The Northern Mountains
Last updated
Last updated
By far the largest territory in the Great Pond, much of the Northern Mountains remains a mystery. With life-threatening temperatures, high altitudes, and steep slopes, this territory even has dead zones, places where no life exists. Whiskers have managed to survive and build settlements, but many of them were wiped out by either bandits or Frostridge Dragons. While many settlements have been wiped out, the research center of Everfrost has remained miraculously untouched.
The dwellers of the Northern Mountains remain a hearty bunch, persevering through the endless challenges of the near-inhospitable northern climate. Notably, these Northerners, though often condemned as barbarians by whiskers from other regions, treat all the creatures they hunt and that supplement their lifestyle with respect. It is not that the Northerners are barbarians, so much as they have their own culture and way of life. Whenever a village is destroyed, it’s often rebuilt within a fortnight. There’s a saying in the north: “when a northerner falls, there’s always two more ready to pick up the body.”
This village at the foot of the Northern Mountains is home to many loggers due to the high-quality of trees surrounding the mountains. Many structures here are built with this same type of wood, making the buildings enormous and sturdy. Many whiskers use this village to escape the heat during the summer months in Windrose City. While tourism isn't its number one export due to logging, Sky Wind village is a thing of beauty. Due to the colder climate, many bears, bison, and elk can be spotted roaming the snow-covered mountains. Frostridge Dragons have even been spotted under the cloud covering of the Northern Mountains but remain a rare sight, likely because they prefer the colder weather in the higher mountain elevations
Connecting the Northern Mountains to Windrose City, this cold mountain creek brings life to many small settlements in the area. The water is said to be the cleanest in The Great Pond and many unique species of newts and salamanders call this creek home. Whispering Creek's biodiversity makes it one of the most fascinating bodies of water on the continent and its purity is why Windrose City uses it as to source its water. The creek originates from Dragonfall mountain. Some people believe the water remains so pure because it is blessed by dragons, despite them being nefarious killers.
The Shrouded Valley is known as one of the best places to find quality timber in the Northern Mountains. Whiskers have developed a sense of the environment and choose not to clear-cut the forest, instead opting to cut bit by bit and replant along the way. The valley is full of large mammals as well, making it a great hunting ground. If you were to eat bison at one of the Governor’s dinners in Windrose City or enjoy it cooked by the chef of the royal family of Wisteria, it was likely hunted in the Shrouded Valley. Whiskers here for timber or hunting rarely go deeper into the valley as the low fog that constantly hangs overhead, the fog that earned the Shrouded Valley its name, can become disorienting quickly. You do not want to be lost in the valley, especially if it begins to snow. Without real roads, the Shrouded Valley mostly remains untouched by Whiskers and the deeper parts of the valley are almost entirely uncharted.
Fed by the Bruss River and Northern Creek, this lake holds true to its name. The Cold Lake is possibly the deepest inland body of water. Much like the Spirit Lake, no whisker knows its actual depth. Rumors persist of monsters living in the abyssal depths of the lake. According to the barbarian tribes of North Keep, who have a severe distaste for all “gutless” whiskers (read: all non-Northern whiskers), this lake is excellent for fishing. Many non-Northern whiskers, particularly those of the Western Kingdom, assumed that the Old Wizard's World Spell didn't affect other species of fish because they were less worthy and that the trout and bass were two species damned to the coldest water because of it. Northern whiskers believe, however, that the trout and bass really don’t give a damn.
Feeding into The Cold Lake, this river has its origin deep in the mountains. If you follow the river north, it leads to a complex array of mountain caves beneath one of the mountains of Eaglefrost. The caves eventually open up to a vicious underground whirlpool. Nobody has seen the true beginning of the river because nobody dares enter the whirlpool as doing so would mean certain death. The Bruss River’s origin is best left alone and anyways, the water that flows from it is so cold that its surface freezes over in the colder winter months. Aside from ice fishing, Whiskers avoid the area.
This large natural formation serves as a barrier between the treacherous mountains of the north and the barbarian whisker settlements. There's only one break in the wall, creating a choke point near its center that has served to protect the northern whiskers against past invasions from other regions, bandits, and even monsters. Following the wall south leads to the Bruss River but there are few things of note in the area. Curiously, gigantic footprints, or perhaps paw prints, can sometimes be found south of the wall. Some northerners use the wall to test their might, and more than one tribe has a rite of passage involving scaling Tourmon’s Wall alone or with a friend.
