Yeoman Geography
The Yeomanry League is a relatively isolated independent state located in the far southwest of the known Flaeness. It is a righ, fertile land surrounded on all sides by formidable natural defenses. To the west lie the mighty Crystalmists - the highest on the Flaeness - which is teeming with giants, ogres and the like. To the north is another mountain range, the Jotens, which is the home to numerous hill and cloud giants. To the east are the Little Hills, in which dwell considerable numbers of demihumans, mainly halflings and dwarves, and the Javan River - the longest river on the continent. Finally, the Yeomanry's southern border is blocked by the Hool Marshes, which are home to many monsters, including lizardmen, renegade humans and rumors of magical yuan-ti.
Burn River: The Burn River is a fairly long waterway that begins deep in the Hellfurnaces and flows easward into the Javan River near the city of Farvale. It is swift-running in many places, but is wide enough and stable enough to accommodate small and medium-sized vessels. The river is choked with silt running off from the mountains.
Crystalmists: The highest peaks in the Flanaess can be found in the Crystalmist Mountains, a massive midground of the cahin that includes the Barrier Peaks to the north and the Hellfurnaces to the south. Amid the high summits and weird valleys of the Crystalmists dwell various monsters, tribes of humanoids and no few giants and ogres. Precious metals and gems can be found here as well, but only for prospectors at least as good with sword and shield as with pick and spade. Several holds of mountain dwarves fit that description, and make a rich living trading with the superstitious fold of the Dry Steppes, to the west with Sterich and the Yeomanry to the east. The source of the Davish River is a gargantuan glacier in the geographical armpit where the Crystalmists intersect with the Jotens.
The Escarpment: The Escarpment is a natural fault in the otherwise flat land of the Yeoman interior that manifests itself as a sheer cliff ranging from 80 to 150 feet high. It runs for several leagues in a fairly north-south direction. At the bottom of the cliff lay several patches of thick marsh and swampland. Until recently, the Escarpment was impassible to caravans travelling between Loftwick and Longspear, and merchants had to add two to three days extra travel to their journey to go around it. However, in 583 CY, a long, sturdy ramp (named Farrier's Ramp, after its designer) was built to allow merchants to save time. In order to fund the project, the Council of Grosspokesmen agreed to levy a small toll to those utilizing the ramp, but the days saved are well worth the price for most merchants. The government is in the process of designing and building a keep at the top of the Escarpment adjacent to Farrier's Ramp to protect travelers as they cross and to keep vandals away.
Despite the recent construction, the region surrounding the Escarpment is relatively unpopulated, and various monsters and bandits loom about in hopes of an easy meal or ambush. Furthermore, the face of the Escarpment is dotted with countless caves. Most of them are so small that only birds can lair therein, but others are much larger and potentially could house something much more dangerous. Some of the caves are rumored to spread for miles under the fertile Yeoman plain, and the Landstraad almost certainly has created new ones to be explored.
Hool Marshes: After the initial rush of the Hool River from the high lake and freshets in the Hellfurnaces, it begins to meander across the plains, and most of its length is surrounded by quaking mires and bottomless pools. This forms a natural boundary between the lands of the Yeomanry and the holdings of the Sea Princes to the south. These marshes are also the home to renegade humans, humanoids and many types of monsters.
Javan River: This river is the longest on the continent, beginning high in the Barrier Peaks and coursing southward for hundreds of miles before turning east and emptying into the Azure Sea above Monmurg in the Hold of the Sea Princes. It is useable by large vessels only to the town of Cryllor in the Good Hills of Keoland.
Jotens: The Jotens is the largest spur of the Crystalmist mountain chain. The Jotens are known as the legendary hope of numerous tribes of antagonistic hill giants, and scattered bands of cloud and stone giants are known to dwell within the Jotens as well. The southern end of the Jotens is well-defended by sturdy Yeomanry spearmen and dwarven irregulars. Fighting between the giants and the people of Sterich continues to the north.
Little Hills: The Little Hills form the eastern Border of the Yeomanry, where the Jotens turn south to follow the course of the mighty Javan River. The hills are 'little' only in comparison to the mighty mountains that loom nearby. Considerable numbers of demi-humans dwell in the Little Hills, along with communities of men. The hillsmen and dwarves who populate the Little Hills are known for their ferocity in battle and have been employed in Keoland as mercenaries for centuries. The city of Longspear, in the foothills of the Littles, is an active trade center and guards the northeasternmost point of the Little Hills.
Long Pond: Long Pond is an oval-shaped lake attached to the Burn River. Despite the dirty appearance of the river. Long Pond is unbelievably clear. Locals claim that the lake has magical healing powers which are also responsible for its transparency. A family of nerieds are rumored to be living beneath its surface.
Sule River: A tributary of the Burn River, the Sule meets with it at the western edge of Long Pond. It is a wide, shallow river which is rarely more than 20 or 25 feet deep. Local fisherman harvest fish from the river using rafts and shallow barges, as the river is not navigable to larger vessels.
Tors: The Tors are a mesa-like series of hills located at the terminus of a spur of the Crystalmist range. They mark the southernmost lands of the Yeomanry, and the western Tors are home to the independent walled city of Melkot. Where the Tors meet the Hool Marshes, they become quite dangerous, being full of monsters and humanoid tribes that frequently raid the Yeomanry. As such, these wild hills are a constant source of trouble for the Yeoman.
Wick River: The smallest of the Yeomanry's major rivers, the Wick begins in the western Jotens and winds southwards through Loftwick and into the Burn River. It is a narrow, swift-flowing river suitable for only small merchant vessels.