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AD&D - Forgotten Realms - The Savage Frontier

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Page 1: AD&D - Forgotten Realms - The Savage Frontier
Page 2: AD&D - Forgotten Realms - The Savage Frontier

OFFICIAL GAME ACCESSORY

The Savage Frontierby Paul Jaquays

Table of Contents

Introduction to the Savage Frontier . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Savage Frontier Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5The Peoples of the North . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Cities, Towns, and Villages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28The Sea, the Ice, and the Islands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Lost Lands, Strongholds, and Ruins . . . . . . . . . . . 39Rivers, Mountains, and Rough Lands . . . . . . . . . . 45The High Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Uthgardt Ancestor Mounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Personalities of the North . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

AppendicesAppendix A: Magical Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Appendix B: Northern Proficiencies . . . . . . . . . 60Appendix C: News of the Land . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Appendix D: Adventures in the Savage Frontier . 63

MapsEconomic Map of the North . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Ruins of Ascore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside coverGrandfather Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside coverHellgate Keep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside coverLuskan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside coverTypical Ancestor Mounds . . . . . . . . . . inside coverThe City of Waterdeep . . . . . . . . . outside gatefoldIcewind Dale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trackless Sea mapThe Ten Towns . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trackless Sea mapSilverymoon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trackless Sea mapBeorunna�s Well . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trackless Sea mapHall of Mists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Credits:

Editing: Karen S. Boomgarden Cover Art: Larry ElmoreCartography: Dave Sutherland, Typography: Kim Janke

Dennis Kauth, Interior Art: Esteban Maroto& Paul Jaquays Keylining: Stephanie Tabat

TSR, Inc.POB 756Lake Geneva,WI 53147 USA

TSR UK Ltd.The Mill, Rathmore Road

Cambridge CB1 4ADUnited Kingdom

ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, FORGOTTEN REALMS, BATTLESYSTEM, PRODUCTS OF YOUR IMAGINATION,and the TSR logo are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.

Distributed to the book trade in the United States by Random House, Inc., and in Canada by Random House of Canada, Ltd.Distributed to the toy and hobby trade by regional distributors. Distributed in the United Kingdom by TSR UK Ltd.

This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized useof the material or artwork presented herein is prohibited without the express written permission of TSR, Inc.

©1988 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in U.S.A.

ISBN 0-88038-593-6

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Page 3: AD&D - Forgotten Realms - The Savage Frontier

INTRODUCTION TO THE SAVAGE FRONTIER

�Civilization ends here.�Although no sign in the North actu-

a l ly says th is , the fo lk o f the Northknow this to be true (Well, to be honest,there was a sign over the door to mylaboratory that said it, but I made Erektake it down. Who I am I, you ask. Let itbe known, that I am Amelior Amanitas,alchemist extraordinaire and supremesage o f the North . At the request o fElminster, I am dictating the his tory andweal th o f in format ion regarding mysavage homeland to my manservantE r e k , w h o h a s p r o m i s e d t o e d i t o u tdigressions such as this when he reco-pies it. But as I said, I digress).

To walk past a city�s walls is to relyonly upon one�s own skills and strengthof arms. It is truly a Savage Frontier,where man has yet to tame the land orits denizens. You have been warned.

What is the SavageFrontier?�The Savage Frontier� is a descriptive

name for what many also call �theNorth�. In this book, the North refers tothose lands north of the city of Water-deep, between the Sword Coast and theGreat Desert; the term also encompass-es the islands of the Trackless Sea,including Tuern, Ruathym, and Gun-darlun.

It is a rugged, heavily wooded wilder-ness marked by cool, mild summersand harsh, bitter winters. What littlecivilization can be found hugs thecoastal regions and a few inland rivervalleys. The rest is the domain of orcs,trolls, barbarian tribes, and uncount-able other monstrous denizens, whoregularly hurl themselves in fury uponthe palisades of the towns and villagesin the wilderlands.

It is a land of riches. Mineral wealthunequalled elsewhere in the knownrealms is found here, along with seem-ingly endless stands of timber of a sizenot often found elsewhere. Here too isthe wealth of history, the plunder oflost civilizations and vanished realms.

Using this BookThis book is intended to be read byDungeon Masters only. Much of theinformation contained within wouldnot be known to players and their char-acters under any circumstances.

Read this book in its entirety beforerunning a campaign in the SavageFrontier: it describes the major fea-tures of the North, beginning with his-tory and ending in adventure . Inbetween, it looks at the geography, cli-mate, creatures, peoples, religions, poli-tics, cities, island realms, areas ofmystery, and personalities. Though ithoards a wealth of detail, this book onlyscratches the surface of adventureopportunities of the North. The rest hasbeen lef t to the most potent forcep r e s e n t i n the North... yourimagination.

History of the NorthEons before men walked the earth, agesbefore the elves were civilized enough

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to record history, in a time when theNorth was always warm and the seas ofthe world were deeper, the lands ofAbeir-Toril were dominated by vastempires of inhuman peoples. In theelven oral tradition, these were knownas the �Days of Thunder� when cruellizard, amphibian, and avian peoples(known to the elves as the Iqua�Tel-�Quessir or creator races, but with nohonor or respect intended) tamed themighty dinosaurs, built towering citiesof stone and glass on the shores of thewarm seas and spanned the wildernesswith shining roads, and fought constantwars of extermination, such was theirhatred towards each other.

The stuff of magic was rawer in thosedays, less refined, more potent. Theseancient peoples experimented end-lessly with magics more powerful thancan be even imagined today. Powerfulmages hurled devastating bolts of seem-ingly god-like power, leveling armiesand mountains; and like gods, theyplayed at creating life, wryly choosingto release their monstrous mistakesrather than destroy them. To those whomade them, the mistakes were unnatu-ra l horrors , unl ike anything thatwalked the land. Most died in the crueljungles, yet many lived and as thoughtawakened in them they hid themselvesfrom their creators. When the endcame at last, it was they, not the surviv-ing creators who seized control of thesuddenly colder realms. And so it wasthat the first of the elves, the dragons,the goblin races and an endless list ofcreatures of a new age took possessionof their heritage. Their creators, theancestors of the lizardmen, bullywugsand aarakocra, declined into endlessbarbarism, never to rise again.

The unmeasured age that followedwas known as the Time of Dragons,when those mighty creatures reignedsupreme. Not until the elves themselvesbecame powers in the world would therule of dragons be challenged.

Elven sages still speculate on theevents that brought about the �over-night� destruction of the creator races.There are wildly diverging theories,

but all agree that a rapid climate changeoccurred, creating a world unsuitableto most of the creator races and thedinosaurs . Many bel ieve that thechange resulted from a cataclysm theraces brought upon themselves. Propo-nents of this theory point to the StarMounts in the central High Forest,whose origins are most likely magicaland otherworldly. The elves believethat around this time, the greater andlesser Powers began to manifest them-selves in the world, particularly thebeings known as Chauntea and Corel-lon Laretheian, aiding the new racesand confounding the survivors of thecreator races.

There has been civilization in theN o r t h s i n c e b e f o r e t h e T i m e o fDragons, yet little more than tantaliz-ingly vague myths survive. For millen-nia, gold elves dwelt in Illefarn (whereWaterdeep now stands) and Eaerlann(along the River Shining). From theirornate forest cities, they traded withprimitive, emerging human nations likeNetheril and Illusk and repulsed theconstant attacks of the goblin races. Yetas men began to dominate the world,the elven lands declined and now littleor no remnants remain of those lost andabandoned realms. When the elveschose to leave the North and travel toEvermeet, their works quickly disap-peared, leaving only places like the OldRoad and a ruined port in the High For-est to mark the passing of Eaerlann,while a mysterious ruin called theCrumbling Stair may be the last rem-nant of fabled Illefarn.

Meanwhile, in the far North, thedwarven burrow clans united as thedwarven nation of Delzoun, named forthe dwarf who forged the union. Thedwarven nation, which existed primari-ly underground, extended from the IceMountains in the Utter North to theNether Mountains in the south. SilverMoon Pass was its western border andthe Narrow Sea its eastern.

To the east, on sandy shores of thecalm and shining Narrow Sea, humanfishing villages grew into small towns,then joined together as the nation of

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Netheril. Sages believe that the fishingtowns were unified by a powerfulhuman wizard who may have discov-ered a book of great magic power thath a d s u r v i v e d f r o m t h e D a y s o fThunder�a book that legend calls theNether Scrolls. Under this namelessw i z a r d a n d t h o s e t h a t f o l l o w e d ,Netheril rose in power and glory,becoming both the first human land inthe North and the most powerful. Somesay that this discovery marked the birthof human wizardry, since before then,mankind had only shamans and witchdoctors. For over 3,000 years Netherildominated the North, but even its leg-endary wizards were unable to stoptheir final doom.

Doom came as desert, devouring theNarrow Sea and spreading to fill itsbanks with dry dust and blowing sand.Legend states that when the great wiz-ards of Netheril realized their land waslost, they abandoned it and their coun-trymen en masse, fleeing to all cornersof the world and taking the secrets ofwizardry with them. More likely, thiswas a slow migration that began some3,000 years ago and reached its conclu-sion some 1,500 years later.

Whatever the truth, the wizards nolonger dwelt in Netheril and to thenorth, once-majestic dwarven Delzounhad fallen upon hard days. Then theorcs struck. Orcs had always been foesin the North, surging out of their holesevery few tens of generations whentheir normal haunts could no longersupport their burgeoning numbers.This time they charged out of theircaverns in the Spine of the World,poured out of abandoned mines in theG r a y p e a k s , s c r e a m e d o u t o f l o s tdwarfholds in the Ice Mountains, ragedforth from crypt complexes in the Neth-er Mountains and stormed upwardfrom the bowels of the High MoonMountains. Never before or since hadthere been such an outpouring of orc-ish power.

Before this onslaught Delzoun crum-bled and was dr iven in on i t se l f .Netheril, without its wizards, waswiped from the face of history. The

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elves of Eaerlann alone withstood theonslaught and, with the aid of thetreants of Turlang and other unnamedallies, were able to stave off the finaldays of their land for yet a few centu-ries more.

In the far west, men also dwelled �wise, clever primitives called the IceHunters. They lived their simple liveson the Sword Coast since time beyondreckoning, count less generat ionsbefore Netheril�s first founders set footon the Narrow Sea�s western shore. Yetthis peaceful folk fell prey to anotherinvasion. From the south came crudelong ships to disgorge a tall, fair-haired,warlike race which displaced the IceHunters from their ancestral lands.

T h i s r a c e , n o w k n o w n a s t h eNorthmen, spread their farms and vil-lages along the Sword Coast from thebanks the Winding Water to the gorgesof the Mirar. Their fierce warriorsdrove the simple Ice Hunters furthera n d f u r t h e r n o r t h , f o r c e d t h egoblinkind back into their mountainhaunts and instigated the last Council ofI l le farn . Within 500 years of theNorthmen�s arrival, Illefarn was nomore�its residents had migrated toEvermeet.

From the Sword Coast, Northmensailed westward, finding, claiming andestablishing colonies on the major west-ern islands of Ruathym and Gundarlun,eventually spreading to ail islands in thenorthern sea. Others migrated north-ward, past the Spine of the World andbecame the truly savage barbarians ofIcewind Dale.

W h e r e L u s k a n n o w s t a n d s , t h eNorthmen found the citadel of Illusk,b u i l t b y a r e f u g e e w i z a r d f r o mNetheril. The Illusk wizards ruled forcenturies until the folk of Illuskan (asthe surrounding village was known)were �liberated� by raiders led byUther Gardolfsson, a Ruathym Thane.

The angry Illuskani destroyed Gar-dolfsson�s fleet and drove him inlandwhere he and his warriors would die(theoretically) in the monster-infestedwilderness. Instead, they forged thebirth of a new people, the Uthgardt bar-

barians.Meanwhile in the east, the elves of

Eaerlann built the fortress of Ascalhornand turned it over to refugees fromNetheril, as the Netherese followers ofKarsus built the town of Karse in theHigh Forest. Other Netherese foundedLlorkh and Loudwater. Still more wan-dered the mountains, hills, and moorsnorth and west of the High Forest.These became the ancestors of theUthgardt barbarians and the foundersof Silverymoon, Everlund and Sunda-bar.

In the centuries that fo l lowed,Ascalhorn became Hellgate Keep whenit fell into the hands of demons, andEaerlann collapsed under the attack ofa new orc horde. The elves fled south-east, joining with Northmen, Netheresedescendants, and dwarves to formwhat would later be known as theFallen Kingdom. This realm was short-lived and collapsed under the next orc-ish invasion�though in dying, it dealtthe goblin races a blow from whichthey have yet to recover.

Yet along the coast, in what was onceelven Illefarn, humanity was once againrising in power. Merchants from thesouth, tribesmen from the North, andseafarers from western islands had cre-ated a village around a trading post on adeepwater harbor , f i rs t known asNimoar�s Hold after the Uthgardt chief-tain whose tribe seized and fortified theramshackle village. Nimoar and his suc-cessors, known as War Lords, led themen of Waterdeep (as it had becomeknown to the ship captains who calledthere) in a slowly losing battle againstthe trolls. In a final, climactic battle, thetrolls breached the aging palisade andall seemed lost�until the magic of aNorthern youth, Ahghairon of Silvery-moon, turned luck against the trolls andthe �everlasting ones� were destroyedor scattered.

Ahghairon, heir to the magical heri-tage and learning of Netheril, stayed inWaterdeep and in his 112th year heagain saved the city... from itself. In sodoing, he created the Lords of Water-deep, the government that rules there

4

today. The city has since grown into thelargest in North, possibly in all Faerun.With Waterdeep as a firm anchor, �civi-lization� again forged cautiously intothe wilderness. Illuskan (now justLuskan) was retaken from the orcs.Loudwater, Llorkh, Longsaddle, Tri-boar, Secomber and other towns wereresettled by pioneers from Waterdeep,sponsored by noble Waterdhavian mer-chant families.

Though it has been centuries sincethe last orc invasion, there is still con-stant strife. Barbarians harass mer-chants, travelers, and towns; the seasare filled with Northmen pirates; thedemon forces of Hellgate Keep assaultthe east; and two wars have marred theland in recent years. Luskan, now afierce merchant city known to harbor(and support) pirates, wages war withthe island realm of Ruathym over an actof piracy against a Luskan merchantship; and to the far north, in IcewindDale beyond the Spine of the World, theTen Towns are slowly rebuilding afterbeing nearly destroyed by the mon-strous forces of Akar Kessell.

It is a time of relative quiet in theNorth. Where once elves and dwarvesreigned, men now rule, but their hold�as was true for all civilizations before �is tenuous at best.

Amelior Amanitas

Acknowledgements:

Like many fantasy worlds, this oneowes its birth to a number of other folk.The culture of the seafaring Northmenc o m e s f r o m D o u g l a s N i l e s , w h odescribed them in FR2, Moonshae. Ice-wind Dale, its heroes and tales arebased on The Crystal Shard by BobSalvatore. And last, but never least,gratitude is owed to Ed Greenwood,who gave us hints about The SavageFrontier in FR1, Waterdeep and theNorth, and whose copious notes andpreviously published material are thefoundation of this book.

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SAVAGE FRONTIER OVERVIEW�You know, Erek, if Elminster hadn�tbeen so k ind to us when were were ,um, avoid ing the rather unfortunatec o n s e q u e n c e s o f t h a t i n c i d e n t i nV o l k u m b u r g h , I w o u l d n e v e r h a v eagreed to this project. After all, howwas I to know WHY the awtawmatawnhad been shattered in the first place?

�Oh wel l , I rather l ike the h istorychapter, didn�t you? Showed some realpageantry there, I think.

�And Brother Lychor; he seemed likesuch a p leasant chap. . . Erek , you�rewriting this all down. Why you littleweasel! That�s it, no more letting youbeat me at nine-draughts!�

Character Races in theNorthWith the exception of elves and half-lings, most of the common characterraces of the AD&D® game are native tothe Savage Frontier, though the demi-human population in the North is slow-ly declining. Players who wish to usecharacters of other races may of coursedo so, subject to DM approval (mem-bers of virtually any race, even drow,can be found in Waterdeep).

Humans: The Savage Frontier is popu-lated by human peoples with a variety ofcultural backgrounds. There is no unifiedhuman nation in the North, only individ-ual towns, villages and city states looselylinked by trade agreements, and the bar-barian tribes that roam the wilderness. Ahuman character starting in the Northmight be from any one of these folk.

The most ancient are the primitivebut peaceful Ice Hunters of the IcePeaks. The war-like Northmen controlthe Outer Islands and much of theSword Coast. Northmen scorn agricul-ture, preferring to raid and make war.

In the far North, beyond the Spine ofthe World, the fierce tundra barbarianshave recently allied with the folk of theTen Towns in Icewind Dale. The power-ful Uthgardt barbarians roam the wildsof the North, bickering amongst them-selves and warring on orcs and out-posts of civilization.

In the northeast, the cultured folk ofSilverymoon produce the finest bardsin the land. They and the stalwartdefenders of Sundabar and Everlundare descendants of an ancient, dark-haired race known as the Netherese.

Then there are the Waterdhavians, thefolk of Waterdeep, the melting pot ofnations�nearly all lands on Faerun (andother worlds) are represented here.

Elves and Half-Elves : Though atleast two elven realms once existed inthe North, the closest elven land isEvereska to the south. Elves in the Sav-age Frontier are usually wanderers andadventurers, though an Deepearthrealm of drow is said to exist farbeneath the North. Elves of most non-aquatic subraces dwell in Waterdeep.The Ardeepforest is known to houseretired elven adventurers. Sundabarhas a large half-elven population, andLoudwater a small one, due to half-elven descendants of Eaerlann whotend to marry other half-elves.

Some folk in the North (mostly Lawfulhumans and all dwarves) consider theelven withdrawal to Evermeet a kind of�desertion� from racial responsibilityand will treat strange elves with suspi-cion and ill-disguised contempt. Excepton rare occasions, drow and drow half-breeds are treated like filth... if allowedto live at all.

Dwarves: The dwarves of the north,whose population is steadily declining,live in scattered underground realms.These stocky folk are generally reclusive,but will ally with men to battle orcs. Twodwarven cities are still known to exist,Ironmaster in the west and Citadel Adbarin the east. Men trade freely withinAdbar, but have few dealings with the iso-lated dwarves of Ironmaster, other thanto purchase iron goods.

If encountered wandering in the wil-derness, dwarves tend to be extremelysuspicious of strangers. They think thatothers seek to find and loot the halls oftheir ancestors (which is often what thedwarves themselves seek to do).

Gnomes: This once-populous race of

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wry little folk is nearly gone from theNorth. Their underground realms havebeen overrun by orcs until few remain.The survivors wisely avoid contact withall but dwarves. Still, merchants inWaterdeep are constantly on the look-out for their clever little toys and illu-sionary gew-gaws.

Halflings: There is something aboutfour to five months of fierce winter thatdoesn�t appeal to the average halfling.While Waterdeep has a fair halfling popu-lation (and a much milder winter), it israre to find them elsewhere in the North.

Half-orcs: Given the vast orc popula-tion in the north and the amount ofraiding, one might suspect a plague ofthese half-breeds, yet they are few.Northerners have a distinct and strongdislike for anything even vaguely orcishand only the most human-looking canpass safely among northern folk.

Character Classes inthe NorthRangers : In the Savage Front ier ,rangers are well-respected for their vig-ilance and diligence in the service of theHarpers and the Lords� Alliance. In thewilderness, the word of a name-levelranger is the law and the Lord�s Alli-ance will enforce it as such.

Bards: While bards are not commonin the North , they are respected.Northmen treat �skalds� like heroes,particularly if they sing of Northmenvictories. Even the Uthgardt barbarianstreat bards as near equals. More oftenthan not, bards are members of theHarpers.

Clerics: Many of the major gods andfaiths of Faerun are represented in theNorth, though few are �native� to theresidents here. Over the centuries, mis-sionary clerics have come north toestablish their churches meeting withvaried success. Predominant �civilized�gods in the North include Mystra,Lathander, Mielikki, Tempus, andTymora. The barbarians have theirown private gods. The gods section in

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this chapter lists the major temples ineach city, town or village, though ashrine (attended only by lay folk, noclerics) to most any deity will exist ineach civilized area.

The city folk are generally tolerant ofmost religions so long as they do notharm others or their property, butNorthmen often eject foreign clerics asrudely as possible. The savage Uthgardtbarbarians tend to exterminate whom-ever their shamans label as heretics.

Economic Map Key

Caravan Services

Fishing

Mining

Agriculture

Trade

Cattle

Shipbuilding

Scholarship and the Arts

Other Manufacturing

Trade Routes

Each Uthgardt tribe worships anancestral beast totem spirit (a demi-power). Their clerics are shamans (trib-al spell casters) of limited power. Yetthey all have access to the magical beastpower of their clan totem.

Witch doctors are found among theorcs and Ice Hunter clans. These tribalspell casters may cast a restricted num-ber of magic-user and clerical spells.The most ancient witch doctors of theIce Hunters gain limited use of power-ful ice, snow, and cold magics.

Druids: These followers of Mielikkihave a stronghold in the eastern reachesof The High Forest, an area known as theTall Trees. Another holy grove exists inSilverymoon, where the druids maintaina shrine and sacred college. Although theNorth is heavily forested, there are noother known druid holy areas. Thoughdruids are rare, they are respected bycivilized and barbarian folk alike.

Fighters: The ready call for a strongsword arm in the north draws men andwomen to this commonest of professions.Warriors are constantly needed todefend against orcs and other monsters;to patrol the hills, valleys, and waste-lands; to fend off barbarian raiders; andto keep the peace in the cities. Most fight-ers in the North are barbarians, eitherthe sea-roving Northmen, the wanderingUthgardt or the savage tundra barbari-ans of Icewind Dale. Most civilized fight-ers in the north are just that, normalfighting men. A select few are rangers,many in the service of the secretive Harp-ers. A very few are cavaliers and pala-dins. Other than the mercantile nobilityof Waterdeep and city rulers, the Savage

Frontier is not a source for the upperclasses that produce the members ofthese character classes.

Magic-Users: Although magic-usersand illusionists have never been popu-lar with the barbarians who populatethe North, in the cities they wield vastamounts of power and command eithergreat respect or great fear. Waterdeepis noted for producing powerful mageslike Khelben �Blackstaff� Arunsun;Longsaddle has its magical Harpell fam-ily; and Silverymoon is home to severalcolleges of magic and a number of inde-pendent tutors. Magic-users in Water-deep would be wise to join that city�sWatchful Order of Magists & Protec-tors, the magic-user�s guild which pro-vides training, spell components,scrolls, respectability, and occasionalemployment to member mages.

Thieves: Waterdeep has the greatestconcentration of thieves in the North, yetthere is no official Thieves� Guild here,only �free-lancers.� Neverwinter, Silvery-moon Sundabar, Mirabar, and evenLoudwater have small thieves� guilds (sev-eral of which are said to be allied with themysterious Harpers). Many suspect that athieves� network also exists throughoutthe Savage Frontier, but those who learnof the Kraken Society often do not livelong enough to reveal its secrets (seePower Groups).

Outside the cities in the North, thethief�s profession is rarely safe or profit-able. Northmen (those who have thingsworth stealing) regard stealing from oth-ers as a way of life, but one who is caughtstealing from them is certainly killed. TheUthgardt barbarians have little worthtaking, but what they do have often hasreligious significance�and sacrilege is afatal offense.

Although it is quite reasonable for anycharacter class to be found adventuringin the North, assassins are rare (evenamong the bad folk of Waterdeep).

�Erek, put that sign out in front of theshop again, you know the one that says�You�re late, you should have been herea half hour ago�, just in case any adven-

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turers show up. Keeps �em off guard inany case. Oh, and get the word out thatlove phi l ters and mother �s lea f tonicsare on special this week. And where ismy chart on local businesses? What!You sold it... to a Zhentarim? For fivetoals? Erek . . . Erek? EREK!�

Economics of theNorthThe North is a land of economic oppor-tunity, rich in resources and open tothose willing to take the risks to exploitthem. The mountains in the north aremineral rich, the soil is fertile (thoughoften rocky), open grassy spaces cansupport huge herds of livestock, vasttracks of lumber are still unharvesteda n d t h e w a r m s o u t h e r n c u r r e n t sswarm with fishy delicacies. The outerislands have their resources and riches,but the Northmen who dwell uponthem would rather raid for riches thanreap the bounty of their own lands.

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Trade in the NorthThe economic map above shows theprimary trade routes in the North(mainland only) and major industries.T h e s e p r o d u c t s a n d i n d u s t r i e sinclude: mining, agriculture, caravanservices, cattle herding, trade (a pri-mary center of commerce), fishing,metal-working, ship building, othermanufacturing, and scholarship andthe arts. The size of the icon representsthe relative importance of the industryto the economy of the Savage Frontier.

Trade RoutesThe Major trade routes are listed withthe time it takes outbound to reach thefinal destination and major stops alongthe way (based on the DMG rules forWagon travel). Water route travel timesare given coming and going to accom-modate ocean and river currents. Forfoot movement along the roads andtrails (under an average load), multiplytravel times by 1.25. For light horse tra-vel, multiply travel times by 0.4.

High Road: Waterdeep to Baldur�s Coin of the RealmsGate in 32 days.

High Road: Waterdeep to Luskan.Leilon in 11 days, Neverwinter in 17,Port Llast in 19, and Luskan in 23 days.

Coastal Route: Waterdeep to Luskan.Outbound to Luskan in 6 days. Inboundto Waterdeep in 8 days.

Long Road: Waterdeep to Mirabar.Red Larch in 7 days, Triboar in 13,Longsaddle in 18, and Mirabar in 26days.

River Route: Zundbridge to Silvery-moon (by small barge). Outbound toIronford in 6 days, The Stone Bridge in14, Yartar in 20, Nesmé in 30, andSilverymoon in 43 days. Inbound,reduce travel time by 1/3.

Silvermoon Pass: Silverymoon toSundabar in 6 days.

East Trail: Waterdeep to LlorkhSecomber in 11 days, Loudwater in 20,and Llorkh in 27 days.

Evermoor Way: Triboar to Silvery-moon. Yartar in 2 days, Everlund in 15,and Silverymoon in 20 days.

In addition to the standard AD&D® gamecoins, several cities mint their own coin-age. Each coin has two values, its value inthe city and its value elsewhere.

Waterdeep: the 2/� gp square brasstoal and the 50/2 gp crescent-shapedplatinum harbor moon.

Silverymoon: the 2/1 ep electrummoon (shining blue crescent coin).

Mirabar: the 10/5-7 gp iron trade bar(1-foot-long spindle).

Power Groups in the North�Are the drapes drawn and the doorslocked, Erek? What do you mean I�m act-ing like an old woman? Why shouldn�t Iworry? My trusted assistant doesn�t knowthe difference between a Zhentarim andthe Harpers. Is that reason for worry?Should I worry that he sells sensitive mapsto mercantile spies? That Zhentarim agentwas halfway to Llorkh before we caughthim. Uh, no, I don�t plan to let him out ofthe bottle. At least not for a while.�

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There is little �political� strife betweencities in the North. Rather than waste lives,gold and energy on petty disagreements,most civilized folk in the North have band-ed together against their true foes: theharsh northern climate and the cruelmonsters who dominate their land. Evenso, there are many groups who weavetheir influence in the North for good andill. These are the secret societies, the politi-cal blocs, foreign factions�the powergroups of the North, each with its ownleaders, goals, enemies and allies.

BEAST LORDLeader: The Beast Lord (an illithid)Base of Operations: DekanterGoal: Conquest of the North or part ofthe Deepearth.Allies: The Zhentarim.Chief Foes: The drow and the Harpers.

This secretive illithid mage has a pactwith the Zhentarim. They provide it withdead monster bodies, and it agrees not tomolest caravans passing near Dekanter.Though the Beast Lord fully intends toconquer part of the Deepearth, it beginsin the North by capturing territoryknown to have access to the world below.

CAPTAINS� CONFEDERATIONLeader: High Captain Taerl of LuskanBase of Operations: LuskanGoal: Conquest of the Sword Coast andcontrol of all trade north of Waterdeep.Allies: Luskan, Ruathym, Aurilsbaarg,Uttersea on Tuern, the Purple Rocks,the Whalebones, and the Hosttower ofthe Arcane. Zhentarim influence isdefinitely present.Chief Foes: Waterdeep and the Lords�Alliance.

With the treaty ending the Luskan/Ruathym conflict, the brutal Northmenkings discovered that they had more incommon than they had as differences.They banded together to raid the coast inlarge numbers, disrupting trade and agri-culture.

DRUIDS OF TALL TREESLeader: Uthgang Jyarl�Great Druid ofthe North (14th level druid)

Base of Operations: Tall Trees in theHigh Forest.Goal: Protect the ancient elven wood ofthe Tall Trees from harm.Allies: The Harpers, and the treants ofTurlang Wood.Chief Foe: Hellgate Keep.

The druids of the Tall Trees are quitesecretive and allow few other than druids(and vouched-for companions) into thispart of the wood. The Great Druid is theleader here, but former Grand Druid(now an 18th level Hierophant Adept)Sinklayr Greenstroke resides here, asdoes the mysterious Gildenfire (a golddragon in human guise).

THE HARPERSLeader: Not KnownBase of Operations: SilverymoonGoal: Protect the North, its peoples andresources from goblinkind and foreigninfluence or domination.Allies: The Lords� Alliance and thedruids of Tall Trees.Chief Foes: Orcs and other goblinraces, the Zhentarim, and politicalpowers in Amn and Calimshan.

Though this group was discussed indetail in the FORGOTTEN REALMS�Campaign Set, the importance of theHarpers to the North deserves more thana passing mention. Here in the North,where the society began centuries ago,the mystique that surrounds the Harpersgenerates respect, not suspicion, particu-larly since two of the most powerful lead-ers of the North, Khelben �Blackstaff�Arunsun of Waterdeep and High LadyAlustriel of Silverymoon, are avowedHarpers. Even the savage Uthgardt bar-barians, who have little respect for thetrappings of civilization, treat those whoknow the secret signs of the Harpers as ifthey were chieftains.

Originally, it was a loose society ofbards and rangers, created to providethese wanderers with fellowship andshelter. Their fellowship grew, andwith it came a desire to protect and pre-serve and maintain peace in the wildland they loved, acting against all whowould despoil it.

In the North, they are arch foes of theburgeoning goblinkind races, and seekto thwart them at every turn. Else-where, the Harpers� secret operationswork to keep peace between humankingdoms�they oppose the Zhentarimand often act in a contrary manner toaggressive trading kingdoms like Amn.

The Harpers rarely work openly andnever reveal their true goals to thosenot highly initiated into the society.Those who work at cross purposes tothe Harpers often fail in their endeav-ors. Other than in the North, even thosewho are not their enemies harbor amild distrust of the Harpers for this.

HELLGATE KEEPLeader: Grintharke (a type VI demon)Base of Operations: Hellgate KeepGoal: Acquisition of wealth and powerto be used to gain favor in the Abyss.Allies: None.Chief Foes: The Harpers, Sundabar,Silverymoon, and druids of Tall Trees.

The demonic forces of this ghoul-holdcontinually seek to expand the bounda-ries of their domination and to acquirevast treasure and powerful magics. Grin-tharke and his followers are exiles fromthe Abyss who may not gate in demonsmore powerful than manes (which aretransformed into shadows and ghasts),rutterkins or dretches. If their physicalforms are destroyed here, the demonsreform as lesser creatures in the Abyss,only to be exiled again, here or else-where. Grintharke�s armies include fewactual demons, and they are quite reluc-tant to risk themselves in battle.

HOSTTOWER OF THE ARCANELeader: Arklem Greeth (18th level M-U)Base of Operations: LuskanGoal: Political and economic control ofthe North.Allies: The Zhentarim, the High Cap-tains of Luskan, and the Knights of theShieldChief Foes: The Lords� Alliance, theHarpers, and the Kraken Society.

These power-hungry mages are the

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instigating factor behind the Captains�Confederation. The wizards in the towerconstantly scheme ways to gain powerfor themselves or the Hosttower (in thatorder). They often hire adventurers to dotheir dirty work (and take the blame ifnecessary). While they wield great powerin Luskan, they have little direct influ-ence outside the City of Sails.

ICE MOUNTAIN ORCSLeader: King GraulBase of Operations: Dead Orc Pass (?)Goal: Conquest of the North (beginningwith Sundabar or Silverymoon)Allies: Other orc tribes, including Cita-del of Many Arrows, and the Ice Moun-tains frost giantsChief Foes: The Harpers, Sundabar,Silverymoon, and Citadel Adbar.

King Graul is the most powerful ofthe known northern orc kings�it issuspected that more than 100,000 orcsfa l l under h is sway ( though thisincludes the 40,000 orcs known toinhabit the Citadel of Many Arrows).

THE KNIGHTS OF THE SHIELDLeader: Unknown.Base of Operations: Waterdeep.Goal: Increase political influence ofsouthern countries in the North.Allies: The Captains� Confederation,Hosttower of the Arcane.Chief Foes: The Harpers, the Lords ofWaterdeep, and the Lords� Alliance.

Until recently, this secretive group,composed primarily of petty nobilityand merchants, has had little influencein the North, other than in Waterdeep.

Though their true aims are unknown,they seek both political and economicinfluence in the cities and countries of theSword Coast. It is probable that theKnights seek to place one of their ownamong the unknown Lords of Water-deep. It is suspected that the Knights area pawn of an evil, extra-planar power,possibly even an arch-devil (also see entryin the FORGOTTEN REALMS� CampaignSet).

There are claims now that agents forthe Knights are involved with the High

Captains of Luskan and the Hosttowerof the Arcane.

THE KRAKEN SOCIETYLeader: Unknown (possibly THE kra-ken)Base of Operations: Yartar and Triboar.Goal: Acquisition of information, par-ticularly that which can be sold, or usedto otherwise profit the society.Allies: None.Chief Foes: The Lords� Alliance, theHarpers.

A society of thieves, assassins, andmages who maintain an information net-work throughout the North. They are notassociated with the official (or unofficial)thieves� guilds of Waterdeep. Based in Tri-boar and Yartar (the crossroads of theNorth), their symbol is a purple squidwith an incredible number of tentacles,suggesting an association with the Kra-ken of the Purple Rocks.

THE LORDS� ALLIANCELeader: Lord Piergeiron of WaterdeepBase of Operations: WaterdeepGoal: Unified defense of northern cit-ies and promotion of their economicinterests.Allies: The Harpers.Chief Foes: The Zhentarim, Luskan,Amn, and Calimshan.

Also known as �The Council of Lords,�or �the Lords� Council,� it should not beconfused with the Lords of Waterdeep.This lawful and essentially good eco-nomic and military alliance of the rulersof cities in the North and along the SwordCoast works to keep the overland traderoutes along the Sword Coast and acrossthe North as safe as possible and freefrom Zhentarim influence or annexation.

