Unapproachable East.pdf - The Forgotten Realms

Illustration by Sam Wood
In the path of the savage Qu’encesta stand the blightspawned
armies of the Rotting Man. Heara and her warriors
know little of the Talontar blightlords, as the tribesfolk normally
do not come so far south. Similarly, the blightlords pay
little attention to the barbarians of the plains north of the
Rawlinswood. Most likely, the blightlords will meet the drive
of the Qu’encesta invasion with their own army—unless the
Rotting Man chooses to stand aside and allow the Qu’encesta
to pass through his forest or, worse yet, makes an alliance with
the bloodthirsty barbarians.
DEMONS FROM ANCIENT DAYS
The rulers of ancient Narfell forged their empire, not with
statesmanship and diplomatic skill, but through pacts with
demons who agreed to serve them. Despite the power of their
foul allies, the rulers of Narfell came to a bad end. While
they were being wiped out, many of their demonic servants
vanished into the deepest, darkest parts of the forest. Some
of these fiends concealed themselves for centuries, slumbering
away the years while they waited for great Narfell to
rise again.
But many of the creatures were unable to awaken from
their deathless slumber. Beneath the Rawlinswood and the
THE GREAT DALE
A blightlord waits for a chance to strike
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darker portions of the Forest of Lethyr, these ancient demons
still lie buried despite the passage of fifteen centuries.
Every now and then, some curious fortune-hunter runs
across an old ruin, and while poking around for treasure, disturbs
a sleeping demon. The Nentyarch is aware of the potential
problems, but he prefers not to risk awakening the
creatures. Some of the fell powers sleeping beneath the forests
are so strong and wicked that not even the Nentyarch himself
could hope to imprison them again.
The Nentyar hunters keep an eye on such places to ensure
that no strangers get near them, but their bitter contest with
the Talontar blightlords and the impending raid of the
Qu’encesta may make such vigilance difficult. While the Circle
of Leth has its hands full, the invaders are likely to discover
and let loose a few demons.
Cities and Sites
The Great Dale boasts only one city of any size: Uthmere.
Every other settlement is a tiny hold or thorp, usually home
to fewer than twenty people. Most of these tiny communities
huddle along the Great Road, including Bezentil and Kront,