List of Forgotten Realms cities
Encyclopedia
This is a list of fictional cities, towns, and villages from the Forgotten Realms
setting. These locations have appeared in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting
for the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy
roleplaying game, the multiple series of novels set in the Forgotten Realms, or the numerous video and computer games set in the Forgotten Realms, or any combination thereof.
.
The sprawling port-city of Calimport is a city within the country of Calimshan. It is on the water, and the desert, so it has ways of travel by both. Memnon and Manshaka are close trading partners, Manshaka by sea, and Memnon by caravan. But some of the runs that the local traders go as far as Luskan. Sultan Vezhera is King, but the Crime Guilds run the streets. It's all well organized so an outsider wouldn't know the difference. Bead stands, harems, and Taverns line the streets, but as usual there is always a top provider of both. Mystic Tavern, which has an opium den in the back, and the Glistening Harem that has a wondrous bath house.
Calimport also is the home of the assassin Artemis Entreri
, known for his longstanding feud with Drizzt Do'Urden
in a number of novels by R. A. Salvatore.
The City of Shimmering Webs, Ched Nasad, was constructed in a cavern shaped like a cone with the tip pointing downwards. The various levels and the more influential buildings in the city are made out of extra thick spiderweb strands, thus giving the city its name. It was not featured prominently in the Realms until the War of the Spider Queen
series, where duergar
mercenaries in the employ of the Vhaeraunite group Jaezred Chaulssin, inadverdantly destroyed it through copious use of stonefire bombs, which were much more effective on the webs that held it together than on stone. Out of the 30,000 drow who made up the city's population, around 3,000 survived the disaster.
. It is considered by most to be the furthest reach of civilization, the Spine of the World Mountains which mark what most believe to be the end of the known world (this is of course not true as the Ten Towns of Icewind Dale lie past them) being just a couple of hundred miles north of the city.
Built on the ruins of Illusk, which fell in 1244 DR to the orcs
of the Bloody Tusks Tribe, Luskan has a very intriguing history. Most of its inhabitants, however, couldn't care less. Luskan is a port town frequented by pirates, thieves and other disreputable folk interested in only one thing: money. Although you could be murdered, mugged or kidnapped at any moment within its walls, Luskan is a very lucrative city. Pirates bring in their booty to be sold to the black market, northern traders frequent the place as a rest stop on their way to the aforementioned Ten towns during the warmer months, ready to buy exotic scrimshander ornaments, several taverns do a roaring trade in ale and other spirits, the drugs and slave trade are rife (although obviously sublimated) and information brokers and prostitutes ply their trade during the night-time.
The city was officially ruled by the five High Captains: Taerl, Baram, Kurth, Seljack and Rethnor, former pirate lords all. In the game Neverwinter Nights
which is not considered canon, in the year 1373 DR the High Captains were either killed or forced to flee during a vicious civil war caused by a cultist named Maugrim, who planned on using Luskan's might against the city of Neverwinter.
The true power in the city actually resides in the Host Tower of the Arcane. The 130 loosely affiliated mages use the High Captains as puppet rulers, mostly keeping to themselves and working on their own magical experiments. They encourage the harassment of the trading routes of small cities such as Longsaddle, Mirabar and Neverwinter
although they stay well clear of Waterdeep
and Amn's routes. They also encourage local traders to treat travellers with disdain and suspicion, in the possibility that they may be spies for their enemies, often sending agents to follow strangers personally.
Luskan is the main setting of The Pirate King novel by R.A. Salvatore.
. It is ruled by the "The Lord of Keys".
. The city's Shield Dwarves live underground to oversee their workshops. The humans above cooperate with the Dwarves to handle the mining, move the ore to market and defend the city against magical threats. The nominal ruler of Mirabar is a hereditary marchion, but the true power is in an assembly called the Council of Sparkling Stones, a Dwarven and Human group that meets once a year to determine target production quotas and whether or not to threaten current clients with reduced output.
