Sword Coast North

The Sword Coast North

The Sword Coast North is a region on the northwestern coast of Faerûn. While it comprises a rough landscape of rugged hills, precarious mountain ranges, and dense forests, it is home to several like-minded towns and cities. The most prominent of these cities banded together with nearby allies to form the Lords' Alliance, which united much of the region well into the late 15th century DR.

Geography

The region stretches from Waterdeep in the south to the Spine of the World in the north, and from the Sword Coast in the west to the Long Road in the east.

Geographical features

Bodies of Water

• Mere of Dead Men: Once home to a great kingdom of the North, this swamp land has become the domain of savage lizardfolk and will-o'-wisps
• River Mirar: The Mirar runs roughly parallel to the Blackford Road, from the Spine of the World to the Sea of Swords near the city of Luskan
• Sea of Moving Ice: The icebergs that float in this frigid northern waters are home to men, orcs, frost giants, and even dragons
• Sea of Swords: This sea is between the Sword Coast and the Moonshae Isles. The body of water is sometimes considered to extend as far as Luskan
• Silverwisp Swamp

Forests

• Ardeep Forest: A moon elf community that dwells within this forest are a remnant of ancient Illefarn. They were joined by a group of wood elves sometime in the late 15th century
• Neverwinter Wood: Originally known as the "Llewyrrwood", this forest is home to elves and a great many fey
• Kryptgarden Forest: The home of the green dragon Claugiyliamatar, this forest is the site of many dwarven ruins
• Westwood: The small forest located between the Kheldell Path and the Long Road houses a notable shrine to the deity Mielikki.

Hills and Mountains

• Berun's Hill: Named after the famous ranger, this mound offers a great view of the Dessarin Valley to the east
• Crags: These peaks contain a number of abandoned mines and are overrun with goblins and gnolls
• Mount Hotenow: While dormant for many years, this volcano erupted in the mid–15th century, after the primordial Maegera was awoken within
• Starmetal Hills: These hills earned their name from the significant number of meteor showers that it experienced throughout many centuries
• Sword Mountains: While these mountains are dotted with a number of ruins and underground dungeons, they are also home to a scattered goblinoid and orc tribes

Landmarks

• Lance Rock: This solitary granite monolith garnered its location in the valley thanks to two feuding dragons
• Red Rocks: These rocky isles are situated just off the coast, west of the Sword Mountains
• Wyvern Tor: This rocky crag overlooks the crossroads town of Triboar. It was home to to orcs, ogres, and wyverns
• Drowned Shore

Valleys

• Dessarin Valley: Encompassing the lands just east of the Long Road, this valley is home to many farms, villages, and towns; some of which refer to themselves as "the Gateway to the North"

History

The first great realm to appear in the region known as the Sword Coast North was that of Illefarn. The kingdom of Illefarn was a contemporary of Netheril, consisting of both dwarves and elves. Illefarn survived the Fall of Netheril, until the elves left for Evermeet. Northlanders and other humans began migrating into the region a few years before the Year of Sunrise, 1 DR.

Notable Locations

Landmarks

Keeps, Forts & Towers

• Crossroad Keep: The keep of the Neverwintan Greycloaks is strategically located between a number of prominent settlements
• Fort Locke: Another of the Greycloaks' garrisons, this wooden outpost is built on the southern end of the Mere of Dead Men
• House of Stone: Also known as "Stoneturn", this keep dates back to the ancient Illefarn
• Tower of Twilight: This tower is the residence of the well-known mage, Malchor Harpell
• Reclamation Rock

Motes

Nearly all these earthmotes float in the skies around Neverwinter.

• Fisher's Float: As its name suggests, this floating settlement is home to a community of fishermen
• Moonstone Mask: This mote encompasses the beloved festhall of the same name
• Pirates' Skyhold: While the hold was originally held by a group of pirates that traveled within a skyship, it was later taken over by the black dragon Garrundar
• Spinward Rise

Ruins

• Ember: The residents of this small town were killed by Luskan assassins in the late 14th, an act that was blamed on the adventurer known as the Knight-captain of Crossroad Keep
• Thundertree: The community that called this place home was devastated by the eruption of Mount Hotenow during the mid–15th century
• Torzac: This village was completely razed by drow
• Blackdagger Ruins

