Northwest Zakhara

Northwest Zakhara consisted of a number of islands on a beautiful shallow part of the Great Sea off the northern coast of the continent.

The two larger archipelagos of the Genie's Turban and the Desert's Virtues made up the Corsair Domains, with the one major settlement, Hawa. Closer toward the coast of the Free Cities, authority over the Wizard's Reach toward the north and the group of three islands—the Bird, the Dancer and the Fortress—to the south, were disputed between the corsairs and the mainland cities.

The vast open stretch of the Great Sea separated northwest Zakhara from Faerûn in the north and Maztica in the west. The islands of Lahib and Dahab marked the southern border toward west Zakhara.

Corsair Domains
The Corsair Domains were a number of islands under the control of these loosely organized buccaneers of Zakhara —efforts of Qudra to the contrary notwithstanding. Piracy, trade, shipbuilding and power-struggles between local would-be rulers shaped daily life there, all helped by the fragmented shape of the islands' terrain.

The Genie's Turban
This archipelago consisted of and number of smaller islands and the larger Island of Firethorns - named for its abundance of the beautifully red but dangerous flower - and Island of Gardens - with lush vegetation at the coast and a dry and barren interior. Several villages and one city could be found at the shores of the Genie's Turban.

The Desert's Virtues
Of this group of three islands, the Camel and the Chador contained some villages at fertile stretches of the coast, which were ruled more or less independently by retired corsair captains. The Dune was almost barren and was sometimes used as a (final) prison by pirate captains.

Hawa
The City of Chaos functioned as de-facto Capital of the disorganized Corsair Domains. Many of its buildings rested on stilts around and within Chaos Bay at the Island of Firethorns. Hawa's citizens were an independent lot, ready to take affairs into their own hands with whatever means they found necessary.