The city itself stands on a knoll on the north banks of the river Mirar. It is linked by good roads to its major mines in the Spine of the World mountains. These mines yield up almost all known metals and gemstones so they are guarded against Orc and monster raids by a standing army, the axe of Mirabar. The craftsmen of Mirabar also work the stone and metals taken out of the mines, transporting the stone to Luskan magically (for an exorbitant cost) to be shipped to the south, the worthless stone is crushed to improve the city's roads. This means that the city is the richest city north of Waterdeep
.
, led by the High Blade (the de facto ruler of the city), Selfaril Uoumdolphin. After years of actively opposing it, the city finally joined the Zhentarim
. Now firmly entrenched in the Zhents' power base and with a new temple to Bane
being erected there, the city that once stood as a bulwark against the spread of the Zhent stain is now one of the proudest jewels in Fzoul Chembryl's new, Banite-influenced Zhentarim.
In fact, Selfaril was murdered by his twin brother, Rassendyl, who now rules in Selfaril's name.
. The city is part of the confederation of the Silver Marches ruled by Lady Alustriel Silverhand. The city has approximately 6,000 permanent residents, but the population may increase up to 50 percent during the trade season.
Because Nesmé is located in the middle of the wilderness, the city faces constant threats. To the north lies the dark woods of Lurkwood. Tribes of Uthgardt barbarians roam the plains north and west of the Surbrin. To the south and east lies the hidden dangers of the Evermoors. As a result, the city has funneled much of its resources into maintaining a viligent defense force called the 'Riders of Nesmé'.
's party in the book, Streams of Silver. This act would later cause frosty relations between Nesmé and Mithral Hall
.
of Faerûn
on the world Toril
, is a major tradestop both for caravans heading north and south. Goods of all kinds can be found here virtually year-round. The city is also a hotbed of intrigue. Legitimate lords and those of a more shady kind, rulers of bastions of good, the masters of the Underdark
, all come to Scornubel to engage in political actions or exchange secrets that might see their power stripped from them at home.
If you want goods, they can be found in Scornubel. If you want information, it can be found in Scornubel. But there's always a price attached.
The city provides the setting for the novels of The Sembia Series, the first of which was an anthology
of smaller stories, The Halls of Stormweather, by several authors published in 2000.
. Originally a nobleman's estate, it later became the winter palace of the Raumatharan king. Located on the southern side of a bay in Yal-Tengri, it may arguably be compared to real world Saint Petersburg
, or a remote Königsberg
. It may also be compared to any city bordering the real-world Hudson Bay
, albeit it is not located in Anchorome (Toril
's equivalent to North America).
East of Winterkeep are the Glittering Spires, arguably Toril's Urals
(except that Urals are actually very low in altitude, barely a mountain range at all).
. The city was later destroyed by Cyric
.
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
setting. These locations have appeared in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
for the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
roleplaying game, the multiple series of novels set in the Forgotten Realms, or the numerous video and computer games set in the Forgotten Realms, or any combination thereof.
Calimport
Calimport is a city which sits on the coast of the subcontinent of FaerûnFaerûn
Faerûn is a fictional subcontinent, the primary setting of the Dungeons & Dragons world of Forgotten Realms. It is described at a relatively high level in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting from Wizards of the Coast, and various locales and aspects are described in more detail by separate...
.
The sprawling port-city of Calimport is a city within the country of Calimshan. It is on the water, and the desert, so it has ways of travel by both. Memnon and Manshaka are close trading partners, Manshaka by sea, and Memnon by caravan. But some of the runs that the local traders go as far as Luskan. Sultan Vezhera is King, but the Crime Guilds run the streets. It's all well organized so an outsider wouldn't know the difference. Bead stands, harems, and Taverns line the streets, but as usual there is always a top provider of both. Mystic Tavern, which has an opium den in the back, and the Glistening Harem that has a wondrous bath house.
Calimport also is the home of the assassin Artemis Entreri
Artemis Entreri
Artemis Entreri is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Entreri is depicted as a ruthless assassin and the arch-enemy of Drizzt Do'Urden, the protagonistic dark elf. He is the creation of author R. A...
, known for his longstanding feud with Drizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt Do'Urden is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Drizzt was created by author R. A. Salvatore as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Salvatore created him on a whim when his publisher needed to...
in a number of novels by R. A. Salvatore.
