Though not completely featureless, the area where the Isstosseffifil Empire once stood now appears largely lifeless and barren.

The Frozen Sea: During the Days of Thunder, the old Narrow Sea ran like a sword along the eastern flanks of the Greypeak Mountains, stretching from the future site of the dwarven seaport Ascore to the city of Oreme, but the sea was never more than 100 miles in width. After the Isstossef reshaped the land in their war with the phaerimms, the Narrow Sea flowed from west to east, stretching from what would become Ascore to the Tortured Lands.

After countless millennia, little evidence remains of the terrain-shaping magic employed by the sarrukh. The icy dunes of the Frozen Sea on the western border of Anauroch—the result of rainfall that runs down the eastern slopes of the Greypeaks and freezes—give mute evidence of the ancient sea that once lay here.

Today, the Frozen Sea is a breeding ground for many birds in the spring, but it is otherwise almost empty of inhabitants. Only those foolish enough to search out the lost cities of Anarath, Ascore (seaport of dwarven Delzoun), Bhaulaea, Hlaungadath (a crashed Netherese floating city), and Oreme ever come here.

The Phaerlin: The Buried Realms of Anauroch are the dominion of the phaerimms, and those who can resist the master of the Phaerlin are few and far between. The deepest catacombs of Oreme connect directly with the Underdark and have been the site of repeated battles between the asabis of Oreme and the mind-slaves of the phaerimms. Long ago, the sarrukh liches erected a barrier around Oreme similar to the Sharnwall. Thus far, the barrier has prevented the phaerimms from directly invading the city, but the wards do not prevent the passage of other races, including the thornbacks’ minions.