Sword Mountains

The Sword Mountains were a range of peaks located on the Sword Coast North.
==Geography==
With an arc-like shape, the mountains were located northwest of Waterdeep and east of the Mere of Dead Men. Their western slopes led to the Trackless Sea in rolling foothills. The mountains themselves were steep and craggy, with snow-capped peaks.
==Trade==
Gold and Platinum were found in the foothills of the Sword Mountains.
==History==
After Karsus's Folly in -399 DR, the leaders of the realm of Illefarn asked the dragon Nolalothcaragascint for aid in defeating the King of Shadows, but the dragon was defeated. The force of his body striking the ground created a massive valley within the Sword Mountains. The leaders of Illefarn transformed the dragon's heart into a crystalline floating structure reminiscent of a Phylactery, where the dragon's soul remained for centuries within the fertile valley. 
The mountains were home to orcs and trolls, but after the orcs were united by Wund and the Brotherhood of the Scarlet Scourge in the , the orcs drove the trolls out. This was a contributing factor to the Trollwars. Uruth Ukrypt conquered the dwarven citadel of Melairrin within Mount Sar that same year. 
Uruth Ukrypt's orc horde came out of the mountains to attack Waterdeep in the , but they were defeated and forced to retreat. They hatched another plan to attack in the , but this plan was ruined by the gold dragon Palarandusk.
Phandelver's Pact was formed circa the 10th century DR by dwarf and gnome clans joined by human spellcasters to bind the magical energies of Wave Echo Cave into a powerful forge capable of producing magical items, known as the Forge of Spells. However, in the , Uruth Ukrypt destroyed the nearby town of Phandalin and sacked Wave Echo Cave, and the location of the Forge was considered lost to history.
In the , the ancient dragons Claugiyliamatar and Shammagar attacked Uruth Ukrypt's food and treasure supplies. Shammagar drove the orcs from Melairren, claiming the stronghold as his new lair.
Due to a raid on Ukrypt's crypt by a human adventuring company called the Dawnbringer Company in the , the orcs of the Brotherhood of the Scarlet Scourge formed a horde called the Broken Bone with the intent of destroying Waterdeep. Their plans were once again ruined by a dragon; this time Lhammaruntosz. Still determined to exact their revenge, the orcs formed another horde, calling it the Black Claw, and in the they came from the mountains to attack Waterdeep. This attack proved unsuccessful and they were defeated, causing the orcs to lose their unity and plunge into a period of tribal conflict.
==Notable Locations==
;Hills & Peaks:
* Icespire Peak, the tallest peak of the Sword Mountains.
* Scaleblight Summit, the location of a Netherese Mythallar.
* Mount Galardrym, the peak that was home to the dwarves of Clan Forgebar.
* Mount Sar, the second-most southern of the range's peaks, which was named after a legendary fomorian.
* Mount Helimbrar, the southernmost peak of the mountains was home to the underground stronghold of the Shadow Thief Marune.
* Umbrage Hill, a foothill near Phandalin, west of Icespire Peak.
;Landmarks:
* Mountain's Toe Gold Mine, a successful gold mine owned by a Neverwintan business consortium.
* Wave Echo Cave, the labyrinthine caverns that housed the fabled Forge of Spells.
;Settlements:
* Axeholm, an abandoned dwarven stronghold that was haunted by a banshee.
* Gnomengarde, a minor kingdom of rock gnomes that was located in caves at the base of the mountains.
* Ieirithymbul, another gnomish settlement nestled in the valley of Felrenden.
* Kheldell, a rather small human logging village.
* Zorzula’s Rest, an ancient duegar mining outpost currently inhabited by the Sawplee goblin tribe.Richard Baker, et al. (September 2023). Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk. Edited by Eytan Bernstein, et al. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-6900-5.
;Structures:
* Icespire Hold, the mountain-top fortress that was claimed as a lair by the young white dragon Cryovain.
* Quellwater Tarn, a dwarven ruin in Dragonbone Vale.Cryptic Studios (January 2022). Neverwinter: Dragonbone Vale. Perfect World Entertainment.
* Temple of Abbathor, another site abandoned by the dwarves, later uncovered by a mining excavation.
==Inhabitants== 
The mountains were known to be home to several tribes of orcs and goblinoids.
==Appendix==
===References===
FR:Montagne des épées
Category:Mountains
Category:Locations on the Sword Coast North
Category:Locations in Northwest Faerûn
Category:Locations in Faerûn
Category:Locations on Toril
Category:Locations