THE WORLD OF FAERÛN...
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 citystates, and countless tribes, villages, and settlements dot its expanse.
The continent of Faerûn is a landmass of approximately nine and a half million square miles, located mainly in the northern hemisphere of the world of Toril. Sub-arctic extremes chill its northern reaches, where ice sheets like the Great Glacier dominate the landscape in blinding white. To the south are the equatorial jungles of Chult and the tropical coasts of Halruaa. It’s bordered on the west by the Trackless Sea and on the east by the Endless Wastes and the Hordelands that separate it from Kara-Tur.
Faerûn is an open land full of kingdoms and empires, large and small, and scattered city-states and villages struggling to make their way in a landscape that can be unforgiving wilderness one mile and cosmopolitan city the next.
Countless millions of humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, and other sentient beings call Faerûn home. It is a land of magic and intrigue, cruel violence and divine compassion, where gods have ascended and died, and millennia of warfare and conquests have shaped dozens of unique cultures.
The continent of Faerûn is a landmass of approximately nine and a half million square miles, located mainly in the northern hemisphere of the world of Toril. Sub-arctic extremes chill its northern reaches, where ice sheets like the Great Glacier dominate the landscape in blinding white. To the south are the equatorial jungles of Chult and the tropical coasts of Halruaa. It’s bordered on the west by the Trackless Sea and on the east by the Endless Wastes and the Hordelands that separate it from Kara-Tur.
Faerûn is an open land full of kingdoms and empires, large and small, and scattered city-states and villages struggling to make their way in a landscape that can be unforgiving wilderness one mile and cosmopolitan city the next.
Countless millions of humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, and other sentient beings call Faerûn home. It is a land of magic and intrigue, cruel violence and divine compassion, where gods have ascended and died, and millennia of warfare and conquests have shaped dozens of unique cultures.
Iriabor
The City of a Thousand Spires occupies a sprawling ridge above the north fork of the River Chionthar. Space to build on is at a premium atop the ridge, so Iriabor's traders and other citizens have adjusted by building up instead of out—many-storied towers rise from all quarters of the city. Iriabor's great merchant houses compete to build the highest, richest, and most fantastically bizarre towers, thinking to attract business the way peacocks attract their mates. Like peacocks, who fight when looks alone cannot decide engagements, the great houses of Iriabor sometimes conspire to topple each other's towers, using magic or hired adventurers to confuse the trail. One of those hired adventurers once came to prominence in the middle of a merchants' war and took it upon himself to rule the city--Before he too was toppled by another adventurer entirely.
Waterdeep
Waterdeep, The City of Splendors, is certainly the greatest of the Sword Coast cities and perhaps one of the greatest cities on the face of the world. It’s home to as many as two million people, though an accurate census is all but impossible since so many come and go, visiting the open city to trade and otherwise seek fame and fortune. Waterdeep is a stable and generally peaceful city, where the rule of law is enforced by a huge and well-equipped watch further backed up by some of the most powerful personalities in the Realms.
Still, there are parts of Waterdeep that can be dangerous for the unwary, and the rough-and-tumble Dock Ward is one of those parts that must be tread with care.
Still, there are parts of Waterdeep that can be dangerous for the unwary, and the rough-and-tumble Dock Ward is one of those parts that must be tread with care.
BALDUR'S GATE
Cradled in a crook of the Chionthar and often swaddled in mist, Baldur’s Gate clings tight to the granite bluffs that channel the river. Trade nursed, the city grew from pirates’ port to farmers’ fort to the bustling urban center it is today.
Generations have worn smooth the cobbles of its narrow streets, and tens of thousands have lived their entire lives in the long shadows of its walls. The city’s stone has soaked in the blood of acclaimed heroes and terrible villains.
Alongside and atop such stains, nobles and commoners, rich and poor, have lazed and sweat, ruled and bled, as they’ve played out the stories of their lives—making Baldur’s Gate a place of history and a home to legends.
Generations have worn smooth the cobbles of its narrow streets, and tens of thousands have lived their entire lives in the long shadows of its walls. The city’s stone has soaked in the blood of acclaimed heroes and terrible villains.
