Aglarond

Aglarond is an autocratic state in the southwesternmost part of the Unapproachable East. Its capital is Veltalar. Most of its land is covered by the Yuirwood. Filled with magic and mystery, it was ruled by one of the most potent spellcasters of the Realms: the Simbul, until 1425 DR, the Year of Seven Sisters, and as of 1475 DR is ruled by fifteen simbarchs, or arcanists trained in the Simbul's arts.

Demographics
As of 1372 DR, Aglarond's population, numbering somewhere around 1,300,000, is mostly made up of humans, though one third are half-elves and a fair number are elves. The local tiefling population has also swelled, due to the large number of refugees fleeing from Thay, particularly in the cities of Escalant, Glarondar, and Citadel Dantalien. Many dragonborn have also come to Aglarond from neighboring lands and both genasi and halflings are found in large numbers in Delthuntle, Veltalar, and Furthinghome.

Government
Aglarond has been ruled since 1065 DR by the Olósynne Dynasty, beginning with the half-elf King Brindor. The monarchy has been passed down through the dynasty until the apparent death of Alassra Shentrara, "the Simbul", in 1425 DR.

Geography
From its rocky shores to the heart of the Yuirwood, Aglarond is a land that defines its people as much as they define it. Its isolation and its long history of sieges by Thay have made the once-trusting Aglarondan people suspicious of outlanders - anyone could be an agent of their hated enemy. Aglarond is separated from the rest of Faerûn by the plateau of Thay to the east, and the Sea of Fallen Stars on the three other sides. The lands beyond the fortress at Undumor to the Thayan borders are past the direct protection of the armies of Aglarond and are thinly populated for this reason among others.

Although Aglarond is at roughly the same latitude as Cormyr, its weather is much more moderate. The waters moderate the weather, so the seasons are rarely as harsh as they are elsewhere.

The Pirate Isles lie only a hundred miles or so off Aglarond's own western islands, but since piracy is punishable by immediate execution in Aglarond, most buccaneers give the land a wide berth. The length of water that separates Aglarond from Thesk is known as the Sea of Dlurg. This is more of a bay than a proper sea: At its narrowest point, about midway down its length, only fifteen miles separate the city of Furthinghome from Theskian shore.

There are no major ports in Aglarond; there are only coastline villages and towns suitable for fishing boats and other smaller ships.

While the fey-dominated Yuirwood covers much of Aglarond, the land between the trees and the shore consists of fertile, rolling hills that make excellent farmland. Farms are rarely more than ten miles from the shore. The half-elves who make their home under the Yuirwood's leafy canopy discourage large-scaled settlements of the forest with a mixture of compromise, diplomacy, and the occasional veiled threat. Many of these half-elves, and the wild elves they share their homes with, distrust and question the authority of the Simbarch Council that rules Aglarond, though it was only recently that their worries shifted from the ex-zulkirs of fallen Thay. Despite such efforts, though, the woods continue to recede every year. Grasses, shrubs, and vies quickly reclaim abandoned farmsteads, but trees are slow to return to territory stripped from the Yuirwood long ago. Worse yet, the Yuirwood is now filled with hidden plaguelands formed in the wake of the Spellplague, filled with ruins of an ancient, long-gone eladrin civilization.

Altumbel
The people of Altumbel do not consider themselves as part of Aglarond. When Aglarond was formed many centuries ago, after long years of war, humans and[half-elves agreed to share power in the form of a council of locally appointed leaders led by a king. A number of humans were too bitter from the wars to lay aside their animosity. Rather than become part of this new nation, they set out for the far western end of the peninsula, claiming it as their own.

Altumbel is a harsh and unforgiving land, which includes the mazelike archipelago of the Thousand Swords. Most of these isles are desolate and rocky, covered with low scrubs and lichen, but some are fairly large, with Ghevden as the largest. One-third of Altumbel's people live scattered over the barren Swords. Pirates harry the islands, but many hail from the Swords themselves - raiding one's neighbors is something of a local tradition.

Altumbel and its archipelago are almost ebtierly devoid of woods. The people here don't care for trees, which remind them of Yuriwood's half-elves. Most make their living from the sea, either netting fish or trapping shellfish. The land is rocky and unforgiving, not much good for farming, although some sheltered dells are suitable for gardening. These sun-warmed and wind-protected valleys usually have springs and the occasional cave.

Spandeliyon, the capital of the region, was once known as the City of Pirates. In the days immediately prior to the Spellplague, however, the Simbul's harsh punishment of pirates had put the lie to that name. Few dared to brave the lady's wrath, even in a city so far from her home in Veltalar.

Beyond the rocky, fog-cloaked norther shores of Altumbel - and all Aglarond, in fact - the sea quickly drops off into a deep trench. The seasonal upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich waters make this place a fisher's paradise.

Delthuntle
A young community, Delthuntle emerged recently as one of Aglarond's commercial centers and major ports. The city primarily makes a profit through trade with the new genasi nation of Akanûl, which helps to give it one of the highest non-native genasi populations throughout the world. Delthuntle is plagued, however, by a growing problem of piracy that threatens to cut its prosperity short.

Dragonjaw Mountains
The Dragonjaws separate Aglarond from Thesk to the north, and serves well as a natural defence against the forces of Thay, preventing armies from entering River Umber and the Sea of Dlurg. Most of the mountains are considered part of Thesk, only the Tannath Mountains and the Tannath Gap are truly part of Aglarond.

The Watchwall
The Watchwall is a massive, magically engineered length of stone wall, stretching from the fortress city of Glarondar to the slopes of Umbergoth, and thus extends the defensive barrier of the Dragonjaw Mountains another fifteen miles, up to a rocklike fortification containing one-third of Aglarond's armed forces. The wall is 30 feet high and 10 feet thick, with no gates nor windows, and wide stairs are carved into the Aglarondan side every quarter-mile or so The wall is patroled at all times, and guard barraks where the patrols can rest are found at each mile marker.

The Fang
The Fang is the part of the north coast that juts out the farthes into the sea. Although close to Aglarond's capital, its people consider themselves part of another land.

Undumor
The fortress of Undumor, formerly known as Emmech, was lost in the Hundred Years of Chaos to the new Thayan regime under Szass Tam. Located at the mouth of the River Umbar the fortress now serves as an outpost of Thay in Aglarond and is garrisoned by numerous undead in the former's service. It is constantly in a state of warfare with the nearby fortress Dantalien, where brave but hopelessly inexperienced youths gather to try and clear out the Thayan presence on Aglarond's soil. These attempts have so far always failed and it is rumored that Thay has begun to work towards putting an end to the nuisance caused by Dantalien once and for all.

Veltalar
The capital of Aglarond Veltalar is a medium-sized city numbering around 70,000 in population. Formerly known as Velprintalar, Veltalar is the seat of the Simbarch Council and Aglarond's principle harbor. Since the Spellplague the city has expanded westwards to meet the receding coastline of the Sea of Fallen Stars, leaving the older parts of the city, now called Old Velprintalar as little more than slums. Here thieves and pirates gather, turning the very heart of Aglarond into a den of scum and villainry.

Navy and Seafaring
The names of vessels from Aglarond are based on the goods they carry like "Spicesail" or "Timberhold".