List of regions in Faerûn

This is a list of fictional regions, geographical features, and other locations on the continent of Faerûn from the Forgotten Realms setting. These locations have appeared in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the multiple series of novels set in the Forgotten Realms, or the numerous video and computer games set in the Forgotten Realms, or any combination thereof.

Also note that there are separate lists for cities and nations of the Forgotten Realms setting.

Anauroch
Anauroch, also called The Great Sand Sea, is a magical desert on the continent of Faerûn.

The desert is a remnant of the once-powerful Netheril Empire. It is presently inhabited by the Bedines, magically transported there from Zakhara as well as the vicious asabi and the dreaded phaerimms and, since very recently, by the archwizards of Shade.

Elminster has said of Anauroch that "It is not a natural desert, and it is not all hot sands." In fact it is three deserts. The hot, dry desert of sand dunes which most folk imagine all Anauroch to be like is known as "the Sword" and actually makes up only roughly the southern third of the region. North of that lies a region of wind-scoured bare rock, called "the Plain of Standing Stones" despite very little of it being flat plain. The most northerly region is a vast sheet of ice overlying bedrock and marked with many rifts named "the High Ice."

Related places
The Empire of Shadows is nebulous country in southern Anauroch, mainly consisting of whatever territory the City of Shade controls at any given time. The Shadovar are currently striving to make the Empire of Shadows into a cohesive and permanent nation.

Hlaungadath is one of the three floating cities that Mystra saved during the destruction of Netheril. It is a city that landed near the High Ice and was eventually abandoned. The drow in the War of the Spider Queen series arrive here by means of a portal. They are forced to flee after they are set upon by lamias (humanoid lions that work magic) and their legions of asabis.

Reghed, or High Ice, is a frozen wasteland located on a plateau in northern Anauroch.

Chultan Peninsula
The Chultan Peninsula is a peninsula with a tropical climate that lies at the tip of Southwest Faerûn on the continent of Faerûn. It is positioned east of the island kingdoms of Nimbral and Lantan, and to the west of Halruaa.

Related places
Entirely covered by jungle, Chult is the name of the jungle that entirely covers the Chultan Peninsula. It is inhabited by dinosaurs and was at the dawn of time one of the most powerful empires, ruled by the sarrukh. There are 440,000 people, of many different species, living in Chult. Mainly pseudo African humans, there are sizable numbers of goblins and lizardfolk, as well as wild dwarves and pterafolk.

There are many tribes living throughout the jungle, while the human settlements is governed by a theocracy from the capital of Mezro.

The Flaming Fist mercenary company has, following an expedition for Anchorome in search of wealth, set up the small fort Belurian in Chult.

Samarach is a small country in the southern part of the Chultan peninsula, with the capital of Samargol.

Tashalar is a country to the east of the Chultan peninsula, linking the peninsula with the continent, more specifically the country of Halruaa. It is a merchant oligarchy of 900,000 inhabitants, mainly humans, but with a small minority of lizardfolk and yuan-ti as well. It is governed from the capital of Tashluta.

Cold Lands
The Cold Lands is a region of Faerûn. Centered around the Great Glacier, a glacier formerly inhabited by the empire of Pelvuria, the Cold Lands are now scarcely populated because of the harsh arctic climate.

The countries of Vaasa and Damara are found here, as are Sossal and Narfell.

Cormanthor
Cormanthor is an ancient forest realm in the fictional fantasy setting of the Forgotten Realms.

Cormanthor was long the place of the elven empire of Cormanthyr, Cormanthor being both the name of the forest and of the capital. After the Elven Retreat only a small number of elves remain, with the main part of the population leaving for Evereska or Evermeet.

Publication
The realm of Cormanthor was the subject of Cormanthyr: Empire of the Elves. Written by Steven E. Schend and Kevin Melka and published in 1998 by TSR, this AD&D Second Edition source book contains information on the physiology and mindset of elves; the history of the elves; Cormanthyr, Myth Drannor, Semberholme, the Tangled Vale, the Elven Court, and Windsong Tower; elven magic, including notable elves of the Art such as the Srinshee, mythals, and magical items; and more.

