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Skull Gorge
Skull Gorge is situated on the upper course of the River Reaching. It is a sharp cut through the surrounding terrain, and its steep walls run almost to the river's edge. The walls of the gorge are made of a very pale gray stone and are riddled with caverns.

It was in this steep-walled valley that the bulk of the surviving orc and hobgoblin chieftains and shamans gathered following the Battle of Bones to stand off the armies of humans. The goblinoid races summoned extraplanar aid, for later forces encountered many fiends and tanarri. A great disembodied skull glowing with red flames was seen in the air above the gorge as the human troops made their final assault. The gorge was cleared of the orcs and hobgoblins, and is now thought to be deserted.

Much booty is said to have been hurriedly concealed in the caverns that lace the whitestone walls of the gorge. Few who have come here seeking that treasure have been seen again, and though treasure has been found here, so have fell beasts that seem to appear from nowhere to attack travelers in the gorge.

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The Battle of Bones
Travelers moving into this region pass over a withered land with a few stunted scrub trees. The soil has a dusty white pallor to it. As the site of the battle nears, outcroppings of bone jut from the soil until finally the bones outnumber the rocks themselves and the adventurer is moving through a wasteland of bleached remains.

On this site, in a shallow valley almost 300 winters ago (1090 DR), a titanic battle erupted between human forces and the various goblinoid races. The goblin nations, along with orcs, hobgoblins, and their allies, had spilled out of the dwindling Goblin Marches and overrun the North. A combined force of humans and elves, along with the last shards of several dwarven kingdoms, met the invasion head-on at this site. After almost a week of continuous fighting, the good races triumphed, and only a tenth of the great horde was sent reeling back to its marches. The victory came at horrendous cost, however. So numerous were the dead that even today their bones are said to cover the ground here to a depth of 12 inches.

This region is avoided by most travelers due to the great numbers of undead creatures now said to be here. Those who do come this way - seeking a route along the edge of the desert - speak of some power organizing the undead into patrols and thereby controlling the area. No one has yet investigated these claims.

Encounters Around the Battle
Encounters in the area of the Battle of Bones extend 30 miles in all directions, and include all manner of undead creatures: skeletons (humanoid and animal), zombies (human and monster), wights, wraiths, and spectres. The undead are often found in mixed parties, with one more powerful undead leader (wight, wraith, or spectre) to be found for every 20 lesser undead). Lesser undead under the control of greater undead turn as the greater undead. Undead in the Battle of Bones area itself are turned on the "Special" column. The mysterious force behind the gathering undead may be of lich power at least, and if greater, may even have several liches or more powerful undead as servants.

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