Anchorome

Anchorome was a continent on Toril. Sometimes referred to as the Anchorome Archipelago, it was a poorly known region composed of vast fertile lands and several islands. It constituted the northern portion of the large landmass in the planet's western hemisphere.

Geography
Anchorome was a vast land with numerous islands. It was located along the northwestern shore of the Trackless Sea, west of Evermeet and north of Maztica.

Northern Anchorome was described as an icy region. The southeastern regions of the continent were covered in jungle.

History
Reports existed that northern Anchorome had been originally inhabited by aearee.

Sometime during the reign of king Zaor Moonflower, northern Anchorome was explored by Captain Eartharran Neirdre, an elven explorer from Evermeet who searched for evidence of the creator races. The expedition was conducted aboard a flying ship similar to a Halruaan skyship. The ship crashed on an unnamed island north of Fort Flame following an attack by dragons that forced the expedition to retreat.

The first Faerûnian to visit Anchorome was the famed explorer Balduran, whose expedition ammassed great wealth. Following his return, part of the treasure was used to build the wall around the fledgling city of Baldur's Gate, while the rest was donated. Balduran later returned to Anchorome, but was never seen again.

Shorty after the Golden Legion reported the discovery of Maztica in, Duke Entar Silvershield decided to find Anchorome. In the, he assembled a fleet led by the Flaming Fist and sent them west. At Lantan, the fleet split into two fronts: one headed for Chult, and the second, initially composed of 20 ships and 500 mercenaries led by Scar, Bellan, Desedrak, and Yulimtul, to Maztica.

The Maztica expedition was beset with problems such as plagues and storms, which caused the loss of three ships and killed most of the clerics in the crew. They eventually made it to Helmsport in Maztica, where the expedition split once more. One contingent, led by Desedrak and Yulimtul, traveled northwest by land and was never heard from again. The second group turned north by sea with a fleet of 15 of the surviving ships to begin exploring the coast of Anchorome. While the fleet was anchored off the coast, they were immediately attacked by the sahuagin of the nation of Itzcali. The expedition lost a third of their ships in the attack, until they managed to drive them off in a counterattack led by Scar. After rescuing the survivors, the expedition headed further north.

The expedition reported finding a fertile, uncivilized land as they explored the coast. They eventually reached the remains of a ruined fort. Examination of a ship's log and combat equipment found among the ruins led the group to believe that the fort was the final resting place of Balduran and his crew. Soon after that discovery, they were attacked by wild elves wearing feathers and paints as well as odd hearcuts. The attack led them to conclude that the elves were the ultimate cause of Balduran's death. At the same time, the expedition was also attacked by large whale-like beasts, losing all their ships.

Having had their number reduced to less than 100, the survivors quickly retreated south to leave the elven territory and set up Fort Flame in the Bay of Balduran. A small group led by Scar made it back to Helmsport and then to Baldur's Gate, while Bellan remained in Fort Flame and managed to establish magical communications with Eltan.

In the, reinforcements were sent to Fort Flame in an attempt to reduce the attacks from the local elven population and to negotiate peace with the wild elves.

Around the, the Riders of the West Wing, an order of worshipers of Shaundakul composed of windwalkers and rangers, were rumored to be planning an expedition to Anchorome.

Rumors & Legends
According to Balduran, Anchorome was a vast and strange land with abundant riches.

The Horizon's Sails company, led by Winter Zulth, claimed to have sailed around Maztica and Anchorome and charted the waters of the Western Ocean beyond. By the, the maps produced by the company reached exorbitant prices.

Notable Locations

 * Fort Flame, a colony and main base of operations of the Flaming Fist.

Inhabitants
Southwest Anchorome was inhabited by Azuposi, as well as the defunct Esh Alakarans and, in the mid lands, the Poscadar elves. It was also rumored that several tribes of thri-kreen made their home in Anchorome's western regions.

According to the expedition journal of Captain Eartharran, an abandoned floating city existed over an icy bay in northern Anchorome. The statuary discovered in the ruins suggested that it had once been inhabited by aearee. The journal, which was discovered by Loremaster Ignace Dethingeller among the ship's wreckage, also described an attack by numerous dragons, suggesting that the region was inhabited by wyrms following the aearee's time.

The wild elves who inhabited southern Anchorome showed no disposition to talk with any other group, including Faerûnian elves.