| The North | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jun 20 2006, 09:58 AM (211 Views) | |
| Pamela | Jun 20 2006, 09:58 AM Post #1 |
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Molly
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Most of this information is from The North, which is available here: http://www.wizards.com/forgottenrealms/thenorth.asp Feel free to read for your own edification- or read this thread for a swift, relevant summary. :D |
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| Pamela | Jun 20 2006, 09:59 AM Post #2 |
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Molly
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When the average person thinks of the North, they think of a rugged land of jagged, snowcapped peaks, endless alpine forests, lawlessness, and monsters, with rich mines scattered over a lot of untamed wilderness. Before delving into this huge area in any depth, let’s begin with an overview. Beginning in the northwest corner, we find tiny, frigid villages clinging desperately to the coastline. Icewind Dale and its neighbors of Fireshear, Ironmaster, and Hundelstone endure beyond the capacity for southern folk to imagine. In winter, these communities are bathed in 88 days of perpetual darkness; their relief comes mid-spring when the sun peaks above the horizon and brightens the sky, bringing cherished warmth and sunshine. Only during the summer months can the residents of these villages see, farther to the west across the Great Ice Sea, the Ice Peak, where a small fishing village of thick-skinned humans live. These rugged people are known for the prey they hunt every year: the huge blue whales. These beasts pass through the strait, and they give chase in kayaks. East and north of Icewind Dale is the Endless Ice Sea, a trackless and desolate landscape ruled by glaciers, remorhaz, orcs, and goblins. This tortured land is visited only by crazed human adventurers looking for legendary sites of power and magic. East of Hundelstone, where the Iceflow plunges to the sea, the Spine of the North- the tallest peaks in Faerûn- stand like sentinels, protecting much of the Frontier from the unbearable chill of the far north. This line of mountains stretches from the Sea of Moving Ice almost to Anauroch. To the south are the temperate hardwood forests of the High Forest, Lurkwood, Moonwood, and Neverwinter Woods. Moors –the Evermoors and High Moor.dot the landscape like scattered ink upon parchment. Along the Sword Coast, one finds the strongest elements of civilization. Here, the great trade towns of Leilon, Luskan, Neverwinter, Port Llast, and Waterdeep keep the area from falling into complete chaos. The central portion of the northern Sword Coast is underlain by several cavern systems; the Endless Caverns of the High Forest, the Underground River system of the High Moor (accessed from Dragonspear Castle far to the south), and the caverns under Mount Waterdeep that dwarves expanded into Undermountain. |
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| Pamela | Jun 20 2006, 09:59 AM Post #3 |
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Molly
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Subarctic Climate The majority of the North, including the islands and the Spine of the World, fall in a subarctic clime. Long, bitter winters typically last from mid Marpenoth to late Tarsakh, with temperatures dropping to -30° F (-34° C) and rarely climbing past 40° F (4° C) . Winters are punctuated by destructive storms howling off the westem ocean, dumping mixed snow and rain on the coastline and heavy snow across the mountains and midlands. Frequent blizzards blanket the land in snow drifts (often 10 feet deep) that isolate communities from one another. In the mountains, temperatures approach arctic iciness, while the forests shrug off the worst effects of winter (some woods, like Neverwinter Wood and the southern High Forest, never feel winter at all). Rivers freeze over.with ice thick enough to support wagons and draft teams between Uktar and early Ches. Summers in the North are short, but temperatures climb to 80° F (27° C), which along with high humidity and warm breezes from the southern seaskeeps it warm enough for most anyone (if not uncomfortable at times). Precipitation normally takes the form of rain, but hail, sleet, and snow are common. Summer is the time for wizard weather, when unpredictable -even magical- weather patterns occur in the vicinity of the High Forest. The cloud cover over the North seems eternal and unbroken. Partially sunny days are common, but a day without clouds in the North is difficult to conceive and usually worth noting. |
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| Pamela | Jun 20 2006, 10:00 AM Post #4 |