Dragon Coast
The Dragon Coast is a geographical region on the continent of Faerûn. It lies at the western extent of the Sea of Fallen Stars, on the southern shore of the Dragonmere, and to the north of the Shinning Plains. To the west it borders upon the nation of Turmish. Much of this land is occupied by the forest Gulthmere. It is separated from Turmish by the Orsraun Mountains.

Unlike nearby Cormyr and Sembia, the Dragon Coast has never been able to unite, and the region has seen the rise and fall of numerous city-states. Corruption is commonplace. The Red Wizards of Thay and the Cult of the Dragon both make strategic use of the region.

Hordelands
The Hordelands (also known as the Endless Wastes) is a region in the fictional fantasy setting of the Forgotten Realms, modelled on the steppes of Mongolia. It was once the territory of the mighty empire of Raumathar.

The Hordelands is the Faerûnian name of the region, though it goes by a number of names in other countries; Al-Tirmaq (Durpar), Plain of Horses (Kara-Tur), or Taan as its inhabitants call it. Now, the Hordelands is populated by the Mongol-like Tuigans. It is bordered on the north by Yal-Tengri, on the west by Narfell, Rashemen and Thay, on the south by Murghôm, Semphar and the massive Himalaya-like Yehimal mountain range, and on the East by the empire of Shou Lung.

Notable features

 * Winterkeep, one of the biggest (if not the biggest) city in the Hordelands.
 * The second largest body of water is the warm, plesiosaurs-infected Lake of Mist, with the ex-Raumatharan sprawling town of Almorel on its shores.
 * The Great Spire on the Ice Sea
 * The Many-Windowed Tower, a Raumathari lighthouse inhabited by a spelljamming lich
 * The rocky Quoya desert, inspired by the Gobi desert
 * The Mountain of Iron, a mountain containing a tremendous concentration of lodestone (natural magnet).
 * The living castle of Panjuis
 * The Tuigan capital of Quaraband, in a dead-magic zone
 * The Fortress of the Old Man, an Hashishin-like organisation (notice there is also such a fortress in Zakhara).
 * The Tsaparang Fortress, apparently inspired by Petra
 * The Shalhoond forest, a sub-equatorial jungle

Apart from the aforementioned major countries, one can also notice the mountain-dwelling nations of Khazari (capital Skardu), crossed by the Silk Road and the paranoid theocracy of Ra-Khati (Tibetan-like).

There are three ways to go from Faerûn to Kara-Tur:
 * Silk Road, cold, long and dangerous
 * Spice Road, which crosses Khazari and hence requires a fee
 * Old Iron Road, blocked by the Ra-Khati

Island Kingdoms of Faerûn
The Island Kingdoms of Faerûn are island realms, spread out across the continent of Faerûn. They were detailed in FR2, Moonshae, publisshed in 1987 by TSR, Inc., focusing largely on the Moonshae Isles. Mainly located in the vast Trackless Sea, the equivalent of the Atlantic Ocean, the islands are small, but significant, as both the home and main place of worship of the elves, Evermeet, and of the gnomes, Lantan.

Other notable locations of island kingdoms are the Shining Sea and the Lake of Steam.

Related places
The distant island of Nimbral, is also known as the Sea Haven, is located to the southwest of Lantan, in the Trackless Sea. The deceptive inhabitants, called Nimbrali, are expatriates from Halruaa, focusing heavily on the school of illusion, and are all accomplished illusionists. It seems their prolonged contact with magic changed their mage into something else than humans. Nimbral illusionists do not have any forbidden school of magic.

Prespur is an isle located in the Sea of Fallen Stars.

Tharsult is an island of unscrupulous traders, located in the Shining Sea, with the capital of Urbeth.

Lost Empires of Faerûn
The Lost Empires of Faerûn are part of the fictional fantasy setting of the Forgotten Realms. Nearly all of the lands and cities on Abeir-Toril are built on the ruins of lost empires, and throughout the Faerûnian countryside, terrible secrets of an age past lie in waiting.

