Unapproachable East.pdf - The Forgotten Realms

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