Eastern Heartlands

The Eastern Heartlands, sometimes merely called the Heartlands, was a vast region in central and northern Faerûn.

The Eastern Heartlands comprised various smaller regions, nations and city-states, including the Dragon Coast, Cormyr, Sembia, Cormanthyr, the Dalelands, the southern stretch of the Moonsea, and Vesperin. The humans of the Eastern Heartlands shared a common culture and language.

Inhabitants

Far-reaching and influential groups operated throughout the cities and rural areas of the Eastern Heartlands, including the Harpers, the Zhentarim, and to a lesser degree the Red Wizards of Thay, colloquially known as the "Red Magic Cult."

Nagas were known to inhabit the Eastern Heartlands.

Geography

Cormanthor

The great empire of the elves known as Cormanthyr experienced periods of great turmoil and profound glory over the millennia but its dense and beautiful forest remained vital as of the late 15th century DR. Its forests served as one of the few remaining havens for Faerûnian elves during the Era of Upheaval as many of the Tel-quessir traveled west to their ancestral home of Evermeet.

Geographic Features

• Starwood, a stretch of the forest rich with enormous oak and maple tress that was home to an abundance of wildlife.

Landmarks

• Oakengrove Abbey, a human-made temple whose clergy venerated the deity Silvanus, situated on the edge of the forest.
• Standing Stone, this tall stone obelisk marked the completion of the Dales Compact between the elves and the Dalesmen, as well as the founding of the Dalereckoning calendar.

Settlements

• Elven Court, a vast forest-city that remained a bulwark for the folks of the Heartlands against malevolent drow that lived aboveground.
• Elventree, this settlement attracted many druids, half-elves and members of the Harpers, along with non-humans that were exiled from the city of Hillsfar.
• Myth Drannor, the great "City of Song" languished for centuries as fiend-infested ruins before enjoying a brief renaissance during the 15th century DR. It was ultimately destroyed a second time during the Second Sundering.
• Tangled Trees, a young community of brash and adventurous elves and half-elves that attracted many of their kind that chose not to join the Retreat.

Cormyr

The stalwart kingdom of the Heartlands remained strong and retained its robust wealth after many years of prolonged battle against the Tuigan Horde, a horde of orcs and Grodd goblins led by the elf-dragon Nalavara, and even the returned empire of Netheril. The Cormyrean people took great satisfaction in the prestige and honor their kingdom earned from those from other lands.

Geographic Features

• King's Forest, a lush forest rich with wildlife that was owned by the Cormyrean throne.
• Storm Horns, stark and foreboding mountains that housed myriad of beasts and monsters.
• Thunder Peaks, a massive range of peaks that separated Cormyr from the neighboring Dalelands.
• Wyvernwater, the clear mist-covered lake that supported the livelihoods of many local fishers.

Landmarks

• Haunted Halls, a dungeon beneath Starwater Gorge that was famously explored by the Knights of Myth Drannor.

Settlements

• Arabel, despite being occupied for a time during the Goblin War, the Caravan City remained a crucial trading center and military fortification for Cormyr.
• Suzail, the capital of Cormyr remained the Forest Kingdom's richest city as well as the seat of power for its monarch.
• Tilverton, this small city in eastern Cormyr was utterly destroyed in 1372 DR and transformed into a shadowy mass and stretch of plagueland following the Spellplague.

Dalelands

The Dalelands was a confederation of rural communities and rustic farmsteads situated within and along the southern border of the Cormanthor forest. Its people were hard-working, prideful, and often wanted nothing more than to be left out of the affairs of the larger nations that neighbored their lands.

Geographic Features

• Arch Wood, an old forest that was once part of the great woods of Cormanthor.
• River Ashaba, the major waterway passing through the Dales, along the banks of which numerous towns and cities were founded.
• Vale of Lost Voices, a burial site for elven warriors that was considered sacred among the Eldreth Veluuthra.

Settlements

• Archenbridge, the capital of Archendale was the largest and most fortified city in all the Dales.
• Scardale Town, a great port city and influential trading center in the region.
• Shadowdale, this small farming community was home to the Realms-famous sage Elminster.

Dragon Coast

The Dragon Coast was an unaligned collective of independent city-states situated along the southwestern shores of the Sea of Fallen Stars. It served as the gateway to western lands of Kara-Tur on the eastern end of the Golden Way; a place where numerous contrasting cultures came together to trade goods and trade customs.

Geographic Features

• Redwater, the broad lake whose shore housed a settlement of the same name.

Landmarks

• Ruins of Starmantle, a former bustling coastal city that was destroyed during the Spellplague.
• Stormwatch, the castle of the Night King Orbakh that remained a headquarters for Zhentarim agents in the Dragon Coast.

