Land Features of the Andalorian Peninsula

The Andalors—the “Golden Lands”—are almost entirely wilderness, with the exception of the few cleared areas around the settlements, and good portions of the lower Wellents River. Some stone monuments were built in the age prior to the Mage War but any areas cleared around them have since been overgrown.

Map of the Andalors

Forests and Woodlands

Castwith Forest: A sprawling wilderness carpeting the foothills of the Trowcaths and the Berdraygas and the coastal rolling hills west of Vidar. The Castwith serves as a physical barrier between Vidar and the rest of the Andalors. Roughly triangular in shape, the Castwith is divisible into three main regions by its underlying terrain. The forest is well-watered with streams running down from the mountains and emptying into the sea. The elbow crook where the two mountain ranges meet is marshy as is the western half of the coast. The other half of the coast is lined with cliffs.

The forest is easily accessible from Vidar, whose knights patrol its eastern fringe. From the Falthet Peninsula there is easy coastal access or winding trails crossing the Trowcaths. There are no good natural harbors. The heart of the forest has never been penetrated by civilization, but it is a favorite adventuring region for the Andalorian errant-elite.

The Castwith region is a temperate rainforest, with rainfall occurring year round under moderately cool temperatures. It is a mixed forest dominated by evergreen needleleafs in the highlands and by deciduous broadleafs in the lowlands. The coniferous trees below the Berdraygas, where rainfall is greatest, can grow to monumental proportions.

As the forest nears the Trowcath foothills, tangles predominate and hidden in some of these are caves leading to ancient cawglaw warrens. Within one-half mile of any cave entrance, the cawglaw will have stealthly scouts watching for interlopers. The main group will thus be prepared with freshly laid traps at the cave entrance.

The local spirits of the northeastern Castwith are extremely powerful and have with them as allies many demons from the Mage War and a cult of outlaws and fugitives who worship them.

Monurch Wood: A needleleaf forest covering the highlands to the south of Fodeor. The Monurch is dark and misty and its underlying terrain rocky. The major river of Fodeor passes through it.

Monurch Wood is nestled between the Arundons, Cathown Hills, Raithmoor, and Parthan. It is Fodeor's chief woodland and readily accessible to her people. The climate is moist and continental, making Monurch Wood a temperate needleleaf forest. Tall conifers leave a fair amount of open ground beneath the canopy, which the rocks and gullies nevertheless make difficult to traverse.

The forest is famously inhabited by significant numbers of wild wurches, providing a bountiful hunting ground for cold draygas who fly down from the higher mountains once a year through the month of Fowlendol.

The northern fringe of the Monurch is inhabited by Fodeoran woodsmen who ship lumber down river to Fodeor's towns. The eastern fringe on the border of Raithmoor is avoided by all living creatures. Deep in the wood is said to be the god Owen's secret glade.

Hills and Mountains

Arundons: Black peaks stretching from Belagor and nearly to Garan. They are the home of hardy Craggin hillmen, but the Arundons are known as Andalor's chief source of gold. Mines delve deep into these peaks, and rivers running from the snowiest heights run with gold.

Berdrayga Mountains: A great eastern range inhabited by dragons and by the mystical tribesmen called the Adroïl. The Berdraygas are extremely wild and very hazardous to the traveller. Few, if any, ever dare to tread upon its highest rocky paths.

Cathown Hills: Burial hills between Lancesor and Belagor. The broad vale of Parthan lies beyond the Cathowns. Occupying a central location and relatively easy to traverse, the Cathown Hills became a popular site during the Mage War for burying dead war chieftains, mages, and heroes.

Falthet Heights: A desolate, wind-frought peninsular range, the Falthets are home to a particularly insular and superstitious folk. Although the Falthetians owe nominal allegiance to the king of Lancesor, they have their own traditional government, laws, and customs, which their community leaders uphold.

Trowcath Mountains: Tall peaks between Lancesor and Vidar. The chief peak of this range is Antarg. A race of Beast-Men called Trows once ruled a large kingdom in these crags, and remains of that culture can still be found.

Rivers

Ailoral: Main waterway of Belmerth.

Amberlas: Chief river of Belagor. Its source is in Crag Vale and cascades down rugged slopes past needleleaf forest before entering the valley that forms the heart of Belagor.

Ernathorn: Beginning in the Cathown Hills near Parthan, the Ernathorn flows on an almost straight course, under looming cliffs to the north, to empty into Fodegar Bay at Maratern.

Galents: A tributary of the Wellents. The Galents begins in the hills above Crowlin and joins the Wellents at Scowerene.

Owlodets: The river passing below the cold fortress at Govedon in the realm of Arthennor.

Wellents: The greatest river of the Andalors, the Wellents flows from deep within the Berdraygas through Lancedon and empties into the sea north of the Falthet Peninsula. She is also fed by streams from the Cathown and Trowcath ranges.

The river shares its name with the Wellentian tribe that later invaded Sevalia and founded the Verentian Empire.

Wastelands

Flat, open areas in the forested Andalors are often feared by the local inhabitants. Some are haunted by malicious spirits. Some are the resting places of gods. Andalorians in general prefer the shelter of the woods.

Beltenil: Newrath wielded the Right Blade of the Twin Sunray Swords and struck down the armies of darkness here. The dead from that battle (human and non-) are said to rise up if disturbed. Few men ever venture forth onto Beltenil.

Crag Vale: Home of the Craggin tribesmen. They dwell in caves and tree boles throughout this upland glacial valley and fancy themselves fearless warriors. The Craggin paint their entire bodies with magical symbols that strike fear into most Andalorians. Luckily, these savage men, never civilized, rarely venture from their abode. Overlooking Crag Vale is Draygfire Mountain, wherein dwells the chief spirit worshipped by the Craggin.

Parthan: A treeless, rocky dale beyond the Cathowns, wasted by the final battle of the Mage War. Here, the hero Row wielded the Spitfire Spear against the armies of darkness and won. This was the greatest battle of the Mage War, in which terrible magics were unleashed and creatures of other worlds wrestled with each other. Supposedly some of these creatures remain.

Parthan is a place of legend. In the days of the Cawglaw Dominion, the beast-men used the warrens here as a center of their worship of Gastslaw, who dwelt in nearby Draygafraydon. The god Owen came adventuring here, and upon defeating the most powerful of Cawglaw shamans, discovered the Runes in their secret temple. After that event, Parthan became a center for the study of runic sorcery by the Winarians.

It is said that in the spring, the god Cathindas emerges from the entrance to the underworld, and dwells in a secret place in the Parthan.

Raithmoor: The spirit plain, site of another great battle of the Mage War. Bayloth wielded the Left Blade of the Twin Sunray Swords in that battle, but favored defeating the enemy with his own magic. Now Raithmoor is subject to wild, unpredictable storms of magical energy instigated by a wandering horde of minor, but hostile spirits, who are trapped by a magical barrier that delimits the area.

Parth-Num is a towering earthen mound on the edge of Raithmoor. After the aforementioned battle, the Left Blade was stolen by the Wizard of Parth-Num. The Wizard is still thought to live and if this is true, he is the oldest known wizard who has not achieved deification.