Moonshae Isles

The Moonshae Isles are an archipelago among the Sea of Moonshae, to the west of the Sea of Swords. They are occupied largely by rival races of humans known as the Ffolk and the northmen, as well as halflings, dwarves, and the Llewyrr elves. It is overseen by the Earthmother and her "children": the Leviathan, Kamerynn, and the Pack.

Moonshae in fact consists of several subordinate archipelagos. The four main islands&mdash;Gwynneth, Alaron, Moray, and Norland&mdash;comprise most of substantive society. The smaller islands Snowdown and Oman's Isle are supplementary, while Flamsterd is an outlying sanctuary for mages, overseen by an eponymous wizard. The smaller Norheim Isles and Korinn Archipelago to the north are less occupied but nonetheless strategically significant.

Early development
Many centuries ago, the Earthmother, also known simply as "the goddess," oversaw the gradual development of the Moonshae Isles through her Moonwells, wells of clear water that allowed her to look upon the isles. The goddess created the first creature of Moonshae, the Leviathan, a great, peaceful sea beast who roamed the isles' shores alone for many years. She then conceived Kamerynn, the unicorn, who roamed the land of the isles and gave life to the horses of Moonshae. To balance the goodness of her first two children, the goddess created the Pack, a huge band of ferocious wolves. These three entities continue to serve as the protectors of the "Balance" in Moonshae.

Over the centuries, the isles became populated by various animal species. Eventually, the Llewyrr elves arrived over the sea from the east and colonized the isles, isolating themselves from elves elsewhere. They were joined centuries later by dwarves, though even the goddess herself is unsure how this occurred, as they "seemed to sprout from the ground itself." The similarly hermitic dwarves peacefully complemented the Llewyrr, populating the rocky, barren, and underground areas for which the elves showed no interest. Small native tribes of firbolg giants were also established. Soon came the arrival of the Beast, later known as Kazgoroth, an aspect of the evil deity Malar who threatened the balance of the isles. He amassed an army of fomorians and waged war on the people of Moonshae. The fomorians ransacked and enslaved the native firbolgs, enlisting them perforce against the other natives. Over several decades, the elves and dwarves together forced the fomorians into small, isolated areas of the isles, where the Earthmother's protectors kept careful watch over them. Over time, forced breeding caused the firbolgs of Moonshae to inherit the distinctive physical features of fomorians.

Centuries after the defeat of the firbolg, humans and halflings arrived from the south, fleeing persecution and subjugation and seeking freedom. They first populated the isle of Alaron, before spreading across the isles—the isolationist Llewyrr moved away from the aggressive humans, taking up residence in wilder and further reaches of Moonshae. The humans came to be known as the Ffolk in the native language of Moonshae, simply translated to the "People" in Common. The Ffolk gradually dispersed into smaller, competing kingdoms, primarily across the largest islands of Alaron and Gwynneth. The goddess enjoyed the flourishing of life across the isles, and the slip in her attention allowed the Beast to reemerge, sapping energy from one of her Moonwells. It took the name Kazgoroth and rampaged across Moonshae in the year 201 DR, slaughtering indiscriminately. The Ffolk united under the banner of Cymrych Hugh, ruler of the kingdom of Callidyrr on Alaron. The dwarves crafted a sword blessed by the Earthmother, which Hugh used to gravely injure Kazgoroth and force it to retreat to its shadowy realm, where it would stay for centuries more. This event marks the beginning of year one of the Moonshae Reckoning (MR) calendar.

Hugh kept the Ffolk united for a time, ruling as High King from Caer Callidyrr, but over time, the kingdoms splintered apart once more. The title of High Monarch grew into a formality rather than a position of any practical power. The Ffolk's lack of unity left them vulnerable to attacks from a new threat, the savage raiding parties of humans from Waterdeep. These raiders, who came to be known as the northmen, first stormed the small kingdoms of the Norheim Isles before moving southward. They soon settled in the smaller, northern islands of Moonshae, and they remain a significant threat to the southerly Ffolk.

The prominence of the Ffolk in Moonshae has caused the Earthmother's existence to become intertwined with theirs. In recent years, clerics from mainland Faerûn have arrived to extol the virtues of more mainstream deities. While Ffolk are generally resistant to such attempts, faith in the goddess has started to wane, leaving her in a similar state of vulnerability to when Kazgoroth last invaded.

Demographics
Moonshae is predominantly inhabited by the Ffolk and northmen humans, to the south and north respectively. Halflings, who came to the isles alongside the first humans, also live harmoniously near human settlements, mostly near the Ffolk. Elves, specifically the Llewyrr, were the first race to populate the isles, but are now isolated in small numbers. They live in the well-hidden realm of Synnoria, magically concealed among the mountains near Myrloch Vale. A small amount of other, non-Llewyrr elves have also populated the small Korinn isle of Ventris, along with a significant number of dwarves and halflings. For the most part, dwarves of Moonshae dwell in Highhome within the Cambro Mountains. Small, vicious tribes of orcs and goblins also reside in remote parts of Moonshae, especially the Korinn Archipelago.

Religion
Devoted druids among the Ffolk worship the Earthmother, and druids are thus highly regarded among Ffolk society. Every druid has their own druidic grove, which acts as the center of their territory in a particular area of Moonshae. Exceptionally devoted and powerful druids inherit guardianship of a Moonwell, one of four clear pools of water divided among the four main islands that establish the Earthmother's connection to Moonshae. Such a druid is known as a Great Druid, readily willing to sacrifice their life to protect the purity of their Moonwell. As a result of the northmen conquest of Norland, the isle's Moonwell was left untended, compromising the goddess's oversight in that area.

Over the past millennium, clerics promoting mainstream deities have arrived in Moonshae. They have had some trouble converting the Ffolk, who by and large remain devoted to the Earthmother&mdash;even clerics of Silvanus, god of druids, have made little leeway. Clerics of other gods, notably Azuth, Deneir, and Lathander, have amassed small congregations among the Ffolk and the northmen. The northmen, though not very religious by and large, primarily worship Tempus, god of war; Auril, of winter; and Umberlee, of the sea. Most northmen sailors and warriors revere all three deities to some degree. Some radicals even worship the evil Malar.

Magic
Humans of Moonshae, especially in rural areas, are generally suspicious of mages, and as such they are rare to find in the isles. The most notable exception within mainstream Moonshae society belongs to a council of mages that (ostensibly) serve the Ffolk's High King or Queen. The isle of Flamsterd is a kind of refuge for mages, established by a wizard also named Flamsterd, who brought young mages from the mainland and elsewhere in Moonshae to train. This arrangement worked well for centuries, but the mages grew in power and ambition, leading to deadly infighting. In 1291 DR, Flamsterd gave up on the project, feigning an explosion that to all appearances had killed him and many of his apprentices, as well as destroying a large chunk of the island. In fact, he had simply turned those apprentices into toads and salamanders, and had quietly sent himself to the sea floor to live in his tower surrounded by a giant air bubble. The isle continues to serve as a peaceful and safe mage colony.