Maps

[Belial]

Overview of the Moonsea;




The Moonsea is located in the northern part of Faer?n. While not as cold as the Silver Marches, it is much cooler than the Dalelands or Waterdeep, and people dress warmly all year round (a fur cape or cloak is a common article of clothing in the Moonsea). Anyone who walks around in light clothing during cold weather is obviously either a fool or someone who is using magic to stay warm and doesn't care if people know it (and thus a fool). Minor magic items that protect against the cold, such as rings or potions that give resistance 3 against nonlethal damage caused by cold, are in common use among the wealthier people of the Moonsea, who enjoy not having to wear bulky clothing all the time (and these people are the ones who can afford bodyguards to protect them from robbers who would take such luxuries from them). The lake itself is fed by glacial meltwater and even in summer it can be cold enough to kill a swimmer. Because of this, most people who make their living on the water can't swim, since they've never had the opportunity to practice; instead, they have learned more practical skills such as fire building and how to not fall out of a boat.

In the winter months much of the sea freezes over, making travel across the ice possible but (due to the great distances involved) not very common. The larger cities sometimes use icebreaking ships, summoned monsters, or fire magic to keep their dock areas somewhat clear of ice, though this is impractical on a large scale. Ice fishing is common, with fishermen walking to their favorite spots rather than boating. The first snow usually falls in early to middle Uktar, and the land is consistently snowy from Nightal to Alturiak, with occasional snowfalls happening through Tarsakh.

The frequent cold and limited technology means that Moonsea inns usually have a small number of large rooms rather than a large number of small rooms; this reduces the number of individual fireplaces needed and the overall risk of fire. Some inns have just one large common room heated by a large hearth. This means these places have less privacy than a typical adventurer's inn but attacks are less likely because there are so many witnesses. The places with smaller rooms tend to use closed metal braziers full of hot coals to offset the chill.

Because of their frontier situation and the many threats in the Moonsea (particularly from rival city-states), the people of the region are mistrustful of any stranger, since any unknown person could be a spy or assassin from a rival settlement. Unlike other harsh lands where a culture of hospitality to all became the norm for the sake of survival, the Moonsea folk have more of a "take care of your own" attitude. This also makes them reluctant to turn to outsiders for help except under great duress, or when they have no questions about a person's motivations (for example, even in the Moonsea a paladin of Torm is someone you can trust to help you without an ulterior motive). Strangers must prove their worth before earning even a small measure of free hospitality. While the people of the Moonsea are not inherently evil or distrustful (any more than the people of the Dales are inherently friendly and good), that is the attitude bred into them by a culture where survival is hard work and the kind-hearted are usually taken advantage of.

[Belial]

Zhentil Keep




The western portion of the Moonsea region, which includes the city of Zhentil Keep, stretches from the great body of water from which the territory gets its name all the way to the Border Forest in the west, and from the northern fringes of the mighty Cormanthor Forest to the tribal lands of The Ride in the north. The River Stojanow serves as the region's northeastern border, while Y?lash marks its southeastern limit. Most people also consider Voonlar to be part of the region, demarking its extreme southwestern border. Good roads connect many of the communities, with major traffic flowing along the trade triangle of Voonlar, Zhentil Keep, and Teshwave. Another major route leaves Zhentil Keep and passes through Y?lash on its way to Hillsfar in the east, while minor roads run to Phlan to the northeast and to the Citadel of the Raven, Zhentil Keep's companion community, to the north. Trade continues south out of the Western Moonsea region and into the Dalelands and points beyond.

Within the Western Moonsea, two geographic features dominate the landscape -- the River Tesh and the Dragonspine Mountains. The river, which flows from Dagger Falls near the northern tip of the Desertsmouth Mountains, serves as a major trade route, particularly between Teshwave and Zhentil Keep. The Dragonspine Mountains bisect the region from the southwest to the northeast and provide many valuable raw resources as an enticement to the entrepreneurs attempting to carve civilization out of the wild places. Though far from being the largest or tallest mountains in Faer?n, the Dragonspines are rugged and often bitterly cold throughout the year, making them a danger to even the hardiest explorers.

In between these landmarks, the Western Moonsea region features miles of bleak grasslands and moors no one dares travel across alone. A few farms lie scattered throughout, but most people with any sense stay close to the cities and towns, where protection from marauding monsters is readily available. While the Western Moonsea has the greatest concentration of population of any part of the region, this doesn't mean there are folks packed shoulder to shoulder anywhere. Its vast reaches are filled with ancient ruins, dank tombs, remnants of civilizations old even by elven standards, and scores of bloodthirsty humanoids and even more hazardous beasts.

