The Shining Lands

A land of sandy wastes and tragic tales. The Shining Lands encompasses the southeastern part of Faerun. The spellplague left a path of destruction and nothing more than mere echoes of the civilization that used to exist there.
The Shining Lands contains the ruins of the empire of the Imaskari Empire in its Northern region. The Imaskari was an empire consisting of mainly humans split into three ethnic factions, the Mulan, The Turami, and the slaves from Thay known as Tethens. The Imaskari empire was originally created under the guidance of the even older Imaskar empire, an empire that lasted for thousands of years before eventually being swallowed by the surrounding desert.
The Mulhorand empire was destroyed by the spellplague leaving behind no survivors. Many adventurers have sought these remnants of the civilization in a quest for treasure and riches. Although some ruins may still contain riches, they are mainly no more than tombs that are slowly being swallowed by sand.
In the southern part of The Shining Lands is the exotic port city Pyratar within the Golden Water bay. The cool breeze of the bays helps lower the sweltering temperature of the surrounding desert by creating a constant cool breeze. The Golden Water bay is what gives the Shining Land its name; the bay is rich with minerals that gives it the appearance of shining in the sunlight. The bay is also brimming with fish and reefs. A main export of the city are precious pearls, which helped contribute to the prosperity of the port city Pyratar. This allowed the nation to become wealthy from trading with other coastal cities in Faerun. There have been many attempts to set up land caravans but thus far all attempts have been unsuccessful.
While the only civilization that may be left within the Shining Lands is that surrounding the Golden Water Bay, the area is rumored to be filled with ancient secrets and countless treasures that may be hidden just below the sand. This has enticed many adventures to embark on voyages through these lands, although only the strongest typically return.

The Imaskar Empire was a large and powerful empire built off the work of slaves. It is not known exactly when the empire was created but there are records that go as far back as -8350 DR. The Imaskar were, for a long period of time, ruled by a Lord Artificer, and Artificers were valued members of society. They were considered an advanced civilization that would have thrust the world into a new age if it had shared its immense knowledge. Although when the Imaskar Empire was lost to the sands, so were all of their secrets.

It is rumored before the civilization disappeared Lord Artificer Omanond had Imaskari artificers create the Imaskarcana - seven immensly powerful arcane artifacts. Nobody knows what these artifacts were as all records have been lost since, all that is known is that they were considered the most powerful and treasured artifacts of the entire empire. It has been over 9000 years since anyone has even laid eyes on them, so they could be no more than a tale spun over time.