Western Heartlands The Western Heartlands is a region located in West Faerûn . The Western Heartlands stretch west from Cormyr and the Dragon Coast to the east , and slowly blend into the coastal Sword Coast region at the Sea of Swords . The city of Baldur ' s Gate is the strongest city in the Western Heartlands and also Faerûn ' s most powerful , along with Evereska ; due to a massive influx of refugees created by the Spellplague , the city has swelled and grown as big as half of Elturgard . Before the Spellplague , there were not any nations in the Western Heartlands , despite Amn ' s attempts . As of 1479 DR , Elturgard and Najara have grown to be powerful nations in the Western Heartlands ; however , the city of Baldur ' s Gate could still best both of them in a hypothetical war . Settlements and other features . Baldur ' s Gate . Baldur ' s Gate is a port metropolis on the north bank of the River Chionthar , to the south of Waterdeep and to the north of Amn . Between Baldur ' s Gate and Amn stretches the important merchant road , the Coast Way . It is well known for the presence of the powerful Flaming Fist mercenary company that keep the city generally peaceful and safe . There are many areas around Baldur ' s Gate that are considered part of Baldur ' s Gate and in its influence . Candlekeep . The fortress library of Candlekeep stands on a cliff , looking down upon the Sea of Swords . Currently ruled by the Keeper of the Tomes Ulraunt , Candlekeep and its enormous library contains every book and scroll of knowledge possible . To gain entry to the halls of wisdom , a visitor must gift the library collection with a new tome worth at least 1 , 000 gold pieces , while gaining entry into the keep only requires any literary work . The small community of monks and scholars residing in Candlekeep mainly favors Oghma , the god of knowledge , as well as the deities Deneir , Gond , and Milil . The Cimarine Isles . The isles lie between the southern Sword Coast and the Moonshae Isles , and they are settled by genasi and Amn trade colonies . Cloak Wood . Cloak Wood lies south of Baldur ' s Gate and north of Candlekeep , where its ancient overgrown forest looms along the shore south of the Sword Coast . Unlike the cliffs to the north , the Cloak Wood ' s shoreline theoretically allows a ship to moor and send a small boat to shore for water and supplies . In practice , only desperate mariners dare the wood ' s nasty population of beasts , monsters , and vicious fey . The sages of Candlekeep assert that Cloak Wood contains " portals " to several other parts of Faerûn . Winding Water . The northernmost extent of Baldur ' s Gate goes up to the Bhaal - death sick - black winding water . Troll Hills . Hills north of Baldur ' s Gate that are home to Trolls and the Warlock ' s Crypt . Trollbark Forest . A large forest north of Baldur ' s Gate that is home to many Goblin gangs and Trolls from the Troll Hills . Wayfork Village . A growing village just North of Trollbark Forest , while it too was unaffected by the Spellplague , due to it not being a very large city , most of the Spellplague runners went to Baldur ' s Gate . Wood of Sharp Teeth . A very large forest that homes many lycanthropes , after his defeat Duke ( Lord ) Valarken retreated here and began to rebuild its ancient ruins . The villain Ikhal ( he served under Valarken ) was in charge of the lycanthrope army here and he was going to invade Baldur ' s Gate with them for Duke ( Lord ) Valarken . This plan was later thwarted and the lycanthrope civilization of the forest was badly damaged . Friendly Arm Inn . The Friendly Arm Inn is a stone keep which houses the titular inn and is surrounded by an outer wall , which also protects the Temple of Wisdom ( a shrine dedicated to Garl Glittergold ) , a handful of houses , and stables . With its location on the trade way between Baldur ' s Gate and the town of Beregost , the Friendly Arm is a safe haven for travelers . The keep was once the stronghold to worshipers of Bhaal , the Lord of Murder , but the gnome Bentley Mirrorshade , his gnome wife Gellena and their adventuring party cleaned out the keep and Bentley is now the current proprietor of the inn , while Gellena is the head priestess in the temple of Garl Glittergold . At the Friendly Arm peace is secured by both the guards as well as the barmaids of the inn who are said to be iron golem s camouflaged as women by illusionary means . Elturgard . The Western Heartlands first nation . It is also the Western Heartlands most peaceful nation with its inhabitants constantly bowing down to Torm . Berdusk . Berdusk , the Jewel of Sunset Vale , is the western base of the Harpers and also one of Elturgard ' s most important cities . Elturel . Sitting atop a cliff on the banks of the River Chionthar , Elturel boasts one of the most effective and disciplined militias in the Realms : the Hellriders . Under the reign of High Lord Dhelt , Elturel has become one of the most prominent cities of the Western Heartlands , boasting control of much of the river trade between the Dragonmere and the major Sword Coast port of Baldur ' s Gate . Elturel grew to become the nation of Elturgard . Scornubel . Also known as " Caravan City " , Scornubel 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 . Goods and information can both be found in Scornubel , but always at a price . Triel . Once an independent city that realized it would fare better if under Elturgard . It joined the Torm worshiping city and is one of its major trading centers , as many caravans , traders and adventurers pass through it to go to the Reaching Woods to explore . Beregost . Halfway on the Coast Way between Baldur ' s Gate and Amn , the large town of Beregost receives many visiting merchant caravans , and town has a wide array of inns and taverns . Beregost was founded around a school of magic run by the wizard Ulcaster , but the school is now but ruins to the east of the town . The town is run by Kelddath Ormlyr , the high priest of the local temple to Lathander . In 1373 DR , Beregost was the site of a battle between two metallic dragon s , the copper dragon Chalintash and the mercury dragon Trinculo . Najara . A great kingdom belonging to the nagas and the Lizardfolk . It is the second kingdom to have sprouted in the Western Heartlands and is by far stronger than Elturgard , but weaker than Baldur ' s Gate . High Moor . A large , monster - infested , open moorland in western Faerûn , the High Moor is bordered on the east by the Serpent Hills and on the west by the Misty Forest . It was created in about - 10 , 500 DR when the fallen kingdom of Miyeritar was destroyed by the Vyshaantar Empire ' s magics during the Crown Wars . The High Moor contains numerous ancient ruins and structures , but the most familiar include Dragonspear Castle on the western edge , Hammer Hall , a dwarven keep near the banks of the northern Highstar Lake and Orogoth , a large ancestral hall near the Serpent Hills . Forays into the High Moor are usually based in the town of Secomber , north of the region . The eastern High Moor has become part of Najara , but areas like Dragonspear Castle remain independent . Serpent Hills . Homeland of the najas and the Yuan - ti , it is where the nation of Najara first sprouted . Marsh of Chelimber . A huge marsh once belonging to Prince Chelimber , Eldrith the Betrayer , the Zhentarim and now the najas . Forest of Wyrms . A huge forest once inhabited by Green Dragons . After being conquered by the nagas , the dragons fled . Evereska . Evereska is a moon elven stronghold in northern Faerûn , protected by the Shaeradim mountains . It is known as the last haven of the elves , as it is the only elven stronghold left in Faerûn . The Common tongue translation of Evereska is " Fortress Home . " It is a sanctuary to all Tel ' Quess ( Elvish , literally meaning " The People " ) , besides drow , who would hold a home for their race in Faerûn against the relentless tide of human expansion . The city contains a mythal — a mantle of living magic that protects the city . This particular mythal bars magical transportation and allows the city ' s residents to climb walls and ceilings with the ease of insects , along with the free control of Evereska ' s weather and also prevents diseases from forming with the mythal . It is also known to bombard the city ' s attackers with golden meteors . In 1371 DR , the city was under siege by the phaerimm — an ancient and evil race who were inadvertently freed from their underground prison beneath Anauroch by the elf Galaeron Nihmedu and the Shadovar archwizard Melegaunt Tanthul . Through a long series of events , the phaerimm were eventually defeated , and the Evereskans began to rebuild their damaged city . Daggerford . The village of Daggerford lies along the Shining River just outside of Waterdeep . Dragonspear Castle . Dragonspear Castle is a ruined castle on the edge of the High Moor in Western Faerûn . The castle , once the home of famed dwarven adventurer Daeros Dragonspear , contains both a portal to a hellish dimension and a passage to the Underdark and has for years been a launching point for raids by evil monsters and marauders . A subterranean river runs below the castle , which contains a detour to the Fountain of Nepenthe , a portal that attracts deceased souls and takes them to the Fugue Plane . About a decade ago , a concentrated effort by local municipalities including Daggerford , Waterdeep and Baldur ' s Gate finally cleaned the castle out for good . A shrine to Tempus is now the distinguishing feature of the stronghold , as the army that has remained at Dragonspear now works to protect the castle from invading creatures . According to legend , Daeros befriended a copper dragon and built his keep around him in mutual protection . Daeros was often seen riding his dragon friend while carrying a 40 - foot long spear ( hence the castle ' s name ) . The castle expanded to include several dwellings inside its walls , and a small dwarven village sprouted . Unfortunately , the dragon ' s hoard was coveted by outsiders , and a southern wizard ' s manipulations led to the creation of the planar portal , the death of Daeros and the dragon , and the ransacking of the castle . Hordes of monsters took over the fortress and for years until the recent cleansing . The magical gate has been sealed , but many expect it to open again at any time . Physically , the castle is in shambles . Most of the walls have been destroyed and the skeletal remains of a dragon ( either the original copper of one of many that attempted to claim its horde ) still lies sprawled in the remains . An underground river flows nearby , although its waters are treacherous . Adventurers still make treks to Castle Dragonspear , usually starting out from the nearby Way Inn . They are welcomed with open arms by the local garrison , who is always looking for reinforcements in holding back the tide of underground hordes and invaders from the High Moor . Many cities in the area look to rebuild the castle , while some evil organizations have their eye on it as a base . Darkhold . Castle Darkhold , western stronghold of the Zhentarim , is located south of the Sunset Mountains in Western Faerûn . Originally called " The Keep of the Fallen Hills , " the looming castle was built a millennium ago by giants as a summer capitol of the Giant Empires . When the Giant Empires collapsed , the Keep was abandoned and looted . It eventually became the home of the dragon Cryomantipelica and eventually , as the " Wild Hold , " the base of operations for an adventuring company called The Wildmen of the North . The castle eventually became Darkhold when it was conquered and settled by the lich - queen Varalla until , in 1312 DR , the Zhentarim invaded it in an attempt to expand their organization westward . Darkhold was ruled by the wizard Sememmon until recently , when he and his consort Ashemmi vanished in response to the consolidation of Zhentarim power in the east by rival Fzoul Chembryl . Darkhold currently houses approximately 800 warriors and is headed by several commanders ( including the Pereghost ) , whose sparring for position is actively encouraged by Fzoul in order to cull the weak . Secomber . Secomber is a small town of nearly 1 , 500 that acts as a " de facto " border town between the relatively peaceful Western Heartlands and the more savage North along the Sword Coast . It sits on the banks of the southern - running Unicorn Run river and the western - running River Delimbiyr . Directly south of the town is the dangerous High Moor . The town , which sits atop three stone hills , is populated primarily by humans , but almost as many halflings call the place home . A small clan of dwarves lives in the area as well . Farming , fishing , and stonecutting are the primary occupations , but as the town has a large transient adventuring population , stores catering to such types are beginning to take hold . Some locals hire themselves out as guards or sellswords for expeditions heading into the High Moor or High Forest to the north . A couple of inns and taverns provide entertainment and lodging to the growing town .