A dramatic mountain range running east-west across northern Ve, forming the natural border between Edari's empty savannah and the settled lands of Sestros. The range takes its name from the Shailin shepherds who graze their flocks on the southern slopes; the northern side belongs to the Korel.
Geography
The Shepherds' Stones rise abruptly from the surrounding plains, their peaks reaching perhaps 8,000 feet at the highest points. The mountains are steep and rocky, with golden-brown stone that catches the light at dawn and dusk, seeming to glow against the sky. The passes are few and difficult. This is why Edari remains isolated despite being adjacent to settled territory.
The range runs roughly 200 miles from the coast near Mesyula Bay in the west to where it merges with the Hills of Dolor in the east. The western section is more dramatic, with sheer cliffs and narrow defiles; the eastern portion gradually diminishes into the broken hill country.
The Border
The Shepherds' Stones are more than geography. They're a hard line between civilization and wilderness. South of the mountains, Sestran towns dot the landscape, roads connect communities, and the king's law nominally applies. North of the mountains, nothing. The Korel don't build, don't trade, don't negotiate. Cross the mountains uninvited and you become prey.
Sestran shepherds work the southern slopes, moving their flocks through seasonal pastures in the foothills. They don't cross the ridgeline. The Korel patrol the northern slopes and will kill anyone they find. This arrangement has held for generations through mutual recognition of the mountains as a boundary, not through any treaty.
Passes
Three passes allow crossing between Sestros and Edari, though "allow" is generous:
Western Pass: Near the coast, the lowest and easiest route. Also the most watched by Korel hunting parties. Traders occasionally attempt it; most turn back or die.
Central Gap: A high, difficult crossing through the heart of the range. Usable only in summer. The Korel patrol it less frequently because few are foolish enough to try.
Eastern Descent: Where the mountains diminish toward the Hills of Dolor. This route technically avoids the worst Korel territory by skirting into the exile lands. Travelers trade one danger for another.
Lurza
At the western edge of the range, where the mountains meet the Red Desert, stand the ruins of Lurza, a fortress of black stone built by followers of a daemon called Vekkroth, a rival to Talresses who once contested control of western Ve.
The conflict ended badly for Vekkroth. Talresses's cult among the early Shailin grew stronger, more organized, more devoted. Vekkroth's followers were slaughtered, scattered, or converted. The daemon itself was driven from Ve entirely, not destroyed (daemons don't die that easily) but expelled, forced to seek worshippers elsewhere. Lurza was left standing as a monument to Talresses's victory.
The black stone is volcanic glass imported from somewhere outside Ve, a signature of Vekkroth's worship. The fortress's architecture is alien, all wrong angles and windowless halls, designed for rituals the Shailin never learned. The gates stand open because there's no one left to close them.
The Shailin avoid Lurza because Talresses told them to. He frames this as ancient wisdom about cursed places, but the truth is simpler: he doesn't want his followers examining the evidence of what happened here. Questions about Vekkroth lead to questions about daemon wars, which lead to questions about Talresses himself. Better to leave the black fortress empty and forgotten.
The Korel avoid it for different reasons. They sense something wrong about the place, a spiritual contamination that makes their fur stand on end. Vekkroth's power lingers in the stones even without worshippers to sustain it. The Korel trust their instincts. Their instincts say stay away.
Why It Matters
The Shepherds' Stones shape travel across northern Ve. Anyone moving between the western coast and the eastern regions must either:
- Go south around the mountains through Sestros (safe but long)
- Sail around Edari entirely (expensive and weather-dependent)
- Risk the passes (dangerous)
This makes Sestros essential to overland trade, funneling traffic through their territory whether travelers like it or not. The Shailin don't abuse this position, since hospitality matters to Talresses, but they benefit from it nonetheless.