Anauroch, or The Great Sand Sea, is a magical desert in northern Faerûn. Millennia ago, it was the fertile home of the once-powerful Netherese Empire. Their war with the magical phaerimm destroyed their lands, and created the slowly-spreading desert. Today, it holds the remnants of the Netherese, their flying enclaves having crashed to the ground when their greatest mage Karsus, challenged the goddess Mystryl for her divine mantle, causing the Weave to falter and all magic to fail. For generations since, Anauroch, the greatest desert in Faerûn, has slowly encroached relentlessly on border nations, burying them beneath the sands.
Baldur’s Gate is a metropolis and city-state on the Sword Coast and Western Heartlands border, on the north bank of the River Chionthar about 20 miles (32 km) east from its mouth on the Sea of Swords. It is located to the south of the great city-state of Waterdeep and to the north of the country of Amn, and is located along the well-traveled Coast Way road.
This wealthy port metropolis, whose population, according to many accounts, exceeds that of Waterdeep, is an important merchant city on the Sword Coast. Its strong watch and the presence of the powerful Flaming Fists mercenary company keeps the city generally peaceful and safe.
Candlekeep is a towered fortress library that stands on a crag overlooking the Sea of Swords. The library is filled with books and scrolls of knowledge. It was the home of the great seer Alaundo, who wrote the Roll of Years. To gain entry to the halls of wisdom, a visitor must gift the library collection with a new tome of immense value or rarity.
Chult is located at the westernmost end of the Chultan peninsula, in the southern part of the Trackless Sea, off the coast of Calimshan. It has always been remote and isolated, forming a mountainous jungle of savage beasts, hulking dinosaurs, and disease-ridden swamps. Human tribes, goblins, and even stranger monstrous folk haunted the thick jungles. Nevertheless, Chult draws adventurers who seek its legendary riches.
Evereska, Elvish for “fortress home”) is a fabled valley in the Western Heartlands, on the western edge of Anauroch. It is one of the last realms of the elves in the North, founded millennia ago as a haven for the remaining Fair Folk in Faerûn.
Loudwater is a large town that sits on the confluence of the Delimbiyr and Greyflow rivers, southeast of the High Forest. It is one of the only settlements in the area to survive the effects of the Spellplague, though it was much reduced in size and has been almost completely abandoned by the half-elves that once comprised half the population. Still, it manages to resist the dangers of the surrounding savage frontier. There is barely enough trade to keep the former city afloat, and dangerous criminals have replaced the small-time thieves guild that had once operated there.
Luruar, also commonly known as the Silver Marches, is a confederation of cities in north-western Faerûn, under the leadership of Alustriel Silverhand, former ruler of Silverymoon. It consists of Silverymoon, Citadel Adbar, Deadsnows, Jalanthar, Quaervarr, Citadel Felbarr, Everlund, and Mithral Hall, and its goal is to protect the North against the evil forces that threaten it. The nation is also a member of the Lords’ Alliance. It is bordered by the Anauroch desert to the east, the High Forest to the south, the Savage Frontier to the west and the Spine of the World mountain range to the north. It also shares a border with the kingdom of Many-Arrows.
Menzoberranzan, the City of Spiders, is a large underground drow city-state in the Underdark. It is possibly the most well known drow city in Faerûn. The city has approximately 20,000 drow inhabitants and hundreds of thousands of humanoid slaves such as goblins, kobolds, bugbears, duergar, svirfnebli, orcs, ogres, minotaurs, and giants, as well as herds of rothé kept as livestock. The city trades poisons, mushrooms, riding lizards, spell scrolls, wine, and water. The worship of Lolth is prevalent, and the city has the clerical academy Arach-Tinilith, a spider-shaped building where priestesses are trained. One of the branches of the city’s triune academies of Tier Breche, Arach-Tinilith is neighbored by the warrior school Melee-Magthere, and Sorcere tower where arcane spellcasters are sent to study. These academies are the quarters of some of the most powerful clerics, fighters and wizards, respectively, and the title of master of an academy is coveted, since being the master of Sorcere or Melee-Magthere is as high as the power ladder goes for some houseless drow or even noble males.
Realmspace is a term used to collectively describe Toril’s Prime Material, Feywild, and Shadowfell parallel planes.
Shadowdale is a farming community in the Dalelands, in north-central Faerûn. It was the home of the archmage Elminster two of the Seven Sisters, Storm Silverhand and Syluné. Through its history, Shadowdale has battled multiple enemies that have sought invasion. Due to the number of ruins in and near Shadowdale, it is a popular place for adventuring companies to settle.
