This is how I have developed Haven for My Campaign; this is not Canon, it is what I extrapolated and developed for My Campaign. Enjoy...
The Lost Land of Haven
by James MishlerLocation: When in the Prime Plane, the Lost Land of Haven is found in the eastern most corner of the Grand Duchy of Karameikos, north of the Vyalia Elves and east of the Wufwolde Hills. Otherwise, the Lost Land of Haven is somewhere in the land of Faerie.
Area: 1,344 sq. mi. Population: 2,880, including 1,440 Humans, 720 Elves, 480 Dwarves and 240 Halflings, as well as an indeterminate number of Faerie Folk (Haven Village, 480). Languages: Haven (archaic dialect of Traladaran with strong Daro admixture), Elvish (Londyrl dialect), Dwarvish (Haven Dialect), Lalor (old Halfling language). Coinage: Royal (gp), Noble (sp), Common (cp); barter is used more often, as coins are minted mostly for trade with the outside world.
Government Type: Limited Monarchy, advised by the Clan Elder Council.
Industries: Farming, cattle, mining
Description: Haven only lies partially within the Prime Plane. The nature of the region is such that for part of the time Haven is in the Prime Plane and the other part of the time it is in the land of Faerie [the Spirit Plane, aka the Spirit World, aka the Otherworld]. Whether Haven is in the Prime Plane or in Faerie is determined by a mysterious and convoluted series of astrological calculations known only to a very few wise sages and Vyalia Elves. Thus, few can really tell when Haven will be on Mystara and when it will be in Faerie [in other words, DM's decision]. When Haven is in Faerie the area it normally covers on Mystara is an empty land of forest and hills, bathed in mists and fogs. Sometimes voices are heard out of the mists, and on rare occasions people slip into or out of Faerie. There are a few sites where it is easy to slip in between, if one knows the path.
When Haven is in Faerie it is lit by a sun in the day and a moon and stars by night, though they are not the sun, moon or stars of Mystara. While Haven is in Faerie the borders of the land are bathed in mists, and those who step into them rarely return, as they end up elsewhere in Faerie [perhaps on the Ethengar Steppes or in the Dunadale Bogs, or somewhere else altogether, DM's choice]. While Haven is in Faerie a random amount of time passes on the Prime Plane for every day Haven spends in Faerie (roll once for the relationship for each period in Faerie):
| D10 | Mystara |
| 1 | 7 weeks |
| 2-4 | 7 days |
| 5-6 | 1 day |
| 7-9 | 1 hour |
| 10 | 1 minute |
Thus, a party can spend two months in Haven while it is in Faerie and when Haven returns to the Prime Plane discover that less than two hours have passed on Mystara, or discover that over 8 years have passed on Mystara!
When Haven is in the Prime Plane it is located in eastern Karameikos. There the land is bordered by the Lake of Lost Dreams to the south, the River of Lost Dreams to the east, the Altan Tepes to the north and the Dymrak Ridge to the west. It is a land of rolling hills and meadows, with some small stands of forests in the east. The centre of the land is dominated by the Silver Crown Mountains, a spur of low, weathered peaks reaching down from the Altan Tepes [the Silver Crowns are also known to the Traladarans as the Thunder Peaks]. In a wide valley in the middle of this circle of peaks lies Haven Village, which is the "capital" of the land, for this is where the Palace of the Silver Princess is found.
The peoples of Haven are a goodly folk, as Haven is a land where Humans, Elves, Dwarves and Halflings all live in harmony under the aegis of the Faeries. There are nine human clans while each of the other races are each made up of one clan. The Elders of each clan form the Elder Council, which is an advisory board for the Silver Princess. They are rarely called together, as there are few things that are required of the Council. They usually only meet once a year, the day before the Princesses Birthday, which is the largest festival in the land.
