The Black Desert is huuuuuge!

[Mavrickindigo]

I don't know if this is correct or not, but I'm looking at the scale in "Mythic Realms" for the Black Desert, and according to my calculations, the place is over 7000 miles from one end to the other, that's much bigger than the land of black blood, which is below 400 miles from one side to the other. The book says that the land of Black Blood. The book describes the Black Desert as having "Miles" of sand and being under Osirion, but at the scale I calculated, the thing would be underneath most of northern Garund. Is the scale off? Did I do something incorrect in my calculations, perhaps?

[Daniel Yeatman]

I'm rather certain your estimates are correct, the place really is impossibly massive. All the better to drive home the hopelessness of escaping the darn place if you fall in, I imagine. I always wanted to make an adventure set there, it's a rather cool setting.

[Lord Gadigan]

Yeah, you're correct. It's enormous, and that's awesome. It's my present favorite of the known Vaults of Orv (though there's several good ones).

[Distant Scholar]

Mavrickindigo wrote:

I don't know if this is correct or not, but I'm looking at the scale in "Mythic Realms" for the Black Desert, and according to my calculations, the place is over 7000 miles from one end to the other, that's much bigger than the land of black blood, which is below 400 miles from one side to the other.

7000 miles is about the distance from Los Angeles, USA to Ankara, Turkey. So, across the continental United States, the Atlantic Ocean, and most of Europe.

Sounds mythic to me.

[The Block Knight]

While I agree that 7000 miles would indeed be mythic, there's no disputing that such a such a scale is of epic proportions (as pointed out by Distant Scholar), I do think it's a typo.

The Black Desert is impossibly massive (as are all the Vaults of Orv), but it still has to keep in line with the geography and proportions of Golarion. The planet is roughly the same size as Earth so a vault of 7000 miles would run right under Casmaron and beyond - which it doesn't.

The Black Desert occupies a space roughly the size of most of northern Garund (see Into the Darklands for a good perspective on the size of the different vaults). This regional scope is further confirmed in Black Desert article of Mythic Realms.

Looking at my Inner Sea Map Folio and using the accepted scale provided, comparing that with the outline shown in Into the Darklands, I'm estimating that the Black Desert is probably closer to 950 miles total lengthwise.

Edit: Granted, I only took slight curvature into account. If you trace a proper curved line (with minimal curvature) from the farthest west point to the farthest east point (under Stonespine Island), you're probably looking at closer to 1100 miles.

[KahnyaGnorc]

A wizard did it.

It's bigger on the inside.

[Simeon]

KahnyaGnorc wrote:

A wizard did it.

It's bigger on the inside.

Truly the only explanation.

[James Jacobs]

Typo. The size of the black desert is pretty apparent in Into the Darklands, where it more or less stretches from eastern Osirion to western Thuvia. So, close to about 1,000 miles or so, not 7,000 miles.

[Marco Massoudi]

James Jacobs wrote:

Typo. The size of the black desert is pretty apparent in Into the Darklands, where it more or less stretches from eastern Osirion to western Thuvia. So, close to about 1,000 miles or so, not 7,000 miles.

Thanks for clarifying, James.

I wrote a novel outline set there starring some undead drow, so much appreciated.