The Lone-lands are about one to two days of travel across east to west, and perhaps a quarter as far north to south, and mostly comprise plains bordered by hills.
Roads
The Great East Road: Dividing the land almost exactly in half, the ancient road serves as the center-line around which everything else in the Lone-lands is arranged, and from which the locations of everything else can be given. The road travels countless miles in each direction beyond the bounds of the Lone-lands; some travelers say its western terminus reaches the Sea, while east, beyond the Hoarwell and the Trollshaws, it crosses mountains and valleys, and reaches (at least) as far as the distant eastern kingdoms that send trade-caravans along it. The road itself is little more than smoothed stones buried just deeply enough to remain in place, and the passage of countless feet, hooves, and cartwheels keeps it flush with the surface of the ground around it. Though it weaves north and south (following sometimes the contours of the land and sometimes the shape of long-gone water flows) it maintains a largely steady east-west direction. Should the traveler ever lose sight of it, it is easy to find: simply head away from the highest range of hills visible, and the road will come into view soon (since its course threads midway between them).
Hills and Mountains
Weathertop: Visible from any point within the Lone-lands, this lonely mountain towers far above the hills around it, even over the Weather Hills that serve as the northern border of the land. A winding path leads up to its peak (expect the climb to take an hour or more) which commands spectacular views, seen from within a ring of ancient ruins (all that remains of an Arnorian watch-tower, perhaps). From the peak one can see the contours of the whole land, and glimpse the long-gone rivers that must have flowed through it, though at such a remove, the details are lost. A visit to the peak will help the traveler understand the land, but after that first visit, subsequent climbs are of less value; instead, the peak serves as a point of reference, a guidepost that ensures the traveler never loses sight of east from west. On its western side, about halfway up, a spring emerges from the hillside, spills into a pool, and drains away into the greedy land again, a vital source of clean drinking water to those in the west.
Weather Hills: These rumpled, soft hills serve as the northern edge of the Lone-lands, but so gently curved are they that at the western end of the land, near the Forsaken Inn, one can climb into them high enough to overlook the Midgewater Marshes and the green lands beyond. Any range of hills is probably shot through with goblin-tunnels hidden beneath the surface, and these are no exception; finding the holes they emerge from and trying to close them off with stone or fire proves fruitless, for the effort to do it seems more than what it takes the goblins to delve another (especially in hills made more from soil than stone, like these). A wise traveler avoids camping for the night near untroubled hills, because it is under cover of night that goblins emerge to set up camps, or move to capture ruins. By day, their camps are easily seen at a distance.
South Downs: While these hills are slightly more stony and jagged than are the Weather Hills, they are still mostly soft and rounded compared to a proper mountain range. They are harder to climb or cross than the Weather Hills, and rise more abruptly from the plains, forming a more stark border. Goblins are probably more numerous within these hills, but they emerge from them less often; perhaps their warrens and hives are more comfortable and afford fewer reasons to face the discomfort of sunlight.
Bodies of Water
Hoarwell River: The best source of fresh water in the Lone-lands, despite serving as their eastern border, this river also affords some fishing opportunities, though not enough to sustain even a small tribe. Beyond it the trees of the Trollshaws begin almost immediately; the Eglain make very short forays into that forest from time to time to gather wood, herbs, or meat and furs, but only at dire need, as the woods are sometimes stalked by creatures far more dangerous than those of the Lone-lands. The river, however, remains valuable to those dwelling on either side of the Last Bridge. The best place to draw drinking water, especially in quantity to fill barrels, is just a few dozen paces north of the Last Bridge. The river runs cold all year round, but never freezes over; swimming in it is refreshing in the heat of summer, but life-threatening in colder weather.
Midgewater Pass: Falling down from the Weather Hills is a small river that flows south and west towards the Midgewater Swamp, along the western reaches of the Lone-lands. It is less accessible to the traveler, and because of its remoteness, more likely to be visited by goblins, but should one be in need of water, it is serviceable. It runs muddier than the Hoarwell, and is thus less suited to long term storage (fill a barrel with water here and it will taste stale and unwholesome within a month), but perfectly adequate to fill canteens or water horses.