The alliance is open to all cities andnations in the west, but not all have cho-sen to join. Notable abstainees includefiercely independent Luskan, and thesouthern lands of Amn and Calimshan(who feel that troubled trade in theNorth can only profit their nations).

Member cities include Waterdeep,Mirabar, Neverwinter, Silverymoon,Sundabar and the island realm of Gun-

9

darlun. Southern cities include Baldur�sGate, Elturel, Berdusk, and Iriaebor.Smaller towns and villages in the northwisely join in the Alliance.

The member rulers of the Lords� Alli-ance communicate by means of bothtrained carrier pigeons (from Lord Pier-geiron of Waterdeep) and the magicalarts of archmage Khelben �Blackstaff�Arunsun. Smaller villages can corres-pond only with Waterdeep.

The military arm of the alliance is com-posed of both liveried troops from thelarger cities and local militia in thesmaller. Large cities and towns not onlypatrol their own local lands, but alsomaintain garrisons in the smaller townsand villages to support local militias andpatrol the frontiers.

A typical garrison consists of 30 men:10 will be professional soldiers suppliedby a large city (often adventurers or mer-cenaries) and the rest will be local militiain the livery of the city�s army, splittingtime between patrols and their own busi-ness. In the deep frontier, at least 50% ofthe garrison will be trained as rangers.

Despite complaints of �gold ill-spent ongrubby peasants,� this policy maintains aconstant flow of information betweenthe cities and the frontier and creates agreater feeling of security within thosewho pioneer the wilderness.

LORDS OF WATERDEEPLeader: Lord Piergeiron of WaterdeepBase of Operations: WaterdeepGoal: Rule Waterdeep wisely and pro-tect its interests in the North andabroad.Allies: The Harpers, The Lords� Alli-ance and its member cities.Chief Foes: The �Official� Thieves� Guildof Waterdeep, and Luskan.

THE ONELeader: The One (a.k.a. Radoc)Base of Operations: The Star MountsGoal: Unknown.Allies: Mongrelmen and the folk ofLoudwater.Chief Foes: None known.

This charismatic old man from another

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world appears to be a great healer�a Common Themes & Conflicts Uthgardt in such a conflict.powerful cleric. His secret is that he is anequally powerful archmage. �The One�seeks a return to his home plane, but isbuilding up an organized power base inthe remote Star Mounts. Due to theremoteness of his headquarters, little isknown of what goes on there.

TREANTS OF TURLANG WOODLeader: Turlang the ThoughtfulBase of Operations: Woods of Turlang(High Forest)Goal: Protect the High Forest fromharm, cultivate and expand forests inthe North.Allies: The druids of the Tall TreesChief Foes: Orcs and trolls.

UTHGARDT BARBARIANSLeader: Each tribe has a leader.Base of Operations: No fixed location.Goal: Keep civilization from expandingin the North.Allies: The Harpers (loose association)Chief Foes: Orcs.

ZHENTIL KEEPLeader: Mythkar Leng (in the North)Base of Operations: LlorkhGoal: Domination of all trade routes inthe North and along the Sword Coast.Allies: Llorkh and the Beast Lord.Chief Foes: The Harpers and the Lords�Alliance.

Mythkar Leng is a lawful evil, 9thlevel cleric of Bane, who acts as an advi-sor to Lord Geildarr of Llorkh (a 7thlevel magic-user who is secretly a mem-ber of the Zhentarim). With the aid ofRakaxalorth (a beholder who is neverseen in public), Mythkar keeps Geildarrin line with the Zhentarim goals for theNorth. Llorkh has been chosen as afoothold due to its distance from thepowers in Waterdeep and Silverymoon.

The Zhentarim already monopolizetrade between Loudwater and Llorkh,have a firm base in Secomber, and well-p l a c e d a g e n t s i n W a t e r d e e p ,Zundbridge, Yartar and Triboar.

The Orcs vs. EverybodyThe orcs in the North wage a constantwar of raid and retreat on frontier out-posts. Small wandering bands constantlyharry farms and villages, stealing live-stock and brutally killing people. Just asoften, they take slaves. Attempts to nego-tiate or control them for any length oftime end in failure. Bounties placed onorcish heads only seem to encourage thebeasts to attack for sport.

The Luskan/Ruathym WarThe status of this conflict depends onwhen the DM begins the campaign. Dur-ing the Year of the Prince, these two arewaging bloodthirsty war upon on oneanother, with Ruathym getting the worstof it. Shiploads of Luskan raiders plunderand pillage the Ruathym coast and slaytheir leader.

During the Year of Shadows, Water-deep forces a truce and ends the conflict.In so doing, an alliance, the Captains� Con-federation, is forged between theLuskanites and the island kingdoms. Con-federation warriors raid cities along theSword Coast in huge numbers and noship at sea is safe from Northmen pirates.The Year of Shadows ends with the Lordsof Waterdeep in council, deciding wheth-er to declare war or not.

The Uthgardt Barbarians vs. Civi-lizationThe average Uthgardt regards civiliza-tion as a cancer to be cut out. Mosttribes regularly raid civilized settle-ments, slaying domesticated animals,burning buildings, and crushing crops.Captives become slaves, though young-sters are often adopted into the tribe ifthey seem sturdy enough.

The Uthgardt vs. the OrcsThis is a holy war. Its roots date back tothe formation of the Uthgardt as a peo-ple. The barbarians and the orcs com-pete directly with one another for thesame resources. Savage humans andbloodthirsty orcs fight to the deathupon meeting. Adventurers in theNorth could do worse than to aid the

Monsters vs. HumansThe monsters of the North, includingthe t rol ls of the Evermoors , t reathumans�civi l ized and barbar ianalike�as fruit ripe for the picking.There are always giants who raid villag-es, foul creatures who wake hungryand leave their lairs to feast on a village,dragons who crave treasure, vampireswith unholy thirsts, and more.

Zhentarim vs. the HarpersThis society of Zhentil Keep on the farside of the Great Desert seeks a trademonopoly in the North. Even now, littleis shipped overland to the east withoutZhentarim involvement. The Harperswork to keep the Zhentarim and theirevil plots out of the North.

Pirates vs. MerchantsPiracy is an accepted fact of life in thenorthern Trackless Sea. Pirates attackships along the Sword Coast from Ches(March) until Uktar (November). Mostare Northmen, but about a third hailfrom southern lands.

Hellgate Keep vs. MankindThe demonic forces of Hellgate Keepcontinually press against the humanand dwarven folk in the northeast. Menhave not been able to drive the demonsout, but mercenary companies andadventuring bands can always findemploy as guardians in Turnstone Pass.A monastery of Helm, near Neverwin-ter, sponsors a company of 100 troopsof all character classes each year. Thisgroup, called Helm�s Hundred, leavesHelm�s Hold each spring for Sundabar.

Religion in the SavageFrontier

The gods or �Powers� of the Northinclude many beings worshipped else-where in the Realms, plus a number whohave followers nowhere else but in theSavage Frontier. The majority of thesedeities, their abilities, alliances, align-ments and power are described in boththe Cyclopedia of the Realms from theFORGOTTEN REALMS� boxed set and/or

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in the Legends and Lore cyclopedia(though the orc gods are to be found inUnearthed Arcana). Only the briefestdetails are given for these gods�for aproper understanding and perspective oftheir religions, the DM should have boththe aforementioned volumes.

Deities a r e d i v i d e d i n t o f o u rcategories�civilized gods, barbariangods, and orc gods. Each of the �new�deities in this section is arranged in thefollowing format:

NAME (pronunciation)nickname or title(s)

PortfolioPowerSymbol

AlignmentHome Plane

NOTES

The table on page 12 gives the nameof each major deity, the location of itsprimary (underlined) and lesser tem-ples or shrines, and information aboutthe temple�s clergy. Other deities areworshipped in the Savage Frontier, buttheir followings are not worth noting.

Civilized GodsThe city folk have chosen gods who meettheir needs in this harsh land. In the toler-ant, cosmopolitan city of Waterdeep, avariety of gods popular elsewhere havelarge temples, like Gond, Lathander,Mielikki, Mystra, Selune, Silvanus, Sune,Tempus and Tymora. Likewise, Silvery-moon�s gods complement the city�s questfor beauty, art and knowledge. Whereevil must be constantly fought, as in Sun-dabar, the aid of Helm, Tyr and Torm issought by the defenders. In Mirabar, menwho mine for a living have adopted dwar-ven gods.

Where trade is important, such asNesmé, the goddess Waukeen holdssway. In communit ies where l i fedepends on the forest, such as Loudwa-t e r , S e c o m b e r , a n d S i l v e r y m o o n ,Silvanus, Mielikki and Shiallia (seebelow) are favored.

SHIALLIA (SHE-al-YUH)Sister Goddess, Dancer in the Glades,Daughter of the High Forest

Goddess of Glades and woodland fer-tility NG

Demipower Twin ParadisesSymbol: A golden acorn

NOTES: Shiallia appears as a volup-tuously beautiful female korred whoselong blond hair is festooned with gar-lands of oak leaves and golden acorns.She said to be a sister or daughter to theTree Ghost (collective forest spirit) ofthe High Forest and is an ally of Silvanusand Mielikki, served by clerics notdruids. She is patron and caretaker ofpregnant forest creatures, a planter oftrees and a nurturer of seedlings. Sherejoices in life and shields against death.She has been known to bestow acornsof des ire on favored worshippers ,which grant them the powers of a lim-ited or full wish. Her worship is limitedto the proximity of the High Forest.

Barbarian GodsThe barbarians live in a harsh, cruelenvironment and worship harsh, cruel,even evil gods. Auril is worshipped bythe Northmen as the bringer (and molli-fier) of winter. Umberlee is queen overthe dark, deadly cold waters of thenorthern ocean. Tempus the god of bat-tles (called Tempos by the tundra bar-bar ians) i s worshipped by a l l thebarbarian tribes of the North and outerislands. Chauntea is the patron of theUthgardt barbarian women. They havefemale shamans who serve her.

The Uthgardt barbarians who rangeacross the northern wilds worshipbeast totems, minor demigods who taketheir names and forms from creaturesof the northern wilds. These cultsinclude the Sky Pony, Blue Bear, GreatWorm, Elk, Grey Wolf, Red Tiger (SnowCat), Black Lion, Thunder Beast, Griffin,and the Tree Ghost. Each of these demi-powers is quite similar, with the excep-tion of the Blue Bear cult� which is achaotic evil demipower allied with theAbyss. The Red Tiger is used as anexample of the other beast cults.

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RED TIGERSnow Cat

Beast Cult Chaotic NeutralDemipower Happy Hunting GroundsSymbol: A red snarling tiger face.

NOTES: Red Tiger is the most primi-tive, most bestial of the beast totemsdefeated by Uthgar, the founder of thetribes. Red Tiger exchanged his free-dom for worship and the right of theshamans to call upon his beastpower.The followers of Red Tiger are reclu-sive hunters, like their totem.

Beast powers are listed by tribe inThe Peoples of the North.

The Gods of the OrcsWhile it is difficult to imagine orcs as �reli-gious� they are devoted followers of theirprimitive gods. Their shamans and witchdoctors are often the most powerfulmembers of the community. The orcsacknowledge evil Gruumsh One-Eye, He-Who-Never-Sleeps, as their lord and mas-ter (see Legends & Lore Cyclopedia andUnearthed Arcana) . In addit ion toBaghtru the Leg Breaker, Shargass theNight Lord, Ilneval, Yurtrus the White-Handed and Luthic Cave Mother, eachorcish tribe has a vile totem god similar tothe Uthgardt totems, but based on theirunpleasant (more to the point, disgusting)tribal symbols, like the Severed Hand,Bloody Eye, and Skull-Grin tribes. Majorgods (like Baghtru and the others) aredescribed in Unearthed Arcana.

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DEITY

AurilBane

Beast TotemsBlack LionBlackravenBlue BearElkGreat WormGrey WolfGriffonRed TigerSky PonyThunderbeastTree Ghost

ChaunteaGondHelm

LathanderMielikki

MililMystra

Oghma

TEMPLE/SHRINE LOCATION

Winter Palace Luskanshrine Llorkh

Beorunna�s Well Beorunna�s WellRavenrock Blackraven RiverStone Stand wildernessFlint Rock wildernessGreat Worm Great Worm CavernRavenrock Blackraven RiverShining White Shining CreekBeorunna�s Well Beorunna�s WellMorgur�s Mound wildernessMorgur�s Mound wildernessGrandfather Tree unknownany Uthgardt mound (see above)The House of Inspired Hands WaterdeepHelm�s Hold NeverwinterHouse Invincible SilverymoonHalls of Vigilance SundabarThe Spires of the Morning WaterdeepThe Lady�s Hands WaterdeepDeep Glade Tall Treesshrine SecomberHalls of Inspiration SilverymoonThe House of Wonder Waterdeep

Tower of BalanceHalls of Inspiration

SilverymoonSilvery moon

House of Knowledge Neverwinter

CLERGY

Wiskar Strom (male 6th L shaman)Mythkar Leng (male 9th L cleric)

Bogohardt Blackmane (male 7th L shaman)Pureheartman (male 11th L shaman)Tanta Hagara (female, annis)Berchtwald Bandylegs (male 5th L shaman)Elrem the Wise (male great worm, 20th L shaman)Clovis Greenteeth (male, 6th L shaman)Aldalfus Stormgatherer (male 9th L shaman)Garinen the Maker (male 5th L shaman)Valric High Eye (male 8th L shaman)Kierkrad Seventoes (male 7th L shaman)Chungred Ghostheart (male 10th L shaman)Granna Luthanna (female 5th L shaman)Priestess: Jhoadil Zulthind (female 8th L cleric)Founder: Dumal Erard (male 8th L monk)Vigilant Master: Erssler Thamm (male 13th L cleric)Priest: Ruthard Fourl (male 10th L cleric)High Priestess: Ghentilara (female 10th L cleric)Briosar Helmsing (male 10th L ranger)Wanada Selemensa (female 8th L ranger)noneLaureate: Mandaliz (female 12th L cleric)Magister of Mystra: Meleghost Starseer (male 10th Lmagic-user). First Seeker: Ilbrost Mythyl (male 7th L magic-user)Magister: Thukmuul Teleshann (female 17th L magic-user)Chief Priest: Sandrew the Wise (male 11th L cleric); FirstSinger: Winiter (male 6th L bard)Chief Priest: Watger Brighthair (male 8th L cleric)

Orc Gods: Gruumsh, Shargass, Ilneval, Yurtrus, and Luthic are worshipped wherever orcs gather in number, often in rocky passes of thenorthern mountain ranges.

Selune Temple of Silver Stars Silverymoon High Priestess: Shanathera Moonsoul (female 18th L cleric)The House of the Moon Waterdeep High Priestess: Naneathea Suaril (female 16th L cleric)

Shiallia The Golden Oak Silverymoon Priestess: Izolda Three-corn (female 8th L cleric)Silvanus Deep Glade Tall Trees Great Druid: Uthgang Jyarl (male 14th L druid)

Silverglen Silverymoon Willa O�Greensleeves (female 6th L druid)shrine Waterdeep Watcher: Anarkin Iriboar (male 2d L druid)

Sune The Temple of Beauty Waterdeep High Priestess: Ssaeryl Shadowstar (female 14th L cleric)Tempus The House of Heroes Waterdeep High Sword: Turik Bloodhelm (male 8th L fighter); Prior:

Maxtilar Rhebbos (male 6th L cleric)Hall of Warriors Luskan Axxium Korvis (male 6th L shaman)

Tymora The Tower of Luck Waterdeep High Priestess: Seenrosa Halvinhar (female 14th L cleric);Prior: Markos Zellizands (5th L cleric)

Fortune Hall Silverymoon Priestess: Shermata Cheng (female 9th L cleric)Tyr (Torm) Hall of Justice Neverwinter Reverend Judge: Oleff Uskar (male 10th L cleric); Prior:

Hlam (male, 7th L monk)Hall of Justice Sundabar Reverend Judge: Triandial Truthammer (male 8th L cleric)

Umberlee Hall of Black Waves Ruathym Uther Jeroggean (male 5th L shaman)Temple of Red Sails Luskan Malakia (female 12th L shaman)

Waukeen House of Fair Trade Nesmë High Priestess: Jygil Zelnathra (female 10th L cleric)

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Weather in the SavageFrontierTo the southerner�s preconceptions, theNorth means endless winter, monthafter month of blizzards, ice storms andgenerally frigid weather. Fortunatelyfor the hardy fo lk of the SavageFrontier, this is not true. There is noone type of climate or weather patternin the North. Beyond the Spine of theWorld mountain range, arctic condi-tions prevail. From the Spine of theWorld south to Waterdeep, subarcticweather conditions are to be found.The mountains cause an abrupt climatechange. South of the Wall (as the Spineof the World is often called), the climateis more like that of the southernmostreaches of the subarctic rather than asmooth transition from arctic to sub-arctic. However, the coastal areas as farnorth as Port Llast are temperate cli-mates, due to the warm deep ocean cur-rents that run from south to northalong the coast. The outer islands fallinto the subarctic climate, even distantTuern, which receives the waningwarmth of the coastal current. Notethat weather at sea and on the islands isdeal t with in greater speci f ics inIslands of the North.

The variety of climate conditionsmakes detailed weather tables for thisregion cumbersome and space inten-sive. DMs who require more than thegeneral descriptions that follow, referto World of Weather appendix in theWilderness Survival Guide.

Arctic Climate

The arctic climate conditions whichdominate Icewind Dale and the Sea ofEndless Ice beyond the Spine of theWorld bring a bitterly cold winter withlows as cold as -40 degrees Fahrenheitand highs that barely exceed 30 degrees(still below freezing). Summer bringswarm days of 70 degrees or more, butwith lows that still can drop into the�teens.� Near-constant, stiff breezes offthe Trackless Sea force temperatureseven lower, due to wind chill, by as

much as 10 to 20 degrees. Precipitationfalls as snow in winter and as rain orsleet the rest of the year.

Winter snowfall is heavy enough toregenerate the glacier mass that domi-nates the Utter North. This translates toabout 20-50 inches of snow accumula-tion each winter, but no more than afew inches each snowfall. The rest ofthe year, drier weather prevails.

Subarctic Climate

As discussed previously, the vast major-ity of the North, including the islandsand the Spine of the World mountainrange fall within a mild subarctic clime(but still not quite temperate). Thistranslates as long, bitter winters thateffectively last from mid-Marpenoth(October) to late Tarsakh (April) withtemperatures that drop into the low-30�s and rarely climb past 40 degreesFahrenheit. These winters are punctu-ated by fierce, often destructive stormsthat howl in off the western ocean,dumping mixed snow and rain on themore southerly coast line and heavysnow across the mountains and mid-lands. Frequent blizzards blanket theland in deep snow drifts (often 10 ormore feet deep) and isolate northerncommunities from one another. In themountains, temperatures approacharctic iciness, while the forests seem toshrug off the worst effects of winter(some woods, like Neverwinter Woodand parts of the High Forest, never feelwinter at all). Most rivers freeze over,with ice thick enough to support wag-ons and draft teams between Uktar(November) and early Ches (March).

Summers in the North are short, buttemperatures still climb into the 80s,which along with high humidity andwarm breezes from the southwesternseas keep it warm enough for anyone (ifnot downright uncomfortable at times).Summer precipitation normally takesthe form of rain, but hail, sleet and evensnow are not unknown. Summer is alsothe time for Wizard Weather, whenunpredictable and even magical weath-er patterns occur in the vicinity of the

13

High Forest.The c loud-cover over the North

seems eternal and unbroken. Partially,sunny days are common, but a daywithout clouds in the Savage Frontier isdifficult to conceive of and is usuallyworth noting.

Temperate Climate

The true temperate climate beginssouth of Waterdeep, yet the SwordCoast between the City of Splendorsand Port Llast stays warmer and wetterthroughout the year than the inlandregions. Southerners are surprised tofind such mild weather so far north. Onthe other side of the coin, the coast alsobears the brunt of the fierce stormsthat shriek out of the sea. While wintersare warmer on the average, the coast isoften subjected to damp, bone-chillingcold far worse than that felt by the mid-lands . Summers are warmer here ,reaching upwards to extremes of 100degrees, but are relieved by nearly con-s tant sea breezes f rom the Sea ofSwords. As with the inland areas, theskies over the coast are often cloudy.This stretch of coast usually receivessome precipitation every day, usually asrain (or sleet in winter). Thick fog is atrademark of the coastal ports andmakes hugging the shore a deadly prop-osition near the tiny, rocky, offshoreislands north of Waterdeep.

Island Climates

Though they fall within the scope of thesubarctic climate, the outer islands ofTuern, the Purple Rocks, Gundarlun,and Ruathym have a different type ofclimate than found on the mainland.Like the Moonshaes farther south, theylive at the mercy of the stormy seas. Yetunlike those southern islands, the outerislands of the North feel winter�s bitenearly eight months out the year. Whenthey are not locked in winter�s ice (oftena mile or more wide by Alturiak/February), they are shrouded in dense,late-rising fog (if it rises at all). Thestorms that lash the islands are far

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harsher than those on the mainland,and most settlements are wisely builton the lee sides of the islands, awayfrom the �Auril�sbreath� as the island-ers call the near-constant bitter north-western winter winds. Island summersare cool, even by subarctic standards,though the white beaches of Ruathym�ssouthern shore often bake in the sum-mer heat.

Wildlife in the North�What adventurers? I didn�t hire any

adven. . . oh , those adventurers . Wel lbring them in... and will you stop writ-ing already?

�Well, that was timely, those fellowscertainly did a good job researching theflora and fauna... what?... plants andanimals, Erek, plants and animals of theNorth. No, I don�t think they met allthose beasts, I certainly wouldn�t wantto and I doubt if their adventure talesare true. I don�t care what Laeral said, Idon�t believe in white rabbits the size ofponies, even in the High Forest. Enoughalready. Let me talk. You just write.�

The wi lds of the North and theIslands are a hunter�s paradise. Mun-dane creatures of all descriptions andsizes usually escape an adventurer�snotice, yet they are vitally important tothose would live off the land, includingrangers, druids, and native barbarians.

Majestic elk wander the northern for-ests, hills and fens, as do the lesser fendeer and noble moose. Huge herds ofshaggun (shaggy bovines, use buffalostatistics) range the central plains andhills, often competing with the lessaggressive domestic cattle herds forpasturage. They provide both food andtests of courage for the Uthgardt bar-barians. In the far north reindeer travelin thundering herds (often followed bytundra barbarian tribes), while thewhite-coated mountain ram, a mighty,wild sheep, commands the lofty moun-tain peaks. Huge, sometimes deadlywild boars lurk in the forests �fine eat-ing, but often at the steep price of men�slives.

Small animals abound everywhere:rabbits, squirrels, red foxes, mice, bats,water rats, prairie dogs, beavers, wea-sels, and ermines. Common bird lifeincludes game birds like the pheasant,grouse, quail, duck, and geese, and songbirds of all shapes, colors and sizes.

Fish are a diet staple of many north-ern towns, including the succulent sha-lass, found primarily in the Dessarinriver network and the szorp, a brown,trout-like denizen of the Delimbiyr andUnicorn Run rivers. Each spring, salm-on run up the Mirar, Neverwinter andDessarin rivers to spawn.

Along the Sword Coast and all theouter islands, seals and sea lions playand breed among the rocks, as do seaotters and dolphins. Though theirbreeding grounds are farther south,pods of whales are a common sight inthe northern ocean.

And last, but never least, there arethe mundane predators. The northernmountain ranges are home to the agilered tiger or �snow cat.� Wolves are near-ly everywhere and bears are commonin all forested or mountain areas, whilewhite polar bears stalk the UttermostNorth. Fierce sharks and orca (killerwhales) patrol the seas.

The North is also home to many unu-sual beasts as well, better known tocommon folk as monsters.

Encounters in the NorthRather than provide a set of random

encounter tables for each terrain typein the North, The Savage Frontier setsforth a listing of creatures and folkcommon to the encounter areas in thenorth, and several unusual, uniqueencounters with monsters , NPCs,objects, or places. Using these lists andsuggestions, and those provided in thespecific area descriptions given in laterchapters , the DM can choose theencounters he wishes to occur.

Those DMs who can�t live withoutrandom encounter tables should referto the Outdoor Random EncounterT a b l e s a n d t h e A q u a t i c R a n d o mEncounter Tables on pages 135-137 of

Monster Manual II. These tables areexcellent (but not absolutely perfect)for use with the Savage Frontier. Usethe COLD CIVILIZED AREAS tables forland encounters occurring within 90miles of the Sword Coast. Use the COLDWILDERNESS AREAS tables for landencounters taking place elsewhere inthe North (including the islands). Forencounters at sea, use the COLD SALTWATER tables on page 137.

Another alternative is to make per-sonalized random encounter tables.Both the Monster Manual II and theDM�s Sourcebook of the Realms fromthe campaign set have informativeguidelines for this. These tables caninclude monsters, members of powergroups, NPCs, and special events.

Regardless of how encounters areselected, it is an excellent practice forthe DM to predetermine a number ofencounters before beginning play. Thisgives the DM a chance to set up the sta-tistics and motivations for NPCs ormonsters encountered�particularlyimportant if the DM is running a �story-line� campaign, where seemingly ran-d o m e n c o u n t e r s a r e a c t u a l l y a nimportant part of the overall adventureplot. It also allows the DM to answerquestions like, �What tribe are theseorcs from,� �What kind of goods is thatZhentarim caravan carrying and whereis it headed,� or �Why are the barbari-ans wandering this far south?�

Barrenland EncountersThese bleak, often hilly, barren landsseem drenched in a feeling of depres-sion. Even the spring blossoms of gorseand heather that cover the hills seemsomehow faded. Trolls are common, asthey claim these lands for their own,especially the Trollmoors near Nesmé.

In the Trollmoors, the trolls appear indouble-s ize groups and are of tenencountered with a 3d level troll sha-man or even giant trolls.

In the Fallen Lands and the LonelyMoor, the Beast Lord�s servants scourthe land, searching for monsters fortheir master�s breeding programs.

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Nearly any dungeon monster of 10 hitdice or less can be found in the FallenLands.

Clear Terrain EncountersClear terrain in the north is mainly agrassy prairie of easy rolling hills. TheRolling Hill terrain only indicates wherethe hills are the most convoluted. Thearea immediately around cities andtowns is farmland, where commonencounters include cows, sheep,farmers, herders, longriders (mountedranch hands), and military patrols (usu-ally Waterdhavian or Neverwintertroops of the Lords� Alliance).

Merchant caravans and mi l i tarypatrols are constantly on the movealong the major roads and navigablerivers. Folk traveling between cities inthe North usually attach themselves toone or the other of these groups.

Away from civilized lands, the savagebarbarians (both Uthgardt tribes andNorthmen raiding bands) and wild orcsroam free. Anyone weaker than they is

fair game. Trolls are still a problem, butaway from the barren lands, they tendto be solitary creatures.

Rangers roam these lands, but preferto observe and remain unseen, thoughthey will help folk in need.

In the northern tundra of the ColdRun and Icewind Dale, the fierce tun-dra yeti (whose color changes with theseasons from white to brown) and theremorhaz make travel difficult.

Near the ghoul-hold, Hellgate Keep,all sorts of twisted chaotic and evil crea-tures lurk in the pits that dot the plains,fighting amongst themselves and snar-ing the unwary. Demonic creaturespatrol these areas in the service of thedemon masters of Hellgate.

Forest EncountersThe woods of the North are primarilybroad-leafed deciduous trees, similar tothe oaks, maples, elms, and birches ofother worlds. Farther north, the decid-uous woods give way to conifers likespruce, larch and tamarack, white and

ponderosa pines. Grizzly bears, were-bears, and bugbears thrive in thesewoods, as do the fierce northern ogres.Manticore lurk in the darker glades andsmall green dragons are said to inhabitthe Moonwood, Lurkwood, and theKryptgarden Forest. Outside the HighForest, treants are known to dwell onlyin the Coldwood. Owlbears stalk thedark glades of Southwood and theArdeepforest. And then there are theorcs.

High Forest EncountersThe High Forest is the wildest of allwoods in the North. Trees are biggerhere (some approaching gigantic stat-ure) and wildlife is more numerous,and often of giant size. It is a fairywood, home to bright creatures likebrownies, pixies, sprites, nymphs,treants and unicorns, and dark crea-tures like kech, forlarren, stirges, pery-tons and mongrel men.

Men rarely roam the wood, thoughintrusions into the northeastern Tall

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Trees section will be watched and per-haps interdicted by the many druidswho dwell there. Likewise, intrudersinto the Woods of Turlang in the north-west may be stopped by the treantswho dwell therein.

As elsewhere in the north, huntingbands of orcs roam freely, as do partiesof demon-folk from Hellgate Keep.

Hill EncountersThe rolling hills of the central plainsand river valleys are much like ClearTerrain. The foothills of mountains arebleaker, rougher, often rocky. Banditsmake their headquarters in hills alongthe the major thoroughfares. Goblins inthe North have their homes in the hillsrather than the mountains (which areusually under orc control). Hill giantsusually keep to mountain foothills,though at least three clans are knownto range the hills around the CrumblingStair. In winter frost giants come downfrom the mountains into the hills.

Island Encounters Mountain EncountersThe outer islands of the Trackless Seaare generally rough, even mountainousrocky lands, constantly swept by stiffbreezes from the chill ocean. Life ishard and the people have becomeequally hard in order to survive, letalone thrive.

In general, the islands are similar tomountainous terrain, though the coast-l ines suf fer f rom coasta l and seaencounters. The islands have varyingpopulations of Northmen who farm,fish and raid for a living (they are a com-mon source of Northmen pirates). Mostislands have one or more clans or tribesof giants, many of whom are sea-roversthemselves.

The mountains in the north vary fromthe lower coastal ranges to the bleakGraypeaks in the west, to the toweringSpine of the World range that separatesthe North from the frozen wastes of theUttermost North. Orcs infest the moun-tains of the Savage Frontier (even thecoastal ranges), making it l iterallyimpossible to travel them withoutencountering at least one warband orhunting party.

Demi-humans are not native to theselands, so dwarves, elves, halflings andgnomes encountered out here aree i ther merchants , adventurers , orslaves of the Northmen. Orcs are alsonon-native to the islands, though lessergoblin and goblinoid races (like kobolds,norkers, and meazels) abound. Giant

Here too are giants. Verbeeg, frostand fog giants lair in the Spine and IceMountain ranges. The Graypeaks arehome to tribes of stone and mountaingiants and the coasta l ranges areknown to contain hill giants. A clan ofevil fomorian giants lurks in the south-ern arm of the Spine of the World nearthe Dungeon of the Ruins.

Men are rare in the mountains. Iffound at all, they are often merchants,traveling the mountain passes. How-ever, bands of dwarves are common inal l mountain ranges , though they

spiders and ettercap also roam themountainous island wildernesses. Onthe coastlines, scrags (sea trolls) seekvictims and plunder.

Mere of Dead MenEncountersThis is an eerie foetid swamp filled withunpleasant creatures, strange glows,sucking bogs, scummy, reeking cess-pools, deadly quicksand and a generalaura of unwholesomeness. It is mostlyuncharted. Literally any swamp ordungeon creature could be encoun-tered here, regardless of its customaryclimate. Lizardmen are the predomi-nant sentient race here, led by theirmysterious shamans, though bands ofbullywugs have been seen (these areprobably raiders and not natives).Penanggalen are supposed to roamhere, and will-o�-(the)-wisps are numer-ous, as are trolls, snakes of all sizes, andjillions of insects�from clouds of tinybiters to gigantic monsters.

inhabi t only t h e I c e M o u n t a i n s .Dwarves seek lost dwarfholds and areextremely suspicious of strangers (whomay be after their treasure).

Galeb duhr inhabit most ranges, andyeti and taer stalk the Spine of theWorld and Ice Mountains, as do icetoads, hoar foxes, and winter wolves.

Dungeon monsters can also be found,usually signifying the presence of near-by ruins.

Sea EncountersThe seas of the North are home to manycreatures and a number of sentientaquatic races, including sea elves,sahuagin, and merfolk. Men who roamthe seas include Northmen pirates (intheir longships), southern pirates (incarracks and caravels), merchant shipsfrom all lands (usually galleons, travel-ing in fleets of two to five ships forsafety), and ships of the Waterdeep,Neverwinter, Port Llast, Ruathym andLuskan navies (though ships of the lat-ter two are indistinguishable frompirates in appearance and deed).

The Sea of Moving Ice provides thenorthern sea with towering icebergsand islands of ice flow, though these areprimarily concentrated along the pathof the coastal current, moving west-ward along a line from The Ice Peak toTuern.

Common and uncommon creaturesof the ocean include dragon turtles,whales, scrags (sea trolls), giant octo-pus, water weirds, sea wolves, dolphin,and an occasional white dragon.

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Uthgardt BarbarianEncountersThese barbarians can be found almosteverywhere south of the Spine of theWorld and west of the High Forest. Usethe following table to select the encoun-tered Uthgardt tribe (though one mayalso use the closest ancestor mound forthis purpose).

2d6 Tribe Mound

2 Black Lion Beorunna�s Well3 Blackraven Ravenrock4 Great Worm Great Worm

5-6 Elk Tribe Flintrock7 Thunderbeast Morgur�s Mound8 Red Tiger Beorunna�s Well9 Blue Bear Stone Stand10 Griffon Shining White11 Grey Wolf Ravenrock12 Tree Ghost G r a n d f a t h e r

Tree

Unusual EncountersThe following encounters are unusualevents or encounters that an adventurersmight meet in the wilds of the North.Unless an encounter entry states other-wise, it can occur anywhere. The DMshould adjust the number of foes to pro-vide a challenge for parties of any level.

TROLLFOES A band of trolls, includinga 3d level troll shaman and a giant two-headed troll, is locked in battle with a mil-itary patrol. In the Trollmoors, these areRiders of Nesmé. Elsewhere, they areWaterdhavian troops. The soldiers areobviously losing.

LIZARD MEANIES A troupe of lizard-men, their skins painted with camou-flage markings, skulks through theunderbrush, desperately trying not beseen. They are carrying something�no, someone who does not wish to becarried. At the DM�s discretion, thismay be:

a beautiful maiden.an aarakocra from the Star Mounts.a halfling merchant from the south.

GHOST SHIP A shimmering, high-prowed galley cuts straight toward theparty (even on land, far from the sea!).A storm seems to blow ahead of it andthe sky darkens eerily. The tattered sailflies the symbols of the god of deathMyrkul , f loat ing on the waves ofUmberlee�s sigil. Plants wither and diein its wake. The ship is crewed by 30seaweed-draped skeletons in the com-mand of a pair of spectres.

