[AU] Poor geographic feature or ?

[Zerakon]

I think Zerakon picked up all his toys and went home.

More like I went to work. Good grief, can you be any more rude, Zogg? I suppose you could have added more rolly-eyes like you did on your previous post. This is the second time that I've posted a question on these boards and encountered rude, brief, condescending answers, and it sure is disappointing; I guess I expected more from a "fun" board about gaming. (The last one FYI was this thread.) I'm glad my group of local gamers doesn't include a Zogg or a Mourn in it.

Unless Monte reponds, this just won't make sense until you have had a chance to read the book.

Agreed.

I admit it looks a bit strange. Perhaps Monte has left it up to the DM to decide.

That would be ok; I'm not trying to invalidate the whole world or system because of one poorly-formed geographical formation. But I would be surprised and somewhat disappointed if there is no reason presented. A magical fantasy world is a perfect playground for playing around with funky geographical features. I'd be psyched if he presents some sort of cool, fun explanation for this geographical oddity.

Is there really no geological explanation for this feature?

I'm not a geologist, so if I tried to get too technical, I'm sure I'd make a mistake and Zogg and others would jump all over me, but AFAIC it looks really hard to believe. It seems super-unlikely that moving plates that presumably formed those mountains would have left the area in between them untouched so that that river is flowing downhill from the left of the mountain belt to the right side. Rivers just don't "cross" mountain belts like that.

Anyway, I look forward to hearing if there is some magical or divine explanation when the book comes out.

-- Zerakon the Game Mage

edit: i'm bad at quoting multiple messages

 

[d4]

I personally don't need perfect geography for my fantasy worlds...

me neither, but there's a difference between at least saying "It's magic!" and not saying anything at all. the latter just looks like bad world design...

As has been mentioned, glacier activity can produce similar geography. For instance, the relief maps below show New York state.

note however, that in New York state, the only reason why there's a waterway way the flows completely from one side of the mountains to the other is because it's a canal. with locks and other manmade apparati to allow it to flow uphill on one side of the mountains and down the other.

if the river in Monte's world is eventually described as magical or being man-made, then that's cool. i just hope he does give a reason for it.

 

[jaerdaph]

It's still a valley.

A hidden valley.

And if there's a ranch, I bet there's dressing.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

That would be ok; I'm not trying to invalidate the whole world or system because of one poorly-formed geographical formation. But I would be surprised and somewhat disappointed if there is no reason presented. A magical fantasy world is a perfect playground for playing around with funky geographical features. I'd be psyched if he presents some sort of cool, fun explanation for this geographical oddity.

If I remember correctly, Monte said the book would give some adventure hooks from which he promised they wouldn`t be used by him or other companies as a story theme, but maybe I am confusing something.
Anyway, if that is the case, and you do not find any explaination for it in the book, see it as one of your adventure hooks to exploit (or explore)

Mustrum Ridcully

 

[woodelf]

I was just looking at the Diamond Throne preview at www.montecook.com and looking at the map of the Diamond Throne, it strikes me as really strange that there is a river leading down from the Bitter Peaks that runs southeast and then effectively straight through another mountain range, the Elder Mountains. Maybe I am just being overly picky; I like realistic maps that have sensical geographic features, but doesn't this seem really silly? That the Elder Peaks would just stop and then pick up again further south for a river to conveniently run straight through their middle? Is there perhaps a magical reason for this sudden gap in the mountain range (I hope)?

-- Zerakon the Game Mage

Took a look at the map, and i don't see any need for magic to explain it. There are at least three histories that come immediately to mind that could end up looking like that. First, glaciation: take a big glacier, and a glacial lake. The ice damn bursts, and, over the course of just a few decades, a river of that size could be eroded right through a mountain range, assuming glaciers to direct the outflow in that direction in the first place.

Second, the Elder Mts look lower than the Bitter Peaks, which would imply they are older and more eroded, so that could be a steady downhill for the river, no problem. And it could be precisely because there was a gap in the range (for whatever reason--mountains aren't upthrust perfectly evenly, of course) that the river ended up there. Look at a NA map, and note the gap in the Sierre Nevadas that is the Mojave Desert, or the way the Rockies basically peter out around the Mexico-USA border, only for the Sierra Madres to resume shortly further south.

Third, the Elder Mts look more jagged than the Bitter Peaks, which would imply they are younger. If a river is already there when the land upthrusts, it will often cut a channel through the newly-forming mountains. IIRC, that's what happened in the case of the Colorado and the Grand Canyon--the land went up, and the river stayed put.

As bizarre geography goes, this one is pretty much a non-issue, IMHO.

 

[couldbeanydm]

d4 wrote:

note however, that in New York state, the only reason why there's a waterway way the flows completely from one side of the mountains to the other is because it's a canal.

Most of the canal work was done west of the Adirondack mountains. The Mohawk was originally navigable all the way to Little Falls, near Utica. That section bypassed most of the Adirondack mountains. If there was a second set of mountains west we might just have had a river the way Monte has it. I think it at least shows it as reasonable.

Now if he puts out contour maps and the water is shows as flowing up hill with no explanation, well that's different.

 

[jaerdaph]

Never mind...

I honestly wish everyone here no ill will.

Peace.

 

[Metalsmith]

More like I went to work. Good grief, can you be any more rude, Zogg? I suppose you could have added more rolly-eyes like you did on your previous post. This is the second time that I've posted a question on these boards and encountered rude, brief, condescending answers, and it sure is disappointing; I guess I expected more from a "fun" board about gaming. (The last one FYI was this thread.) I'm glad my group of local gamers doesn't include a Zogg or a Mourn in it.

Yes he could have been more rude. He could have complained about how mean and condescending some people are, given example threads and gone on to say he would never share his toys with them if they were in their Gaming Group.

Grow a skin.

Please.

 

[Argus Decimus Mokira]

Re: Re: [AU] Poor geographic feature or ?

Took a look at the map, and i don't see any need for magic to explain it. There are at least three histories that come immediately to mind that could end up looking like that. First, glaciation: take a big glacier, and a glacial lake. The ice damn bursts, and, over the course of just a few decades, a river of that size could be eroded right through a mountain range, assuming glaciers to direct the outflow in that direction in the first place.

Second, the Elder Mts look lower than the Bitter Peaks, which would imply they are older and more eroded, so that could be a steady downhill for the river, no problem. And it could be precisely because there was a gap in the range (for whatever reason--mountains aren't upthrust perfectly evenly, of course) that the river ended up there. Look at a NA map, and note the gap in the Sierre Nevadas that is the Mojave Desert, or the way the Rockies basically peter out around the Mexico-USA border, only for the Sierra Madres to resume shortly further south.

Third, the Elder Mts look more jagged than the Bitter Peaks, which would imply they are younger. If a river is already there when the land upthrusts, it will often cut a channel through the newly-forming mountains. IIRC, that's what happened in the case of the Colorado and the Grand Canyon--the land went up, and the river stayed put.

As bizarre geography goes, this one is pretty much a non-issue, IMHO.

As the Iconic Geologist (no one has claimed that yet, right?), I totally agree with these three scenarios.

Thanks
-Matt