Temples and Monasteries

• Darkmoon: This dark temple was built by drow centuries before the Era of Upheaval
• Carnath Roadhouse: Located on the High Road, this lodging house serves those individuals traveling between Waterdeep and Neverwinter
• Helvenblade House: This estate serves as the country retreat of the Waterdhavian Silmerhelve family
• Old Owl Well: Believed to be magical in nature, this watering hole has been regularly fought over by a number of interested parties for a number of years
• Ebon Downs

Roads

• Blackford Road
• High Road
• Kheldell Path
• Long Road
• Northern Means
• Ten Trail
• Triboar Trail

Settlements

Cities

• Gauntlgrym: The fabled capital of the dwarven kingdom of Delzoun was abandoned for centuries, before being reclaimed by shield dwarves under the lead of Bruenor Battlehammer
• Helm's Hold: The city of Helm's faithful is well-guarded by the splinter sect of the Order of the Gauntlet, known as the Order of the Gilded Eye
• Ironmaster: This dwarven city is situated on the northern reaches of the coast in the Frozenfar region of the North
• Luskan: The City of Sails is home to two great power groups: the High Captains and their respective fleets, and the ambitious wizards of the Arcane Brotherhood
• Mirabar: The mining city of men and dwarves is the main source of stone and metal for all the Sword Coast
• Neverwinter: The former Jewel of the North was a multi-racial city-state, that slowly remade itself as a beacon of civilization after being nearly decimated by the eruption of Mount Hotenow
• Waterdeep: The City of Splendors is considered perhaps most influential and important metropolis in all of Faerûn
• Skullport: Larger than many surface settlements, this Underdark town is a haven for criminals and other dark agents
• Undermountain: This mysterious dungeon-complex was built beneath the city's mountain by the Mad Mage Halaster Blackcloak

Towns & Villages

• Amphail: This peaceful village falls under the protection of Waterdeep and is renowned for the magnificent steeds offered by its horse-breeders
• Auckney: This small fiefdom of a couple hundred is governed by the noble Auck family
• Conyberry: The farmers of Conyberry do well to live off the land and provide for themselves
• Grimhollow
• Highcliff: The port of Highcliff is located on the edge of the Mere of Dead Men, near the ruins of Highcliff Castle
• Ieirithymbul: This mountain village is home to a community of gnomes
• Kheldell: The folks of this settlement are loggers by trade and live under the influence of the nearby Dusk Circle of druids
• Leilon: Although it was destroyed during the Spellplague, this small town was rebuilt thanks to the efforts of Dagult Neverember and the Neveren people
• Morgur's Mound: This unique site serves as the ancestral mound to the Thunderbeast tribe of Uthgardt barbarians
• Nightstone: The fortified settlement built next to Nandar Keep is so named for the obsidian monolith that is embedded within its town square
• Phandalin: A frontier settlement of farmers and prospectors, this town is a safe haven for those that seek wealth in the Sword Mountains
• Port Llast: Resilient to the last, this coastal town has remained a strong ally to Neverwinter despite suffering a number of calamities throughout the years
• Rassalantar: Surrounded by farms and pastures, this sleepy village serves as a waystop for travelers and a garrison for Waterdhavian soldiers
• Red Larch: This crossroads trading town is located at the intersection of the Long Road, the Cairn Road, and the Kheldell Path
• Rothé Valley
• Ten Towns: Located around the region's three lakes, the settlements of Icewind Dale are the last bastion of civilization north of the Spine of the World
• Triboar: Bustling with merchants, vendors, and travelers, Triboar is an important crossroads town located where the Long Read meets the Evermoor Way
• Twilight Tor: This dwarven settlement was built deep within the mountains, on the shore of Lake Glorfindar.
• Westbridge: This cleverly-named village is located a bit ways west of Stone Bridge
• West Harbor: The nearby wetlands create lush farmland that serves the people of West Harbor quite well
• Xantharl's Keep: Built around a fortified keep, this settlement is under the governance of the Marchion of Mirabarwas, a region on the northwestern coast of Faerûn. While it is comprised of a rough landscape of rugged hills, precarious mountain ranges, and dense forests, it is home to several like-minded towns and cities. The most prominent of these cities banded together with nearby allies to form the Lords' Alliance, which united much of the region well into the late 15th century DR

Type

Coast / Shore