THE VAST Details

Beluar's Hunt, or simply the Hunt, is a series of hills found in the north of the Vast, lying west of the North Road between Kurth and Maskyr's Eye, and extending southwest of Kurth. They are rugged and grassy, often described as a wasteland. Wild horses pranced and wandered the hills.   In the Year of the Bloody Crown, 649 DR, as hordes of orcs engulfed the dwarven kingdom of Roldilar, the elven warrior Beluar and his forces pursued an orc army routed at Viperstongue Ford into these hills, and won another battle against them there. The hills became known as Beluar's Hunt to commemorate the victory.   Sometime around 1350 DR, the Cult of the Dragon launched an expedition into Beluar's Hunt. They excavated a hill around some likely ruins of old pillars, apparently took away some treasures, and discovered an ancient tomb, which they then opened. Then a powerful lich with the antlers of a stag upon its skull emerged to slaughter them with its magic, rending their bodies with phantom claws. The lich then went on a rampage around the surrounding countryside, killing every living creature it came across. Finally, it returned to its tomb, and used spells to bury it once more. The only surviving witnesses were mages in Kurth and Tavilar using scrying spells. The lich to this day remains in its lair.   According to local folklore, some hills in the Hunt concealed ancient barrow-tombs, such as the one that housed the stag-horned lich, who was thought to guard some powerful magic. There were also said to be a number of shallow graves of warriors, dating back to the earliest days of human rule in the Vast after the fall of Roldilar. These were said to contained buried treasure, but the presence of the lich scared many adventurers off of searching.   The Earthfast Mountains, or simply the Earthfasts, are a small mountain range in north Faerûn, running from the Dragon Reach in the west, through the Vast and into Impiltur in the east. The Earthfasts are an arm of the greater Earthspur Mountains to the north. Despite being somewhat smaller than the Earthspur Mountains, the Earthfast Mountains were jagged and only slightly less harsh, and just as hard to cross or climb. The mountains have rocky peaks and steep slopes, and are separated by abrupt craggy gorges.   Fortunately, there are a few passes permitting travel through the range, thus connecting the north and south parts of the Vast. In the west, the High Trail run through Elvenblood Pass, and in the east, the North Road runs through Glorming Pass.   The Hill of Tombs is the southernmost point of the mountain range, lying in Impiltur near the coast of the Sea of Fallen Stars. The Fire River originates in these mountains and flows west through the Vast and into the Dragon Reach. Near the source of the Fire River, a cavern in the foothills of the Earthfast Mountains holds tunnels that lead into the local Underdark, an area called the Deep Wastes.   One famous but hidden peak in the Earthfasts is Iron Dragon Mountain. Another well-known mountain is the Fang in the Forest in the southernmost end of the range. It is a conical-shaped peak and is thought to be an extinct volcano.   One of the most important sites in all of Faerun lies in the Earthfast Mountains. The Master's Library on Iron Dragon Mountain. It is one of the greatest temples to Deneir and is home to the largest library in the world. Its true location lies hidden, however, but the Reading Room and fortified temple that supports it lay some distance to the south. The mountain was formerly the lair of Ouranalathra the "Mistmaiden", a legendary mist dragon and to this day, the Deneirrath are aided and defended by eight full-grown mist dragons who lair in nearby peaks. All devout followers of Deneir are expected to make at least one pilgrimage here.   The besieged dwarven city of the same name, Earthfast, was situated in a high mountain valley of the Earthfast Mountains.   There are two small settlements in the western Earthfasts, High Haspur and Sarbreenar.   The highest peaks of the Earthfast Mountains are dominated by various avian creatures, including giant eagles. Their depths, meanwhile, are occupied by large populations of orcs and ogres. Other parts are inhabited by goblinoid communities, with goblins and bugbears, as well as some lairs of hobgoblins from the Gray Forest. They followed the goblin gods Hruggek and Maglubiyet. Finally, drow can be found within and beneath the mountains.   There were barbarian tribes dwelling in the Earthfast Mountains. One god their clerics worship is Isakkhu, a mountain god. Shield dwarves also dwell in the Earthfast Mountains, particularly around the besieged city of the same name, Earthfast.   The Magister Malanthus Stormstaern occasionally operated from a hidden keep , somewhere near the headwaters of the Fire River, in the Earthfast Mountains during his reign, from 154 DR to 177 DR. This was thought to be buried in an avalanche and lost to explorers.   The famous mist dragon Ouranalathra the "Mistmaiden" once kept a lair in the range, from which she battled several other dragons during the Year of the Mist Dragon, 231 DR. The mountain where she laired later became known as Iron Dragon Mountain.   Dwarves of the Earthfast Mountains joined the armies of War-Captain Imphras Heltharn of Lyrabar to battle a hobgoblin horde in the High Pass of the Earthspur Mountains.   Although mines in the Earthfasts produced moderate quantities of iron and silver, they proved to be insufficient against the poor environmental conditions and hardships faced by the miners. However, in the mid-1350s DR, prosperous new veins and lodes of iron, silver, and copper ores were discovered in the mountains north of Lyrabar, inspiring prospectors to brave the harsh conditions and hobgoblins, hoping to strike it lucky. These new mines are predicted to fuel the Impilturan economy.   Elvenblood Pass is a major pass through Earthfast Mountains in the Vast, linking the northern and southern halves. The High Trail runs through it to connect Procampur and Ravens Bluff.   Elvenblood Pass is a rugged mountain pass, crossed by over a dozen narrow ravines, each thick with trees. Rockfalls are a frequent hazard, and it hides many spots for ambushes and deliberate rockfalls. The pass is also haunted by a variety of predators: from stirges, wyverns, and other mountain-dwelling predators on the hunt; to two-legged threats like orcs and bandits. The bandits and most of the flightless creatures dwell in the forested ravines.   