Ched Nasad
Ched Nasad is a drow city.The City of Shimmering Webs, Ched Nasad, was constructed in a cavern shaped like a cone with the tip pointing downwards. The various levels and the more influential buildings in the city are made out of extra thick spiderweb strands, thus giving the city its name. It was not featured prominently in the Realms until the War of the Spider Queen
War of the Spider Queen
War of the Spider Queen is a New York Times best-selling series of novels set in the Forgotten Realms universe published by Wizards of the Coast. The series contains six books focused on the drow and their principal deity Lolth. Each of the six novels in the series is written by a different author...
series, where duergar
Duergar (Dungeons & Dragons)
In Dungeons & Dragons fantasy, the duergar, or gray dwarves are a cruel and evil subrace of dwarves.-Publication history:The duergar are named after the dvergar of Norse mythology, who were the builders of Gleipnir...
mercenaries in the employ of the Vhaeraunite group Jaezred Chaulssin, inadverdantly destroyed it through copious use of stonefire bombs, which were much more effective on the webs that held it together than on stone. Out of the 30,000 drow who made up the city's population, around 3,000 survived the disaster.
Luskan
Luskan (also known as the City of Sails) is a port city on the northernmost point of the Sword Coast, on the continent of FaerûnFaerûn
Faerûn is a fictional subcontinent, the primary setting of the Dungeons & Dragons world of Forgotten Realms. It is described at a relatively high level in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting from Wizards of the Coast, and various locales and aspects are described in more detail by separate...
. It is considered by most to be the furthest reach of civilization, the Spine of the World Mountains which mark what most believe to be the end of the known world (this is of course not true as the Ten Towns of Icewind Dale lie past them) being just a couple of hundred miles north of the city.
Built on the ruins of Illusk, which fell in 1244 DR to the orcs
Orc (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, orcs are a primitive race of savage, bestial, barbaric humanoid.-Publication history:The orc was one of the earliest creatures introduced in the D&D game. The D&D orc is largely based upon the orcs appearing in the works of J.R.R...
of the Bloody Tusks Tribe, Luskan has a very intriguing history. Most of its inhabitants, however, couldn't care less. Luskan is a port town frequented by pirates, thieves and other disreputable folk interested in only one thing: money. Although you could be murdered, mugged or kidnapped at any moment within its walls, Luskan is a very lucrative city. Pirates bring in their booty to be sold to the black market, northern traders frequent the place as a rest stop on their way to the aforementioned Ten towns during the warmer months, ready to buy exotic scrimshander ornaments, several taverns do a roaring trade in ale and other spirits, the drugs and slave trade are rife (although obviously sublimated) and information brokers and prostitutes ply their trade during the night-time.
The city was officially ruled by the five High Captains: Taerl, Baram, Kurth, Seljack and Rethnor, former pirate lords all. In the game Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights , produced by BioWare and published by Infogrames , is a third-person perspective computer role-playing game that is based on third edition Dungeons & Dragons and Forgotten Realms rules. It was originally to be published by Interplay Entertainment, but the publisher's financial...
which is not considered canon, in the year 1373 DR the High Captains were either killed or forced to flee during a vicious civil war caused by a cultist named Maugrim, who planned on using Luskan's might against the city of Neverwinter.
The true power in the city actually resides in the Host Tower of the Arcane. The 130 loosely affiliated mages use the High Captains as puppet rulers, mostly keeping to themselves and working on their own magical experiments. They encourage the harassment of the trading routes of small cities such as Longsaddle, Mirabar and Neverwinter
Neverwinter
Neverwinter is a fictional city-state in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Neverwinter was founded by Lord Halueth Never...
although they stay well clear of Waterdeep
Waterdeep (city)
Waterdeep is a fictional city-state that forms part of a popular Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game campaign setting called the Forgotten Realms. It is a port city that is located along the western coast of the Faerûn sub-continent...
and Amn's routes. They also encourage local traders to treat travellers with disdain and suspicion, in the possibility that they may be spies for their enemies, often sending agents to follow strangers personally.
Luskan is the main setting of The Pirate King novel by R.A. Salvatore.
