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Battle of Bones

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Located just to the southwest of the Great Desert Anauroch, the area of the Battle of Bones lies 50 miles north of the western exit of the Yellow Snake Pass (in the Sunset Mountains, crossing to Skull Gorge). The nearest village, Hill’s Edge, lies almost 100 miles away. Travellers to the area must leave well travelled roads behind, should they venture beyond.

Looking west, Soubar is the closest regular habitation. Folk coming from that area would do best to take the road southeast from Soubar to Triel, then head along the road as it curves east to Hill’s Edge. Thus, travellers can avoid a ten-day trek across desolate and dangerous plains south of the Hill of Lost Souls.

The Marsh of Chelimber lies 250 miles northnorthwest, with Evereska tucked in rough terrain approximately 180 miles due north of the battleground. Four hundred deadly miles east across the Great Desert Anauroch are the Desertsmouth Mountains. Travellers are advised to take a better path, skirting the southern edge of Anauroch through the Goblin Marches, then north of the Farsea Marshes.

The land immediately surrounding the Battle of Bones is rocky, with thrusts of granite jutting through basalt and limestone. Freezing by night, heated by day, the exposed granite has shattered into shards of rock and angular, rough boulders. The sharp edges have seldom seen the smoothing influence of precipitation.

In the eastern regions, the rocky ground gives way to sandy soil, with an occasional sandpit or small dune. Here the rocks are not so rough, being subjected to the tempering caresses of the Great Desert’s blowing sands.

The battle site of the Battle of Bones is a high, rocky plain in the heart of a rounded triangle of mountainous spires. Eons past, the ground heaved, breaking along two fissures. The first fissure raised the southern rim wall, a broken land of granite spires extending east and west for almost 50 miles. The second fissure (a crooked offshoot of the first) runs northeast from the western limit of the south rim wall. Thirty miles later, rough hills demark the fissure angling southeast until it once again approaches the southern wall.

The triangular plain between the fissures was forced up in the same time of upheaval. More time passed, and weathering detritus fell from the surrounding spires. The high plain is littered with boulders, rocks, gravel, and sand.

Although the jagged spires around the plain featured many gaps, high passes, and underground passages, the area remained far off the beaten track.

Occasionally a nomadic tribe would pass through from the Great Desert Anauroch. On other occasions, the encircled plain was used for spell practice, as is true for many isolated places. Aspiring wizards could test their powers in seclusion, and avoid embarrassment over their lack of mastery.