Despite its dangerous reputation, Elvenblood Pass was heavily used, more so than the longer, safer Glorming Pass in the east   During the reign of King Glaurath the Great of Westgate (−301 DR – −291 DR), thieves stole the royal treasury of Westgate and fled by ship to the Vast. They anchored at the spot where the city of Procampur would later lie, and went up into the Earthfast Mountains. However, the Court Wizards traced the thieves and slew them with magic, one by one, as Westgate's elite soldiers pursued them. The thieves made a stand in the pass, launching ambushes against the soldiers and triggering avalanches, but they were outnumbered thirty-to-one and outmatched in magic. The thieves were defeated, either slain or captured. However, the battle had drawn the attention of the local orcs, and a thousand of them assaulted the Westgate forces from the mountain caves and ravines. Bloody fighting broke out, and the soldiers and wizards of Westgate were doomed. But before they were slaughtered, the Westgate forces and remaining thieves worked together to hide the treasury somewhere in the pass.   The wizard Naer Tlarra was entombed somewhere around the pass around the 4th or 5th century DR.   Later, in the early 7th century DR, at the southern end of the pass, the forces of Roldilar, a dwarven kingdom that once dominated the surface lands, constructed Sarbreenar as a defensive outpost of the nearby city of Sarbreen. Its purpose was to control access to the pass to the city, to ward off surprise assaults through the mountains, and to maintain an overland link with the city of Procampur in the southern Vast.   Beluar, the elven hero of the war against the orcs during the fall of Roldilar in 649 DR, later led a small band of elven riders down the pass. They were set upon in an orcish ambush, and Beluar and his band all died in battle. The pass was thereafter known as "Elvenblood Pass" after the battle.   There was one morbid remnant of the ancient battle between the orcs and the Westgate soldiers in Elvenblood Pass. A wizard made a desperate last stand in which he sacrificed his life to fuel an everdance spell that sucked a dozen orcs into the air and spun them around and around until they died. The spell remained in effect for centuries, even while the trapped orc corpses decayed and their bones crumbled to dust. The gruesome debris continues to spin over a forty-foot-high (12 meters) ledge at the middle of the pass.   Treasure tales of the pass told of coins and trinkets dropped or taken from victims of the monsters and bandits, and buried or stashed inside crevices. However, there are two major treasure tales of note.   The first was the royal treasury and regalia of Westgate, thought to still be hidden in the pass by its defenders and thieves. The royal auditor's report listed: six strongboxes and twenty coffers and small chests of necklaces of gems, four gem-encrusted crowns, a ceremonial chalice, a magical scepter carrying three fist-sized rubies, and a collection of fancy masks adorned with filigree and jewels.   The other treasure tale was the tomb of Naer Tlarra, built around the 4th or 5th century DR, and either buried or heavily overgrown somewhere in Elvenblood Pass. His coffin was supposedly protected against thieves by bound creatures and several spells. Among his treasures were his spellbooks, staff, wands, and a magical crown that allowed one to use up to twelve magical rings simultaneously, with at least two particularly rare and powerful rings still on it.   Glorming Pass is a major pass through Earthfast Mountains in the Vast, linking the northern and southern halves. The North Road runs through it to connect Sevenecho and Dragon Falls. It is a wild and dangerous place, prone to orc ambushes and haunted by The Phantom Knights. The pass was named for Glorming, a local orc chieftain who died fighting in the pass.   Orcs are highly populous in the mountains on either side of the pass, dwelling in cavern-lairs. Various other kinds of monsters are also found in numbers. Orcs frequently patrol the pass but despite being so dangerous, the Glorming Pass sees a great deal of traffic along the North Road, as it is one of only two major passes linking the Vast. It is recommended that merchants not risk passage without sufficient numbers to defend themselves. It still has less locations for ambushes or deliberate rockfalls than Elvenblood Pass.   The Phantom Knights haunt Glorming Pass, usually seen galloping their spectral mounts the full length of the pass. Their origins are unknown.   Riliyyn Scantshar of Sevenecho theorized that some evil entity, likely a wizard, a lich, or possibly even an alhoon, dwells in nearby parts of the Earthfast Mountains. She also believes that it keeps a deepspawn in the area to spawn creatures that would discourage explorers from finding its lair. According to other sages, the deepspawn guarded a fortress that housed a gate to some other world, such as the demiplane of Ravenloft.   It was generally supposed that the local orcs must have amassed an impressive amount of treasure from their victims over the ages, hoarded within their nearby lairs. It was also thought that whatever force had left the deepspawn behind possessed powerful magic.   Iron Dragon Mountain is a mountain in the Earthfast Mountains of north Faerûn, between Impiltur and the Vast. It was a legendary hidden peak and home to greatest temple of Deneir in the Realms. The mist dragon Ouranalathra the Mistmaiden once laired at the mountain, before she moved to the Lake of Mists in the Endless Wastes.   Afterwards, it gained the name of Iron Dragon Mountain and became the site of the Master's Library, a temple of Deneir with the greatest collection of books in the world   The Earthspur Mountains, or simply the Earthspurs, also known as the Giantspike Mountains or the Dragonspike Mountains, are a great mountain range in north Faerûn. It runs roughly from northwest to southeast, from the Moonsea and the Galena Mountains in the north to the Sea of Fallen Stars in the south. The range has two arms: the smaller Troll Mountains and the Earthfast Mountains. This range borders Damara, Vaasa, and Impiltur in the east with the Vast in the west.   The Earthspur Mountains are extremely high and imposing; the range's tallest peaks nearly 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) high. Few trails pass through the mountains, making them very dangerous. Three Trees Pass, a long cleft between the Earthfasts and the Troll Mountains. A gap in the mountains where the High Country of the Vast juts east; rumors tell of hidden passes through the mountains into neighboring Impiltur. Further east is the High Pass west of the River Icehilt.   At the center of the range, at its highest point, is the Glacier of the White Worm, from which cold winds continuously blow around the peaks. It covers an area of approximately 1200 square miles (3100 square kilometers). To the east is the Earthwood, and Lake Icemelt to the south of this.   The mountains are rich in iron and silver, in seemingly limitless lodes, with some bloodstone veins, and deposits of whitesteel. There are also small but highly pure deposits of gold located within the Giantspike Mountains. Thus for centuries, many tunnels have been burrowed into the heart of the mountains in search of these metals.   