Unapproachable East.pdf - The Forgotten Realms
Unapproachable East.pdf - The Forgotten Realms
Unapproachable East.pdf - The Forgotten Realms
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<strong>The</strong> Wizards’ Reach<br />
Between the Thousand Swords of Altumbel and the Akanapeaks<br />
of Chessenta, the Sea of Fallen Stars narrows to little<br />
more than 100 miles in width. This broad eastern arm of the<br />
Inner Sea extends almost 1,000 miles to the east, linking the<br />
Old Empires with the ports of western Faerûn. <strong>The</strong> portion<br />
of this arm from Delthuntle in the west to the Alaor in the<br />
east is known as the Wizards’ Reach. It forms the southern<br />
borders of both Aglarond and Thay, separating them from the<br />
Old Empires to the south.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Wizards’ Reach sees a lot of traffic these days, mostly<br />
moving from Bezantur to Thayan enclaves around the Sea of<br />
Fallen Stars and back. <strong>The</strong> sahuagin who live here have learned<br />
to recognize Thayan ships from the red sigils painted on the<br />
bottom of their hulls, and they give such vessels a wide berth.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Alamber Sea<br />
This body of water is an extension of the Wizards’ Reach, running<br />
south from Bezantur all the way to Gheldaneth on Mulhorand’s<br />
southern coast. Ships from Bezantur sail up and down<br />
its coast constantly, bringing Thayan goods to major cities in<br />
both Unther and Mulhorand. <strong>The</strong> Alamber Sea is occupied<br />
mostly by the sahuagin of the kingdom of Aleaxtis, a good portion<br />
of which actually surrounds the Alaor. Thay had problems<br />
with these creatures in the past, but the Red Wizards treated<br />
the sahuagin so mercilessly that the sea devils grudgingly allow<br />
Thayan vessels free passage through the Alamber Sea.<br />
Giantspire<br />
Mountains<br />
North of the Rawlinswood rise the rugged, snowy Giantspire<br />
Mountains. Claimed by both Damara and the Nar tribes, the<br />
range is, in fact, occupied by the folk of neither land, for hobgoblins,<br />
bugbears, and evil cloud giants hold the peaks.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Long Road crosses the Giantspires, right through a<br />
region of rolling foothills known as the Giant Gap. Snows close<br />
the gap in the wintertime, but few travelers come this way<br />
even at the height of summer—marauders and monsters<br />
harry travelers in this lonely and desolate land.<br />
<strong>The</strong> hobgoblins of the Giantspires are ruled by King Kardobbik<br />
(LE male hobgoblin Ftr12), a particularly dangerous<br />
warlord. <strong>The</strong> king’s primary advisor is Lady Farkattle<br />
(LE female hobgoblin Nec11). She has managed to animate<br />
the corpse of a long-dead, very old deep dragon that once made<br />
its home here but was slain in the war that brought the old<br />
empire of Narfell to a bloody end. This skeletal dragon looks<br />
like a dracolich to the uninitiated, but it is entirely under<br />
Farkattle’s control. Kardobbik uses this fearsome monster to<br />
keep the hobgoblin tribes of the Giantspires in line—no easy task.<br />
BORDER AREAS<br />
188<br />
Mulhorand<br />
Mulhorand was once a sprawling empire that encompassed all<br />
of Thay as well as the lands of Murghôm and Semphar to the<br />
east. <strong>The</strong> Thayans have not forgotten this part of their history,<br />
no matter how many hundreds of years ago it may have<br />
been. <strong>The</strong>y guard their border with Mulhorand carefully,<br />
ready to beat back any invasion force that may come their<br />
way. <strong>The</strong> two nations have fought terrible wars on several occasions,<br />
the last less than a hundred years ago.<br />
Mulhorand has its collective hands full these days, trying<br />
to absorb what it can of Unther in the wake of that nation’s<br />
dissolution. This makes the Mulhorandi much too busy to<br />
worry about Thay. Despite the rivalry between the two nations,<br />
Mulhorand is actually the closest thing Thay has to an<br />
ally. <strong>The</strong> Thayan nobles and zulkirs are Mulan, sharing a<br />
common language and heritage with the Mulhorandi. Also,<br />
since slavery is legal in Mulhorand, Thay imports a great<br />
number of slaves from its ancient fatherland.<br />
Mountains of Copper<br />
<strong>The</strong> Mountains of Copper march east from the Sunrise Mountains<br />
and are an ancient spur of that mighty range. This<br />
was once the home of a proud dwarven race that fought bitterly<br />
against Mulhorandi rule hundreds of years ago. Although<br />
many of their southern holds were destroyed, the<br />
surviving dwarves have taken up residence on the north side<br />
of the chain, facing the wide expanse of the Endless Wastes.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Mulhorandi eventually gave up on the idea of subjugating<br />
the dwarves.<br />
<strong>The</strong> copper dragons of the Dragonjaw Mountains are descended<br />
from the even larger family of dragons who make<br />
their home here. <strong>The</strong>y live in the western potion of the range,<br />
overlooking the gap of the Clearflow River.<br />
Ganathwood<br />
<strong>The</strong> Ganathwood is a strange and dark place nestled against<br />
the southern portion of the Sunrise Mountains. <strong>The</strong> place was<br />
once occupied by wild elves, much like the Yuirwood of Aglarond,<br />
but this people died out entirely. Today, the place is<br />
home to wild creatures and bloodthirsty monsters. <strong>The</strong> largest<br />
group in the Ganathwood is a tribe of escaped slaves from<br />
Thay and Mulhorand who have gone native, returning to an<br />
almost feral state in the heart of the forest. Cut off from the<br />
outside world, these people have learned to make do with what<br />
little they can scrape together. Some here dream of leading a<br />
rebellion against the leaders in the Mulhorandi capital of<br />
Skuld, but such ideas are the ramblings of madmen.