Southern Pass

On the eastern eaves of the Stonehearts, the Southern Pass to the Feirgotha Plateau starts as a road that meanders across the Desolation of [Tsar] and the Stoneheart Escarpment before entering the Stoneheart Mountains proper. The first stretch across The Plains and lowlands remains neglected and unused. The dwarves of Clan Craenog and others often refer to this portion of the route as the “Dark Path.” Only the foolhardy and those with an unrequited death wish venture into this foreboding locale. Instead, most travelers link up with the Southern Pass at some location in the mountains or avoid it entirely and take the more treacherous Cobalt Pass to the south. After crossing over the Stoneheart Escarpment, the Southern Pass remains fairly level throughout the remainder of the journey, where it reaches a maximum elevation of 6,000 feet at the foot of the Feirgotha Plateau, literally a stone’s throw away from the dwarven garrison of Burvaadun. Beyond the plateau, the route west continues with the Eamonvale Trade Road, which leads past Miners’ Refuge to Dun Eamon, and eventually Broadwater on the western eaves of the Stonehearts.
The soldiers manning the isolated outpost of Burvaadun rarely venture more than 10 miles from their mountain stronghold onto the Southern Pass, leaving travelers to fend for themselves. Furthermore, the dwarves patrolling the area apply the same brand of frontier justice to humans that they mete out to their hated adversaries the orcs and goblinoids. Beyond the dwarves’ limited reach, anything goes. Renegade dwarves and those unaffiliated with the ruling Clan Craenog ply their trade as highwaymen and bandits while fending off incursions from ogres, hill giants, trolls, and the occasional manticore. A creature known only the “Winged Death” is the most-feared denizen of the Southern Pass. No firsthand accounts exist about any encounters with this supposedly otherworldly being, though rumors and myths claim an impenetrable shroud of darkness surrounds the entity. The stories also trace the creature’s genesis to the Battle of Tsar.

Type

Mountain Pass