en't fearful enough to do more than send an adventuring
party or two into the area to investigate.
In Damara, the usurper King Yarin Frostmantle sits
on the throne of the Dragon bane dynasty, while his peo-
ple complain about his tyranny and the growing threat
from demons across the country. In Narfell, skilled rid-
ers and archers hunt, raid, and are gradually reclaiming
their heritage as a great nation of mages who treated
with devils. The Warlock Knights of Vaasa threaten to
break the bounds of their nation and invade Damara,
the Moonsea, or both, while some of its members sus-
piciously eye the ominously silent Castle Perilous, per-
haps planning another excursion to the place. The tiny
nation of Sossal trades with its neighbors, but shares
little of itself with the wider world.
The Dale/ands. The humans who call the Dalelands
home want nothing more than lives untroubled by the
concerns of larger nations. They take great pride in
their peaceful coexistence with the elves of Cormanthor,
and in their ability to remain largely self-sufficient and
autonomous even when their homeland was used as a
battlefield by Cormyr, Netheril, Sembia, and Myth Dran-
nor in the recent conflicts. Featherdale and Tasseldale
have reasserted their independence since the end of the
war, and rejoined Archendale, Battledale, Daggerdale,
Deepingdale, Harrowdale, Mistledale, Scardale, and
Shadowdale on the Dales Council. The High Dale did
the same shortly afterward.
Dalesfolk are mistrustful of anyone unwilling to sac-
rifice for the common good, but those who put in good
work-whether in defense or labor-are accepted as
equals, entitled to share in the rewards from their toil.
The Horde/ands. Formerly known as the Endless
Wastes, this land has gained a new name among
Faerunians, styled after the vast Tuigan horde that roared
out of the east and rode against Faerun more than a
century ago. After these tribesfolk were defeated, some
of the fierce, mounted warriors who survived the conflict
gathered to form the small nation ofYalmunnahar. Some
others cling to the old ways, mastering the sword and the
bow and riding across the steppes on their short-legged
horses. Brave merchants still traverse the Golden Way
to and from Kara-Tur, but those who return from such a
voyage are fewer than they once were.
lmpiltur. With the rising of the waters of the Sea of
Fallen Stars, some of Impiltur's wealth and influence is
returning, leading to whispers among the populace that
a lost king of the line of old will rise up to lift Impiltur
out of its woes and back to the great nation it once was.
Impiltur is a nation of humans with pockets of
dwarves and halflings among its populace. Where once
a long royal line sat its throne and ruled over a unified
kingdom, now a Grand Council sits around a table and
struggles to combat the presence of demons, and demon
worship, within the nation's borders.
The Moonsea. The shores of the Moonsea have long
been home to cities that rise swiftly, relying on vigor-
ous trade and gathering powerful mercenaries to their
banners, only to overextend themselves and fall-some-
times crumbling over time, and sometimes dropping
like stones from the sky.
CHAPTER 1 I WELCOME TO THE REALMSNow that Netheril and Myth Drannor have fallen,
those two great powers can no longer exert their in-
fluence over the Moonsea, allowing the city of Hillsfar
to spread its wings and eye southward expansion, and
Mulmaster to once again further the worship of Bane.Phlan, Teshwave, Thentia, and Voonlar-all Moonsea
cities where greater powers jockeyed for influence-now
work to find their own identities before an unchecked or
malevolent realm swallows them, one by one.
This region is also home to the ruins of the Citadel of
the Raven and Zhentil Keep, former strongholds of the
Zhentarim, which the Black Network shows occasional
interest in restoring.
Mulhorand. Since the Chosen of the gods began to
appear in the last few years, Mulhorand has become
a land transformed. Its deities manifested fully in the
forms of some of their descendants, and swiftly rallied
the Mulan to overthrow the Imaskari. Aided by the
mighty wizard Nezram, known as the World-Walker,
the Mulhorandi overthrew the rulers of High Imaskar,
who fled into the Plains of Purple Dust or to extra planar
safeholds.
When the upheaval ended and the Chosen began to
disappear, the gods of Mulhorand remained to rule
their people, focusing their attention on defending their
restored homeland to keep the war in Unther and Ty-
manther from spilling over its borders. For the first time
in centuries, the people in Mulhorand are free, with the
gods declaring that slavery shall no longer be practiced
among the Mulan since their return.
Rashemen. A harsh, cold land filled with hardy folk,
Rashemen is a fiercely traditional nation. It is ruled
by its Iron Lord, Mangan Uruk, who speaks for the
power behind the throne: the Wychlaran, the society
of masked witches that determine Rashemen's course.
These witches wield great powers tied to the land and
its magic and guard against evil fey and vengeful spirits.
A small number of male spellcasters, known as the Old
Ones, create magic items and weave arcane rituals for
the witches. Rashemi witches revere the Three, a trium-
virate of goddesses they call Bhalla (the Den Mother),
Khelliara (the Forest Maiden), and the Hidden One.
Over the centuries, scholars in other lands have specu-
lated that these deities might be faces of Chauntea, Miel-
ikki, and Mystra, respectively.
The nation's warriors are a fierce, stoic lot, famed for
their strength, endurance, and stubbornness in battle.
Rash em en is a long-standing enemy of Thay, and has
often thwarted that nation's ambitions to rule Faerun.
Little pleases a Rashemi warrior more than the chance
to strike down a Red Wizard in battle.
Sembia. Following a period of subjugation at the
hands of Netheril, Sembia is already on its way to
becoming the economic power it was in prior years.
Although relations are cool with the Dales and Cormyr
following the most recent war, Sembian merchants are
quick to dismiss previous conflicts as the work of the
Netherese, and remind their former trading partners of
the long and mutually profitable relationships they previ-
ously enjoyed. To prove its good intentions, Sembia has
"allowed" Featherdale and Tasseldale to regain their in-
dependence, even though Sembian investors had owned