[Belial]

Mulmaster




From the sea, Mulmaster looks captivating enough. A pirate once likened it to a gleaming pearl washed up on shore. Gabled rooftops, slender alabaster towers, and a thicket of wooden masts rise up behind the pale gray walls that neatly enclose the harbor and shoreline districts. The city crawls up the slopes of mountains that peak to its south, and set upon these peaks are some of the most majestic spires overlooking the entire Moonsea.

Mulmaster's charm fades quickly as one navigates the overcrowded harbor or passes through the city's fortified gates. Never mind the occasional body floating in the harbor, the dour guards at the gates, or the rotten stench! The buildings nearest the docks are dilapidated and weatherworn, the people here live in squalor, and criminals strike with impunity. Farther up the mountainside, where the air is fresher, hateful fences and intimidating walls separate the homes of the wealthy elite from the ghettos, and desperate beggars are openly berated and beaten in the streets.

The highest spur of land in mountainous Mulmaster is the site of the Towers of the Blade, a sprawling cluster of residential spires where the ruling families of the city abide in luxury. Here the guards are well paid and jovial, the cries of the poor are stifled by the chill north wind, and local law is written with bribes. Cloaked figures skulk about, but their business remains their own. One can easily fall in love with the world from up here, where the air is thinner and the people are fatter.

Mulmaster sits on the edge of a cruel, cold, rugged tract of land dominated by the western Earthspur and Galena Mountains. Although the mountains offer some protection against bitter winds and heavy snow from the north and east, they are treacherous to cross and don't grant Mulmasterites safe and easy passage to the Unapproachable East. Most land traffic from Mulmaster heads south, along a well-traveled trade road that skirts the eastern edge of Cormanthor and plunges headlong into The Vast, east of the Dragon Reach.

Scores of despondent refugees from Zhentil Keep camp in shacks and shanties outside the city walls, relying on the uncharacteristic charity of the city's corrupt nobility. Mulmasterites generally resent and distrust the newcomers, who take food from the mouths of poor city folk and offer precious little in return. Beyond Mulmaster, the eastern Moonsea region boasts little else in the way of settlements apart from a smattering of fishing villages, monasteries, and citadels.

The White River slips between the jagged Galena and Earthspur Mountains, heading east toward Narfell, Damara, and Impiltur. The black basalt fortress known as Ironfang Keep looms over the river's mouth and remains a constant source of worry and consternation among Mulmaster's nobility, although the dark wizards who dwell there have yet to raise a finger toward their corrupt neighbor to the west.

[Belial]

Hillsfar




Much of the Southern Moonsea's coast abuts the forest of Cormanthor, or at least where the forest once grew before human settlers cut it back. Including the ancient elven tower called Abarat's Folly in the west, this area holds three settlements, several ruins, a sunken city, two rivers, and countless acres of thick forest. Roads connect Hillsfar west to ruined Y?lash and beyond, Ashabenford and Essembra in the south, and Elventree to the east. Well-walked trails also connect to locales in the Dragon Reach, making this area the best-connected coast of the Moonsea in terms of land traffic.

The River Duathamper (also called the Elvenflow) carries water north and east from Cormanthor into the Moonsea. East of that is the River Lis, which carries water south into the Dragon Reach, and eventually connects to the Sea of Fallen Stars. Both rivers are gentle and easy travel by ship or barge. Because the Lis is the only waterway that leaves the Moonsea, many vessels pass (and make port along) the southern shore as they travel to other parts of Faer?n. Most places on the southern shore are rocky or otherwise unsuitable for a port; most of the few places safe enough to stop are already controlled by human settlements such as Hillsfar and Elmwood, and the rest are little more than simple trading posts with a few shacks and some spare lumber to quickly patch a damaged ship. Well connected by water and land, the southern coast is at a trade advantage compared to the Moonsea's other shores, since it is able to do commerce by land or by sea even when the winters freeze much of the lake.