Notable Sites: The Palace of the Silver Princess (in Haven Village); the Hectoliths, a stand of 100 dark and ominous Standing Stones (at the northernmost point of the Silver Crown Mountains, overlooking the Volaga Rift); the Citadel of the Silver Crown, the tower of the Black Knight of Haven (above the first valley into the Silver Crown Mountains); Dreamtree, the Clanhold of the Elves (on the west bank of the River of Dreams); Syrrak, the Clanhold of the Dwarves (on the highest peak in the Silver Crown Mountains); and Galass Downs, the Clanhold of the Halflings (in the first valley into the Silver Crown Mountains).
History: The history of Haven began long ages ago in the chaos following the Great Rain of Fire. After the cataclysm, the Immortals brought the Spirit Plane, an Outer Plane charged with the essences of the four Spheres of Life, into conjunction with Mystara. The region of Haven became strongly tied with the Otherworld, and would often slip between the two planes, being part of one or the other or rarely both at the same time. The only inhabitants at the time were the native animals, as no Humans, Demihumans or Beastmen remained in the area. During the era of the Taymoran Empire the region of Haven earned a reputation to the Necromancer-Kings as a land of mists and strange magics; it became taboo to approach, and remained a land of verdant forest and wilderness until 2200 BC, when several clans of Elves broke off from Ilsundal's long march and settled in the area. They made the misty lands their home, and named it Haven, for to them it was such.
The Elves lived quietly in the region until the destruction of the Taymoran Empire in 2000 BC, when the lands to the south were destroyed and formed the northern Sea of Dread. A great number of clans sailed out to the newly formed islands and reformed their society along the lines of the sea, for such were their ancient ways. Others remained in the region of Haven and on the mainland; the bulk of these clans formed the Vyalia Tribe, while a smaller number remained in Haven proper and formed the Londyrl Clan. The Londyrl lived in relative peace and tranquillity for three hundred years until the explosion in the Highlands caused by another group of Elves in 1700 BC. The mystic damage caused to the Spirit Plane by the Blackmoorian Device affected the lands of Haven differently than they affected the Ethengar Steppes. The Planar Energies of the explosion caused Haven to be thrust into a secondary conjunction with the Dimension of Nightmares; thus, the dark beings from therein could use Haven as a stepping stone to enter Mystara. The Londyrl, while magically powerful, were not strong enough to stop the Nightmare creatures from entering on their own. Thus, they made an alliance with a clan of Sidhe native to the Spirit World. The alliance was cemented by the marriage of Lavenna, the Queen of the Sidhe to Aurille, the King of the Elves. With the assistance of the Sidhe and their magics the Elves were able to fend off the attacks from the Nightmare Dimension and seal many of the breaches between the two realms.
Peace again settled across Haven, and ruled the land for centuries more. The Londyrl lived side by side with the Traldar fro, 1500 through 1000 BC; the Traldar regarded the land of Haven as a sacred land of Sylvan and Faerie folk, and gave the Londyrl wide and respectful berth. Then, in 1000 BC, the peace of Haven was shattered by the invasion of the Gnolls from the west. Many Elves of Haven stood by the Traldar in their battle against the Gnolls, and many fell, bringing the land of Haven nearly to ruin. During the next century, peace-loving Dwarves, Halflings and Humans were invited to live in Haven if they would aid in it's defence from attacks by the surrounding barbaric tribes. These peoples were the ancestors of the modern residents, and helped to rebuild the land of Haven. The allied peoples protected Haven from all outside forces for over a thousand years (Mystaran time); they kept mostly to themselves, leaving the Traldar alone in their Dark Age. During this period Haven was not even in the Prime Plane overly much, and as a result the very land of Haven became little more than a myth to the people of Mystara. Also during this period the relationship between the Sidhe and the others residents of Haven grew more distant as the threat from the Dimension of Nightmares fell into tales of myth and legend.