The primary source of freshwater for the northeastern settlements, Aberwyth Cave has a string of underground tunnels connecting to the Ironar Cave southeast of it. Beyond the freshwater reservoir near its entrance, the cave devolves into a hellscape littered with stalagmites and stalactites and is almost impossible to navigate without the help of an experienced guide. If there was ever treasure inside, it's been long found by the northerners or is hidden so deep that no one would dare risk themselves to find it.
Like its sister cave to the northwest, Ironar Cave begins friendly but quickly devolves into a dangerous underground trove of natural spikes and horns. The main difference between the Ironar and Aberwyth, however, is that while Aberwyth Cave houses a life-allowing freshwater reservoir, Ironar Cave holds valuable mineral deposits close to its surface. Whiskers from the barbarian settlements visit often to mine these deposits for use in their forges. There’s no iron like Ironar iron.
North Keep refers to the area under control of Elderwind, namely the caves, woods, and countless settlements scattered between Tourmon’s Wall and Stone Pass. Under the reign of the current leader of Elderwind, Chief Halvor, both the longest reigning and youngest ever chieftain, North Keep has been blessed with a previously unseen prosperity. A land geographically favoring physical resilience, magic here has been elevated to a near-sacred level of appreciation and is regarded highly. The average northern whisker is born with less magical talent and more physical strength, likely due to the harsh environment they have to survive. But, on occasion, whiskers born here with magical proclivities have been known to master special forms of spellweaving, which is the combining of multiple natural elements into one. Consider this, the two most common elements northern whiskers share affinity for are water and wind. If a northern whisker is lucky enough to be able to use both, they can learn to weave those two elements together to create ice magic, often for devastating effect.
While Windrose City is arguably the pinnacle of whisker civilization on the continent, Elderwind serves as the uncontested crown jewel of the northerners. Positioned with the settlement’s back to small mountain-like hills, Elderwind is a place intended to survive both weather and war. Far from the more progressive society of Windrose, whiskers from Elderwind pride themselves on their more practical skills; namely, hunting, gathering, smithing, and building. That is not to say Elderwind is not well-developed, though. What the Western Kingdom built with stone, the so-called barbarians of the north built with the hardy wood of their northern trees. One would not likely equate a northern settlement with beauty, but Elderwind is beautiful, indeed. In the farthest the back of the settlement lies a massive wooden castle half built of wood and half carved into the stone of the large neighboring hills. This is where the current chief of North Keep lives, a whisker known only as Halvor.
This enormous structure is quite possibly as old as whiskers in general, if not older. Lacking academic study, this structure has gained notoriety among the barbarians of the north as a sort of no-whisker’s-land. While barbarians lack a true religion, they tend to hold gatherings in Elderwind when under a full moon to ward off the evil spirits they claim roam around Stone Pass. Many believe this monumental structure was once a portal between other realms or worlds. If so, it hasn't been active in centuries, and if not, its true purpose has yet to be discovered.
Time seems to stand still in the frozen mountains of Eaglefrost. This part of the Northern Mountains has been covered in ice and snow for millenia, its surface having thawed and refrozen countless times over the ages. It is a desolate place with little to no life. The wind almost seems to stand still. No whisker has ever survived a climb to the icy peaks because of the sheer cold and unforgiving terrain and the peak of the Eaglefrost mountains is considered a dead zone, a place where no life exists. Even Frostridge Dragons, giant wolves, and tundra bears avoid traveling beyond the mountain’s base.
The northernmost settlement in existence, Everfrost serves as a research center and observatory for Windrose City. The majority of the settlement was constructed underground with the help of talented earth mages, keeping it safe from dragon attacks. Bandits and barbarian tribes ignore Everfrost because of this as well, as they believe the settlement to be vacant or unimportant. There are approximately 32 researchers working in Everfrost today, focused predominantly on the anatomy and habits of Frostridge Dragons and with the heart of their academic explorations devoted to Frioko Draconis, the current strongest dragon in the area and the leader of the pack.
The skeletal remains of the elder dragon Summus Draconis resides above the clouds here, at the peak of the Dragonfall mountain range. Nicknamed “Mother” by northern whiskers, very few have had the opportunity to study Summus’ remains as reaching the mountain’s summit is no easy task. Steep cliffs, extreme weather, and the presence of Frioko Draconis doesn't make it easy. Frioko is the oldest and strongest offspring of the elder mother dragon, Summus, and the Dragonfall mountain range is so named only because Summus chose it as the place of her last breath several decades ago. Frioko has remained in the area and is the uncontested leader of the Frostridge Dragons that nest in the vicinity. Everfrost continues sending expeditions to this site to gather more information about Summus, as her corpse is the only known corpse of an elder dragon and the harsh cold of the north has protected it from extreme decay. The body of Summus is massive, possibly the largest dragon ever to exist and certainly the largest ever recorded. Unfortunately, there are cave systems throughout the mountain where Frioko Draconis and her brood of Frostridge Dragons roam and an encounter with her would mean almost certain death for any of the researchers. Frioko and her brood take to the skies when the weather is clear to hunt for food, and that is probably the only time for researchers or adventuring whiskers to explore the caves or gather samples from Summus’ body due to the likeliness of Frioko’s revenge.
