| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Garen Thal |
Posted - 17 Mar 2009 : 20:42:11
Saw this picture earlier (thanks to Sean K Reynolds' blog), and my first reaction was "That looks like the Starwater Gorge." So, enjoy the scenery, folks! |
| 10 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Afetbinttuzani |
Posted - 18 Mar 2009 : 17:58:20
I find it helpful to players to describe the stonelands as similar to Amyn Muil in Lord of the Rings, the area where Frodo and Sam get lost after they seperate from the fellowship and in which they capture Golem. |
| Markustay |
Posted - 18 Mar 2009 : 17:35:25
Ohhhhhhh... the Stormhorns.
Sexy.  |
| Gelcur |
Posted - 18 Mar 2009 : 15:56:03
Thank you oh lovely lady, this is a great description of the area and it is always good to have a real world comparison for places in the Realms.
I plan to run a small 3 or 4 session quest soon from Eveningstar, into the Stonelands and to Ed's Irongard, from the old Dungeon Magazine. So all this info will come in useful.
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| The Hooded One |
Posted - 18 Mar 2009 : 14:15:17
Gelcur, the main east-west road "through" Eveningstar runs right along the base of a rugged cliff, that's pierced by the gorge that a stream comes down to run through Eveningstar (and that the Haunted Halls is some distance up the west side of).
There are sheep-grazing meadows (with walls or "field fences" made of heaped-up rocks and boulders, to keep the sheep from plunging to their deaths) atop the east side of the cliff, and a narrow, winding path leading up to them. However, the rest of the atop-the-plateau area, stretching way north to where the Zhents have their trade route (Yellow Snake Pass, etc.), is the Stonelands "proper."
Which means it's a trackless, unmapped chaos of bare rock (like the real-world Canadian Shield) where tufts of grass, stunted trees, and varous thorny shrubs and vines cling to cracks, and the topography consists of endless breakneck-steep ravines with ridges between them. So agile, strong, healthy individuals, carrying not much more than packs on their backs, can navigate it (slowly), but any sort of mounts, and even pack mules, can't. So being Baron of the Stonelands is NOT ruling over farms or vast forests or anything like a field (with the exception of tiny "bowl" meadows hidden in the midst of all this rock, like the one where Delg fell in Shandril's Saga).
So long as travel was only by day, and never in fog, and the travelers were VERY careful to always seek landmarks (high points of rock) ahead in their desired direction of travel (landmarks they'd continually lose sight of as they plunged down a ravine, only to try to find again as they climbed up out of it), a band of good climbers could pass east to west (or vice versa) north of Eveningstar - - assuming they didn't run afoul of the many roaming monsters (including orc and goblin bands) or, farther north, Zhent mages riding foulwings. However, there's NO WAY cavalry, or any organized army unit, could make the trek and being in any sense "organized" during it or when they emerged from the Stonelands (they'd straggle out in little groups, over a long time).
Hope this helps; for more, ask Ed in his thread.
love,
THO
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| Garen Thal |
Posted - 18 Mar 2009 : 13:11:35
quote:
Originally posted by Gang Falconhand
Um. What are we talking about here?
Link?
Link is in the original post. Click where it says "this picture." |
| Gelcur |
Posted - 18 Mar 2009 : 13:06:16
Awesome picture.
So I know the Storm Horns are very high in some places but I always imagined there being low points up towards the Stonelands and being almost badland like. I think I got this impression from the Cormyr Saga.
How hard do you think it would be for people to cross up north of Eveningstar? |
| Gang Falconhand |
Posted - 18 Mar 2009 : 12:46:01
Um. What are we talking about here?
Link? |
| scererar |
Posted - 18 Mar 2009 : 02:49:10
Excellent. thanks for sharing. It does indeed appear similar to my vision of the area. |
| Rinonalyrna Fathomlin |
Posted - 17 Mar 2009 : 23:00:10
I'd definitely visit. |
| Ashe Ravenheart |
Posted - 17 Mar 2009 : 21:33:19
Well, that settles that. I'm moving to Canada.  |
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