CHAPTER 1: WELCOME TO THE REALMS
N THE WORLD OF TORIL, BETWEEN THE
windswept Sea of Swords to the west
and the mysterious lands of Kara-Tur
to the east, lies the continent of Faerun.
A place of varied cultures and races,
Faerun is domina'ted by human lands, be
they kingdoms, city-states, or carefully
maintained alliances of rural communities. Interspersed
among the lands of humans are old dwarven kingdoms
and hidden elven enclaves, assimilated populations of
gnomes and halflings, and more exotic folk.
A great deal of adventure is to be had in the Realms,
for those willing to seek it out. The routes between cities
and nations often cross into the territory of brigands or
marauding humanoids. Every forest, swamp, and moun-
tain range has its own perils, whether lurking bandits,
savage ores and goblinoids, or mighty creatures such
as giants and dragons. Ruins dot the landscape and the
caverns that wind beneath the surface. In these places,
treasures of every living race-and a number of dead
ones-wait for adventurers intrepid enough to come and
claim them.
Faerfin is filled with rich history and wondrous tales
of adventure and magic, but the lifeblood of its common
people is agriculture and trade. Most rural folk depend
on farming to eat, and Faerunians who live in cities ply
skilled trades or use brawn to earn their keep, so they
can purchase the goods and food provided by others.
J ews and gossip are carried between population cen-
ters by caravans and ships that bring in supplies for
trade and by traveling bards and minstrels who recount
(or invent) stories to inform and entertain people in tav-
erns, inns, and castles. Adventurers also spread news-
while also creating it!
The common folk of Faerun look on adventurers
with a mixture of admiration, envy, and mistrust. Folk
believe that any stalwarts willing to risk their lives on
behalf of complete strangers should be lauded and re-
warded. But such adventurers, if they become success-
ful, amass wealth and personal status at a rate that
some people find alarming. Even people who admire
these adventurers for their energy and their acts of
valor might have misgivings: what horrors will be un-
leashed if adventurers, heedless or unknowing of the
danger, unlock a ruin or a tomb and release an ancient
evil into the world?
Most of the people who populate the continent have
little or no knowledge of lands outside Faerun. The
most educated among the populace agree that Faerun
is but one continent and that Tori! is the whole of the
world, but for the majority of people, who don't experi-
ence intercontinental travel or extraplanar exploration,
"Faerun" is more than large enough of a concept for
them to comprehend.
Except in the most remote or insular places,
Faerunians are accustomed to seeing people of different
cultures, ethnicities, and races. Only in the most cos-
mopolitan areas does such casual acceptance extend
to evil humanoid races-such as goblinoids, ores, and
drow-to say nothing of even more dangerous creatures.
Adventurers tend to be more tolerant, accepting exiles,
misfits, and redeemed folk from strange lands and with
unusual shapes.THE SWORD COAST AND
THE NORTH
Running along the Sea of Swords from north of Arnn
to the Sea of Moving Ice, the Sword Coast is a narrow
band of territory dominated by the city-states of the area
that use the sea for trade. For most who care about such
things, the area is delimited by Neverwinter in the north
and Baldur's Gate in the south, but territory farther to
the north and south that isn't under the sway of a more
influential power is usually also included in maps of the
Sword Coast.
More broadly, the North refers to all the territory
north of Arnn, split into two general regions: the West-
ern Heartlands and the Savage Frontier. The Western
Heartlands encompasses a narrow strip of civiliza-
tion running from the Sunset Mountains to the Sea
of Swords, and northward from the band of territory
marked by the Cloud Peaks and the Troll Mountains to
the Trade Way. The Savage Frontier is the name given
to the rest of the unsettled or sparsely settled territory
in the North, not including the major cities and towns
and any settlements in their immediate spheres of
influence.
Most of the communities, nations, and governments of
the North can be grouped into five categories: the cities
and towns that are members of the Lords' Alliance, the
dwarfholds that have been built throughout the area, the
island kingdoms off the coast, the independent realms
scattered up and down the coast, and the subterranean
environs of the Underdark. Each category is discussed
briefly here; more details can be found in chapter 2.The Lords' Alliance is a confederation among the rulers
of various northern settlements. The number of mem-
bers on the Council of Lords, the group's governing
body, shifts depending on the changing status of mem-
ber cities and political tensions in the region. Currently,
the Lords' Alliance counts these individuals as coun-
cil members:- Laeral Silverhand, the Open Lord of Waterdeep
- Dagult Neverember, Lord Protector of Neverwinter
- Taern Hornblade, High Mage of Silverymoon
Ulder Ravengard, Grand Duke of Baldur's Gate and
Marshal of the Flaming Fist - Morwen Daggerford, Duchess of Daggerford
- Selin Ramur, Marchion of Mirabar
Dowell Harpell of Longsaddle
Dagnabbet Waybeard, Queen of Mithra! Hall - Lord Dauner Ilzimmer of Amphail
- Nestra Ruthiol, Waterbaron ofYartar
CHAPTER 1 I WELCOME TO THE REALMS