The ruined city of Isenstad, known now as Dragon's Foot, was once one of the largest cities on the continent. Unfortunately, many years ago, it was wiped off the map by the elder dragon Summus “Mother” Draconis and her brood during, what became known as, one of the worst dragon attacks in recorded history. The remnants of Isenstad are frozen in time, along with much of the bones and bodies of the whiskers that were lost on the tragic day of the attack. This unprompted and destructive assault is what eventually led to the creation of the Everfrost research center, so as to avoid any similar tragedy in the future. The remains that managed to be recovered were supposed to be brought down the mountain into the warmer climates for a proper burial service. Sadly, the journey was long and many of the volunteers gave up. Those who remained settled on laying the bodies in shallow graves in an area now called the Settlement of the Dead.
This haunting place is the resting place of the whiskers lost during the tragic attack at Isenstad, now Dragon's Foot. Years of strong winds have partially uncovered some of the bodies, many of which lie with the terror they felt moments before death frozen forever on their faces, condemned to ice by the freezing breath of Frostridge Dragons. They wear unsettling, silent, faces, unbecoming of their violent expressions. Some believe that these whiskers are still alive under the ice but attempts at thawing were entirely unsuccessful. Sailors who've roamed the Northwestern Sea claim to see the dead whiskers rise whenever "fresh fish" come near. It's a place of true horror and death. Murmurs in local taverns speak occasionally of a special gem that holds the power of immortality. It is said to be buried, ironically, with its rightful owner, near the graves of the Settlement of the Dead. A lone whisker once spoke of finding the gem. She claimed the sky turned red as blood, howls shook the air, and that a terrifying creature with skin falling off its body ambushed her and her poor compatriot, who did not make it back. She was laughed out of the tavern at the time… but no whisker has gone looking for that gem since.
While Dragonfall is the final resting place of Summus Draconis, Last Rest is the natural graveyard of dragons, and often their prey as well. The size of the dragon skeletons are much smaller than Summus’, but the sheer amount of bones here is terrifying enough to strike fear into any would-be plunderer. The Last Rest is another point of interest for researchers at Everfrost who love performing tests on draconic remains in the hopes of finding medical or magical breakthroughs. Legend has it that this is where Summus “Mother” Draconis became leader of her Frostridge Dragon brood by defeating her competing dragons in mortal combat. They say a dozen dragons fought for the right to lead the brood, a battle lasting from dusk to dawn. At the end of it, the 5 other dragons still breathing, scarred, bruised, and exhausted, bent their wings and bowed their heads to Summus, the only dragon still standing and unhurt, aside from a single slash across her left eye.
On the edge of the known world lies the Northwestern Sea, home of the sea serpent Lycallus and countless creatures of the depths. Avoided by most, this stretch of ocean calms tremendously when closer to shore. In particular, the gulf created by the north-reaching Sunshade Mountains have been known to be a pleasant fishing and swimming spot, in contrast to the tumultuous waters closer to the Shipwreck Isles and northwest of the Sunshade mountain range. One particular peculiarity of the Northwestern Sea and, maybe more aptly, the Sunshade Mountains, are the claims of a flying mass of land. A small, mountainous island floating on clouds. This phenomenon has been observed on several occasions and most academics have attributed it to an atmospheric phenomena known as a fata morgana. Then again, few of these academics, if any, have actually witnessed this strange floating island with their own eyes.
On the edge of the Northwestern Sea lies a string of islands covered in debris, their shores the resting place of countless marine vessels. Most of the ships here were not beached but instead demolished, their caretakers frightened at the threat of Lycallus, the sea serpent. Lycallus draws in ships with a whirlpool she creates, and when they’re too far in to escape she slithers aboard their boats and devours their crew. Were a sailor to jump, they would fall victim to the whirlpool, but were they stay, they would be torn asunder and swallowed by Lycallus, the demon serpent of the north. Whatever remains of the ships and crew float to the shores of the Shipwreck Isles. Lycallus has claimed this part of the Northwestern Sea. No one has been able to defeat her, and then again, no one has tried. Many say that surviving whiskers roam the island, condemned forever to their wooden shores as they’re too afraid to try and escape. After all, the water is deep and there is evil lurking just beneath the surface.