1d30 Distinctive Rocks

Notable monoliths, landmarks, and geological formations.

1 Good Old Eddie. A cluster of ridges and chunks of sandstone about 40' up the side of a cliff, eroded in a way that kind of looks like a human face in profile in viewed from the right angle.

2 A single massive menhir, 6' wide at the base and 42' tall. Stands alone in the middle of a pasture. Called the Cowstone by locals and the Fieldstone by folks in the next town over.

3 The Rolling Stone. A house-sized granite boulder balanced on a smaller partially buried boulder. Rocks at the slightest touch but never enough to fall. Covered in moss and lichen.

4 Proclamation Rock. An ancient black marble stele set at the crossroads. Inscribed with the same decree translated into several languages, damaged by the elements and "scholars."

5 The Steps. A small conical hill of hexagonal basalt columns weathered into easily climbable 'steps.' A favorite playground for the local kids.

6 The Lady. A partially-buried monumental statue of a matronly woman carved from dovetailed blocks of basalt. Only her face is uncovered, smiling serenely up at the sky. Locals call her Mama.

7 King's Cairns. A series of five fieldstone cairns stacked into precise pentagonal pyramids each 15' tall. Said to glow green-gold on Midsummer's Eve. Can't be knocked over.

8 An ancient stone wall built with cyclopean masonry. Has an open arch door at the north end. Can't be disassembled, locals don't talk about it.

9 A huge carved stone jar, big enough to hold a cow. It's traditional to put a rock on top when you pass to help weigh down the lid. No one knows what's inside.

10 The Dancers. A 60' wide circle of 18 slender white stones set on a hilltop overlooking three towns. Locals are physically unable to agree on how the stones got their name. Nothing will grow inside the circle except unusually lush clover.

11 Giant's Table. A huge slab of pale green dolomite 7' wide, 16' long, and 4' tall. Every side's carved with itchingly familiar spiral petraglyphs. Said to be an ancient altar.

12 Boundary stones. Chest-high pillars of mica-flecked gray stone set in a row stretching for miles, marking the border of a country that disappeared centuries ago.

13 An eroded outcrop that looks like a standing bear. Offerings are given for protection from actual bears, luck in hunting and fishing, and as thanks after killing a bear.

14 A boulder naturally eroded into a skull. A little spooky but mostly just neat.

15 Bell stones. A blockfield of smooth pink-striped boulders that ring in pure musical notes when struck. Some ring in ultra- and infrasonic ranges, marked with X's and avoided.

16 The Hermitage. A weathered granite dome hundreds of feet tall, standing alone over low forested hills. Said to be home to the spirit of an exiled priest.

17 A cluster of small granite domes with sheer sides and rounded tops, making a range of knobby hills. Locals say they're actually sealed tombs, alternately full of treasure or haunted by the forgotten dead.

18 The Platter. A shallowly dished surface of seamless black stone interrupting the meadow wildflowers. Reptiles flock to it to bask. Covered in medicinal lichen.

19 Witches' Tower. A narrow basalt butte hundreds of feet high, weathered into hexagonal columns. Has a tiny cabin on top, rumored to be inhabited but the climb is too difficult to check. Sometimes there are lights at the summit.

20 A wide canyon filled with wind-sculpted sandstone spires, arches, and pedestals. Home to several species of psychoactive arachnids.

21 A slender natural stone bridge a quarter mile long and wide enough for one person at a time, arching high over a river gorge. Walking across alone by the light of a waxing moon is a rite of passage among locals.

22 Devil's Mouth. A fin of rock high up the mountain with an oval hole bored through it to show the sky on the other side. Much, much larger than it looks from the ground.

23 A mile-long ridge of marble plates and spikes, arranged in a way that resembles an exposed spine. Thought to be bad luck to talk or make noise near them.

24 Petrified forest. Acres of fossilized wood preserved as brilliant agate and sparkling quartz. Some of the trees are still standing. What people think are trunks are just the branches and upper twigs of the massive still-buried trees.

25 The Fingers. Two linked rings of delicate sea stacks rising from the waves. Said to imprison the storm that will end the world. The water within the rings is always violently churning.

26 A massive rust-orange sandstone monolith that glows blood red at sunrise and sunset. According to legends it's sleeping. Offerings of liquor and grain are given to keep it that way.

27 God's Palette. A sheer cliff of pure salt banded and swirled with vivid rainbow hues. High concentrations of heavy metals. Wildlife and locals know better than to quarry or eat it.

28 The Fault. A sheer cliff revealed after an earthquake split the mountain in half. Rows of human silhouettes seared across the entire face.

29 Burning Mountain. A giant dome of clear quartz, frosted white by wind and weathering. The name refers back to generations ago when it was pristine and caught the sun like a lens.

30 The Drifter. A 12' tall oblong menhir of smoothed obsidian, translucent around the edges. Looks vaguely humanoid like it may have once been a rough statue. Moves under its own power within the 16-mile circle of its territory. Never seen moving. Considered a guardian and good luck by the locals. Feels like it's watching you.