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Molly
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Silverymoon’s climate benefits from the surrounding forests and Nether Mountains; storms blowing from the Spine of the World and the Great Desert of Anauroch descend less severely upon this cradled city. The Moonwoods enjoy more sunlight being so far inland but winters are still much colder than those in Waterdeep. Below is the average monthly temperature. Those seeking a real-world parallel should think of Moscow. 1 Hammer 9-23°F (-12 to -6°C) 2 Altruriak 12-25°F (-12 to -5°C) 3 Ches 23-36°F (-6 to 1°C) 4 Tarsakh 36-52°F (2 to11°C) 5 Mirtul 48-61°F (7 to18C) 6 Kythorn 58-74°F (12 to 22°C) 7 Flamerule 63-79°F (14 to 24°C) 8 Eleasias 61-76°F (12 to 22°C) 9 Elient 53-68°F (7 to 5°C) 10 Marpenoth 43-57°F (2 to -8°C) 11 Uktar 32-42°F (-4 to -1°C) 12 Nightal 16-27°F (-8 to -4°C) |
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| Pamela | Jun 20 2006, 10:00 AM Post #5 |
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Molly
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The Moonwoods This is not the name of a single forest, instead encompassing Lurkwood, Southkrypt Garden, Southwood, Moonwood, and Westwood. The edges of these forests are logged by men, though their dark depths are largely a mystery. In the depths of the Moonwood, legends claim that a ruined, overgrown elven castle stands. Its name is forgotten, but great magic is believed to sleep in its gloomy chambers. The castle.s vine-choked, needle-thin spires are lost among the trees, and it bears some sort of cloaking magic deterring both monster intrusions and magical detection alike. There’s also a hill where drow ladies come on moonlit nights to dance in a great ring. This seems to be done in worship to Eilistraee, a goddess of good aims. It’s dangerous to approach the women, the guides say. They hurl potent spells at intruders, chasing those they see for long distances through the forest. Herald’s Holdfast About a day’s journey west of Silverymoon brings travelers to a dell north of the River Rauvin where lies the Herald.s Holdfast, the spellguarded Citadel of Old Night, one of the five High Heralds of western Faerûn. The citadel is a squat, stone tower so ancient and ivy-grown it is discernible to only those who know where to seek it. The Herald’s Holdfast is a precious library of heraldry and genealogy of the known human, elven, dwarven, halfling, and gnomish peoples as far back as records can be traced. It’s said to be an invincible fortress, and it is respected by both good and evil races of the North- even some of the histories and badges of the orc, goblin, and hobgoblin races are preserved within its walls. The huge, moss-covered stone door is smooth with age and swings freely inward when touched. A cylindrical room fills the entire tower, lighted by a soft blue glow. This is the Chamber of Man. Weapons and armor from every age line the walls. Above them, banners and crests of forgotten kingdoms are interspersed with intricate tapestries displaying historical scenes. Overhead, carved into the rafters, are bas-reliefs of human heroes and heroines of the past. The Chamber of Man is the largest in the Holdfast save the enormous library. A passage at the end of the Chamber of Man is delved into the steep hill at the rear of the citadel. Other chambers line this corridor, one for each of the goodly races, and even a few for the history of orcs, goblins, and giantkind, each designed in the same manner as that of mankind. At the far end of the corridor is the largest room of the Holdfast: the greatest library of the North. This treasure trove exceeds even the Vault of the Sages in Silverymoon. Lining the walls and piled on tables large and small are countless volumes. One Stone Shadowed by deep forest, this ancestor mound served the nowdead or disappeared Golden Eagle and Red Pony tribes. Now, only the Sky Ponies make their visit to the One Stone. Instead of an altar mound at the center of the cairn rings, there’s a single, massive, rounded boulder, easily 20 feet across and 12 feet high and covered with precisely engraved tracery. Carved steps ascend the south face to the altar on top. The legend of One Stone tells of a god who sealed a passageway from Baator with a single rock thrust into the ground. One can only wonder if the evil supposedly sealed beneath the stone was able to reach out to whisk the missing tribes away. Some say the Golden Eagle and Red Pony tribes were destroyed by inter-tribal rivalry. Darker tales suggest that they disappeared beneath the ground, where they yet dwell today. |
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8:48 AM Jul 11