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
The desert was once a rich, flourishing land claimed by the ancient Netherese Empire. After a terrible war marked by an ever-increasing magical arms race, the region was drained of all life and transformed into a desolate wasteland. This desert swallowed the human empires and survivor-states of this region, remaining 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
With the exception of the Cormanthor forest, Eastern Heartlands were predominantly settled by groups of humans that shared cultural traditions including the same language.
 * Cormanthor: This magnificent and ancient forest was once home to Cormanthyr, a great empires of the elven people, along with its famed capital of Myth Drannor, a city that served as a beacon of culture, art, and magic for the united peoples of the Realms.
 * Dalelands: The forested region southwest of the Moonsea was divided into a number of sparsely-populated dales; independent and self-sufficient states of small cities, rural towns, and rustic farmsteads, united under the leadership of 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 wild lands north of Moonsea Lake were seen far and wide as largely inhospitable, with a wealth of natural resources that attracted those willing enough to seize them.
 * 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 region along the eastern shore of the Dragon Reach was a temperate land of rolling farmlands, marked by the rugged peaks of the Earthfast Mountains and the forests along the eastern border with Impiltur. For much of its history the Vast comprised a number of city-states that each competed for their own interests, including Calaunt, Tantras, and Ravens Bluff. These powers came together to form the united nation of Vesperin, which rose to prominence in the region throughout the 15 century DR.