Adventure Squadron 8 : Geography of Raurin

-----Original Message-----
From: Geisler, Ben 
Sent: Thursday, January 02, 2003 2:40 PM
To: 'phil'
Cc: 'squadron8@coollist.com'
Subject: Some random desert of desolation notes


Phil was asking me about the location of "desert of desolation" and what 
the year was in Dale Reckoning.  If anyone is feeling like wasting their 
time like we are with this fun nonesense, here is my reply. ;)  
(I snipped out the "secret" parts that Ohla might not want revealed. ;)
----------------

... Desert of Desolation is also known as "Raurin" or "the dust desert".
It's roughly to the west of Durpar, to the east of Ulgarth and north of 
Var the golden.  (if I remember my geography right.  This is all from 
memory believe it or not since I don't have my atlas with me.  To sum up, 
you're very far from the heartlands.  I think at least a few thousand miles 
if I'm estimating distance right.  As for more well-known FR areas I can 
tell you that you're far south east of the sea of fallen stars, roughly on 
the same longitute as Thay but further south and also further south than 
Sembia.  

As a side note it continues to amuse me that I know more about FR geography 
than I know about earth geography.

Anyway, we're using the new maps of Toril (the one in the 3rd ed hardcover).  
Raurin is roughly in the same place but it's a little bit different on the
 new maps.



And as a bonus, here's what none other than Ed "motha fuckin'" Greenwood 
has to say about it. (ok sorry you would have to have been at NY's eve 
to understand just how funny that is).

Raurin: "Dunes and rocks, great purple skies split by lightning, cherry-red sand under your boots, and purple drifting dust. Ruins here, too, and the bones of dragons and other great beasts so large that a skull can serve as a shelter for a large band and their beasts. Valley farms where there's water, but such places are few. Be warned: I've never been in a land where more living dragons dwell, all hungry and on the hunt!" Ben