Vaasa

Vaasa was an untamed wasteland of frozen moors and tundra located in the Cold Lands of northeast Faerûn.

Geography
It was a relatively empty land with sporadic farms and the occasional wandering monster. As much of the land was unclaimed, there were many prospectors who came to Vaasa looking for natural treasures, of which it had many. The lands were rich in precious metals and gems, particularly bloodstone.

Bloodstone Pass allowed trade access through the Galena Mountains to Damara in the east.

Government
As of the late 15th Century in the Dale Reckoning, Vaasa was a feudal society nominally ruled by the Ironfell Council, a group of 13 Warlock Knights led by the mysterious Voice of Telos.

History
In the year, the continual expansion southwards of the Great Glacier covered the lands that will one day be Vaasa and Damara with thick ice. In the, a slight shift in the rotation of Toril caused minor changes to weather around the world. In the Cold Lands, the Great Glacier began to melt and retreat; the lands of Vaasa, Damara, and Narfell became ice free for the first time in ages. The glacier continued retreating northwards until it's edges lay behind the Lugsaas Chain Mountains.

In the, a cabal of evil wizards who claimed to be from Vaasa caused a citadel of ice to arise at the base of Mount Okk, a tall peak in the Lugsaas Mountains of northern Vaasa. It was said that they were experimenting with creating an entirely new school of magic based on cold, and that they had plans to use their new powers for conquest. They were known to have accumulated a large collection of gems and precious metals for their research, said to be guarded in the dungeons below the castle by enchanted monsters made of ice. Seven years later, in the a massive earthquake rocked northern Vaasa. At Mount Okk, a massive fissure opened to swallow up the ice castle, while a massive avalanche dumped a massive amount of rock and snow onto the site. No further sign of the wizards or their works are to be had.

In the, one of the great explorers of Vaasan history, Dr Palus Frohm, set out on an exploration of the Great Glacier that lasted for 20 years. Upon his return, he wrote the definitive guide to arctic regions, 'Blood and Ice: Survival in the Great Glacier'. In the a distant descendant of Dr Fromm, Sharra Frohm, set out to follow up her ancestors work with a book that would focus on the perilous Nakvaligach region, which was an area that Palus had been unable to explore fully in his time. Sharra began her solo mission by climbing onto the the Great Glacier approximately 100 miles northeast of the Frozen Forest, but she was never heard from again.

In the, Zhengyi the Witch-King had Castle Perilous raised over the course of a single night. He immediately claimed sovereignty and began recruiting dark creatures towards his cause of conquest.

Notable locations
Castle Perilous was the former home of Zhengyi the Witch-King, located on the shore of the Lake of Tears.

Darmshall was a small fortress-village that was founded by the Tenblades adventuring company, and Palischuk was a once-destroyed city that had since been rebuilt and occupied by half-orcs.

Appearances

 * Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone
 * Promise of the Witch-King