Signup
Welcome to... Canonfire! World of GreyhawK
Features
Postcards from the Flanaess
Adventures
in Greyhawk
Cities of
Oerth
Deadly
Denizens
Jason Zavoda Presents
The Gord Novels
Greyhawk Wiki
#greytalk
JOIN THE CHAT
ON DISCORD
    Canonfire :: View topic - The Mountains of Oerth
    Canonfire Forum Index -> World of Greyhawk Discussion
    The Mountains of Oerth
    Author Message
    Adept Greytalker

    Joined: May 14, 2003
    Posts: 349
    From: the Free City of Dyvers (Kansas City, MO)

    Send private message
    Sun Nov 08, 2009 2:01 pm  
    The Mountains of Oerth

    Does anyone know where I can find or does anyone have/has done any work on the elevations of the various mountain ranges of Oerth? Outside of White Plume Mountain, are there any famous or noted mountains?
    _________________
    Greyhawk is dead; long live Greyahwk! It is not heresy; I will not recant!
    Forum Moderator

    Joined: Feb 26, 2004
    Posts: 2590
    From: Ullinois

    Send private message
    Sun Nov 08, 2009 5:11 pm  

    I know this has been discussed on the forums before to no certainty. It is a very intriguing topic to be sure. I guess to accurately do such a thing you can do it one of two ways...1. Research how mountains (and volcanoes) are formed and make educated elevations based on how the Flanaess must have formed. Or 2. do what Gygax and co. did and wing it.

    As for named mountains, that seems like a pretty good exercise to list. Off the top of my head I can only think of the Pomarj ones, Mt. Drakenkopf, Drak Aloos and Mt. Hakentos (iirc Hakentos is the smallest). I suspect Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth may have a few.
    GreySage

    Joined: Oct 06, 2008
    Posts: 2788
    From: South-Central Pennsylvania

    Send private message
    Sun Nov 08, 2009 7:12 pm  

    In the real world, Colorado has over 1000 mountains that are higher than 10,000 feet in elevation.

    So Greyhawk should have some pretty awesome stuff. Cool
    _________________
    Mystic's web page: http://melkot.com/mysticscholar/index.html
    Mystic's blog page: http://mysticscholar.blogspot.com/
    Adept Greytalker

    Joined: May 14, 2003
    Posts: 349
    From: the Free City of Dyvers (Kansas City, MO)

    Send private message
    Sun Nov 08, 2009 7:16 pm  

    mortellan: the Lost Caverns reference jolted my memory - Iggwilv's Horn. There's another named peak.
    _________________
    Greyhawk is dead; long live Greyahwk! It is not heresy; I will not recant!
    Master Greytalker

    Joined: Nov 01, 2007
    Posts: 699
    From: On a Cape on the East Coast

    Send private message
    Sun Nov 08, 2009 7:28 pm  
    Elevations

    Unless I am mistaken, Anna has done some work on this, or similar. She's accustomed to seeing elevations from high altitude, and so she's got a good idea of how they look ... obviously, her maps show the product of this IRL experience. She has decided some of it in relation with the known geography, some of it is based on her own experience and what it should be like.

    If memory serves, some of her maps have marked elevations listed on the for the largest of the mountains.

    Idea You might check out her maps, or contact her (via PM?), or post in her "Atlas of the Flanaess" forum thread. I am certain that she would be more than happy to discuss geography with you, and any canon sources she's familiar with for named mountains. Personally, I'd love to see her get to geek out a little bit on a topic like this. ... you know, because, she's as big a geek as I am. Shocked Happy Happy

    Icarus
    _________________
    Owner and Lead Admin: https://greyhawkonline.com<div>Editor-in-Chief of the Oerth Journal: https://greyhawkonline.com/oerthjournal</div><div>Visit my professional art gallery: https://wkristophnolen.daportfolio.com</div>
    Grandmaster Greytalker