Illefarn, Imaskar, and Netheril were also major Lost Empires.

The Lost Empires
Ammarindar is a dwarven kingdom founded before Cormanthyr and Netheril.

Athalantar, the Kingdom of the Stag (or the Stag Kingdom) is Elminster's birthplace. Its capital city, Hastarl, was located at the junction of the Unicorn Run and the River Delimbiyr, a site presently occupied by the village of Secomber.

Coramshan is the ancestor of Calimshan.

Deep Shanatar was once High Shanatar, a mighty dwarven realm in the Underdark. Of the original eight kingdoms that composed it, the sole survivor is the reclusive Iltkazar.

Eaerlann was an ancient elven empire located in the High Forest.

Eastern Shaar was once the kingdom of titans, but is now nothing more than an extension of the Shaar. It is bordered to the north by the country Unther, to the east by the Giant's Belt mountain range (which separates it from Raurin]), to the south by the [[Toadsquat Mountains, and to the west by the Great Rift, which separates it from the Shaar. Its major feature is the Council Hills.

Guge is an ancient kingdom that existed in the Endless Wastes. It is apparently inspired by the real ancient kingdom of Guge in Western Tibet.

Ilythiir was the ancient elven empire of the dark-skinned, tropical elves who became the drow.

Jhaamdath was a militaristic psiocracy (government by psionicists), one of the few on Toril. This ancestor of present Chondath was founded circa –5800 DR and destroyed in –255 DR by elven high mages of Nikerymath. Their tutelar divinity was Auppenser.

Miyeritar was an ancient elven empire of Dark and Green Elves. At its height, it was the center of Elven art and High Magic, but was destroyed by the evil Empire of Gold and Moon Elves, Vyshaantar. Recently, a small portion of this realm was brought back by the wizard Khelben, in the novel Blackstaff, by Steven Schend.

Pelvuria, also known as The Great Glacier, is a great, magical glacier created in -2550 DR that was once Ostoria, the kingdom of Giants (the city of Gharreil is a testimony of it). It is presently home to several kingdoms: Alpuk, Angalpuk, Nakvalicach and Novularond.

Raumathar was the great eastern empire that once included Rashemen and Thay. It is over two millennia old and almost a thousand years dead, perishing in battle with its foe Narfell. Its people were known as powerful battle-wizards, and their art of fighting is still known by some.

An ancient empire of Giants located in the North, Ostoria was divided up into separate kingdoms for each of the giant races. A falling between the giants and giant-kin led to the destruction of the empire and the creation of the Great Glacier (Pelvuria).

Shantel Othreier was an ancient elven empire.

A country that had occupied the once fertile lands of the current Quoya desert, Tsharoon lies in the Endless wastes.

Moonsea
The Moonsea is a region in the North of Faerûn. The region is dominated by the large titular lake Moonsea, that is connected to the Sea of Fallen Stars to the south by the River Lis. The shoreline is a wild, frontier area that is home to several city states that are dominated by despots, and the region doesn't have a capital.

The most notable of the city-states is Zhentil Keep at the western end, the greatest base of operations of the once-secret society of the Zhentarim; Mulmaster in the southeast; Phlan; Melvaunt on the northern side; and Hillsfar in the southwest. The region is rich in ruins (notably the one of Northkeep), monsters, pirates, and harsh, cold terrains.

West of the Moonsea is the northernmost of the Dales, Teshendale. North-west of the sea are the Dragonspine Mountains.

Related places
The Dragonspine Mountains is a mountain range northwest of the Moonsea, which houses the infamous Citadel of the Raven on their western slopes.

The sunken city of Northkeep was the first human settlement on the shores of the Moonsea.

Voonlar is a place conquered by the Zhentarim.

Old Kingdoms
The Old Kingdoms of Faerûn is a region of kingdoms. Located in the East Faerûn region, the Old Kingdoms lie on the coast of the Sea of Fallen Stars. They were once powerful nations, but over the centuries the region has succumbed to internal warring, which has weakened the countries.

