Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Archus_Forix Jun 11, 2008 17:56:15	I'm designing a map for my homebrew setting, Nestha, and I want it to be as geologically relevent as possible, where the mountains occur where the plates meet etc. I was wondering if it is possible to have the setup below: Traethar Map Extract Where R'undarma is, to the right of it (thereby going off screen to a new section), is it possible to have a marsh/forest type setup? In the 4E DMG, page 206, there is a map of Nentir Vale. In the North-North East section of the map, there is Lake Nen, and north of that is a forest - Winterbole Forest. Here I can come to a conclusion: Let us assume that Nentir Vale is my creation. Can I add mountains to the south of Lake Nen? Or, assuming that I have created Traethar, can I add a forest East of my lake? Basically we would get the same setup, albeit one is rotated 90 degrees wrt to the other. Is it possible?
#2 idabrius Jun 11, 2008 18:40:46	Forest/Marsh requires quite a bit of rainfall. If you assume that the area you're speaking of is either A) in direct line of the local tradewinds that come in off of a major body of water or B) lowland, than it could work from what little I know. Situation A. Tradewinds carry air from off of the water. This has to be a substantial body (recall that land near a substantial body of water generally has milder temperature swings, as water is a good insulator) and the tradewinds have to go in the direction of the mountains. Lots of moisture would then be trapped against the range, becoming rain and giving you your forest/marsh. This means, however, that less moisture is available for the area on the other side of the mountains, rendering it more arid in the absence of other conditions. Situation B. Simply, runoff from your lake moves downhill towards the depression or vale-area, thus giving you the necessary water-table saturation to have a marsh or forest. Something has to prevent your whole lake from draining and migrating to that region in this case, though there is no implication for vast other regions in this scenario (like the lack of rainfall on the far side of the mountains). Hope that helps!
#3 elderdrake Jun 11, 2008 21:50:32	I think you are getting too caught up in the "realism" bit. If you want to put a forest or marsh someplace, then just do it. It's really no big deal. You can explain such a thing by any number of ways. Take a look at Colorado. There are TONS of mountains and forests there as well as numerous small lakes and reservoirs. The state also has tons of rivers and you can easily explain that some of the rivers have a slow drainage and tend to form minor marshes along their banks.