A LOST SHIELD A golden, decoratedshield +3 lies half-hidden by shrub-bery. The emblem design on the shieldis that of a Griffon Rampant. A haunt(MM2), once a valiant cavalier, lurksnearby and attempts to possess anywho take the shield. The dead cavalier�smission was to rescue a southern prin-cess taken captive and sold in Water-deep long ago. The princess is long deadtoo, but at least one of her descendantsbears a remarkable resemblance to her.

AN ABANDONED VILLAGE The vil-lage is like a ghost-town� no bodies,occupants or signs of violence. A thor-ough search uncovers a painted stoneshowing stick men and women enter-ing a dark hole. A battle is taking placebetween the trailing stick men and oth-er figures (men? trolls?) who followthem.

FLAMES IN THE TWILIGHT Theadventurers encounter an outlyingfarm in flames near an agriculturaltown. Dark figures are visible, skulkingin the red light of the flames and fearfulvoice cry out in terror. Strange, greenlight streams out through the windowsand cracks between the boards of thefarmhouse.

HUNTERS At a roadside campsite, thePCs encounter a band of close-mouthedtravelers. Eventual ly the ir leaderreveals herself to be a bounty hunterwho has been unsuccessfully lookingfor an adventuring band. The wearyhunter offers to share the reward if theparty can help her. The description shegives is a dead ringer for the party

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when they last visited a major city. Whohas put a price on the PCs� heads andwhy?

NECROMHARGE Organized bands ofundead ravage the major trade routes.They ambush travelers, kill everyone,steal valuables and take all the bodies.Dead victims swell the raiders� ranks.Rumor of a dark mage leading armies ofundead spreads like wildfire, followedby a whispered word: �Necromharge.�The Lords� Alliance offers rewards forthe mage�s destruction.

On a lonely road, the PCs get theirchance to gain the fabulous reward, asskeletons, zombies, wights, and spec-tres swarm out of the woods to swelltheir ranks.

H I S T O R Y M Y S T E R Y T h e P C sencounter a battle between a band ofconfused elves in archaic garb andhowling orcs who dance around them.If the PCs rescue the elves, it should beapparent that they are either fromFaerun�s past or from another worldand do not know how they came to behere.

RANGE WAR! Longriders (mountedranch hands) from Longsaddle ranchesare at war with longriders from Triboarover pasture rights. The party areassumed to be mercenaries in the payof one side or the other. Of course, abarbarian raid could change all this.

LOCKED IN THE ICE OF THE AGES(Sea Encounter Only) An iceberg con-tains a huge monstrous form and a glintof gold and colorful crystal.

SKY WARS Two flying castles of exoticdesign pass overhead. The air betweenthem is electrified by fireballs, meteorstorms and lightning bolts that blastand scar their metal surfaces. Smallcreatures swarm like ants over theirsurfaces until one suddenly belchesforth great gouts of flame and begins togo down...

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THE PEOPLES OF THE NORTH

�8 Myrtul. Today, my great master Ame-lior Amanitas, and I his ever-humbleservant Erek, set forth on our journeyto Silverymoon, over 500 miles to thenorth. Amelior believes that the Her-ald�s Holdfast near there will help himwrite about our land. But, he just wantsto see Lady Alustriel again. He�s going tomake a fool of himself, I can see it com-ing.

�10 Mirtul. As usual with our aerialtrips, the A. A. became deathly ill whenthe gasbag rose into the a ir and hasremained greenly semi-comatose since.The fire elemental has performed well,keeping the air bag hot, but the air ele-mental has been a real pain. Instead ofavoiding the High Forest, we are now

directly over it, on a collision coursewith some rather sharp mountains .Nothing to be done I guess. Might aswell copy over Amelior�s notes.�

The two major human peoples in theNorth are barbarians: the fair-hairedNorthmen who dwell along the SwordCoast and upon the outer islands, andthe dark-haired Uthgardt tribes whoroam the wild interior. The third majorrace in the North is not human at all:orcs dominate the wilds and may be thetrue, though disunified power in theNorth.

Other folk, like the dwarves, the IceHunters, and the lizardmen, are nativeto the North, but wield no great political

or economic power. And though theyare prolific elsewhere in the world,members of the halfling and elven racesare rare in the North.

The Northmen�Deliver us, O Lathander, from the furyof the Northmen��A Calishite prayer

The term Northmen refers to one ofseveral seagoing, usually warlike, peo-ples found along the Sword Coast northof Waterdeep and the islands to thewest, including Tuern, Gundarlun, andRuathym in the Trackless Sea andNorheim and Norland in the Moon-shaes.

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The ta l l , fa i r -haired, sea- lovingNorthmen barbarians were the thirdhuman people in the north. Accordingto dwarven records, the peaceful IceHunters had ranged the far North forcenturies and the folk of lost Netherilhad dwelled along the Narrow Sea formillennia before the Northmen arrived.

The Northmen�s primitive ancestorsbuilt small villages along the SwordCoast. Many grew into places of impor-tance, including fabled Illusk (ancientLuskan), Eigersstor (now Neverwinter),Port Llast, and Nimoar�s Hold, whichthe world now knows as Waterdeep.

The early Northmen avoided the wildinterior. They farmed the rocky, butrich coastal lands, fished coastal waterswarmed by deep north-bound cur-rents, hunted deer in the forests, sealsin the coastal rocks, and whales in thedepths of the Trackless Sea. Yet with thecoming of summer, the call of the seawould be irresistible to the young menand they would go a-raiding.

From Kythorn to early Marpenoth,the f ierce , barbaric bat t le-cr ies ofNorthmen were heard in Lantan, Amn,and Tethyr; in Calimshan and othercountries and cities of the Shining Sea,even as far south as fabled Nimbral.

These wild barbarians explored theTrackless Sea, discovering Tuern, Gun-darlun, Ruathym, The Purple Rocks,the Whalebones, and eventually theMoonshaes (though others had beenthere before them).

O t h e r N o r t h m e n b r a v e d a n dexplored the orc-infested interior,becoming the human partners of TheFallen Kingdom, ancestors of theUthgardt tribes, and mercenaries forlost Ascalhorn.

Though they are often referred to asbarbarians, not all Northmen fit thisclassification. Along the Sword Coast,many of these barbaric sea raiders havebecome civilized, primarily due to theinfluence of southern folk. They farm,fish, and mine their rugged lands, thensmartly trade their goods with south-ern merchants. Many once-feared raid-ers have become merchants whose skillat bargaining equals or betters the war-

like talents of their ancestors, such thatmany a Northman merchant returnswith more southern booty than do theraiders.

Still, an edge of savagery remains.The Northmen of Luskan and theislands are fierce and warlike. The war-rior known as the berserker is moreoften than not a Northman. Fierce, fear-less dragonships ply the northernwaters, wiley pirates who are able tooutrun and outmanuever heavily-ladenmerchant galleons. And each summer,the f ierce , barbaric bat t le-cr ies ofNorthmen raiders still ring loud in thesouth.

Northmen AttitudesThe barbar ic Northmen are bold ,macho, impetuous, fierce in battle, andcallous in their treatment of others.Foreigners (read as �not Northmen�)and non-humans are treated withrespect only if their skill in battle isobvious. Otherwise, they are weak-lings, deserving scorn from �real men.�

Like other barbarians, Northmen dis-like magic and magic-users. In ruralcommunities or on outer islands likeTuern and the Purple Rocks, magic-useis punishable by death. Clerics aretreated with a loof disdain (evenNorthmen shamans rece ive littlerespect).

Northmen love a good fight and prizephysical strength and weapon prowessabove all other things. To prove them-selves, the Northmen constantly wagewar with whomever they feel that theycan defeat. It is uncommon to find aNorthman kingdom that is NOT at war.

They en joy hearty food, sombersongs, good drink (particularly meadand a le ) , t reat the ir women withrespect, but value and cherish the pre-cious long ships beyond other propertyor family. True Northmen derive sensu-al pleasure from the appearance of asleek long ship, its gracefully curvinglines slicing easily through even roughseas.

Weapons and ProficienciesThe battle ax is the Northman�s weaponof choice. With ax in one hand and asturdy shield in the other, the North-man believes he can conquer the world.Missile weapons other than the javelinare considered weaklings� tools sincethey do not rely on the pure strength ofthe warrior.

At sea, Northmen raiders rarely weararmor heavier than studded leatherand shield (AC 6). Metal armor dragsone down to Umberlee�s bosom tooquickly. For land raids, chainmail isdonned by those lucky enough to own it(AC 4). A Northman king or High Cap-tain usually possesses plate mail.

The island Northmen possess all theprimary skills known by barbarians(survival, first aid, outdoor craft, andtracking) and know the following ter-tiary skills: running and small craft,rowed.

Gods of the NorthmenThe surly Northmen are not what onewould call a �religious� people. Theypay grudging homage to several godsonly because those powers have con-trol over things the Northmen do not.Tempus, the god of battles, is the onlydeity who receives more than cursorypiety.

Likewise, the earthly agents of thegods, normally shamans, are treatedwith similar callousness, having a lowerstatus than warriors. Clerics and sha-mans are rare and are seldom morepowerful than 7th or 8th level.

The deities whom the Northmen hon-or include Auril, the Frostmaiden; Tem-pus, the Lord of Battles; Umberlee, theBitch Queen; and occasionally Valkurthe Mighty. In rare instances Malar isworshipped, but usually only by thoseberserkers who revel in battle fury.Northmen rarely devote themselves toone god, but honor their three primarydeities: Tempus, Auril and Umberlee,when they are within that deity�ssphere of influence.

The Northmen see Auri l as the

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bringer of winter on the world, animportant part of their existence. Theyplacate her with offerings of food andstrong drink in autumn and winter,placed upon rafts set adrift at sea. Intimes of dire distress, human sacrificesmay be the meal placed on the raft.Such sacrifices are usually taken fromprisoners or slaves, but not always.

Warriors worship Tempus before bat-tles. He is the berserker�s patron, pro-t e c t o r o f t h o s e w h o s u c c u m b t oberserking frenzy. He too takes humansacrifice�prisoners taken in battle.

The seafaring Northmen give greatrespect (and fear) to Umberlee, goddessof oceans, waves and currents�theocean gladly accepts their customarysacrifices before each voyage. The long-er the journey, the greater the sacrifice.As with other Northmen dei t ies ,Umberlee receives human sacrifices.She is believed to cause shipwrecks anddrownings, and is the mistress of thesharks that endanger stranded sailors.

BerserkersSome Northmen fighters (a 20% chanceper individual) have the ability to drivethemselves into a berserker frenzy inbattle. Warriors who demonstrate thisaptitude are often gathered by theirking into a royal bodyguard or unit ofelite soldiers. The fighters can bring onthe berserker rage simply by contem-p l a t i n g i m m i n e n t c o m b a t , o r i nresponse to a surprise attack.

Berserker Northmen receive either a+2 bonus to hit, or they may attacktwice per round (never both) and neednever check morale. For the purposesof BATTLESYSTEM� Fantasy CombatSupplement rules, they have a disci-pline of 0. If a player wishes to avoidhaving his Northmen consumed by ber-serker rage, he can make a moralecheck before the fighters go berserk.This check suffers a -2 penalty, but if itsucceeds, the Northmen do not becomeberserk during that fight.

Dragon Ships of the NorthThe long ship of the North is the love ofthe Northman�s life. You will never findone of these war ships used as a fishingvessel. Also known as �dragon ships�due to the carved figureheads mountedon many of these proud northern war-ships, they conform closely to thedrakkar ( the Viking Dragon Shipdescribed in the DMG, pp. 53-54). Thelong ship is a square-sailed, oared shipwith a single mast that can be unstep-ped (removed). Their open, deckless,relatively light hulls are �clinker� built,that is, with overlapping planks rivetedtogether. This flexible hull lets the shipsail over the waves, instead of having toforce its hull through them. In moun-tainous seas, though, the open holdmakes even the flexible long ship sus-ceptible to foundering.

Long ships are the fastest ships alongthe Sword Coast in most weather. Eventhe multi-masted caravels of the southcannot outrun a long ship with a strongbreeze at its stern.

A typical long ship is crewed by 40men, warriors all. Each warrior�s seachest is his oar bench. See the Ships ofthe North table in Islands of theNorth for long ship statistics.

Regional NorthmanDifferencesGUNDS The folk of Gundarlun areexcellent merchants and fishermen,more reverent to the gods than theaverage Northmen. They favor thesword over the ax and even poorer folkdress in garb made of colorful southerncloth.

Gunds are found as adventurers ormercenaries along the Sword Coast.They have only a 50% chance to gainthe benefits of the barbarian characterclass and are rarely berserkers.

The figureheads on their long shipsoften depict fish (perhaps marlins orswordfish) and predatory birds (such asernes and ospreys).

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TUERNISH The isolated folk of Tuernworship no gods (and argue that noneexist) and tolerate no magic-users intheir midst, but give tribute to the reddragons of the mountains. They try toenslave all non-Northmen and, whenvisiting other lands, deface temples ofthe gods.

They sail long ships big enough tohouse giants (which they often do), withfigureheads that depict fierce warriors.Most have crews of over 100 warriors.

RUATHYN AND LUSKANITESThough they are separated by 1,800miles of open ocean, the Ruathyn (thepeople of Ruathym) and the Luskanitesare closely related. They dress in furs,wear horned helmets, constantly raidsettlements along the coast and on theMoonshaes, attack ships on the highseas, and hate Waterdhavians, elves,halflings, southerners, and each other.

They trust only their weapons. Thefigureheads on their ships favor redand white dragons, as do their sails.

ROCKLANDERS The people of thePurple Rocks were once a Gundarluncolony. There are no aged here and nochildren. The skins of all the people areunusually scarred and weathered. ForNorthmen, the Rocklanders are unusu-ally warm and friendly, though theirsmiles may seem fake. They appear toworship the usual Northman deities,but their graven images of those godsall show many, tentacle-like arms. Theirlong ships favor squid-like figure heads.

The UthgardtBarbarians�Blood flowed like spring melt waterfrom Uthgar�s wounds as he stoodbefore his sons on the massive skull ofGurt, the lord of the pale giants. Withvoice unweakened, he spoke of his gift.

��Mighty Tempus declares that I mayno longer walk among you. I will not gowithout leaving you a final gift. Youknow that I have fought the beast godsand taken from each a part of their

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strength, which I in turn give to you.��Teach the children these secrets. If

they devote themselves to the beastgods, then they may call upon thebeasts� power.�

�And so speaking, Uthgar mountedhis sky pony and joined his fatherBeorunna in the war halls of Tempus.�

The Uthgardt barbarians (named forUthgar, their legendary founder) con-form closely to the barbarian characterclass defined in Unearthed Arcana, andgain that class�s benefits.

The Uthgardt are a black-haired andblue-eyed people�large, hardy folkdescended from a mixture of Northmenfugitives, Netherese refugees, and af e w s a v a g e t r i b e s , i n c l u d i n g t h eBeorunni (folk of Beorunna); who liveby raiding, hunting, gathering, andfarming.

The Uthgardt are divided into 10tribes (at the present). Sometimes thereare more, sometimes less. The tribesare named for the beast totems whichUthgar conquered�Black Lion, Thun-derbeast, Red Tiger, Blue Bear, GreatWorm, Sky Pony, Tree Ghost, Black-raven, Griffon, a n d G r e y W o l f .Although civilization has come to thenorth in waves throughout history,much of the land is wild and untamed,the unbounded home of the Uthgardt.Their tribal lands extend north into theSpine of the World, south as far as TheStone Bridge, east to the Cold Wood,and west to Neverwinter Wood. Theyavoid cities, the High Forest and thelands around Hellgate Keep.

Although some tribes have embracedagriculture and fixed habitations, theUthgardt have few stable villages. Mosttribes wander the wilderness in smallclan or family groups and live within afew weeks� travel of their ancestormounds, their holiest of holy grounds.

Uthgardt AttitudesTradition is the centerpole of Uthgardtlife. Yet it is blind devotion to traditionthat keeps them savages. Strength iseverything and civilization is a weak-

ness not to be tolerated. Among theU t h g a r d t , m e n a r e w a r r i o r s a n dhunters, and women tend to food gath-ering and family needs. They have nowritten language and little art beyondgeometric carvings and clothing deco-ration. Their religions and philosophiesfocus on war, plunder, and survival in aharsh land.

They are superstitious, with a para-noiac dislike of magic. To reveal oneselfas a magic-user to an Uthgardt warrioris to ask him to kill you.

The Uthgardt barbarians have little todo with city folk, other than to treatthem as prey. Lone traveler or largecaravan, both are ripe fruit for plunder(still, some Uthgardt have made benefi-cial �civilized� alliances).

Though the Uthgardt prey on civi-lized folk and frequently fight amongthemselves, they are quick to unite,even with non-Uthgardt, against theircommon ancestral enemy: the orcs.

Clothing and AppearancesM o s t U t h g a r d t s h o w t h e s t r o n gNetherese bloodlines in their dark hairand fair skin, like the folk of Silvery-moon and Sundabar. From Northmenancestors come mighty physique andblue eyes. The barbarians dress infringed leathers and furs. They lovebright colors, gaudy jewelry, and orna-mental decoration�everything theyown is embellished with complicateddesigns and geometric patterns inter-woven with designs representing theirtribal totems and other beasts. The menof the tribe tattoo their cheeks withsimple images of their totem, and thewomen are the showcase for their war-riors� victories, wearing captured bootyproudly.

Tribal Weapons andProficienciesIn addition to the hand axe, knife, andspear, the Uthgardt favor the battle axe,atlatl and javelin, and the long bow. Themost common Uthgardt armor is leath-er and shield (AC 7). Some warriors pos-

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sess studded leather and shield (AC 6).A tribal chieftain may possess chain-mail and shield (AC 4). In most cases,the shield is a spiked buckler (whichcan be used as a weapon).

The Uthgardt possess all the primaryskills known by barbarians (survival,first aid, outdoor craft, and tracking)and know the following tertiary skills:long distance signalling, running, andsnare building.

Religion in the TribesWithin the Uthgardt, all deities areallied to a central religion focusing onbeast totems. Each tribe has its owntotem. All other deities, includingadopted �foreign� gods, are secondaryand subservient to the beast gods. Thisincludes Tempus (the Uthgardt wargod) and Chauntea (the earth goddess,although she is worshipped exclusivelyby tribal women). Uthgardt legend tellsthat Tempus is the father of Uthgar,founder of the tribes (while other leg-ends claim Uthgar�s descendency fromBeorunna). Chauntea is worshipped asthe �grandmother,� whose daughters(fathered by Uthgar after he ascendedunto the halls of Tempus) are the wivesof the beast gods.

These nonbeast gods are representedamong the tribes by shamans of lesserpower (rarely above 4th level). Chaun-tea�s clerics are always women.

�Southern� gods are occasionallyfound in tribal strongholds, toleratedonly because they or their clerics pro-vide something valuable to the tribe.

Beast Totem CultsThe Uthgardt barbarian tribes eachworship one of the beasts whosepowers were taken by Uthgar. Thetotem cult encompasses the worship ofthe tribe�s ancestors, including Uthgar,his sons, and long-dead chieftains andshamans.

Tribal shamans (tribal spell-casters oflimited power�see DMG p. 40) are themagical power within the tribes.

Shamans have the same hit dice as

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human clerics. They dress in barbariangarb, but their clothing is decoratedwith magical symbols and relics forti-fied with holy power and prayer. Whena shaman dies, his relics are buried withhim in his ancestor mound.

Sacred Bundle The holiest of theserelics is the shaman�s sacred bundle, anenchanted leather satchel containingspell components and objects too holyfor others to see. These objects havebeen gained by the shaman at therequest of his ancestral spirits. Eachsacred bundle is protected by a guard-ian spirit (see summon ancestor below)who appears from the bag if it isopened by anyone other than its owner.

Spells and Powers In addition to theirnormal magical spells, the Uthgardt sha-mans have two special abilities�one apower and the other a spell.

Beast Power

Level: (usable once per day)Range: 0� (Touch)Duration: 1 turn/level of casterArea of Effect: One personComponents: V,S,MCasting Time: 6 segmentsSaving Throw: None

Explanation/Description: A shamanmay call upon the tribe�s beast poweronce per day. Beast power is a specialability the effects of which are differentfor each totem cult. In essence, it allowsthe shaman to wield a special abilityunique to his totem. The power may bepersonally used by the shaman, or itseffects may be granted to anotherdevoted follower of the totem.

Although not a spell, this powerrequires that the shaman possess asacred bundle and a holy symbol (usu-ally a carving symbolizing the totembeast). The individual power effects aregiven in the Uthgardt tribe descrip-tions.

Summon Ancestor

Level: 3Range: 1�/level of casterDuration: 2 rounds/level of casterArea of Effect: One spiritComponents: V,S,MCasting Time: 4 roundsSaving Throw: None

Explanation/Description: When a sha-man casts this spell upon his tribe�sancestor mound, it causes an ancestorto come forth, drawn back as a spirit, aghost-like creature of neutral align-ment. The spirit takes form as a trans-parent being, a combination of totembeast and primitive human. To selectthe type of spirit summoned, the DMrolls 1d20 and matches the resultagainst the table below.

When the spirit appears, the sum-moner must make a Wisdom AbilityCheck to control it; otherwise the spiritbecomes an uncontrolled ghost andimmediately attacks all living beingsaround it. The number following thetype of spirit is a modifier that is addedto the shaman�s 1d20 roll during theAbility Check. However, even an uncon-trolled spirit may not travel more than50 feet from the ancestor mound.

A controlled spirit may perform thefollowing functions for a shaman:attack a foe (as a ghost), guard theancestor mound for a year (until freedagain at the next Runemeet), tell theshaman ancient secrets, initiate a newshaman (only ancestral shaman spiritsmay do this), or raise dead (as the 5thlevel clerical spell). This last power canonly be performed by spirits whosename is followed by an �R.� In paymentfor the last power, the spirit drains 1d4experience levels from the personbeing raised and may demand (at theDM�s discretion) an annual tribute ofriches to be buried in or near its tomb.

The spell requires a sacred bundle, arelic of the desired ancestor (thoughanother may appear) and a small bon-fire.

Spirit Summoning Table

If a specific �normal� ancestor is sum-moned, roll 1d20. If the result is 15 orless, the desired spirit comes and thecontrol roll modifier is -5.

d20 Ancestor Modifier

1-5 Recently dead shaman - 26-10 Recently dead chieftain -311-13 Long dead shaman +1 (R)14-16 Long dead chieftain -17 Ancient shaman +5 (R)18-19 Ancient chieftain +4 (R)20 Special (see below)

Special Spirits

d20 Special Spirit

1-12 Beast powerincarnation* +8 (R)

13-16 Son of Uthgar +12 (R)17-19 Uthgar +15 (R)20 Beast god * * +17 (R)

* This is the ghostly form of the beasttotem. It can remain for a number ofdays equal to the level of the shaman.Unlike an ancestor spirit, it may leavethe vicinity of the mound. Each day itcan bestow the tribe�s beast poweron a number of followers equal to thesummoner�s level, minus the numberof days it has remained on the primeplane.

* * The beast gods are wild deities. Ifsummoned, one usually possessesthe summoner (or someone nearby)and then decides what to do with itsnewfound physical form. The pos-sessed body becomes a 20th levelbarbarian (for hit points and attackrolls) with the spells and abilities ofa 20th level druid. The avatar of thebeast god can assume the beastform or use the tribe�s beast powerat will.

The RunemeetThe Uthgardt religion is close to natureand is tied to the change of the seasons.The holiest time of year occurs duringthe autumnal equinox during the

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month of Eleint (coincides with the fes-tival of Higharvestide). At this time, alltribal clans converge on the tribe�sancestral mound for the annual Rune-meet. These huge earthworks mounds,often shaped like the totem beasts, aresacred burial grounds, where only theg r e a t e s t s h a m a n s a n d c h i e f s a r einterred. Here the Uthgardt worshiptheir gods, set tribal policy, performmarriages, celebrate births, formalizeadoptions, and mourn deaths.

During the Runemeet, youths desir-ing to be adults and warriors of all agesparticipate in the ritual of the Rune-hunt, in which those involved seek vic-t o r y o v e r o n e t h e t r i b e � s r i t u a lenemies�usually orcs.

The Uthgardt TribesTaken as a whole, the separate tribesform the Uthgardt people, yet theyhave individual distinctions that dividethem and quash any possibility of unityas a people. This diversity is expressedas cultural variances, devotion to theirunique totems, and tribal goals.

Each tribe has an ancestor moundwhere they worship their totems (andother gods) each fall during the Rune-meet. Several share mounds with othertribes, while some mounds are lost orabandoned.

Each tribe is ruled by a chieftain, whomay also style himself as king. Thechieftains are barbarian class fighters,usually of 8th to 13th level.

Chief shamans are the most powerfulin their tribe, usually 7th level or betterand normally accompany the chieftain.Other shamans of lesser or even equalpower exist within each tribe.

The ritual enemy is a foe whomyoung barbarians must challenge andovercome in order to become adults. Itis also the focus of ritual hunts duringthe annual Runemeet. Orcs are thecommon ritual foe of all Uthgardt, buteach tribe has its own personal enemy.

As described previously, the beastpower is a magical ability possessedonly by tribal shamans.

Black Lion TribeAncestor Mound: Beorunna�s WellChieftain: Alaric the StrongCleric: Patreveni OnehandShaman: Bogohardt BlackmaneRitual Enemy: the tundra barbarians(tribes beyond the Spine of the World).Beast Power: Lion�s Roar. Deafens foesfor 1d6 turns if they do not make a sav-ing throw vs. spells. Only Bogohardtcan still wield this power.

The black lion is long gone from thenorth, yet the tribe that bears its namelives on. Chief Alaric�s badge of office issaid to be a cape made of black lion skin(those who claim to have seen it recallonly a mangy scrap of dirty black furl.

Nestled in the wide valley that sepa-rates the North from the glacier beyondis the small village of Beorunna�s Well(mostly small huts, long houses and afew tents), which stands a respectfuldistance from the watery pit that is itsname-sake. Here, the complacent BlackLions have forsaken t radi t ion tobecome farmers and herders. Huntersstill roam the wilds, but the tribe nolonger depends upon them for survival.Agricultural success lets them tradewith others for their needs.

In forsaking their barbarian tradi-tions, they have also cast aside theirtribal totem. Most folk of Beorunna�sWell worship the Tyr alliance of Tyr,Torm, Ilmater and Helm.

Beorunna�s Well is one of the mostsacred sites of the Uthgar barbarians.The folk here sense its eldritch natureand fear it more than they revere it.During Runemeet, the Red Tiger tribeperforms the required rituals while theBlack Lions avoid entering the well.

Blackraven TribeAncestor Mound: RavenrockChieftain: Ostagar TenfeatherShaman: PureheartmanRitual Enemies: Griffon tribe and for-eign merchants and clericsBeast Power: Shapechange. The wily rav-en gives his shamans the power to assumethe form of any natural animal (notdungeon monsters) native to the North.

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Of all the Uthgardt, the Blackravenare the most conservative, holdingtightly to the old ways and reacting vio-lently to the new. Pureheartman andhis assistant, Wulphgehar, are the onlyshamans tolerated by the tribe. As faras the caravans who ply the north areconcerned, the Blackravens are theworst of the tribes. Blackraven war-riors are renowned as bandits, gainingthis reputation because they prey onthose whom they despise the most�foreigners, especially merchants andmissionary clerics. T h e y s e e k t odestroy that which may threaten theirway of life. The tribe is aided in theirquest by their totem, the gigantic rav-ens of Ravenrock. The ra iders s i tastride massive ravens, swooping downout of the sky to rob and terrorize cara-vans . The Blackravens have l i t t lerespect for tribes who dwell in towns(particularly the Thunderbeast andGriffon tribes), since those tribes haveadopted foreign ways. In return, theyare enemies of those tribes. King Gun-dar Brontoskin (Thunderbeast chief-tain) offers a bounty for the destructionof the Blackravens� eggs.

Because their raiding spoils are taint-ed with foreign influence (includinggold, jewelry, weapons, fabric, etc.),these items are sacrificed to the Black-raven and secreted away in Blackravenshrine, near the Ravenrock ancestormound. The Blackravens protect theirshrine closely and do not welcome for-eign intrusion. Woe betide the personwho is caught searching for (let alonerobbing) the tribe�s treasure-ladenshrine.

Blue Bear TribeAncestor Mound: Stone StandChieftain: Hlutwig Long-throwShaman: Tanta HagaraRitual Enemy: Civilized farmersBeast Power: Bear fury. The recipientof this power grows claws, increases instrength and can claw and bear-hugattack like a cave bear.

This tribe is evil, a pawn of HellgateKeep. The Uthgardt tribes stand united

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in their enmity towards the infamousBlue Bear tribe. No longer a mere spirit,the blue bear totem has become demon-like due to the tribe�s association withthe evil within Hellgate Keep. Likewise,the tribesfolk have degenerated andbecome brutal, possibly even more sav-age than orcs.

GAME INFORMATION: Tanta Hagarais not human; she is an annis, a haglikegiantess from Hellgate Keep. She seeksGrandfather Tree, the tribe�s lost ances-tor mound. She has a unique way ofdealing with the tribe�s captives... sheeats them.

Elk TribeAncestor Mound: FlintrockChieftain: Zokan ThundererShaman: Berchtwald Bandylegs (Elktotem), Trothgar Grunald (Auril)Ritual Enemy: �The ancient ones� (anyold ruin, tomb, or evidence of ancientcivilization qualifies).Beast Power: Horns of Wisdom. This isthe same as the clerical spell commune,except that it causes elk antlers to growfrom the skull of the shaman. Each usecauses additional horn growth.

The Elk tribe�s normal range includesthe Evermoors, the plains east of theDessarin and the Dessarin and lowerSurbrin river valleys. Of all the tribes,they are the most arrogant, surly andself-indulging. Considered by many tobe little more than bandits, they oftenraid other tribal settlements for food,women, and sport. They have loose tieswith the rulers of Luskan but areunwelcome elsewhere. Chief ZokanThunderer is regarded by most as a vul-gar thug. Under his rule, clerics of theTalos alliance have gained a strong holdon the tribe.

Great Worm TribeAncestor Mound: Great Worm CavernChieftain: Bardawulf BoldheartShaman Elrem, called �The Wise�Ritual Enemy: Evil creaturesBeast Power: Breathe fire three timesas a red dragon of same hit dice.

The most notable feature of this tribeis its chief shaman, Elrem the Wise.Imagine a gigantic, bat-winged snakewith the head of a red dragon and youwill have a picture of this tribe�s mythi-cal totem and its elder shaman. Unlikemost other tribal shamans, Elrem is nothuman. He is a great worm, possibly theonly great worm in existence (thoughtribal legend states that he was oncehuman and may be one of Uthgar�ssons). Elrem sleeps year round in thedepths of Great Worm Cavern, wakingonce each year at the Runemeet toprophesy of the future, based on hisdream travels.

Through Elrem�s guidance, the tribehas chosen evil creatures (orcs, giants,creatures of Hellgate Keep, etc.) as rit-ual enemies.

Grey Wolf TribeAncestor Mound: RavenrockChieftain: Alrik TenstoneShaman: Clovis GreenteethRitual Enemy: The orcs of GauntlgrymBeast Power: Lycanthropy. Regardlessof the phase of the moon, the shamanmay assume wolf form, or awakenlatent lycanthropy in another tribes-man.

Though they are not the most numer-ous or the most powerful, this is themost feared of the Uthgardt tribes.Long ago, the tribe adopted human ref-ugees from the lost city of Gauntlgrym.The evil that had possessed the citycaused the tribe to be cursed withlycanthropy. Any tribesman who pos-sesses Greywolf blood becomes a wolfunder the light of the moon (althoughthose who are adopted by other tribesslowly lose the curse). On moonlitnights, the entire tribe roams the wil-derness in search of prey.

During Runemeet, the Blackraventribe tolerates the Grey Wolves at theirshared ancestor mound of Ravenrock�so long as the moon is not full.

Griffon TribeAncestor Mound: Shining WhiteChieftain: Kralgar BonesnapperShaman: Adalfus StormgathererRitual Enemy: The cities of the NorthBeast Power: Griffonbeak. The spelltarget�s head becomes a griffon head,capable of biting for 2d8 damage.

Chief Kralgar Bonesnapper is a popul-ar man of great charisma, and evengreater ambition. Since assuming lead-ership , he has pushed his peopletowards greater accomplishments,making the Griffons foremost amongthe tribes in power, skill, and learning.His great goal is the conquest and pos-session of one of the northern cities. Tothis end, he has declared ritual war onthe cities. Unallied clans seeking eitherplunder or the benefits offered by citieshave joined the Griffons, swelling theirranks.

Even so, Griffons� Nest, the primarytribal encampment, rivals some of thesmaller northern cities. Without realiz-ing it, Kralgar may accomplish his goalwithin his lifetime as Griffon�s Nestslowly changes from camp to city.

While the tribe wages incessant war-fare against the cities, they welcomecontact with outsiders, considering allas potential allies in their quest.

Red Tiger TribeAncestor Mound: Beorunna�s WellChieftain: Adalwulf LongfangShaman: Garinen the MakerRitual Enemy: Blue Bear tribeBeast Power: Shapechange to tiger, asthe 7th level druid ability.

Like their totem beast (which is alsocal led the snow cat , s ince i ts furchanges color in winter), this tribe iswild and solitary. They hunt in verysmall family groups and roam widely,primarily in the Cold Wood. They arewary of all strangers and would sooneravoid contact with things or folk whichthey do not know. The tribe has fewshamans and no shrines other thanBeorunna�s Well. The men of the RedTiger tribe are strictly hunters, leaving

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gathering and trading to the women,elderly and children. The Red Tigersbelieve that the true test of a hunter isthe ability to bring down prey unaided.Often, their only weapons are �tigerclaws,� short wooden handles embed-ded with three sharp stone daggers.The hunter holds these so the daggersproject between the fingers like claws.

The Red Tigers are loyal to King Gun-dar Brontoskin of the Thunderbeasts,who won their respect during a Rune-meet Runehunt by bringing back a leu-crotta, slain with only a pair of tigerclaws.

Thunderbeast TribeAncestor Mound: Morgur�s MoundChieftain: King Gundar BrontoskinShaman: Kierkrad SeventoesDruid: Wisteria Borsdotter (Silvanus)Cleric: Sigurd Gandolfsson (Tyr)Ritual Enemy: WolvesBeast Power: Cause skin to temporari-ly become tough and gnarly like dino-saur hide (AC 5). As the recipient of thespell walks, the ground shakes.

The Town of Grunwald on the edge ofthe High Forest is home to this most civ-ilized of the tribes. Although, he wieldsno official power over the other tribes,King Gundar has the charisma andrespect necessary to call the tribestogether into a horde.

