Page 88 - D&D - Player's Handbook

founding of Helm's Hold, and her quick-rising popularity Her stated aim is to resurrect the kingdom of Eaerlann,
among the people has won her a seat as a Speaker. and she has made bold steps in that direction by allying
Dominating the skyline of the hold is the great edi- the settlements of Nordahaeril, Reitheillaethor, and Teu-
fice: the Cathedral of Helm. As much a fortification as veamanthaar (which most know as Tall Trees). As yet
it is a temple, the cathedral has a small building on its though, the elves who believe in this vision are small in
grounds that serves as an orphanage, wards for caring number and spread far apart over the eastern reaches of
for the sick and injured, as well as a newer addition that the High Forest.
houses the mad and deformed who have been brought Fey and sylvan creatures of all sorts-including satyrs,
up from the catacombs. dryads, and treants- inhabit the High Forest. Small
The settlement enjoys prosperity today, but such wonder that one almost immediately feels the presence
benefit was hard-won and requires vigilance to retain. of unseen watchers upon entering the woods.
Helm's Hold is vulnerable on many fronts, in large part Nowhere in the forest is this feeling more palpable
because of its proximity to Neverwinter Wood- which, if than near the Grandfather Tree, an oak larger than
anything, has become more dangerous in recent times. you might imagine possible, which serves as a holy site
Rumors of maddened treants abound, as well as stories for the Treeghost tribe of the Uthgardt. Four smaller
of Uthgardt barbarians once again raiding the trails that oaks- enormous indeed, though still smaller than the
lead to the hold. Grandfather- mark the boundaries of the site, protect-
Worse still, the Holy Watcher has seen premonitions ing the tree and aiding those whom its spirits determine
of something unspeakable rising from the depths are worthy, speeding their natural healing. Teleporta-
beneath the hold, bringing down the lowest vaults of the tion magic often goes awry here, and the caverns deep
cathedral in its bloody ascension. As a result, the temple beneath the site are rumored to contain all manner of
has dramatically increased guard patrols in the tunnels, magical portals.
perhaps as a prelude to hiring adventurers to explore If it isn't the elves, the fey, or the trees themselves
the tunnels deep under Helm's Hold for some clue of watching visitors, it might be the centaurs who make
what those visions might portend. the High Forest their home, claiming the plateaus near
the head of the Unicorn Run. For decades, the centaurs
HIGH FOREST have been growing in number, enough so that they may
soon divide their tribes and claim additional lands as
Anyone with even a hint of elven blood can't help but feel
their territory. Pegasi and unicorns can be found here,
it stir upon setting foot in the High Forest. The sheer
and even some of the fabled aarakocra, the winged bird-
age and the power of the trees, the depth of their roots,
folk, live among the peaks at the heart of the wood.
and the wind whispering through their leaves- all these
Within the depths of the forest is an entire mountain
things call to us.
range known as the Star Mounts. Constant strong
A vast green cloak in the midst of the North, the High
winds keep weaker flying creatures from approaching
Forest is a reminder of ages past, when thick woods
the peaks of the mountains, with the strange excep-
blanketed much of Faerfin, and sylvan creatures of all
tion of the aarakocra, who had an ancestral homeland
types lived among the trees. Even today the High Forest
there before being chased out by a dragon. Most the
has barely known the tread and touch of humans, and
peaks may be viewed only from afar, and at a distance
old growth dominates its flora.
they seem to glitter from the strange, massive crystals
Elven communities in the forest are typically small
dotting their slopes. They are also known to hold rich
and often nomadic. In part, this is a reflection of the
deposits of iron and nickel, but no one has mined these
desire to keep the woods untouched, but there are ruins
mountains in hundreds of years.
here, such as those of Ascalhorn- now called Hellgate
The Star Mounts are the source of the waters of
Dell- that remind us of the fallen cities and empires
the Unicorn Run, which cuts through the rocks of the
of the past.
lower range to form a series of gorges and cliffs known
The High Forest once sheltered three great elven
as the Sisters. The sight of the tiered waterfalls is
realms beneath its boughs, and the bones of those
positively breathtaking, well worth the challenge of
empires still lie tangled in its roots. Many tribes of wood
reaching them. Mist shrouds the Sisters, and feeds
elves- and a few moon elf tribes- still roam the wood
the vegetation on the small plateaus of the area. To
protecting these ruins, the monuments to their golden
the north, the headwaters of the Dessarin River flow
age. Few beyond the borders of the High Forest know
much about these elves, who have no single leader and down from a smaller pair of mountains called the
make little contact with the outside world. Travelers in Lost Peaks.
the High Forest must always be wary of elves they meet Far less idyllic are the cursed ruins of Karse. Here are
the remains of the great heresy of the Netherese wizard
for they can never be sure of their welcome, and any
promises of safe passage might not be honored by the Karsus, who sought to claim godhood, slew the god-
next band of elves. dess of magic, and brought about the end of an age and
One elf is leading the effort to change this situation. untold destruction across the entire world.
Known as the Red Lady, or simply the Lady of the Wood,
HIGH MOOR
Morgwais is a wood elf who seeks to unite the disparate
tribes. She leads the Caerilcarn, the "Council of the The High Moor was once a place much like the High
Wood," which periodically gathers many tribal leaders Forest or the nearby Misty Forest, but during the Crown
together to share information, consult, and deliberate. Wars, thousands of years ago, powerful magic burned
CHAPTER 2 I THE SWORD COAST AND THE NORTH