Settlements

• Elversult, this wealthy city helped facilitate trade, both legal and illicit, between many settlements across the Heartlands.
• Nathlekh, the capital of the small feudal nation of Nathlan.
• Proskur, a haven of thieves and scoundrels that masqueraded as civic leaders and pillars of the community.
• Westgate, the oldest and wealthiest city of the coast, where the promise of coin reigned supreme in the minds of most of its residents.

Moonsea

The Moonsea region of north Faerûn was a perilous place of warring city-states that constantly lived under the threat of monstrous invasions from the surrounding lands. While the natural wealth of its lands attracted some of the hardest folks from across the Realms, they often had to deal with extra hardships not always found elsewhere, including xenophobic governments, dictatorial control over the use of magic, and the ever-present threat of the Zhentarim.

Geographic Features

• Dragonspine Mountains, frigid and rocky mountains that divided the region in half.
• Moonsea lake, the vast body of water that lent its name to the surrounding lands.
• Twilight Marsh, a fog-covered swamp that was home to lizardfolk and the terrible black dragon Throstulgrael.

Landmarks

• Bell in the Depths, a mysterious belltower from the lost city of Northkeep.
• Sorcerer's Isle, an isle on the Stojanow that housed the mysterious pyramid that once served as a wizard's college, but was later taken over by evil spellcasters and slaadi from Limbo.

Settlements

• Melvaunt, a bleak and over-populated metropolis that lay beneath oppressive, smoke filled skies caused by the ceaseless fires of unrestrained industry.
• Mulmaster, this politically powerful city-state maintained a strong army and retained tight regulation over the use of magic within its walls.
• Zhentil Keep, the twice-destroyed city was the oldest human settlement of the Moonsea, as well as the birthplace of the often-mysterious and always-perilous organization known as the Zhentarim.

Sembia

This young and wealthy nation remained independent for many years before being pulled within the reach of the returned empire of Netheril to the north for nearly a century. Throughout its history Sembian culture was the embodiment of refined metropolitan tastes, envied by many across the Realms. Much of the nation's wealth came from the most influential mercantile organizations that made their home within its cities.

Geographic Features

• River Arkhen, a massive river set within a deep gorge that passed through Sembia from the Dales to the north.

Landmarks

• Abbey of the Rose, the solitary church of Amaunator that was home to a renowned oracle.

Settlements

• Daerlun, a Sembian city that acquired independence in the mid–15th century DR.
• Ordulin, the nation's former capital that was annihilated by a planar rift known as the Adumbral Calyx was conjured by clergy of the goddess Shar.
• Saerloon, a chaotic city that was overrun with thieves' guilds, evil cultists, and dark agents from foreign nations.
• Selgaunt, the richest city of Sembia was the epitome of opulence and wealth that became the exemplar for Netherese control over the realm during their prolonged war with Cormyr.

The Vast

While the open lands of the Vast were not densely populated, they housed a handful of influential city-states along its coast and many smaller settlements connected by a robust network of roads. A few of these cities banded together to form the nation of Vesperin, attracting traders from nearby nations, and transforming the region into a hub of trade and greater competitive power in the Heartlands.

Geographic Features

• Dragon Reach, a large fjord extended north from the Sea of Fallen Stars separating the Vast from the Dalelands to the west.
• Earthfast Mountains, the southern branch of the Vast's mountain ranges, home to one of the great cities of the dwarves.
• Earthspur Mountains, the great mountain range bordering the kingdom of Impiltur was home to orcs, goblinoid races, and great numbers of cave trolls.
• Gray Forest, an expansive woodland of trees that held the spirits of a community of moon elves that transformed themselves in the face of extinction.

Landmarks

• Mage's Tower, a solitary spire that was given a wide berth by locals, the mysterious owner of which was the subject of much rumor and speculation.
• Moonlit Tower, a mysterious tower that only appeared during nights of a full moon.

Settlements

• Calaunt, a strong and long-independent city that had no tolerance for piracy, except for those allied with the extensive guild of thieves known as the Shadowcloaks.
• Ravens Bluff, the bustling port metropolis was a vibrant place that attracted adventurers from all across the Realms.
• Tantras, this city was the site of a famous battle between the avatars of Bane and Torm during the Avatar Crisis.

History

After the Fall of Netheril, the survivors of three eastern Netherese cities, Anauria, Asram, and Hlondath, gradually migrated and settled in what is now the Eastern Heartlands.

War engulfed much of the Eastern Heartlands during the 15th century DR, when lost flying city of Thultanthar appeared over the Anauroch desert and signaled the return of the Netheril empire. The conquering Netherese subjugated the nation of Sembia and some of the Dalelands, while engaging in a decades-long war with Cormyr and the renewed city of Myth Drannor that continued until the calamity known as the Second Sundering reshaped all of Faerûn.

Type

Region

Location under

North Faerûn