The tribe takes its name from the apa-tosaurus (brontosaurus), which inancient times roamed here. Tribal sha-mans claim that thunderbeasts stilldwell in the High Forest. The clan�shearth at Morgur�s Mound is surmount-ed by an apatosaurus skeleton. It saidthat in time of great need, the tribal sha-mans can animate the skeleton to fightin the tribe�s defense.

In addition to the Beast Cult shamans,the Thunderbeast tribe in Grunwaldhas grown civilized enough to toleratepriests of other religions, primarily thedruids of Silvanus, and the clerics of theTyr alliance.

Tree Ghost TribeAncestor Mound: Grandfather TreeChieftain: Gunther LongtoothShaman: Chungred GhostheartRitual Enemy: Evil undead creaturesBeast Power: Druid magic. The sha-man may perform any one druid spellup to 4th level (may be different eachtime).

The Tree Ghosts are wanderers whosearch for Grandfather Tree, their lostand abandoned ancestor mound. AtRunemeet, they worship at whicheverancestor mound is most convenientbefore resuming the ir wander ingagain.

Unlike the other Uthgardt tribes, theTree Ghosts totem is not a beast. TheTree Ghost is a woodland spirit, similarin some respects to an elemental, butdrawing life, energy and intelligencefrom the forest and giving back itsenergy to the forest as a caretaker andguardian. Supposedly, each forest has aTree Ghost whose power depends onthe size of that forest. The elves dis-claim the existence of such beings, butthe Tree Ghost tribe stands firm in itsbelief in their tribal totem and are ableto draw on the spirit�s power.

The Tree Ghosts are cordial to for-eigners, but will not ask for outsiders�help in their holy quest for their ances-tor mound. Although as a rule the bar-barians hold the civilized folk of thenorth in disdain, the Tree Ghost war-riors owe allegiance to High Lady Alus-triel of Silverymoon and would die to aman for her.

�20 Mirtul. Spent night in Hall of FourGhosts. Real creepy. A. A. says the bird-men were aarakocra and that they�rereally nice folk.

�21 Mirtul. Out of all the places in theworld, we run into someone Ameliorknows here�a blue dragon! Dragonagrees to take us as far as Everlund!�

Other Folk of the NorthAarakocra

The aarakocra, the bird men of the StarMounts, are the extremely secretivedescendants of one of the ancient crea-tor races. Were it not for an occasionalsighting made of manlike forms flyingabove the High Forest, mankind wouldbe totally unaware of their presencehere. They dwell in six small villages onthe upper slopes of the central moun-tains. At least one village is located atthe headwaters of The Unicorn Run.

GAME INFORMATION: Each villagehas a shaman (6th level cleric) withaccess to the spells listed for tribal spell-casters in the DMG and the spells cloud-burst and speak with dead.

Barbarians of Icewind Dale

�The men of the tundra�The tribes north of the Ten Towns eke

out a harsh and bitter life on the tundrabetween the Reghed glacier (part of theEndless Ice Seal and the Sea of MovingIce. The men of the tundra are tall, tall-er than most southerners by a head.They tend to be fair haired (blond, redor light brown) and blue-eyed. Like allbarbarians, they are suspicious of mag-ic, equating it with both weakness andevil. The only power they recognize isthe power of a man�s weapon arm.

Each of their several tribes was for-merly ruled by a king. Known tribeswere the Tribe of the Elk, the Tribe ofthe Wolf, the Tribe of the Bear, and theTribe of the Tiger.

In the recent past, they sought toinvade the Ten-Towns of Icewind Dale,only to be repulsed by an unexpectedalliance of the Towns themselves andthe dwarves of Kelvin�s Cairn. The bar-barian warriors were destroyed.

Heafstaag, the wily king of the Tribeof the Elk, allied the survivors with theevil wizard Akar Kessell for the evil wiz-ard�s attack on the Ten Towns. Wulfgar,a barbarian youth whose life had beenspared by the dwarf Bruenor, slew

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Heafstaag in a challenge combat andbecame king. He brought the barbari-ans to the Ten Towns, but as allies of theTownsfolk, not enemies. With their aid,the Townsfolk repulsed Kessell�s horde.Now only a few small tribes roam thewilderness, the others dwell in the Ten-Towns, slowly learning the ways of civi-lization. Their leader is Revjak, an olderbarbarian who succeeded WulfgarDragon-slayer, and who rules fromCaer-Konig, which the barbar iansrebuilt (along with Bremen) after thebattle.

The tundra barbarians worship tribalbeast totems and Tempos god of battle(their name for the war-god Tempus).Unlike the Uthgardt barbarians, thetundra barbarian shamans cannot callupon their totem�s beast power.

GAME INFORMATION: These bar-barians are identical to the fighter sub-class described in Unearthed Arcana.The barbarians dwelling on the tundracan raise a horde of 250 men. The bar-barians in the towns can manage 500.

Dwarves

In the North, the grim, dour dwarvesnormally choose to separate themselvesfrom other folk. They stand alone whenother races band together for safety. Itshould be no surprise that few dwar-ven communities survive here. FrigidIronmaster on the shores of The ColdRun and Citadel Adbar in the Ice Moun-tains to the east are the only dwarfholds of any consequence remaining inthe North, though several Northern cit-ies, notably Mirabar, Neverwinter,Silverymoon, and Sundabar , havedwarven quarters within their walls.

Dwarves in the North acknowledgebut one dwarven king, Harbomm of Cit-adel Adbar and are more loyal to tribeand clan than to king. Yet in time ofneed the clans unite under the king�sbanner.

The dwarves of the North are the fin-est forge-men and metal-crafters inFaerun (so they say) and produce armorand weapons beyond compare. Mer-

chants of Sundabar still bring magicalweapons south from Citadel Adbar forsale in the markets of the realms. Whilethe demand for such wondrous weap-ons and armor is high, the productionof them is rapidly diminishing.

Every year the number of dwarvesdwindles; the birth of young dwarvesdoes not keep pace with battle lossesand the deaths of the aged and infirm.Craft masters die with their secrets andyoung smiths find too much call fortheir services in battle.

GAME INFORMATION: DwarvenNPCs and warbands who hail fromAdbar or Ironmaster will usually bearmed in the best possible armor andeach dwarf has a percentage chanceequal to his level multiplied by 5 (peritem) of having one of the following: amagical weapon, a magical shield, andmagical armor.

The Ice Hunters

�Ancient Men of the North�This ancient people lived here long

before other humans. They tend to beshort, dark haired, broad-faced, withlight-brown skin. They were the origi-nal primitives dwelling on the shores ofthe Trackless Sea. The arrival of the�Northmen� drove them further andfurther north until now they live onlyin small tribal communities along TheCold Run and on The Ice Peak (thoughseveral villages, like Icewolf, havebecome Northmen towns).

The Ice Hunters have stolidly resistedthe culture of other peoples. They livesimple, rarely violent lives �fishing andhunting seal, whale, walrus and polarbear on the vast floes of the Sea of Mov-ing Ice.

On land, they travel by dog-drawnsleds. At sea, they use small water-tightboats of seal-hide called khyeks andlarger boats call oumyeks.

Though quite pr imit ive , the IceHunters are noted for their wisdom.They are protective of their real names,and use only nicknames when dealingwith outsiders. Ice Hunter nicknames

26

are based on nature and rarely indicatepersonal prowess or achievement, suchas �Sky in the Morning,� �Red Seal Man,��Ten Dogs,� �Reindeer Girl,� etc.

The Ice Hunters and their witch doc-tors (cleric/magic-users) worship beasttotems, mostly animals important totheir survival, including Clever Oomiothe grey seal, Grandfather Walrus,Great White Bear, and Pindalpau-pauthe reindeer mother.

GAME INFORMATION: Ice Huntershave higher wisdom than other peo-ples. An Ice Hunter character wouldadd +2 to his Wisdom characteristic.Ice Hunters are usually of lawful align-ments. An Ice Hunter witch doctor usesspells as described on page 40 of theDMG, but may also use the followingspells upon reaching 4th level (as if theywere 2nd level spells), but each onlyonce per week: wind wal l , monstersummoning I (summons arctic crea-tures only), wall of ice, and cone of cold.

Lizardmen

The lizardmen of the Mere of Dead Menare the degenerate descendants of areptilian creator race. While they donot hate mankind or demi-humans,they have no interest in them either. Infact, they treat all other sentient beings,except dragons, as animals (which areused for food). Sightings of lizardmenusually describe them dancing wildlyaround megal i th ic s tone menhirs(rough stone pillars) or skulking aboutUthgardt ancestor mounds.

GAME INFORMATION: Lizardmenof the Mere are always accompanied bya shaman of 1d6+1 levels. There is a 1in 20 chance that the group will be inthe service of a lizardman lich and anadditional 1 in 20 chance that the lichactually accompanies the lizardmen! Iflizardmen encounter either bullywugsor aarakroca, the lizardmen attempt tocapture them for later sacrifice.

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Orc Religion and Magic

The orcs in the North worship an alli-ance of chaotic, orcish gods, includingGruumsh, Bahgtur, Shargass, Ilneval,Yurtrus, and Luthic. As described earli-er, these orcish gods are identical to thedescriptions given in Unearthed Arca-na. The shamans and witch doctorswho worship these gods devote them-selves to a single deity.

In addition to the clerical spells grant-ed by the god, they may control crea-tures associated with their deity, usingthem as mounts, familiars, or bodyguards. Shamans of Baghtru are oftenmounted on mighty oxen. Shamans ofShargrass can summon bats, includinggiant bats and the colossal doombatswhich can be ridden as mounts. Sha-mans of Yurtrus may animate dead tocreate skeletons and zombies. Priest-esses of Luthic (also shamans) are oftenprotected by several cave bears.

Orc holy spots are marked by hugecairns (piles) of skulls, including orc,human, elven, dwrarven and otherhumanoid races. Orcs are so devoted totheir holy sites that they become ber-serk if they discover a desecrated site,destroying all they encounter in theirfrenzy (see Northmen berserker rules).

Orc tribal names are variants of oneof the orcish gods� holy symbols. Thusthe holy icon of the Stinking Claw orcswould be a rotting claw, possibly a vari-ant of Yurtrus�s white hand.

Orc Regional DistinctionsIn the North, the orcs are grouped

into five rough divisions, based on geo-graphical location: the Spine of theWorld orcs, the Trollmoor orcs, the IceMountain orcs, the High Forest orcsand the Fallen Lands orcs.

Spine of the World Orcs

In these bleak mountains, the mostpowerful orc tribes skulk in stone for-tresses stolen from the dwarves andrenamed. Eyegad, Tarne and Vokanwith their gloomy squat buildings andoppressive black temples are the visible

tips of sprawling underground tunneland cavern complexes that house tribeswith names like Skortchclaw, Skreetch,and Bleeding Eye. Others like the Slash-ers and Orcs of the Severed Tonguelurk in the unnumbered small cavesthat pepper the valleys and passes ofthese mineral-rich mountains.

GAME INFORMATION: The Skortch-claw tribe, under King Ugra Ngarl, isforcing goblin slaves to mine mithrilbeneath Fortress Eyegad. The mithril isapparently being sold in great quantityto someone in the High Forest.

Trollmoor Orcs

These orcs who dwell in the barrenEvermoors are loosely organized androve the moors in bands preying ontravelers on the Evermoor Way, attack-ing boats on the Rauvin and raidingagainst out ly ing set t lements nearNesmé and Everlund, and organizing inthe fall to attack the Uthgardt Rune-meet at Flintrock. Known orc tribes inthe moors include the Vile Rune, Drip-ping Spear, Bonesnapper, Red Murder-er, and Throat Slitter tribes.

GAME INFORMATION: Trollmoororcs have only witch doctors, nevershamans. They worship the non-orcishgod, Bhaal.

Ice Mountains Orcs

Most of these are orcs loyal to KingGraul, son of Eldoul. The rest (over40,000 in the Citadel of Many Arrowsalone) follow Obould, an orc of giantstature and fighting prowess (thoughObould is said to pay fealty to Graul).The Ice Mountains orcs wage constantwar with the dwarves of Citadel Adbarand s tage f requent ra ids againstSilverymoon and Sundabar.

The High Forest Orcs

These orcs dwell in tunnels and smallvillages about two days� journey intothe wood. They are arch-foes of rang-ers and are suspected to possess for-

27

estry skills. They worship a demi-power called the Wild Hunter, a lawfulevil variant of the Master of the Hunt(as described in the Celtic Mythos sec-tion of the Legends and Lore cyclope-dia). Orc tribes in the High Forestinclude the Tanglethorn, Sharpspike,Bloody Eye, and Horned Lord tribes.

GAME INFORMATION: Due to theirwoodland habitat, orcs of the High For-est have the non-magical abilities ofrangers (but gain no pluses in battleagainst goblin class creatures). WildHunter shamans actually grow stag ant-lers from their heads and may substi-tute druidical spells for clerical spells.

The Fallen Lands Orcs

The orcs of the northern Fallen Landsand Graypeaks follow King Ogrash, apowerful orcish shaman and warriorwho is reputed to wield Skullripper, a hal-berd +3. To the south, many petty orcishkings wage constant battle against eachother. More often than not, orcs encoun-tered in the southern region will beinvolved in battle with other orcs. Knowntribes of the Fallen Lands include KingOgrash�s Bloody Scar tribe, and the BlackSlasher, Severed Fist, Seven Eye, andBlack Bone tribes.

GAME INFORMATION: Orcs of theFallen Lands have cavalry�20% of allencountered orc bands will be mountedon ugly, black, ostrich-like flightless birds(use ostrich statistics). Most mounted orcshave short bows and lances.

Trolls

After orcs, trolls are the scourge of theSavage Frontier. The �everlasting ones�roam the wilds, chasing, attacking andeating all they meet.

GAME INFORMATION: The trolls inthe Evermoors (Trollmoors) travel inbands of 3-18 trolls. Each band has a25% chance to include 1d3 giant trollsand an additional 30% chance to con-tain a 3d level troll shaman.

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CITIES, TOWNS AND VILLAGES

�Hrrumphh. It is just beyond reason. I can�timagine the guardians of the Herald�s Hold-fast refusing me, me of all people, en tranceto the fortress. Were it not for the goodLady Alustriel our trip should have been fornothing.�

(A.A. always pauses after saying hername. Gone gooney, I knew it).

�I am not gooney I should have let thedragon eat you when you said that about hismother The Moruemes are a principledclan. What they eat is none of your busi-ness. What was that? That is none of yourbusiness either.�

Rare are the civilized folk who do not dwellin cities, and in the Savage Frontier, thosecities are walled and heavily defended.Larger towns and cities have thick stonewalls. Smaller towns and villages are sur-rounded by wooden palisades. In additionto their standing militia, most cities in thenorth have ballistae and catapults mountedon their wall towers, which can be trainedon larger foes.

Although they are not shown on the map,the fortified frontier steadings of largefarms or ranches and more powerful inde-pendent landholders are not shown. A typi-

cal frontier settlement would house 10 to 50people in a cluster of wood and stonelodges, longhouses and huts within a highwooden palisade. Most of these small hold-ings are ranches and farms concentratedalong the western banks of the DessarinRiver and fishing communities on theSword Coast.

Bargewright InnPopulation: 35Government: Council of directors,chaired by innkeeper Feston Bargewright.A member of the Lords� Alliance.

Located at Ironford on the river Dessarin,Bargewright Inn is not truly a village, butmore a collection of businesses that grewup to serve the needs of travelers and thenlater the farmers and ranchers who settledalong the west bank of the Dessarin.Economy: Travel services, including aninn, a tavern, a dry-goods shop, the �Houseof Good Cheer,� a combined rent-a-templeand festhall, a ferry, a wagon repair shopand a pharmacist who specializes in sickpack animals.Militia: Aldon Bargewright (brother ofFeston), a 5th level ranger, leads five 1st

level fighters and 20 0-level villagers. Exceptfor Aldon�s sword +1, they are armed withpole arms.

Citadel AdbarPopulation: 14,000 dwarvesGovernment: King Harbromm (dwarf).City Badge: The Forge-Mark of the king,an upright single-bladed handaxe enclosedby a circle of flames, in red on a silver field.

Built by the dwarven king Adbar duringthe waning years of ancient Delzoun (thedwarven Northkingdom), only the tip of thisfortress shows above ground. The rest,miles and miles of granite corridors, canhouse 60,000 dwarves. Some of the finestmithril mines (outside of Mithril Hall) arefound in Adbarrim (the proper name for theunderground citadel). The number ofdwarves who dwell here has been dwin-dling slowly, as few dwarves are born toreplace those who die.Economy: Mithril mining, metal refining,weapon and armor smithing. Noted forsword blades, forge bars, and ax and pickheads.Militia: 200 dwarves are always on duty.

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Another 1,500 dwarves can take up weap-ons on a moment�s notice. A total of 9,000dwarves can take the field.

Citadel of Many ArrowsPopulation: 40,000 orcsGovernment: Ruled by self-styled KingObould, a giant, powerful orc.

This fortified city was once the dwarvenhold of Felbarr, part of the realm of Del-zoun. When that ancient realm began to fal-ter, the dwarves abandoned ancient Felbarr(which was far from any productive mines)and turned it over to troops from Silvery-moon. The human garrison of 3,000 troopsimmediately came under attack from orcs.Fifty years later, an orc horde of awesomemagnitude poured down from Dead OrcPass to the east, surrounded the citadel and,heedless of their own losses, slaughteredthe human defenders to a man in whatbecame known as the Battle of ManyArrows.

The orcs in the citadel are far too numer-ous to dislodge. They constantly harasstravelers between Silverymoon and Sunda-bar, even attacking caravans in sight of thecities� gates. The citadel has too many resi-dents, most are hungry and poor (even byorc standards).Economy: Trades in plundered goods �particularly with other orc tribes and evilhuman merchants. Chief manufacturer oforcish-made weapons and armor of alltypes.Militia: The citadel has 1,000 orcs onguard and another 1,000 patrol the wilds atall times. In times of need, 18,000 warriorscan be summoned.

EverlundPopulation: approx. 12,000 folk of non-evil races.Government: Council of six Elders. Amember of the Lord�s Alliance.

This walled �open city� to the south ofSilverymoon on the river Rauvin is thehome of many human caravan masters,adventurers, and tradesmen. As in Water-deep, the folk of Everlund are tolerant ofother peoples, races and religions, but mustbe constantly wary of the monsters wholurk in the wilds. The council is negotiatingwith Silverymoon and the Lords� Alliance tofund the construction and maintenance of a

true road along the Evermoor Way betweenEverlund and Yartar.Economy: made�dominates the shorteroverland routes between Silverymoon andYartar. Rumored to deal in plunder obtainedfrom bazaars in the orc Citadel of ManyArrows.Militia: Standing army of 2,000, supple-mented by patrols of 200+ adventurersand mercenaries.

FireshearPopulation: 15,000 minersGovernment: Triumvirate of three Sen-ior Merchants from Mirabar, Waterdeep,and Neverwinter. Member of the Lords� Alli-ance.City Arms: A crossed blade, pick, andshovel at the base of a leaping flame on anice-blue field.

This isolated mining town on the frigidtundra of the Cold Run is the site ofextremely rich veins of copper and silver.The metallic ores were exposed by a long-ago volcanic explosion (or perhaps a meteorstrike) that blasted out a large bowl-like cra-ter, shearing away tons of rock�hence thename, �Fireshear.�

The inhabitants are all miners (represent-ing most major non-evil races) who dwellhere year-round, though their families maylive elsewhere. Everything else is import-ed: food, goods, services. The ruling trium-virate seeks to ensure that the valuable oresof Fireshear fall under the control of no oth-er city in the North (particularly Luskan).Economy: Mining.Militia: All miners bear the responsibilityof defense; essentially, Fireshear has astanding civilian militia of 10,000.

Griffon�s NestPopulation: 900 UthgardtGovernment: Chief Kralgar Bonesnap-per

This village of crude huts and longhousessurrounded by a palisade which encloses allbut the outlying farms has been rapidlygrowing in the 10 years since Kralgarbecame chief.Economy: Subsistence level farming,hunting, woven baskets and containers(which are sold to visiting traders), and goldpanning in Shining Creek.Militia: 300 Uthgardt warriors in resi-

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dence, plus another 1,000 who can arrive toform a greater horde.

GrunwaldPopulation: 200 UthgardtGovernment: King Gundar Brontoskin

This tiny village is built upon the ruins of adwarfhold. Most homes are built of stonerubble and timber from the forest. The tun-nels beneath the city are known, but aretaboo, off-limits to villagers and foreignersalike. A druid grove and a shrine to Tyr arelocated near the king�s lodge.Economy: Forestry. Sells logs and lumberto Mirabar and Longsaddle. Dark Shanutwood from Grunwald ends up in the handsof craftsmen in Sundabar and Waterdeep.

IronmasterPopulation: 9,000 dwarvesGovernment: Lord Clanmaster StrogueSstar (LG 9th level dwarf fighter).City Arms: A red anvil on a gray,diamond-shaped field, the long points of thediamond vertical.

Carved into the rocky walls of a frozenvalley on the Cold Run, where theShaengarne River flows into the Sea of Mov-ing Ice, stands this isolated, stone-toweredcity of dwarves. Its tunnels and storagechambers weave in and out of stone andnever-melting ice. The deepest mine shaftslead down to extensive iron deposits, fargreater than any found elsewhere inFaerun.

Non-dwarves are unwelcome here andthe city�s trade goods are sold primarily inFireshear to other traders.Economy: Iron goods�pots, pans, andforge bars (flat bars that a smith can easilyform into something useful).Militia: 300-dwarf standing army with3,000 dwarves ready to take up weapon andshield at a moment�s notice.

Leilon (LEE-Iun)Population: 3,000Government: Lord Pelindar Filmyra,Lord of Leilon. Leilon is a member of theLords� Alliance and a firm ally of Water-deep.

This small human mining town on theSword Coast sprawls along the High Road.

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Unlike most northern towns, it lacks walls.A wooden palisade atop an earthen bankshields the landward side, but the wall hasno gate.

The mines east of Leilon are rich in cop-per, nickel and silver. The mountains arehoneycombed with mine shafts and tun-nels, including several that open up into thetown itself, and some that go very, verydeep. Leilon has no proper harbor. Duringgood weather, a dozen massive ore bargesare loaded in the shallows, then poled androwed out to unload their cargo on waitingtransport ships. Even in the best weather,the operation is tricky.

LlorkhPopulation: 2,000 humans, 300 dwarvesGovernment: Lord Geildarr (LE 7th levelmagic-user).

The folk in the isolated town of Llorkhstill delve in the old, nearly worked-outmines that honeycomb the mountains to thenorth and east. Now, many citizens findmore profit in assisting the Zhentarim cara-vans that come in from the east.

The old lords of Llorkh, respected andretired former miners and fighters, neverwould have tolerated the Zhentarim in theirmidst. But the last of the old lords, Phintarn�Redblade,� was found dead at the base ofLord�s Keep. Overnight, a new Lord seizedthe Keep and the Throne. Since Geildarr themage took power, the Zhentarim caravanshave been arriving, bringing gold into thetown, and the dwarves have been quietlyleaving (there are whispers that many havebeen murdered as Phintarn was).

Geildarr keeps order in the town and his400 purple-cloaked �Lord�s Men� keep thetown safe against orc and Hellgate Keepincursions. Still, he is not loved or even likedby the townsfolk.Economy: Mining, farming, caravan serv-ices.Militia: 400 1st-4th level warriors inchainmail and shield loyal to Geildarr (andthe Zhentarim).

LongsaddlePopulation: 130 (1,100 if outlying farmsand ranches are included)Government: The town is ruled by acouncil of elders. Ardanac Harpell (NG 9thlevel magic-user) is the chief eider, a mem-ber of the Lord�s Alliance.

This tiny agricultural village is home to theHarpell family which has produced a numberof influential mages in the North (includingMalchor Harpell who now splits his timebetween Longsaddle and Waterdeep).

The village Elder, Ardanac Harpell, dwellsin the �Ivy Mansion,� the Harpell�s ancestralhome, high on a hill in the center ofLongsaddle.

The village has a daily farmers� market, away-stable, a stirrup maker and bell-caster,and The Gilded Horseshoe, an inn noted forits hospitality and its defensible wooden pal-isade.

Local stories say that griffins are bother-ing Longsaddle, preying upon cattle, horsesand longriders who stray too far from localranches.Economy: Longsaddle is noted for beefand mutton. Large ranches continue toexpand, encroaching further into monster-held frontiers.Militia: Longriders (ranch-hands) fromsurrounding estates can be summoned toform a militia of 100 men. Most fight withspear, bow or lariat.Problems: Griffons living nearby haveslain the residents of several farmholds. Orcand Griffon tribe Uthgardt raid the herds.

LoudwaterPopulation: 4,000Government: Ruled for 45 years by theHigh Lord of Loudwater, Nanathlor Grey-sword (NG 11th level cavalier) who came tothe North from Nimbral to found his ownrealm, but instead, rose to rule a place thatneeded him.

Nearly a quarter of the inhabitants of thislovely town near the midpoint of the RiverShining are half-elven, descendants of theEaerlann elves. A thousand years gone, thedwarf Iirkos Stoneshoulder built a spectac-ular arching stone bridge for the elves whoonce dwelt here. The elves are gone, but thebridge and the wide pool which serves as ariver harbor still remain. Here, of old, trad-ers of the Eaerlann elves began the portagearound the Shining Falls before journeyingnorth on the river again.

Loudwater is an idyllic place, wheregreen, grassy banks line the river, and greatgreen trees shadow its waters. The town�swooden buildings are overgrown by hang-ing plants and ivy until they seem one withthe forest.Economy: Farming, fishing, caravan

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services to and from Llorkh.Militia: 300 warriors, divided into patrolsof 20 each under the command of HarazosThelbrim (LN 5th level fighter) and KalaharTwohands (CG half-elven 6th level fighter).

Luskan�City of Sails�Population: 16,000 (humans only!)Government: Five High Captains: Taerl,Baram, Kurth, Suljack, and Rethnor, pre-sumed to be retired pirates.

Luskan is a seafaring merchant city, hometo fierce, proud and warlike Northmen.This important northern port city is locatedat the mouth of the river Mirar, a swift andicy, cold and rocky, unnavigable river.

Although it seeks merchant trade, visitorsare few and often made to feel unwelcome.This probably has much to do with the factthat Luskan is a known harbor for northernpirates, if not an outright sponsor of theiractivities. Inns that serve travelers are rare;The Cutlass, a notorious dive on the docks (apirate haven no doubt) and the Seven SailsInn are the only known lodgings in the city.

Luskan wages almost constant waragainst naval powers that its Captains feelthey can defeat; recently they crushedRuathym. In the past, they been defeated byMintarn and Orlumbor (supported byWaterdeep and Amn) and slaughtered onthe seas by the ships of Lantan, who they nolonger even speak of. Luskan warriorsoften raid inland, particularly when sea vig-ilance makes raiding the coast difficult.

The Zhentarim are said to be attemptingan alliance with Luskan (but it is unknownas to their success).Economy: Trade and piracy. In peace-time, the city�s warships act as �unsanction-ed� pirates (the High Captains direct them,but pretend they are independents acting indefiance of Luskan law), trying to make allshippers use only Luskan ships or onlyLuskan as a port by preying on all otherships, and on all shipping that visits Water-deep (Waterdeep�s navy is on constantpatrol for this).Militia: The city has a standing army of200 spearmen, and a navy of 14 warships(dragonships), armed with 70 archers each.Luskan is involved in an �ego� war withRuathym. Neither side will admit defeat soclashes continue. Waterdeep has threat-ened involvement if the two nations refuseto negotiate an end to the conflict.

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Luskan Map Key

(map located on inside cover)1. Reavers Muster Hall. The court of �Law�for officially-sanctioned Luskan Pirates. Allbooty must be surrendered for inspectionhere, with cuts going to the town treasuryand the sponsoring High Captain.2. Seven Sails Inn3. The Cutlass (a notorious tavern)4. Captains� Court (government palace)5. Taerl�s fortress (residence)6. Suljack�s lodge (residence)7. Baram�s palace (residence)8. Kurth Tower (residence)9. Ten Oaks (Rethnor�s residence)10. Winter Palace (Temple of Auril)11. Hall of Warriors (Temple of Tempus)12. Temple of Red Sails (Umberlee)13. Red Dragon Trading Lodge & Ware-houses15. Mirabar District. Includes warehouses,ore bins, refineries and residences owned(and policed!) by Mirabar mercantile com-panies.16. Whitesails Harbor. Busy port used pri-marily by foreign craft, which are notallowed to use Dragon Beach.17. Dragon Beach. Private harbor of theHigh Captains, used by their navies, mer-chant vessels and, of course, the pirateswho berth in Luskan.18. Illusk Ruins. Remnants of ancient Illusk,used as burial grounds for rich Luskanitesand said to be haunted.19. Hosttower of the Arcane. This mercan-tile company and wizards� guild is com-posed primarily of magic-users and istolerated only because it has power. While itpresents a unified front to the world, fac-tions within the Hosttower constantly viefor power within and without the guild,allying themselves with the High Captains,and aiding them in their own internal deal-ings (or urging them into war).

The Hosttower is currently under theguidance of Arklem Greeth, a NE, 15th levelwizard. Arklem�s lieutenants are Eldelucand Dendybar the Mottled.

The Hosttower contains all manner ofmagical items and spellbooks (more than afew mages have died, leaving their belong-ings here). Like any wizards� tower, it ismagically trapped and guarded. Basilisksand stone golems are said to wander itshalls and storerooms.

MirabarPopulation: 19,000 men and 4,000dwarvesGovernment: Elastul Raurym, Marchionof Mirabar, a fat, lusty, red-bearded manwho loves pleasure and money.Royal Badge: an upright, rust-red,double-bladed axe with a pointed haft and aflaring, flat base set on either a black or pur-ple field (on ships� pennants, it appears onwhite).

This mining center for the Sword Coast isa cold, gray stone city, surrounded bymines, quarries, and talus. Grim men andgrimmer dwarves crowd its unadornedstreets. Richest of the cities north of Water-deep, its mines provide vast amounts ofmost known metals, fine gems, and highquality metal goods from its ever-hot forges.

The Council of Mirbar meets each fall inthe Hall of Sparkling Stones to determinewhere and when to sell their metal, mindfulof who will use it to forge weapons to makewar on whom.

Merchant families of Mirabar are verycompetitive. House guards often battleopenly when mines accidentally connect, orwhen two ore caravans meet on traderoads. The merchants of Mirabar ownmany ships based in Luskan, but resent theHigh Captains� threats to cut Mirabar offfrom the coast if their constantly increasing�harbor fees� are not paid up for years inadvance. Marchion Raurym makes a pointof traveling south to warmer climes beforethe onset of winter, to negotiate trade agree-ments with rulers who have many luxuries,but little metal. His 64 bodyguards wearplatinum plate mail, and are commanded byfour �hammers,� 6th level fighters namedDjassar, Hulmm, Kriiador, and Turvon.Economy: Mining of ores and gems,metal refining and crafting.Militia: 950 men mounted on ponies insummer and trained rothe in winter. Mer-chant families maintain house guards, add-ing another 500 foot soldiers.

Nesmé (NEZ-may)Population: 6,000Government: Theocracy under the cler-gy of Waukeen. First Speaker of the citycouncil is High Priestess Jygil Zelnathra (N,10th level cleric).

This trading town within its circular

wooden palisade is the only settlement,human or otherwise, within the Evermoors.To the east, beyond the city walls are 40 orso farms who rely on the Riders of Nesméfor their safety. The spired temple ofWaukeen-Merchant�s friend dominates thecentral city. The clergy of Waukeen, whorule Nesmé, welcome all who come in thename of honest trade. A fortified bridgecrosses the Surbrin river to the west, link-ing the city with paddocks, stock-pens, thecity�s river docks, and the fortified stables ofthe Riders of Nesmé, the city�s militia andarmy.

Council meetings generally involve con-flict between Tessarin �Longtresses�Alaurun, a wizardess (NG 13th level magic-user) and High Priestess Jygil Zelnathra(though both women respect each other�sabilities). Tessarin opposes the Theocraticdominance of Nesmé and believes that herhome city would be better off without thereligious late-comers who now hold power.Economy: Trade, farming, horses, live-stock, barge making.Militia: The 400 Riders of Nesmé patrolthe Evermoors for two days ride on eitherbank around Nesmé, defending the cityagainst orcs and trolls, and policing the pop-ulation of Nesmé, which has a higher turn-over than most settlements due to the totaldominance of traveling trade.

Neverwinter�The City of Skilled Hands�Population: 17,000Government: Lord Nasher (NG, ST 18/09,CHA 17 12th level fighter and formeradventurer who gained much magic in hiscareer)Royal Badge: Three white falling snow-flakes, surrounded by silver and bluehaloes.

A city of skilled craftsmen noted for accu-rate water clocks, exotic lamps of multi-hued blown glass, and for its gardenerswho fill the town with fruit-bearing treesand flowers. The town�s name comes fromthe practice of raising hot-house flowersthroughout the winter (tales of winter-freewoods and the ever-warm waters of theNeverwinter River which keeps the city�sharbor ice-free year-round may contrib-uted to the truth�see chapter 7 for more onNeverwinter Woods). The folk here arenoted for their efficiency, quiet mannersand dedication to ensure that work gets

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properly done. SecomberLord Nasher is an amiable, but fearless

balding man who enjoys music and hearingtales of other lands and peoples. Nasher isguarded by the �Neverwinter Nine,� whocarry nearly as much magical gear as hehimself.Economy: Crafts and horticulture.Militia: 400 archers and spearmen whocarry explosive missiles devised by citycraftsmen and wizards. They patrol the cityas police, and protect the High Road as farnorth as Port Llast and as far south asLeilon.

Population: 900Government: Traskar Selarn (CG, 11thlevel ranger). Traskar takes frequent coun-cil from Secomber�s �first citizen,� theeccentric wizard Amelior Amanitas.

GAME INFORMATION: An explosivemissile does 2d8 damage, and is treated as agrenade-like missile. The manufacture ofthe explosive missiles is a closely guardedsecret, not shared even with other mem-bers of the Lords� Alliance. They are not forsale, though it is no secret that many groupscovet them.

Port LlastPopulation: 700Government: First Captain HaeromosDothwintyl, a retired stonemason (LN, ST17, WIS 17, 0 level fighter). Port Llast is aclose ally of Neverwinter.

