Are the mountains of Golarion formed by natural processes as we understand them today or are they formed by something else, either magical or mundane? Obviously there can be more than one answer to this as there are a several mountain ranges in the Inner Sea region alone, but what would form the majority and what would be a few notable exceptions if such exceptions exist?
On a related note, what are the tallest mountains/mountain ranges on Golarion? And are any of them growing?
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Are the mountains of Golarion formed by natural processes as we understand them today or are they formed by something else, either magical or mundane? Obviously there can be more than one answer to this as there are a several mountain ranges in the Inner Sea region alone, but what would form the majority and what would be a few notable exceptions if such exceptions exist?
On a related note, what are the tallest mountains/mountain ranges on Golarion? And are any of them growing?
The vast majority of the mountains on Golarion were formed by science (aka: Plate Tectonics and geology and all that).
The tallest mountain range, on average, in the Inner Sea region is probably the Kodar Mountains.
The tallest mountains in ALL of Golarion are probably the Wall of Heaven mountains in Tian Xia.
Are the mountains of Golarion formed by natural processes as we understand them today or are they formed by something else, either magical or mundane? Obviously there can be more than one answer to this as there are a several mountain ranges in the Inner Sea region alone, but what would form the majority and what would be a few notable exceptions if such exceptions exist?
On a related note, what are the tallest mountains/mountain ranges on Golarion? And are any of them growing?
The vast majority of the mountains on Golarion were formed by science (aka: Plate Tectonics and geology and all that).
The tallest mountain range, on average, in the Inner Sea region is probably the Kodar Mountains.
The tallest mountains in ALL of Golarion are probably the Wall of Heaven mountains in Tian Xia.
Ask and ye shall receive! Thanks!
Any specific tall mountains with serious reputations, like K2 or Everest?
Are any of these ranges growing? I know that in the real world, the Himalayas are "growing" as the plate holding the Indian subcontinent is driven into Asia, so I'm wondering if any of this is happening to Golarion mountains.
On the flip side of that are there any seriously old mountains that are being eroded by time, like those crazy rounded mountains in China?
Is Droskar's Crag still the highest mountain in the Inner Sea Region? (Info from Guide to the Darkmoon Vale)
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Creative Director
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Ask and ye shall receive! Thanks!
Any specific tall mountains with serious reputations, like K2 or Everest?
Are any of these ranges growing? I know that in the real world, the Himalayas are "growing" as the plate holding the Indian subcontinent is driven into Asia, so I'm wondering if any of this is happening to Golarion mountains.
On the flip side of that are there any seriously old mountains that are being eroded by time, like those crazy rounded mountains in China?
We haven't revealed any specific tall mountains in Tian Xia yet, but will later this year.
The tallest mountain in the Kodars is Mhar Massif, which is 31,565 feet tall. It's probably the single tallest mountain on Avistan.
Droskar's Crag in Andoran is pretty tall as well.
The Five Kings and the Kodars are both growing, mostly from volcanic activity. And the Wall of Heaven is growing, Himalaya style.
As for lower, eroding mountains, there are absolutely some ranges like that in the world, although we haven't specifically labeled any as such that I know of off the top of my head.
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Creative Director
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Is Droskar's Crag still the highest mountain in the Inner Sea Region? (Info from Guide to the Darkmoon Vale)At 28,822 feet it's reasonably short of Mhar Massif.
For comparison, Everest is 29,029 feet.
Droskar's Crag is probably far too high, honestly. It's unusually large. I'm kinda hoping that some day we can downsize it to something like 15,000 or 20,000 feet (something more like Mt. Rainier or the like) without anyone noticing. You'll note we do not mention its height in the Inner Sea World Guide.
Next time we do something significant for Darkmoon Vale or the region, we'll probably reveal that previous estimates of Droskar's Crag's height were WAY off...
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In addition to plate tectonics, volcanism can help form mountains. Mount Kilimanjaro is an example of this. (Three volcanic peaks formed together, and pressure helped increase the height of the first.) So, perhaps some of the mountains in Avistan have similar processes going on. (Also, perhaps trace amounts of fantastic metals such as mithral and admantite allow some strengthening of the moutains to allow them to rise a little higher than on Earth.) I presume Earth and Golarion are fairly close to each other in terms of size and mass.
Droskar's Crag is probably far too high, honestly. It's unusually large. I'm kinda hoping that some day we can downsize it to something like 15,000 or 20,000 feet (something more like Mt. Rainier or the like) without anyone noticing.
Maybe it`s just me, but I found the name `Crag` a little bit underwhelming for an allegedly Everest-sized peak, beyond the fact that plopping Everest-sized peaks in areas that AREN`T akin to the Himalayas is also kind of wierd, unless of course there is a specific supernatural reason for it...
Droskar's Crag is probably far too high, honestly. It's unusually large. I'm kinda hoping that some day we can downsize it to something like 15,000 or 20,000 feet (something more like Mt. Rainier or the like) without anyone noticing.
