Border Forest

The **Border Forest** was a large forest that connected four different regions of Faerûn: the Dalelands to the south, Anauroch to the west, the Tortured Land to the north and the Moonsea to the east.

## Geography

The Border Forest was a mixture of pines, oaks and other deciduous trees; the forest undergrowth was relatively thick, making travel difficult.

## History

The Border Forest was once known as **Rystall Wood** by the Sylvan elves that lived there for many centuries after the Crown Wars. However, little evidence remains of their civilisation as they built few permanent structures. It was later known as the **Eastern Forest** by the Empire of Netheril before it got its modern name.

In −5000 DR, Rystall Wood was cut off from the rest of Arcorar during the Twelve Nights of Fire that were started by a falling meteor. Rystall Wood became a separate forest and realm after the Twelve Nights of Fire cleared away the mountain and hill trees that attached it to Arcorar. Although an independent forest after the event, its coronal still convened often with the leaders of the Elven Court.

In −4970 DR, Coronal Mhaenal of Rystall Wood was slain by monsters that were summoned into his bedchambers, ending the reign of the sixth Rysar in Rystall Wood.

In −2439 DR, drow made use of dark magic to burn clear the area surrounding the Twisted Tower (an event known as the Spiderfires), further expanding the gap between Rystall Wood and Cormanthyr. This marked the beginning of a conflict of more than two thousand years known as the Shadow War between the drow and the elves of Rystall Wood.

In −1105 DR, the fortified Netherese logging camp of Coniferia entered into open war with the trolls of the forest after enduring centuries of attacks from them. The Trollflame Wars lasted nearly three hundred years and culminated in a siege of the camp by the giant-kin and the slaughter of around 12,000 trolls.

In −649 DR, orcs from the forest began repeatedly attacking Seventon. In −556 DR, they razed the city of Janick but then in −487 DR, the orcs were finally routed by the Netherese and they fled back to their woodland lairs.

In −371 DR, the Primordial Maram of the Great Spear carved a great swath of destruction across the heart of the forest, as it sought to reach the Monument of the Ancients after fleeing the aftermath of the Seven Sigils War.

In −335 DR, Coniferia was overrun when trolls attacked again. Four years later, in −331 DR, with the aid of the Elven Court, the Shadow War ended with the drow's defeat when the Twisted Tower was rededicated as a temple to Eilistraee. In only a little more than a hundred years, however, orc hordes would ravage the area, and by −64 DR the twelfth and final Rysar had fallen, leaving behind only the city of Yrlaancel that would later become Myth Ondath.

## Inhabitants

A very large community of wolves inhabited the forest. Early humans in the area based some of their societal norms after the behaviour of this community.

As the influence of the elves in the forest dwindled, darker humanoids replaced them, most notably large populations of orcs and trolls.

In 1372 DR the Border Forest was inhabited mostly by fey; due to heavy logging activities in the past, mostly from Snowmantle, the fey in this area tended to be more violent and hostile than in other parts of Faerûn.

### Eldreth Veluuthra

Two Eldreth Veluuthra cells were known to be active in the forest around 1374 DR. One cell focused on raiding the Daggerdale border while the other concentrated on ambushing Zhentarim agents. The Eldreth Veluuthra in this area were supported by fey.

## Notable locations

At the southern edges of the Border Forest lay the ruins of the Flaming Tower, once built by fire giants and destroyed by the Knights of Myth Drannor; the ruins came to be inhabited by a powerful beholder, served by a force of goblins.

Not far from the northern edge of the forest, where the White Peaks extend eastward from the great desert of Anauroch, between the Tortured Land and the Ride, and toward Ilinvur, lay the blasted rubble that was all that remained of Myth Ondath.

Buried somewhere in the forest was the fallen netherese enclave of Spiel. Its remains have never been documented as being discovered.

The Bone Dance was a bare hilltop in the southern part of the forest. It was strewn with jagged boulders and appeared to be haunted by ghosts in the form of bizarre monstrous skeletons.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Richard Baker (1993). *The Dalelands*. (TSR, Inc), p. 51. ISBN 978-1560766674.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Richard Baker, Ed Bonny, Travis Stout (February 2005). *Lost Empires of Faerûn*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 129. ISBN 0-7869-3654-1.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 slade, James Butler (November 1996). *Netheril: Empire of Magic (The Winds of Netheril)*. (TSR, Inc.), p. 72. ISBN 0-7869-0437-2.
4. ↑ Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). *Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition*. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. {{#regex:126–127|%(,)(\S)%|$1 $2}}. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). *The Grand History of the Realms*. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 26. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). *Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 127. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
7. ↑ Ed Greenwood, Julia Martin, Jeff Grubb (1993). *Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2nd edition (revised), A Grand Tour of the Realms*. (TSR, Inc), p. 41. ISBN 1-5607-6617-4.
8. ↑ Steven E. Schend and Kevin Melka (1998). *Cormanthyr: Empire of the Elves*. (TSR, Inc), pp. {{#regex:26–27|%(,)(\S)%|$1 $2}}. ISBN 0-7069-0761-4.
9. ↑ Steven E. Schend and Kevin Melka (1998). *Cormanthyr: Empire of the Elves*. (TSR, Inc), pp. {{#regex:32–33|%(,)(\S)%|$1 $2}}. ISBN 0-7069-0761-4.
10. ↑ Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). *The Grand History of the Realms*. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 23. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Richard Baker, Ed Bonny, Travis Stout (February 2005). *Lost Empires of Faerûn*. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. {{#regex:125–126|%(,)(\S)%|$1 $2}}. ISBN 0-7869-3654-1.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 slade, James Butler (November 1996). *Netheril: Empire of Magic (The Winds of Netheril)*. (TSR, Inc.), p. 69. ISBN 0-7869-0437-2.
13. ↑ slade, James Butler (November 1996). *Netheril: Empire of Magic (The Winds of Netheril)*. (TSR, Inc.), p. 87. ISBN 0-7869-0437-2.
14. ↑ Brian R. James and Matt James (September 2009). “Monument of the Ancients”. In Chris Youngs ed. *Dungeon* #170 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 48.
15. ↑ slade, James Butler (November 1996). *Netheril: Empire of Magic (The Winds of Netheril)*. (TSR, Inc.), p. 92. ISBN 0-7869-0437-2.
16. ↑ Jeff Crook, Wil Upchurch, Eric L. Boyd (May 2005). *Champions of Ruin*. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. {{#regex:78–79|%(,)(\S)%|$1 $2}}. ISBN 0-7869-3692-4.
17. ↑ Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd (1996). *Volo's Guide to All Things Magical*. (TSR, Inc), p. 107. ISBN 0-7869-0446-1.
18. ↑ slade, James Butler (November 1996). *Netheril: Empire of Magic (The Winds of Netheril)*. (TSR, Inc.), p. 88. ISBN 0-7869-0437-2.
19. ↑ Ed Greenwood (May 2002). “Elminster's Guide to the Realms: The Bone Dance”. In Jesse Decker ed. *Dragon* #295 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 78.