There is little to distinguish this village onthe lower reaches of The Unicorn Run Riv-er. Its folk fish the river, farm the plains, cutpink granite from the cliffs that mark thenorthern edge of the High Moor, and pro-vide guides and guards for caravans travel-ing west to Zundbridge and Ironford. Orcand other monster raids are infrequenthere and much of the village is outside itstiny palisade fort. If it weren�t for the on-again off-again residence of Amelior Amani-tas, who has a tendency to blow uplaboratories or send innocent pieces of fur-niture to other planes, life in Secomberwould be quite duller than it already is.Economy: Stone-cutting, caravan serv-ices, agriculture.Militia: A 30-man garrison from theLords� Alliance, plus 100 0-level local irregu-lars, one iron golem and two unusual-looking stone golems provided by AmeliorAmanitas.

SilverymoonThis sleepy little coastal village between

Neverwinter and Luskan is known mainlyfor its skilled stonecutters. Luskan covetsthe fine harbor, seeking a more southerlyberth for its numerous warships. In oldendays, when Luskan (then Illusk) was held byorcs and hostile duergar, this village was athriving city, the �last port,� the northern-most access to the mineral wealth of theNorth. Then it was 20 times as populous astoday. Orc raids destroyed that magnificentcity, but shattered remnants of mighty wallsstill ring the village (though much has beenplundered or used to repair local homes).Portions are used as gardens, graveyards orhave returned to forest.Economy: Stonework, fine and rough.Militia: 50 local men, mostly retiredstonemasons, a garrison of 50 Neverwintertroops, and a 30-man garrison from theLords� Alliance.

Population: 26,000Government: Ruled by Alustriel, HighLady of Silverymoon (CG, IN 18, WIS 17,DEX 16, CHA 17, 22d level magic-user), amember of the Harpers.

Silverymoon is the largest inland city,strong and bustling with activity. Folk of allgood races dwell here in a harmony that isattributed to the High Lady�s kindness, gra-ce and diplomacy. It is not uncommon tofind elves (yes real elves!) discussing thingsmagical with dwarves, while perusingscrolls in the Vault of Sages, the townlibrary. Most of the city lies on the northbank of the River Rauvin. Construction inthe last century has spread out on thesouthern shore from the base of the archingmagical �moon-bridge,� a bridge across theRauvin constructed of invisible force fields.The bridge�s central arch can be reduced tonothingness by magical means to spillattackers into the river or allow tall-mastedships to pass.

Much of the city�s activity centers aroundhigher learning, including the magical arts.

32

Some say that it echoes the spirit of lostMyth Drannor�the fabled lost city whereelves, dwarves, and men worked togetherto bring knowledge, particularly magicalknowledge�and the arts to a peak of per-fection never achieved elsewhere.Economy: Forestry, support services forpopular schools of music, higher learning,and magic.Militia: The gallant, heroic defenders ofSilverymoon are known as �The Knights inSilver� (as they are called in a ballad pennedby the bard Mintiper Silverhand). Theynumber over 500.

Silverymoon Map Key

(map is located on color foldup map of theOuter Islands)

1. High Lady Alustriel�s Palace (heavilyguarded by loyal magic-users of all ranksand numerous skilled warriors)2. Courts and Assembly Halls3. The Market4. The Docks5. Arken�s Invocatorium (stone fortress,now a magical college)6. The Moonbridge (a magical, invisiblebridge)7. The Golden Oak Inn & Temple to Shiallia(a demipower allied with Silvanus�Priestess/proprietress Izolde, ST 18(65), CG7th level cleric)8. Moorgate9. Eastern Garrison Barracks10. Hunter�s Gate (north gate)11. Western Garrison Barracks12. Sundabar Commons (assembly area foreastbound caravans)13. Sundabar Gate14. Lady�s College15. Vault of the Sages (library)16. Helmer�s Wall (once a gate within the oldcity wall, now a tavern popular with stu-dents)17. Miresk�s School of Thaumaturgy (wiz-ard�s home and magical school)18. Utrumm�s Music Conservatory19. Dancing Goat (a bawdy tavern)20. Mielikki�s Glade21. Adbar Trading Coster (operated here byhumans from Sundabar)22. Fortune Hall (temple to Tymora)23. Halls of Inspiration (temple of Oghmaand Milil)24. House Invincible (temple of Helm)25. Tower of Balance (temple of Mystra)26. Silverglen (sacred grove of Silvanus)27. Temple of Silver Stars (temple of Selune)

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SundabarPopulation: 36,000Government: Master of Sundabar, HelmDwarf-friend, a former adventurer (NG14th level fighter), who served in theBloodaxe Mercenary Company. Member ofthe Lords� Alliance.

Once a dwarven citadel, Sundabar wasrebuilt by human refugees from Ascalhorn(now Hellgate Keep). This fortified city isknown for woodworkers who make won-derful carved furniture, musical instru-ments and travel chests of unusual graceand durability. It trades extensively with thedwarves of Citadel Adbar and Sundabarianmerchants are exclusive distributors for thewares of many prominent dwarven craft-clans. It is the base for the Bloodaxe Merce-nary Company (see �For The Greater Glory�in Appendix D: Adventures).Economy: Trade, primarily with Silvery-moon, Everlund and Citadel Adbar. Manu-factures wood items of enduring beauty.Also receives defense subsidies from theLords� Alliance to defend against HellgateKeep.Militia: 2,000 warriors, including manycompanies sponsored by the Lords� Allianceand the temples of Helm.

Ten TownsPopulation: 6,500Government: A council spokesman, onefrom each town In general the smallertowns follow the lead of Bryn Shander andTargos. Cassius, spokesman of the TenTowns, is the accepted leader.

The Ten Towns of Icewind Dale, home to amultitude of men and women with �check-ered� pasts, are truly on the cutting edge ofadventure, in the farthest (and coldest!)reaches of the Savage Frontier. Built uparound three lakes, Maer Dualdon, Lac Din-neshere and Redwaters, the Ten Towns arerelatively young, founded less than 30 yearsago by exiles and renegades from southernlands. In the past five years, the towns havesurvived two major attacks, the first fromtundra barbarians and the second from theforces of Akar Kessell, a mad wizard underthe power of the evil artifact Crenshinbon,the Crystal Shard. The second attackdestroyed and depopulated two of thetowns. They were reconstructed and arenow occupied by �civilized� tundra barbari-

ans. The towns, Bryn Shander, Targos, Bre-men, Termalaine, Caer-Konig, Caer-Dineval,Easthaven, Good Mead, Dougan�s Hole, andLonelywood, are all fiercely independentand fiercely competitive with one another,particularly with towns that share the samelake. Fighting between rival ships is notuncommon.

If one needs a place to hide, the Ten Townsmay be the last place anyone will come tolook... or the first.Economy: Fishing provides primary sus-tenance, supplemented by meager farming.Scrimshaw-carved knucklehead trout headbones are sold to merchants from the south.The largest town, Bryn Shander, is the cen-ter of trade.Militia: Each of the Ten Towns can field ahome guard of 100 to 500 men armed withdwarven weapons and light armor. Thetowns of Bremen and Caer-Konig are hometo tundra barbarians.

Triboar (TRY-bore)Population: 2,500Government: An elected Lord Protector,commander of the militia. For the last 30years the post has been held by FauraelBlackhammer (NC, ST 17, IN 16, 6th levelfighter)

This small town is strategically locatedwhere the Long Road intersects the Ever-moor Way. Gathered armies have often setforth from Triboar to meet orc hordes. Tri-boar has two good smithies and SkulnerWainwright, a wagonmaker famedthroughout the North. Skulner�s latest pro-ject is the �rolling cog,� a massive wagon thatcan double as a barge. Triboar�s name isthought to have come from a traveler�s taleof slaying three boars here in a day.Economy: Trade, horses, cattle, farming,caravan services, forged iron goods, andwagons.Militia: A standing militia of 50 menswells to 300 in time of need.Problems: Triboar�s friendly rivalry withnearby Yartar occasionally erupts into vio-lence when a gag goes too far.

Waterdeep�City of Splendors�Population: 122,000 (during prime tradeseason this rises to 500,000+)Government: Governed by the Lords ofWaterdeep, men and women from all walks

33

of life who rule fairly, yet remain unknownby the people of the city.

Waterdeep, �Gem of the North,� is thelargest and most important city in the Sav-age Frontier (and perhaps in all of Faerun).Anything one could want can be found inthis mighty seaport�if the price is right.The sprawling walled city contains folk ofall races (including evil) and all professions.Most religions have shrines here and manyhave large temples (see Religions inOverview).

There is a saying that says �As goes Water-deep, so goes the North.� The City of Splen-dors controls most of the trade in the North;almost everything grown, mined, or madein the Savage Frontier is taken to Waterdeepbefore finding its way farther south�fewsouthern merchants are willing to travel thewilds, even for the chance of tremendousprofit. Employers who seek adventurers�aid look to Waterdeep first and if one mustspend a winter in the North, Waterdeep isthe warmest, though not necessarily thesafest, place to do it. Deep winter rarelylasts longer than two-and-a-half monthshere (much shorter than the rest of theNorth).

Waterdeep is guarded by a great wall withhigh towers, and by sheer 100-foot cliffs.Four gates pierce the wall: South Gate, Riv-er Gate, Northgate and Westgate. SprawlingWaterdeep fills its walls, except where con-struction is banned by the Lords� edict (suchas the City of the Dead or the public streets).

The city is built upon rock and rubblemined from the innards of Mount Water-deep in ancient days. It is divided into sevendistricts or wards. They are Castle Ward,which contains Lord Piergeiron�s palace,army barracks, and the homes of thewealthy; Sea Ward, along the seacoast,which contains most temples and the homesof nobility; North Ward, a nice districtwhere the best inns can be found; The Cityof the Dead, a great walled cemetery wherenone may live (or even spend the night);Trades Ward, the commercial area of thecity� home of the well-to-do merchantclass; Southern Ward, a poor but honest dis-trict where most trading companies andcaravan masters have their offices; andDock Ward, a rough district which encom-passes the city�s vital trade commerce andits shadier population.

At least three networks of undergroundpassages are known to exist beneath Water-deep�s busy streets. Undermountain, a

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deep, many-leveled former dwarfhold andmine of great antiquity that, as its nameimplies, lies largely beneath Mount Water-deep, is the largest and most famous. TheDungeon of the Crypt (so named for itsentrance in the City of the Dead) lies underNorth Ward, and is less spoken of. The thirdlabyrinth is the city sewers, which linksmuch of the city with its vast, damp andsmelly conduits.

The city�s navy patrols its huge, walledharbor and mermen guard the underwaterareas. Many of these armored ships sail theSea of Swords to keep pirates (mostlyLuskan pirates) at bay.Economy: Trade, services, manufactureof all manner of goods, shipbuilding.Militia: Thought to be 1,200 Guard(soldiers�heavily trained, fully armoredmen-at-arms) and 1,600 Watch (policemen�lightly armored). The Watch may searchany person, place, or container in Water-deep without hindrance or warning.

DM�s who wish further knowledge onWaterdeep are directed to the information-rich FORGOTTEN REALMS� sourcebook FR1,Waterdeep and the North, by Ed Greenwood.

Waterdeep Map Key

(map is located on color foldup map of theOuter Islands)

Castle Ward

1. Castle Waterdeep (Lord Piergeiron�s pal-ace)2. Ahghairon�s Tower (mage�s tower/tomb)3. Guard Barracks4. Blackstaff Tower (home of Khelben�Blackstaff� Arunsun)

5. Spires of the Morning (Lathander temple)6. Walking Statue of Waterdeep (a 90� tallstone golem: AC 1; MV 4�; 140 hp; #AT 1;Dmg 6d10, 3 points structural symbol dam-age per round, +3 weapon to hit. Six morelike it are stored beneath Mount Waterdeep)

Sea Ward

7. The House of Heroes (Tempus temple)8. The House of the Moon (Selune temple)9. The House of Inspired Hands (Gond tem-ple)10. The Tower of Luck (Tymora temple)11. The Lady�s Hands (Mielikki shrine)12. The Temple of Beauty (Sune temple)13. The House of Wonder (Mystra temple)

The City of the Dead

Numerous tomb complexes in here arelinked by gates to other (usually pleasant)planes, where the vast numbers of dead areactually interred.

The Trades Ward

14. �The Plinth� (an interdenominationaltemple often frequented by minor faithsand beings from other planes)

Yartar (YAR-tarr)Population: 6,000Government: The �Waterbaron,� pres-ently Alahar Khaumfros (LN, ST 16, 4thlevel fighter)

This fortified town is the site of a bridgeover the Surbrin, just north of where itmeets the Dessarin. Yartar is noted for its

temple to Tymora, the Happy Hall of Fortui-tous Happenstance, which the locals call�Two-hap-fort Hall.� The major industryhere is the construction of river barges,which are used the length of the Dessarinriver network. The folk of Yartar fish the�Three Rivers� (the Dessarin, Surbrin, andLaughingflow) for their table fare. Eachyear, Yartar is the scene of the vast Shield-meet of the outcasts, bandits, homeless, andisolated landholders of the North who gath-er here in thousands.Economy: River barge construction, fish-ing, farming, and trade services.Militia: �The shields of Yartar,� a mountedarmy of 150 riders. A large barge can carry75 riders or 200 foot soldiers. The army isusually involved in policing the town anddefending it against wander orcs and trolls.

GAME INFORMATION: The KrakenSociety (a secretive spy network�seePower Groups in chapter 2) is based here.Baron Khaufros, a member of the Lords�Alliance, is also the land-based head of thesociety (from which he draws much of hispersonal wealth). The Kraken Society meetsin the back of the Three Rivers Festhall. Allentrances are guarded by thieves and assas-sins.

�21 Kythorn. Erek here again. A. A. hasbeen moping ever since the High Ladypunctured his gooney bubble. Once again Imust finish another chapter and now weare headed, not home, but to the outerislands to research the next chapter Theriver trip has been mostly quiet, though oneof the merchant�s barges was actually eatenin the Evermoors by trolls. A. A. hopes tocatch a ship out of Port Llast.�

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THE SEA, THE ICE, AND THE ISLANDS

�20 Eleasias. Back on land again, praisebe to Umberlee and Valkur. Waterdeepnever looked so good. Never again. Cur-rent ly s taying in Blacksta f f Tower .Khelben is o f f somewhere , but A. A.says he is always welcome here. Gund-barg was pleasant until King Olger rec-ognized me (I told A. A. that I had areputation out this way). We left imme-diately for the Purple Rocks.�

The Trackless SeaThe northern extent of the TracklessSea is cold, gray, bleak and unforgivingto those who venture across its depths.Yet the people on the islands must livewith the sea. It gives them life, and inunpredictable moments, takes life vio-lently away.

Weather at Sea

The Trackless Sea crosses both the arc-tic and subarctic climate zones. Northof Luskan, arctic conditions prevail,while subarctic climate holds as farsouth as the Moonshaes.

Raging storms are common, and any-thing less than a stiff breeze quiteuncommon, though the storms reachtheir peak in winter (making sea travelquite impossible).

A warm ocean current flows north-ward along the Sword Coast, warmingcoastal areas and giving them a milderclimate than inland regions. This cur-rent turns west along the Cold Run anddeposits its last dregs of warmth on theshores of Tuern. Due to this, icebergsare uncommon in coastal shippinglanes and a serious threat to travelbetween Tuern and other islands.

Travel at Sea

Competent Northmen navigators, mostpirates, and a few hotshot southernersknow the best routes between theislands and the coast, and sense thechanges in current, star positions andeven smells that tell them they are oncourse.

Assuming good weather and strongbreeze, use the following travel timesbetween the islands. The time in days

for each trip is given below for a Raker(R), a Long ship (L), a Caravel or Cog (C)and a Heavy Cog (H). For all routes,assume that sailing against prevailingwinds and currents adds 25% to thesailing time (multiply the time in daysby 1.25).

The table at the bottom of page 36lists ships commonly found in theNorth.

Route: Travel times in days

Waterdeep to Leilon: R-1, L-1 C-2, H-4Waterdeep to Neverwinter: R-2, L-1.5,C-3, H-6Waterdeep to Port Llast: R-2, L-1.5, C-3.5, H-6Waterdeep to Luskan: R-2.5, L-2, C-3.5,H-7.5Port Llast to Fireshear: R-1, L-1, C-1.5,H-3Luskan to Fireshear: R-.5, L-.5, C-1, H-2Luskan to The Ice Peak: R-1, L-1, C-2, H-3.5Gundarlun to Luskan: R-1.5, L-1.5, C-3,H-5

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Gundarlun to Neverwinter: R-1.5, L-1.5, C-3.5, H-5.5Gundarlun to Waterdeep: R-2.5, L-2, C-5.5, H-9Gundarlun to Ruathym: R-1.5, L-1, C-3,H-4.5Ruathym to Luskan: R-2.5, L-2, C-5, H-8.5Ruathym to Waterdeep: R-2.5, L-2, C-5,H-8The Purple Rocks to Gundarlun: R-1.5,L-1, C-3, H-4.5The Purple Rocks to Ruathym: R-2, L-1.5, C-4, H-7Tuern to Gundarlun: R-2.5, L-2, C-4.5,H-7.5Tuern to The Purple Rocks: R-1.5, L-1,C-2.5, H-4

Ocean HazardsOne might think that icebergs are adeadly danger to northern mariners.They are not. The sailing ships of theSword Coast can easily avoid lone ice-bergs (and only foolhardy captains sailnear them). However, packs of glaciersor floes of coastal ice in a ship�s path arequite deadly. Should a ship collide withan iceberg, roll 3d6 and compare theresult against the Fire Damage table onpage 54 of the DMG. If the ship wasmoving s lowly and caut iously , i treceives the Hull Damage Equivalent(HDE). If the captain was moving quick-ly or without precautions, the ice does

maximum damage. If the HDE is equalto 1/3 ship�s Hull Value, the hull isbreached. Unless repaired quickly, theship sinks in a number of rounds equalto its hull value.

The Sea of Moving IceThe Sea of Moving Ice is the dense packof ice north of The Ice Peak, andincludes both icebergs and thick floesof polar pack ice. The Sea is not a solidmass, but many ice islands, often sepa-rated by channels wide enough to allowships passage. Such channels may windfor hundreds of miles into the ice pack,but the ice changes often, and what wasa wide channel moments ago can quick-ly disappear. Many a ship has sailed intothe Sea of Moving Ice only to be slowlyground to flinders by the shifting floes.

To the uninitiated, the Sea seems afrozen desert, void of all life. Yet itteems with life. Seals and penguins liveupon the floes, stalked by silent whitepolar bears and walrus, who are in turnhunted by the nomadic Ice Hunters(though some hunters may be frostmen). Ice-locked ancient ships are oftenice troll lairs, and fiendish whitedragons dwell in the crags of large ice-bergs.

Gundarlun (GOON-der-len)Government: Organized into 15 Jarlholds and ruled by King Olger Redaxe.Gundarlun is the only island member ofthe Lords� Alliance.Largest Settlement: Gundbarg(12,000 �the largest city in the islands)

Economy: Trade, fishing, farming,and mining.Militia: Gundbarg has a standingarmy of 300 warriors who act as cityguard and crews for the King�s six rakerwarships. Each Jarl has 1d3 long shipscrewed by 40 warriors.

Gundbarg�Gateway Port�Nearly every ship crossing the Track-less Sea puts in here during its journeyfor fresh water, food, repairs, replace-ment crew or goods to carry. Hugewarehouses, drydocks, sailmakers,inns, and taverns all provide necessaryservices to seafarers... and at reason-able prices. The Dragon Turtle Inn onthe harbor is noted as an adventurers�hangout and a place to find captainswith ships for hire.

Ruins of Berranzo: Berranzo was aCalishite mining and refining colony onGundarlun�s western shore, that oncehoused 2,000 miners. Wizards used fire

SHIPS OF THE NORTH

Refer to the Dungeon Masters Guide and Wilderness Survival Guide for the meanings in this table.

Length/ Speed: Speed: Sail Speed Oar SpeedHull Width/ Normal/ Normal/ per Round per Round Peacetime

Ship Name Value Draft Max. Sail Max. Oar in Combat in Combat Armaments Crew Startup

Raker 36 90�/20�/6� 10/14 mph 5/8 mph 30�/42� 15�/24� 4 ballistae; 4 firepot catapults;armored ram 36 4 rounds

Striker 12 60�/10�/4� 12/14 mph 6/10 mph 36�/42� 18�/30� 4 ballistae; armored ram 44 3 roundsWar Nao 40 40�/20�/12� 4/6 mph ½/1 mph 12�/18� 1.5�/3� 2 catapults; can carry 200 troops 40 1 turnLong Ship 14 80�/20�/3� 12/16 mph 7/10 mph 36�/48� 21�/30� none 40 3 roundsFast Caravel 26 60�/10�/6� 7/10 mph 1/3 mph 21�/30� 3�/9� 1 ballista 10 4 roundsCaravel 33 50�/10�/8� 5/8 mph 1/3 mph 15�/24� 3�/9� 1 ballista 10 5 roundsCog 40 45�/20�/10� 5/7 mph 1/2 mph 15�/21� 3�/6� none 12 1 turnHeavy Cog 60 60�/25�/15� 3/5 mph ½/1 mph 9�/15� 1.5�/3� none 14 1 turn

(� = feet; mph = miles (nautical) per hour, assuming moderate, favorable winds and calm seas)

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elementals to refine ore in this short-lived colony. Within three years allwent mad for no apparent reason andmost died. For months, Northmen cap-tains encountered drifting ore ships,filled with corpses and gibbering mad-men. For 25 years the ruins have stoodempty�even the bold Northmen arefearful to plunder here.

Wreck of the Golden Crown: ACalishite treasure galleon went down in astorm near Berranzo and now lies,mostly intact, in 70 feet of water. It car-ried gold and silver ingots, electrum bars,and a fortune in gems. The wizard Hoch-miraz of Calimshan and his personaleffects also went down with the ship. Hewas said to own a staff of the magi; a ringof spell turning and a cube of force.

The Ice PeakGovernment: First Captain TranjerRolsk rules Aurilssbarg, a Luskan colo-ny, and acts as spokesman for other vil-lages (whether they like it or not).Largest Settlement: Aurilssbarg(3,000)Economy: Sealing, whaling, and fish-ing.Militia: Each community has severallarge fishing boats and 40 to 50 war-riors. Aurilssbarg has a standing armyo f 1 0 0 m e n w h o m a n a n a n c i e n t�Striker� craft with ballistae and ram,and 2d3 longships.

This ancient volcano is surroundedby near-permanent icepack. Villageslike Bjorn�s Hold, Icewolf, and Aurilss-b a r g a r e p o p u l a t e d b y a m i x o fNorthmen and Ice Hunters. Seal andwhale hunting are the primary occupa-tions here. Seal skins and whale oil arebought by Luskan merchants, then soldfor lucrative profits in the South.

Many Ice Peak folk search for the lostlair of Freezefire, a great white dragonwhose last recorded flight took placecenturies ago.Aurilssbarg: Like many Northmencommunities, Aurilssbarg boasts �cor-duroy� streets made of logs laid side byside. The city is the trading post for oth-

er communities on the island, who buysupplies and sell skins, oil, scrimshawand smoked fish here. Aurilssbarg isthe only port with a bona fide harborcapable of serving large vessels. Luskanmonopolizes their colony�s trade �theirships are the only ones that may dockhere. A Luskan raker and crew (read�pirates�) is often berthed here toenforce this edict. The folk of Aurilss-b a r g a r e h u n g r y f o r n e w s � o n l yrumors filter into the isolated town.

Bjorn�s Hold: Bjorn, son of Bjorn is acantankerous old coot, yet he loves the500 citizens of this fortified village as ifthey were all family, Ice Hunter andNorthman alike. Though he is Northman,he hates Luskan and secretly sells most ofthe village�s large catch to Calishites inPort Llast, hiring adventurers to guardhis small boats on their yearly journey.

Icewolf: The ancient Ice Hunter sha-man, Bleak Sky at Morning, wisely rulesthis village of 200, though the rudeantics of the Northmen try even his leg-endary patience and sense of humor.He and his folk will not side withLuskan in wars against others. Womenhere wear jewelry made of ancient goldand platinum coins, found in an ice-bound wreck. If stories are true, aking�s ransom remains there.

The Purple RocksGovernment: King Selger rules Triskand King Bromm rules Utheraal.Largest Settlements: Vilkstead(700) and Ulf of Thuger (400).Economy: Raiding, farming, fishing.Militia: Each king has 2d3 longshipswith crews of 40. Trisk also has six oth-er vessels: three caravels, a cog, and awar nao with crews of 30, plus some ofthe kraken�s monstrous allies.

Trisk, the western isle, and Utheraal,the eastern, initially seem little morethan rocky outcroppings, no more thana few miles across. Yet between thelightly forested peaks are lush valleysshielded from the harsh storms of thebitter subarctic ocean.

37

Ruins of Ascarle: Low tide exposespart of this ruined city on Trisk�s northshore. At one time, Ascarle was nearlyas large as Waterdeep, possibly inhab-ited by sea-elves or some other ancientundersea race (maybe the fish-menwho are said to dwell in the Deepearth).Treasures of that ancient race (such asrare magical items) can still be found,encrusted in marine growth and buriedby sediment. Even at low tide the ruinsare deadly. Giant crabs, crabmen, andscrag scour the ruins for delicaciestrapped in tidal pools and debris fields.

Slarkrethel, a kraken, lairs in the sub-merged ruins, along with its allies �anillithid, a band of beautiful but evilnereids, a tribe of foul merrow (aquaticogre)� and its slaves, over 100 humanstrapped in air-filled ruins, some whohave lived here all their lives and neverseen the surface. For some unfathom-able purpose (undoubtably evil), thekraken has enslaved the folk of Trisk,and forced them to create the KrakenSociety, a spy network with agentsthroughout the North (See PowerGroups in Overview).

Vilkstead: The nutrient-rich waterssouth of Utheraal provide the Vilk-steaders with bountiful fish catches,more than enough for their own tables.They export large amounts of dried,smoked, salted, and pickled fish to Gun-darlun, which in turn ships it to citiesall across Faerun. They also produceVilksmaarg, a pungent, salty, herbedgoat cheese popular in Sword Coast tav-erns. Still, they remain poor becauseUtheraal pays Trisk a steep ransom toavoid conquest (and to keep frombecoming slaves of the kraken).

Ulf of Thuger: The folk of this townon Trisk fish and farm, but only enoughto put food in their mouths. Additionalneeds are met by piracy, includingattacks on other Northmen and pirateships . The rest of their e f forts gotoward recording and cataloging thedeluge of information that filters intothe island through the Kraken Societyspy network. Every year the task grows

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greater as more cities are enmeshed inthe kraken�s schemes.

Rauthym (ROO-uh-thim)Government: United Ruathym isruled by First Axe Aumark Lithyl. Dur-ing the war Aumark consolidated fourseparate kingdoms on the islands intoone.Largest Sett lement: R u a t h y m(5,000)Economy: Raiding, farming, mining,shipbuilding.Militia: First Axe Aumark commands500 warriors (many little more thanyouths) and has three 40-man longshipsand a single raker warship on loan fromHolgerstead. Ruathym�s navy wasdestroyed by Luskan.

The c i ty of Ruathym and manysmaller villages and steadings were allbut destroyed by Luskan in a recentwar. Much of the land�s wealth was loot-ed or put to the torch (though thefamous library, the Green Rooms, filledwith plundered books from a score ofgreat cities, was spared serious dam-age). Likewise, the invaders spared theHall of Black Waves, Umberlee�s temple.

Like Luskan, Ruathym thrives ontrade and piracy, looking the other wayas its warships attack merchant craft.Now and in the past, they have com-peted for the same �clientele.�

Rethgaard: Seafaring dwarves oflong ago built this stone fortress. Untilrecently, Rethgaard refused alliancewith Ruathym and actually sided withLuskan. Then it too was plundered byLuskan.

Holgerstead: Firs t Axe WedigarRuthmaald rules this United Ruathymsub-kingdom. I ts f ierce berserkersplayed a key part in the stunning blowdealt to the invaders.Inthar (Ruin): A ruined fortress sitsatop a rocky crag some 35 miles southof Rethgaard. Eerie green lights shinehere at night, silhouetting shadowyshapes as faint whispers float acrossthe waters. It is said that a hidden shaft

leads straight down to Hell. None knowits origin, but sailors of all lands avoidthis rock.

Tuern (TOORN)Government: Five Northman kings,who recognize High King ThrelkedIronfist of Uttersea as liege.Largest Sett lement: U t t e r s e a(2,000)Economy: Whaling, fishing, farming,diamond and admantite mining (whichthe Tuernish do not have the ability torefine or use in their own weapons).Militia: Each king has 1d3 longships,crewed by 50 warrior/archers.

Tuern is a rocky, but fertile land ofblack beaches and seething volcanoes.Conditions are harder on Tuern than onmany of the other outer islands, but theNorthmen here are among the wealthi-est in the North. The island�s vulcanismproduces two great treasures, huge dia-monds and the valuable ore from whichadamantite is refined (pure adamantiteis magically alloyed with iron to create+5 weapons and armor).

This same geothermal activity createsa perfect home for fire giants and reddragons in the crevass called FlameFault. The giants here are sea roverswho sail gargantuan long ships, butrarely raid farther east than Gun-darlun.

Flame Fault: Flame and smoke con-tinually belch from this deep crevassein the western mountains. The threered dragons of Flame Fault raid herdsfor food (though several kingdomsbring monthly tributes of cattle, fish,and slaves to placate the dragons� hun-ger and offerings of gold and gems tosalve their greed). The dragons rangefar and wide. Many islands sufferunder their attacks.

Throne Rock: This fortress is thesanctuary of High Artificer FizmorayenFitzmoran, an exiled cleric of Gond (N14th level). He dwells here with severaldwarves, human tinkerers and analchemist. Fizmorayen purchases ada-

mantite ore, then resells it to merchantsfrom Waterdeep. The castle usuallycontains several tons of valuable oreand is heavily protected by numerousglyphs of warding.

Uttersea: Uttersea is built into thesides of the collapsed caldera of anancient volcano whose high walls shieldthe town from all but the worst weath-er. Heat rising from deep geothermalactivity warms the town and the bay,actually boiling it in places. The bay ishome to species who normally wouldnot be found so far north, includinggiant octopi which dwell near the southshore and prey upon ships and fisher-men.

The WhalebonesGovernment: Dozens of petty kingsrule over one or more small islands.Garr Ulfsson of Finback is the mostpowerful, and often acts as a spokes-man.Largest Settlement: 205 peopledwell in Garrstead, the fortified lodg-ings of Garr Ulfsson on Finback island(the westernmost of the Whalebones).Economy: Whaling, fishing, farming,raiding.Militia: Each king has a long ship witha crew of 20 to 50 warriors.

The Whalebones are a collection of 50or more tiny islands (only the largestare shown on the fold-up map), most nolarger than a mile to two miles across.Finding a specific island often requiresa guide. The islands are grass-capped,rocky tables that rise 50 to 80 feetabove their gravel beaches on whitechalky cliffs. Northmen have lived herein tiny communities for centuries andthe beaches are littered with the bonesof countless whales (though many areused to construct sod longhouses).

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LOST LANDS, STRONGHOLDS, & RUINS

�2 Eleint. Once more, we are on theroad. Needless to say, Khelben �Black-staff� Arunsun was not pleased to findhis �old buddy Amelior� cluttering up hist o w e r ( w e h i t e v e r y f l e a m a r k e t i nWaterdeep on A.A.�s �research� trips).One morning we just woke up out inthe middle of nowhere, surrounded bypiles of junk, most of which I am nowcarrying. A.A. says we are about 70m i l e s e a s t o f W a t e r d e e p , n e a r s o m eplace called The House of Stone. I thinkwe�re lucky to still be on this plane.�

Lost LandsThough it has never been densely popu-lated, the North has seen numerousrealms rise to power, then disappearinto the mists of history, their deeds thestuff of legends, their ruins the seed-beds of adventure!

DelzounThe Northkingdom of the dwarves,named for its founder, Delzoun, is only

a shining memory. Once it stretchedfrom the Ice Mountains in the UtterNorth to the Nether Mountains in thesouth, bordered on the east by the Nar-row Sea (now vanished into the GreatDesert), and on the west by SilveryMoon Pass (east of present day Silvery-moon). The world was 2,000 yearsyounger then.

Delzoun was a rich and proud land,perhaps the height of dwarven power;its smiths crafted intricate and beauti-ful mechanisms to ease every task; thegreat dwarven families grew rich andfamous, and gold shown everywhereabout their persons and homes. Thedwarves ranged across the North,building holds for themselves. Theywere a happy people, but that is allgone now and much of their labor restsin orcish hands.

Today Citadel Adbar guards the rich-est mines known to the dwarves andorcs menace the dwarves on all sides.Ruins like Ascore and Ghaurin�s Man-sion hint at the lost glory of Delzoun.

EaerlannThis elven realm once controlled theeastern High Forest (see chapter 8).

The Fallen KingdomThis vanished realm was a short-livedeffort to stem the demi-human declinein the North by uniting the remainingelves of Eaerlann, the dwarves outsideof Delzoun and humans in a commonrealm. Though noble in purpose, it nev-er had a solid unity and was smashedout of existence by the repeated attacksof vast orc hordes. Even so, the orcswere slaughtered too and driven backnorth for many generations. The Mereof Dead Men (see chapter 7) is the site ofthe last clash of this conflict.

The Kingdom had many names, butthe �real one� is lost with time. Now theterm �The Fallen Kingdom� refers tothe rolling wilderlands due east ofWaterdeep. Present day remnantsi n c l u d e A r d e e p f o r e s t , C a s t l eZundbridge, the ruins of The Stone

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House, and the predecessor to the townof Secomber.

IllefarnLike Eaerlann in the east, this ancientelven realm left little mark of its pass-ing. Illefarn existed in the forest thatonce stood where Waterdeep does now(only the Ardeepforest now remains).The growing concentration of humansin the North drove out the elves of Ille-farn long ago.

NetherilLong ago, even as elves record time,this realm of men lay east of the Delim-biyr, stretching from the Nether Moun-tains in the north to Evereska in thesouth, and east to the Narrow Sea,whose shores ran southeast from theport of Ascore for hundreds of miles(before it became the Great Desert).

Netheril was a realm of wizards, andmany wondrous magical items werecrafted here. Yet even these masters ofmagic could not save their own land.When the titanic efforts of the Netherilmages were ineffective against theadvancing desert, those wizards fledthe land on wondrous magical carpets,wings, and steeds, leaving lesser folkbehind to survive as best they could.The desert advanced and Netherilbecame but another notation in historyas refugees fled westward into elvenEaerlann, southward to what wouldbecome Baldur�s Gate and northwardinto dwarven Delzoun.

The cities of Ascalhorn (HellgateKeep), Sundabar, Karse (ruins in theHigh Forest), Silverymoon, Llorkh,Illusk (now Luskan) and Gauntlgrym(lost somewhere in the Spine of theWorld) were founded by refugees fromNetheril.

