The Vast

"Come one, come all, here to the Vast. All the killing's happening here, and the next handful of dooms to befall us all are a-hatching here—why wait for them to crawl to you? Come to the Vast, and join the slaughter."

- Guldaeth Grimshield of Highbank Forest

The Vast was a region in north Faerûn that rested along the north coast of the Sea of Fallen Stars, bounded by the Dragon Reach and River Lis in the west, the Earthspur Mountains, Gray Forest and Impiltur in the east, and the Moonsea and Damara in the north. It lay both sides of the Earthfast Mountains that ran through it.

The land was previously ruled by orcs, with some still inhabiting the mountains.

Environment & Geography
The Vast was a land of great open spaces, sparsely settled but far from empty. Once, it was covered in dense forests, but the orcs of Vastar cut these down, leaving only grasslands and isolated woods.

This left a green and temperate realm of hunting grounds and rolling farmlands, their fields used to grow all kinds of crops that suited the climate or for the grazing of herds. The farms and fields were separated by low fieldstone walls, which were often cultivated as wild hedges where they faced the roads. Amongst these farms were small woodlots and copses, which grew from scrublands left behind by the great old forests of the past.

Beyond the farmland were real forests, though mostly these were second-growth forests from surviving saplings. Druids cultivated these forests, and encouraged woodland creatures and fey to move in from other forests further away. The great forests of the Vast were Adhe Wood, Brynwood, and the Gray Forest, which was called the "Tsurlar Forest" in the Vast.

The Vast held four great rivers: the Fire River, the River Vesper, the River Lis, and the River Dalton. They emptied into the bay of the Dragon Reach, while the Lis and Dalton ran from the Moonsea to the Reach, the latter via the Flooded Forest, a swamp that was once part of Cormanthor. There were many small streams and brooks, but they rarely joined the major rivers of the Fire River and the River Vesper. More often, they ended in pools and drained away into subterranean channels and finally emptied into the Inner Sea. Some even rose to the surface again, only to disappear once more. Thus the water table was described as a crazy jigsaw.

This was due to the geology of the Vast, consisting of slanting and broken layers of rock deep beneath the soil. These left a quite a number of small-sized caves, rifts and sinkholes, that could be well concealed in apparently empty fields. Such places were a favorite spot for children to hide, for farmers to conceal their savings, or for some to build privies over.

There were also rocky outcrops marking where the foothills met the great mountain ranges of the Vast. The western shoreline of the Vast by the Dragon Reach was also high and stony, with many rocky reefs and few ports. Where the Earthfast Mountains and the Earthspur Mountains met the sea were sheer cliffs that only the most skilled climbers could ascend. The southern coast against the Inner Sea was called the Tsurlagan coast. In the north, Mount Wolf marked the border of the Vast in the north.

On the east, the High Country was a large area of rocky moors and grassy plains and hills. It jutted east into a gap in the Earthspur Mountains. Rumors told of hidden passes through the mountains into neighboring Impiltur. Protected from human settlement and farming, the High Country was a fertile breeding area for game animals.

Climate
As with the other lands that surrounded it, the Sea of Fallen Stars produced rainfall and moderate temperatures in the Vast, warming it in winter and keeping it moist and green. Thus the Vast experienced a mild climate all year, with its summers long and cool, and its winters short and clement, though the Dragon Reach could ice over.

Fauna
Animals commonly found in the forests and mountainsides were boar, deer and black-masked bears. These were a favorite of local hunters and local inns.

Forests

 * Adhe Wood • Brynwood • Gray Forest (Tsurlar Forest)

Mountains

 * Earthfast Mountains • Earthspur Mountains • Iron Dragon Mountain • Troll Mountains

Rivers

 * Fire River • River Vesper

Other locations

 * Beluar's Hunt • Dragon Falls • Elvenblood Pass • Flooded Forest • Glorming Pass • High Country • Three Trees Pass • Viperstongue Ford

Settlements
The Vast was home to the large cities of Calaunt, Procampur, Tantras and Ravens Bluff.

