Beyond the gates of Cripta stretches the continent of Vashrath. Little of it is known in full, but the roads opened by the first nomads led the banished to raise cities in every corner of the forgotten lands. These are the regions most spoken of in the valleys.
Cripta, the threshold
At the entrance to the great land stands Cripta — the largest and most populous city, seat of the emperor Sangezer and gateway of every awakened. From it the roads depart, and to it the rumors converge. While the other regions keep their own lords and their own secrets, Cripta remains the center around which the life of the Forgotten Realms revolves.
Frostown, in the north
To the north, between the mountains and the ash desert, lies Frostown — the coldest city in the world, or at least in this one. It is a land all but inhospitable to anyone with warm blood, and it serves as a base for many travelers. Home to remarkable ores, its mountains of ice — immensely heavy and cold — are said to strengthen metals. It is from there, too, that come the first records of the ancestral detritus: rare stones that merchants accept in exchange for exclusive goods, and which are said to be good for bribery.
Kharvoss, in the heart of the forest
Past the uncomfortable stay in the ice, the road descends into the lowland forests. The pioneers suffered to reach that place — dense woods, rich in materials and, above all, in things that want to kill whoever enters. In the heart of that forest stands Kharvoss, a name inherited from the tyrant who ruled it for years. It is a heavily militarized and well-protected city. The Kova family still reigns there, and many dwarves labor for Kharvoss, for they are skilled with tools and weapons. The troops of the orc king Jovel are forever recruiting: an orc king who commands human and elven soldiers, in an army of incalculable power. They say the Countess came from there in her childhood — but then, they say a great many things.
Valdren, in the dry lands
Valdren is made of great encampments and a vast expanse of dry lands. Near the center of the region, a great castle of sand draws every eye. Its people are famed as great navigators and renowned for their beautiful horses. The scorching heat makes everything harder than it ought to be, and brave are the travelers who make it this far.
Veskar, by the sea
Veskar is the second largest city of Vashrath, raised on the south-southwestern coast of the continent, where the sun seems to sink into the sea every night. Unlike other cities, Veskar does not ask where someone came from, what blood they carry, or for what crime they were banished. Humans, orcs, elves, dwarves, revenants, merchants, hunters, deserters, and exiles share its docks, taverns, shipyards, and markets.
The city lives from the sea. From it depart fishing boats, hunting ships, and expeditions bound for islands, sunken ruins, and creatures that only appear when the light dies on the horizon. Veskar is not peaceful: it is tolerant — and the difference matters. It accepts all peoples because it needs them: arms to row, eyes to keep watch, blades to guard the ships, and courage to face what lives beyond the coast.
The lands between
Between one region and the next stretch the open lands — roads, wilds, and the mist-bound passages travelers call the Limbo. Whoever sets out from one city toward another crosses territory that belongs to no throne, where the monsters grow fiercer the farther one strays from the walls. It is there, they say, that the true history of Vashrath is still being written — by whoever survives long enough to tell it.
The nature of the mists between the lands is told in The Limbo. The emperor who watches it all from the greatest city is told in Sangezer and the Throne of Cripta.