Faerun
Running along the Sea of Swords from north of Arnn
to the Sea of Moving Ice, the Sword Coast is a narrow
band of territory dominated by the city-states of the area
that use the sea for trade. For most who care about such
things, the area is delimited by Neverwinter in the north
and Baldur's Gate in the south, but territory farther to
the north and south that isn't under the sway of a more
influential power is usually also included in maps of the
Sword Coast.
More broadly, the North refers to all the territory
north of Arnn, split into two general regions: the Western Heartlands and the Savage Frontier. The Western
Heartlands encompasses a narrow strip of civilization running from the Sunset Mountains to the Sea
of Swords, and northward from the band of territory
marked by the Cloud Peaks and the Troll Mountains to
the Trade Way. The Savage Frontier is the name given
to the rest of the unsettled or sparsely settled territory
in the North, not including the major cities and towns
and any settlements in their immediate spheres of
influence.
Most of the communities, nations, and governments of
the North can be grouped into five categories: the cities
and towns that are members of the Lords' Alliance, the
dwarfholds that have been built throughout the area, the
island kingdoms off the coast, the independent realms
scattered up and down the coast, and the subterranean
environs of the Underdark.