Notable Locations Part of the Underdark, specifically the domain of the Deep Wastes, stretches to the Earthspur Mountains in the east. Brikklext: This goblinoid community sits beneath the southern foothills of the Earthspur Mountains, on the eastern side. Dargrath's caverns: Located deep beneath the peaks, this vast tunnel system is the last remnant of the ancient realm of Haekrukkha. Laviguer: Located within the stretch of the mountains that wraps around the Uplands, this mining town provide a great amount of wealth to the nation of Impiltur. Monastery of the Yellow Rose: is positioned on one of the mountain range's highest peaks, beside the Glacier of the White Worm. Vordric Dun: This rough and wild mining hub is often in highly competitive with the nearby settlement of Laviguer. In addition to the larger settlements, there are a number of mining communities that lay scattered across the lower slopes of the mountains, beside the tunnel entrances.   There were a number of shield dwarf settlements within the mountains.   Watcher's Mounds The Watcher's Mounds are a series of campsites constructed and maintained by the Disciples of St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred from the Monastery of the Yellow Rose, and by local rangers. They lay throughout the mountains south of the monastery, situated along the trails running down from it. There are thought to be well over a hundred of these sites; but their exact number is unknown.   The sites can take many forms, not only mounds, such as a simple lean-to or a fire-pit with a small cave and an overhanging boulder. They are defensible campsites with shelter where a traveler, ranger, or monk might spend a night in safety. Or, perhaps a goblin or orc band might rest and defend themselves. Each site also contains a hidden cache of preserved food, water, and tools. The monks and rangers of the mountains regularly restock these caches.   Inhabitants The Earthspurs are inhabited by orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears and drow could also be found. Cave trolls are common in the mountains west of Impiltur, as are other monsters. The mountains are also home to shield dwarves, such as the Ludwakazar clan. There were many hardy human and dwarven miners and prospectors working the mountains, as well as bandits who prey on them.   There have been signs that mind flayers occupy the caverns deep beneath the mountains. However, the vast majority of adventurers that led expeditions into these subterranean corridors were not heard from again.   History In the Year of the Wyvernfall, 512 DR, the orc kingdom of Vastar rampaged out of the Vast and threatened other lands with war. Swarming through many small passes in the Earthspur Mountains, the orc chieftain Ulbror and his horde invaded the uplands of Impiltur.   As Vastar descended into civil war in the Year of Writhing Darkness, 572 DR, dwarves from the north and east expanded their mines under the Earthspur Mountains and into Vastar. The dwarves let no orc who'd seen a dwarf remain alive, to prevent any word reaching orcish chieftains of the nature of their enemy. The unexplained deaths of large numbers of orcs in the mountains were blamed on the civil war.   After defeating the orcs and bringing down Vastar, the dwarves founded the kingdom of Roldilar in its place. But Roldilar fell to resurgent orcs in the Year of the Bloody Crown, 649 DR, and many surviving dwarf clans escaped into the Earthspur Mountains.   Just a few years ago, prosperous new deposits of ore were discovered in the Earthspur and Earthfast Mountains, inspiring prospectors to brave the harsh conditions and hobgoblins, hoping to strike it lucky. These new mines were predicted to fuel the Impilturan economy...but the nation states of The Vast have other plans.   Activities Mining is lucrative here but conditions are harsh and dangerous. Miners endure a lot of hardship to pursue their wealth, and the mining communities suffer high death rates.   The mining communities of Dunfee in Impiltur and the Arcatan towns of Sudrav and Tomrav exist thanks to the mines here. On the other side of the mountains, King's Reach in the Vast grows wealthy off trade and smelting of the metals that came out, and by supplying the prospectors who find them. Miners travel via secret routes to protect their claims and hide their finds.   Rumors & Legends Some tell horror stories of human and dwarven prospectors, lone and "gold-crazed", who attack anyone who come too close to their claims and finds, and who live like animals high in the mountains. Others tell of so-called "gold caves", caverns with great stacks of lost dwarven gold and guarded by dragons, wyverns or by gold-crazed prospectors who'd slain those beasts and seized and guarded their hoards themselves. A few such stories have turned out to be true. Lashan Aumersair of Scardale led his followers to locate one of these gold caves and took its wealth to fuel his conquests.   Mount Wolf lies in the Vast in north Faerûn. It lay in the Giantspike Mountains, by the Earthspur Mountains, and towers over the North Road, south of Maskyr's Eye. It marks the proper border of the lands of the Vast. Once, packs of gray wolves made their lairs close to the peak, but they competed with local hunters for the highly valued stags in the area. The hunters culled many wolves and reduced their numbers significantly.   The sage Elminster of Shadowdale estimated that Mount Grimmerfang was the first peak north-east of Mount Wolf. However, he'd not investigated this himself to confirm   Three Trees Pass is a major pass between the Troll Mountains and the Giantspike Mountains in the Vast. The North Road runs through it to connect Kurth and King's Reach. The pass is a long cleft between the two mountain ranges. It is rocky, dangerous, and desolate.   History Three Trees Pass was named, obviously, for three great old pines that are all that lives in the bleak landscape, and which marked the height of the pass. The name arose in conversation between two Sembian merchants who'd explored the dwarven-held lands of Vast (during the time of Roldilar, 610–649 DR, as they sought a trade-route from the dwarven mines down to the River Vesper.   To that end, the North Road was laid through Three Trees Pass, linking Kurth and King's Reach. Humans waged costly battles against the orcs of the mountains to control the pass, but were ultimately successful. The effort saved the last of the dwarves of Roldilar from being wiped out by the orcs at the fall of that kingdom. In one seemingly impossible battle, allied forces of men and elves led by Arngor of the Oak fought against a horde of orcs within Three Trees Pass. Legend told that Arngor battled the commander of the orc army in single combat until the sun set and the land was shrouded in a bloody mist. Arngor defeated the orc commander but was mortally wounded himself, beyond the saving of any cleric or healer. His blood soaked into his plate armor, imbuing it with his noble courage and making it famous as the armor of the hart.   