Moonshae Isles

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The Moonshae Isles are a region of the Forgotten Realms that can be best summed up as "the British region". Like, Faerun as a whole is vaguely European in nature, but the Moonshae Isles crank the British mythology meter to the red and don't look back.

From a meta-historical perspective, the region is quite interesting; similarly to how Kara-Tur originally began as a Greyhawk area in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1e before moving into the Realms in 2e, the Moonshaes were originally going to be the setting of an unrelated Celtic Fantasy novel series by author Douglas Niles. As Jeff Grubb and Ed Greenwood wanted to release novels to support the then-upcoming Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book, but hadn't the time to write it and novels, they came to an agreement with Niles; Greenwood abandoned his original iteration of the Moonshaes and slotted Niles' homebrew into their place. As a result, the Moonshae regional splatbook was the second Forgotten Realms add-on ever published! Funnily enough, Niles would later be responsible for another mini-setting that would be glommed into the Realms; Bloodstone Pass.

Geographically speaking, the titular isles, or "The Moonshaes", are a roughly circular archipelago of subarctic islands that lie upon the Sea of Swords, west of Amn and southwest of the Sword Coast. Dominated by a mixture of moorland, mountains, and thick forests of both deciduous and coniferous trees, the weather is characterized by general low temperatures, harsh winters, and abundant (often severe) storms. The abundance of moisture leads to plentiful rivers, swamps, lakes, marshes and streams.

The islands of the archipelago are roughly divided into two halves; the northern half is dominated by the Northmen (or Northlanders), a race of not-Vikings, whilst the gentler isles of the south are home to the Ffolk, the Celtic/Anglo-Saxon-inspired "civilized" people of the region. As with most TSR works, the Moonshaes are a pretty humanocentric realm, at least prior to 4th edition, and so most of the attention is placed on the human population.

Realms of the Ffolk

The Ffolk are the original human occupants of the Moonshaes, arriving centuries ago from some unknown southern land, fleeing a terrible foe alongside halfling allies. Initially, they settled the islands and fortified themselves against pursuit, but when whatever nameless threat they were fleeing failed to give chase, they quickly forgot their past and descended into a brawling, anarchistic sprawl of petty kingdoms and agricultural city-states, largely centered around the major islands of Alaron and Gwynneth.

The Ffolk are deeply spiritual, led by druids rather than clerics. They revere bards, but shun and fear wizards.

The major kingdoms of the Ffolk are:

• Callidyrr, home to the mightiest Ffolk nation and thus home to the High King who nominally rules over all of the Ffolk. This is the hub of international trade between the Moonshaes and the rest of the world.
• Corwell, oldest of all the Ffolk kingdoms, though the more hospitable lands of Callidyrr have usurped it prominence.
• Moray, the westernmost, roughest, most lawless and monster-haunted realm.
• Snowdown, the southeasternmost island, and thus the balmiest, most peaceful place in the Moonshaes, the breadbasket of the realms.

The Northlands

The Northlanders descend from a combination of viking-esque raiders from the Sword Coast regions north of Waterdeep, Tuern and Gunderland and the Ffolk who had the misfortune to be inhabiting the northern Moonshaes when the northmen came down and decided they were going to live here.

Whilst their culture is relatively stable, it is far more warlike and naval-orientated than that of the southern Ffolk nations; the tradition of sailing off to raid the length of the Sword Coast as well as the Fffolk in their great longships is alive and well.

Like their Ffolk neighbors, the northlanders cherish bards but loathe wizards.

Major islands of the northlands are:

• Norland, home of the kingdom of Rottesheim and one of the mightiest, most populous northlander realms.
• Norheim, a fractured realm of small, petty northlander kingdoms that constantly squabble amongst themselves.
• Oman, the largest and most fertile island in the northlands, adn thus home to the most powerful of all the northlander kingdoms.
• Gnarhelm, the northern half of the island of Alaron, a steep and rocky realm that is the mineral breadbasket of the northlands.
• The Korinn Archipelago, a chain of tiny, wild, lawless islands that extends north into the Trackless Sea.

Demihumans

Of the demihuman peoples, three are found in the Moonshaes; Elves, Dwarves, and Halflings.

