Roesones Geography
Roesone is not a very large country. At about 7,000 square miles, it's slightly smaller than a typical Avonlaean domain. But it would still take a person on foot about a week to walk from the shores of the Tael Sum-Nar to the County of Bellam, or two full days for a rider frequently changing mounts.
climate
Like most of Avonlae, Roesone enjoys a favorable climate. Its location on Tael Sum-nar guarantees mild, rainy winters and cool, foggy summers. Wintertime temperatures rarely drop below 25° or so, and a summer day that reaches 80° is unusual. Precipitation is fairly heavy all year long, although the spring and fall are usually wetter than dead winter or high summer. Heavy snowfalls are unusual. Exceptionally heavy spring rains can often cause major flooding, especially in the low provinces along the rivers. Strong sou'westers frequently lash Abbatuor with heavy surf and driving rain in the wintertime, but the damage is usually limited to a shipwreck or two in the coastal areas.
topography
topography
Roesone lies in four distinct topographical zones or landforms. The province of Abbatuor is part of the Erebannien, a range of heavily-forested hills along the coast of Aerenwae. The hills diminish in the western reaches of the Erebannien, so Abbatuor is basically plain covered in heavy forest.
North of the Erebannien lies the Aerenwean Plain. This is not flat, featureless prairie; the terrain rises and falls gently, and a few scattered hills interspersed with light forest dot the area. Most of this area has been cleared and settled for many hundreds of years, so no old growth forests remain here. Fairfield, Edlin, and the eastern portion of Duerlin are all part of this region.
The western border of Roesone is defined by the river, a dark, slow-moving stream that sluggishly winds its way from unknown springs within the Spiderfell to the sea. The Spider flood plain includes much of Ghoried, Caercas, and the western portion of Duerlin and Abbatuor. This land is very flat when compared to the Aerenwean Plain, and prone to flooding during heavy rains.
Naturally, it is also the richest farmland of Roesone, and some of the most densely settled land of the entire barony. The last region of Roesone is the Gray Hills, an extension of the high lands of central Ghoere and Elinie . These hills mark the northern edge of the Aerenwean Plain. The province of Bellam is part of this range, and the most rugged terrain of the barony can be found here.
Flora and Fauna
Flora and Fauna
Roesone's flora and fauna are fairly typical of the southern Avonlaean lands. Copses of oak, maple, birch, and other hardwoods are common through out the land. Bellam features more coniferous for est of spruce, fir, and hemlock in the higher elevations, while Abbatuor's dense forests are almost entirely deciduous. About half of Roesone is under cultivation; grain, corn, potatoes, and various greens are the mainstays of the crops. A wide variety of normal small animals such as mice, squirrels, rabbits, foxes, deer, birds of all kinds, and other mundane creatures are common, even in cultivated areas. The only natural creatures dangerous to a human are wolves or bears, and these have generally retreated into the Erebannien or the Gray Hills.
Monsters aren't very common in Roesone. Several types of spiders can be found in the Spiderfell (naturally), and a number of Goblins inhabit that dark wood. Wandering bands of gnolls occasionally pass through Roesone, but few stay long—there are few places that can shelter a gnoll band for long in the heart of Avonlae, and the local militia are often more than capable of driving the monsters away.
Other monsters that might be encountered in Roesone include ankhegs, giant bats, giant eagles or ravens, lycanthropes, and poisonous snakes, toads, and insects. Most monsters are found in the marshy banks of the Spider River or the unsettled lands of eastern Roesone, but fantastic creatures such as griffons, owlbears, and perytons have been reported in the Erebannien . Trolls have been encountered in the rocky gorges of Bellam's Edgerwell Hills, as well as in the depths of the Erebannien. No one's seen an ogre or giant in Roesone in more than a hundred years, and no one's seen a dragon in all of Avonlae in more than 500 years.