Because this territory lacks any mountains or sources of ore, the southern region's economy is based partly on fishing and lumber but mainly on trading materials from hunters, miners, and crafters from other parts of the Moonsea and beyond. Though it has no significant natural barriers to prevent invasion, the southern shore is relatively well protected by its more dangerous rivals to the west, east, and south; anyone wishing to attack Hillsfar or the other settlements here must go through the Zhentarim (backed by the power of Bane), Mulmaster's army (backed by the Thayans), or the elves in Cormanthor (both surface elves and drow). This leaves the people of the Southern Moonsea to focus on their own interests, usually involving profit and intrigue.

[Belial]

Melvaunt




The city of Melvaunt sits on the northern coast of the Moonsea, and serves as the port of entry to many travelers coming to the region. The Northern Moonsea region stretches inland from the shore all the way to the edge of The Ride, encompassing all of Thar. The River Stojanow marks the region's western border; the Galena Mountains frame the region to the east. The city of Glister at the northern edge of Thar is nominally a part of the region, but its people and customs differ significantly from those along the coastline.

The Northern Moonsea is a harsh place whose independent cities are not well connected by roads; most of the region's famed trade takes place by boat. None of the area's rulers want to spend time and money making it easier for armies to march upon them, so roads remain a low priority. The Phlan Path is perhaps the region's most proper road, but even it resembles nothing more than a rutted dirt trail in places.

Ships from Melvaunt constantly shuttle goods to Mulmaster and Hillsfar, where these items can be more efficiently distributed around the region. Legitimate trade with Zhentil Keep is dangerous and rare, but the black market is alive and well, despite the city's attempts to crack down on "traitors" that would do business with their enemies in the west.

The geography of the Northern Moonsea area can be described in three words: drab, marshy, and cold. Vast swaths of the region have little to no vegetation, and the landscape is rarely broken up by trees, hills, or rivers. Building roads through the land is expensive, time-consuming, and ultimately futile, because the stones sink farther into the marsh year after year. Structures outside the major cities encounter much the same problem, and few people have found a compelling reason to build fortifications to defend such unwelcoming terrain.

With little vegetation, frequent incursions by monsters, and a cold climate, farming is relatively unknown along the Northern Moonsea. In the western section, along the River Stojanow, a fertile belt allows for the sowing of some grains and a few hardy vegetables. Without the protection of a major city, however, no large-scale food production takes place. Few small communities pop up in the north for similar reasons, so most of the region's population is concentrated in its cities.

The Great Gray Waste of Thar occupies a large section of the north. It is a bleak and desolate region of marshlands and cold plains, with the occasional mountain or rock formation to break up the landscape. Tribes of orcs and ogres rule, making their homes wherever they can carve out a niche. Scavengers and predators roam the land, from the ubiquitous monstrous vermin to green dragons to the animated skeletons of the unfortunate dead.

[Blackwill]

We have a Phlan one... but no Y?lash. Never seen one, except for my own imaginative creation of a map.
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~Blackwill
"Do you know what "nemesis" means? A righteous infliction of retribution manifested by an appropriate agent. Personified in this case by an 'orrible cunt... me. "

[Belial]

I have one on my hard drive, but, it's old, and rather bright (colours).
Need to find a way to get it uploaded, or, I could send it to one of you to upload.

[Blackwill]

I've found a Y?lash map, thanks to some fans, but I'm not sure if you have another though. Let me you the map link.
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~Blackwill
"Do you know what "nemesis" means? A righteous infliction of retribution manifested by an appropriate agent. Personified in this case by an 'orrible cunt... me. "

[Belial]

Yes, that is the exact same one I also have.
I find it very...cartoonish and amateur, personally.

[Blackwill]

yeah, not very nice.
Any clue where it came from?
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~Blackwill
"Do you know what "nemesis" means? A righteous infliction of retribution manifested by an appropriate agent. Personified in this case by an 'orrible cunt... me. "

[Thangorn]

I have a Yulash map from Karen Wynn Fonstadd's FR atlas.. I'll do a scan and put into the dev resources forum.
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On indefinite real life hiatus

[Blackwill]

Is it different or the same as the one I posted in the Y?lash forum?
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~Blackwill
"Do you know what "nemesis" means? A righteous infliction of retribution manifested by an appropriate agent. Personified in this case by an 'orrible cunt... me. "

[coach]

The FR Interactive Atlas has highly detailed maps of both Phlan and Yulash as well as the other Moonsea citystates

Phlan has about ten different maps in the Atlas
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Cold Lands DM - looking forward to a slew of cross-server plots running between our two connecting servers!