The Elves, a culture called the Llewyrr that is borderline a unique subrace, originated on the Sword Coast in the Llewyrrwood around Neverwinter, but fled that realm in the face of the Vyshaan long centuries ago and became the first sapient race to settle on the Moonshaes when their vessels were separated from the rest of the diaspora and crashed on the shores here. Once the rulers of the Moonshaes, they gave up most of the islands to humanity when the Ffolk first settled there and retrated to Synnoria, a divinely-blessed realm hidden in the sheer mountains bordering the sacred Myrloch Vale. Their protection has come at a cost; the Llewyrr have exceptionally low fertility, even by elf standards, and produce more daughters than sons (only 25% of all LLewyrr are male, though this stat is only mentioned in their 4e lore). As a result, they have turned into an elven amazon culture, with women taking up most roles - especially the defense of the realm. Other notable traits of the Llewyrr include staunch veganism and the reverence of the trout as sacred totem animals. Synnoria's magical features include blessed waterfalls that create a music that can plunge humans into a fatal trance, the truth-speaking Mirror Lake, and the mystical Grove of Meditation, where elven wizards and gish can break the normal laws regarding their racial level caps.

Dwarves were the second intelligent race to appear on the Moonshaes, and nobody is quite sure how they did it, with the prevailing theory being they dug up onto the islands from the Underdark. They lived in peace with the elves, and like them have largely retreated from their former holdings, but they are more populous and much more aggressive in defending their holdings than the Llewyrr.

Finally, halflings migrated to the Moonshaes alongside the Ffolk and have lived alongside them ever since, achieving nothing of note and just being part of the scenery. What, you were expecting something more of old-school halflings?

Humanoids & Monsters

Whilst humans, elves, dwarves and halflings get all the attention, the Moonshaes are actually home to a large number of creatures, ranging from actual monsters to sapient humanoids and fey who are given no attention beyond "oh, hey, these exist as something for players to kill or otherwise interact with".

The most prominent of the non-demihuman peoples of the Moonshaes are the firbolgs... and these are a very far cry from the noble Celtic giant-kin seen in the North! No, Moonshae firbolgs are deformed, malevolent creatures in thrall to the dark beast-god Kazgoroth, and it's possible that Niles originally meant to use fomorians instead, but got them mixed up. The firbolgs of the Moonshaes are the enemies of all beings who don't worship the Dark Beast, and live to bring about its victory.

Orcs, goblins, and trolls exist in tribes or small family groups scattered across the Moonshaes, especially in the lawless realms such as the Korinn Archipelago and Moray. Sahuagin inhabit the seas and lizardfolk the deepest, darkest marshes.

The big list of Moonshae monsters, according to the original Moonshae book, looks like this:

• Scrags (Sea Trolls)
• Seawolves
• Selkies
• Water Weirds
• Sea Lions
• Dragon Turtles
• Giant Crabs
• Giant Eagles
• Dryads
• Harpies
• Griffons
• Hippogriffs
• Wyverns
• Leprechauns
• Perytons
• Rocs
• Sylphs
• Trolls
• Giant Wasps
• Giant Wolverines
• Wind Walkers
• Shambling Mounds
• Giant Leeches
• Giant Rats
• Giant Frogs & Toads (including Poisonous and Killer)
• Giant Weasels
• Lizardfolk
• Wererats
• Sirens
• Beholders
• Giant Beavers
• Giant Porcupines
• Giant Scorpions
• Giant Boars
• Giant Bears
• Werewolves
• Goblins
• Giant Centipedes
• Centaurs
• Nymphs
• Pixies
• Faerie Dragons
• Giant Stags
• Unicorns
• Hoar Foxes
• Giant Owls
• Ropers
• Orcs
• Giant Rams
• Cave Bears
• Giant Goats
• Dire Wolves
• Ki-Rin
• Giant Cranes
• Giant Spiders
• Giant Lampreys
• Giant Pike
• Giant Gar
• Giant Otters
• Nixies
• Giant Snapping Turtles
• Giant Crayfish
• Swanmays
• Giant Owls
• Throat Leeches
• Water Nagas
• Giant Octopuses
• Giant Sharks
• Giant Sea Horse
• Sea Hags
• Giant Squids
• Frost Giants

The presence of Dragons in the Isles goes completely unmentioned in the original Moonshae book, although Monster Compendium: Monsters of Faerûn for Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition says that Song Dragons are extremely common here, to the point some sages speculate that this is their birthplace.

Gods

The Ffolk are a rare monotheistic culture in the Realms, united under the belief of "The Goddess"; an Earthmother deity served by a priesthood made up of druids rather than clerics. In most editions of the game, the Goddess is stated to be an aspect of Chauntea, perhaps an older, more fey incarnation that has been forgotten in the rest of the Realms, but in 4th edition, she is instead viewed as one of the Primal Spirits. Her power takes physical form through sacred pools known as Moonwells, the water of which is imbued with divine magic; the primary role of the Ffolk's druids is tending to these Moonwells and keeping them flowing strongly, as the destruction or defilement of a Moonwell weakens the godly essence of the Goddess.