Alongside and atop such stains, nobles and commoners, rich and poor, have lazed and sweat, ruled and bled, as they’ve played out the stories of their lives—making Baldur’s Gate a place of history and a home to legends.
NEVERWINTER
Once famous as the Jewel of the North, Neverwinter rivaled Waterdeep in splendor. Then Mount Hotenow erupted, rocking the city’s foundations and scouring its streets with flame. Nearly five decades later, Neverwinter is within sight of reclaiming its former glory. People have returned, great buildings have been restored to beauty, and a strong ruler reigns—Lord Neverember, a kingly man from Waterdeep.
Despite these advances, Neverwinter faces many challenges. Rivalry between power groups threatens its recovery. Sections of the city lie in ruins, serving as the lair for bandits and monsters. And dangers abound in neighboring lands: Mount Hotenow still rumbles, undead and dark fey stalk Neverwinter Wood, and giants have been seen descending the slopes of the Sword Mountains to the south.
Despite these advances, Neverwinter faces many challenges. Rivalry between power groups threatens its recovery. Sections of the city lie in ruins, serving as the lair for bandits and monsters. And dangers abound in neighboring lands: Mount Hotenow still rumbles, undead and dark fey stalk Neverwinter Wood, and giants have been seen descending the slopes of the Sword Mountains to the south.
ICEWIND DALE
Frozen winds blow across the flat strip of tundra north of the Spine of the World, coming in from across the Sea of Moving Ice and freezing everything in their paths, including the hearty barbarians and frontiersmen who call Icewind Dale home.
This is a harsh and unforgiving land of fierce tundra yetis, barbarian tribesmen, roaming giants, and ten small towns of tough people from across the Realms who are dedicated to carving a living from the ice and snow. The barbarian tribes follow herds of reindeer, and the people of Ten Towns fish the clear, frigid waters of their half-frozen lakes while the towering peak of Kalvin’s Cairn keeps watch over all.
This is a harsh and unforgiving land of fierce tundra yetis, barbarian tribesmen, roaming giants, and ten small towns of tough people from across the Realms who are dedicated to carving a living from the ice and snow. The barbarian tribes follow herds of reindeer, and the people of Ten Towns fish the clear, frigid waters of their half-frozen lakes while the towering peak of Kalvin’s Cairn keeps watch over all.
Mithral Hall
Easily the best-known dwarfhold in Faerun, Mithral Hall is the home of Clan Battlehammer and a proud symbol of dwarven strength in the North.
Wedged between the Kingdom of Many-Arrows and the Silver Marches, Mithral Hall lays deep underground, surrounded by workshops, forges, and the mithral mines from which the city takes its name. Its depth places it uncomfortably close to the upper reaches of the Underdark, and the passages between these two realms are fiercely guarded.
Wedged between the Kingdom of Many-Arrows and the Silver Marches, Mithral Hall lays deep underground, surrounded by workshops, forges, and the mithral mines from which the city takes its name. Its depth places it uncomfortably close to the upper reaches of the Underdark, and the passages between these two realms are fiercely guarded.
SILVERYMOON
Silverymoon is a beautiful city that stands Nouth of the ancient trees of the High Forest. Home to thousands of humans, dwarves, gnomes, elves, half-elves, and halflings, Silverymoon has long been considered the North’s center of learning and culture, and its close ties with the Harpers, as well as powerful local mages (such as Taern Hornblade), only aid in its reputation as the North’s major seat of knowledge. It’s a happy place where many races dwell together in peace. The city’s peace and civilized demeanor owes much to its kindly, diplomatic leadership and ability to remain astray from direct conflicts.
Elven Lands
The High Forest and Misty Forest are 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 forests are under the protection of the deities Eldath and Mielikki. If true, that explains how they have 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 forests are the treants, the wood elves, and the centaurs.
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 forests are under the protection of the deities Eldath and Mielikki. If true, that explains how they have 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 forests are the treants, the wood elves, and the centaurs.
THAY
Far to the Unapproachable East, 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 tharchion, 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 throughout 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.
The power of the Red Wizards extends far beyond Thay’s borders. Red Wizard enclaves exist in dozens of major cities throughout 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.