Darkmoon Plain comprises all of the Lowlands of Darkmoon Vale and stretches from the short rise of Elberwick Rise to the foothills of the Five Kings Mountains and the Highlands. Most of the plain bears the scars of the area’s extensive logging: wide swaths of tree-stump stubble wind among geological hot spots.
Aspodell Crossroads: This is the intersection of the Aspodell Pass road at the eastern foothills of the mountains and the north/south trade road skirting the mountains that intersects it. A small garrison of Andoran regular soldiers posted at the crossroads keeps watch for Chelish incursions. The garrison barracks doubles as a fortified inn where caravans and travelers sometimes stay if they are not heading for Perin’s Bluff.
Standing only a few miles east of Piren’s Bluff, the crossroads once marked not only the intersection of two roads but also of three baronies. All of the lands east of the Crossroads belonged to Baron Novotnian of Darkmoon. Those to the northwest stood within the Barony of Perin, controlled by the Vendikon family. To the southwest, the noble House Fordyce to this day controls the Barony of Pamiatazova in neighboring Cheliax, which is much reduced in size since the independence of Andoran. When Andoran still belonged to Cheliax, all three barons and their baronies existed within the countship of Count Elberwick, which became the Shire of Elberwick during the revolution in Andoran (see the Elberwick Rise section for more information on Count Elberwick).
Geothermal Activity: Various forms of surface-level geothermal activities exist all throughout the plain, particularly in the areas south of River Foam and between Arthfell Forest and the Aspodell Mountains. Human explorers new to the area faced—in addition to the usual dangers from monsters, wild animals, and savage humanoids—the hidden hazards presented by subsurface mudpots and hot springs. Many early expeditions lost men or pack animals when an unsuspecting victim stepped on a particularly thin bit of ground and fell into the superheated mud or water underneath. Modern guides know of these dangers and lead their patrons around such obstacles, often following game trails. Unfortunately, even the most experienced guides sometimes lead their employers astray, as the geologic activity beneath much of the Darkmoon Plain remains relatively active and constantly shifts.
Most of the geologic features of the plain remain in plain sight, however, and announce themselves regularly or continuously. Many of these exposed geysers and mudpots attract the attention of people and creatures drawn to natural displays of beauty and heat (dwarves and gnomes in particular seem to appreciate the beauty of displays created from within the earth itself ). Three major areas of activity take their names from their most prominent above-ground features.
Dragonspring: The wide Dragonspring boils and steams at a skin-blistering temperature. Deposits of iron, cobalt, and copper somewhere below the hot spring bubble up with the water and form colorful bands of reds, blues, and greens at the bottom of the shallow pool. Thanks to the crystal-clear waters, these bright hues can be easily seen, even from a distance.
Once or twice a year, for at least the last 8 years, a young red dragon flies in from the west and splashes around in the water for a few hours before taking off and disappearing into the southeast. Although he has been approached several times, no one has had any luck communicating with him, and his name and purpose remain mysteries.
Painter’s Pot: Brightly colored superheated mud boils and pops in this most popular of Darkmoon Vale’s mudpots. Sculptors and painters alike travel to Painter’s Pot to collect the pigments and clay that constantly ooze up from below. Wise sculptors and painters bring guides and guards (usually members of the Greenfire Circle or Fangwatch), for the path to Painter’s Pot travels near the territory claimed by a surly group of magmin.
Shelyn’s Bow: This irregular geyser blasts boiling water and superheated steam nearly 800 feet into the air, regularly cooking everything within 80 feet of the stream. The ejected water carries all manner of minerals, giving the geyser a colorful spray that augments the normal rainbows forming as a result of the steam and mist. Shelyn’s Bow can be seen up to a mile away and serves as an unreliable landmark. It shoots water roughly four times per week, and since its discovery the height of its spray has only increased.
Ruins: Before Falcon’s Hollow formed, two other logging towns rose and fell north of Olfden. First rose Falconridge in 4389, founded by the son of a Lumber Consortium director. Once Falconridge exhausted its nearby darkwood supply it turned to the other hardwoods growing in Arthfell Forest and then to the pine and alder softwoods. As Falconridge’s profitability declined following the fall of the last darkwood tree, the logging community of Northsap formed in 4452. Northsap stood close to a much larger section of darkwood and thrived for a little more than a century. As Northsap’s darkwood glade played out, lumberjacks broke away from it to form Falcon’s Hollow in 4573. As each town ran down and was supplanted by the next, its occupants abandoned the location with little concern paid to its structures. The ruins of these two nearly forgotten logging towns still (mostly) stand, and they occasionally house bizarre or fell creatures.
Ruins of Falconridge: Founded on a low rise overlooking bubbling mudpots on one side and a vast glade of darkwood on the other, Falconridge was the first logging community north of Olfden. The loggers of Falconridge tore into their darkwood glade with glee, depleting their supply in less than half a century. For another decade, the town limped along on the much-lower profits brought in by its hardwoods and softwoods, but the founding of Northsap stole away many of Falconridge’s best loggers. The last holdouts in town left in 4467, abandoning it to nature. Nature, in turn, has attacked Falconridge with a vengeance. Today, little more exists of Falconridge than a small graveyard’s tombstones, foundation stones of several large buildings, and a low stone wall ringing the base of the rise. Reports occasionally come to the Diamond Regiment of ghostly apparitions near Falconridge’s ruins, but to date the Eagle Knights have seen no purpose in investigating a possible haunting so far removed from civilization.
Ruins of Northsap: Standing at the base of a particularly tall lava plug tower, Northsap remains largely intact. Much of the town was built from stone quarried from the lava plug, and most of the buildings still stand (although nearly all of them lack their roofs). Today, Northsap’s ruins occasionally house a variety of opportunistic creatures, from cowardly kobolds to hungry ghouls. Despite the distance of Northsap from either Falcon’s Hollow or Olfden, the Diamond Regiment occasionally sends a force to the ruins in order to chase out or destroy the squatters. Rarely, this force consists of actual Eagle Knights. More often, Commander Odeber sends mercenaries or adventurers.