According to the best estimations ofsages, Netheril was the earliest humancivilization in the North and was at itsheight some 4,000 years ago only to beabandoned some 1,000 to 3,000 yearslater. However, there is no solid evi-dence to support an exact date.

Dekanter, near Weathercote Wood, isthe only documented ruin of th isancient land�though it has been thor-oughly stripped of its ancient treasures.In all likelihood, others exist, hidden inthe Fallen Lands, the Graypeaks, theGreat Desert, or the Far Forest.

Strongholds, Ruins &DungeonsStrongholds are fortresses, castles,dwarfholds, and towers. Too small to becalled towns or cities, they are oftenhome to powerful lords and theirtroops.

Ruins are relics from the past, nowabandoned and crumbling into the dustof history. In the North, most are infest-ed with orcs and monsters. Many stillcontain untouched burial chambersand treasure vaults of ancient races...and the guardians that they left behind.

The adventurers� term �dungeon� isused generically to refer to the under-ground remnants of dwarfholds, suchas Mithril Hall, the Hall of Four Ghosts,and the Stronghold of the Nine; or evenlost cities like Karse and Ascarle.

AscoreOnce a thriving port on the Narrow sea,Ascore served as the gateway to thedwarven nation of Delzoun. Here,humans, dwarves and elves conductedtrade with nat ions l ike Eaer lann,Netheril, Nimbral and Myth Drannor.Now it is sand-swept ruins with mightystone docks thrust proudly into theadvancing desert. The empty hulks ofcolossal stone ships lie half-covered inthe desert beyond, the remnants of lostDelzoun�s dwarven navy.

From the west, an ancient road leadsto the cliffs above Ascore. Here, a pairof gigantic stone griffon statues crouch-es, grimly guarding the dark, yawningentrance to Ascore�a door in a hill thatleads down into the rock before exitinginto the ruins at the base of the cliff.

GAME INFORMATION: The ruins ofAscore are said to contain great trea-

sure. Yet even the orcs avoid the city. Itmay have something to do with the cir-cle of 13 tall, five-sided red pyramids inthe heart of the ruins. Whatever, some-thing evil lurks in Ascore, somethingthat has been here for 2,000 years...waiting.

Desert creatures like dunestalkersand pernicon are found here, as well asmany kinds of undead.

Castle of IllusionWhen lost Ascalhorn was in its prime,droll little Fitzmilliyun Sparkledrim, apowerful gnome illusionist from thelost Shinglefell Gnome Burrow, builtthe Castle of Illusion in the Fell Pass. Hecrafted grand puzzles like Milliyun�sMirror Maze, the Crystal Cube and TenDoors, No-Way-Out around, within, andbelow the castle, combining mechanicalgimmickery with magical illusions tofool even the most perceptive. Within acentury of Sparkledrim�s death, greedyorcs overran the castle and put itsinhabitants to the sword. No treasurewas ever found, but the illusions drovethe orcs mad.

The castle sat empty for centuries,protected by its illusions. It is now occu-pied by dour MacBec Maclyon (NE 12thlevel magic-user). MacBec and his min-ions (orcs, of course) have sealed off thelower mines.

GAME INFORMATION: MacBec�s fol-lowers number 30, including a 4th levelmagic-user, a 6th level fighter body-guard, and a 3d level orcish witch doc-tor.

The puzzles to be found here includea hall of mirrors (possibly with a mirrorof lifetrapping and a mirror of opposi-tion built into it), a 10-foot cube ofapparently indestructible crystal inwhich valuable treasure can be seen,along with at least three skeletons, anda room with ten doors that appears tospin each time a door is opened. Onlyone door leads out, the rest releaset r a p s o r m a g i c a l g u a r d i a n s . T h egnomes� treasures are all hidden in thepuzzles and traps.

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The Crumbling StairsIn all likelihood, a fine mansion oncestood here, harking back to good timesduring the years of the Fallen Kingdom.Now, only this marble stair and amouldering foundation remain. A ghostor haunt is said to lurk in the ruinsaround the stair.

The Dungeon of Death

This ruined dwarfhold at the headwa-ters of the Shining Creek is not lightlynamed. Many believe the ruins to becursed, for the dungeon depths seem todemand a toll of blood and lives fromthose who pry into its secrets�it�s arare adventuring band which returnsfrom here with a l l members s t i l lbreathing. The Dungeon of Death wasonce a dwarven gem mine. The upperlevels, the old dwarven habitats openonto a deep lava �bubble.� Here thedwarves mined diamonds, rubies,emeralds and other gems. The bubble isquite deep and even the dwarves neverdelved into its greatest depths.

GAME INFORMATION: The above-ground ruins are patrolled by barbari-ans of the Blue Bear tribe, personalservants of the evil annis Tanta Hagara.Hagara provides human victims for theyoung Nabassu demons who lair in thedungeon. The Nabassu are surroundedby ghouls, ghasts, and shadows of theircreation.

The Dungeon of the Hark�The Hark� is the name of the leader ofa were-rat bandit gang operating out ofthese ruins. They attack travelers onthe Delimbiyr River, then retreat to thedungeon. If attacked in their strong-hold, the rat men retreat farther intothe subterranean complex below theruins, where more fearsome things aresaid to lie in wait.

GAME INFORMATION: The Hark, a5th level were-rat thief, leads a band of15 were-rats, mostly thieves and fight-ers. Above-ground, they live in recon-

structed houses that were once quitefine. Below ground, they can retreatthrough territory controlled by Xuchal-lit, a roper, and about a dozen ogres.The roper is an agent of the illithidBeast Lord on a long-term assignment.

The Dungeon of the RuinsUnlike most ancient dwarfholds, thisruin is primarily above ground. Passingbarbarian hunters have noted �greatfrog-like forms� dancing around hugepyres amidst the ruins.

The Endless CavernsThese are deep caverns in the center ofthe High Forest (see chapter 8).

The ForkThe Fork is located at the �Y� where thetrail east from Sundabar splits to gonorth and east. Here are found ruins (amossy foundation) of the mansion ofthe ancient dwarven hero Ghaurin.Legend says that when the heavens areright, the air shimmers and the man-sion reappears as it was so long ago, giv-ing Ghaurin a chance to r ight anancient mistake.

GateAs its name suggests, the ruins of Gatehide a gate between planes. The under-ground gate takes the form of animmense black cube, with a single door.Inside, a number of colored stone slabsare doorways to other planes, includingseveral alternate Prime Material Planes.

GAME INFORMATION: Gate i sguarded by powerful bugbears in theservice of Zythalarlr, a smallish behold-er, which fancies itself as �the gatekeep-er� or just �the keeper.�

GauntlgrymGauntlgrym is a large underground citybuilt by dwarves of Delzoun for men inthe early years of an amicable existenceof dwarves, elves, and men in the North(long before the Fallen Kingdom). It is

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now abandoned and holds great riches.All who have heard the ballads andtales of bards in the North know this,but the location of this potential trea-sure trove is long lost. Even dwarvesonly know that it lies north of the Des-sarin and its tributaries, near the valleyof Khedrun.

Adventurers returned to Waterdeepin triumph with news of Gauntlgrym�sdiscovery a season ago, then set outonce more to recover its treasures, andhave not been heard from since.

GAME INFORMATION: Gauntlgrymhoused 30,000 men and dwarves in itsday. Now, not even goblin races dwellhere. Dripping water echoes eerilythroughout the cold empty halls bro-ken infrequently by the wails of ban-shees. Gauntlgrym touches on theDeepearth rea lms and a powerfulillithid (mindflayer) clan controls partof the city.

Although the way is long and deadly,Gauntlgrym also connects with GreatWorm Caverns, which house the ances-tor mound of the Great Worm Uthgardttribe.

The Hall of Four GhostsThis ruined dwarfhold draws its namefrom its sole standing building, thegreat hall of the lord�s palace. The hall ishaunted by four ghosts, tragic loverswho caused each other�s deaths.

The citadel here was a lumberingtown, harvesting mighty trees from theHigh Forest for dwarves throughoutthe North. The everpresent dwarvenmine tunnels burrow deep beneath theHigh Forest. Giant trolls are known tolair here along with their normal rela-tives.

GAME INFORMATION: The Hall ofFour Ghosts connects with a vast tunnelcomplex that extends for tens of milesbeneath the western High Forest. Thiscomplex is mostly unexplored, but isknown to connect with caves in theDessarin and Unicorn Run river val-leys. Clusters of rooms were once

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dwarven camps, but many tunnels pre-date even the Hall of Four Ghosts.

Halls of the Hunting AxeThe tumbled stones of this ancientdwarfhold are visible from atop theStone Bridge. This colony of Delzounsuccumbed to ruin long before itsh o m e l a n d d i s a p p e a r e d . T h e f e wcathedral-like halls that do stand haveno equal in the North. Fragments of col-ored glass amidst the rubble hint at thestained glass that may have adorned thetowering windows.

Hellgate KeepIn ancient days, when the elven king-dom of Eaerlann began to suffer underorc attacks from the north, and thehuman kingdom of Netheril to the eastacross the Graypeak Mountains waspassing away under the onslaught ofthe Great Desert, the elves built a greatfortress in the head-valley of the riverDelimbiyr. The fortress commandedTurnstone Pass to the northwest anddefended their own northern border.Upon its completion, the elves turnedover the citadel, and its task of defend-ing against orcs, to human refugeesfrom Netheril.

T h e f o r t i f i e d c i t y , k n o w n a sAscalhorn (it was built on a jutting cragknown as Ascal�s Horn), was thought ofas another Myth Drannor. Over hun-dreds of years of success, followed by ageneration of peace when no orcscame, the city�s people grew proud andsplendid. Their wizards nearly attainedthe power and skill of their Nethereseforebears. Possibly they planned torecapture the splendor and power ofNetheril or even Myth Drannor�butsucceeded only in destroying them-selves.

One ambitious dabbler in sorcerynamed Wulgreth (possibly the Wul-greth who destroyed Karse) opened agate to the Nine Hells in secret, seeking

ly as schemers and go-betweens ,subverting many mages to embracelichdom, then rising to torture anddevour the citizenry with cruel ease. Indesperation, many turned to arcanelore books and summoned demonkindto battle the servants of the Hells�astrategy that worked far too well, ash o r d e s o f d e m o n s p o u r e d i n t oAscalhorn and overwhelmed humans,devils, and liches alike (a few lichesremain as servants, intrepid adventur-ers report).

Ascalhorn became a ghoul-hold,guarded by cambion troops, and ruledby at least one Type VI demon. Thecity�s troops are commanded by adeathknight, who leads or directs manypatrols in the surrounding lands. Thecity, now known as Hellgate Keep, isshunned by men. Human and dwarvenforces have failed on several occasionsto take the city, but the evil troops havebeen likewise rebuffed in attacks onCitadel Adbar, Sundabar, and Silvery-moon. Those cities, reinforced by theopen city of Everlund, hold TurnstonePass, albeit shakily, against HellgateKeep�s forces to prevent uncheckedattacks throughout the North by theKeep�s armies.

GAME INFORMATION: Grintharke,the type VI demon who rules here, wasonce the master of a city at the base of adead volcano (later called the Great Pitof Northending) during the age of dino-saurs on another world. He brought hisspecial pets with him: magically modi-fied pterosaurs with manticore-like tailspikes. Shan Nikkoleth, the deathknightcommander, also has an other-worldlyorigin.

The forces of Hellgate Keep scour thewilderness for treasure for their mas-ter and the Keep has become a store-house for the treasure of many lostrealms.

Helm�s Hold

eight winters ago by a retired memberof the famed Company of Crazed Ven-turers (of Waterdeep), the monasterywas first a single farm known as Helm�sStead. It has grown greatly, and beenfortified (hence its name) against banditand monster attacks, and now numberssome 700 devout worshippers of Helm.The founder, Dumal Erad, became theWhite Master of Dragons by defeatingIltmul at the Citadel of Mists (see chap-ter 8).

The Herald�s HoldfastWest of S i lverymoon is the spel l -guarded citadel of Old Night, one of thefive High Heralds of western Faerun.The Herald�s Holdfast is an invaluablelibrary of heraldry and genealogy ofknown human, dwarven, elven, half-ling, and gnomish peoples as far back asrecords can be traced. It is said to be aninvincible fortress, respected by bothgood and evil races of the North�evendetails of the histories and badges ofgoblinkind are said to be preservedwithin its walls.

The House of StoneThis sprawling ruin is said to be a relic ofthe Fallen Kingdom. Although it is nearlyas large as a small town, it seems to be asingle building. Hundreds of rooms, atri-ums, halls, temples, and towers are inter-connected in a maze-like manner. Somechambers are open to the sky, others areroofed over, while still more are crum-bled ruins. Stairs, shafts and wellsdescend to subterranean areas. Mostrooms contain lifelike statues of men,elves, orcs, and minotaurs.

The House seems to operate in somekind of reverse time effect. Rather thancrumbling to rubble, ruined areasrebuild themselves unaided and roomconnections constantly change.

The adventurer Kelvin Nikkelbanedescribed a vast undergound room thatcontained a forest of enormous silvery

aid, and received it. The city was slowly Southeast of Neverwinter lies an iso- trees and another is said to have seeninfiltrated by devils, at first only as ser- lated monastery, dedicated to the wor- spectral images of elves, dwarves, andvitors, quiet and quick, but subsequent- ship of the god Helm. Founded some men flitting about the rooms.

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KarseKarse is a ruined cityForest (see chapter 8).

within the High

Kelvin�s CairnThis lone peak in Icewind Dale risesabove an odd valley in the tundra whichcontains a dwarfhold. Here, a small,dwindling clan of dwarves, the descen-dants of refugees from Mithril Hall,mine beneath the tundra for miles in alldirections. Only 250 or so dwarvesremain, under the leadership of Grim-feld Silverstrike, a former miner whoacts as regent, ruling in place of hispredecessor, Bruenor Battlehammer.The entrances to the dwarfhold areknown only to the dwarves and those towhom they reveal it.

The Lonely TowerFrom the top of this tall white tower, itis possible to glimpse the glacier far tothe north. The Lonely Tower is thedwelling of Ssessibil Istahvar a power-ful archmage and his small entourage.Ssessibil seeks solitude from humanitywhich he both fears and loathes. Here,he conducts magical experiments andmanufactures potions and magicalitems. A small army of orcs keeps visi-tors away.

It is difficult for wizards of Ssessebil�spower to keep their whereaboutsentirely secret, yet he manages quitewell. Rumor has it that Ssessebil is notas human as he appears.

GAME INFORMATION: Ssessebil is a27th level, LE magic-user. The towerhas no visible entrance. In fact, it hasonly four internal rooms connected bymagical �airlock-type� doors. An ele-mental being and enough of its elementto make it truly dangerous guards eachroom. One contains earth, another fire,the third water and the final one air. Inthe air room, a pool of silvery liquid(like mercury) acts as a gate which Sses-sebil uses to travel to and from his truehome on an alternate Prime Plane(where most normally non-sentient

creatures are intelligent and can castspells of low level). The predominantlife form is a giant cat-like reptilianbiped�Ssessebil�s true form.

Ssessebil has a vast selection ofpotions, at least one of each listed in theDMG and Unearthed Arcana. Ssessebildwells in Faerun to obtain supplies forhis potions, things not readily found inhis home plane.

Mines of MirabarMirabar is the chief mining city of thenorthern Sword Coast. The mountainsand hills around the city are pockedwith countless mine shafts. Each majormine entrance is fortified and defendedyear-round by troops loyal to the mine�smerchant owners.

Mithril HallLocated somewhere in the northeast-ern mountains, this dwarfhold is said tohave the richest deposits of mithrilknown in the North. The dwarves ofMithril Hall were forced out 175 yearsago by �dark creatures� when they dugtoo deep and their mines opened upondark, seemingly endless caverns. Whenthey fled, their gold, silver, and mithriltreasures stayed behind. The chambersof Mithril Hall are always poorly illu-med by flickering torches or enchanteddevices.

G A M E I N F O R M A T I O N : S h i m -mergloom, the greatest shadow dragonin Faerun (a large Great Wyrm with 11pips per die), claimed Mithril Hall whenthe dwarves broke in upon his domain.Unl ike others of h is k ind, Shim-mergloom is surrounded by an entou-rage of shadowy followers, includingshadows, drelbs, shades, shadow mas-tiffs, a shadow demon, and a tribe ofenslaved derro. Shimmergloom is clev-er and his forces attack with guile, notbrute strength.

Morueme�s CaveMorueme is the clan name for a familyof blue dragons who have laired in this

cavern complex for over a thousandyears. Usually a family grouping ofthree to six dragons dwell here. KizzapMorueme, the eldest, is a very olddragon. He lives with a younger mateand two adult offspring�each dragonhas its own lair and jealously guardedt r e a s u r e w i t h i n t h e c a v e s . T h eMorueme clan has a particular hatredof orcs, ogres, and the creatures ofHellgate Keep. They judiciously avoidm a n k i n d , b u t c o n s i d e r o r c s a n ddemons fair and entertaining game.

G A M E I N F O R M A T I O N : A l lMorueme dragons can speak and usemagic. Their spell selection is usuallyexotic, taken from ancient Nethereseand Ascorian spell books in their trea-sure (including at least one page of theNether Scrolls). In addition to thedragons, the treasure is guarded byhobgoblin mercenaries of the Red Flay-ers tribe, who have served the dragonsfor generations. The hobgoblins live ina small fortified encampment outsidethe caves, protected by catapults andballistae.

The Nameless DungeonThis is an elven ruin in the High Forest(see entry in chapter 8).

The Ruins of DekanterMore correctly, these are the Mines ofDekanter, the only known ruins of lostNetheril. In ancient days, the mines ofDekanter provided that realm withiron. As the mines were worked out,Netherese mages u s e d t h e m f o rresearch, to isolate the effects of newspells and to store magical paraphernal-ia. When Netheril fell, all was aban-d o n e d , b e c o m i n g a n e x t e n s i v ecrumbling ruin surrounded by low hills(talus piles from the mines). Above theh i l l s , g a p i n g h o l e s a n d h i d d e nentrances open on the dark mysterieswithin.

The magic that once filled Dekanter islong depleted. It now serves as home togoblins, gargoyles... and others.

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GAME INFORMATION: A tribe of weathered, and lonely reminder ofover 200 goblins (75 males) and 30 huge ancient days long gone. Bui l t bywolves lives in the mines, led by their dwarves over five thousand years agochieftain Ghistspok. The tribe ranges to link the now-ruined Halls of theeast of the Graypeak Mountains, avoid- Hunting Axe with now-forgotten dwar-ing Llorkh and Loudwater. Gargoyles ven holds to the Northwest ( l ikela i r in the ruins , which are a lso Southkrypt). The loo-foot-wide bridgepatrolled by bands of monster zombies was built to span the broadest imagina-and mongrel men. A portion of the ble spring flood and rises in a great arcmines are the lair of the Beast Lord, the some two miles long and 400 feet highfolk-name for a magic-user who creates above the wates of the Dessarin�and breeds unnatural monsters like without supporting pillars. Equallybulet te , s tegocent ipedes , peryton, impressive are the four pylon-likebeholders, and so forth. This new Beast sculptures, two flanking each end ofLord is an illithid, a powerful mind flay- the bridge, that rise 500 above the val-er who seeks to build an army of crea- ley. Each weathered pylon depicts atures to aid it in conquering part of the grim, wary dwarven warrior, waiting,dark realms of the Deepearth. watching.

The Ruins of Iniarv�s TowerA ruined fortress located on the HighRoad between Waterdeep and Leilon, itwas destroyed in the final orc assaultagainst the Fallen Kingdom. It is saidthat on the anniversary of that battle,ghostly defenders walk the battlementswaiting for allies who never come.Though the tower is usually uninhabit-ed, attempts by the Lords� Alliance torebuild it always end in failure.

The dwarves explain the awesomesize of the bridge and its continued sur-vival, despite armies clashing on it andmages hurling mighty spells to andfrom it, over the years�to the fact thatit was built in homage to Moradin theSoulforger, and is in fact a temple tohim. It is true that some lawful gooddwarves do make pilgrimages there,and that at least once in times of dark-n e s s f o r t h e d w a r v e s , M o r a d i nappeared on the bridge.

Southkrypt The Stronghold of the Nine

This abandoned dwarf-hold east ofLeilon is the lair of many strange anddangerous creatures. Adventurersprobing the upper levels have encoun-tered norkers and bands of raveninggibberlings. Deeper forays have uncov-ered xaren, vilstrak, vargouilles andstoropers.

An ancient dwarfhold in the High For-est now controlled by former adventur-ers (see chapter 8).

GAME INFORMATION: In additionto the creatures mentioned, the lowerhalls of Southkrypt are lair to a vampirehill giant shaman (6th level) and histhree vampire hill giant slaves.

The Stone Bridge

The Tower of TwilightOn the eastern edge of the NeverwinterWoods, a day�s ride west of Longsaddle,stands The Tower Twilight. This lonetower rises from an island in a smalllake that drains into the woods to thewest. The Tower is home to MalchorHarpell, an 18th level, NG magic-user, aformer aide of Khelben �Blackstaff�Arunsun (a Lord of Waterdeep). Mal-chor often trains lesser magic users�for a fee.

Surrounded by rolling grasslands with-out a road or building visible as far asthe eye can see, this high, massive stonearch spans the River Dessarin, a stark,

Tulrun�s TentTowering above the trees of northernforests on five enchanted stone legs, thehome of the reclusive 25th level arch-mage Tulrun avoids unwelcome visi-tors. Tulrun�s Tent consists of a stoneplatform large enough to hold a smallgaily colored silken tent nestled withina dozen gnarly oaks. Inside, the tent ismuch, much larger than it appears. Itis possible to wander its elegant corri-dors for hours and never see a familiarhall or chamber.

ZundbridgeThis double-walled castle, situated on arocky outcropping above the rivergorge southeast of Waterdeep, guardsthe High Road bridge across the RiverDessarin. An inner wall protects thegarrison buildings and an outer encir-cles a vast field where caravans restwhile being inspected by Waterdeepcustoms officers. Most trading costersown permanent �yards� here for theircaravans. The outer bailey�s north gateopens onto a drawbridge, controlledfrom within the gate towers.

�Judge� Kazardun, a former dwarv-ish mercenary (7th level, LG fighter),commands the Waterdeep troops here.He is the Lord�s Alliance law as farsouth as Daggerford and east to Secom-ber. Zundbridge is home to the RedRune Inn, claimed by many to make thefinest shalass (fish) stew in all Faerun.

�9 Eleint. Near Secomber Have tradedall A. A.�s Waterdeep junk to an oddgroup o f adventurers who ca l l them-selves the Fellowship of the Hall. I guessthe stuff was valuable. I don�t think theold dwarf or the drow bought my storyabout needing help to return a stolenstatue , but they agreed to take i t toSecomber anyway. St i l l don� t knowwhat I �m going to do with Amel iorw h e n I g e t h i m b a c k h o m e . M a y b estand him up in the garden for a fewmonths while I finish his book.�

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RIVERS, MOUNTAINS, AND ROUGH LANDS

�1 Marpenoth. The house and lab werei n s h a m b l e s u p o n o u r r e t u r n , w i t hclothing, chairs, a n d l a b e q u i p m e n tstrewn everywhere in a chaotic fash-ion. I breathed a sigh of relief to see thatthings were as we had left them. I planto bring A. A. in from the garden beforea hard frost h i ts , though i t seems ashame to disappoint the pigeons. Can�tfind any stone to flesh potions. Laeral ofthe Nine usual ly has qui te a f ew onhand. After I finish next chapter, I�llmake a trip up into the High Forest andvisit her in the Stronghold.�

ArdeepforestOnce a district of the Fallen Kingdomand before that part of the vast forestthat was elven Illefarn, this wood isnow home to a small clan of elderlymoon elves, adventurers who chose toremain behind when their brethrencrossed over the sea to Evermeet.

G A M E I N F O R M A T I O N : A w e l l -manicured clearing in the Ardeepforestsurrounded by unusually tall and thick-trunked elms is a relic of ancient Ille-farn. The refreshing glade radiatesconstant protection from evil and it isalways spring here, regardless of theseason. Cure disease spells cast heregain a +1 bonus.

Elves feel an incredible, restful auraof peace here, but other races can only

vaguely sense the clearing�s calmness.Non-magical wood brought into theglade will come alive and magicallybegin to sprout leaves and roots.

Berun�s HillThis local landmark is a bare-topped,conical hill that commands a splendidview of the valley of the river Dessarinto the east. This lookout has often beenused in times of trouble to watch foradvancing orc or barbarian tribes com-ing down from the north and east. It isnamed for the famous ranger Berun,who met his end here at the hands ofsuch a horde. He failed to stop the orcs,but slew over 300 singlehandedlybefore he was overwhelmed. Banditswatch here for the approach of likelyvictims. Northern legend has it that adwarven tomb lies under the hill, richin golden armor and treasures, butnone has ever found it, and dwarvesknow nothing more of it than legend.

Blackraven RiverThis tributary of the River Mirar flowsout of canyons in the foothills of TheWall and is named for the gigantic rav-ens said to lair at its headwaters. Black-raven raiders, mounted on giganticravens will not allow outsiders upriverwhere their ancestor mounds lie.

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Bleached Bones PassThis pass once connected Dekanterwith Illefarn to the west, but few use itnow. The pass draws its name frompiles of sun-whitened bones that linethe trail. Numerous small, crude orcstrongholds dot the slopes of the pass,warring constantly with one another.

The Cold RunFrom the Iceflow north to IcewindDale, this bleak tundra is home to rein-deer, wolves, tundra yeti, and a few IceHunter villages which cling to the rockycoast. Warm winds off the Trackless Seabring a mild summer to the Run, butcome winter those same winds shriekbitter, deadly cold.

The Cold WoodThis pine, spruce, and birch forest is allbut untouched by humankind. Snowcats (red tigers), ettin, and orcs roamthe wood. The Cold Wood is the usualsite of Tulrun�s Tent, a wizard�s strong-hold.

The CragsThese hills south of Mirabar, infestedwith goblins, hobgoblins and bugbears,contain the worked-out mines that orig-inally brought men to the area.

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Dawntreader GapThis pass through the Graypeaks east ofLlorkh is regularly traveled by Zhen-tarim caravans. It is steeper and moredemanding than Bleached Bones Pass tothe south, but it is easier to defend. Agarrison of 30 purple-cloaked �Lord�sMen� from Llorkh guard here.

Dead Horse FordThis ford across the Dessarin near theHigh Wood draws its name from a bat-tle fought here in which the hero Des-tril Longtracker had three horses slainbeneath him.

Dead Orc PassA steep, rocky gorge northeast of Sun-dabar. The River Rauvin roars throughhere in a series of cataracts, rapids, andfalls, filling the valley with mist andmaking the narrow trails wet and slip-pery. The orc-king Graul is thought tohave his stronghold here.

Delimbiyr, the River ShiningThis clear, cool river forms the easternand southern boundaries of the HighForest as it runs over a thousand milesfrom its headwaters in the Nether Mou-tains to the sea west of Daggerford. TheRiver Shining is fast-flowing with mint-sweet, drinkable water and is home tomany szorp: brown, trout-like fishwith tasty white flesh. It is navigablefrom its mouth to Loudwater, and fromabove the Shining Falls to its headwa-ters.

The Desert�s EdgeParched scrublike growth along theedge of the Great Desert often hidesruins, relics and desperate creatureswaiting for their next meal.

Dessarin, RiverThe cold and deep River Dessarin flowsinto the sea south of Waterdeep atZundbridge. Its waters are home to thesilver shalass, fish that are a delicacy

across the North. The Dessarin itselfrises in the Lost Mountains, isolatedpeaks on the western High Forest. TheDessarin is bridged at Zundbridge andat The Stone Bridge farther north. It isfordable at Ironford and Dead HorseFord east of Yartar.

The Dessarin is fed by many otherrivers and streams. Its network, whichincludes the �Laughingflow,� the icyRiver Surbrin, and the River Rauvin, isgenerally navigable through most of itslength. A small boat can take travelersfrom the sea all the way to the icy fallseast of Dead Orc Pass. The Dessarinitself can be negotiated to Dancing Fallsat the base of the Lost Peaks. The upperreaches of the network form a vast,open, grassy basin, rising in the eastinto the Evermoors.

The Evermoors(Trollmoors)Also known as the �Trollmoors,� thisbarren upland area still shows the scarsof the huge bonfires set to burn thecorpses of the trolls, or �everlastingones,� that once roamed here in hordes.Trolls still lurk in the hills and bogs, butnot in vast numbers as of old.

The Fallen LandsThis is the present-day name for thestrip of uninhabitable land west ofAnauroch, stretching between �the FarForests� (now overrun by evil thingsout of Hellgate Keep) and WeathercoteWood. This was once a part of the realmof Netheril, a kingdom of mages whofled when they could not stem theexpansion of the Great Desert. TheFallen Lands are now home only tomonsters, though rumors persist ofgreat mages inhabiting its southernreaches, hurling back the fiends ofHellgate Keep with their art. Adventur-ers have seen a beholder of awesomesize here, directing hobgoblin servantsto capture monstrous beasts.

At the eastern edge of the FallenLands, shifting desert sands haveuncovered a ring of nine gigantic

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statues who are apparently peeringdown into a wide hole of unknown pur-pose.

�The Far Forests�Once, this was a fair wood of healthytrees and frolicing forest creatures.Now it is the lair of fiendish, other-planar creatures from Hellgate Keep.The trees themselves have taken onhorrific aspect, parodies of the mon-sters who stalk their gloomy glades.

�The Fell Pass�This pass through a southern spur ofthe Spine of the World was the site of adesperate battle between orcs and thedwarven army of Delzoun. Now, mostfolk avoid it if they can, for it is hauntedby ghosts, haunts, and apparitions ofthe warriors who died here.

Goblintide RiverThis branch of the Surbrin is named fora long-ago battle in which goblincorpses drifted downriver for weeks.Chillingly beautiful cold nymphs frolicin the waters here, garbed in simpletunics bedecked with gems and gold.

Graypeak MountainsThis eastern mountain range separatesthe Fallen Lands from the Delimbiyrriver valley. The range is named for thetribes of gray-skinned stone giants whodwell here. Its mineral wealth wasremoved thousands of years past dur-ing the reign of lost Netheril.

The Great DesertAnauroch, the Great Desert, is a barrenwasteland that forms the eastern bor-der of the Savage Frontier�a vast massof steppeland, rocky wastes and sandydesert that runs from the UttermostNorth almost to the lake of Dragons.Over the millennia, it has crept south,s w a l l o w i n g t h e N a r r o w S e a a n ddestroying ancient civilizations. Desertcreatures and monsters often wanderinto the eastern fringes of the Savage

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Frontier. Nomad tribes from the desertvisit Sundabar and Llorkh on occasion,though such visits are few. The men ofthe desert often trade for goods withrelics of ancient design.

The High ForestThis giant forest, its contents and occu-pants are described beginning on p. 49.

The High MoorThough it is mostly outside the North,stonecutters from Secomber occasion-ally uncover ancient tombs here. Thelast crypt discovered yielded a suit ofmithril chainmail +4 and a sun blade,but not before mummies within it slewtwo unlucky stone masons.

The High RoadThis carefully maintained highway con-nects Waterdeep with Nevrerwinter,Port Llast, and Luskan to the north, andextends to Baldur�s Gate and beyond inthe south. It is heavily patrolled byforces of the Lords� Alliance.

The Ice FlowThis chilling, fast-rushing river thun-ders down out of the icy interior of theSword Coast�s northernmost extent,marking the beginning of the Cold Run.Its unnavigable waters are just abovefreezing and travel at terrifying speedthrough a great ice gorge. In spring andhigh summer, great slabs of ice breakoff the gorge walls and fall into thewater, shattering with the force of a tri-ple strength ice storm, spraying thevicinity with boulders of broken ice.These chunks are swept down thegorge and out to sea, to drift south amidgreat icebergs from the Sea of MovingIce. Remorhaz are known to lair nearbyand great horrors known as �ice orsnow spiders� have also been encoun-tered.

No rich ores have been found here,but there are persistent rumors ofincredibly ancient ruins and buriedriches in secret places in the gorge.

The Ice MountainsThis snowcapped range far to thenortheast contains the remnants ofdwarven power in the North, CitadelAdbar and the underground realm ofAdbarrim. Few humans are foundhere, other than the wild hunters of theRed Tiger (snow cat) barbarian tribe ormerchants from Sundabar. Frost giants,orcs, verbeeg, devil dogs, remorhaz, icelizards and white dragons dwell here. Itis said that an ancient silver dragon andhis bronze dragon companion roam themountains in the guise of an old hunterand his hound.

Icewind DaleIn this bleak tundra is the farthest bas-t ion of c iv i l izat ion in the SavageFrontier, a loose confederation of 10towns and villages known collectivelyas the Ten Towns (see chapter 4). Thetowns are located on or near the threedeadly-cold lakes of Maer Dualdon, LacDinneshere and Redwaters, the habitato f t h e k n u c k l e h e a d t r o u t ( f o u n dnowhere else in Faerun). The tundra ofthe Dale is surrounded by ice, withhigh-walled glaciers to the east and theSea of Moving Ice to the west and north.

Icewind Dale is home to a few tribesof tundra barbarians, reindeer, polarbears, wolves, elk, the fierce tundrayeti, and a white dragon or two.

IronfordThis ford across the Dessarin is not aparticularly shallow or easy crossing.The Bargewright Inn is located here.

�Laughingflow�The original elven name for this tribu-tary of the Surbrin has been lost; onlyits rough translation survives. TheLaughingflow drains the southernEvermoors, its happy name a stark con-trast to the bleak barrens along itscourse. The Riders of Nesmé maintain anumber of palisade and earthworksbase camps along its banks and call theriver by their own name: �Trollflow.�

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The Lonely MoorSouth of Weathercote Wood, this deso-late dusty waste of scrub and rockstretches from the Great Desert to thefoothills of the Graypeaks. Here can befound the ruins of Dekanter, leucrottaand worse monsters, and secretiveZhentarim caravans enroute to Llorkh.

The Long RoadThis less-traveled road connects Mira-bar in the far north with Longsaddle,Triboar and Waterdeep to the south.Although it is regularly patrolled bytroops from Waterdeep, bandit raidsare frequent and they always seem toknow what goods are carried and thedefenses to be encountered in mer-chant caravans.

Mere of Dead MenThis vast salt swamp stretches alongthe shore of the Sword Coast for over a100 miles, reaching inland over 30 milesat its greatest width. It is a desolate,foetid, insect-infested place, seldom vis-ited by men and home to numerousdeadly creatures.

The Mere of Dead Men was namedfor the thousands of men, elves, anddwarves of the Fallen Kingdom whowere slain here when orc hordes rout-ed them here from the present-day siteof Triboar.

