It would make more sense if any of these city states or nations ever went to war but that’s seldom a consideration in Forgotten Realms.
D&D (2024) Sword Coast population data from 2024 D&D Pocket Expert
- Thread starter AK_Ambrian
- Start date
It would make more sense if any of these city states or nations ever went to war but that’s seldom a consideration in Forgotten Realms.
pukunui
Legend
There was the recent War of the Silver Marches.
The orcish Kingdom of Many-Arrows got erased as part of the 5e Sundering reset (which in hindsight feels foolish as it would’ve been a great way to introduce the new take on orcs into FR), but the Storm King’s Thunder book makes many references to the war’s lingering after-effects — like how Sundabar is still a ruin on the surface and the dwarves living below won’t allow any non-dwarves entry into their realm. They also quit the Lords’ Alliance because they feel it didn’t do enough to help them.
Yeah but that was against the orcs and Menzoberranzan, i.e. your usual fantasy war that had little to nothing to do with trade or political reasons.
pukunui
Legend
I added more to my post above (hit send too soon). It’s still a war, and it involved members of the Lords’ Alliance, and SKT details the fallout.
Right, but the point isn’t the war, it’s war over trade and power between nations. People have accused FR in the past of being fantasy Europe; well, why aren’t these fantasy city states and countries going to war all the time like their real counterparts did. Why is it only relegated to war a la Tolkien themes?
Zardnaar
Legend
I'm not sure blowing up silver marches was best idea.
pukunui
Legend
One of the major themes in the NWN games was the conflict between Neverwinter and Luskan (and its vassal city, Port Llast). The goal with NWN2 in particular was to prevent a war IIRC.
Parmandur
Book-Friend, he/him
You can tell that Greenwood was not a wargamer, and was more interested in a stable environment for personal swashbuckling adventure stories than the simmering world conflict of Greyhawk.
In the Savage Frontier, specifically, the city states are too busy fending off trolls and keeping roads open to have the energy to fight.
Another way the OG setup was better for this was stuff like Hellgate Keep to loom over everyone. TSR broke Hellgaye Keep for... no particular reason.
In the Savage Frontier, specifically, the city states are too busy fending off trolls and keeping roads open to have the energy to fight.
Another way the OG setup was better for this was stuff like Hellgate Keep to loom over everyone. TSR broke Hellgaye Keep for... no particular reason.
Demetrios1453
Legend
It has a huge deep water port (hence the name), probably one of the best in the setting, located very close (as within a few miles) of the mouth of the river that drains the whole region of the North outside the coast west of the mountains. All that trade goes along the Dessarin and its tributaries (to the point that Yartar is famous for its barges) down to the sea right by Waterdeep. What doesn't (for cities not near the river system) goes down the road strait down to that harbor. The only real issue is that the barge loading/unloading facilities (which would presumably be near Zundbridge, where the road south crosses the Dessarin just above its mouth) haven't been mentioned anywhere I can find, but presumably they're there, and it's just been a minor oversight.
Similar Threads