    Joined: Nov 07, 2004
    Posts: 1846
    From: Mt. Smolderac

    Send private message
    Sun Nov 08, 2009 9:49 pm  

    Considering that most of the mountain ranges of the Flanaess are called "lofty" I always assume the majority have peaks averaging between 6,000 and 14,000 ft., with only the Lortmils and Glorioles being what would be called low mountains. The Lortmils are described more like the Appalachians though I assume there are a number of considerable mountains in the range, probably between 5,000 and 6,000 ft. The Glorioles are visible from Kalstrand, which is about 40 miles away from the nearest, so I'm guessing there are some decent sized peaks in that range of between 5,000 and 7,000 ft. Considering how the range made up by the Yatils, Barrier Peaks, Crystalmists, Hellfurnaces so effectively divided the Flanaess from the rest of the Oerik we might consider them to be more Himalayan-sized, having numerous peaks over 23,000 ft., especially in the Crystalmists, which are the highest. The "big" mountains of the Drachensgrabs being volcanic, I like to assume they are of considerable size (9,000 - 11,000). This is all just me guessing though, so take it for what you will.
    Journeyman Greytalker

    Joined: Nov 14, 2008
    Posts: 222
    From: Modena, Italy

    Send private message
    Mon Nov 09, 2009 12:26 am  

    Expeditious Retreat released a very nice manual that discusses geography ad world building according to a realistic point of view:
    http://www.xrpshop.citymax.com/catalog/item/3906392/3605505.htm
    Could be a good read.
    Apprentice Greytalker

    Joined: Mar 01, 2004
    Posts: 15
    From: Lost in the Sea of Dust

    Send private message
    Mon Nov 09, 2009 1:44 am  

    I have used a wing it kind of rule that every hex traveled towards the center of a mountain range is 3000' average increase in height. Giving the largest mountain ranges about 15k' to 18k' in height at the centers. Individual mountains of course are as large as the DM cares to make them.

    This has no basis in reality or any other form of existence with the exception of my mind.
    Forum Moderator

    Joined: Feb 26, 2004
    Posts: 2590
    From: Ullinois

    Send private message
    Mon Nov 09, 2009 2:53 am  

    Actually Kaltronas that is a good rule of thumb in game and I'm positive I've done it that way too. Mountains are pushed up at plates or somesuch so it seems logical they are highest at the middle. It's the same principle as the ocean depth gradient on the Darlene map.
    Adept Greytalker

    Joined: May 14, 2003
    Posts: 349
    From: the Free City of Dyvers (Kansas City, MO)

    Send private message
    Tue Nov 10, 2009 1:58 pm  

    So far, I've been going with real-world analogues: the Crystalmist-Hellfurnace-Sulhaut ranges equate to the Rockies, the Lortmils equal to the Appalacians, the Yatils equate to the Cascades, and the Rakers-Griff ranges equate to the Scandinavian Fjällen. For smaller ranges like the Abor-alz or the Glorioles, I look to the Alps and Pyrenees. Further out to the west is where I place ranges similar to the Urals or Himalayas.
    _________________
    Greyhawk is dead; long live Greyahwk! It is not heresy; I will not recant!
    Display posts from previous:   
       Canonfire Forum Index -> World of Greyhawk Discussion All times are GMT - 8 Hours
    Page 1 of 1

    Jump to:  

    You cannot post new topics in this forum
    You cannot reply to topics in this forum
    You cannot edit your posts in this forum
    You cannot delete your posts in this forum
    You cannot vote in polls in this forum




    Canonfire! is a production of the Thursday Group in assocation with GREYtalk and Canonfire! Enterprises

    Contact the Webmaster.  Long Live Spidasa!


    Greyhawk Gothic Font by Darlene Pekul is used under the Creative Commons License.

    PHP-Nuke Copyright © 2005 by Francisco Burzi. This is free software, and you may redistribute it under the GPL. PHP-Nuke comes with absolutely no warranty, for details, see the license.
    Page Generation: 0.36 Seconds