Dungeons & Dragons has some of the most detailed and iconic fictional locations ever invented, not just in Tabletop RPGs but across the fantasy genre generally. Bustling metropolises, breathtaking nature, and the eerie ruins of forgotten civilizations — Dungeons & Dragons has them all.
However, some of the seemingly safe places that adventurers may encounter are more deadly than they appear. Experienced dungeon masters delight in revealing the darker side of these iconic locations just when their players get comfortable. Thanks to Dungeon Master Oskar for the insight into some of these locations in Dungeons & Dragons, all of which are far more dangerous than they appear to be at first glance.
Red Larch
All Roads Lead To Red Larch, For Better Or Worse
All roads on the Sword Coast run through Red Larch at some point. Red Larch is the busiest caravanning town on the coast, which means that it attracts a lot of attention; some good, some bad. Every major faction, from the Druidic guardians of the Emerald Enclaves, to the stoic wardens of the Order of the Gauntlet, and even the back-stabbing Zhentarim, has agents present, and for good reason: elemental cults that seek to raze the material plane for the coming of a new age for each of their four primordial masters.
Not only is Red Larch a hub for political and spiritual tension, but giants roam the lands nearby. These enormous entities seek fragments of an ancient artifact of theirs for a war against the dragons that is soon to rekindle, with fire giants being the most present around Red Larch.
Phandelver
The Orcs Yearn For The Mines
Phandelver is a small mining town tucked inside the foothills of the Sword Coast, yet it was and still is plagued by enthusiastic and foolhardy adventurers. As the center of the 5e Starter Kit, Phandelver was often the first place of interest for many parties and was designed to introduce people to the game. As such, it is full of challenging and teachable moments for new players. A young green dragon hunts in the mountains, using its caustic breath to pick off players who stray too close and terrorizing the village.
Additionally, the area is attacked by orc raiders, ogres, and goblins, who loot and pillage nearby keeps and inns. Players who have gone through the baptism of fire that is Phandelver will no doubt remember their first encounter with Ochre Jellies. These strange, toxic little guys are often a party’s first encounter with the weirder eccentricities of D&D.
Chult
A Prehistoric Death Trap
At first glance, Chult appears to be an idyllic tropical island with a mix of reptilian and tribal folk inhabiting the area. More advanced players may even find themselves visiting the beach ports on their travels, but hidden deep inside the undergrowth is a world of savagery and death.
The Strongest Boss Monsters In Dungeons & Dragons, Ranked
Dungeons & Dragons is plenty challenging, but these boss monsters make things tough for even the most experienced players.
Dinosaurs roam the forests, overgrown temples guarded by ancient spirits are scattered throughout the wilderness, and murderous creatures roam the most dangerous ruins along Chult’s cliffside shores. This island is cursed to prevent any form of resurrection, making it one of the most dangerous locations in Wizards of the Coast's Tomb of Annihilation module.
Parnast
Beware Of Hidden Cult Activity
Parnast is the smallest town on this list, but it is far more dangerous than you would expect. Located on the Savage Frontier in the northwest of Faerûn, Parnast is a hub of secret resource acquisition for the Zhentarim. After the Zhentarim’s control began to wane, the town had a period of two decades of relative normality.
Then came the Cult of the Dragon, who sunk their claws into the Parnast for a year, using the town as a staging ground for a conquest alongside a cloud giant ally. After a year of squatting, the cult and the giant left, leaving a lasting mark of oppression on the locals. Rumor has it that the Zhentarim are once more looking to reclaim some assets from the small, unsuspecting town in the mountains.
Ten Towns
Frost Maiden Central
The frost bitten Ten Towns is a far-north region of Faerûn that is blanketed by an everlasting winter. It is filled with freezing lakes and rivers, feeding the envious maw of the Frost Maiden Auril, a deity of the cold and frost, and an old and spiteful goddess who is part of a coalition of often violent, emotionally volatile gods. Auril gains power from the people's fear of the cold and what lurks in those obscured snow banks, rejoicing in her own twisted way with each life claimed by her icy wrath.
D&D: 21 Fun One-Shot Ideas
While long, detailed Dungeons & Dragons campaigns are a blast, sometimes it's nice to wrap up a plot in session, and these one-offs provide just that.
