Climate & Geography

The geographic regions of Faerûn range from the frigid artic to the steamy tropics, with all types of landscapes and climates in between. Travelers can find soaring mountain ranges, vast chasms, great lakes, and a large inland sea. Some climates and geographies can be explained by natural forces, whereas others are the result of (or at least influenced) magic.
Climate is generally a function of latitude, altitude, and precipitation, with a great deal of regional variation due to changes in altitude, the proximity of bodies of water, and magic. Generally, Faerûn can be divided into five climatic zones.

• The northwest receives a great deal of precipitation and ranges from a frozen, blighted wasteland to alpine valleys that have short, fierce summers to verdant, temperate region capable of supporting large cities.
• The southwest generally receives plenty of precipitation and ranges from temperate to steamy to desert.
• The southeastern interior is arid with hot, dry summers and perversely cold winters.
• The northeast is arid and cold, and few forests flourish here.

The Sea of Fallen Stars makes the interior wet and temperate and a generally pleasant place to live.