Cities

 * Calaunt:
 * Earthfast
 * Procampur: A wealthy port city located on the western region of the Dragon Reach.
 * Ravens Bluff: This port city is important in that it is the major site where the exports of the Vast are distributed. The city is as wealthy in its material goods as it is in history.
 * Sarbreen
 * Tantras
 * Tsurlagol: A port city that acts as a sort of crossroads between the Vast, Impiltur, the Old Empires and the Vilhon Reach.

Towns

 * Hlintar • King's Reach • Kurth • Maerstar • Mossbridges • Thindilar • Ylraphon

Villages and hamlets

 * Bambryn • Blanaer • Dark Hollow • Dead Tree Hollow • Dragon Falls • Fallentree • Highbank Forest • High Haspur • Maskyr's Eye • Orlimmin • Sarbreenar • Sendrin • Sevenecho • Swords Pool • Tavilar

Important locations

 * Arch of Goolgog • Mage's Tower • Master's Library • Moonlit Tower

Demographics
The peoples of the Vast were diverse and mixed. It was once home to orcs, goblinoids, and dwarves, and later settled by a variety of human immigrants. Represented were: Chondathan and Damaran humans; shield dwarves; elves and even avariels; halflings; gnomes; orcs, half-orcs, and gray orcs; and goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears.

As of 1372 DR, the Vast was home to 1,308,960 people: 78% human, 9% dwarf, 5% halfling, 3% elf, 2% gnome, 1% half-elf and 1% half-orc. Of the human population, 63% were Damaran, 33% were Chondathan, and 3% were Vaasan.

The human population was a blend of Damaran and Chondathan immigrants, predominantly Damaran. However, those Damarans who lived south of the Earthfast Mountains mostly resembled their Chondathan neighbors. They were of the same heritage as the Cormyreans, Dalesman, and Sembians, whom they considered kin.

Etymology & Languages
The true source of the name "the Vast" was lost to history, but most sages thought it derived from "Vastar", the name of the ancient orc kingdom that once dominated the land.

The people of the Vast spoke the Easting language, with both Procampan and Tantran dialects, which was related to the Damaran language.

Government
There was no overall government or leader in the Vast, and no capital city. Instead, it was divided up by a number of city-states and feudal holdings. The cities were mostly governed by councils made up of landowners and wealthy merchants. These city-states were independent, and stayed that way by varying degrees of diplomacy, tolerance of their neighbors, and military power.

Business & Economy
The peoples of the Vast produced and exported metals of copper, iron, nickel and silver, farm produce like grain and livestock, and parchment and textiles.

Many travelers declared that the finest inns in the Vast were not those in the cities or in the Vast itself, but on the roads linking to the Vast to the outside. The best was said to be The Wizard's Hand in Maskyr's Eye, followed by The Worried Wyvern in Sevenecho and The Elf in Armor in High Haspur. These were among the best in Faerûn.

People
The people of the Vast, by culture and custom, were more or less similar to those of Cormyr, Sembia, the Dalelands, with all of whom they shared a common heritage, and even those of faraway Waterdeep. Thus they considered themselves more closely related and to have more in common with their neighbors west across the Dragon Reach than those of the east over the Earthspur Mountains. Though largely of Damaran roots, the culture of the Vast had less of a lawful bent and more closely followed Chondathan ways.

By and large, they were characterized as adventurers, explorers, and pioneers, known for a spirit of adventure, daring and opportunity for growth and advancement, more so than anywhere else in Faerûn. They were an honest and optimistic people. Here it seemed that all the monsters and enemies of the Moonsea and other neighboring lands were more easily defeated, while the heroes won out more often.

Nevertheless, the people of the Vast remained diverse and wide-ranging, with the cities of Calaunt, Procampur, Ravens Bluff, Tantras, and Tsurlagol all quite different, from each other and from the rural communities.