This barren landscape is teeming with ice giants, dragons, and hidden horrors. Traversing this area quickly turns from a struggle to keep lanterns lit and avoid hunger to a life-or-death scenario at every step. Not even shapechangers are safe, as any and all shapechangers discovered by the residents of the Ten villages will be publicly executed.
Purple Rock
The Gods Are Fickle
This temperate archipelago is often taken at face value, and its true dangers are not always obvious. However, any magic user will soon learn that the locals have a deep hatred of magic, with any spell-slinging being punishable by death. The Purple Rock natives are a devout people who worship Auril, the aforementioned Frost Maiden, Tempus, Lord of Battles, and Umberlee, the Wavemother.
If any of the island’s gods are offended or slighted, Purple Rock is covered in a thick fog, and are known to spontaneously experience extreme winters that last up to eight years. In addition to these dangers, a prideless Copper Dragon has taken up residence in the archipelago and has taken on a paternal role for a group of adventurers called the Galadran Company.
Star Mounts
Deceptively Large And Inhospitable
The Star Mounts is another region located in the north of Faerûn that features brutal arctic conditions and dangerous peaks. Rumors have it that banished dragons and other, similar beasts are sent here, often in the hopes that the deadly environment will kill them, However, a party that views this region from a distance may mistake it for an average mountain range.
Dungeons & Dragons: Overpowered Monk Builds
Unleash the full potential of the martial arts masters with these overpowered D&D Monk builds.
The mountains have seemingly normal features: forests around the base, a few clouds, snow, and some unremarkable rivers; nothing to indicate the brutal process of traversing the area. Only one race seems to have found a means to bypass the strong winds and gales: Aarakocra, the avian race present throughout Faerûn, have discovered a means to build their nests among the peaks in relative safety.
Anarouch Desert
Barren Wastelands Filled With Raiders
Originally, the name “Anarouch” applied to the glacial regions in the far north, but it was appropriated to describe all manifestations of this deadly, barren wasteland. The Zhentarim are protective of their long-fought-for trade routes in this area; trade routes will frequently have to fend off goblins and Bedine raiders.
The desert has three regions: The High Ice, a region characterized by extreme temperature drops and shifting ice dunes that completely rewrite the geography of the desert overnight, the Plain of Standing Stones, a massive expanse of jagged rocks and gravel at the center of the desert, and The Sword, a region of blistering hot desert that lies to the south.
The Feywild
Whimsy Only Goes So Far
When players think of The Feywild, they might think of the hospitable elves and the whimsical idea of fairies. Adventuring on an alternate plane sounds like a lot of fun, but don't be mistaken: while The Feywild might seem similar to the material plane in many ways, free and wild magic manipulates the environment passively. The Feywild is a place of tricksters and illusion where nothing is quite as it seems.
Dungeons & Dragons 5e: Best Magic Items For Bards
Bards in Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition need magical items that'll complement their inherent abilities, which means more than just a new lute.
Nightmarish, hyper-intelligent predators such as the Displacer Beasts use illusory decoys to sneak up on unaware prey, and malicious hags use wordplay to trick players and NPCs into unholy deals and debts. This leads to unsuspecting wanderers becoming unwilling servants, or even dinner. The native Harigon (Rabbit Folk) and other sentient animal races have more mischievous motives, rather than being outright dangerous, playing tricks and causing chaos for adventuring parties.
Yartar
Espionage And Political Intrigue
Just north of Red Larch and the Sumber Hills sits Yartar. This trading town once had the potential to weld significant power over the rest of Faerûn. However, shadowy figures behind the scenes sabotaged attempts by city officials to elevate Yartar beyond being just another successful trading town. It suffers from the same giant and cult problems as Red Larch, but to make matters worse, it is a large enough city that it has become the target of hostile diplomatic tactics.
The Harper spies and the rogue assassins of the Zhentarim that haunt the city are representative of a larger political conflict steeped in history. Additionally, an ongoing feud between Triboar and Yartar over a lost shipment of gold has put extra pressure on city officials and made the city less hospitable to outsiders.
- Franchise
- Dungeons & Dragons
- Original Release Date
- 1974
- Publisher
- Wizards of the Coast
- Designer
- E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson