Northeast Faerûn is a remote area that begins in the cold, forbidding lands along the great ice sheets and continues south toward the northeastern shores of the Sea of Fallen Stars. It is bordered on the west by the mountain-hemmed land of Vaasa and stretches east to the vast steppes of the Hordelands.
Regions
Damara
This is the remnant of a once-great nation, now a peaceful and tolerant land. To the north is the Great Glacier, which provides fresh water for the rivers that run south through the land. To the west are the Galena Mountains, with Bloodstone Pass forming a trade route with Vaasa to the west. The capital city is Heliogabalus, which lies in the middle of the nation at the confluence of a pair of rivers.[citation needed] Damara forms part of the Bloodstone Lands along with Vaasa.[1]
Great Dale
This coastal land is dominated by the large forests of Rawlinswood to the north and the Forest of Lethyr to the south. Between these two is a wide, windswept gap called the Great Dale. The Great Road runs along this gap, starting at the coastal city of Uthmere on the Easting Reach of the Sea of Fallen Stars. This is the most populous area of this land, with only scattered settlements further east.
Hordelands
This vast region of barren steppes that stretch far to the east, reaching the distant land of Kara-Tur. It is populated by nomadic horse riders and expert bowmen. The region has no permanent settlements, but serves as a trade route between Faerûn and Kara-Tur. The climate ranges from frigid winters to unpleasantly hot summers, and the ground is unsuitable for permanent farming. It used to be the kingdom of Raumathar and the present-day Raumvari are believed to descent from the inhabitants of this kingdom. South of the Endless Wastes lies the kingdom of Semphar.
Impiltur
This peaceful coastal kingdom is a trading nation, importing finished goods from across the Sea of Fallen Stars and exporting raw materials acquired from the Cold Lands. It is bordered on the north by Damara, and along the west by the Earthspur Mountains and the nation called Vesperin. Impiltur is mostly separated from the Great Dale by the Easting Reach, a long bay of the sea. This nation includes the cities of Dilpur, Hlammach, and Lyrabar.
Narfell
A land of dry, cold grasslands to the north of the Great Dale, it is bordered on the west by Damara and on the east by Rashemen. Most of the sparse population are hardy barbarian nomads, struggling to survive in this harsh region. The most notable feature is the large Icelace Lake. It is said that once a great nation rose here, but it was destroyed in a war with their enemies, the kingdom of Raumathar.
Rashemen
A cold, wild, northern land that is home to berserker warriors and powerful, revered witches. It is a place of spirits of nature, and a land mostly untamed. There are the cities of Mulptan, Mulsantir, and the capitol Immilmar, however, the latter being the home of the Iron Lord who nominally rules this land. The land of Rashemen is bordered in the west and south by the lakes Ashane and Mulsantir, and in the east by the Endless Wastes of the Hordelands and part of the mountain range that encloses Thay.
Thesk
Between the Great Dale in the north and the evil land of Thay in the south is the region known as Thesk. It lies at the western end of the trade route with Kara-Tur in the east, and lies along the eastern shores of the Sea of Fallen Stars. The southern part of this land is dominated by a pair of mountain ranges, the Thesk and the Dragonjaw. The capitol of Thesk is a port located along the southern shores of the Easting Reach.
Vaasa
This is an isolated region that lies to the north of the eastern shores of the Moonsea. It is bordered along the north by the Great Glacier, and the remaining sides are bound by an unbroken ring of ore-rich mountains. The remainder is a sparsely-populated region of moors, bogs, and tundra. This area is most notorious for the presence of Castle Perilous. The small city of Palischuk lies just to the east, and is populated by half-orcs.[citation needed] Vaasa forms part of the Bloodstone Lands along with Damara.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 R.A. Salvatore (1989). The Bloodstone Lands. Edited by Elizabeth T. Danforth. (TSR, Inc), p. 2. ISBN 0-88038-771-8.
Sources
- Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, Greenwood, Reynolds, Williams, and Heinsoo, Wizards of the Coast, 2001.
- The Great Glacier, Swan, Rick, TSR, 1992.