Conflicts continue to be fought through the pass as human prospectors move into the surrounding mountains and clash with the orcs.   Usage During summer, traders from King's Reach and Kurth head to the summit of the pass, where they make armed camps and sell supplies to miners working the nearby mountains. These include mining equipment, mules, food, and trapped chests. They also bought ores and nuggets. Once a month, a priest of Waukeen passes through to dispense healing for exorbitant prices.   Due to the frequent orc attacks, there are no permanent settlements in Three Trees Pass, nor any built permanent structures.   Rumors & Legends Supposedly, caches of thousands of gold nuggets, bags of gold gravel, and gems were stashed all over the pass, suggesting it was one of the richest locales in Faerûn. However, anyone trying to find or dig up any of it would up be watched by human guards, dwarf miners, and orc raiders, and risked being attacked as soon as they found anything of worth.   The Troll Mountains, also called the Trollcrag Mountains, are a small mountain range in the Vast in north Faerûn, running north of the River Vesper from the Dragon Reach in the west to the Earthspur Mountains in the east.   Geographical features The Troll Mountains are an arm of the greater Earthspur Mountains. They hold two major passes, Viperstongue and Three Trees Pass. Viperstongue in the west is a low saddle valley through which runs the Cross Road. In the east, Three Trees Pass is a long cleft between the Troll Mountains and the Earthspur or Giantspike Mountains, along which the North Road runs.   The mountains are riddled with old dwarven mine tunnels.   Inhabitants As the name said, trolls once hunted the slopes and valleys of the range, but they were nearly wiped out by the dwarves. The dwarves made their homes in mines in high mountains by Three Trees Pass.   History The dwarven mines of the Troll Mountains were at one time rich in iron and copper, but these are being worked out, and producing fewer and fewer metal. The disused passages are being overrun by monsters.

Adhe Wood is a forest located in the Vast, lying south of the Earthfast Mountains, between the North Road and the Tsurlar Forest, north-east of the hamlet of Sevenecho. It is infested with arachnid monsters.   Description The forest is ancient, dense and overgrown, and the trunks of its trees stand very close together. Most of these are duskwoods and shadowtops, while felsuls and oaks can be found on the southern edge. The tallest trees grow over 80 feet (24 meters) tall. As a result, the depths of Adhe Wood are bathed in eternal darkness.   Inhabitants   Deep in Adhe Wood are large numbers of ettercaps and spiders. These spiders could be of any size or variety, and most possess bizarre magical powers and mutations, such as hooked, slashing claws or stinging tails. They are exceedingly vicious and constantly hunt both each other and those who venture into the forest.   Legends The many mutant spiders are thought to be the result of some magical force active in the heart of Adhe Wood, likely ancient and evil. One possibility is an artifact that mutated the wildlife, another was an insane mage experimenting on the spiders. The sage Alither believed it was a diseased or magically altered deepspawn named "the Father of Spiders". On the other hand, the sage Othla Multar thought drow were to blame, theorizing that they bred and released the spiders to guard their passage to the local Underdark, from which they occasionally emerged and crossed into the Tsurlar Forest to trade with pirate vessels.   No one has successfully determined the true cause of the mutant spiders. Folk in the city of Tsurlagol warned of the many web-shrouded, bloodless corpses of adventurers lying throughout the forest.   Other Tsurlagoli legends say that an old temple lay in Adhe Wood and could be just glimpsed from the North Road. It was said to be draped in spider-webs but decorated with statues of rearing snakes with huge emeralds for eyes. It was rumored to be full of gems, but the Tsurlagoli legends disagreed on exactly which deity the temple honored. Oddly, though Sevenecho was much closer, its people maintained that they'd never heard anything about it. They wisely never went near Adhe Wood anyway.   The Grey Forest, also spelled the Gray Forest and called the Tsurlar Forest, is a forest located between the Vast and the nation of Impiltur, lying south of the Earthfast Mountains.   History Moon elves once lived in the Gray Forest several centuries ago. However, when hobgoblins and various other creatures began to encroach on their lands, the elves fought a losing war against them. They increasingly lost ground and some were driven out, but the rest were unwilling to give up their homes. The Gray Forest moon elves faced extinction. Thus, their last act was to transform themselves into grand gray-barked trees, so that they would never leave.   However, a population of wood elves remained in the Grey Forest. In the Year of the Dawndance, 1095 DR, they joined an alliance with the cities of Impiltur and the dwarves of the Earthfast Mountains. Led by War-Captain Imphras Heltharn, this alliance fought to repel the hobgoblin hordes of the Giantspire Mountains.   By 1357 DR, a new leader had risen to organize the hobgoblins of the Gray Forest. Some claimed he was a werewolf, others a vampire, and he was said to command dire wolves that aided his tribe in battle.   Locations In amongst the ordinary trees of the Gray Forest could be found circles of the grand, gray-barked trees with dark leaves that the moon elves had turned themselves into.   Alithyn's Copse was a grove of weirwood trees of great age and grandeur.   Small shrines dedicated to Eilistraee could be found in the Grey Forest.   Inhabitants The Grey Forest once had two elven populations. The moon elves were either driven out or transformed themselves into trees centuries ago, leaving the wood elves.   Hobgoblins also dwelled in the Gray Forest. In addition to their forest homes, they also keep lairs in the Earthfast Mountains.   A small Eldreth Veluuthra cell was active in the Gray Forest. They oscillated between assaulting the hobgoblins and alerting them to humans trespassing in hobgoblin territory.   The Cult of the Dragon has a hideout in the Grey Forest.   Legends The sage Othla Multar theorized that drow occasionally emerged from a passage to the local Underdark in the neighboring Adhe Wood and crossed into the Tsurlar Forest. There they traded with pirate vessels that anchored in hidden coves.