Broken Bridge Pool: Not far from the Forsaken Inn, a small stagnant pool sits at the end of one of the more prominent dried riverbeds, over which a bridge, now broken, once spanned. Travelers often water their horses and fill their canteens here, as it's plainly visible from the road, but those more familiar with the Lone-lands avoid it. The water here is often unhealthy. It does not cause immediate distress, generally, but a day or two later, horses are walking more slowly and listlessly, and travelers feel an uneasy discomfort and lack of energy, and are more clumsy. During this time it is easy to fall ill, or become injured, but most so afflicted do not connect this to the water from several days earlier. If this is not enough to convince you to avoid it, consider that this is probably the source of water Anlaf uses for his brewing. (Or perhaps it's the other way around and this will convince you to avoid Anlaf's ale, though the taste is usually more than adequate to accomplish that.)
Ruin-Pool: A deep pool fills a small ruin not far from Ost Guruth, its water unusually blue, cool, and clean of taste. Wild animals come to drink from it, even willing to stand on the stones to do so. This pool serves as an excellent water source for the traveler, as it is near the road, though one might need to scare away wolves from time to time to reach it.
Plains
Nain Enidh: The larger part of the Lone-lands fall within a region called Nain Enidh (which in some ancient tongue means "central valley"). It is here that the explorer can most clearly see where ancient rivers once ran, in the contours of land, the arrangement of water-borne stones, even the patterns of which plants grow where and how this reflects differences in the soil caused by the silt carried by flowing water long since lost. And yet, it is also here that these subtle suggestions of long-lost rivers are most easily missed by the unobservant, who see only plains dotted with rough grasses and gorse-flowers on rumpled slopes.
Talath Gaun: The eastern reaches of the Lone-lands are known as Talath Gaun, a name whose meaning is less certain; the most likely translation is "wolf plains", which reflects both that these grasslands are more wild (perhaps due to proximity to the untamed Trollshaws), and that wolves prowl it, feeding on the boars that graze its slopes. Talath Gaun's soil is more moist, perhaps because of the Hoarwell, but its water flows unevenly, often pooling into marshy areas that foster plant growth but prove no more useful for farming than the dry flatlands, and lead to hazards of their own. The result may suit the boars and wolves, but are unpleasant at best for the traveler or the Eglain.
Marshes
Haragmar: North of the road in Talath Gaun, one of the lowest regions in the Lone-lands forms into an unwholesome swamp whose waters are unsuited for drinking. Under moonlight they often appear to take a red shimmer, because, if the tales of drunken minstrels can be believed, a great battle fought here in long-forgotten days caused the spilling of much blood that remains deep in the soil. This story may have some seed of truth in it; the ruins that stand near it, particularly Agamaur and Nan Dhelu, have so ill-aspected an air that the Eglain have always avoided them when seeking a new Ruin-hold. But whether the waters are befouled by the spilled life of ancient warriors, or merely by foul minerals in the soil, makes little difference, as nearly all travelers immediately decide to avoid it, due to the red shimmer, or perhaps the smell.
Harloeg: The lands opposite Haragmar across the road are marked by steep drops into an even lower, and larger, marshland called Harloeg. The waters here seem less unwholesome than those of Haragmar, but the climb down to them is challenging, and with the Hoarwell not far, there is no reason to brave the climb just to drink or water horses. Just as well, since the waters suffer the same ill effects as Broken Bridge Pool, with a more immediate effect. Harloeg's eastern edge is lined by trees, mostly yew but with some of the lebethron spreading in from the Trollshaws; they grow far more plentifully here than elsewhere in the Lone-lands, and thus provide a great source of timber. However, the trek through the swamp and back up the long climb (particularly while carrying heavy timbers) ensures it's rarely worth it to go down into these trees to gather wood. In part, this is why the Eglain build little from timber; the plains provide enough for firewood, axe handles, and bed frames, but not enough for houses and workshops.
