Faerûn (fay-ROON)
From the bitter, windswept steppes of the Endless Waste to the storm-lashed cliffs of the Sword Coast stretches a wide, wild land of shining kingdoms and primal wilderness, Faerûn is only one continent of the world known as Toril. Other lands lie in distant corners of the world, but Faerûn is the center of it all, the crossroads and crux upon which all else turns. Dozens of nations, hundreds of city-states, and countless tribes, villages, and settlements dot its expanse.
The continent of Faerûn is a landmass of approximately nine and a half million square miles, located mainly in the northern hemisphere of the world of Toril. Sub-arctic extremes chill its northern reaches, where ice sheets like the Great Glacier dominate the landscape in blinding white. To the south are the equatorial jungles of Chult and the tropical coasts of Halruaa. It’s bordered on the west by the Trackless Sea and on the east by the Endless Wastes and the Hordelands that separate it from Kara-Tur.
Faerûn is an open land full of kingdoms and empires, large and small, and scattered city-states and villages struggling to make their way in a landscape that can be unforgiving wilderness one mile and cosmopolitan city the next.
Countless millions of humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, and other sentient beings call Faerûn home. It is a land of magic and intrigue, cruel violence and divine compassion, where gods have ascended and died, and millennia of warfare and conquests have shaped dozens of unique cultures.
Geography
The continent includes terrain that is as varied as any other. Besides the exterior coastline to the west and south, the most dominant feature on the continent is the Sea of Fallen Stars. This irregular inland sea that keeps the interior lands fertile, connects the west and east regions of Faerûn and serves as a major trade route for many of the bordering nations.
Next in significance is the Shaar, a broad region of grasslands in the south that, together with the Lake of Steam, separates the area around the inland sea from the coastal nations at the southern edge of the continent. To the east, Faerûn is bordered by a vast region of steppes from Kara-Tur, and in the north are massive glaciers (Pelvuria and Reghed) and tundra. South of the continent, separated by the Great Sea, is the sub-tropical land of Zakhara.
The continent includes the following geographic and political regions:
Northwest
A region of wilderness, difficult winter weather, orc hordes, and barbarian tribes, this region is generally referred to as "The North", and also contains most of the "Sword Coast North". It is a mostly untamed region that lies between the large Anauroch desert in the east and the expansive Sea of Swords in the west, north of the High Moor. This area contains:- High Forest: A traditional home of the elves.
- Frozenfar: The frigid north that contains the Ten Towns of Icewind Dale, the Spine of the World and the Sea of Moving Ice.
- Savage Frontier: The rugged frontier of the north that attracts farmsteads and others that chose to live off the land.
- Silver Marches: A confederation of humans, dwarves, and elves, with the city of Silverymoon at its heart.
- Sword Coast North: A dangerous coastal area housing several great cities, including the metropolis of Waterdeep and the city of Neverwinter.
North
This region stretches from the wide Anauroch desert in the west to the eastern edge of the inland Moonsea, in the northern region of the continent. It is a region of contrasts, containing:- Anauroch: A huge desert, once the fertile land of the empire of Netheril.
- The Dalelands: An area of rich farmland and human civilization.
- The Moonsea: A large northern body of water with shores in many politically unstable areas.
- The Ride: A northern steppe, home to mounted barbarians.
- The Vast: A pioneering land of wide open spaces. Home to large populations of warring orcs and dwarves.
Northeast
This remote area begins in the cold, forbidding lands along the great ice sheets and continues south toward the northeastern shores of the Sea of Fallen Stars, collectively known as the Cold Lands. It is bordered on the west by the mountain-hemmed land of Vaasa and stretched east to the vast steppes of the Hordelands. This region contains:- Damara: A tolerant, inviting land that was often at odds with its neighbour Vaasa over the mineral trade.
- The Great Dale: An insulated land of mostly human farmers, woodsmen and druids.
- Impiltur: A friendly, peaceful merchant nation.
- The Hordelands: The vast, barren homelands of the nomadic Tuigan horde.
- Narfell: This expansive, frigid plains land was home to several nomadic tribes.
- Rashemen: A frigid, rugged realm known for its berserker clans and powerful sorceress witches.
- Thesk: Located around the Golden Way, this land of farmers and merchants served as the portal to Kara-Tur.
- Vaasa: A dreary, frozen tundra sparse in population but rich in natural resources.
West
This region includes the nations south of Waterdeep and north of the Shining Sea that borders the Sea of Swords. It encompasses both the majority of the Sword Coast and the Lands of Intrigue, as well as: Evermeet: The island homeland for most of the elves of Faerûn following the great retreat.- Lantan: A technologically advanced island nation home to human and gnomish worshipers of Gond.
- The Moonshae Isles: A series of rugged and harsh islands located off the western coast of Faerûn.
- The Nelanther Isles: An island of predominantly non-human pirates that raides the Sword Coast.
- Nimbral: The mysterious, picturesque island nation of famed wizards and mounted aerial knights.
- The Western Heartlands: This vast land of independent cities and farmlands spans the area between the western coast and the nation of Cormyr
Lands of Intrigue
- Amn: A huge, relatively new human nation of great wealth and prosperity.
- Calimshan: This kingdom of extreme wealth, founded by genies, extolled mercantilism.
- Tethyr: This arid land was home to a nation wracked with war and intrigue as well as a forest with a heavy elven population.
The Sword Coast
A rich coastline of trade, piracy, and adventure between Waterdeep and Baldur's Gate.- Baldur's Gate: This metropolis is the hub between a number of trading routes, named after the famous explorer Balduran.
