This game is set in the Forgotten Realms, 1279 DR. There is no Shadow Weave, the Retreat has not begun, and there has been no Time of Troubles or Spellplague.             The Channath Vale             The Channath Vale is a narrow stretch of land along the southern side of the Shaar, where the River Channath flows west into the River Talar. The North Wall of Halruaa and the Bandit Wastes form its southern boundary, while the Shaar flanksitonthenorth. The vale consists of three separate woodlands (the Channathwood, the Misty Vale, and the Shaareach Forest), as well as the Dun Hills and the tiny range of mountains known as the Wyrmbones. A major caravan route follows the south side of the vale, connecting the Great Rift with lands west of the Shaar. Several communities have arisen in Channath Vale along this trade way, and their citizens reap the benefits of caravan traffic. The Channathwood             The Channathwood is a region of steamy jungle nestled against the southern slopes of the Rathgaunt Hills, where the headwaters of the River Channath cascade into and through the woods. This hot, stifling thicket is not terribly large, but its thick, overgrown interior is home to a tribe of ghostwise halflings. These reclusive hin keep to themselves most of the time, but they occasionally appear along the edges of the forest to trade with the human farmers who live on the outskirts of Channathgate. Such peaceful contact does not mean that friendly relations exist between the two peoples. Humans may gather herbs and berries on the edges of the forest without peril, but the halflings brook no deeper, invasion of their woodland home. The ghostwise tribe actively discourages such incursions through the use of deadfalls, snares, and even a few warning shots from slings or bows. The Misty Vale             The Misty Vale is a largely unexplored, thickly overgrown, stiflingly hot jungle tucked between the Dun Hills and the Wyrmbones. The River Channath flows through the center of the woodland, becoming sluggish where tangles of creepers and vines dangle down into its waters. The river teems with fish, and the occasional crocodile, snake, and more unusual jungle aquatic creature also call its waters home. In the canopy overhead, countless birds with colorful plumage cry out, their voices echoing through the deep green.             In the courts of the High Suihk of Ormpur and the Overking of Lapaliiya, records dating back to the foundings of both realms speak of a race of feral elves native to the steaming jungle. According to these documents, the elves were so xenophobic that they made a practice of hunting down and killing any intruders in their ancient homeland.             The descendants of the wild elves described in those ancient records still dwell in the same forest today. Today, their descendants still adhere to both their ancestors' isolationism and the worship of Fenmarel Mestarine, the Lone Wolf, as their patron deity. They tolerate no intrusion into their forest and slay all intruders without exception. Though the wild elves have hunted many of the deadlier monsters in this wood nearly to extinction, a few terrible creatures still lurk in the deepest shadows of the Misty Vale. The Shaareach Forest             This section of stifling, sultry woodland straddles the junction of the River Shaar and the River Channath at the point where the two waterways merge to become the River Talar. Like its companion forests along the Channath Vale, the Shaareach is overgrown with thick, lush vegetation, making overland travel slow and difficult. The converging waterways make it far easier to navigate the interior of the Shaareach by watercraft than overland, but either route is fraught with dangers - in particular, the packs of digesters that roam the woods and attack anything that looks edible. Because of the forest's proximity to Lake Lhespen and the Lhespenbog, a number of giant eels, water spiders, and even a few yuan-ti also prowl the waterways inside the Shaareach Forest.             Near the center of the woods, where the tributaries converge to form the Talar, the banks are dotted with numerous ruins, all half choked and buried beneath the jungle growth. Few adventurers have managed to reach the ruins and explore them, but those who have found little evidence of their origin. The Wyrmbones             This small chain of mountains wedged between two forests got its name from the tribesfolk of the Shaar, who thought the ridges and peaks resembled a skeletal dragon slumbering on the plain. Lake Lhespen             Lake Lhespen is a mineral-laden body of water with salt-crusted shores that is unsuitable for most uses. Despite its inhospitable nature, several small villages and towns have sprouted up along its shores over the centuries, peopled by hardy souls who manage to eke out a living by gathering salt or harvesting the few fish that live in these waters. Nomads who do not wish to pay the higher prices for salt in Shaarmid to the north frequently come here to gather their own or trade for it. In addition, the occasional adventurer, wizard, or sage is attracted to the place by the various ruins scattered around the periphery of the lake - all remnants of older civilizations that occupied the Shaar in bygone days. The Lhespenbog             The Lhespenbog is a region of soft, spongy grassland sprinkled intermittently with rivulets and ponds. The grasses of the plains grow incredibly tall here and mix with cattails, mangrove trees, and creeping vines and moss. Giant eels, darting water spiders, a few chuul, shocker lizards, and various oozes and shines dwell in the Lhespenbog, feeding on one another and on foolish explorers who wander too deeply into its depths.             This marshy ground is also home to a number of undead. The bog stirs with strange lights and sounds at night, and those who listen closely can hear the echoes of old battles being fought. The Rathgaunt Hills             Wedged between Lake Lhespen and the Lhespenbog on the west and the Landrise to the east, this stretch of rocky crags dominates the southern half of the plains of the Shaar. Worn down from eons of exposure to the relentless winds that scour the region, these mountains are home to colonies of perytons, wyverns, and manticores. These creatures fly out over the flat grasslands to hunt, making the whole region around the mountains a dangerous place for the unwary.             The Rathgaunt Hills also support a large settlement of gnomes. In the heart of Sevenstones Hill, a prominent tor whose rounded peak overlooks the caravan route to the north between Shaarmid and Kholtar, these gnomes have established a heavily fortified abbey known as the Shield of the Rathgaunt Hills. Manned by the Cult of Gaerdal, which numbers some 200 warriors and priests who venerate Gaerdal Ironhand, the abbey serves as a bastion of defense. The members of the cult tirelessly strive to keep the mountains safe for all gnomes in the area and to keep caravan traffic flowing.