They usually preferred to keep to themselves, satisfied with their own homes and lives. Each person considered themselves as one with the land they lived on and were loyal first and foremost to their local community. Country folk in particular just wanted to get the job done without hassle, and so they viewed cities as dangerous or dodgy or both. Procampur was thought to be dominated by status and age. Tantras was considered "god-ridden", suspicious and unfriendly. Calaunt was said to be evil, full of thieves and ruled by arrogant fools; people who acted arrogant and foolish were labeled "Calaunt-heads" or told to "go back to Calaunt". Ravens Bluff seemed to be both, full of religion and thieves, and colorful, dangerous and chaotic too.

Their neighbors in Sembia, Cormyr, and the Dalelands were generally viewed with compassion by both country and city folk alike, both as allies and as business partners. King Azoun IV was highly regarded for his efforts during the Horde Wars. Opinions were much lower of the Moonsea lands, said to be home to misers, cheats and spies; Mulmaster in particular was the great evil in the north, as disliked and feared as Zhentil Keep was to Shadowdale. Across the Inner Sea, the Dragon Coast cities were considered lawless and the origin of the pirates that raided the Vast.

Regardless, they liked to hear a bard tell news about realms outside their own, mainly for its entertainment value. They also loved to hear a ballad, whether a new or an old, oft-told one. Folk all over the the Vast made bards and minstrels welcome, treating them as honored guests and new friends. For their entertainment, they were well paid and well fed. Many who toured Cormyr, the Dalelands, Sembia, and the Vast preferred the last for these reasons.

Adventurers
Adventurers were similarly welcome, for they brought gold, magic, and tales from their travels. The Vast was famously a place where adventurers could earn a reputation or make something of themselves. Tales told of poor guards becoming heroes and going on to become town council members, or of starving beggars striking it rich discovering buried treasure and becoming wealthy and respectable. Some cities of the Vast were even ruled by adventurers. No person suffered from a past reputation provided they made an effort to improve themselves. All that was needed was gold and great achievements. The country folk, however, tended to be more reserved towards adventurers that trekked through their fields and risked causing trouble.

Such adventurers were often folk who were quick to act and a little pushy, and who often won through by pluck, determination, or dumb luck. A fair number came from wealthy merchant families. Adventurers tended to vary by their home city and trade, but in general shared some broad characteristics.

In keeping with the general Vast attitude, adventuring warriors of the Vast tended to be optimistic and enthusiastic, undeterred by tales of adventurers meeting sorry ends. They were daring, willing to stand up to any challenge. Many youngsters of the Vast were drawn to this kind of life. However, little distinguished them visually from adventuring warriors Faerûn-over. These warriors preferred reliable, practical, and oft-used armor and weaponry, with simple clothing and heavy cape or cloak, and a little jewelry and other decoration. Spiked banded mail was a common choice of armor.

Wizards of the Vast were described as grand, charismatic and even glamorous people. Whether in success or in disaster, they always planned ahead to gain or regain wealth and status. They preferred comfortable clothing that was both practical when adventuring and suitable for a visit to a palace. They did enjoy jewelry and similar accessories, but no more than was tasteful.

The Vast's rogues, thieves, and scoundrels, meanwhile, were eager and willing to do anything, and almost recklessly brave—an attitude that as often as not got them into danger as well as out. They were high-spirited and good-humored even in the face of doom, and were described as masters of graveyard humor. They often dressed in dandy clothing to stand out, with flowing capes, feathered caps, fancy frills, and a range of bright colors, though they eschewed apparel that was too encumbering or weakened their defenses.

The Sublime Way found one of its greatest homes in western Faerûn in the Vast, where the traditions of blade magic remained strong. The White Raven discipline was created in the Vast and the great Reshar learned it there. The discipline of the Devoted Spirit was called "Ancestral Sword" in the Vast, in respect to the great blade magicians of old. Many wandering warriors in the Vast practiced blade magic, with a few dedicated Masters of Nine. Sword temples were found in the cities of Procampur, Ravens Bluff, and Tantras, each with crusader orders, such as the Trueblades and the Knights of the White Raven.

