Hi @TheEdVerse ! I red that the Stonelands is a very rocky land, with cracks, water and trees everywhere, but how do caravans or Purple Dragon's patrols can go throught it? How does Redspring inhabitants wander around their village? Thanks, it could help my current campaign 🙂
— Marco Volo (@MarcoVolo9) October 14, 2021
1)
The Stonelands is almost all exposed bedrock, with a very thin coating of topsoil, anchored by wind- and cold-stunted trees. Except in the bottoms of the ravines, where centuries of rotted-down trees and vegetation have accumulated into often-rich soil. 2)
The best way to picture it is: imagine a huge hill of mashed potatoes in front of you on a long platter. You take a fork and drag it right-to-left- and left-to-right through the mash, leaving horizontal deep furrows. Those are the ravines, with almost bare, …#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 14, 2021
3)
…sometimes knife-edged ridges between them, and lots of trees and water and tangled vines down at the bottom of them.
You’ve just made a model of the Stonelands.
So even pack mules have a hard time traversing it. Individual able-bodied folk with packs on their… 4)
…backs can CLAMBER through the Stonelands, but no one’s going to be marching or taking wagons through it. So no caravans go through it, except by the one wide-enough, flat-enough route (involving Yellow Snake Pass) that the Zhentarim took over and controlled; …#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 14, 2021
5)
…everyone else (including the Zhents) go around.
Purple Dragon patrols don’t enter it; on rare occasions, an army will be sent into it, but no one patrols it.
There’s not enough arable land to grow enough food for large settlements, and no reason to settle… 6)
…there. It’s hunting and foraging country.
As for Redspring: will answer later, must rush off to work at the day job now!#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 14, 2021