country of Tethyr was detailed in Empires of the Sands, the former royal family had all been killed, and the country had fractured into petty kingdoms, independent villages and towns, and bandit holdings.[1] The Company of Eight is a group of eight adventurers dedicated to promoting peace in Tethyr.[1]
The Snowflake Mountains is a mountain range in the far east of Tethyr. Not directly in the sphere of interest of any nations, the Snowflake Mountains are located between Tethyr, Amn, the Shining Plains, and the Lake of Steam. The Snowflake Mountains are best known for the Edificant Library, a place of Deneir and Oghma worshiping, and the childhood home of Cadderly Bonaduce. It has now been magically rebuilt and is called Spirit Soaring.
According to Jim Bambra, "With its lack of centralized government, Tethyr makes an ideal setting for power hungry adventurers".[1]
Thay is the magocracy of the dreaded Red Wizards. It can be considered as the evil counterpart of the magocracy of Halruaa, which makes sense, both being practitioners of circle magic. The coastal part of Thay is the Priador. Thay is constantly warring with its neighbors. Thayans practice slavery.
This region was first described in the campaign setting publication, FR6, Dreams of the Red Wizards, published in 1988.[15]
Thesk
Thesk is an oligarchian region consisting of 850,000 people, inhabited by Humans, gnomes, and orcs, with no official capital; though the city-state of Phsant commonly fills that role. It is economically dependent on the city-state of Telflamm and Kara-Tur goods shipped from the far east.
Ashanath is a minor kingdom east of The Great Dale and Thesk, south of Narfell and north of Thay. Despite its fertile lands, it is mostly unsettled, with few resemblances of the fallen kingdom of capital city Shandaular, which was destroyed in −946 DR.
Telflamm is a large city state and a port near Thesk. Its approximately 23,500 inhabitants apparently are under the rule of a "merchant prince", though behind the scene it is the Shadowmasters, a thieves guild, who runs the city.
Threskel
Threskel is an impoverished kingdom on the Sea of Fallen Stars formerly ruled by the dracolich Alasklerbanbastos. Much of the kingdom is a wasteland. After Tchazzar and his army defeated Alasklerbanbastos in 1479 DR, Threskel became a vassal state of Chessenta.[16]
Turmish is a republic with the capital of Alaghôn, and is located in the north of the Vilhon Reach on the continent of Faerûn. The around 1,700,000 inhabitants are mainly humans, but dwarves are common as well, alongside minorities of halflings, elves, gnomes, half-elves and half-orcs.
Ulgarth
Ulgarth is a country located in the Utter East, facing Var the Golden. With the free cities of Parsanic (Zendar, Dekar, Zendum, Tharkar and maybe more), it acts as a buffer between Faerûn and Zakhara.
Unther, like its long-standing enemy, Mulhorand, was once a great empire, but now seems to be in decline. The country is a magocracy and is ruled by the Northern Wizards from the capital of Messemprar, formerly named Unthalass. It has around 4,300,000 inhabitants, consisting of mainly humans but also smaller numbers of dwarves and halflings.
Vaasa is a country on the continent of Faerûn. It borders on the Pelvuria, the Great Glacier, to the North, and is largely uninhabited, except for small villages of humans, dwarves, orcs and half-orcs. There is a city named Palishchuk in the Northeastern Corner, primarily inhabited by half-orcs and is in clear view of the Great Glacier. In the northernmost part of Vaasa near Palishchuk lies Castle Perilous, a remnant of the time of Zhengyi the Witch-King, that is inhabited by a dracolich named Urshula the Black, controlled by Bregan D'aerthe. Vaasa is bordered on the west by the Galena mountains which are nearly impassable except for a small valley in which the Barony of Bloodstone has been founded. This Barony is enclosed within the mountain range by huge walls known as the Vaasan Gate and the Damaran Gate, respective to which side of the mountain range they open up into.
Var the Golden
Var the Golden is a peninsula at the far south-east of Faerûn. In front of it is Ulgarth. Its name comes from huge quantities of wheat fields.
Like Durpar, Var the Golden follows the teachings of Satama. Both constitute with Estagund the Shining Lands.
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