The nations of Chessenta, Mulhorand, Murghôm, Semphar, and Unther are found in this region.

Savage Frontier
The Savage Frontier is a region of the subcontinent of Faerûn. It is situated west of the Silver Marches and east of the Sword Coast, where the cities of Neverwinter and Luskan lie. This region was first detailed in FR5, The Savage Frontier, published in 1988.

Contrary to its name, much of the area is really not a savage frontier and it is quite civilized. In some Dungeons & Dragons modules, however, broader conflicts (such as those between Luskan and Waterdeep, the cities and the Zhentarim etc.) make the area a dangerous one.

The MMORPG Neverwinter Nights (AOL, 1991-1997) and the computer games Neverwinter Nights, Gateway to the Savage Frontier and Treasures of the Savage Frontier are all set in this region.

Sea of Fallen Stars
The largest inland body of water in the world of Faerûn, the Sea of Fallen Stars is said to have been formed by a star sent by deities to punish titan's arrogance (some say it was actually the eggs of the first dragons). Its major ramifications include the Dragonmere (a.k.a. Lake of Dragons) on the West, the Moonsea on the North, the Alamber Sea on the East and the Vilhon Reach on the South. They are just the most notable ones, others being the Lake of the Long Arm, the Deepwash, the Bay of Chessenta, the Akanamere, the Alaor or the Easting Reach.

Its surrounding lands include Cormyr, the Dalelands, Sembia, the Vast, Impiltur, The Great Dale, Thesk, Aglarond, Altumbel, Thay, the Priador, Mulhorand, Unther, Chessenta, Chondath, Turmish, the Shining Plains and the Dragon Coast.

Some notable isles include the Pirate Isles and the Isle of Prespur.

Sea of Moving Ice
North of Icewind Dale and Reghed, the Sea of Moving Ice is the northernmost place in known Faerûn and is located west of the Endless Ice Sea. Almost completely uncharted, it is filled with icebergs and Faerûnians believe that beyond it lies the domain of their gods.

Shaar
Shaar and the Eastern Shaar is a region on the continent of Faerûn. The vast savannah-like landscape that forms Shaar is modeled after African savannah and veldt. It is populated by an endemic race of elephant-like humanoids known as loxos, as well as by the insectoid thri-kreens and the tauric wemics.

“Thousands of miles of grass, as far as the eye can see, sloping from east to west but with a cliff in the middle, the Landrise, where west drops down to east. The Eastern Shaar is more dry, but both bake by day and freeze by night. Fierce horse nomads herd rothé, wemics and centaurs, and there must be something worth trading for out there, hidden in all that open space. They give us slaves and trinkets and a little ivory, but would rather raid the Border Kingdoms and everywhere else they can reach. Magnificent horses, but they seem to sicken if taken away in trade.”


 * Capital city: none, but Shaarmid is the most important agglomeration

Shining South
The Shining South is a region which lies on the southern coast of the continent, out to the Great Sea, stretching from South Faerûn to Southeast Faerûn, and consists of many city-states and kingdoms.

The nations of Durpar, Estagund, Halruaa, Luiren, and Var the Golden are found here, as well as the region called Shaar.

Related places
The Great Rift is the land of the Gold Dwarves, though there is also a human city nearby, called Khôltar. The land is inhabited by 1,300,000 dwarves, gnomes, halflings, and the country, called the Deep Realm, is ruled by a monarchy from the capital of Underhome.

Rethild, also known as the Great Swamp, is a swamp cursed by an ancient wizard, and the home of the magic-draining monsters called larakens. It is separated from Halruaa by the East Wall Mountains (Muaraghal).

Silver Marches
Silver Marches (formerly known as Luruar) is a region and political entity on the continent of Faerûn.

It is bordered by the Anauroch desert to the east, the High Forest to the south, the Savage Frontier to the west and the Spine of the World mountain range to the north and has an estimated population of 1,090,800.