The Dragon Reach is the large northwestern fjord of the Sea of Fallen Stars that stretches between the Vast and the Dalelands.   History The name likely derived from the days, circa −700 DR, when elves ruled the forested western shore, orcs were teeming to the east, and dragons laired about the Moonsea and held sway over the northern part of the Reach.   The Fire River is a river in the Vast that runs from the Earthspur Mountains to the Dragon Reach.   Description The Fire River is a wide and mostly calm river that flows west across the southern Vast, north of the Earthfast Mountains, and into the Dragon Reach thus into the Sea of Fallen Stars. Along its course, it is joined by a number of springs, which originated in dense stands of trees along the Reach. The river has its headwaters in the Earthfast Mountains, running down through the High Country and into the Vast lowlands.   The only major obstacle on the Fire River is a thundering waterfall near the village of Dragon Falls. There exists a rope-pulled ferry across the river for merchant caravans going along the North Road, located a thousand yards above the village. However, the Dragon Falls themselves are actually a spring that cascades over a bluff alongside the road and joins the Fire River.   At the town of Mossbridges is a large multi-span bridge where the Coast Road crosses the Fire River.   At its terminus, the Fire River runs between two large hills and empties into the Dragon Reach. Here its mouth is a small and sheltered natural harbor, upon which both Sarbreen and the city of Ravens Bluff sit.   Inhabitants The waters of the Fire River held some attraction for greater sea hags. Going down the Fire River, settlements on or beside it are Dragon Falls, Highbank Forest, Mossbridges, and Ravens Bluff.   Activities Goods are transported up and down the Fire River by barge. Logs were also floated down from forests to mills near Sarbreen. Over a third of the Vast's agricultural exported produce travels down the Fire River to Ravens Bluff.   History Legend has it that the Fire River valley had seen more new and destructive spells hurled down it than any other spot in Faerûn, at least after the days of Netheril.   Malanthus Stormstaern, Magister of 154–177 DR, owned a keep near the headwaters of the Fire River, in the Earthfast Mountains, but this was later destroyed in an avalanche.   The rampaging red dragon Halarglautha Firewings inflicted flaming destruction upon dwarf, human and orc settlements along the river, apparently giving the Fire River its name.   Dragon Falls ias a waterfall in the Vast, lying on the Fire River. It gave its name to the nearby village of Dragon Falls.   Description The Dragon Falls begin at a spring and cascade over a bluff alongside the North Road, before joining the Fire River.   History Local legend says the falls were once home to a powerful red dragon, Halarglautha Firewings, who once rampaged across the Vast and gave both Fire River and Dragon Falls their names. Halarglautha's reign of terror finally ended when she was slain by the spells of a band of human adventurers, and her lair was destroyed, along with much of her treasure. However, plenty of treasure remained and the survivors took possession of the dragon's hoard of coins. They founded the nearby village of Dragon Falls with the wealth.   The Flooded Forest is a swamp lying between Cormanthor, the Dragon Reach, and the Earthspur Mountains, between the lands of the Moonsea and the Vast in north Faerûn.   Geography The Flooded Forest was a section of the great forest of Cormanthor that lay beyond the River Lis. However, it lay in a low bowl that filled with water, becoming a swamp surrounded by a ring of boggy woodland. The swamp is stinking and foul and the marshes around the southern edges tend to be wreathed in mists.   Maple and oak trees made up much of the forest. Although the trees had lasted centuries, most died when it turned to swampland; some are still standing a century later, but are so fragile they could fall at a touch. Fallen trees were a common sight, and falling trees are a common hazard to explorers. Mushrooms and hanging mosses were grew everywhere. Duskwoods line the southern edge of the Flooded Forest.   Inhabitants Lizardfolk and black dragons make their homes in the Flooded Forest.One particular black dragon is the one known as Velvet.   There are a number of carnivorous plant monsters, including assassin vines, dark trees, shambling mounds, and tendriculoses. There are also fungus creatures, such as shriekers and violet fungi. Other monsters include giant owlbears and stirges, and even stranger things that were unknown and unnamed to the local hunters who encountered them. Some of these creatures were not actually native to the area. This had some theorize that they were being imported and released by some person, group, or power to drive people away.   Pirates and bandits made their hideouts deep in the swamp, particularly around its southern end.   History Sometime around the mid–13th century DR, the forests here began sinking into swampland, becoming the Flooded Forest.   Locations One unwilling settlement in the Flooded Forest is the town of Ylraphon on its southern edge and is being steadily consumed by the swamp on its eastern and north-eastern sides. The outer ruins of the former city were left overgrown and submerged. They included several large, above ground tombs and crypts, which provided shelter and hiding places for wanderers, bandits and pirates. Recurring local stories told also of ruined temples of Bane, Gruumsh, and Moander within these parts of the Flooded Forest, north of Ylraphon. One was the House of Moander. They tended to be built on raised and drier areas of the swamp.   On the southern fringe of the Flooded Forest, west of Kurth, stood the mysterious Mage's Tower, said by some to be the base of the even-more mysterious Mage Who Never Dies.   