and have fought occasional wars with the Ffolk in the
centuries that the two groups have uneasily shared
the islands.
ALA RON
The largest and most populous isle of the Moonshaes is
Alaron. The Ffolk stronghold of Caer Callidyr overlooks
a bay south of the Fairheight Mountains, at the northern
edge of Dornall Forest. The forest is a perilous place,
filled with goblins, worgs, and their ilk. The deeper one
goes, the more otherworldly the woods become, with
fey creatures leading travelers astray-or to their doom.
Even the High King's rangers walk the forest with care.
Rumor has it the Rookoath dwarves of the Fairhe-
ight range-bolstered by Clan Rustfire of the isle of
Gwynneth, and adventurers out of Callidyr-have won
victories against the local ores and their shadow dragon
master. High King Derid hopes to forge an alliance with
the dwarves, but thus far they have spurned the aid of
the crown.
Meanwhile, Kythyss, a port town on the Great South
Head of Alaron, has been hiring mercenaries to guard
caravans running north to Callidyr. Caravan masters
there are always looking for help, if you're willing to
brave the road for a while.
CHAPTER 2 I THE SWORD COAST AND THE NORTH
GWYNN ETH
Over my lifetime, the isle of Gwynneth has become ever
more fey and mysterious, home to the elven realm of
Sarifal, under the rule of High Lady Ordalf.
Sarifal shares the island with the reclusive mountain
kingdom of Synnoria, the home of the Llewyr elves, plus
a few small shield dwarf settlements, and the ruins of
Caer Corwell, the former Ffolk settlement on Gwyn-
neth. High King Derid wants to reclaim the old citadel
and rebuild it as an embassy, but has yet to secure Lady
Ordal f's consent to do so.
Gwynneth is also home to Myrloch Vale, a lush valley
nestled in the mountains with the shimmering waters
of the Myrloch to the south. Druid circles are active in
the Vale, allied with the elves and the fey creatures of
this area.
In the north of the island, High Lady Ordalf's son,
Prince Araithe, leads the struggle against the darker fey
of the forest of Winterglen. The prince is a pragmatist
willing to accept aid in fending off his people's foes, and
so has been known to allow adventuring companies to
cross the Strait of Alaron and land on Gwynneth, if they
pledge to aid the cause.KORINN ARCHIPELAGO
The Korinn Archipelago is dozens of rocky, rainy,
and windswept islands populated mostly by North-
landers, who herd sheep, fish the nearby waters, and
occasionally go raiding or pirating. Dozens of separate
settlements are their own mini-kingdoms with little that
unifies them besides a shared Northlander culture.
There's no safe harbor for outsiders; you just have no
idea what you are dealing with. For other Northlanders,
the settlement of Westhaven on Pandira serves as a neu-
tral ground where Northlanders of all stripes who ply
the waters of the Sea of Swords might come to port and
wait out a storm or resupply.MORAY
To the west of Gwynneth, Moray is a land at war with
itself. The embattled Ffolk of Caer Moray struggle to
keep the port town open so that Dynnegall, farther
inland, can receive vital goods and supplies.
These supplies sometimes include reinforcements
to deal with the threats of the island, which are many
and varied: the Black Blood tribe of Malar-worshiping
werefolk, the giants of the Trollclaw Range in the north,
and the ogres and ores of the Orcskill Mountains in
the south.
The Ffolk of Moray are loyal to the High King. They
hope for a return to a unified Moonshaes under theValkur, Hero-God of the Northlanders
While Northlanders revere many other gods-Auril, Um-
berlee, Talos, and Tempus, in particular-they see mighty
Valkur as the most important. This hero-god is unique
to the Northlanders and embodies the qualities that
Northlanders most admire: fierceness, cunning, courage,
strength, and sailing skill.