Silver Marches – see Luruar
Silverymoon is the prime signatory state of the Confederation of Luruar and therefore, viewed by many as the capital. Silverymoon is often dubbed the “Gem of the North“, for it resembles and emulates the lost elven city of Myth Drannor in many respects. It is one of the few civilized places in the middle of the rough and untamed wilderness that is the North of Faerûn. Silverymoon has a rich cultural life and is renowned as a meeting place for all races that are morally inclined towards good. Silverymoon was also famous for its pervading tradition of magic, and was home to many notable wizards, sorcerers and other mages. The current High Mage of Silverymoon is Taern Hornblade, following centuries of rule by Alustriel Silverhand.
Sundabar is one of the wealthiest and most militaristic cities within the nation of Luruar, or all of Faerûn for that matter. While it was originally a dwarven citadel, it evolved as its demographics, exports and overall culture changed. One thing remains however, Sundabar continues to serve as the rampart of the north, keeping the realm’s dangers beyond civilized lands.
Thultanthar, the City of Shade or Shade Enclave, is a floating enclave of Netherese origin that entered the Plane of Shadow just before Karsus’s Folly brought down the empire in Year of Sundered Webs, −339 DR. Over the centuries, its population acclimated to the new environment and became known as shadovar. In the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR, Thultanthar was brought back to the Material Plane and became more commonly known as the City of Shade, leaving behind Gloomwrought in the Shadowfell. The inhabitants have attempted to restablish themselves as a power on Toril, with little success.
Sundabar, previously known as Citadel Sundbarr, is one of the wealthiest and most militaristic cities within the nation of Luruar, or all of Faerûn for that matter. While it was originally a dwarven citadel, it has evolved as its demographics, exports and overall culture changed. One thing remains however, Sundabar continues to serve as the rampart of the North, keeping back the realm’s dangers from civilized lands.
Triboar is a mercantile town that stands where the Long Road meets the Evermoor Way, at the north end of the Dessarin Valley. Triboar’s name is thought to have come from a traveler’s tale of slaying three boars here in the same day, over four hundred winters ago. The town is built on flat, fertile land, with a few natural rises here and there. Nearly half of Triboar’s population lives outside the town proper, on sprawling ranches and neighboring farmsteads, most of which lie to the north or east. The current lord protector of Triboar is a good-natured Harper and ex-adventurer named Darathra Shendrel. Darathra enacts and modifies local laws (known as “the Lord’s Decree”), which are then enforced by the Twelve—a squad of a dozen mounted warriors drawn from the militia. Triboar is a market for the horses raised by nearby ranches. Blacksmiths, harness-makers, and wagonworks also flourish in town. In addition, a number of guides operate out of Triboar. They take merchants and other travelers all over the Sword Coast, typically for stiff fees.
The Underdark was the vast network of underground caverns and tunnels underneath the surface of Toril. It is the home to many predators and often-hostile races, including: aboleth, beholders, cloakers, derro, drow, duergar, dwarves, illithids, kuo-toa, and svirfneblin. The Underdark is not one giant cavern under Faerûn, but rather, many huge networks of caverns and caves. As a result, it is not always possible to travel from one end of the Underdark to the other. The Underdark is divided into several domains that are similar to continents of the world above. While it is possible to travel from one place to another within a domain, separate domains tend to have very few passages linking them.
Waterdeep, also known as the City of Splendors or the Crown of the North, is the most important and influential city in the North and perhaps in all Faerûn. For this reason, it is often considered part of the Western Heartlands, even though it lay 150 miles north of Daggerford on the shores of the Sword Coast. The city sits “slightly above the 45 degree north latitude line on Toril.” The road to Waterdeep is well paved and well patrolled. The city is the hub of trading from the mineral-rich lands to the north, the merchant kingdoms of Amn and Calimshan to the south, the kingdoms of the Inner Sea to the east, and the sea kingdoms and traders to the west. Waterdeep’s authority extends between thirty to forty miles from its walls.
Yartar is a prosperous, and increasingly crowded, fortified city standing on the east bank of the River Surbrin in the north of the Dessarin Valley. It’s population has grown to the point that older structures have been torn down and new, taller, buildings have been erected, some as high as four stories. The city is connected to a citadel on the west bank by a fortified bridge that is wide enough to accommodate two wagons with room to spare. There, the Evermoor Way (linking Triboar and Silverymoon) crossed the Surbrin. Yartar is a crossroads trading town, so it is always bustling with caravans entering and leaving its walls. It is renowned as a place for merchants, smugglers, mercenaries, and spies from all over the North to meet and conduct business.