Savage Frontier

The Savage Frontier was the region of northwest Faerûn north of the Delimbiyr River, excluding the Sword Coast North, the High Forest and the former nation of Luruar, also known as the Silver Marches. In contrast to the civilized cities found to the south and west, the Savage Frontier comprised rural farmsteads and rough settlements of miners and loggers.

It was a temperate land, with rugged landscape that was rich with natural resources.

Geography

Generally speaking the Savage Frontier comprised three greater regions: the expansive Delimbiyr Vale that encompassed its namesake river along the eastern and southern borders of the High Forest; the Fallen Lands, which rebuffed the Anauroch desert; and the lowlands of the Dessarin Valley, that bordered the western trees of the High Forest.

Geographical Features

Bodies of Water

Three Rivers

The rivers Laughingflow, Dessarin and Surbrin were collectively known as the Three Rivers by locals.

• River Dessarin: Flowing from the Lost Peaks in the High Forest, flowed west through its namesake hills and south to Waterdeep.
• Laughingflow: The fast-moving clear water river was colloquially known as the Trollflow.
• River Surbrin: Flowing south from the hills that shared its name, the Surbrin housed the ruined settlement of Nesmé on its eastern bank.
• Delimbiyr River: The great river of the North stretched across the Savage Frontier from the Greypeak Mountains southwest before expanding into the delta of the Lizard Marsh.
• Gaustar's Creek: Flowing down from Grudd Haug, this stream flowed south to the Dessarin.
• River Grayflow: This river served the mining town of Llorkh before it was abandoned.
• River Loagrann: The Loagrann joined with the Grayflow before flowing into the mighty Delimbiyr.

Forests

The three forests of the region were known as the Triangle of Trees.

• Far Forest: Partially destroyed by the forces of Hellgate Keep, these trees were well-tended by a number of treants.
• South Wood: The small woodlands of the Delimbiyr Vale, provided timber for nearby settlers.
• Weathercote Wood: Despite its small size, this enduring forest survived since the times of ancient Netheril.

Hills and Mountains

• Dessarin Hills: South of the town of Yartar, these hills were home to orcs, ogres, giants and manticores.
• Forlorn Hills: These cold, barren mounds earned their name from the collapsed dwarf-kingdom of Dardath.
• Graypeak Mountains: This range that separated the Fallen Lands and the Delimbiyr Valley was home to a number of cloud giant castles.
• Larch Hills:
• Sumber Hills: These hills, located north of Waterdeep were divided by the Dessarin.
• Surbrin Hills: While hill giants and orcs called these hills their home, the Griffon tribe of barbarians claimed it as the territory they used to hunt.

Landmarks

• Dawn Pass: The only pass that cut through the Graypeak Mountains received brief sunlight from the rising sun.

Wetlands

• Evermoors: The vast expanse of hills and troughs were infested with trolls and home to a number of hill giants.

Notable Locations

Settlements

Ancestral Mounds

• Flint Rock: This alter and its surrounding hills was sacred to the Elk tribe.

Villages

• Beliard: This marketplace village served as the meeting place of ranchers and the home of the Watchful Knight inn.
• Calling Horns: The little village ruled by Tamalin Zoar grew out of a single, roadside inn.
• Griffon's Nest: Several longhouses composed the home village of the Griffon tribe.
• Longsaddle: While this quiet frontier settlement was located on a rather out-of-the-way stretch of the Long Road, it was well-protected by a well-known wizarding family.
• Parnast: This unexceptional village was once taken over by the Cult of the Dragon.
• Red Larch: The crossroads settlement of Red Larch offered travelers a restful place to stay while journeying along the Long Road.
• Rivermoot: Rivermoot was a village built atop stilts to protect it from the seasonal floodwaters of the Surbrin and Rauvin Rivers.
• Uluvin: Few travelers stopped in this sleepy berg as it had little to offer in the way of amenities.
• Westbridge: Named for its location on the western side of the Stone Trail, this stopover village was home to a number of farms along with a delightful restaurant and inn.

Towns

• Loudwater: The town of Loudwater remained strong and vibrant during the 15th century when so many other settlements fell to ruin.
• Triboar: Located on the crossroads where the Long Road met the Evermoor Way, Triboar was a busy merchant's town that served as the rallying place for the armies of the North.

