North Faerûn

The region of North Faerûn stretched from the frigid High Ice and the Anauroch desert in the north, south along the shores of the inland Moonsea lake in the northern region of Faerûn. It was a region of contrasting landscapes, including the lush forests of the Dalelands, the desolate sands of the Anauroch, the coastal cities of the Moonsea and Moonsea North regions, and the bitter colds lands of the the Ride.

Anauroch
This desert was once a rich, flourishing land that was home to the ancient Netherese Empire. During a war with the mysterious and powerful phaerimm, this region became magically drained of life and was transformed into a broad wasteland. This desert swallowed the human empires and states of this region, and was sparsely populated by scattered desert tribes for centuries. The Netherese Empire reemerged in Faerûn during the 15 century – following the arrival of the Thultanthar enclave from the Shadowfell – but once again collapsed as it had millennia prior.

Eastern Heartlands

 * Cormanthor:
 * Dalelands: This is a forested region that lies to the southwest of the Moonsea. The western edge is defined by the mountains along the eastern edge of the Anauroch desert, and the east by the Dragon Reach of the Sea of Fallen Stars. In the deep, northern forest is Cormanthyr, an ancient homeland of the elves — now mostly abandoned. The remainder is sub-divided into a number of sparsely-populated dales; several small, independent states linked by the Dales Council.
 * Moonsea: The lands around the Moonsea lake held a number of conflicting city-states that just as readily banded together for great power as they did engage in all-out war with one another. The most notable of these were Melvaunt and Phlan in the north, the former power of Zhentil Keep in the west, Hillsfar in the southwest, and Mulmaster on the southern shore.

Moonsea North

 * The Ride: Thea cold steppes of the Moonsea North housed tribes of fierce, mounted barbarians that were often drawn into conflicts with the region's "civilized" cities, and their vassal-states bordering the tribes' lands.
 * Thar: The great grey moors of Thar were home to bands of savage orcs, and in its ancient past, one of the greatest ogre kingdoms in all the Realms. The land languished for many years however, becoming an inhospitable waste that served as little more than a series of paths through which Moonsea caravans could pass.
 * Tortured Land: A barren and unrelenting stretch of volcanic landscape that did not serve as home to only a sparse population. Monstrous creatures of fantastic and unique appearance could be found within the desolate lands also known as the "land-in-suffering".

The Vast
This is a region of land along the north coast of the Sea of Fallen Stars that follows the eastern shore of the Dragon Reach. It is a temperate land with farmlands, the rugged peaks of the Earthfast Mountains, and the forests along the eastern border with Impiltur. It is home to the large cities of Calaunt, Procampur, Tantras, and Ravens Bluff ("The Living City"). This land was once an Orcish kingdom, and the mountains remain infested by orcs.