Moonwood

A large, dense forest dominated by evergreens, shadowtops, and duskwoods, the Moonwood is home to few natural predators and no orcs or goblinoids. Its southern fringes are peaceful enough, home to small bands of moon elves and wood elves who roam its green depths and fair meadows, as well as the rustic homes of a few woodcutters and trappers. The northern depths are a different matter—there, the woods become darker, thicker, and more overgrown, and the People of the Black Blood hunt.

Claw Hollow

A wild dell filled with brambles and brooding trees in the northern reach of the Moonwood, Claw Hollow is home to one of the largest and most dangerous bands of People of the Black Blood in the North. Some seventy strong, these Malar-worshipers attack all who invade their territory. They also try to kidnap humans or other civilized humanoids in order to hunt them to the death in High Hunts at least once a month. While they prefer folk of the Silver Marches, captured Uthgardt or would-be adventurers provide good sport too.

The Moonwood Black Bloods are led by Bloodmaster Jarthon. They hunt in a pack, posting sentinels and roving scouts in the verges of the wood. Jarthon was once a half-elf of Silverymoon who hunted Black Blood lycanthropes in this forest to protect folk of the city. Infected with lycanthropy after a werewolf attack, he used his hunting skills to become the leader of the Black Bloods. He dreams of ruining Silverymoon and overwhelming the Silver Marches with wild hunters.

This tribe marks its territory with splashes of blood wine, captured wine boiled with the blood of kills of the People. The blood wine anoints trees, stumps, and rocks beneath the tribe's symbol: a stick figure of a humanoid with a large claw where its head should be. The Black Bloods consider all of the Moonwood to be their exclusive territory, and they will slay any human or humanoid entering it. Though the Moonwood borders both the town of Quaervarr and the dell that holds the mysterious Herald's Holdfast, the Black Bloods don't dare to assault either of those places—yet. They content themselves with capturing and hunting woodsfolk or travelers in the vicinity of Quaervarr, seeking to stealthily depopulate the town as much as possible before open conflict flares.

Herald's Holdfast

Main Article: Herald's Holdfast

The magically warded subterranean stronghold of the High Herald called Old Nght, the Holdfast is a secret storehouse of learning and lore in the wilds of the North. The hold is concealed beneath a squat, overgrown tower that can be magically shielded from view with a special, persistent hallucinatory terrain effect.

Beyond the tower is a succession of underground chambers that preserve old banners, trophies, and writings in all forms, many of them individually protected by many-layered magics. Chambers devoted to all the major races lead back to a magnificent library sporting three balcony levels and comfortable reading tables. It holds the greatest collection of heraldry, genealogy, and tomes of record outside Candlekeep. Only the High Heralds are familiar with all the defenses of the Holdfast, but they are known to include mold, effects that inhibit open flame, and helmed horrors under orders to attack any intruders except for those who can provide certain passwords.

Many books and tables in the Holdfast are actually quiescent constructs, obedient to Old Night's commands. In addition, some books hidden among the shelves contain potent magic traps such as glyphs of warding and symbols.

The Mouth of Song

A day's march north of Quaervarr stands a treeless hill in the middle of the forest. This place is home to a small temple of Eilistraee. Worshipers of the Dark Maiden who hail from Silverymoon often gather here to dance atop the hill on moonless nights. No one watches over the site when Eilistraee's followers aren’t present, but various magical defenses and wards protect the temple from evil intruders.

One Stone

Once, three Uthgardt tribes worshiped at this ancestor mound—the Sky Pony, Gold Eagle, and Red Pony tribes. Now only the Sky Pony people remain. One Stone is a single massive boulder 12 feet high, engraved with faint tracery whose meaning is lost with the dead tribes. A ring of stone cairns surrounds the site at a distance of a hundred yards.

In the last few months, the lycanthropes of Claw Hollow have taken to ambushing Sky Pony tribesfolk coming to One Stone to pay their respects to their forebears. The Sky Pony barbarians therefore attack strangers in this vicinity on sight.

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