Located in the center of the known world, this vast region harbors some of the most glorious ruins of the old First Men’s empire.
The blight that defiled the world sparked from its epicenter, Haven, making this area the most corrupt in all of Faerun, together with the World Below. In the depths of the fallen city of Daggerford is the core of everything: the otherworldly tear in reality that paved the way for the horrors of the Dark Mirror.
Wailing Mire
Dark tales of sorcery and ghosts surrounded this misty bog long before the endless darkness was laid upon the world. Fog so thick that not even death can reach those who wait in the fog, namely witches and other unnamed nightmares.
The dark morass hidden amidst the misty woods is a place for perdition, and those who wander do not come back, sleeping forever in the shadow of the mountains bordering the Alper Highlands. Only the foolish dare enter voluntarily, seeking dangerous pacts with the witches of the bog.
Old trees, rooted in filth, whisper of madness alongside the crones reciting their litanies. The vilest of covens are said to have their origin here, like the Trudens with their cruel eyes looking towards the Innkelch. The current inhabitants defend these traditions and sacred rights, luring unwary wayfarers to their death.
Ruins of Haven
Above the sunken halls of Daggerford lie the ruins of the second home of the Anireth, whose high towers are now nothing but debris, for everything began and ended there. Black sands, dust, and ashes cover the silent buildings.
Nothing moves amidst the archways and the wide paved alleys save for a few survivors, corrupted sons of the first possessed.
Alone in the devastation the statue of Mirithlen stands untouched, peerless in her majesty, utmost symbol of hope at the center of extreme desperation. Adventurers say that she stands next to the archaeological site that leads to Deep Daggerford, as a bastion against what is darkest.
Deep Daggerford
The very halls of ancient Daggerford, where evil first came into the world on account of man’s search for what was lost. The splendor of the earliest empire can still be admired as it was, suspended in time and darkness. Nonetheless, these ruins conceal vileness and secrets and are definitely the most inhospitable place in Faerun.
The Archmaester himself rules over the ruins and the outcasts and Unholy Sacrament cultists that have chosen this place as their home. His loyal followers guarding the temple where the Sages of the First Age used to oversee the world of men.
In the unnatural crevasse opened in the Council Hall lies the portal to Enfaerun. To death and damnation. To the origin of the Night Eternal.
Rinalta’s Remnants
Once a wealthy island off the shores of the Sword Coast, renowned for its strategic position for commerce and craftsmanship across all of the Anireth’s first kingdom, only eclipsed by Daggerford’s greater lavishness and arrogance.
The same seism that cast Daggerford underground buried Rinalta at the bottom of the sea, whose hazy waters sometimes reveal domes and spires as a testimony of the treasures waiting in drowning estates.
Mourn Wastes
The expanse surrounding Haven were the first to be ravaged by the Dark Mirror leaks, so the devastation and corruption they still suffer come as little surprise. Sands like cinder and nauseous fumes enshroud the twisted, horrific remains of both civilization and wilderness.
The most deformed creatures in all of Faerun creep amidst the ruins, ever trying to drag the living into shadows where unspeakable horrors await.
Old Way
In ancient times, when men traded goods and culture fruitfully with the Beronzin, a large route connected Daggerford and Aresya, capital of the satyrs. When Daggerford sank and Haven took its place the route kept its function, although worn out by the sands of time and turned into a silent, melancholic landscape.
Though it is far from safe, the wide road still is the best alternative to cross the province and get to the south-eastern regions of the Known Lands.
Halfway between these ruined cities stands Newforge, the last safe haven for miles. A Place where priests, clerics and soldiers guard the palisades, and where Lunar Cult and Old Tradition devotees keep the shadows at bay.