This pass cuts through the Worlds Edge Mountains between two branches of the Howling River, north of Barak Varr and the Blood River. Of the three passes, it is the one most accessible from the Border Princes—the Silver Road connects to the Old Dwarf Road that runs through the Forest of Gloom and from there merges with the Black Fire Pass of the Black Mountains, while Death Pass leads into the Badlands well below the protective line of the Blood River. Because of this, Mad Dog Pass has become a major thoroughfare and is the route of choice for anyone travelling from the Border Princes to the Dark Lands and back again.[1a][1b]
The three princes whose territories lie nearby hotly contest ownership of the pass. None have been able to claim and hold it for long, but they war over it frequently because control of the pass means control over the travellers and traders who use it. Fatandira arguably has the best claim, since it is her lands the pass opens onto, but she has the fewest men of the three and can only hold the pass if she diverts her forces from one of the rivers, leaving her open to attack there. The only time the three rulers set their differences aside is when Orcs, Goblins, and other creatures surge forth from the Dark Lands, marching through the pass and intending to invade the Border Princes. At such times, the three princes band together to drive back their would-be invaders, but inevitably afterward, they squabble again over who should maintain guards in—and thus control over—the pass itself.[1b]