Page 14 - D&D - Player's Handbook

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

CHAPTER 1 I WELCOME TO THE REALMS