Battle of Bones

The Battle of Bones is the name given to an old battlefield in the Western Heartlands. It is now home to a scattered vampire army.

Geography
Located just to the southwest of the Great Desert Anauroch, the area of the Battle of Bones lies fifty 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 a hundred miles away. Travelers to the area must leave well-traveled 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, travelers 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 north-northwest, 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. Travelers 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 fifty 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.

History
The Battle is named after itself due to a huge battle between humans and orcs that took place there. Since then only the undead walked in the Battle with no master of their own. the Nightwalkers were by far the dominant race, ruling over skeletons and zombies. This all changed when the Vampire King Mordoc SeLanmere came to the Battle. Mordoc then took full control of the Battle and built the Keep of Pale Night in it. The Nightwalkers, Zombies and Skeleton Warriors were then inaugurated into his Vampire Army under the rule of his servant, Xanhast. Upon Mordoc's destruction in Baldur's Gate, the Vampire Army scattered throughout the Battle.

Inhabitants
After the Battle of Bones, the ravaged area was renamed after the war that took place in its terrain, only the undead lived in the Battle, with the occasion traveler passing through. Traveler's likely end up dead and become the undead in the Battle.

Skeletons and Zombies
Skeletons Warriors and Zombies of both Orc kind and Mankind inhabit the Battle. Occasionally, creatures killed in the Battle will become either Zombies or skeletons depending on their death. They served under the Vampire Army and were its lowest ranking soldiers.

Nightwalkers
Originally the dominant species of the Battle, the nightwalkers ruled over the Battle but are now scattered throughout it after the fall of the Vampire Army. They likely rule over the skeletons and the zombies after the fall of the Vampire Army but it is likely that small vampire factions looking for power of the Battle control them as Xanhast once did.

Vampires
The dominant race of the Battle. Vampires once ruled the whole of the Battle and had nightwalkers, skeletons and zombies unified under a single Vampiric Army. Upon the death of Mordoc SeLanmere, this army was scattered and it is likely the remaining vampires formed into factions and are looking for control of the Battle competing against each other with their own small armies with nightwalkers, skeleton warriors, and zombies.