Customs & Culture
For the dangers of the wilderness, the people of the Vast commonly went armed, especially outside the cities and in the rural areas. Such weapons were simple and practical, however, usually a knife, sling, or staff. As soon as a child was allowed away from their parents, they could have a sling or a knife in their belt.

For the country folk, hunting was a way of life and game was plentiful. Most hunts were carried out in the woodlands, on foot by a few archers or a handful of people equipped with clubs, daggers, and spears; the former method, though it took more skill, left the prey in better shape. On hills and wooded mountainsides, hunts were conducted by large bands with better weapons, lest the hunters find themselves the prey of orcs, bandits, or monsters. In wildernesses plagued by monsters, this form of hunting was the norm.

Favorite prey animals were boar, deer, and even bear, and these were roasted and served in many inns. The Vast was famous for its roast stag, with succulent, high-quality meat of great size. A local tradition was to serve the roast stag on several large platters, including the entire rack of antlers on the first tray, accompanying the finest cuts and sweetmeats.

There were a few local festivals unique to the Vast, celebrated across the land but with more enthusiasm in the countryside communities than in the big cities. These were:
 * The Arming (4th Tarsakh): A celebration of local militias and battle readiness.
 * The Plowing (6th Mirtul): The traditional plowing time in farming communities.
 * Hornmoot (14th Kythorn): The first trading day of the year between dwarves and humans.
 * The Bone Dance (9th Eleasias): A hunting festival and banquet dedicated to Malar, god of the hunt.

Religion
The people of the Vast tolerated a wide number of faiths, and all of the most popular human faiths were represented there. The most important were those of Chauntea, Eldath and Torm, followed by Mystra, Tempus, Tymora, Umberlee, and Waukeen. Tymora, Tempus and Waukeen were known as the "traveler's gods" and they had shrines across the land. Other gods also had shrines across the Vast, along with a few temples, mainly in the big cities. Waukeen's temples declined following her disappearance in 1358 DR, but were expected to quickly recover when she returned in 1370 DR.

Dwarves of the Vast commonly followed Clangeddin Silverbeard. The fallen dwarven realm of Roldilar left behind a number of boulders along the North Road, each carved with the symbol of Clangeddin. Many human warriors of the Vast honored both Tempus and Clangeddin before going into battle in the mountains.

The cities of the Vast, especially Ravens Bluff, were centers of worship for halfling followers of Brandobaris.

Adventures
"Treasure? Aye, lots of it in the Vast, lad; why didn't ye ask earlier? Oh… I see; ye wanted to live a while, first."

- Buirin Thalshond of Tantras, 1357 DR

Though some of its cities were extremely old and standing on the first settled lands in modern times, much of the Vast in the mid–14th century had only been taken from the native orcs within the last few generations and was just beginning to be settled and civilized. Thus in many places it remained wild, lawless, and unexplored, and so for professional adventurers it was a hotspot for adventure.

There were several common lures for adventurers from all around the Realms, such as the intrigues and disputes between rival factions, or the number of dwarven ruins and their rumored treasure vaults. Tales of treasure were everywhere in the Vast, small and large, old and new, safe and dangerous. Even young, powerful and wicked mages from lands like Thay and elsewhere journeyed to the Vast for inscrutable persons, perhaps seeking treasure, old magic, or to meet with dark forces. The Vast acquired a reputation as a place where some secrets were better off left undisturbed, where some things were best left buried in the mountains and deep caves.

"Beware—there are beasts and secrets sleeping in those mountains that had best be awakened only by someone with a ready blade and fast spells, if they would live to boast of it…"

- Elminster of Shadowdale

Ancient history
In ancient times, agents of the Elven Court of Cormanthor made contact with the dwarves of Sarphil in the lands later known as the Vast. Desiring to maintain control over the forests there, the Elven Court warred against the dwarves to stop them expanding to the surface. But after the elves saved the dwarves from being defeated by orcs, the two sides negotiated on the Vast's battlefields around −6400 DR. They made a tenuous alliance, but it lasted 2000 years, and each prospered from trade of goods and information.

