Post by Warlord on Nov 17, 2011 11:33:20 GMT -5
The City of Melvaunt sits on the northern coast of the Moonsea, and serves as the port of entry to many travelers coming to the region. The Northern Moonsea region stretches inland from the shore all the way to the edge of The Ride, encompassing all of Thar. The River Stojanow marks the region's western border; the Galena Mountains frame the region to the east. The city of Glister at the northern edge of Thar is nominally a part of the region, but its people and customs differ significantly from those along the coast.
The Northern Moonsea is a harsh place whose independent cities are not well connected by roads; most of the region's famed trade takes place by boat. None of the area's rulers want to spend time and money making it easier for armies to march upon them, so roads remain a low priority. The Phlan Path is perhaps the region's most proper road, but even it resembles nothing more than a rutted dirt trail in places.
Ships from Melvaunt constantly shuttle goods to Mulmaster and Hillsfar, where these items can be more efficiently distributed around the region. Legitimate trade with Zhentil Keep is dangerous and rare, but the black market is alive and well, despite the city's attempts to crack down on "traitors" that would do business with their enemies in the west.
The geography of the Northern Moonsea area can be described in three words: drab, marshy, and cold. Vast swaths of the region have little to no vegetation, and the landscape is rarely broken by trees, hills or rivers. Building roads through the land is expensive, time-consuming, and ultimately futile because the stones sink farther into the marsh year after year. Structures outside the major cities encounter much the same problem, and few people have found compelling reason to build fortifications to defend such unwelcoming terrain.
With little vegetation, frequent incursions by monsters, and a cold climate, farming is relatively unknown along the Northern Moonsea. In the western section, along the River Stojanow, a fertile belt allows for the sowing of some grains and a few hardy vegetables. Without the protection of a major city, however, no large-scale food production takes place. Few small communities pop up in the north for similar reasons, so most of the region's population is concentrated in its cities.
The Great Gray Waste of Thar occupies a large section of the north. It is a bleak and desolate region of marshlands and cold plains, with the occasional mountain or rock formation to break up the landscape. Tribes of orcs and ogres rule, making their homes wherever they can carve out a niche. Scavengers and predators roam the land, from the ubiquitous monstrous vermin to green dragons to the animated skeletons of the unfortunate dead.
The Northern Moonsea is a harsh place whose independent cities are not well connected by roads; most of the region's famed trade takes place by boat. None of the area's rulers want to spend time and money making it easier for armies to march upon them, so roads remain a low priority. The Phlan Path is perhaps the region's most proper road, but even it resembles nothing more than a rutted dirt trail in places.
Ships from Melvaunt constantly shuttle goods to Mulmaster and Hillsfar, where these items can be more efficiently distributed around the region. Legitimate trade with Zhentil Keep is dangerous and rare, but the black market is alive and well, despite the city's attempts to crack down on "traitors" that would do business with their enemies in the west.
The geography of the Northern Moonsea area can be described in three words: drab, marshy, and cold. Vast swaths of the region have little to no vegetation, and the landscape is rarely broken by trees, hills or rivers. Building roads through the land is expensive, time-consuming, and ultimately futile because the stones sink farther into the marsh year after year. Structures outside the major cities encounter much the same problem, and few people have found compelling reason to build fortifications to defend such unwelcoming terrain.
With little vegetation, frequent incursions by monsters, and a cold climate, farming is relatively unknown along the Northern Moonsea. In the western section, along the River Stojanow, a fertile belt allows for the sowing of some grains and a few hardy vegetables. Without the protection of a major city, however, no large-scale food production takes place. Few small communities pop up in the north for similar reasons, so most of the region's population is concentrated in its cities.
The Great Gray Waste of Thar occupies a large section of the north. It is a bleak and desolate region of marshlands and cold plains, with the occasional mountain or rock formation to break up the landscape. Tribes of orcs and ogres rule, making their homes wherever they can carve out a niche. Scavengers and predators roam the land, from the ubiquitous monstrous vermin to green dragons to the animated skeletons of the unfortunate dead.