Vaasa

This untamed wasteland of frozen moors and tundra was the seat of power for the evil lich Zhengyi the Witch-King until his defeat by a band of adventurers. Vaasa is once again a lonely land dotted with scratch farms and inhabited by evil humanoids and other monsters. What the land lacks in hospitality it makes up for in untapped wealth, as the mountains of Vaasa are rich in metals and gems, particularly bloodstone. Miles of mountainside go unclaimed by any civilization, and many well-armed prospectors make the trip to Vaasa hoping to find gems as large as a grown man’s fist - and survive long enough to sell them.

Life and Society

Vaasa is a cold, dreary place with poor soil, inadequate, for large settlements without magical help. During the brief summer the frozen earth turns to thick mud, making travel more difficult than it is in the wintertime, when dogsleds and skis are a common sight. Numerous bands of humanoids hunt the plains and mountains in search of game, mainly caribou and small herbivores. Other humanoids resort to consuming the dead of enemy tribes.
Local settlements of humans are well protected or in isolated places where they are likely to go undiscovered. Life is hard and the people are tough, quiet, and stern. People of the flatlands speak a mixture of Common and Dwarven, while the inhabitants of remote mountain settlements (and those close to Palischuk) use many Orc words.

Regional History

For most of its existence, Vaasa has been a frozen land barely capable of supporting civilized folk. For centuries nothing more than humanoid tribes and scattered hunters, trappers and farmers inhabited the land. The arrival of Zhengyi and the creation of his fortress in 1347 DR turned Vaasa into a military nation of goblinkin, orcs, giants, undead, demons, bandits, and skilled assassins, all intent on conquest.
The armies of Vaasa attacked and defeated the people of Damara, dividing that nation into petty baronies. The so-called Witch-King disappeared for a time, and a group of heroes rose to defeat the demonic minions and eventually the lich himself, which caused Castle Perilous to collapse. The Vaasa of today has reverted to its old ways, with bands of monsters running loose and no central authority. However, bandits and assassins are still thought to be hiding somewhere in the country, plotting revenge.

Geography

Major Geographical Features

Bordered by mountains and the Great Glacier, Vaasa is virtually isolated from the rest of Faerun.

• The Barrow Hills

• Bottomless Bogs

• The Dark Mere

• Forest of Stones

• Frostmire Fen

• Great Glacier

• Greengate Forest

• The Howling Hills

• The Marchlands

• Needleglens

• Nevander's Wood

• The Shudderwood

• The Sodden Hills

• Suncatcher Mountain

• Whispering Wood

• The Winged Wood

• The Wolfcrags

Important Sites

Despite its hazards, Castle Perilous is the most impressive and visited site in Vaasa, a land now largely empty.

• Castle Perilous

• Darmshall

• Delhalls

• Mistmoor

• Talagbar

• Palischuk

• Village of the White Worm Barbarian Tribe

Type

Region

Included Locations

• Black Holes of Sunderland
• Castle Perilous
• Darmshall
• Hobgoblin Lair
• Mistmoor
• Palischuk

Included Organizations

• Blackfire Adepts

Contested By

• Kingdom of Damara