Travelers on the High Road, whichskirts the Mere to the east, have beenknown to travel for three days andnights without stopping to avoid camp-ing near the Mere. Will-o-(the)-wispsbobbing over the Mere are a commonsight at night from the High Road.

Tales are told of floating islands, ofeerie pools of magical aspect, of lizardmen commanded by liches, and even ofa penanggalan of monstrous size thathaunts the area. Understandably, fewfolk are moved to investigate the dark,scummy waters of the Mere to learn thedire truths for themselves.

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River MirarThis icy, unnavigable river races southfrom the Spine of the World, tumblesthrough rapids in the Valley Khedrun,swirls rapidly past grim Mirabar and itscountless mines until it at last reachesthe port city of Luskan in the IlluskFjord. It is the site of the annual MirarRun, a 20-mile white water khyek(sealed leather canoe) race during theMirabar Midsummer festival.

The Nether MountainsThis dark, brooding mountain rangeonce marked the northern boundary ofancient Netheril and the southernboundary of Delzoun. It is home to orcsof the Ripped Gut and Thousand Fiststribes, bands of verbeeg, a small com-munity of pech who are constructing ahuge granite cube supposedly filledwith gems, the Morueme clan of bluedragons and their hoards, and the Mon-astery of Loviatar which guards a troveof secret volumes taken from a lostNetherese college of magic.

Neverwinter Woods

This forest east of Neverwinter seemsto have a magical quality about it, or atleast an air of mystical secrecy. Thealways-warm Neverwinter river, whichflows out of the wood, has its sourcedeep beneath Mount Hotenow, a sleepyvolcano in the northern wood. Fire ele-mentals are said to live deep withinHotenow. The steep mountains to thenorth of Hotenow hide griffon lairs.

These woods have never been loggedby men (they are feared and shunnedby the locals), and even today are large-ly unknown. The depths are said to har-bor dire creatures. Orc hordes alwaysgo around the woods, never throughthem.

Other Woods

This is not the name of a single forest,but includes the Lurkwood, Southkryptgarden, Southwood, Moonwood andWestwood. These edges of these forests

are logged by men, though their darkdepths are largely a mystery.

Rauvin, River

The lazy Rauvin winds slowly throughthe North to join the icy Surbrin nearNesmé. The Rauvin, which takes itsname from a ancient dwarf hero, isbridged at Silverymoon (the legendarymoonbridge), Everlund, and Sundabar.Its headwaters are in the Ice Mountainsnortheast of Dead Orc Pass. Althoughthere is much traffic on the Rauvin, it isnot a �safe� river. Orcs, trolls, and bar-barians constantly harass travelers.

Shining Falls

These spectacularly beautiful falls on theriver Delimbiyr halt river traffic north.Once the elven kingdom of Eaerlann hadan outpost here, but little remains; eventhe once-busy portage road around thefalls is little more than a deer trail now.

The Spine of the World

This extensive mountain range, whichseparates the North from the UttermostNorth, has many of the highest peaks inall Faerun, all eternally snow-capped.�The Wall� is its other name, used morecommonly south of Waterdeep. Thoughit was once riddled with dwarfholds,now it is home to fierce, cold-lovingmonsters, countless tribes of orcs, gob-lins, hobgoblins, bugbears and verbeeg.Hill giants prowl the foothills, and frostgiants, white dragons, yeti, and taerclaim the high peaks and frigid valleys.

If the mines of Mirabar are any indi-cation, it is also contains the richestmineral deposits in the North, yet dueto its monstrous inhabitants, only thesmallest fraction of that wealth isexploited. The heart of the range isuncharted, but is said to hide lost cities,abandoned dragon lairs, and even fro-zen dinosaurs!

Surbrin River

This tributary of the River Dessarinoriginates on the frigid shores of the

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Endless Ice Sea, the vast glacier packnorth of the Wall. The waters of theSurbrin lose little of their chill beforethey dump into the Dessarin. The Sur-brin is bridged at Yartar and Nesmé andis navigable to where the Rauvin joinsit, northeast of Nesmé.

Turnstone PassIn olden days, this wide pass in theNether Mountains witnessed constantstrife between the allied forces of menand elves against waves of orc invasionsfrom the north. Now it is the front lineof the North�s defense against the fiendsof Hellgate Keep. The rough terrainhere is frequently patrolled by war-riors from Sundabar and bands ofarmed undead who follow in the wakeof demon commanders.

The Uttermost North

Also called the �Utter North,� this refersto that area beyond The Spine of theWorld mountain range, including Ice-wind Dale and the glaciers of TheEndless Ice Sea. Few humanoid raceslive this far north.

The Valley of Khedrun(ka-hed-ROON)

Named for a dwarven hero who in legendcarved out the homeland of the dwarvesin the North from lands dark withwolves, orcs, and bugbears with only hisaxe, this valley of the upper Mirar is thesupposed site of legendary lost Gauntl-grym, an underground city. It is also thesite of the Great Worm Caverns.

Weathercote WoodElves say that gates to other worlds lie inthe depths of Weathercote, and that oth-erworldly mages of awesome powerhave come to Faerun to dwell in theWood and guard the gates to prevent oth-ers of their kind from using them. Thetruth of this is not known; neither spellsnor psionics are able to penetrate theWood�s interior, and those who enter toinvestigate do not come out again.

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THE HIGH FOREST

�Date unknown. Well, this is where itends, starving to death in a dank cell,imprisoned by another one of A. A.�s old�friends.� I�ve tried to gauge time, butwith no natural light and infrequentmeals, I can only guess.

�Will try to recap my situation (Tem-pus�s Toes! Amelior�s got me writing forposterity now!). Jhingleshod and I foundthe Stronghold of the Nine. It seemeddeserted, so we snooped a bit. Maybe wecould just �borrow� the potion and leave.We met Laeral. She seemed a bit differ-ent, nastier; than usual (or maybe it washer hair). After a short argument (maybe�cock-eyed witch� was a bad choice ofwords), I a woke here.

�Next time I�ll try A. A.�s enemies, theymight be more friendly. See if I ever doanything for One-eye again. Wonder ifthat cock-eyed witch is looking for thestupid spikey crown I found in here. Itsure makes for a lousy pillow.�

Deep, dark, ancient and unfathom-able, the vast High Forest dominates theeastern central marches of the North.

From its southern edge near Secomberto its northern extent near Everlundand Turnstone Pass, it stretches nearly500 miles. It is like and yet unlike otherwoods in the north, remaining virtuallyuntouched by woodsmen�s axes.

Forest Folk

TreantsThe �wood rulers� dwell near the cityof Everlund in the part of the forestknown as �The Woods of Turlang,� afterthe Treant�s aeons-old ruler �Turlangthe Thoughtful.� Each treant has astretch of woodland which is carefullymaintained in keeping with his or herpersonality, ranging from immaculatelyclean tree gardens, to dense, dark andeerie, seemingly haunted forest.

Half-Elven RenegadesThe descendants of the folk of Eaerlanninhabit, or infest, much of that lostland�s former woodlands. These half-

elven brigands are primarily moon-elves, but numerous drow �breeds� areto be found, descendants of elf, drowand human unions long past. Notedamong them is their leader, �princess�Tianna Skyflower.

MenDruids serving Silvanus guard TallTrees (the great tree remnants of theancient elven land of Eaerlann) near theforest�s eastern edge and occasionally(and with great caution) explore thedeeper forest. An adventuring bandhas a stronghold in the south, and anillusionist one in the north.

KorredThe primary home of these dance-happy forest folk is the wood aroundthe Lost Peaks in the western forest.Great glades form dance floors largeenough to host a thousand dancingkorred. These diminuitive, wild-haired,satyr-like creatures worship Tappan,

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their own god and Shiallia, a femalewoodland demigod allied with Mielikki.

DrowThis subterranean elven subrace doesnot dwell here, but it has long been sus-pected that the forest hides an entranceto Menzoberranzan, one of the darkelves� Deepearth cities.

Mongrel MenThese mixed breeds have been migrat-ing in numbers to the central forest,apparently being called into the serviceof a charismatic man who calls himself�The One.�

OrcsNumerous orc tribes dwell in the cooldarkness of the southwestern forest.Their crude villages are located abouttwo days� travel into the woods.

AarakocraThis winged race dwells only in the cen-tral Star Mounts, but occasionally isseen near the western fringe of the for-est. They are reclusive, having little todo with other folk.

Wizard WeatherThe High Forest and the surroundingcountryside experience (or suffer from)occasional exotic weather patterns thatcan only be of magical origin (and arepresumed to be caused by the DireWood). This weather appears suddenly,ends suddenly and is often destructiveand deadly. Recorded types of wizardweather have included red snow (�ittasted like blood�), hot rain (�it boiledthe flesh�), blizzards in summer, exotic(invisible, multi-colored, huge, explo-sive, glowing and black) hailstones,dense fog (with evil creatures lurkingwithin), razor-sharp sleet (�it drewblood and scored metal�), black, acidicrain, and desert-like blazing heat.There is a 1% chance each day ofencountering wizard weather whilewithin the High Forest.

The Dire WoodDeep within the eastern wood, some-where along the Heartblood river liesthe Dire Wood, a small grove of unkilla-ble, black trees, apparently no greaterthan a mile across.

Also known as the Enchanted Wood,this intensely magical area may actuallybe an access point to an alternate PrimeMaterial Plane. Whatever the truthmay be, the Dire Wood is much largerinside than out. The intense arcaneeffect of the wood has created a strangeland of magic and mystery. Weatherhere bears no resemblance to the outerworld and is itself highly magical. Crea-tures long extinct elsewhere are foundhere in abundance (but die upon leav-ing). Magical sites appear at random,then disappear without a trace.

Somewhere within the Dire Wood arethe lost ruins of Karse, an outpost of thelatter days of the ancient Netheril.

GAME INFORMATION: As of thiswriting, the Dire Wood is 150 milesacross (its inside dimension). Each yearit broadens by about 80 feet as anotherring of black trees surrounds the for-est. The terrain over which the forestgrows is hilly and entirely forested.There are no mountains within theWood, only a single towering red stonebutte, and few normal creatures�eventhe usual forest animals are gigantic orotherwise magically modified.

Tianna Skyflower, Jhingleshod, �TheIron Axeman,� and Wulgreth (see pp.56-64) call the Dire Wood home.

Heartblood RiverThis tributary of the Delimbiyr, whichflows through the Dire Wood, has itssource on the north side of the StarMounts. Where the Heartblood leavesthe Dire Wood, the water has a reddishcast which quickly disappears.

GAME INFORMATION: If the waterof the Heartblood is consumed whilestill reddish, the imbiber is temporarilymagically enhanced. For 1d4 hours,

spells cast by magic-users and clerics(not by devices) have a +1 chance tosucceed, and all imbibers gain a 20%Magic Resistance.

The Lost PeaksThese two small mountains in thenorthwestern wood are the source ofthe River Dessarin. Here, so legend sayscan be found the Fountains of Memory,magical pools which one can use to peerinto Faerun�s past. The waters allowinstantaneous travel to travel to placesviewed (though whether the timesviewed can be reached is not clear).However, legend also says the Foun-tains are located within a glade sacredto Tappan, god of the korred who dwellhere in quite large numbers.

The Star MountsLocated in the heart of the High Forest,this steep-sloped cluster of mountainsascends higher than even the tallestpeaks in the Spine of the World. It ispossible to see the snowcapped moun-tain tops, and the slopes which sparklelike cut diamonds, from as far away asthe Stone Bridge, or the mountainsnorth of Loudwater.

The elves of Eaerlann first named themountains , g iv ing them the samenames as stars in the northern heavens.Most of the original names are forgot-ten, only their rough translations sur-vive: Bard�s Hill, Mount Vision, andHunterhorn. Yet, a few are remem-bered: Y�tellarien (The Far Star), calledFar Peak, Y�landrothiel (Traveler�s Star),called Mount Journey, and N�lan-droshien (Darkness in Light), calledShadowpeak.

The forest south of the mountainshides a gnarled surface that might becalled a badland were it not so denselythicketed. To the north, the land isunusually smooth, as if leveled with awoodworker�s plane.

The mountains are also known to berich in metals, including remarkablypure iron and nickel. But since the endof Eaerlann, no one mines there.

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The Star Mounts are an unapproach-able curiosity. The ancient elven nameshint at some unfathomable mystery(though most suspect the elves knowthe truth of it). As far as anyone knows,no flying thing less powerful than adragon can land there due to constantand usually fierce winds.

GAME INFORMATION: The moun-tains cannot be approached by flying,other than upon an ancient or largerdragon. Strong gusts of wind (possiblyhuge air elementals?) will dash weakerbeings against the cliffs. Still, aarako-cra, the bird-like winged race, seem tohave no difficulty in flying to and fromthe mountains.

Huge crystals dot the surface of themountains, many as large as smallhouses. There are several unchartedruins in the mountains with walls madeof fractured crystal shards.

The Unicorn RunThis cool, gently-flowing river has itssource in the Star Mounts, at the veryheart of the High Forest where veryfew civilized beings have ever been allthrough the ages (save the elves who donot talk). It tumbles roughly throught h e r o u g h , d e n s e l y f o r e s t e dcanyonlands south of the mountains,then s lowly meanders southwardthrough the hilly forest to join theDelimbiyr at Secomber. Though fewchose to do it, the Run is navigable asfar as the first of the �sisters,� the water-falls which block further upriver tra-vel. For such a large river, the UnicornRun is remarkably clear.

The Stronghold of the Nine (seebelow), lies partway up the run, locatedon a hill above the valley. Unicorns areknown to travel the river�s banks(hence its name), possibly traveling tothe crysta l l ine s lopes of the StarMounts. A famous halfling advrenturer,Gaultham Longtoes, is known to havesaid, after visiting the Run, �I have seenthe unicorns, and can die content.�

Legends about the Run are many.One holds that an elven king buried the

treasure of his court somewhere alongthe run while flee orcs andhobgoblins� but was soon slain with allhis folk. Another holds that the godMiel ikki wanders the wood here(though the Harpers claim this �legend�to be plain truth and often make dan-gerous pilgrimages upriver). The story-weavers of Secomber claim that if youtravel the river to its end, you will findthe home of the gods, that the riverdoes not originate in this world, but inanother. Other folk claim that waterfrom The Unicorn Run remains eter-nally pure, that it can never be fouledor poisoned.

�Having been far enough upriver onthe Run to see the first �sister,� as itpoured like living mist from the verdantcanyon forest high above, I know whybards who see this river sing of it forthe rest of their lives. It is certainly oneof the most beautiful regions of allFaerun.��Amelior

Realms, Ruins &StrongholdsWithin the forest, there are few mark-ers of civilization, past or present.Those that might be of interest arenoted below.

The Citadel of the MistsThis isolated castle lies in the forest�snorthern fringes and is home to a pow-erful illusionist known only as the Mist-master, reputed to be 26th level. Hedwells here with his household retainerswho are known to be Iltmul, an 8th levelm o n k , o n c e t h e W h i t e M a s t e r o fDragons, now Green Master of Dragons;and Cherissa Mintareil, a 5th level wom-an warrior who gained great fame in theservice of Cormyr. The Mistmaster lovesto raise and train pegasi.

The Citadel is rumored to containgreat treasure within its vaults, yet fewhave ever seen the Citadel, let alonepassed within.

GAME INFORMATION: The Citadel,

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which is built upon the foundation ofancient elven fortress (which may itselfhave been built upon the ruins of some-thing even more ancient), is guarded byboth magical and monstrous guardians,and when the Mistmaster wishes, it iscloaked in swirling mists.

A tall tower houses the pegasi eyrie. Itis reached by an exposed internal stair-case through a single large chamber,reputedly guarded by charmed air andfire elementals.

Beneath the castle are the cellars ofthe ancient elven fortress. Passagesknown to descend deeper have beenblocked. . . repeatedly.

EaerlannThis elven kingdom�s name is lost to allbut a few in the North. Once it encom-passed the eastern forest from Turn-stone Pass in the north to the ShiningFalls in the south, controlling the uppervalley of the River Shining.

Long ago, the elven folk of Eaerlannsailed over the sea to Evermeet. Today,only a crumbling old road and a ruinedport mark that any civilization existedhere at all. Other ruins, remnants of cit-ies and lost treasures are yet to befound. The forest�s Tall Trees regionmay yet hold remnants of Eaerlann, butthe druids there repel both the forcesof Hellgate Keep and adventurers.

Some of the folk of Eaerlann joinedwith the dwarves and men from thewest to form the ill-fated Fallen King-dom along the Sword Coast.

The Endless CavernsAt the edge of the broken lands south ofthe Star Mounts, a nameless river flowsfrom a huge opening in the cliff face.The rangers of the Harpers know thisas the Endless cavern, a deep reachingcavern complex which the elves ofEaerlann believed to be a connectionpoint with the deep realms of the unde-rearth. Here of old dwelt Grax Rekaxx,an ancient green dragon. His moss-covered bones decorate the outermostcave chamber, but no trace was ever

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found of his vast dragon hoard.The ranger, Skimmerhorn of Secom-

ber, reported evidence of illithid activityhere on his most recent investigation.

Grandfather TreeAn oak tree of titanic proportions, thattowers above the rest of the forest butwhose location is not known, otherthan �Somewhere in the northern HighForest.� It is sacred ground to theUthgardt barbarians, but its existencepredates the human presence in theNorth (see p. 54).

KarseThe center of the mystical Dire Wood isthe ancient ruins of Karse. In oldendays, religious refugees who had beendriven from the ancient land of Netherilbuilt this city at the base of the base of atall butte of red stone which their leg-ends held to be the remnants of Kar-sus �s physical form. Though theyoriginally built without permissionfrom the elves of Eaerlann, an alliancewas struck and they mined the richmetal deposits of the Star Mounts. Bothnormal forest and the black dire oakshave thickly overgrown the ruins.

Here can be found the black glade, acircle of 13 towering dire oaks; theintact, ageless home of the evil arch-mage Wulgreth; and an eerie black pyr-amid which oozes evil.

GAME INFORMATION: Karse fellinto ruin around the same time asHellgate Keep was occupied by demons,when the death of the evil wizard Wul-greth caused the creation of the DireWood. The wizard yet lives on as anintensely evil, lich-like being within theblack pyramid. He seeks pure bloodfrom the heart of Karsus to return totrue life. An avatar (minor physicalmanifestation) of the dying god Karsusdwells in a temple atop the butte, hiseverflowing blood contributing to themagical nature of the Dire Wood, whiledeep within the butte, Karsus�s gigantic,living heart beats ponderously.

The Nameless DungeonUnti l adventurers f rom Sundabarbrought a glowing suit of mithril chainmail +4 out of the ruins of this elvencitadel, the treasures of elven Eaerlannwere believed to have disappeared withthe elves. The discovery of the Name-less Dungeon has caused a furor amongelves in the North. An envoy from Ever-meet has gone as far as to ask High LadyAlustriel of Silverymoon to outlawthose known to have trespassed here.There is something in the ancientcrypts that the elves do not want any-one to know about.

Old RoadFrom the mouldering ruins of theancient elven port on the Delimbiyr,this road once traveled to lost Karse,but now literally fades into nothingnessas its paving stones crumble into dustabout 90 miles into the forest.

The Stronghold of the NineThis cavern complex is a formerdwarfhold rebui l t by the Nine , afamous adventuring band led by thefemale archmage Laeral. This group,now mostly retired, makes its home inthe seclusion of the High Forest, as farup The Unicorn Run as men dare go.The Stronghold is known to havestrange and powerful magical guard-ians (including nagas and golems) not tomention their retainers, followers andseveral mercenary bands. The Nine areknown to have gathered much treasureover the years�much of it is undoubt-edly in the Stronghold.

GAME INFORMATION: The Nineare now the �Five.� A disagreement overan item in Laeral�s possession began afeud, dividing the once close knit bandinto three warring factions. The item isan artifact known as the Crown ofH o r n s , a m a n y - h o r n e d h e l m o funknown properties (one propertyshould be obvious, it causes dissensionand a desire to possess it). Those whoinvestigate The Stronghold will find its

above-ground buildings abandoned andin poor repair. The large undergroundcomplex is ill-defended and in constantturmoil as ragged, paranoid warbandsgain, lose and regain control of theCrown. To them, everything else in theworld pales in comparison to the uglyiron helm.

The five who survive are 15th level orhigher and include a fighter, a cleric,two magic-users (Laeral and one other),and a thief. Most of their followers are2d level or higher.

�Dearest Amelior,�Perhaps I was too hasty earlier this

year. Dove and I will be traveling toWaterdeep in Uktar. Can you find timeto ta lk on our re turn tr ip? Even inSi lverymoon, the long winter can belonely.

Alustriel�

�Dear Amelior,�Sorry to have missed you. I t was

Dove�s idea to let ourselves in. We triedto clean up, but we just made it worse.Hope you like the gift I left.

�Alustriel

�PS. I love the statue. If you want itback, you�ll have to come to Silvery-moon. I�ll wager you can�t guess where Iam going to hide it.�

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UTHGARDT ANCESTOR MOUNDS

�1 Nightal. I�m not dead and Amelior isgone , probably decorat ing someplacewhere gooney Alustr ie l would neverallow him were he not in his presentcondition. For the record, I just walkedout of Laeral�s Stronghold. My cell wasunlocked and I had not been f ed fordays. Even so, I can�t say that I was hap-py to see the purple squid symbol onthe door frame.

�3 Nightal. Book nearly done. With A.A. gone, I didn�t think I could describet h o s e b a r b a r i a n m o u n d s f o u n d u pnorth, but I met a strange old coot ingreen gear at the Frosty Tankard lastnight. Wan ted me to find Grandad Treefor him, but I kept his mug full and hetold me about mounds.�

These are the holiest sites of theUthgardt barbar ians . Most t r ibesbelieve their tribal founders to be bur-ied in their ancestor mound. Althoughthere are many lesser burial moundsand shrines revered by smaller clanswithin the tribes, it is to these largemounds devoted to their most ancientand holy ancestors that the Uthgardttribes return each fall to spend theirwinters near the protection of theirancestors.

The ancestor mounds are all roughlysimilar. Two mound rings called cairnrings surround a large central moundcalled the altar mound. The ancestor

mounds of large tribes may also be sur-rounded by smaller, nondescript burialmounds. Usual ly a l l mounds areformed of turf-covered earth.

The spaces between the rings and thealtar mound are called vales. They areas wide as a cross section of a cairn ring(about 40 to 45 feet) and are known asthe inner and outer vales.

The cairn rings often echo the shapeof the altar mound, but many are circu-lar. The outer cairn ring is usually bare,and still serves as a burial ground. Fourlarge stone menhirs are set at the fourcardinal directions (N, E, S, W) on themore holy inner ring. The rest of theinner ring is spiked and thicketed withtall wooden poles. The top of each poleis grotesquely carved, depicting fiercehuman faces, monsters or clan totems.

The altar mound in the center of theancestor mound is often shaped like atribal totem beast (though this is oftendifficult to discern from the ground). Afifth large stone, usually low to theground marks the altar. There is nowriting here, but arcane symbols onthe stone are renewed yearly.

Most Uthgardt are superstitiousabout their ancestor mounds. Theyboth fear and revere them. In the cairnrings surrounding the altar mounds,they have buried their mightiest chief-tains with treasures and luxuries forthe world beyond life. They believe thatthe spirits of dead ancestors protect the

53

graves from harm.The actual location of most ancestor

mounds is a secret, yet they are regu-larly looted by grave robbers, orcs, andUthgardt who no longer fear theirancestor�s curses. Even so, many stillcontain carefully hidden treasure.

GAME INFORMATION: Each burialmound contains a large number of log-lined crypts 6 to 10 feet below the top ofthe mound. Few contain real treasure(Treasure types B, M, plus the treasuretype of any undead beings who guardthe things they valued in life); mosthave been looted. Tomb guardians areusually more substantial undead beingslike wights, coffer corpses, mummies,or skeleton warriors (DM�s choice).

All Uthgardt mounds are guarded.Most have a lone (crazed) shaman of 5thto 7th level protecting them. All are pro-tected by champion spirits bound intoservice each year at Runemeet. At theDM�s discretion, champion spirits maybe almost any type of spectral undead:ghosts, wraiths, spectres, apparitions,etc. However, their alignment is alwaysCN (they are barbaric guardian beings).

Finally, the eldest Uthgardt shamanswork an involved ritual (similar to theclerical spell plane shift) that opens agateway into the Astral Plane atop thealtar mound. Any cleric who knows thissecret ritual can open the gate.

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Individual MoundsBeorunna�s WellThis is both an ancestor mound and asmall town of about 500 Uthgardt,named for another semi-mythologicalUthgardt ancestor , Beorunna, themythical father of Uthgar.

The village is quite unremarkable, anumber of huts and tents for the tribes-folk who work the small fields, raisecat t le , and hunt the surroundingwoods. It is unremarkable until onelearns that the unfortified village hasnever been successfully raided. TheBlack Lions claim that the spirit ofBeorunna keeps them from harm.

The namesake of the village is thehuge pit which contains their circularancestor mound. The pit is supposedlythe ruins of a collapsed cavern in whichBeorunna died while saving the world.

�It is probable that Beorunna (orBerun in the Northman tongue) was ahero of the pre-Uthgar people whomerged with the followers of a rene-gade from ancient Ruathym. Legendh o l d s t h a t B e o r u n n a d e s t r o y e dZukothoth, a type IV demon in thecavern, collapsing it in on both of them.What local legend doesn�t say is that avast fortune in ancient treasure is alsoin the collapsed cavern. It is quite sur-prising to me that these folk have sur-vived here for so long. Maybe theirlegends about the spirit of Beorunnaare true.��Amelior

GAME INFORMATION: The readymilitia of Beorunna�s Well consists of 801st, 30 2d level, 20 3rd level, and five4th level barbarians and is led by Heaf-stagg Four-finger (6th level barbarian,ST 18, DX 17), the eldest son of Alaricthe Strong, the Black Lion tribal chief-t a i n . T h e t r a p d o o r i n t h e w a t e r -surrounded altar leads downwardthrough a flooded passage way to a par-tially collapsed cavern complex, hometo all kinds of slimes, jellies, molds andinsectoid creatures. Ickshar, a rakshasaand his ally X�ss�a� (ZHE-see-sa), an

illithid have been trapped in stasis heresince the collapse of the cavern.

Beorunna, or Bey of Runlatha as hewas known in ancient Ascore, was apowerful wizard/warrior who ledhuman refugees from that city north-ward into dwarven territory to savethem from what had occupied theircity. Beorunna died in the battle withZukothoth, but his spirit is perpetuallyreincarnated into the bodies of small,furry forest animals, which slowly takeon semi-human form (a CG, 20th levelwizard/10th level warrior). Beorunnaguards the folk of Black Lion Villagefrom harm.

FlintrockThis bleak ancestor mound in themoors east of Longsaddle is situated ona gnarly knob of flinty stone. The cairnrings and altar mound are created frompiles of heaped rock, barren of plantgrowth and are shaped like a leapingelk stag. The Elk tribe follows othergods, so the mound is almost aban-doned, though a few tribesfolk use it atRunemeet.

Grandfather TreeThis is the other of the two abandonedancestor mounds, a gnarled oak tree ofgigantic proportions towering abovethe surrounding trees of the High For-est. Its location is not marked for it isnot known. The giant oak on the altarmound is the altar itself. The shamanswould climb up steps carved in thegnarled bark to perform their rituals.The menhirs on the inner cairn ring arelesser oak trees. There is little evidenceof the works of man here and a few rot-ted logs are all that remain of the tribaltotem poles. In summer, the foliage ofthe great oak shadows the entire ances-tor mound. Those brave enough toclimb the tree to its uppermost branch-es can see a lmost the length andbreadth of the High Forest.

Long ago, the mound�s championspirits drove the Blue Bear tribe awayfor unknown reasons. The tribal sha-

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man carried away a cutting from thistree to become the now-ancient oak atthe Stone Stand ancestor mound. Whenthe arrival of Tanta Hagara and her cor-rupting influence caused the TreeGhosts to splinter away from the BlueBears, both tribes set upon a singlegoal... find Grandfather Tree.

GAME INFORMATION: The Hall ofMists does exist beneath the tree. Acomplex of 81 giant ants (MM1) has itslair in the roots also (68 workers, 12warriors and a queen). The evil of theHall has warped the ants such that theynow have the ability to shift out ofphase l ike phase spiders . Severalwarped warrior ants will have 5 hit diceand regeneration abilities like trolls.The Hall of Mists itself is part of a smalltemple complex. A great stone statue ofa green slaad and two stone golemsresembling bipedal dinosaurs guard thebubbling pool and glowing portalswhich form the gate between planeshere (also see Grandfather in Green inAppendix D).

Great Worm CavernThis unusual ancestor mound is entire-ly underground, deep within massive,multi-level caverns at the base of amountain in The Spine of the World. Itcan be reached by a well-worn, well-guarded path from the surface. Thelargest cavern of the complex has alevel floor and contains the ancestormound. The altar mound is shaped likea spiralling winged snake, the greatworm. Elrem, the great worm who isboth clan totem and chief shaman tothe tribe, sleeps at the center of themound.

The cavern complex is large andunmapped. It is quite possible that oth-er things live here, choosing not to dis-turb Elrem and his human followers.

GAME INFORMATION: Although heis not a red dragon, Elrem shares thatilk�s love for treasure. Generations ofUthgardt have entrusted their funeralriches to Elrem�s care, where it has

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remained unmolested for centuries. Asa Great Wyrm (extremely old dragonishcreature), Elrem has 400% of a normalred dragon�s treasure (H,S,T). In addi-tion to Elrem, the ancestor mound isguarded by the normal champion spir-its, and the Wyrmguard, 60 3d and 105th level barbarians, and 10 5th levelshamans.

Morgur�s MoundThe altar mound is shaped like a crude,long-necked, wingless dragon, theUthgardt impression of a thunderbeast.The bones of some great beast arearranged on the mound in roughlytheir proper relationships, although theribs are set upright and the neck verte-brae and skull have been threaded ontoa pole to tower above the mounds.

�I haven�t seen the bones, or themound, but the � thunderbeast � ofMorgur�s Mound is probably an apato-saurus, a beast from ancient historyand not the unholy creature of thesame name from the Abyss. It may alsobe that the �Morgur� of the mound isMorgred Gardolfsson, a brother ofUther Gardolfsson, the Ruathym North-man who may be the legendary Uthgar.If so, then Mogur�s Mound most likelyholds the loot taken by Gardolfsson�sraiders from fabled Illuskan.��Amelior

G A M E I N F O R M A T I O N : D u r i n gRunemeet, the combined power of theshamans can cause the bones to cometogether as an apatosaurus skeleton:AC 7; MV 6�; HD 15; #AT 1; Dmg 3-18;THAC0 8; SD Edged weapons do halfdamage, mental spells have no effect,holy water does 2-8 points of damage.

One StoneShadowed by deep forest, this aban-doned ancestor mound served the now-dead or disappeared Golden Eagle andRed Pony tribes. Instead of an altarmound at the center of the cairn rings,there is a single massive, rounded boul-der, easily 20 feet across and 12 feet

high and covered with prec ise lyengraved tracery. Carved steps ascendthe south face to the altar on top.

�The legend of One Stone tells of agod who sealed a passageway from theNine Hells with a single rock, thrust intothe ground. One can only wonder if theevil that is supposedly sealed beneaththe stone was able to reach out to whiskthe missing tribes away. Some say theGolden Eagle and Red Pony tribes weredestroyed by intertribal rivalry. Darkertales suggest that they disappearedbeneath the ground, where they yetdwell today.��Amelior

RavenrockThis is the alleged breeding site for thegigantic ravens that the Great Raventribe uses for their �sacred banditry.�The holy ground is situated along theBlack Raven River, in a canyon near theriver�s source in the foothills of theSpine of the World.

The central altar is a large naturalstone formation which bears a strikingresemblance to a great black bird. Thegiant ravens are neither native to theNorth nor are they natural creatures.Using secret rituals, the tribal shamanstransport normal raven eggs intoanother plane and return with giganticravens only moments later.

GAME INFORMATION: Gigantic rav-ens have the same game statistics asgiant ravens (MMII), with the followingexceptions� Hit Dice: 6+2; Damage: 3-12; Size: L (22� wingspread); Level/X.P.Value: IV/225+8/hp.

Shining WhiteThe circular cairn rings of ShiningWhite are separated by vales of purestwhite, where the barbarians have cutthrough the shallow turf to the chalklayer below. The menhirs and altarhere are made of a bright white marble.

Stone StandA tall oak tree surmounts the altarmound here. The oak is a cutting takenlong ago from the legendary Grandfa-ther Tree. Both cairn rings here are sur-mounted by menhirs, spaced roughly10 feet apart and capped by lintel piecesthat link the stones together into twounbroken rings of capped columns.

The nearness of this holy area toHellgate Keep would seem to make lifedifficult for the barbarians. Althoughthis ancestor mound is holy to both theBlue Bear and Tree Ghost tribes, onlythe Blue Bear hold Runemeet here�undisturbed by the things in Hellgate.

GAME INFORMATION: Magic castwithin the mound�s inner vale (insidethe inner cairn ring) is more potent.The effects of all spells are half againmore potent. That is, a spell that wouldlast six turns lasts nine. A spell thatwould heal 1d8 points of damage heals1d8+1d4, and so on.

“ 8 N i g h t a l . I f I h a d n ’ t f o u n d i t , Iwouldn’t have believed it (it wasn’t herewhen I le f t for the High Forest) . Awooden wardrobe in A. A.’s sleepingchambers bore the badge of S i lvery-moon and was full of... um... women’sclothing. I mean, we all have secrets,but... then I snooped a bit more andthere he was... in the corner of whatturned out to be Alust r ie l ’s boudoi rlooking just like I left him, though some-o n e h a d c l e a n e d o f f t h e p i g e o ndroppings.”—Erek

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PERSONALITIES OF THE NORTH

�Now we�re going to rewrite this chap-ter. Everything you�ve written aboutthese fine people is scurrilous taverntalk.

�Imagine her accusing me of being apeeping Tom. Whose idea was that littlewardrobe portal? I mean, really.

�We�re starting it over, the chapter Imean. And when were done with i t ,we�re rewriting the rest of the book,particularly those nasty little commentsyou�ve been jotting in the margins. Youdid WHAT!?! You�ve sent the rest toElminster? Erek! EREK!!!�

The following �movers and shakers�of the North are NPC characters for theDM to use in encounters and are by nomeans a complete list of all the impor-tant or powerful folk of the SavageFrontier. They may become sources ofinformation, allies, mentors and tutors,or even bi t ter enemies . For mostentries, the pronunciation of the char-acter�s name is given, along with his orher usual home, and any ability scoresof 16 or greater.