Interior
With the exception of the Shining Plains, these lands lie along the irregular coastline of the western Sea of Fallen Stars. In the north, the Dragonmere arm of the sea extends far to the west, ending close to the Western Heartlands. To the south, the Vilhon Reach forms a second arm leading to the southwest. The notable areas within this region included:- Akanûl: A realm displaced from Abeir during the Spellplague, this kingdom of exotic genasi replaced parts of Chondath and Chessenta.
- Chondath: This confederation of city-states rested on the southern border of the Sea of Fallen Stars.
- Cormyr: A feudal nation of humans living on former elven and dragon territory.
- The Dragon Coast: The southern coast of the Sea of Fallen Stars was a den for pirates, thieves and members of the regions' more unseemly organizations.
- Hlondeth: This independent city-state has been ruled by Yuan-Ti since 6th century DR.
- The Pirate Isles: A chain of islands that serves as a refuge to the human pirates within the Sea of Fallen Stars.
- Sembia: This young, expansive nation of lawful merchants served as a broker between the northern and southern powers of the Sea of Fallen Stars.
- Sespech: An independent barony that gained its independence from Chondath; they banned the use of magic.
- Turmish: Farmers and honest traders thrived in this republic comprised of small cities and peaceful villages.
- The Shining Plains: A massive expanse of grassland home to human cities and tribes of centaurs and wemics.
East
Most of the nations in this region border the eastern expanses of the Sea of Fallen Stars. Here the sea forms a long arm that travels to the east before turning south to become the Alamber Sea. The northern nations of this mysterious area are termed the Unapproachable East and the southern nations the Old Empires, and, for a time, the Empires of the Alamber Sea. This region includes:- Aglarond: An autocratic magocracy that acts as a peacekeeping force in the area against pirates and agents of Thay.
- Altumbel: This small, isolated, xenophobic kingdom is located on the westernmost point of the Aglarondan peninsula.
- Chessenta: A group of loosely-affiliated city-states whose culture adulates physical prowess and fostered a passion for the arts.
- Chondalwood: One of the rare, expansive forests of Faerûn that had continuously expanding borders.
- High Imaskar: Remnants of Mulan-overthrown Imaskar empire.
- Mulhorand: A formerly mighty empire that continues on in the shadow of its former glory.
- Murghôm: This country farmers operate in semi-autonomy from Mulhorand, but still gave them mandatory aide in times of war and crisis. During the 15th century DR, it became an independent land ruled by dragon princes.
- Okoth: This remnant of the oldest known civilization on Faerûn served the return of the Sarrukh in the 14th century DR.
- Thay: A magocracy built on slavery; home of the notorious Red Wizards.
- Tymanther: The remains of a realm from Abeir displaced and destroyed during the Spellplague, the kingdom of dragonborn on Faerûn was known for their militant nature.
- Unther: A realm in decline after the loss of many conquered lands and their patron deity Gilgeam.
South West
This region lies along the great Chultan Peninsula that juts out toward the west. The waters to the north are named the Shining Sea, a body bounded by Calimshan to the north and joins to the Lake of Steam through the Straits of Storm. To the south of the land is the Great Sea. Located in this area are:- Chult: A region full of both wealth and disease, home to many serpentine races and creatures including dinosaurs.
- Jungles of Chult: The dense and dangerous jungles held a wide variety of deadly flora and fauna, the rumours of which frightened nearby neighbouring societies.
- Lapaliiya: A group of city-states of zealous faith, formed by the previously tribal natives.
- Samarach: This mysterious kingdom on the southern end of the Chultan peninsula was largely obscured by illusion magic.
- Tashalar: Wealth, skill and exotic goods were found in abundance in this mercantile oligarchy.
- Thindol: A country of mixed human and Yuan-ti lineage.
South
The Shining South lies to the south of the regions around the Sea of Fallen Stars, it is somewhat isolated by the Lake of Steam in the west, and the vast length of the Shaar. It is bordered along the south by the Great Sea, to the west by the Chultan peninsula region, and in the east by Luiren. The south includes:- The Border Kingdoms: An area of ever-changing mini-nations and fluctuating borders.
- Dambrath: This nation has exchanged sovereignty between humans and the half-drow Crinti, and back again over the course of a half-millennium.
- The Great Rift: This giant canyon that cleaves the area in half is the ancestral home of Gold Dwarf's.
- Halruaa: The nation of wizards is full of unique magic and well-guarded against foreigners.
- The Lake of Steam region: Many races and species made up the populations of the independent city-states around the southern shore of the lake.
- The Shaar: A vast, rolling grassland home to nomadic Shaaran tribes, wemics and centaurs.
Southeast
These lands lie to the south and east of the grassy plains known as the Shaar, along the shores of the Great Sea opposite the land of Zakhara. The region includes:- Durpar: This merchant kingdom is lauded as the foremost trader in this part of Toril.
- Estagund: An honorable and virtuous monarchy led the Rajah and the nation's noble warriors, the Maquar.
- Var the Golden: This wealthy and intriguing nation follows the Adama.
- Luiren: This is the only kingdom of halflings in Faerûn.
- Ulgarth: A feudal kingdom whose monarch is dedicated to fair and just governance.
- The Utter East: Home to the Five Kingdoms, this land borders Kara-Tur and Zakhara.
- Veldorn: The Land of Monsters is ruled by an alliance of beast-chieftains.
Maps
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Map of Faerûn
As of 1492 DR; 1 Hex = 40 miles