Chapter 4 : Playing Your Location

 Faerun contains a wide range of exciting locations.  Ranging from the chilling mountains in the far north, to the blazing heat of the southern lands; from the bustling metropolis of Waterdeep, to the sheltered tribes in the great Shaar plains.  The sheer diversity in Forgotten Realms is on such a vast scale that even attempting to tackle the entire thing in this section would be a sure one-way ticket down a path towards insanity.  Instead, here you will find a short blurb about each of our Live servers, as well as a couple of handy links where you can find more information.

ALFA Live Servers

The Silver Marches
Welcome to the Silver Marches, where civilization and barbarity struggle for dominance. A dramatic land of icy passes and misty forests, of hidden valleys and rushing rivers, this savage frontier is home to elves, dwarves and men...and the creatures that prey on them. Within the walls of Silverymoon, the Gem of the North, the High Lady Alustriel leads the Confederation of the Silver Marches and every grace and pleasure may be found. Capital of the Marches and protector of the land from Rivermoot in the west to Winter's Edge in the northwest and east through Silverymoon Pass in the Nether Mountains, Silverymoon boasts temples to most major good-aligned deities as well as housing the Conclave, a group of allied centers of learning that includes the Lady's College for arcane casters, the Fochlucan for bardic studies and the Vault of Sages for all who seek knowledge in the written word. The city is protected by high magic in the form of a mythal that bestows protections on all who enter it...and keeps out those who should not. Outside the walls, be they around Silverymoon, High Hold, Rivermoot, or one of the famed dwarven citadels of Felbarr or Mithril Hall, it is a different tale. Wild animals and orcs, barbaric tribes and werebeasts have long ruled these northlands and do not welcome civilized interlopers. Death can be swift in the Marches, but heroes are made of those who surmount the challenges it offers.

Starting points in ALFA 003, The Silver Marches:
Silverymoon - Metropolis: Temples, stores, inns, schools. No drow or duergar. Guards are set to react violently to either race without special dispensation to be within the city.
Rivermoot - Frontier village: Roughly civilized, basic amenities, westernmost village and jumping off point for northwestern reaches of the server as well as for portalling to the Baldur's Gate server. Viable for any race or creed, though drow, tiefling and genasi will be reacted to with immediate suspicion.
Wilderness outside of Rivermoot - Starting point for those who would raise suspicions inside towns or cities.
Felbarr - Dwarven Citadel: Basic amenities, northeasternmost civilization on server, suitable for dwarves as a starting point. Drow and Duergar are KOS.


http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Silver_Marches

ALFA Silver Marches Forum

Baldur's Gate

One of the two great cities along the Sword Coast, Baldur's Gate sits on the north bank of the River Chionthar, twenty miles from where the river flows into the Sea of Swords.  Situated halfway between Amn and Waterdeep, the city thrives on trade.
Trade knows no alignment, so tolerance is a virtue in Baldur's Gate, but not to the extent that visitors are allowed to conduct themselves in ways injurious to other persons or property.  Guards in distinctive black helms with red stripes on either side police the city.  They pay more attention to the upper half of the city, the part within the originalw alls, than to the newer, lower half by the river, enclosed by lower walls.
Most major cities have a few major temples, but Baldur's Gate's three major halls of worship are noteworthy.  Gond's High House of Wonders houses an astonishing collection of one-of-a-kind inventions.  Gnomes, inventors, and craftsfokl make the pilgrimage to Baldur's Gate for both imspiration and devotion.  Tymora's temple, the Lady's Hall, is remarkable for its size and wealth.  The temple to Umberlee, euphemistically known as the "Water Queen's House," is one of the few actual temples to this deity in all of Faerun.

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Baldur's_Gate

ALFA Baldur's Gate Forum

Moonshae Isles

Welcome to the Moonshae Isles, or the Isles as they are commonly called by their inhabitants, where light and dark struggle for dominance in a never ending conflict. Here various human and demihuman cultures meet, sometimes warring, sometimes living in peace.