Some time after −5005 DR, Jhaamdath began expanding over the Inner Sea and settled colonies in the Vast, among other lands. These brought trade goods and prestige to the empire.

Elves from Cormanthor went beyond the River Lis to found Yrlaphon in the northern Vast in −1535 DR. After drow raiders weakened its defenses in the winter of −722 DR, Yrlaphon fell to orc hordes in the summer.

Vastar and the Jhaamdathan colonization
The orc kingdom of Vastar rose circa −700 DR. It was in place across the land in −626 DR. The history of Vastar was a turbulent one, with frequent coups, bloody civil wars, constant strife and regular attacks and counter-attacks against their neighbors and other creatures who lived in their land. Every dozen years, a horde would form in the summer, steal or build ships, and sail south over the Inner Sea to raid. Their survivors rarely returned, instead spreading south. For their ship-building efforts, the orcs cut down the great forests of the land. When they ran out of timber, they went over the Dragon Reach and over the River Lis to take what they wanted from Cormanthor, but were more often slaughtered by the elves. They made several such invasions by sea and land.

On the southern side of the Inner Sea, the empire of Jhaamdath fell beneath a great wave in the Year of Furious Waves, −255 DR. A wave of refugees—later known as the Chondathan people—crossed the Inner Sea to colonize the lands of Impiltur, Thesk and the Vast south of the Earthfast Mountains, becoming among the first lands on the north coast to be settled by humans. After occupying these lands, circa −200 DR, their descendants migrated westward from Impiltur and the Vast to cross the Dragon Reach and settle Sembia, Cormyr and the Dalelands, in time giving rise to those realms.

Dwarves from Earthfast founded the underground town of Proeskampalar in the Year of the Starry Shroud, −153 DR. That same year, it was joined by descendants of the Jhaamdathan refugees, who also settled there. It later became known as Procampur. More founded the city of Chessagol, later known as Tsurlagol, in the Year of Enchanted Hearts, −72 DR.

In the Year of Cold Clashes, 331 DR, the orcs of Vastar launched a surprise attack on Cormanthyr, and occupied a portion of the lands east of the Old Elven Court. They solidified their forces in the area over the next few years. It wasn't until the Year of the Vanished Foe, 339 DR that the occupying orcs were routed by combined elvish and human forces.

In the early 5th century DR, King Meldath I of Impiltur led a conquest of the Vast and other nearby lands, turning Proeskampalar and Chessagol into vassal city-states.

In the Year of the Wyvernfall, 512 DR, Vastar was on the rampage again, with orc hordes from here and other strongholds emerging and threatening Cormanthyr and many other lands with war. The orc chieftain Ulbror marched his horde through many small passes in the Earthspur Mountains and invaded Impiltur. The orcs slew King Sharaun Mirandor, his three heirs and their army, killing off the Mirandor dynasty. Ulbror and the orcs were defeated later that year in the Battle of Bloody Reeds.

Ologh the Overking of Vastar was killed by the black dragon Iyrauroth in the Year of Writhing Darkness, 572 DR, leaving his throne at the Hollow Mountain vacant. Vastar descended into civil war as orcish factions battled for control across the land. Meanwhile, underground, dwarves from the north and east expanded their mines into the mountains of Vastar, making silent war upon the orcs. After eight bloody years, the orc Grimmerfang won the civil war and seized the Hollow Mountain—now called Mount Grimmerfang—in the Year of the Loose Coins, 580 DR, ending warfare amongst the orcs of Vastar, at least for a short time. However, the dwarves continued to encroach from the west, spreading underground and applying increasing pressure on the orcs. Vastar also suffered repeated defeats to the elves. Working with humans and elves, the dwarves developed orcslayer blades and then surged out of the mountains to slaughter the orcs and defeat Grimmerfang. Vastar fell in the Year of the Spellfire, 610 DR, while the survivors were driven north and south into the mountain peaks.