The confederation of the Silver Marches consists of its capital city Silverymoon (est. population 37,073) as well as Everlund, Sundabar, Mithril Hall (est. population 4,991), Citadel Adbar, Citadel Felbarr and some minor towns and villages, including Quaervarr in the Moonwood, Deadsnows and Newfort. The current leader of the confederation is High Lady Alustriel Silverhand, one of the many chosen of Mystra.

One of the more well known locations in the Silver Marches is Beorunna's Well (estimated population 2,139), which is featured in the computer game Neverwinter Nights.

Cities and towns

 * Silverymoon (Capital)
 * Sundabar
 * Rauvinwatch keep
 * High Hold
 * Rivermoot
 * Khelb
 * Jalanthar
 * Winter Edge
 * Quaervarr
 * Everlund
 * Nesme
 * Lluvenhead
 * Hilltop

Related places
A Dwarven Citadel to the east of Sundabar, Citadel Adbar is ruled by the venerabal King Harbromme, and protected by the famed Iron Guard.

A large, dense forest dominated by evergreens, shadowtops, and duskwoods, the Moonwood is home to few natural predators and no orcs or goblinoids. Its southern fringes are peaceful enough home to small bands of moon elves and wood elves who roam its green depths and fair meadows, as well as the rustic homes of woodcutters and trappers. The northern depths are a different matter—there, the woods become darker, thcker, and more overgrown, and the People of the Black Blood hunt. The Moonwood is a little over a hundred miles from north to south, and approximately 60 miles wide in the Northern parts. It tapers down to the south west.

The Moonwood is home to a few characters in the Drizzt Do'Urden series by R.A. Salvatore including Ellifain Tuuserail, Tarathiel, and Innovindil.

Spine of the World
The Spine of the World is the range of mountains in Northern Faerûn that lies just south of Icewind Dale and the northern icecaps. It is said to be almost impossible to cross, teeming with ogres, orcs, and other foul creatures of the north. Bards say that if one does manage to cross it, one comes to an endless sea of mist and ice, in which white dragons (the least intelligent of true dragons) wait to consume anything that comes their way. This is just a myth, however, as white dragons are quite rare.

The Spine of the World is also a novel by R. A. Salvatore.

Sword Coast
The Sword Coast is a portion of the northwestern coast of Faerûn, and stretches from the city-state of Baldur's Gate, in the south, along the coast of the Sea of Swords, to city-state Waterdeep, and from Waterdeep further north to Neverwinter, Luskan, and Icewind Dale, the Arctic and northernmost region of the Sword Coast.

The metropolises of Waterdeep and Baldur's Gate are not counted as part of the Sword Coast, instead Baldur's Gate lies in the Western Heartlands, while Waterdeep is an independent city-state. Mirabar and Ten Towns are found here.

Because of its quasi-lawless, "frontier" setting, being a place where all races can meet and interact, it has been the setting for many modules (especially those subtitled with the Savage Frontier name), as well as the MMORPG Neverwinter Nights (AOL, 1991-1997) and the computer games Neverwinter Nights (Bioware, 2002), Baldur's Gate, Gateway to the Savage Frontier and Treasures of the Savage Frontier.

Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast is the title of an expansion disc for the game Baldur's Gate.

Related places

 * For the Icewind Dale computer role-playing games, see Icewind Dale series

Icewind Dale is a sub-Arctic region, along the northernmost part of the Sword Coast. It is famous because many events involving the drow hero, Drizzt Do'Urden, occurred here, chronicled in The Icewind Dale Trilogy, a series of fantasy novels by R. A. Salvatore.

Icewind Dale is an icy tundra and the northernmost explored area of Faerûn. Its only permanent settlements are known as the Ten Towns, a confederation of a number of minor settlements cooperating with each other. The region is mainly populated by fishermen, craftsmen, rangers, dwarves mining the deeps for minerals and precious stones, barbarians, and merchants who tolerate the hostile climate in the hope of trading in ivory and gems. The "capital" of the region is the town of Bryn Shander.