Cities

• Yartar: The booming city of Yartar was well-protected to the dangers of the North.

Landmarks

• Feathergale Spire: This lofty marble tower served as home to the Feathergale Knights.
• Grudd Haug: Home to a group of hill giants, this den was constructed in a manner similar to a beaver dam.
• Sacred Stone Monastery: The community of monks in this monastery produced a delectable brandy.
• Spellgard: These ruins were remnants of the ancient empire of Netheril.
• Stone Bridge: This enormous stone overpass that crossed the Dessarin was built by dwarves some 5,000 years before the Era of Upheaval.
• Summit Hall: The monastery of the Knights of Samular was nestled within the Sumber Hills.

Ruins

• Halls of the Hunting Axe:
• Llorkh: After being taken over and exploited by the Zhentarim, this mining town fell to the ravages of the North.
• Nesmé: The frontier town of Nesmé was annihilated during the War of the Silver Marches.
• Orlbar: Like so many other settlements in the Savage Frontier, Orlbar was razed to the ground by nearby inhabitants, namely stone giants.
• Zelbross: The inn and farms that composed Zelbross were destroyed and abandoned sometime during the mid—15th century DR.

Roads

Cairn Road • Dawn Pass Trail • Delimbiyr Road • Dessarin Road • Evermoor Way • Grayvale Run • Iron Road • Jundar's Pass • Long Road • Stone Trail • Surbrin Trail

Fauna & Flora

Humanoids

The Savage Frontier was a racially diverse region. However, small towns and villages dominated by humans tend to have few if any non-humans. Most dwarves, elves, and halflings preferred to live in their own settlements, far from human-claimed lands.

Elves

Sun and moon elves lived among human settlements. The wood elf tribes of the neighbouring High Forest made little contact with the outside world.

Halflings

Strongheart halflings in the Savage Frontier frequently had homesteads hidden off the beaten paths through the valleys. Small populations of lightfoot halflings could be found in most human-dominated settlements.

Humans

There was no unified human nation in the Savage Frontier. The various towns, city-states, and roaming barbarians traded but also frequently came into conflict. While any human ethnicity could have been encountered in the Savage Frontier, the majority were of Illuskan, Tethyrian, Uthgardt, and Chondathan descent.

• Chondathan: Slender, tawny-skinned folk with brown hair ranging from almost blond to almost black and green or brown eyes. Those dwelling in the Savage Frontier were more likely to have blue eyes and a fair complexion. A small number of Chondathans migrated into the region from Sembia after the Year of the Watching Raven, 913 DR.
• Illuskan: Also called Northlanders or Northmen, Illuskans were typically tall, fair-skinned folk with blue or gray eyes. Those living in the Savage Frontier were prone to raven-black hair; indicating significant Netherese heritage. Illuskans were considered barbarians in spite of founding the cities that would become Luskan, Neverwinter, and Waterdeep.
• Tethyrian: Tethyrians were of mixed ancestry including Calishite, Chondathan, Illuskan, and Low Netherese. They tended to be of medium height and build, with dusky hued skin, brown hair, and blue eyes. Their skintone tended to be more fair the farther north one travelled. Tethyrians emigrated to the Dessarin river valley after the Year of the Triton's Horn, 697 DR. 
• Uthgardt Barbarians: The Uthgardt were a black-haired and blue-eyed folk descended from a mixture of Northmen, Netherese, and a few savage tribes. They were superstitious with a paranoid dislike of magic. The Elk, Gray Wolf, Griffon, and Thunderbeast tribe claimed territory in the Savage Frontier.

History

Long before the Savage Frontier was home to barbarian tribes and farmsteaders, it was home to the great elven kingdom of Eaerlann. That realm was located in the region that was later known as the Delimbiyr Valley.

In the Year of Watchful Eyes, 705 DR, the mages of the Covenant orchestrated the unity of the region's Uthgardt barbarians. The unified tribes banded together and fought against the frontier's goblinoid masses.

Type

Region

Location under

Northwest Faerûn

Included Locations

• Beliard
• Flint Rock
• Griffon's Nest
• Halls of the Hunting Axe
• Llorkh
• Longsaddle
• Loudwater
• Nesmé
• Orlbar
• Parnast
• Spellgard
• Stone Bridge
• Summit Hall
• Triboar
• Uluvin
• Westbridge
• Yartar
• Zelbross