Roldilar, the Realm of Glimmering Swords
The victorious dwarves claimed the surface lands for themselves and that same year they founded Roldilar, the Realm of Glimmering Swords, under Deep King Tuir Stonebeard, who ruled from Mount Grimmerfang. They began construction of a secure trading center, Sarbreen, around the Year of the Normiir, 611 DR. The Roldilarren dwarves set to work trading with other nations and developing their new land, by building stone towers and importing livestock. Their logging industry cleared forests for miles and they attempted large-scale agriculture.

Roldilarren dwarves ruled the Vast while the orcs and goblinoids were driven out and subdued, but others soon immigrated to the developing land. Gnomes and halflings seeking opportunity joined the dwarves in their farming efforts. Humans were few in number north of the Sea of Fallen Stars, but a few bold and cautious folk came to explore and settle. In the Year of the Costly Gift, 645 DR, the human archmage Maskyr paid his right eye to King Tuir for the vale called Maskyr's Eye. Others followed, and this marked the beginning of permanent human settlement in the Vast beyond the southern coast. Their arrival prompted King Tuir to declare that humans would be allowed to come only so far into the mountains and no further, at a point marked by the town of King's Reach.

Roldilar enjoyed only forty years of peace before its power waned. In that time, the orcs had replenished their numbers and recovered their strength. Above and below ground, vast hordes of orcs engulfed Roldilar in the the Year of the Bloody Crown, 649 DR. Drow also struck from the subterranean ways. Deep King Tuir led the dwarven armies against those of the orcs and goblins, but they were defeated at Viperstongue Ford over the River Vesper. Roldilar's defenses were broken, and the dwarves retreated to Mount Grimmerfang. After the Battle of Deepfires beneath the mountain, Roldilar fell in 649 DR.

The Roldilarren dwarves, however, were saved from total extinction by their human and elven allies. The elven warrior Beluar and his forces won a great victory against the orcs, routing them at Viperstongue Ford. This delayed the end of Roldilar.

Dwarven refugees of Roldilar retreated, many going to other lands. Roldilar was the last dwarven realm to claim the surface lands of the Vast or dominate there, as of 1370 DR.

The Time of Glorious Fools
The humans settlers, however, stayed to fight the orcs and hold onto the land they now called home. Others moved quickly to exploit the power vacuum. The Impilturan royalty had a long-standing policy of encouraging its lesser nobles—those not set to inherit any land—to settle new lands beyond their borders. Before the year 649 DR was out, these Impilturan nobles led a wave of immigration west into the Vast. Many more, however, left overcrowding in the Vilhon Reach to cross the Inner Sea and settle the Vast south of the Fire River. Here, they made a foothold from which they could expand, growing populous with high immigration and birthrates.

They advanced swiftly over the Vast, finding a war-torn land where orcs ruled, and trolls, leucrotta, and other creatures had left the mountains and flourished by preying upon dead and dying dwarves and orcs. They fought them frequently, and steadily pushed them all out of the lowlands and back into the hills and mountains. Many adventurers rose out of these conflicts, folk who sought impossible odds and made desperate assaults, and miraculously won as often as they were slaughtered. Thus local bards named this "the Time of Glorious Fools", a period that some said continued well on into the 14th century.

The most successful adventurers were those who won both gold and fame for their great deeds. Such adventuring bands set themselves up in keeps, with mounted warriors, minor battle-mages, and priests of Helm or Tempus, and promised to protect local farmers from raids in exchange for a "shield tax", though they were often too late to help.

As they expanded, the human settlers cleared land for their farms, erected low fieldstone walls to divide their fields, and built good roads. These eventually linked Procampur and Tsurlagol on the Inner Sea to Mulmaster by the Moonsea. Farmers then enjoyed bountiful harvests for several years. This all cemented human habitation of the Vast.