Melvaunt
Melvaunt is a city on the northern side of the Moonsea and adjacent to the Great Gray Land of TharThar (Forgotten Realms)
Thar is a location on Faerûn, a fictional continent, the primary setting of the Forgotten Realms.-Description:Thar, also known as the Great Gray Land, is a rocky, broken moor stretching for hundreds of miles with a harsh climate north of the Moonsea...
. It is ruled by the "The Lord of Keys".
Mirabar
Mirabar is the mining center for the Sword Coast, on the continent of FaerûnFaerûn
Faerûn is a fictional subcontinent, the primary setting of the Dungeons & Dragons world of Forgotten Realms. It is described at a relatively high level in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting from Wizards of the Coast, and various locales and aspects are described in more detail by separate...
. The city's Shield Dwarves live underground to oversee their workshops. The humans above cooperate with the Dwarves to handle the mining, move the ore to market and defend the city against magical threats. The nominal ruler of Mirabar is a hereditary marchion, but the true power is in an assembly called the Council of Sparkling Stones, a Dwarven and Human group that meets once a year to determine target production quotas and whether or not to threaten current clients with reduced output.
The city itself stands on a knoll on the north banks of the river Mirar. It is linked by good roads to its major mines in the Spine of the World mountains. These mines yield up almost all known metals and gemstones so they are guarded against Orc and monster raids by a standing army, the axe of Mirabar. The craftsmen of Mirabar also work the stone and metals taken out of the mines, transporting the stone to Luskan magically (for an exorbitant cost) to be shipped to the south, the worthless stone is crushed to improve the city's roads. This means that the city is the richest city north of Waterdeep
Waterdeep (city)
Waterdeep is a fictional city-state that forms part of a popular Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game campaign setting called the Forgotten Realms. It is a port city that is located along the western coast of the Faerûn sub-continent...
.
Mulmaster
Mulmaster is a city on the continent of FaerûnFaerûn
Faerûn is a fictional subcontinent, the primary setting of the Dungeons & Dragons world of Forgotten Realms. It is described at a relatively high level in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting from Wizards of the Coast, and various locales and aspects are described in more detail by separate...
, led by the High Blade (the de facto ruler of the city), Selfaril Uoumdolphin. After years of actively opposing it, the city finally joined the Zhentarim
Zhentarim
The Zhentarim is a fictional organization in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Also known as the Black Network, it is an evil organization based on the continent of Faerûn. One of its goals is to dominate the lands from the Moonsea to the...
. Now firmly entrenched in the Zhents' power base and with a new temple to Bane
Bane (god)
Bane , is the god of hatred, fear, and tyranny and one of the main evil gods in the fictional Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting, Forgotten Realms....
being erected there, the city that once stood as a bulwark against the spread of the Zhent stain is now one of the proudest jewels in Fzoul Chembryl's new, Banite-influenced Zhentarim.
In fact, Selfaril was murdered by his twin brother, Rassendyl, who now rules in Selfaril's name.
Nesmé
The small city of Nesmé is built upon the southern bank of the Surbrin River, on the northwestern edge of the Evermoors in northern FaerûnFaerûn
Faerûn is a fictional subcontinent, the primary setting of the Dungeons & Dragons world of Forgotten Realms. It is described at a relatively high level in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting from Wizards of the Coast, and various locales and aspects are described in more detail by separate...
. The city is part of the confederation of the Silver Marches ruled by Lady Alustriel Silverhand. The city has approximately 6,000 permanent residents, but the population may increase up to 50 percent during the trade season.
Because Nesmé is located in the middle of the wilderness, the city faces constant threats. To the north lies the dark woods of Lurkwood. Tribes of Uthgardt barbarians roam the plains north and west of the Surbrin. To the south and east lies the hidden dangers of the Evermoors. As a result, the city has funneled much of its resources into maintaining a viligent defense force called the 'Riders of Nesmé'.
Appearances
Due to the Riders' commitment to protect the city, they are very suspecious of outsiders. Their wary nature caused them to turn back Drizzt Do'UrdenDrizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt Do'Urden is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Drizzt was created by author R. A. Salvatore as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Salvatore created him on a whim when his publisher needed to...
