no amount of money Minta rn could offer that would
sweeten the deal.
I like Minta rn. It has cozy inns , and th ey make a
brillia nt green wine unique to th eir is land. But, there
a re safe r harbors during th e curre nt s torm. Maybe in
another decade or two I'll try Mintarn again.
In th e case that you vis it , he re ar e a few other things
you s hould know of Min ta rn.
Eve ry five or six years, a new tyrant- ye s , that's what
th ey call the mselve s - e m erges on Mintarn, ruling the
is la nd kingdom in th e name of preserving its status
as a neutra l ground and a free port. A few years ago,
He r Tyrancy was Bloeth Embuirhan, the supposed
great-g ra ndda ughte r of a tyra nt from a century ago.
She rule d th e is la nd through its most prosperous
days, but odds are tha t the folk of Mintarn (and maybe
herself as well, if s he has he r wits bout her) wants
someone else on the throne now.
Despite its open harbors and m any fine establish-
me nts, Mintarn remains a loosely s ettled island. There
a re farms and homesteads, to be sure , but also wide,
ope n s paces between the m, and e nough land that
a nyone could ma ke a small living if s o inclined.SKADAURAK
The Red Rage of Mintarn dwells in this mountain that
rises from the sea north of Min ta rn. I've neve r heard of
a ny tre asure hunters making it out a live, but those who
give tribute to Hoondarrh say th ey sail into a se a cave
and le ave it on a sandy beach within. More caves are
said to lead out from that bay, one eve n going straight
up into th e ceiling. Sometimes the tribute carriers can
hear Hoondarrh's breathing from one of the cave s: great
inhalations, exhalations, and deep rumbles of slumber.
Whe n they can't hea r such noises , you might think folk
of Mintarn would be inclined to explore Skadaurak, but
as it was explained to me, th e la ck of th e dragon snoring
might mean he is away hunting somewher e, but it could
just as e asily mean he is present, watching, and holding
his breath.THE MOONSHAES
Cloaked in mists, the rocky cliffs of the Moonshae Isles
rise high above the surf of th e S ea of Swords, their tops
clothed in ancient forests. The Moonshaes lie due west
from Mintarn-and Baldur's Gate , and Candlekeep, and
even Arnn, for that matter: this great stre tch of islands
is nearly half as long as the Sword Coast, enclosing th e
S e a of Moonshae.
On the southern isles live the Ffolk, humans ruled by
their High King, Derid Kendrick, from the fortress of
Caer Callidyr on Alaron. The Ffolk worship a goddess
they call the Earthmother; her druids gather in sacred
grove s on the islands. Some of th ese grove s hold moon-
wells, magical pools that the druids say the goddess
uses as her windows onto the world.
The northern isles are th e territory of the Northland-
ers, who spread south from Ruathym to s ettle here ,CHAPTER 2 I THE SWORD COAST AND THE NORTH