Realms Starting Locations

I've been reading through my FR core rules books, and I'm thinking it would be fun to try a different starting location for my next FR game.  In all my years of running FR as a DM, I've really only used about 4 different starting locations:

1. Waterdeep or the surrounding areas.
2. Cormyr
3. The Dalelands
4.  Raven's Bluff/Vast

I even had one game centered around a PC who became the captain of a sailing vessel and had a bunch of adventures centered around the Sea of Fallen Stars.

For this next game, I've got a couple locations I think are pretty neat -

The Moonsea region - a rugged frontier land ripe with the struggles of humanity to keep hold of land they've purchased with the lives of those who came before them.   Only the strong survive here, and many of the cities are held by the champions of chaos.  I think Hillsfar and Elventree or even Phlan would be good starting locations for a campaign.  I think Hillsfar with the demihuman oppression could be run in a similar fashion to the X3 Curse of Xanthanon adventure with the PC's fighting against oppressive city government bolstered by the powers of Chaotic gods.

Tethyr - In all my years of using Waterdeep as a base for adventures my PC's rarely traveled south of Baldur's gate.  I think Tethyr with its rich feudal government and warring nobility could set the stage for some interesting dueling faction type play.  I could start the PC's off as mercenaries or spies, or even give them a connection to the land by making one or more of them one of the nobility and get them caught up in all the political battles.  It could be a higher magic version of a game of thrones type cutthroat power struggle with shifting alliances and goals.

Maybe I can flesh these ideas out a bit more with some additional posts.