The Ardeep Forest, also known as the Faraway Forest, was a relatively small but thick woodland in northwest Faerûn. Elven scribes usually compounded the name to "Ardeepforest" in order to denote the forest as opposed to the realm that once encompassed a large part of the Sword Coast.
Geography
In the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR, the forest was a few miles east of Waterdeep, on the south bank of the River Dessarin. Three clearings in the northwest corner closest to Waterdeep were favorite rendezvous spots for clandestine lovers and runaways. The interior of Ardeep Forest contained many ridges and steep gullies that were hidden beneath thick vines, dense shrubbery, and cloaking mists that presented a danger to casual travelers. In addition, tunnels, cellars, and vaults constructed by dwarves during a time of alliance became pitfalls centuries later.
History
The forest was once much bigger than the extent shown on maps of the 14th–century DR. In the Year of Oaths Forsaken, −626 DR, the trees extended unbroken (except by rivers) from Neverwinter Wood down through Kryptgarden Forest, Ardeep Forest, the Misty Forest, and ended in the Trollbark Forest north of the Troll Hills. Millennia before that, the forest was connected to what eventually became the High Forest.
The dwarvish contributions to the (eventual) hazards of Ardeep Forest were primarily built during the 6th–century DR when the kingdom of Phalorm briefly flourished.
During the Retreat, begun in the Year of Moonfall, 1344 DR, the elves left behind many Baelnorn and Green Warder guardians to protect the tombs of their ancestors and guard their legacy.
Rumors & Legends
Floating towers (including Maddgoth's Castle) have been observed above Ardeep Forest over a good portion of its history. They were attributed to various mages and cloud giants but the owners rarely revealed themselves. Bard-spun yarns of ships from other worlds were also tavern favorites.
Somewhere in the eastern section of the forest were the remains of a desecrated elven tomb. As of the Year of the Gauntlet, 1369 DR, all that was left above ground was a stone arch with a decrepit iron gate, and even the bones had been looted from the site. The arch was a one-way portal to the Crystal Labyrinth in Undermountain.