Another notable feature of Icewind Dale is Kelvin's Cairn, a mountain north of Ten Towns. It was in a cavern on the northern face of this mountain that Drizzt Do'Urden resided for some time as a sort of 'scout' for Ten Towns.

Unapproachable East
The Unapproachable East is a region on the subcontinent of Faerûn. It is a border region between the Northeast Faerûn and East Faerûn. The region sports great adversity; from the scheming Red Wizards of Thay to the boisterous barbarians of Rashemen, it is a place rife with conflict. The region is bordered to the south by the Old Kingdoms, and to the north by the Cold Lands. To the northeast are the Hordelands.

The nations of Aglarond, Impiltur, Rashemen, Thay, and Thesk are found in this region.

Related places
The Great Dale is governed by a Druidic hierarchy, under rule of Nentyarch. It is a human land, of 200,000 inhabitants.

According to rumours, The Great Dale is the place from which Dalelanders come.

The Vast
The Vast is a region on the continent of Faerûn. The most important places in The Vast are the cities of Ravens Bluff and Sarbreenar.

Vilhon Reach
The Vilhon Reach is a region on the fictional continent of Faerûn in the role-playing game setting of the Forgotten Realms. The region is named after a body of water called the Vilhon Reach, a part of the Sea of Fallen Stars.

Through its many port cities, the Vilhon Reach is established as an essential trade center between the cities of the southern bodies of water, the Lake of Steam and the Shining Sea, and the many kingdoms and city-states around the inner sea of the continent, the Sea of Fallen Stars.

The nations of Chondath and Turmish are found in this region.

Related places
Hlondeth is an independent city-state at the end of the Vilhon Reach which controls a region of mountainous territory to the southwest of Turmish. The city has long had an association with serpents, and is ruled by the Extaminos family, with mixed blood that is not quite human.

The Shining Plains is a region located west of Turmish, the city of Ormath, established in 125 DR is a location of interest.

Western Heartlands
The Western Heartlands are a fictional region in the fantasy setting of the Forgotten Realms. Located in West Faerûn, the Western Heartlands stretches west from Cormyr and the Dragon Coast to the east, and slowly blends into the coastal Sword Coast region at the Sea of Swords. The Western Heartlands is in no way a state, but consists of numerous city-states and hamlets, with the metropolis of Waterdeep its most dominant city.

Other locations found in the Western Heartlands include the city of Baldur's Gate, Daggerford, Castle Darkhold, Dragonspear Castle, Evereska, the High Moor, Scornubel, and Secomber.

Related places
Halfway on the Coast Way between Baldur's Gate and Amn, the large town of Beregost receives many visiting merchant caravans, and town has a wide array of inns and taverns. The town is run by Kelddath Ormlyr, the high priest of the local temple to Lathander. Beregost was founded around a school of magic run by the wizard Ulcaster, but the school is now but ruins to the east of the town.

In 1373, Beregost was the site of a battle between two metallic dragons, the copper dragon Chalintash and the mercury dragon Trinculo. These events are contained in Murray J.D. Leeder's short story "The Strength of the Jester," in the anthology Realms of the Dragons II.

The fortress library of Candlekeep stands on a cliff, looking down upon the Sea of Swords. The library contains every book and scroll of knowledge possible, and it was the home of the great seer Alaundo, who among other visions, foresaw the coming of the Bhaalspawn. Candlekeep is currently ruled by the Keeper of the Tomes, Ulraunt, and his assistant, First Reader Tethtoril.

To gain entry to the halls of wisdom, a visitor must gift the library collection with a new tome of immense value.

The small community of monks and scholars residing in Candlekeep mainly favours Oghma, the god of knowledge, as well as the deities Deneir, Gond, and Milil.

The Friendly Arm Inn is a stone keep which houses the titular inn and is surrounded by an outer wall, which also protects the Temple of Wisdom (a shrine dedicated to Garl Glittergold), a handful of houses, and stables. With its location on the trade way between Baldur's Gate and the town of Beregost, the Friendly Arm is a safe haven for travellers.