Legends and rumors The ruins and tombs circling Ylraphon, in the fringes of the swamp, were a common target of adventurers seeking treasure or magic. Adventurers have been finding treasure in the House of Moander, and more wealth is thought to lie hidden in the temples.   Folk in Ylraphon told of ghostly presences and screaming in the ruined temples of Bane, Gruumsh and Moander, and a few feared that they were being reused by living cultists. Many, however, suspected that smugglers, bandits, or orcs simply stored their loot in these places, and that they made the screams to scare people off, or that they'd had a falling out. Evil groups and orcs regularly stocked up on supplies in Ylraphon before venturing into the Flooded Forest.   Some rumored that such bands served the mysterious Mage Who Never Dies, the master of the Flooded Forest. The Mage Who Never Dies claimed the southern parts of the Flooded Forest as their dominion, including the Mage's Tower.   Strange stories of the deepest parts of the swamp told of half-sunken cities, weird mirages, vampiric pixies, and circles of giant frogs casting spells, and even worse things.   Many believe that the remaining treasure of the Turning Key adventuring band of Tavilar lay somewhere in the Flooded Forest, sunken in a bog, but this was too large and too dangerous an area to search.   The River Lis is a shallow swampy river connecting the Moonsea to the Dragon Reach and the Sea of Fallen Stars. It is known to elves as Nuathlis and to orcs as the Blood River   Much blood has been spilled over control of the Lis, but the terrain itself has defeated any longterm control beyond the “as far as the point of my blade/reach of my spells extends” sort. The term ‘the Lisen Sands’ refers to treacherous marine navigation and flooded areas, not broad beaches or desert area. Brackish water from the freshwater swamps (fed by local streams and springs) empties into a broad, shallow, VERY silty saltwater river that generates lots of oxbows, side-channels, quicksand, dunes (that unlike ‘desert dunes’ change only by water action, not wind, as they’re well-anchored with vegetation), standing dead ‘drowned’ trees, lots of choking vines and stunted wetland living trees (in short, large marshes with lots of ground cover for lurking outlaws and critters) . . . and everywhere insects, insects, clouds of stinging insects. Through the heart of it all winds the broad, slow, mud-opaque-water Lis, sometimes impassable to deep-keeled ships, but never choked so much that water cannot pass from the Moonsea to the Dragonreach. Indeed, spring storms in particular (and fierce winds blowing up heading-south waves at all times of year) can generate ‘Scourings’ of the Lis that briefly give it depths of more than forty feet and a clear, straight channel. Usually, it’s 12 to 15 feet deep (with a soft-chocolate-mud bottom that will allow solid objects to readily pass or sink through it for about another six feet or so), and permanently cloudy.   The River Dalton was found just south of the Moonsea.   The river branches to the east from the River Lis a short distance from the Moonsea. It flows east then south along a dense forest before emptying into the swampland of the Flooded Forest.   The River Vesper is a river in the Vast that runs from the Earthspur Mountains to the Dragon Reach.   Geography The River Vesper begins in the Earthspur Mountains and descends through the High Country down a long series of heavy waterfalls and rocky cascades. Here the waters are cold and clear.   The town of King's Reach marks the highest navigable point on the river. Afterwards, the Vesper is wide, slow, and generally calm. It lays in a broad, gradually sloping river valley and passes by the Troll Mountains, where it creates a large floodplain. These lands made for fertile farmland. The river has several tributaries.   The River Vesper can be forded at Viperstongue Ford. The ford coincides with the Viperstongue pass through the mountains, it is a strategic crossing.   The river empties into the Dragon Reach in a wide delta, called the Vespermouth. In high summer, its banks turn into fields of stinking mud, producing clams and worms. The city of Calaunt, formerly a village known as "Vespermouth", sits at the mouth of the Vesper.   Activities The Vesper is a major trade route for goods exported from the Vast. However, it also offers off-road travel for orcs, thieves, and adventurers trying to avoid notice without getting themselves lost. Some also sail up the river to raid inland settlements.   Rumors & Legends Treasure An occasional curious sight on the Vesper is a collection of ioun stones hovering above the water. Sightings have been reported the full length of the river, but only began in the 1353DR. A dozen glowing, twinkling stones were seen dancing in a slowly turning ring, some 6 feet (1.8 meters) or so above the water and moving here and there across it. The stones avoid all efforts to grab them, and to this day, no one with a net, the ability to fly or a magical means of catching one was lucky enough to spot the ring. There was no known explanation for the phenomena, but a tale told in riverside taverns claims that anyone who could grab one of the ioun stones could keep it, but was also compelled by a geas to perform some dangerous task, with a different task for each stone.   Very rarely, dwarven gold washes down the river, likely from a flooded tomb-cavern or the legendary gold-caves of the Giantspike Mountains.   Monsters Some pirates and sailors, fearful of putting into Calaunt, believe that there are certain creatures haunting the Vesper, and that they will curse a sailor who crosses them with bad luck.   