A hundred leagues from the northern Sword Coast, west of grand Baldur's Gate and southwest of the shining jewel that is the city of Waterdeep, the Moonshae Isles jut up from the Trackless Sea. Home to two warring peoples spread across many kingdoms, they are a place of ancient magic and lost secrets.
The Isles are dominated by humans, divided into two groups. The Ffolk are the older natives, humble farmers, fishers, and hunters who have long lived in harmony with nature, the balance mediated by the druids of the Goddess. The Northmen are recent arrivals, raiders and conquerors from the isles of Ruathym, Gundarlun, and Tuern in the north. At first, they raided the coasts of the isles, but several generations ago they began to conquer and settle the isles, establishing their own realms in a series of small wars. Foreigners from the Sword Coast and the South—Amn, Tethyr, and even distant Calimshan—are a common sight, as immigrants or merchant traders.
The humans of the Isles have scant familiarity with and understanding of the non-humans of the Isles, and several broad terms are used to describe them.
Fighters: From doughty Ffolk militiamen and lords to fierce Northman raiders and jarls, fighters are the most common class in the Isles, filling most roles of warfare and rulership. Among the Northmen, every man is expected to be a warrior, and ownership of arms is required for participation in political moots. Among the Ffolk, the trappings of chivalry from the continent have gained some favor, with the kings and lords sponsoring knightly orders; but the older tradition of warrior lodges still holds out, working closely with the druids to serve both the Goddess and the Ffolk at large.
Most explorers of the Moonshaes are capable sailors or sea captains, exploring the Trackless Sea as well as the islands themselves. Among the Northmen, barbarians are common and respected: the tradition of berserker warriors has long been an integral part of Northman culture. Amazon shieldmaidens among the Northmen ocucpy a similar position in society, but may also be found as valiant defenders of the Ffolk. Mystics are unheard of—no such traditions exist on the Isles, and any mystic would have to travel a long way to end up here. Paladins and cavaliers are similarly outsiders, but sometimes find their way here from the Sword Coast. Some lords among both the Ffolk and the Northmen are aristocrats, though the nobility of the Heartlands might find them boorish and provincial. Rangers are agents of the druids of the Ffolk, acting on their mysterious directives to protect the Isles. Warmasters are more common among the warlike Northmen, but some Ffolk have honed their warcraft to match that of the invaders.
Mages: Magery has always been rare on the Isles, but they still have their own Convocation of the Isles: a society of mages that protects and polices mages. They seek to ensure the continuation of the Arts of Magic by seeing them taught to new generations, and making sure neither lords nor commoners are given cause to rise against mages in general. Excessive meddling in politics may bring the Convocation's censure. Consequently, the mages usually overlook the divide between the Ffolk and the Northmen when choosing apprentices. Unlike in more "civilized" lands, mages who wish to stay out of the Convocation are generally left alone—making the more remote islands an attractive prospect for mainlander mages who seek solitude—but the Convocation will not overlook anything that threatens the future of mages on the Isles.
Warlocks almost invariably bring the wrath of the locals down upon themselves, and are not tolerated by the Convocation. War wizards are not found on the Isles: the belligerent Northmen have little respect for arcane magic. Spellsingers are as rare as anywhere; those native to the Isles would have learned their songs from the Llewyrr elves, directly or indirectly.
Clerics: The native faith of the Ffolk does not involve clerics, so most clerics on the Isles are outlanders. The druids of the Ffolk worship the Goddess—the Earthmother—and often maintain the moonwells abandoned by the retreating Llewyrr elves. Witches of the Isles are either followers of the same druidic traditions and full-fledged members of their circles (Sylvan tradition), or local wise women (Antiquarian tradition). The Northmen worship Tempus, and his clerics and battlepriests are held in high esteem among them. The Northmen also honor Valkur the Mighty, an ancestor-hero who blesses their ships and sailing ventures. Missionaries of the Ten Gods from the continent sometimes find adherents—the Ffolk are particularly receptive to the worship of Chauntea—who they honor as the Earthmother—and Selûne, and thus priestesses, moon knights, and silver ladies are most common.
Demon-worshipping anti-clerics are almost universally hated and hunted down, but sometimes followers of the Destroyer, the Reaver, or the Frostmaiden are able to influence Northman jarls or bands of reavers. More often, they work with the Fomorian beastmen—although they may find these allies more devoted to the Beast of the Moonshaes. Curiously, no anti-cleric followers of the Beast are known.
Thieves: Thieves are found everywhere, and the Isles are no exception. However, they may find life difficult in the Moonshaes: the honest Ffolk are quick to root out and punish crime, and while the Northmen have little respect for the property of others, they consider sneak-thievery unmanly and deserving of death. Thus, settlements in the Isles seldom support thieves' guilds. However, the nearby isles of Mintarn are a veritable haven for pirates and criminals, and many thieves who flee justice to Mintarn soon find their way over to the Moonshaes proper.
For the same reasons, assassins are uncommon, and usually outsiders; unscrupulous rulers still employ them, but at great risk to their honor and reputation. Bards, however, are held in high esteem by the Ffolk—the Isles have their own, deep, complex bardic traditions and ancient hierarchies, which grant bards high status and wide access to the courts of the isles. Among the northmen, they are called skalds, and are held in lesser regard; the skalds never learn magic. Corsairs are common both among the Northmen and nearby Mintarn. Envoys travel between the courts of the land, though there is little diplomacy between the realms of the Ffolk and the Northmen. Scholars are uncommon, as the oral traditions of the bards still triumph over the written word. Scouts are perhaps less common and valued on the Isles, as their skills are of less value on the open sea. Venturers ply the sea routes between the isles and the mainland—many hail from Waterdeep, Baldur's Gate, or even further along the Sword Coast.
Dwarven vaultguard, craftpriest, delver, fury, runecaster, treasure hunter
Elven spellsword, nightblade, courtier, enchanter, ranger, mage, spellsinger
Gnomish trickster, deepcaller, illusionist, lorefinder, stalker, tunnelwarden
Halfling burglar, rover