Faerun

Faerûn (pronounced: /feɪˈruːn/ fay-ROON) was a major continent on the planet of Toril.

Someone should have dared, long ago, and done so as often as it took to break you of this serenely wrong view of the ways of the world. Hear this, Narantha, and hear it well: Faerûn is not going to change to your will. Either you must change to dwell in it, or it will break you. — Florin Falconhand of the Knights of Myth Drannor

Etymology

The word "Faerûn" is a modified version of "Faerie", the name of the homeland of ancient elves. The term was coined by Durothil, prince of Tintageer, Faerie.

Geography

The continent included terrain that was as varied as any other. Besides the exterior coastline to the west and south, the most dominant feature on the continent was the Sea of Fallen Stars. This was an irregular inland sea that kept the interior lands fertile, connected the west and east regions of Faerûn and served as a major trade route for many of the bordering nations. Next in significance was the Shaar, a broad region of grasslands in the south that, together with the Lake of Steam, separated the area around the inland sea from the coastal nations at the southern edge of the continent. To the east, Faerûn was bordered by a vast region of steppes from Kara-Tur, and in the north were massive glaciers (Pelvuria and Reghed) and tundra. South of the continent, separated by the Great Sea, was the sub-tropical land of Zakhara.