The gather nodes roughly match the level of the monsters to be found in a zone, though there are some safe gathering zones as well.
2.
Durante offers four possible trade routes from their gathering zone along the west and northwest Indian coast to destinations west : sea route direct to the Iranian coastal area; sea route to Sutkagen-dor and Sotka-koh on the Makran coast, then overland westwards; overland through the Indus plain and then through the Makran interior to Sistan; overland through the Indus Valley and then through the Gomal Valley to Sistan ."