Rumors of monsters in Calaunt were helped along by occasional sightings of odd shark-like fins glimpsed moving through the mud of the Vespermouth delta, suggested to belong to a bulette.   Viperstongue Ford is a ford where the Cross Road, between Thindilar and Blanaer, goes over the River Vesper in the Vast. It coincided with the valley of Viperstongue, a low saddle in the Troll Mountains that serves as a major pass through the range.   History Viperstongue Ford is a strategic location, making it the site of several battles. No buildings or settlements have survived there very long.   When Deep King Tuir Stonebeard of Roldilar led the dwarven armies against those of orcs and goblins in the Year of the Bloody Crown, 649 DR, they were defeated at Viperstongue Ford. Roldilar's defenses were broken, and the dwarves retreated to Mount Grimmerfang. However, the Roldilarren dwarves were saved from total extinction by their human and elven allies. The elven warrior Beluar and his forces routed the orcs at Viperstongue Ford, then pursued them through the hills later known as Beluar's Hunt and into the village of Maskyr's Eye to slay the last orc.   The Mistdown Marauders gained some fame for their exploits. They were believed to have earned a fortune in coin, gems, jewellery, and magical armor. That is...until they attempted to loot treasure belonging to a ghost, and they met a grisly end. Their bodies were found stripped of their own wealth and treasure, apparently claimed by the ghost. Thee band is buried amongst trees north-east of Viperstongue Ford. Afterwards, local legend held that, buried with the Marauders, were cryptic clues to the location of the ghost's treasure. It was also said that some of the Marauders had risen as undead to guard their graves.   Locations The Stag and Viper inn stands at the ford. It is the former home of the famous Mistdown Marauders, who were later buried amongst some trees north-east of the ford.   The Sea of Fallen Stars, also known as the Inner Sea, is the largest inland body of water in Faerûn. Its major areas include the Dragonmere, also known as the Lake of Dragons, in the west; the Dragon and Easting Reaches in the north; the Alamber Sea in the east; and the Vilhon Reach in the south.   The sea served as a crucial trade way for the powers of central and northern Faerûn and beyond. From Cormyr's Imperial Navy and Sembia's 15,000 sailors and corsairs in the west, to the small but hardy fleet of dozen Impilturan warships in the east, and the militia-navy of Turmish in the south, the waters of the Inner Sea were well-traveled by ships that flew the flags of coastal nations in central Faerûn.   Description The sea floor is covered with hundreds of shipwrecks. The sea is large enough to feel tidal effects.   Inhabitants The Inner Sea is home to many types of aquatic life, and including kingdoms of dragon turtles, aquatic elves, merfolk, and sahuagin. These races rarely interact with the coastal land folk.   Territorial Waters There is a recognized territorial limit of ten miles (16.1 kilometers) offshore among all the nations on the Sea of Fallen Stars. Areas of sea further than ten miles from the nearest land are considered neutral territory. Any attacks on shipping within a country's waters are considered to be acts of war. For most areas, these boundaries were clear, but they became more ambiguous in Mulhorand, Thay, and Unther, owing to continual border disputes.   History Creation Over the millennia, different creation myths regarding the sea spread across the Realms. One tale, which explained how the sea earned its name, was detailed in the book History of the Last March of the Giants. It said that the gods above sent a star crashing down to Abeir-Toril as a punishment for the arrogance of the titans. Entire continents were lost in the ensuing earthquakes, fires, and windstorms and the four centrally located seas of Faerûn merged together, forming the "Sea of Fallen Stars". Other theories maintain the cataclysmic change of landscape was actually the eggs of the first dragons raining down onto Toril.   The true creation of the sea occurred ages ago, in the final years of the Days of Thunder, when the primordial Asgoroth the World Shaper, along with the first dragons, were released from their imprisonment by the creator race known as the batrachi. In an event known as the Tearfall, the deity hurled an ice moon down to the surface of Abeir-Toril, which wiped out the batrachi and formed the sea.   Sarrukh accounts dated around −31,000 DR mentioned a "changing of the stars" in relation to this event. Few knew what this really signified, but the fact was Ao created a duplicate of the planet, Abeir, and sent the new world to another realm, with different stellar cartography. Other written accounts note that during the time of its creation an avatar of the goddess Istishia was present.   Pirate Wars (Coming soon)   Time of Troubles       Notable Locations Islands There were numerous islands in the Sea of Fallen Stars:   Alaor: A former Thayan island that gained its autonomy. Pirate Isles: A group of about sixty rocky islands notable as the home of the pirates of the Inner Sea. Isles of Prespur: A main island under Sembian control accompanied by the smaller unoccupied Traitor's Isle. Ship of the Gods: An island volcano in the Alamber Sea. Whamite Isles: A small chain of islands once ruled by a great khan. Myth Nantar: Serôs: The underwater realm of the merfolk, who are protected by the Nantari dukar. Xxiphu:   Coastal The Sea of Fallen Stars has coastlines in many different lands, including Aglarond, Altumbel, Cormyr, Chessenta, Chondath, the Dalelands, Impiltur, Sembia, Mulhorand, Priador, Thay, Thesk, Turmish, Unther, and the Vast.   Rumors & Legends Legends told of an aquatic race of dwarves inhabiting the Sea of Fallen Stars, but any time a scholar looked into the manner they found no evidence of such a race existing.