A cold cluster of rocky islands cloaked in mists and deep woods, sprinkled with abundant beasts, bogs and soaring mountains, the Moonshae Isles are shared by two dominant races of humans, recently and loosely united by oaths into a single kingdom ruled by High Queen Alicia from the seaside mountain citadel of Caer Callidyrr. The northern parts of this kingdom are dominated by seafaring Northmen descended from the raiders of Ruathym, while the Ffolk, the Isle’s original human inhabitants control the south. Both races are shaped by the rugged striking landscape and harsh weather. The Ffolk, who reside in dozens of small kingdoms, or cantrevs, revere the land, and the Goddess who is the land, long aware of the divine power present in every rushing stream, secret pool and mist wreathed forest on the Isles. The Northmen, organized into petty kingdoms, are less moved by the land, fearing the interior reaches. Instead, they turn their hearts to the sea and the bounty it provides, whether fish or the booty from a raid. Relations between these peoples are often strained, though the recent peace has led both to a more genteel lifestyle, at least on the more populous Isles. The outer cantrevs are still troubled by pirates, mainly from the infamous Nelanthar Isles.

Halfling settlements can be found anywhere where humans have settled in the Isles, for they build their burrows near enough to man to benefit from the protection of neighboring castles and far enough to be outside the reach of the law. The most populous, Lowhill, lies within a few miles of Corwell Town.

Bards and Druids find special welcome in the isles, being revered in all towns and villages as story tellers and protectors of the land, respectively. Magic users must remain on guard in the more rural regions, as many villagers still recall the near total destruction of Flamsterd Isle and its school magic many years ago, but they are grudgingly welcomed in the cities of Corwell and Callidyrr as well as the courts of some Northmen kings, so long as they keep to themselves. Clerics of the mainland deities are making inroads, having established temples in the major towns and cities, but may be met with distrust amongst the rual population who still fiercely cling to their worship of the Goddess. Demi-humans, with the exception of drow and dueregar (where dueregar would even be recognized), are welcome anywhere in the Isles. Though, mainland elves will elicit extreme curiosity outside of major trading towns, due to their rarity in the Isles, and are often mistaken for the native Llewyrr elves.

Outside the regions inhabited by man and halfling, the Isles land retain their original wild nature, disturbed only by the halls of the dwarves, ruined human settlements raised in wars long since past, and the few remaining native Llewyrr elven settlements deep in wooded valleys unknown to man. Tales of the fabled elven city of Chrysalis have long been dismissed as the stuff of bard storytelling. Likewise, few venture into Myrloch Vale, a wooded valley surround the Myrloch, a large cold body of water at the center of Gwynneth Isle.

Watching over this all the land, both settled and wild, the druids of the Goddess maintain their groves surrounding fabled magical pools known as Moonwells. Druid groves can be found throughout the Isles, even just outside of many towns, and serve as sites of religious worship for the Ffolk. 

Starting point in ALFA 009:

Corwell Town on Gwynneth Isle: Sitting proudly at the base of the coastal citadel of Caer Corwell, this town, oldest of the Ffolk settlements, boasts a full complement of shops, lying as it does on the important trade routes north from Calisham and Lantan, routes which avoid going through the pirate infested Nelathar Isles, or try to at least. Corwell lies on the Isle of Gwynneth, home to Myrloch Vale, Lyrrath Forest and its haunted surrounds, Winterglen Forest, the fabled elven city of Chrysalis and High Home, the dwarf hold.

From Corwell Town, travel to the other isles can easily be arranged, with ships coming and going at a steady clip and a well patrolled road linking the city to the eastern port of Kingsbay, with its sea-link to the capital at Caer Callidyrr, and from thence east to Baldur’s Gate. Those traveling north through Waterdeep may depart directly from Corwell on one of the many Calishite ships sailing north. Travel overland, especially to the wilder regions of the Isles, can be somewhat difficult, as roads are few, though there is usually a hamlet to provide shelter along the way.

Those brave, greedy or downright evil souls wishing to seek their fortune among or against the pirates of the Nelanthar Isles also have options for reaching their final destination, to be found amongst seedier dockside elements.

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Moonshae_Isles

ALFA Moonshae Isles Forum

ALFA Alpha & Beta Servers

While there is no information here specifically on our Beta Servers, if you are interested, information on them can be found through the links in the following section.

• The Far North (Alpha)
• Cormanthor (Alpha)

Handy Links

For more information about any Forgotten Realms location, a good place to start is here:

Forgotten Realms Wikia : Geography Portal

Return to the Player's Guide to ALFA Index