Location
Cloakwood
Primeval coastal forest west of the Coast Way
A dense and dangerous remnant of an ancient forest along the Sea of Swords, known for hostile fey, predatory plants, and failing magical gates.
General description
The Cloakwood lies north of Candlekeep, south of Baldur's Gate, and west of the Coast Way. Its sloping shore can receive small boats, but sensible sailors avoid landfall unless weather or damage leaves them no choice. Beyond the beach, a close canopy and thorn-choked undergrowth make travel slow and conceal the forest's territorial inhabitants.
Reference details
- Region
- Sword Coast
- Terrain
- Ancient coastal forest
- Coast
- Sea of Swords
- Eastern Boundary
- Coast Way
- Ancient Realm
- Shantel Othreier
Key facts
- The Cloakwood is a surviving fragment of Shantel Othreier, the primeval woodland that once covered much of the Green Fields north of Amn.
- Its canopy is dominated by elm, beech, felsul, and hiexel above dense briars, nettles, and scrub.
- Gremlins, mites, grigs, satyrs, stirges, korreds, hangman trees, and other territorial creatures fight continually for ground and resources.
- Candlekeep's sages have confirmed that at least one magical gate remains somewhere in the forest.
Terrain and travel
Interlocking branches keep much of the forest floor in deep shadow. Closely packed trunks and tangled undergrowth hinder movement away from established trails, while the gradual shoreline offers little safety from creatures watching the beaches. A ship can put boats ashore for water or timber, but only desperate crews usually risk it.
Legacy of Shantel Othreier
The Cloakwood, Snakewood, and Wood of Sharp Teeth are remnants of Shantel Othreier. Rivers and a great lake once divided that northern forest from Keltormir to the south. Centuries of settlement, clearing, and upheaval left the Cloakwood as an isolated pocket of the older wilderness.
Hostile denizens
The interior is an active battleground rather than a balanced sylvan refuge. Aggressive fey, blood-drinking stirges, and carnivorous plants hold overlapping territories. Encounters often begin as an ambush or as the characters stumble into a fight already underway.
Defunct gates
Historical accounts describe a network of portals linking the wood to distant parts of Faerûn. Most have failed. Sages debate whether the surviving gates reach remote lands, alternate Material Planes rich in sylvan creatures, or the Beastlands. Few explorers who go looking for them return with evidence.
Also known as
- Cloak Wood
- the Cloakwood
- the Cloak Wood