Blaern's Trail     Blaern's Trail, also called the Wandering Trail, runs through the Vast, connecting the city of Calaunt and the village of Dead Tree Hollow.   From west to east, it begins at Calaunt, runs through Thindilar, Sendrin, and Fallentree, and ends at Dead Tree Hollow. On the way, it links with the Hlintar Ride, the Cross Road, the Long Reach, and Feldar's Trail, and ends at the North Road.[   The Coast Road runs along the west coast of the Vast, connecting the cities of Ravens Bluff and Tantras.   From south to north, it starts at Ravens Bluff, passes over the Fire River via the great multi-span bridge at Mossbridges, and ends at Tantras. On the way, it links with the High Trail, Feldar's Trail, the Tantras Trail, and the Cross Road.     Feldar's Trail, also called the Mosstree Trail, is a trail that runs through the Vast, connecting the town of Mossbridges and the village of Fallentree.   From west to east, it begins at Mossbridges, runs through Highbank Forest and Dark Hollow, and ends at Fallentree. On the way, it links with the Tantras Trail, the Hlintar Ride, and Blaern's Trail.   The High Trail is a trail through the Earthfast Mountains in the Vast. It runs from Procampur at its most southern point to Ravens Bluff in the north.   The High Trail runs through Procampur, High Haspur, Sarbreenar, the Earthfast Mountains at Elvenblood Pass, Mossbridges, and ends at Ravens Bluff. Along the way, it connects with the North Road, Helve's Trail, Feldar's Trail, and the Coast Road.     Helve's Trail is a road in the southern Vast. It runs from Maerstar in the south, where it met the North Road, then into the Earthfast Mountains, where it ends at High Haspur and connects with the High Trail   The Hlintar Ride is a road that runs through the Vast, connecting the city of Calaunt and the village of Dragon Falls.   From west to east, it begins at Calaunt, runs through Hlintar, Bambryn, and Dark Hollow and ends at Dragon Falls. On the way, it links with Blaern's Trail, the Cross Road, Long Reach, Feldar's Trail, and the North Road.[   The Hunt Trail runs through the Vast, connecting the towns of Ylraphon and Kurth. From west to east, it begins at Ylraphon, passes the Flooded Forest, runs through the village of Tavilar and the hills of Beluar's Hunt and ends at Kurth. On the way, it joins the Pass Trail and the North Road.     The Long Reach, also called the Centaur Trail, is a trail that ran through the Vast, connecting the village of Orlimmin and the town of King's Reach.   From west to east, it begins at Orlimmin, passes around the edge of the Highbank Forest, runs through Bambryn and across the plains to Sendrin, and ends at King's Reach at the foot of the Trollcrag Mountains. On the way, it links with the Tantras Trail, the Hlintar Ride, Blaern's Trail, and the North Road.     The North Road runs through the Vast from the city of Procampur at its most southern point all the way to Mulmaster on the Moonsea at its most northern point.   Description From north to south it runs through: Mulmaster, Maskyr's Eye, Kurth, Three Trees Pass between the Troll Mountains and the Giantspike Mountains, over the River Vesper, through King's Reach, Swords Pool, Dead Tree Hollow, Dragon Falls, across the Fire River, through the Earthfast Mountains at Glorming Pass, between the Adhe Wood and Brynwood, Sevenecho where it bends west, Maerstar, and ends at Procampur. On the way, it connects with the Hunt Trail, the Cross Road, the Long Reach, Blaern's Trail, the Hlintar Ride, Stormcrest Trail, Helve's Trail, and the High Trail.   Several small campsites lay near the North Road as it passes through the High Country, each near a source of water. All along the North are also found boulders carved with the symbol of Clangeddin Silverbeard, a relic of the old dwarf kingdoms of the Vast.   Mount Wolf towers over the North Road near Kurth. From the North Road, it is possible to see an old, ruined temple in the depths of the Adhe Wood.   History Two Sembian merchants explored the dwarven-held lands of the Vast during the time of Roldilar, 610–649 DR, as they sought a trade-route from the dwarven mines down to the River Vesper. To that end, the North Road was laid through Three Trees Pass, linking Kurth and King's Reach. Humans waged costly battles against the orcs of the mountains to control the pass, but were successful. The effort saved the last of the dwarves of Roldilar from being wiped out by the orcs at the fall of that kingdom.     The Stormcrest Trail, also called the Tsurlagol Road, is a road in the southern Vast, running from Tsurlagol in the south to Sevenecho in the north, where it meets the North Road.

 

     

       

  Dead Tree Hollow is a village in the Vast, lying on the North Road between Dragon Falls and Swords Pool, where Blaern's Trail from Fallentree meets the North Road.   History Long ago (but still within elven memory in 1357 DR), the flying carriage of Lady Alauthshaee was attacked by the spells of Ilthuryn, her scorned suitor. It supposedly crashed to earth within Dead Tree Hollow and Alauthshaee and her guards were subsequently buried alive. A side-effect of Ilthuryn's magic was to render the entire valley a dead-magic zone.   The valley was once a camping spot for travelers on the North Road as they crossed the High Country.   For many years, it was the site of an elderly, gnarled oak tree, so huge that its trunk was as wide as a regular cottage. It was also hollow and a druid once lived within, until a voracious dragon (thought to be Halarglautha) burned the tree and forced him out. The tree is currently nothing but a rotting stump, but the location has developed into the village known as Dead Tree Hollow.   Description Dead Tree Hollow is a small valley that contains a number of ponds and wooded areas. It also contains a small and sleepy village of the same name. The village is famous for its fern-frond soup and fiddlehead soup (when it is in season), as well as its exotic mushrooms that gourmets all around the Dragon Reach clamor for.   Places The Blue Stallion is an inn in Dead Tree Hollow. There is also a first-rate wagonworks.   Local Legends The flying carriage of Lady Alauthshaee, and the great treasures within, was thought to be buried or sunk in a pond somewhere in Dead Tree Hollow. It also possibly still contained the bodies of Alauthshaee and her guards. Adventurers occasionally came to search the valley for it.