's party in the book, Streams of Silver. This act would later cause frosty relations between Nesmé and Mithral Hall
Mithral Hall
In the fictional world of Forgotten Realms, Mithral Hall is the fabled dwarven home of Bruenor Battlehammer, an old dwarven city where tunnels were often lined with natural veins of mithral as thick as an arm....
.
Scornubel
Scornubel (also known as Caravan City), located in the Western Heartlands of the subcontinentSubcontinent
A subcontinent is a large, relatively self-contained landmass forming a subdivision of a continent. By dictionary entries, the term subcontinent signifies "having a certain geographical or political independence" from the rest of the continent, or "a vast and more or less self-contained subdivision...
of Faerûn
Faerûn
Faerûn is a fictional subcontinent, the primary setting of the Dungeons & Dragons world of Forgotten Realms. It is described at a relatively high level in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting from Wizards of the Coast, and various locales and aspects are described in more detail by separate...
on the world Toril
Toril
Toril, meaning bullpen in Spanish, can refer to:* Toril - a District in Metro Davao in The Philippines* Toril - a Barangay in Island Garden City of Samal, Metro Davao, The Philippines* Toril y Masegoso, a town in the province of Teruel, Aragón, Spain...
, is a major tradestop both for caravans heading north and south. Goods of all kinds can be found here virtually year-round. The city is also a hotbed of intrigue. Legitimate lords and those of a more shady kind, rulers of bastions of good, the masters of the Underdark
Underdark
The Underdark is a fictional setting which has appeared in Dungeons & Dragons role-playing campaigns and Dungeons & Dragons-based fiction books, including the Legend of Drizzt series by R. A. Salvatore...
, all come to Scornubel to engage in political actions or exchange secrets that might see their power stripped from them at home.
If you want goods, they can be found in Scornubel. If you want information, it can be found in Scornubel. But there's always a price attached.
Selgaunt
Selgaunt is a metropolis with over 56,000 inhabitants, and is the largest and one of the wealthiest cities in the merchant nation of Sembia. Its nature is that of a port city located on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Fallen Stars at the mouth of the river Arkhen. This was originally a slave city begotten from the shores of western civilization, henceforth known as Selgaunt. The founder of the city of Selgaunt was a poor novelist by the name of Barthoemue Jacobie Rankster from the first age.The city provides the setting for the novels of The Sembia Series, the first of which was an anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
of smaller stories, The Halls of Stormweather, by several authors published in 2000.
Winterkeep
Winterkeep is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) city in the Hordelands, on the continent of FaerûnFaerûn
Faerûn is a fictional subcontinent, the primary setting of the Dungeons & Dragons world of Forgotten Realms. It is described at a relatively high level in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting from Wizards of the Coast, and various locales and aspects are described in more detail by separate...
. Originally a nobleman's estate, it later became the winter palace of the Raumatharan king. Located on the southern side of a bay in Yal-Tengri, it may arguably be compared to real world Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, or a remote Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
. It may also be compared to any city bordering the real-world Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
, albeit it is not located in Anchorome (Toril
Toril
Toril, meaning bullpen in Spanish, can refer to:* Toril - a District in Metro Davao in The Philippines* Toril - a Barangay in Island Garden City of Samal, Metro Davao, The Philippines* Toril y Masegoso, a town in the province of Teruel, Aragón, Spain...
's equivalent to North America).
East of Winterkeep are the Glittering Spires, arguably Toril's Urals
Ural Mountains
The Ural Mountains , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the Ural River and northwestern Kazakhstan. Their eastern side is usually considered the natural boundary between Europe and Asia...
(except that Urals are actually very low in altitude, barely a mountain range at all).
Zhentil Keep
Zhentil Keep is the main base of operation for the ZhentarimZhentarim
The Zhentarim is a fictional organization in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Also known as the Black Network, it is an evil organization based on the continent of Faerûn. One of its goals is to dominate the lands from the Moonsea to the...
. The city was later destroyed by Cyric
Cyric
Cyric is a deity in the fictional Forgotten Realms campaign setting, a branch of Dungeons & Dragons. Cyric has many titles, including the Prince of Lies, the Dark Sun, the Black Sun, the Mad God, and the Lord of Three Crowns...
.