The large forest of Brynwood rambles up and down many rocky outcrops and steep-sided ravines, covering a large area north of Maerstar and Sevenecho. This trackless, tumbled terrain is as difficult to travel through as the Stonelands north of Cormyr - and like that infamous region, the Brynwood hides many a monster. It was once home to many korred and satyrs, but these two races disputed territory with each other, and in the strife that followed both fell prey to monsters that grew steadily mote numerous, until the original inhabitants have almost disappeared. Human incursions have cleared much of the land between the mountains and the Tsurlagan coast, but the Brynwood remains a deadly heart of the woods that no human dare try to fell.

Legends whisper that a clan of evil shapechanging creatures dwell here - spell-using beings who can appear as female humans to lure male adventurers into the forest depths and then change form into giant spiders, wolves, owlbears, or huge snakes to devour the hapless men. A rival legend holds that the women are human who rake animal form to discourage intruders of all kinds. A minstrel even composed a ballad about one of them, a white-haired, scornful mage he called "Snowhair the Sorceress."

Whatever the truth, at least three notable adventuring bands - The Company of the Talking Shield, The Men of the Purple Sash, and The Skullsword Reavers - have vanished while exploring Brynwood in the last decade, and Harper rangers have been heard to mutter unhappily that "something evil lurks in that wood." One tavern-tale popular in Impiltur tells of an ancient, many-spired castle at the heart of the wood where the shapeshifting women dwell, devising powerful spells. According to this story, they use magical gates to travel to Westgate, Telflamm, Airspur, and even Waterdeep with a single step. There, the tale whispers, they gather magic by stealth and poison, slaying or drugging wizards and seizing what they can. One day these "Bryndar," as the tale dubs them, will emerge from their woody retreat to try and rule the Realms by their magic, if they aren't stopped in the meantime by brave (or foolish or lucky) adventurers. The truth of this surprisingly vivid and persistent tale remains unproven; Elminster believes that someone or something is spreading the tale or keeping it alive in order to lure adventurers into Brynwood for purposes unknown.