Unapproachable East.pdf - The Forgotten Realms

to barter with the locals—and that’s just what most of the
Great Dale’s neighbors have done over the years.
The rise of the Rotting Man and his blightlords in the black
hold of Dun-Tharos has finally brought a real threat to the
Great Dale. The blightlords command an army of blightspawned
treants, volodnis, and animals, a slavering horde
strong enough to overwhelm everything east of Uthmere.
Only the vigilance of the Circle of Leth holds them in check,
and the Circle may not be able to contain the Talontar blightlords
for much longer.
The Dalesfolk have seen enough of the blight to understand
that their homes and lives are endangered by the fell power
in the northern woods. For the first time in living memory,
the clanlords of the eastern Dale are making ready for war.
Nentyar hunters carry messages from hold to hold and farm
to farm. No one hold can muster more than a dozen or so
militia, but the druids hope a call to arms from the Nentyarch
will bring fighting men and women from a hundred such
settlements. Only an immediate and dire threat could bring
the Dalesfolk to forget distance and differences, and the Rotting
Man’s feral army poses exactly such a threat. Led by the
Circle of Leth, Dalesfolk under arms may be surprisingly
determined soldiers.
RELIGION
The citizens of Uthmere venerate most deities of the Faerûnian
pantheon. Even so, the most popular gods here are those
who are worshiped throughout the Dale: Chauntea, Eldath,
Mielikki, and Silvanus (although Tyr’s faith is also widespread).
Of these, Eldath garners the most worship in Uthmere
because of her association with the waters that tumble
out of the forest and into the sea. The secret House of the
Master’s Shadow (recently founded in an anonymous building
in the city’s poorest quarter) is the local branch of the Shadowmasters.
The Shadowmasters have already started their
standard tactic of recruiting from the youngest and poorest
inhabitants, and they have had a lot of success so far. Mask
is pleased.
Chauntea, Mielikki, and Silvanus are worshiped widely in
the rest of the territory. The people of the Great Dale understand
that while they may seem alone, they are always
surrounded by their chosen deities—nature gods all. The farmers
who work the open fields favor Chauntea. Silvanus appeals
to most of the druids and rangers, although Mielikki
comes in a close second. Women are especially fond of her, and
when a person of the Great Dale is in need, they appeal to her
kinder nature first. People who live along the Great Imphras
River or near the headwaters of the Easting Reach often
prefer Eldath.
Adventurers
When most adventurers look at a map of Faerûn, they pass
over the Great Dale without a second thought. The reputation
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of the Nentyarch and his followers is well known, as well as
the fact that the forests they protect are perilous to intruders.
Still, there are plenty of opportunities for adventure in
the Great Dale: elven ruins to explore, rampaging monsters
to defeat, and terrorized communities to rescue. But heroes
who come here must deal with the Circle of Leth eventually.
If they are not careful in where they go and how they answer
challenges, they are certain to have problems with the
guardians of the Dale, possibly deadly ones.
Adventurers passing through the area find accommodations
few and far between. A fast-moving traveler on foot requires
at least fifteen to twenty days to walk the Great Road from
Uthmere to Kront, depending on the weather. In that entire
journey, she’ll find inns or welcoming farmhouses for no more
than three or four nights. It’s rare for anyone to take in
strangers. It doesn’t matter if they are noble heroes on a quest
to free Faerûn from its worst nightmares. They’ll have to earn
the trust and friendship of the Dalesfolk, and that will not be
the work of a day.
Politics and Power
The Great Dale is a political nonentity. Its borders are defined
by its neighbors and the will of the Circle of Leth to protect
its forests. There is no national government, and the people
like it that way. Two people could claim to rule the Great
Dale, were they so inclined: Lord Uthlain of Uthmere and the
Nentyarch.
Uthlain has enough trouble governing his small city, especially
now that the Shadowmasters have moved into town.
Even if he tried to extend his influence outward from the
city, the people of the open lands would simply laugh at him.
Some of Uthlain’s advisors entertain the notion of subjugating
the rest of the dale through military might, but the
Lord of Uthmere wants no part of such aggression. He knows
the homesteaders and clansfolk would appeal to the Nentyarch,
and the land would erupt in a civil war. While Lord
Uthlain may have many ambitions for Uthmere—and, by extension,
the rest of the Great Dale—he has no desire to water
the forests with blood.
The Nentyarch already leads all the folk he cares to govern
through the Circle of Leth and harbors no desires to become
a druid-king. He is already in charge in the ways that matter,
and he is happy to avoid the politicking and headaches that
come with overt rule.
History of the Great Dale
The Great Dale has been mostly undisturbed since its lands fell
out from under the control of ancient Narfell. However,
recent events have caused the people of the Great Dale to
wonder if their long streak of luck is finally running out.