Amelior Amanitas(Ah-ME-lee-orah-mah-NEE-tass)Secomber17th level magic-user and sageCG, NoneHuman male IN 17, CH 16

Amelior is an alchemist-at-large,which is a kind way of saying that he isnot welcome in most places. Secomberis home and he always returns there.He is a tall man (6�), chunky, with brownbut graying curly hair and beard, oneeye, spectacles, and simple clothing.

Although he does not appear so, he isa powerful wizard, a learned sagewhose major area of study is the Physi-cal Universe (Chemisty & Physics) andwhose minor field is the study of theSupernatural & Unusual (which giveshim nightmares) and a master alche-mist, noted more for his peculiaritiesthan his prowess. He comes across as abumbling, good-natured eccentric whohas an unreasoning fear of evil.

Amelior surrounds himself with clut-

ter, keeps a dozen brightly colored (red,green, fuschia...) cats, and is outra-geously absent-minded. He attempts tocheat no one, even though he may for-est hiring them. He rarely fights withmagic, and then only in self-defense. Heis always accompanied by his loyalassistant Erek, a sharp-tongued, irrita-ble 4th level Northman fighter. Ameliorgoes unarmed, but carries a pair ofmetallic flasks, one gold, one copper.The gold contains a djinn (Hasan). Thecopper unleashes two fanatically loyalogres who fight even beyond death.

Amelior constantly hires adventurersto perform tasks for him, often payingmore than the task is worth. His cur-rent interest is the High Forest and leg-ends of an enchanted wood within it(for more about Amelior, see DQ1, TheShattered Statue).

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Arklem Greeth (AR-klemmGREETH�like teeth)Luskan18th level magic-userLE, AzuthHuman male IN 17 CN 16

Arklem Greeth is a hateful, old man,bent over with age and infirmity whoexudes a vile odor from his body (manybelieve he is preparing himself for lich-dom). He is the master of the Hosttowerof the Arcane, the wizards� guild inLuskan and its true ruling power,though he rarely leaves his chambersatop the Hosttower of the Arcane. HighCaptain Taerl secretly takes ordersfrom Greeth, though he hates and fearsthe ancient wizard (the High Captainsare under geas to prevent the Hostto-wer and its wizards from coming toharm). Greeth does not trust othermages (especially after the murder ofhis aide-de-camp, Morkai the Red). He isalways guarded by four charmed war-riors (6th level fighters) and many sus-pect that one or more abishai devils arebound into his service.

Bruenor (BROO-nor)Wanders8th level fighterNG Moradin, DumathoinDwarf male, ST 17, CN 17

Bruenor of Mithril Hall is about asopenminded and compassionate asdwarfs come, yet he is a deadly fighter.Bruenor is also the only dwarf in Ice-wind Dale who still remembers MithrilHall, a lost dwarfhold in the Spine of theWorld. He now seeks Mithril Hall totake it back from the evil things thatpossess it.

Cassius (CASS-ee-uss)Bryn Shander7th level fighterLN, TymoraHuman male CH 16

Diminuitive Cassius with his shortiron-gray hair and bright blue eyes isthe spokesman of Bryn Shander in theTen-Towns of Icewind Dale and head of

their ruling council. Though he rarelyspeaks of his past, most suspect that hewas once a military commander forsome petty kingdom in the Inner Sea�his ability with a sword and militaryleadership skills are legendary in theTen Towns. He is a skilled diplomat, will-ing to use strong-arm tactics and has areputation for getting what he wants,even at another�s expense.

Dendybar the MottledLuskan12th/4th level magic user/clericCE, MyrkulHuman male, INT 16

Dendybar, a frail-appearing mage,takes his nickname from the unusualpatterns dyed into the fabrics of his cus-tomary robes. Dendybar is a formerpriest of Myrkul, who felt he could bet-ter serve his god as a mage. The hoodthat shadows Dendybar�s featureshides a face like a skin-covered skull,Myrkul�s mark upon his most loyal ser-vant. Dendybar is a wizard of the Host-tower of the Arcane, a mercantile guildand school of magic located in Luskan.Several years before, Dendybar, Elde-luc and several others arranged for thedeath of Morkai the Red in distant Ice-wind Dale, which allowed Dendybarand Eldeluc to move into key positionswithin the guild. Dendybar is jealous ofEldeluc�s easy rise to power and deeplyhates the fat, jovial mage. It will not belong before he eliminates Eldeluc andthe archmage. Thereafter, the North ishis to claim.

In addition to his magical spells, Den-dybar the Mottled may animate 1d6skeletons or 1d3 zombies each round ofcombat, so long as bodies are available.

Drizzt Do�Urden (DRIHZ-itdoe-URR-dun)Wanders10th level rangerCG, Gwaeron WindstromDrow male

Drizzt is a drow outcast of HouseDaermon N�a�shezbaernon who can

57

never return to his subterranean home-land of Menzoberranzan again. As ayouth, Drizzt discovered that he wasdifferent from other drow, that hecared about others and eventually fled,taking with him a life-long ally, a figu-rine of wondrous power: a small onyxpanther from which he can call forthGuenhwyvar, a powerful panther spir-it. To gain her, Drizzt had to kill herformer owner , an extremely crueldrow noble. Guenhwyvar is more thanjust a magical item, she is Drizzt�sfriend.

Drizzt�s appearance is typical for adrow, dark skin, pale eyes, pure whitehair . He commonly wears a darkbrown, hooded cloak to protect himselfagainst the sun. Drizzt fights with twoscimitars. One is a normal blade, butthe other is magical, a frost brand +3,+6 vs. fire using/dwelling creatures,gained from the hoard of a whitedragon.

Drizzt currently travels with the Fel-lowship of the Hall adventurers� band.

Eldeluc (EL-de-luke)Luskan11th level magic-userLE, BaneHuman male ST 17

Big, burly, Eldeluc�s amiable exteriordisguises a soul thoroughly tainted withevil. Along with Dendybar the Mottled,he is an heir apparent to the position ofarchmage within the Hosttower of theA r c a n e i n L u s k a n . T h o u g h t h e yworked together to eliminate their rivalMorkai the Red years ago on an excur-sion to the Ten Towns, they are at oddswith each other in the guild, and Elde-luc hates Dendybar with seething pas-sion. It will not be long before heeliminates Dendybar. Eldeluc�s connec-tion with the god Bane has brought himinto contact with the Zhentarim ofZhentil Keep.

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Elrem the Wise (ELL-remm)Great Worm Caverns20th level shamanCG, Great Worm beast cultMale great worm

Elrem is a great worm, possibly theonly great worm in existence. Imagine agigantic, metallic green, bat-wingedsnake with the head of a red dragonand you will have a picture of Elrem.Once human, he acquired this shapethrough devotion to his deity or as oth-ers suggest, he is becoming the deitythrough the devotions of his followers.Elrem travels the planes, both physi-cally and astrally, searching for knowl-edge. He is quite friendly, has a wrysense of humor and loves to hear andtell stories�when he is awake, which isnot often. In addition to his considera-ble magical abilities, Elrem wields greatpsionic powers, including animal telep-athy, clairvoyance, empathy, precogni-tion, astral projection, and dimensionwalk.

Jhingleshod (JING-gul-shahd)High Forest (Dire Wood near Karse)10th level fighterNG, TormOnce-human male, ST 18(00), DEX 17,CN 18

Jhingleshod, known as the �IronAxeman� (he once had another namebut can no longer remember it) appearsto be a man covered from head to toe inexotic plate armor. He lightly wields amighty axe that most men could not lift.Upon closer inspection, he appears tobe a cross between a living being and ananimated suit of armor, his skin formedof lightly rusted overlapping plates ofiron. Over the armor, he wears a tunicand cloak of forest green. Jhingleshodseeks to destroy his former master,Wulgreth, a once-living wizard whodwells in the heart of the Dire Wood, am y s t i c a l f o r e s t w i t h i n a f o r e s t .Jh ingleshod�s own l i fe i s t ied toWulgreth�s�he cannot die until Wul-greth is destroyed. He is a powerfulfighter, but often thinks with his reflex-

es. Jhingleshod�s skin can only bestruck by +2 or better magical weap-ons or by monsters of 6+2 or more hitdice.

Laeral (LAY-er-al)The Stronghold of the Nine24th level magic-userLE, None (formerly: CG Mystra)Human female, IN 18, DEX 16

Once the leader of the adventuringband known as the Nine, and knownfor the wondrous magical items thatshe crafted, she is now the leader of amajor faction within their stronghold.Before the discovery of the Crown ofHorns in the ruins of Yulash, she devot-edly followed Mystra. Now, her mindwarped by the crown, she works for nogod (though evil forces often profit byher actions).

Those who remember the Laeral ofold would be shocked to see her now.Mad eyes peer through unshorn locksturned snow white by rapid aging. Hermusical voice is a gruesome cackle andher once-immaculate robes little morethan rags. Visitors to The Stronghold ofthe Nine are treated like intruders byLaeral and her ex-comrades.

Malchor Harpell (MAL-coreHAR-pell)Longsaddle (Tower of Twilight)18th level magic-userNG Mystra, DeneirHuman male, IN 18

This former long-time adventurerdwells in the Tower of Twilight east ofNeverwinter Wood, from which herarely travels. He was a student ofKhelben �Blackstaff� Arunsun and nowtrains other mages himself, but stillspends most of his time researching thecreation of magical items, potions andelixirs. He has mastered the arts of mak-ing stone guardians, staves of the mag-ic, wands of magic missiles, rings offeather falling, and rings of warmth. Heusually carries these items on his per-son when traveling along with a lurkercloak and a ring of protection +3. Mal-

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chor dislikes interruptions (which oftenmeans that magical training takes twiceas long as it should), but richly rewardsgood students, loyal friends, and faith-ful followers with praise, shelter, giftsand even magic.

PureheartmanWanders with Great Raven Tribe/Luskan11th level magic-user/7th level barbari-an shamanCG, Mystra/Great Raven beast totemHuman male IN 17 WIS 18

Tall, slender, and of noble bearing, hedresses in a cape of black feathers. He issecretly a member of the Hosttower ofthe Arcane in Luskan and opposes mostwrongful plots devised by the likes ofDendybar and Eldeluc.

Radoc (The One, Doc of NewEmpyrea)Star Mounts, High Forest20/25th level cleric/magic-userLE, Tangg (an other-planar power)Human male IN 18, WIS 18, CHA 17

Doc, also known as �The One,� hasbeen exiled here from another PrimePlane. He now calls himself Radoc, anddwells in the Star Mounts in the depthsof the High Forest. He is purchasingmithril from the orcs in the Spine of theWorld. His goal is to return to NewEmpyrea as its master. He bears a glow-ing mark (placed by the titan Sylla) thatcan be seen, regardless of any magic,disguise or makeup used to cover it. Hepossesses bracers of defense AC2, acloak of protection +5, a ring of protec-tion +2, a ring of fire resistance, and adouble-duty mace +4/wand of light-ning bolts (10 charges). For furtherdetails see module I12, The Egg of thePhoenix.

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Regis (REE-jiss)Wanders5th level thief, scrimshaw carverNG, NoneHalfling male

Formerly a guild thief in Calimshan,like others in the Ten Towns, Regiscame north to escape his past. Short foreven a halfling (his claim to three feettall includes his curly brown hair),�Rumblebelly� makes up for his shortheight with ample girth brought on byyears of �retirement.� He carries a gemo f s u g g e s t i o n , an enchanted rubywhich allows Regis to cast suggestionon others. While he now wanders withthe Fellowship of the Hall, his idea ofadventure is forgetting to take enoughworms on a fishing trip.

Tanta HagaraWanders with Blue Bear TribeCEAnnis

Most clever Tanta Hagara is typical ofher evil race, 8 feet tall, muscular andwiry with deep blue skin, glossy blackhair, teeth, and nails and dull greenish-yellow eyes. She dresses in heavy, cow-led robes that cover all her skin to avoidfrightening her barbaric followers. Sheuses her change self ability when shemust appear before her followers, tak-ing on the form of either a stunninglybeautiful, barbaric hunter goddess(with sky-blue skin) or a blue-furredbear. Her followers in the Blue BearUthgardt tribe know she is evil, butbelieve her to be an avatar of theirdemonic bear spirit.

She is usually not found with heradopted tribe and stalks the wild, eitherin search of prey (she demands humansacrifice from her depraved followers,but never eats them publicly), or tomeet with the demon Grintharke inHellgate Keep.

Tanta Hagara�s goal is to find theUthgardt ancestor mound GrandfatherTree and make use of the gates in thecreator race shrine deep below it.

Tianna SkyflowerHigh Forest (Dire Wood)8th level thief/magic-userCE, MalarElf female, IN 15, DEX 18, CN 16

Tianna is of mixed elven, drow andhuman bloodl ines . She is dusky-skinned and dark-haired with thecrown a blaze of purest white throughthe crown. She is able to disguise herdistinctive appearance by using a magi-cal item called the ring of five visages,which produces an illusion of anotherappearance. Her followers are duskyhalf-drows, drow-human half breeds.

Wulfgar (WULF-gahr)Wanders6th level barbarianCG, Tempos (Tempus)Human male, IN 17, ST 18(85), CN 17

Wulfgar survived the barbar ianassault on the Ten Towns only due tothe intervention of Bruenor, ruler ofthe Kelvin�s Cairn dwarfhold. In returnfor his life, young Wulfgar spent fiveyears in servitude to Bruenor, duringwhich he learned that there was moreto life than strength and savagery, thata sharp mind could be more deadlythan a sharp axe.

Upon his release, Wulfgar receivedAegis-fang, a magical mithril war-hammer crafted by Bruenor, Whenthrown, i t u n e r r i n g l y r e t u r n s t oWulfgar�s hand.

After training under Drizzt Do�Ur-den, Wulfgar slew the white dragonIcingdeath and returned to his tribe. Heslew king Heafstaag, and led the bar-barians to the rescue of the Ten Towns.Now he has joined with Bruenor,Drizzt, and Regis as they search for lostMithril Hall.

Wulgreth (WOOL-grith)Karse/Nine Hells26th level lichLE, BaneOnce-human male IN 18

Wulgreth was the wizard who firstsummoned the devils into Ascalhorn.He fled when the demons were broughtin to drive off the devils and later cameto Karse in the High Forest, where onceagain he was responsible for bringinggreat evil into the world in the form ofthe Dire Wood. While trying to tap theimmortal power of the demigod Kar-sus, Wulgreth was slain by his servantJhingleshod, but lives on in a lich-likeform. Wulgreth dwells in a black pyra-mid within the ruins of Karse, sur-rounded by undead and devi l i shservitors. He seeks to return to livingimmortality by slaying immortal Kar-sus.

Zokan ThundererWanders with Elk Tribe9th level barbarianCE, Auril, TalosHuman male ST 18(23) DEX 17

This surly Uthgardt barbarian chief-tain is possibly the ugliest, rudest, rich-est, wiliest, most feared, and mosthated bandit leader in the north. Hisbarbarians raid caravans and villagesincessantly, taking prisoners for ran-som, but selling them to traders fromthe south if the ransom is too small(keeping the ransom money, of course).He has a price on his head, but is diffi-cult to find and even harder to kill�heis always guarded by 10 5th level war-riors and a 6th level shaman.

For background on Alustriel, KhelbenArunsun, and Piergeiron, see theirentries in the Campaign Set.

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Appendix A: MagicalItemsDELZOUN�S FIST

This minor artifact, a magical war-hammer +5, dwarven thrower was cre-ated by Delzoun, the legendary founderof the ancient dwarven Northkingdomthat bore his name. He bore it until hissudden and horrible death (upon whichhe is rumored to have immediately risenas an undead thing). The throwing powerworks for any fighter (not just dwarves)and it imbues the wearer with hill giantstrength (as girdle of giant strength) andacted as a ring of spell turning. The Fistalso has one major and two minor malev-olent effects which the DM should choosefrom the tables on pp. 162-3 of theDungeon Masters Guide. The minormalevolent effects occur within 1d3weeks of owning the item. The majormalevolent effect occurs the first time thehammer is used against a non-evil being.

THE NETHER SCROLLS

These magical scrolls were created bymages of the creator races. Later, theybecame the magical foundation ofancient Netheril, but disappeared longbefore Netheril fell. The entire collectionis said to number 100 scrolls, inscribed in

exotic runes upon sheets of purest gold.Their true contents are unknown, butmany are suspected to contain exoticspells more powerful than any knowntoday, requiring components that nolonger exist. The scrolls are an opportuni-ty to introduce exotic new spells into theDM�s campaign.

THE TOME OF TWELVE SEALS

This thick book with its cover made ofred dragon underbelly hide containstwelve pages of thick, black leather.Each page contains a single rune-inscribed metal disk, like a seal of somekind. Seven of the seals are gold andshiny, five are made of dull, charred,and tarnished lead.

The runes on the seals are commandwords that activate the magic of the seal.When activated, the scroll summons amagical entity which the wielder maycommand for 3d6 Turns. Each of the sev-en (gold) remaining seals summons a dif-ferent being (the proper element neednot be available for elemental beings).Page one: 16 HD air elemental; page two:8 HD fire elemental; page four: 12 HDearth elemental; page five: dragon horse;page eight: gibbering mouther; pagenine: jann; page ten: marid.

Activating a seal causes it to becomelead in a blinding flash.

Medicinal Plants of the Savage Frontier

d10 roll Plant Name Appearance Effective as

1-2 Beorunna�s cure-all stems special, see below *

Appendix B: NorthernProficienciesPlant Lore . Rangers , druids , andUthgardt barbar ians in the Northquickly learn its Plant Lore, A numberof plants in Savage Frontier can curediseases, mend wounds, or even pro-tect against foes. The Wilderness Sur-vival Guide provides detailed rules forthis proficiency and the finding ofmedicinal plants. The table that followslists useful herbs found in the North.Herbs lose their potency quickly. Unlessproperly preserved, one point of poten-cy will be lost each successive day afterthey are gathered.

Pharmacy. This skill, often learned byrangers, magic users, shamans andalchemists, allows the character to per-serve medicinal herbs and to be able tomake medicines (not potions) fromfresh or preserved herbs which allowothers not skilled in in Pharmacy orPlant Lore to use the healing or curativeeffects of medicinal plants.

Alchemists in the larger towns (suchas Amelior Amanitas of Secomber), willbe well versed in the craft. They canwork wonders with combinations ofsorcery and craftsmanship.

Method ofApplication

Boiled in tea3 Feverbalm flowers Cure insanity temporarily (1d10 hours) Boiled in tea4 Ghostroot pasty root Repels undead as a 6th level cleric for 1d3 turns Eaten raw5 Mother�sleaf leaves Cure disease (30% chance against any disease) Boiled in tea6 Spellshield berries Gives imbiber a +1 saving throw against spells Eaten raw

7-8 Trueroot red roots Poison antidote (40% chance against any poison) Eaten cooked9-10 Woundwort small plant Cures wounds of 1d4 points of damage Poultice

* Beorunna�s cure-all: This plant is a general restorative. It gives a +10 bonus for curing all diseases, or +2 bonus forhealing hit points. It can be used in addition to any of the other curative herbs or spells, supplementing the effects of thoseherbs or magic. However, it is only a supplement. On its own, it cannot cure anyone.

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Appendix C: RECENTNEWS AND RUMORS INTHE NORTHYear of Shadows

Dale Reckoning 1358

Hammer (January)� The Town of Secomber celebrated

the return of the sage AmeliorAmanitas and his entourage of col-orful cats. Amelior had been awayfor some time on a journey andreturned in spectacular fashion inhis flying gasbag.

� This winter is the coldest andsnowiest in memory. The weatherhas taken its toll on the folk of theNorth. Frost giants have been seenstalking the land as far south asLongsaddle.

Alturiak (February)� Forced south by the unusually

harsh winter, trolls have besiegedthe walls of Yartar for three weekswithout letup. Blizzards keep reliefforces away.

Ches (March)�Adanac Harpell, leader of the vil-

lage of Longsaddle, has reportedby carrier pigeon to Waterdeepthat a flight of griffons slaughteredthe inhabitants of two farms northof the village. Apparently the grif-fons have also been attacking trav-elers. No one in Longsaddle seemsable to hunt them down, The loca-tion of their lair is unknown, butwitnesses claim they come fromNeverwinter Wood.

� Seal hunters from Icewolf on TheIce Peak report being driven awayfrom the hunt by handsome war-riors dressed like Ice Hunters. Sev-era l hunt ing part ies have notreturned from the ice. The IceHunter folk refuse to join in thehunt this year. If the attacks keepup the seal harvest, particularly ofyoung seals, will be ruined. Suljack,a Luskan High Captain, has threat-

ened harm to hunting parties whodo not bring back their agreed-toquotas of seal-skin.

Tarsakh (April)�Highlord Nanathalor Greysword of

Loudwater reports finding thebodies of evil creatures near outerfarm holdings , inc luding twodrow, and a fish-like humanoid. Allbore bite marks. Before each dis-covery, residents heard an eeriehowling. investigation of cavesalong the Delimbiyr valley hasuncovered evidence of recentactivity, but no obvious access todeeper realms.

� The annual spring offensive fromHellgate Keep has yet to material-ize in Turnstone Pass. The feyforces of the ghoul-hold have yet tostage even a single sortie. Militaryleaders in Sundabar are concernedover the quiet.

Mirtul (May)� News of the sack of the Ten Towns,

a t rading and f i shing outpostlocated far to the North in IcewindDale has just reached Waterdeep.Apparently a mad wizard, late ofLuskan, attempted to conquer thefolk of Icewind Dale last year. Asthe tale is told, the towns weresaved from complete destructionby a dwarf, a halfling, a barbarianhorde and... a drow! Although thetale is a good one, few believe it.

Kythorn (June)� Lord Piergeiron of Waterdeep

a n n o u n c e d t h e e n d o f t h eRuathym/Luskan war. Apparentlythe lords of both lands took LordPiergeiron�s threat seriously. Pier-geiron s ta ted that Waterdeepwould enter the conflict againstwhomever did not attend trucetalks in Waterdeep. Aumark Lithyl,First Axe of Ruathym and the HighCaptains of Luskan have agreed tocease all hostilities. Luskan mustprovide Ruathym with six war-ships and pay were-gild to the sev-

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eral families. Ruathym in turnmust open its harbor to all vesselsseeking safety or trade.

� A patrol from Leilon secretly fol-lowed a band of lizardmen fromthe Mere of Dead Men as far as theDessarin. The lizardmen easilycrossed the river and continuedeast. At least 20 were counted,including a shaman.

Flamerule (July)� Piracy along the Sword Coast has

increased drastically. Fierce raid-ers in low raker warships prey onmerchants between Waterdeepa n d t h e M o o n s h a e s . Rumorsabound that the truce betweenLuskan and Ruathym forged analliance.

� An enterprising new group inWaterdeep, the Sea Fist Company,has purchased several old war-s h i p s f r o m W a t e r d e e p a n dNeverwinter. The ships, renamedShining Sword, Protector andGolden Paladin provide escort pro-tection to merchant fleets alongthe coast. After a shakey start, thegroup is hiring more marines andhas laid the keels on two new ships.

Eleasias (August)� According to the Harpers, every

one of the known Uthgardt ances-tor mounds was breached earlierin the summer. All evidence pointsto lizardmen. Alien looking totemswere left at each mound.

� Rumors of a powerful healer livingin the High Wood have been heardin Loudwater. An old man callinghimself Radoc saved victims of anorc raid and brought them to town.Many noted the glowing symbol onhis forehead. He refused questions,but paid for a large purchase ofsupplies with sparkling, clear crys-tals, then disappeared.

� Twenty long ships put ashore atLeilon, putting farms to the torch,carrying off livestock, and sinkingeight of the twelve ore barges. TheLances of Leilon eventually drove

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them off, inflicting heavy casual-ties, but not before close to 200townsfolk had been put to thesword and three months� worth ofthe town�s ore output lay at the bot-tom of the ocean. None of the longships flew colors. Interrogation ofthe dead drew many answers: theWhalebones, Luskan, Ruathym,even the Moonshaes.

Eleint (September)�Nesmé is under attack by a barbari-

an horde from the Griffon tribe. Acompany of Waterdhavian soldiershas been sent, but they may notreach Nesmé in time to make a dif-ference.

� Lord Piergeiron recal led hisambassadors from Luskan andRuathym and demanded repara-tions for the attack on Leilon fromthe High Captains of Luskan.

� The Sea Fist Company of Water-deep has posted a bounty for newsof the whereabouts of their shipProtector, which disappeared onescort mission to The Purple Isles.Also missing is the merchant gal-leon Gallant Prince of Neverwinter.The two were separated from aconvoy during rough weather.

Marpenoth (October)� Rumors abound that during the

Uthgardt barbarians� Runemeetlast month, all the tribal holygrounds were connected for abrief instant by high arcs of lightthat spanned the intervening miles.Since then, the tribes have beenslowly migrating south.

� It seems that the leaders of Luskan,Ruathym, Tuern, and the Whale-bones have forged a war alliancewith High Captain Taerl of Luskanas the acknowledged War Lord.Though no goals have been stated,it is assumed that with the comingof spring, attacks similar to the oneon Leilon will commence along theSword Coast.

l Orc raids have increased five-foldnorth of the Dessarin and the High

Forest. Survivors describe unusu-al ly large bands of orcs whoattacked with uncommon, almostdesperate ferocity. Several of thetribal sigils, including a one-eyedspider, a three-fingered claw, and ablood-dripping tree are unfamilarto scholars of orc lore. The morepessimistic sages believe the time isnigh for another orc invasion.

Uktar (November)l Though the last winter was the

most severe in recent memory, thecoming winter is already worse.H a r b o r s n o r t h o f L e i l o n a r ealready iced-in and snow laysheavy on the land, several feetthick in areas which normally getbut a few inches. Sundabar andSilverymoon h a v e f e n d e d o f fattacks by frost giant bands, win-ter wolves, and huge packs of devildogs.

�Nesmé is now in the hands ofKralgar Bonesnapper, a powerfulchieftain, and Tessarin�Longtresses� Alaraun, wizardessof Nesmé. Apparently the city sur-rendered, rather than face a longsiege. The priesthood of Waukeenhas been spared, but High PriestessJygil Zelnathra is in exile.

� A Zhentarim caravan that stoppedin Llorkh for supplies before head-ing south met with disaster there.Something, it is not known what,escaped from a locked wagon,overturned three other wagons,destroyed an inn and three otherbuildings before fleeing into thehills. By the time the Lord�s menarrived the �contents� of the upsetwagons had begun to wander thestreets. Before the night was done3 0 m o n s t e r z o m b i e s , u n d e a dogres, bugbears and minotaurshad been destroyed and 10 war-riors and townspeople lay dead.The caravan masters disappearedi n t o t h e n i g h t . T h e c o n f u s e dtownsfolk described the escapedcreature as huge, dark and man-like with fierce beetle-like

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mandibles�possibly an umberhulk.

� A crate was delivered to Lord Pier-geiron via merchant ship fromLuskan contained accompanied bya formal letter bearing the seal ofthe High Captains of Luskan. Thecontents of the letter are unknownbut rumor has it that the box con-tained a bag of 15 gold pieces andsix gibbering apes dressed in once-fine robes�the official regalia ofWaterdhavian ambassadors.

Nightal (December)� An attempt against the life of Lord

Piergeiron of Waterdeep endedabruptly when the assassin�s knifeflew from her hand to transforminto a stirge, which repeatedlystruck her until she died fromblood loss. Attempts to force thecorpse to speak met with failure.The identity of the young woman�semployers remains a mystery,though both the Zhentil Keep andCalimshan are suspects.

� The Protector, a missing ship thatbelonged to the Sea Fist Companywas found frost-rimed and adriftnorth of Gundarlun. The ship�screw was missing as were mostthings of value. The frozen corpsesof three sea elves were foundtrussed-up in salt-pork barrels,each corpse branded with a squidemblem.

� As the year draws to a close, theFeast of the Moon in Waterdeep ismore subdued than usual as thepeople await news the Lords� plant o d e a l w i t h t h e a l l i a n c e o fNorthmen kingdoms. Many areconcerned about mercenary bandsthat fill the city, anticipating thewar that is certain to come with thespring thaw.

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Appendix D:ADVENTURES IN THESAVAGE FRONTIERAlthough the place descriptions of theNorth are liberally seeded with hintsand suggestions for adventures, a feware presented here in the form of plotoutlines so that each DM can adjustevents and NPCs to challenge PCs of alllevels (and so that players who peekinto these pages cannot learn explicitdetails). A good DM will modify theevents (such as changing names or vil-lains), add plot complications and blendthese stories into his or her own cam-paign.

1. Grandfather in GreenLooking dreadfully out of place in thecity, a gnarled old man in green, barbar-ic clothes makes a nightly appearanceat a local tavern. He approaches eachgroup of likely heroes and tells them astrange story.

�Beneath Grandfather Tree in theHigh Forest lies an ancient shrine withdoors that lay open onto evil worlds.Close those doors for me and theancient treasures that surround themare yours to keep.�

Although the old man will not say so,he is the Tree Ghost of a small section ofthe High Forest, a guardian spirit wor-shipped by the Tree Ghost tribe of theUthgardt barbarians. If the PCs accepthis quest, he gives them a wish-bone-shaped branch from the ancient tree. Ifused like a divining rod, this branchalways points directly towards Grand-father Tree.

The Grandfather Tree map on page64 shows the general layout of the giantant tunnels, the location of the Hall ofMists (temple), and an enlarged view ofthe temple shrine itself. The entranceto the warren is up in the crotch of thetree trunk. The gates from the shrinelead to the Abyss and the NegativeMaterial Plane. The lizard-like golemswill leave the Hall of Mists stalk foesthroughout the temple, but not in the

ant tunnels. The giant ants here havebeen magically warped (see Grandfa-ther Tree description in chapter 9). Thetreasure of the shrine includes muchgold and platinum in the form of statu-ary, religious ornaments and decora-tion (no coins) and several odd magicalitems of a clerical nature (the DM maywish to use standard magical itemsfrom the DMG, but give them a unique,possibly confusing form: such as a staffof curing in the form of a hideous reptil-ian statue or a book of vile darkness inthe form of a crystal ball which projectsits contents into the mind of the read-er). This is one place to put a few pagesof the Nether Scrolls. At least one itemshould be sacred to the Tree Ghosttribe. They will unerringly seek out thePCs and ask for the item back. Anotheritem (possibly the crystal ball book) iscraved by Tanta Hagara, who will stopat nothing to get her hands on it. If shedoes, she takes it directly to HellgateKeep and Grintharke. Whatever deitiesthe PCs may worship (good or evil) willcharge the PCs to recover and ordestroy the item (the deities will notmake personal appearances, only speakthrough high-ranking clerics).

2. The Hunt is On!The freshly-painted sign in the alche-mist�s shop says �Hunters needed,inquire within.� The dark, crowded,storefront reeks of spices, preserva-tives and the distinctive (and particular-ly odious) aroma of a popular, oily hairpomade. The source of that aromamakes its presence unpleasantly knownas one of the PCs touches something inthe shop (how could anyone know itwould crumble into dust?)

Shayk Alhambrezzo (the oily-hairedproprietor who just watched a 50 gpantique crumble into powder) needshunters : unicorn hunters ( this i sbound to irritate Mielikki worshippers).Alhambrezzo needs as many as thecharacters can get for him, hooves andhide too. He will pay 1,000 gp for eachhorn, 200 for the hide and 50 for a setof four hooves.

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The only known source of unicornsin the North is the southern High For-est, along The Unicorn Run.

Whether or not the PCs spot any uni-corns is up to the DM. However, this isan excellent opportunity to lead theparty on a merry chase through theHigh Forest, discover the location of anelven tomb or intrude upon the veryprivate war occuring in the Strongholdof the Nine.

3. To Hellgate and BackAgainWhy is Hellgate Keep so quiet? Whatare the demons planning? Lord Helm,Master of Sundabar, asks the PCs toinfiltrate the ghoul-hold and find outa n s w e r s t o t h e s e q u e s t i o n s . T h ereward is high, but the danger higher.Magical and physical disguises will beprovided to the PCs� specifications.Grintharke may be negotiating hisreturn to the Abyss or extending hispower deep beneath the earth. Thisadventure could easily take the adven-turers down into the Deepearth oracross several of the outer planes.

4. For the Greater GloryWhether Waterdeep declares war onLuskan and the Captains� Confedera-tion or not, mercenary bands fromaround the North and all along theSword Coast will seek employmentwith either side in the conflict. The PCsare approached to join one of thesecompanies.

The fame of their band precedesthem as they travel west. The DM maywish to have each town or village offerthem short-term employment. An orcbandit gang is raiding one, a payment ofgold or goods to another town requiresguarding, something has been carryingoff villagers at night (tearing housesand barns into firewood in the process).The company eventually ends up in theemploy of Neverwinter (which assignsthe mercenaries to guard Port Llast).Luskan will make several attempts toconquer Port Llast with large scale sea

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and land assaults, backed up by magesfrom the Hosttower.

5. The Discontent of OurWinterA bitterly cold winter brings up taverntalk of the frost wizards, rare frostgiant witch doctors of unusual power.Legends say the frost wizards use onlymagics relating to cold and ride on hugewhite dragons. This seems a laughablemyth until the warmth of the tavern isshattered as a snowball literally formsand explodes within the tavern asscreams outside break the winter still-ness. There is confusion and carnageeverywhere as tall white-skinned giantscarry off food, valuables, livestock, andvillagers, while overhead a huge whiteform flaps slowly northward carrying agiant robed form on its back. If thecharacters have any friends here, they

are among the missing, as are at least75% of their own valuables, includingtheir mounts.

GAME INFORMATION: The generalguidelines for frost wizards are thatthey can use all cold-related clerical andmagic-user spells and have cold andfrost variants of all fire-based spells,such as snowball for fireball, freezinghands for burning hands, and so on.

6. Red Book, Gold SealsA village elder approaches the PCs andhires them as guards for an estate auc-tion of a local recluse who died and lefta collection of unusual, exotic andeccentr ic i tems, including books ,stuffed monsters (say, isn�t that anowlbear?), and many jars with uninden-tifiable contents. She was, of course, awizard living here incognito.

The need for guards is apparent. Theauction barn where everything is kepthas been burned, and battered, yetsomething (protective magics?) has keptthem out�so far.

No spell books are to be seen, but onebook, bound in scaly red leather, con-tains only twelve pages, each with a sin-gle rune-carved metal seal: seven gold,five lead. During the auction, someoneattempts to steal it. The thief grabs itand before anyone can react, activatesone of the seals on the Tome of TwelveSeals (see Appendix B). His accomplices,who include an illusionist, cause confu-sion. If the thieves escape, they flee tothe headquarters of the Kraken Societyin Yartar with the Tome. The villageelder, realizing the book�s value, wantsit back and that is the responsibility ofhis guards!

Finally, where did the old wizard hideher spellbooks?

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