The Goddess is served by her Three Children; powerful monsters that are only seen when she feels a great need for their services. These Children are The Leviathan (a great sea-beast resembling a cross between a whale and a shark), Kamerynn the Unicorn (demigod unicorn stallion, possibly connected to Eachthighern), and The Pack (the Moonshae's entire population of Dire Wolves united into a single consciousness).

Oppossing the goddess is a dark beast-god called Kazgoroth; said to be an aspect of Malar, this squamous horror takes the form of a fiendish reptilian creature, somewhere between a wingless dragon and a demonic dinosaur. It yearns to slay the goddess and end her rule over the creatures of the Moonshaes.

In comparison, the Northmen worship a more conventional pantheon, made up of deities familiar to those of the northern regions of the Sword Coast; a trinity made up of Auril, Tempus, and Umberlee. In later materials, the cult of one of Tempus' underlings, Valkur, is on the rise. Unlike the Ffolk, they favor clerics over druids, most commonly being led by clerics of Tempus or Malar (Kazgoroth)

Clerics of other deities, most prominently Silvanus, Azuth, Deneir, Lathander, and Chauntea, have attempted to win converts, but aren't having much luck, especially amongst the Ffolk.

What the Spellplague did

Now, the Spellplague didn't physically fuck the Moonshaes over the way it did a lot of other places, but it still left its scars.

Prior the Spellplague, the Moonshaes were on the up; in 1371 Dale Reckoning, High Queen Alicia Kendrick officially signed the proclamation that formally united Ffolk and Northlanders alike into a single sovereign nation; the United Moonshae Isles. Sadly, as the borders between planes weakened, the Feywild began to encroach upon the Moonshaes in the decade prior to the Spellplague proper, and this would have devastating side effects.

At least, devastating if you were human. The Llewyrr came out of the whole mess stronger than before, but we'll get to that.

Firstly, the weakening of the barriers allowed the Fomorians to rise up with their armies of cyclopses, ogres, orcs, goblins, trolls and ettins (the unfitting firbolgs having been subtly retconned out of existence) in a series of massive invasions. Oman was comletely devastated, swept clean of human habitants and turned into a realm of dark fey and giant-kin, and tribes of the brutes began to bedevil Norland and Moray.

Secondly, malevolent fey of all kinds began to infest the Moonshaes, which had been linked to a particularly dark portion of the Feywild. This also gave rise to lesser threats, like the Black Blood Tribe; therianthropes devoted to Malar in his aspect of Kazgoroth.

Thirdly, eladrin feyspires slipped through and materialized on the island of Gwynneth. This was a huge boost for the Llewyrr, whose population was now strengthened by new eladrin neighbors and whose fertility may be on the uptick. It wasn't such a boon for the humans, because the eladrin basically said "Hey, this island belonged to us first, get the fuck off our property!" and kicked them all off of Gwynneth. There's actually a reason behind this and it's part of some elaborate scheme by the eladrin queen High Lady Ordalf to address a threat that will threaten both the materium and the Feywild, but still, humans are no longer welcome on "Sarifal", as it's been renamed.

In the face of all of this, Amn brutally conquering Snowdown and working the Ffolk there like slaves, with the provincial ruler, Lady Erliza Daressin secretly being a vampire, is almost an afterthought.

Naturally, the current High King, Derid Kendrick, wants to sort all of this shit out, and preferrably reclaim human dominance over their traditional holdings, but he'll settle for peace with the eladrin in the face of the giants and evil fey.

Publication History

The Moonshaes had their own dedicated splatbook in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition, called, simply, Moonshae. They were also featured in the Moonshae Trilogy, and its sequel the Druidhome Trilogy. After that, they largely were mentioned in passing in Forgotten Realms campaign books for future editions. Dragon Magazine #362, one of the last "pre-4e" Dragons, contains an article providing a history of the Moonshaes as they stood in 3rd edition. Dungeon Magazine #196 provides an in-depth outline of the Moonshaes as they stood in the post-Spellplague Realms, and Dragon #405 offers Moonshae-specific character themes and the Llewyrr Elf as a playable race.

Galler

• 
  Map of the not!British Isles.
• 
  More detailed, if slightly outdated(?), map