The Fordden Gorge

Location

The Fodden Gorge is situated in the southern part of the region of Farden. A beautiful and wondrous crack in the mantle of the continent, it is easy to miss if you do not know where to look. As you travel south down the green and pleasant valley of the Aftonwheen, you will come across the town of Dencambra on the right bank of the river.

Dencambra is a bustling river harbour in the clanlands of Deerwolf. Across from Dencambra on the other side of the river is a deep and narrow passage across the hills to the village of Fordden.

The gorges are hidden from sight by a small wood of immense oaks and beeches. In the Pocket Wood, as it is known locally, you can still see the remnants of an ancient shrine to the shapeshifter goddess, Corra. This links to the long-held belief that the gorges are one of the entries to the underworld on this plane.

Geography

The gorge stretches for 20 miles towards the west across the Braes. On the narrow path, travellers are surrounded by the high walls of the mountain. Colonized by trees and ferns. the mountainsides are a sight to behold as they create an immense tower of vegetal reaching high into the sky.

At the bottom of the gorge runs a small river dotted with pools of the most intense blue colour: these pools are called fairie pools and are, of course, deemed enchanted.

A wooden track, large enough for a small cart to pass through, hugs one side of the mountain and enable the exchange of people and goods to take place between the north Whytaven valley and the rest of Farden.

Midway through the gorge, a sudden change of level in the floor, has created one of the most stunning waterfalls of Alven. Called the Corra Drinks, the waterfall is one of the sacred religious sites of Clan Deewolf. It is mainly a mourning site for the chieftains of the clan. It was thought that in older times, chieftains might have been buried in secret caves not far from the waterfall of Corra.

Features

The gorge takes more than one day to cross on foot and has a haunted reputation throughout the region. However, it is one of the easiest and shorter way to cross Farden from east to west, and many still brave the 'ghosts' of the gorge just to gain time on their journey and avoid a huge detour through the Braes.

Only one building has managed to stand the test of time and is still to be found within the gorges. Right after the fall of Corra Drinks, on a higher promontory above the path, you can find one of the strangest inns in the whole of Alven: the Water Snake.

Despite its lugubrious title - which might refer to one of Corra's incarnation - and its precarious perch, the inn is a well-run establishment that caters to the foot passage through the gorge.

  Burrone Dell'Anima - Arstation

Type

Gorge / Rift