Friday, November 14, 2008

Re: Error in the Star Cairns module??

Subject: Re: [GREYTALK] Error in the Star Cairns module??
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 17:07:33 EST
From: Erik Mona
Reply-To: The GREYtalk Discussion List

In a message dated 3/30/99 1:10:00 PM Central Standard Time, skreyn@WIZARDS.COM writes:

<< Erik Mona has a differing opinion on what the actual location is, and given his explanation, I'm inclined to believe him. Erik?
>>

The Pits of Azak-Zil, as described on pages 91-92 of the Greyhawk Adventures hardback, seems to be located not northwest of Ul-Bakak (as in the Player's Guide and Rary maps), or southwest of Felnarix (as in the Star Cairns map), but much further southeast, where the Abbor-Alz hills abut the Nesser, just west of the Gnatmarsh.

Several hints in the text reveal the new, correct, location. "Longsight's calculations showed a landing along the eastern wing of the Abbor-Alz, between the Bright Desert and the Nesser River." Note that this is a pretty precise location, since it pins it down to a handful of hexes on the Darlene map. Later, we learn that "[Parties sent from] Nyrond and Urnst were unexpectedly impeded by the inhabitants of Celadon Forest," an occurrence that makes no sense with either of the incorrect locales.

Pont Sandmorg of Narwell is the last person to have seen the pits. He placed their location "about a hundred or more miles inland," on a mesa facing the desert. My best guess would be to put the Pits in the hex just right of the "T" in the word "Desert" in the Bright Desert, probably near the top. Zarak, then, would abut the water just southwest of there, perhaps taking advantage of the lowlands (shaded a sort of pink on the map).

--Erik Mona
Philosopher Prince of St. Anthony, MN

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