The Elven King Aurille passed away in 1400 BC, and was succeeded by his wife, the Sidhe Queen Lavenna. Queen Lavenna passed on to her next incarnation in 1100 BC, leaving the land in the hands of her son, also named Aurille after his father. Aurille II ruled from 1100 through 400 BC. His son, Orollion, ruled from 400 BC through 200 AC; his wife was Rowena the Minstrel, an Elf from the Land of Aran on the Isle of Dawn. Aurille III, the son of Orollion and Rowena, ruled from 200 through 600 AC, and was a strong ally of the Attleson Kings of Darokin, especially in the face of the Thyatian threat. He opened the borders of Haven to the Daro peoples, and many Daro immigrants intermarried into the Human Haven clans during his rule. Orollion II took the throne in 600 AC; he ruled wisely for many years, until the Thyatian invasion of Traladara in 900 AC. He felt that the Thyatians would eventually turn to Haven, and thus sought out ways to defeat the Thyatians. Having been powerful in the ways of magic, he decided to seek out a solution to the threat in the land of Faerie, and went on a quest into the mists surrounding Haven. He left his daughter, Princess Argenta, to rule Haven in his stead. He has not been heard from since, and though it is believed by many that he has been killed on his quest, Argenta refuses to be crowned Queen until definitive proof is found.
In 960 AC the Palace in Haven Village was nearly destroyed; for a brief period of time the entire realm was firmly grounded in the Prime Plane as the conjunction between Haven and the Spirit Plane was overshadowed by the conjunction between Haven and the Dimension of Nightmares. An Eye of Arik, one of his many artifacts, was to blame, as it was used by the priest Catharandamus to attempt to bring Arik's Avatar into the Prime Plane. The crops withered, the cattle sickened, and the land was overrun by Goblins, Hobgoblins and Orcs. A group of wandering adventurers brought an end to the threat, and cast Catharandamus and his allies out of the land.
After rebuilding the Palace, Princess Argenta married Ellis the Pure, a Knight of the Order of the White Drake from the Isle of Dawn [Ellis had no part in the duplicity of the Order of the White Drake in the War of '59, and left the Order when it's treachery was discovered]. Prince Ellis, now known as the Black Knight (in mourning for his lost Order), guards Haven from any further incursions from the Dimension of Nightmares; he often brings in adventurers from elsewhere to send on missions to hunt down rumours of the followers of Arik and other Nightmare beings. Princess Argenta still believes her father may be alive; her Grandmother, Rowena, who appeared out of the mists of Faerie during the time of Catharandamus, knew nothing of his whereabouts, and Rowena's sponsor, Thendara (Ordana, an Immortal who works with the Sidhe-Protectors), also could not (or rather, would not) help her; thus, she seeks aid from adventurers who would brave the Mists of Faerie. Catharandamus, now mad and decrepit, keeps vigil at the Hectoliths, seeking some sign from his Patron Immortal.
Important Figures: Argentum, the Silver Princess; Ellis, the Black Knight; Ariksbane, the White Dragon; Dyramil Mellirian, Elven Clanmaster; Syrak Derkrist, Dwarven Clanmaster; Ghaerosz Merrytoes, Hin Clanmaster; Catharandamus, the Mad Hermit; Thendara, Immortal-Level Sidhe-Protector.
Flora and Fauna: Many normal
animals inhabit the lands of Haven; of these, a fair number exhibit
higher than normal intelligence, due to the nature of Faerie. Many
Sylvan and Faerie creatures also inhabit the land of Haven,
including Centaurs, Dryads, Fauns, Pixies, Sprites and even a few
Treants. Very few baneful creatures inhabit the land; the most
notable are a clan of Wood Imps in the region of the Hectoliths and
a pride or two of Owlbears. There is also the rare foray or raid by
the Goblins of the Dymrak and the Orcs of the Wufwolde Hills.
Unbeknownst to the peoples of Haven, a small group of Beholder
Cultists of Arik have set up shop at the Hectoliths, allied
themselves with Catharandamus, and have begun contacting the local
Goblin and Orc clans, who remember tales of the good times when
they raided Haven 40 some years ago.