Stonelands

The Stonelands was a rocky and hilly region of moorlands north and south of the Storm Horns mountain range, to the north of Cormyr.

Geography
The Stonelands consisted of dry, rocky moorlands split by valleys and hills, but it had a harsh beauty. It was marked by knife-edged ridges, deep ravines, caverns and overhangs. The term was broadly and confusingly applied to two semi-distinct areas: the uninhabited lands of Cormyr south of the Storm Horns, encompassing the wilderness north of Eveningstar and Arabel that ran into the foothills of the Storm Horns, and the harsher hills and wastelands north of the Storm Horns that bordered on the Anauroch desert.

The southern Stonelands formed a rough plateau of broken, treacherous ground north of the High Road starting with the Stonecliff's limestone escarpment, transitioning to the granite foothills of the Storm Horns.

The northern Stonelands were what people generally referred to when they meant the Stonelands, as they were far more wild and inhospitable than the south. The eastern bounds were roughly delineated by the Moonsea Ride, though the wilderness was not really distinguished from the rolling plains of the upper Immerflow and Tilver's Gap, or the foothills of the Thunder Peaks. The northern edge of the Stonelands blended with the lower-lying Desertsedge of the Anauroch, which also consisted largely of dry rocky hills. The dried-up river valley of Raudilauth divided the Stonelands from Alauthwaerd the Watcher, the southernmost peak of the Desertsmouth Mountains, and provided a passable trail into the Anauroch. The western edge merged with the Goblin Marches and the High Moors, further regions of bogs, hills, and broken ground.

Geographical Features

 * The Eastern Storm Horns were great mountains that rose out the center of the Stonelands, and provided a natural barrier against threats from the north. They roughly divided the Stonelands into northern and southern halves.
 * Startop Crag was a peak in the northern Stonelands just south of the High Meadows.
 * Gnoll Pass was the main northern passage of Cormyr that cut between the Eastern Storm Horns and the Gnoll Peaks.
 * The Helmlands were a dangerous and unstable region of tar pits, wild magic and dead magic zones, named after the god Helm.
 * The valley of Raudilauth divided the Stonelands from the Desertsmouth Mountains to the north, and provided an accessible route into the Desertsedge of the Sword.
 * The Starwater River descended from the Storm Horns across the southern Stonelands, cutting through Eveningstar Gorge and the Stonecliff.
 * The Stonecliff were the steep limestone crags of the Stonelands' southernmost edge, broken by Eveningstar Gorge near Eveningstar.

Flora & Fauna
A few varieties of dinosaur lived deep within the Stonelands, though all were small ostrich-sized species. These included deinonychus, fleshrakers, swindlespitters, and velociraptors. All of these species hibernated in deep rifts near earth nodes and volcanic flows. They were never known to race along the heights of the Stonelands or ventured far from the region, as they feared being eaten by dragons, dark horrors, or Zhent foulwings.

Government
Although Cormyr claimed the Stonelands as part of its territory, it could not control it beyond where its soldiers marched. The northern extents were an especially inhospitable place for "civilized" humanoids and was home to orcs, goblinoids, and other creatures. Cormyr's monarchs long offered generous rewards for those who could establish and maintain settlements in the region.

The Zhentarim kept a level of influence in the region, hiring or bribing the local tribes and groups to avoid attacks, and directing them against Cormyrean settlements and routes.

History
Many legends told that the Stonelands were created circa when Asram and Anauria attacked a magical realm that existed above the clouds of the region, called the Cloudlands, in order to escape the encroachment of the ever-expanding Anauroch desert on their kingdoms. The castles built above the clouds crashed down to the earth from the sky, creating the Stonelands.

The bandit lord Jhassilm Onespear held a citadel in the Stonelands, before it was stormed by the mercenary Brandon some time before 1356 DR.

In the, Princess Alusair was operating in the Stonelands again, commanding a troop of twenty-four young noble knights pursuing a bold orc band that had raided a caravan east of Eveningstar. In six days of pursuit, they'd killed a hydra, a fire lizard, and three chimeras. North of Startop Peak, the knights impetuously pursued the orcs into an ambush, and a few were killed. Alusair rallied her forces to defeat the orcs, before deducing they served a dark naga and the Zhentarim, who had been charming and transporting monsters into the area. They defeated the naga and destroyed the gate before it could disgorge another monster. Alusair and the knights resolved to seek out and destroy the other gates.

Notable Locations

 * Fortifications
 * Castle Crag, a great fortress of the Purple Dragons that guarded the Gnoll Pass.
 * Castle Kilgrave, a fortress that briefly served as home for the avatar of Bane.
 * Castle Nacacia, a fort in the foothills of the Desertsmouth Mountains.
 * Wyvernwatch Castle, a fortified tower that was controlled by Lord Vorik Aris.


 * Landmarks
 * Cavern of Death, a cave network inhabited by the lich Asbaron.
 * Caverns of the Claws, a notorious cave troll-hold in the Stonecliff.
 * Ironguard, an old, shallow tomb.
 * The Laughing Head, a mysterious stone marker.
 * Warrior's Crypt, a nigh-mythical place that drew countless treasure-hunters to the region, but secretly used as a Zhentarim base.
 * Whisper's Crypt, a small underground Zhentarim base connected to the Haunted Halls.


 * Roads
 * The Moonsea Ride, a major road that skirted around the edge of the Stonelands as it passed from Arabel to the Dalelands and Moonsea, heading through Tilver's Gap to the east.
 * The North Ride, a major road that climbed down from the Shadow Gap and intersected with the Moonsea Ride at Tilverton.
 * The Stonebolt Trail, a trail that split from the Moonsea Ride in Gnoll Pass and ran parallel with it across the Stonelands, converging with the North Ride at Shadow Gap.


 * Settlements
 * Big Bone Deep, the fortress home of the fearsome Spleen Eaters tribe of orcs.
 * Griffon Hill, a tiny village along the Stonebolt Trail.
 * Halfhap, a fortified town that acted as a base for the Purple Dragons.
 * Redspring, a village south of the Storm Horns.
 * Teerac-on-Water, a goblin village on a lake bordering the Goblin Marches.
 * Tilverton, a major city that was annexed by Cormyr.


 * Ruins & Dungeons
 * Avaeraether, the Cloudlands, were said to have floated above the Stonelands, and the ruins of its stone structures became the rough and broken terrain.
 * Barrenstone, the home of the lich Adzerak.
 * Darkenshield, a village along the Stonebolt Trail destroyed by Gondegal's forces.
 * Forgotten Keep, an ancient ruined Netherese watchtower.
 * Rivior's Keep and the Haunted Halls, ruined fortifications of the warlord Rivior.
 * Slingdyke and the Slingdyke Arms, a former Purple Dragons hillfort and ruined inn.
 * The Tower of Ruin, a cursed heap of rubble.

Inhabitants
Folk of northern Cormyr feared the Stonelands as a place that all kinds of monsters poured out of to harry them, from wolves to orcs to trolls, and even evil wizards and dragons. Other dangerous creatures that were known to inhabit the Stonelands included chimeras, fire lizards, goblins, hill giants, hobgoblins, hydras, ogres, and wemics.

Famous and notable individuals who inhabited the Stonelands included:
 * Emperel Ruousk, an adventurer from Mistledale who guarded the tomb of the Lords Who Sleep.
 * Jhassilm Onespear, a bandit who had a citadel in the Stonelands.
 * Maris Khorma Terrabin, a wizard and explorer who specialized in the Stonelands.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * ''Four from Cormyr
 * Novels:
 * Azure Bonds • Cormyr: A Novel • The Ring of Winter