Personally, calling an Everest-sized peak a `Crag` just seems a little underwhelming...
Besides that it`s pretty odd to have such a mega-peak within an area that ISN`T any sort of Himalaya / ultra-high-altitude range(unless there`s some supernatural event to explain that, of course)
Something more like the Alps, or on par with Rainier seem more reasonable.
Incidentally, looking up the heights of Rainier vs. Mont Blanc, I discovered the term `topographic prominence`, or shoulder height or relative height... Which Rainier beats K2 in the Himalayas at.
Ask and ye shall receive! Thanks!
Any specific tall mountains with serious reputations, like K2 or Everest?
Are any of these ranges growing? I know that in the real world, the Himalayas are "growing" as the plate holding the Indian subcontinent is driven into Asia, so I'm wondering if any of this is happening to Golarion mountains.
On the flip side of that are there any seriously old mountains that are being eroded by time, like those crazy rounded mountains in China?
We haven't revealed any specific tall mountains in Tian Xia yet, but will later this year.
The tallest mountain in the Kodars is Mhar Massif, which is 31,565 feet tall. It's probably the single tallest mountain on Avistan.
Droskar's Crag in Andoran is pretty tall as well.
The Five Kings and the Kodars are both growing, mostly from volcanic activity. And the Wall of Heaven is growing, Himalaya style.
As for lower, eroding mountains, there are absolutely some ranges like that in the world, although we haven't specifically labeled any as such that I know of off the top of my head.
Well then, I have more to look forward for in Jade Regent!
Thanks for the great response. The extra attention you give to obscure fanboy questions doesn't go unnoticed and makes Paizo that much more awesome.
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Creative Director
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Droskar's Crag is probably far too high, honestly. It's unusually large. I'm kinda hoping that some day we can downsize it to something like 15,000 or 20,000 feet (something more like Mt. Rainier or the like) without anyone noticing.Personally, calling an Everest-sized peak a `Crag` just seems a little underwhelming...
Besides that it`s pretty odd to have such a mega-peak within an area that ISN`T any sort of Himalaya / ultra-high-altitude range
(unless there`s some supernatural event to explain that, of course)
Something more like the Alps, or on par with Rainier seem more reasonable.Incidentally, looking up the heights of Rainier vs. Mont Blanc, I discovered the term `topographic prominence`, or shoulder height or relative height... Which Rainier beats K2 in the Himalayas at.
I believe Rainier beats pretty much every mountain in the Topographic Prominence category, actually.
In any case, there's several reasons why I feel that Droskar's Crag is too tall and needs a bit of shortening, not the least of which is the use of the word "crag" in its title. After all, it's a volcano that erupted recently... which means it lost some of its height and was once even taller. It just feels very out of place at its current height and will likely be cut in half next time we really detail it.
Pale Mountain in the Brazen Peaks deserves a mention in this thread. Not the tallest in Garund, I think, but prominent in its range.
Is someone making a mountaineer PC?
Is someone making a mountaineer PC?
Writing a mountain adventure actually. Just wanted a little more background than the books are providing on the subject.
Is someone making a mountaineer PC?Writing a mountain adventure actually. Just wanted a little more background than the books are providing on the subject.
Get a PDF of runelords 6. It has extensive rules on mountaineering and altitude threats.
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The Appalachian Mountains in the USA were the Himalayas (indeed possibly higher) of the Ordovician, but one continental breakup and four hundred and sixty odd million years later have a high point of 6,684 feet if wikipedia is correct in citing Mount Mitchell as their highest point.
A geological symposium on Golarion might come in handy if someone could arrange one... :)
A funny thing about the Applachians - those Ordovician mountains (not the most recent Paleozoic uplift, btw) completely eroded away ages ago.Two things prove this. One, the amount of sediment removed from the Apps. at present (which is MUCH less than what it would have been when they were Everest sized) would make the Apps. several hundred MILES high if you extrapolated it back to the Ordovician. Second, the sediment coming off the Apps. more or less stops after the Permian. The only way that is going to happen is if the mountains go away. Indeed, more recent sediment is consistent with a low elevation area (i.e. marshes, shallow seas, etc...). The old appalachians went away a LONG time ago :)
So where did the current mountains come from? The current Appalachian mountains are, in fact, rising (the Adirondacks in NY are rising even faster). The reasons for this are unclear, partially due to the fact that we can't see deep enough to see what's going on down there. There's a bunch of hypotheses offered, but none have a lot of traction yet.
As for a symposium on Golarion's geology - I'm working on it ;) I just picked up an inner sea guidebook tonight and am scouring it for tidbits of geology. That is assuming that the devs haven't already worked it all out internally. ;)
Still, if anyone has knowledge of published tidbits of geology - descriptions of rocks, mineral locations, rock types, geographic and geologic features - feel free to PM me with it. Once I get enough data points I will start to put together a geologic time-line. I've already got some of the big picture stuff down, but I need a lot more data!
John
PS: Gotta do something with this MS in Geology I have!