The North (Faerun)

The North refers to all the territory north of Amn , split into two general regions: the Western Heartlands and the Savage Frontier.

Factions of the North

The Lords' Alliance

The Lords' Alliance is a confederation of rulers of various northern settlements. The Lords' Alliance includes the strongest mercantile powers of the North.

The Dwarvenholds of the North

The various dwarven communities of the North are the heirs and survivors of Delzoun , the great Northkingdom of long ago. Despite continually warring over the centuries with the orcs and goblins of the region, and having to fight off assaults from below by duregar and drow , the Shield Dwarves have stood fast, determined to hold their halls against all threats - and, when necessary, reclaim them.
Holds that survive from the days of Delzoun include Mithral Hall, Citadel Adbar, and Citadel Felbarr. The fabled city of Gauntlgrym, built by the Delzoun dwarves and recently taken back from the drow, stands as a beacon of resurgent dwarven strength in the North. Stoneshaft Hold and Ironmaster are lonely settlements continually girding themselves for threats real and imagined. Sundabar and Mirabar are also generally considered dwarfholds, despite their substantial human populations.
Until recently, many of the dwarfholds were members of the Silver Marches (also known as Luruar), an alliance of cities that provided mutual protection across the North. Disagreements and failed obligations during a war with the orc Kingdom of Many-Arrows destroyed the remaining trust between members of the Marches, and that pact is no more. The dwarfholds still ally with one another, and individually with nearby human realms, but no longer pledge to stand unified with all their neighbors.

Island Kingdoms

Off the western coast of Faerun are a number of island realms of varying size. The most distant, and yet perhaps the most symbolically important to the mainland, is Evermeet, the island paradise of the elves , reputed to be a part of the divine realm of Arvandor. Much closer to Faerun are the Whalebones and Ruathym, ancient homes of the ancestors of the Illuskan people, and the Moonshae, where many of those same people now share the islands with the Ffolk and an elf offshoot known as the Llewyr. The free port of Mintarn lies nearby, a neutral site for meetings between enemies and a recruitment spot that offers abundant jobs for sailors. Despite its size, the tiny island of Orlumbor, with its treacherous harbor and its skilled, in-demand shipwrights, is an independent and influential nation unto itself.
In the seas to the south, pirates of many races and predilections sail from the Nelanther Isles, preying on trade running north and south along the coasts. Since the beginning of The Sundering, fabled Lantan and Nimbral have returned. Both the center of invention and the isle of Leira-worshiping illusionists are even more secretive and less welcoming of strangers than before their disappearance.

Independant Realms

Interspersed among the fortresses of the dwarves and the settlements protected by The Lords' Alliance are significant sites that have no collective character , except that they exist largely outside the protection or purview of the great powers of the region. Even the civilized locales among these places, such as Elturgard, exist, at best, in an uneasy tension with the denizens of the wilder lands within and just outside their borders, and survive only through constant vigilance and the steady recruitment of new defenders.
A great variety of independent nations and notable locations is encompassed within the wild lands of the North. Among them are the great library of Candlekeep, home of the greatest collection of written lore in Faerun; the imposing, giant-scale castle of Darkhold; the fortified abbey of Helm's Hold; sites of great battles such as Boareskyr Bridge and The Fields of the Dead; realms of some security, such as Elturgard and Hartsvale; and the Yuan-ti realm of Najara. The lands of the Uthgardt, the towns of frigid Icewind Dale, the quiet Trielta Hills, the cutthroat city of Luskan(settlement), and the legendary Warlock's Crypt, dominion of the great lich Larloch, are all independent realms, as are The High Moor, The Trollclaws, and The High Forest.
There is much danger and adventure to be had in the free places of the North, and a great deal of wealth and treasure. as well. The ruins of ancient kingdoms and countless smaller settlements litter the countryside, waiting for the right explorers to happen upon them.

The Underdark

Extending miles downward and outward beneath the surface of Faerun, and reaching to other continents as well, the great network of subterranean caverns known as The Underdark is home to all manner of strange and deadly creatures. Duregar and drow - dark reflections of Dwarves and Elves - live in these sunless lands , as do the Svirfneblin, or deep gnomes. Most surface-dwelling folk aren't threatened or even disturbed by denizens of the deep places, but the creatures occasionally emerge to raid or to seek some kind of goal in the surface world.
Among the lands of the Underdark be neath the North are the Svirfneblin city of Blingdenstone, the duregar city of Gracklstugh, and the infamous drow city of Menzoberranzan . Also prominent is Mantol-Derith, a trading post for Underdark merchants.

Geography

The Western Heartlands

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

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.

The Sword Coast

Running along the Sea of Swords from north of Amn to the Sea of Moving Ice, the Sword Coast is a narrow band of territory dominated by city-states of the area that use the sea for trade. The border is delineated by Neverwinter in the north, and Baldur's Gate in the south, but territory farther to the north and south is usually also included in the Sword Coast . This area overlaps with some of the Savage Frontier and the Western Heartlands.