Yeah, druids never set themselves near large trading towns. How lame would be the idea of, i don't know, a quest where the lord of such a city would call for help because a druidic coven turned dark and start attack it. Ridiculous! And if we must go the road of 'why none ever explored this area i had no difficulty to find and loot at level 1', all games must begin level 10. Let's not bring this argument for once of the few times we actually bump into other scavengers^^
I can answer some of this questions. The absolute whorshippers are a recent event, and since we have an organized multiracial army and three travelers coming from far, we can state it's not local. Are they gathering here for a particular reason, or are there others large groups gathering elsewhere? I guess we'll find out. But they're somewhat tied to those towers we are trying to reach. Also, the source of all those parasite bearers seem to be giant plane-jumping ships harvesting hosts by popping above major cities. It can be as world/plane wide as the mindflayers want to.
About true resurrection. With Gayle we have the proof than even through this spell, the tadpole is just fine. Yeah, it's just because magic, as always, but the hag can identify what kind of magic is used to make those very special tadpoles, and you're not gonna dispel it with common 9th level spells^^ To be expected from a evil conspiracy messing up with divinities themselves.
Why would the druids be concerned about an harpy nest? Remember the quest from bg2 where you had to kill a troll leader threatening the Balance without exterminating his tribe? They know how to live with such creatures. Squeletons were dormant until some adventurers came loot their coffins/sarcophages.
I read somewhere it waas unreallistic to see so many tiefflins. Well, it's a community of refugees traveling from a well established event of the lore. It is, indeed, rare.
It's true than maps looks like Disneyland, but i don't feel it reskinned. All the opposite, it appear to me as a well designed theme park where you can find the larger possible variety of elements of the theme in the smaller possible area. Actually Disneyland arks desing and video games maps design are often compared. I don't mind at all having one minute of walking instead of a loading screen, both solutions are tricks. It don't bother me more than placeholders villages with no means of sustenance or guards unable to speak to witnesses and searching places.
What is true is it lacks some wild life, as life unrelated to the plot or useless for game mechanics. Deers, bears, all that
To answer the original question : i feel more and more in my beloved FR as i connect the dots to understand the story behind the elements, because with one line and an item, i can use my knowledge of the lore to make sense of it. So far, it's very consistent and very well crafted.
