Nameless Mountain
Cradle of magic.
The Nameless Mountain is Arc - Tus' second highest mountain above sea level, located forty miles south of the Kingdom of Crendameth's southernmost border, found in the Duchy of Ashur. Unlike many other mountains found in the world, the Nameless Mountain stands alone, with nary a mountain range in sight, rising from the Wayfinder's Dunes, a vast desert plain. It has an estimated height of thirty thousand feet, but this number is contested by cartographers and geomancers. It is often cited as one of the most hostile environment against living beings in the world due to its extreme and volatile weather, as well as otherworldly forces that seem to protect the mountain as a territorial predator would.
Its name was coined by adventurers seeking lands beyond the Wayfinder's Dunes during a sandstorm. They stumbled upon the mountain, which did not appear in any of their charts, and scribbled 'Nameless Mountain' on their maps. When they returned from their expedition, the name generated certain interest and sounded as mysterious as the circumstances surrounding its unnatural existence, so it was kept that way.
The Mountain is steeped in both ancient and recent myth, with the former stating that the progenitrix of all magic, upon death, dropped the needles used to create the Weave into the world shortly after she finished her work, which are said to have been extremely cold in order to keep the goddess' hands from hurting. Over time, the needles froze the surrounding areas over, resulting in the Nameless Mountain. The latter posits that one would be able to see past, present, future and all its possible iterations when reaching the summit, or that audiences are awarded by a lonely god upon arrival.
Its name was coined by adventurers seeking lands beyond the Wayfinder's Dunes during a sandstorm. They stumbled upon the mountain, which did not appear in any of their charts, and scribbled 'Nameless Mountain' on their maps. When they returned from their expedition, the name generated certain interest and sounded as mysterious as the circumstances surrounding its unnatural existence, so it was kept that way.
The Mountain is steeped in both ancient and recent myth, with the former stating that the progenitrix of all magic, upon death, dropped the needles used to create the Weave into the world shortly after she finished her work, which are said to have been extremely cold in order to keep the goddess' hands from hurting. Over time, the needles froze the surrounding areas over, resulting in the Nameless Mountain. The latter posits that one would be able to see past, present, future and all its possible iterations when reaching the summit, or that audiences are awarded by a lonely god upon arrival.
Geography
The Nameless Mountain is, as the name suggests, a mountain. It proportions have oftentimes been described as 'impossible', seeming far too vertical for a mountain and stretching far too thin for it to have risen from the earth through wholly natural means.
Its unnatural nature notwithstanding, the mountain rises from the Wyfinder's Dunes, a vast desert expanse that extends beyond the Kingdom of Crendameth's southern borders and stretches as far as the eye can see. Along its western face, the mountain faces the Amber Sea, with much of the mountain devolving into a series of jagged precipices the closer it gets to the shoreline. About half a mile away from the Mountain's slope, the Dunes' sand gives way to solid stone. Snow starts falling around 5000 feet up.
The Mountain has thirteen lakes contained within its heights, with two of these being subterranean and the rest being outside. It is believed that these lakes are born from thin rivers that stream down from the mountains summit, while other theories posit that glaciers form in certain locations and their melting leads to these formations.
Shortly before dying, Regirya Hertef, one of the members of the Sandice Seekers, said of the summit:
Its unnatural nature notwithstanding, the mountain rises from the Wyfinder's Dunes, a vast desert expanse that extends beyond the Kingdom of Crendameth's southern borders and stretches as far as the eye can see. Along its western face, the mountain faces the Amber Sea, with much of the mountain devolving into a series of jagged precipices the closer it gets to the shoreline. About half a mile away from the Mountain's slope, the Dunes' sand gives way to solid stone. Snow starts falling around 5000 feet up.
The Mountain has thirteen lakes contained within its heights, with two of these being subterranean and the rest being outside. It is believed that these lakes are born from thin rivers that stream down from the mountains summit, while other theories posit that glaciers form in certain locations and their melting leads to these formations.
Shortly before dying, Regirya Hertef, one of the members of the Sandice Seekers, said of the summit:
Aye, the climb's one mean bitch. It'll bite ye fingers and feet off. Ye'll stop feeling yer feckin' face before long and mayhap yer eyes'll still have some give if ye live long enough. But damn, is the view worth it.All the other climbers have expressed similar sentiments yet have preferred to keep the vistas to themselves, with Lyra Crendameth simply stating that:
No gods have blessed us with the means to describe the spectacle thereabove. Having our tongue tied behind the wall of emotion is a curse we will never lift.One can imagine that the Dancing Lights, the strange blue-magenta luminescence that exists around the Mountain's summit, rightly enhances the beauty that can be seen from the summit.
Localized Phenomena
The Nameless Mountain's Dancing Lights have been reported in a handful of other locations as part of myth and hearsay. Spectral, wave-like light will sometimes be visible during the hours of the night and even during certain days, lighting up the snow and stone with its strange glow.
The Mountain's slope shares a phenomenon with the Frozen Dunes of Ashur, where extremely hot temperatures collide with extremely cold ones, resulting in the so-called desert icestorms, where small tornadoes will spring up and carry frozen material with it.
The Mountain's slope shares a phenomenon with the Frozen Dunes of Ashur, where extremely hot temperatures collide with extremely cold ones, resulting in the so-called desert icestorms, where small tornadoes will spring up and carry frozen material with it.
Fauna & Flora
There is not much life on or surrounding the Nameless Mountain. Many animals tend to avoid its harsh environment, and the fact that the Mountain rises from the desert makes it all the more difficult for species to access. However, many expeditioners have reported sightings of monsters climbing within or on its surface. The injuries presented by these climbers seem to corroborate this claim, yet there has been no consensus as to what these beasts might be.
Spirits and ghosts are another matter entirely, as there is extensive evidence that supports their continued existence around the mountain. These are said to be extremely aggressive against passers-by, seeking to maim and injure anyone making their way to the summit and leaving them to die from the cold. These undead beings do not take a humanoid form, preferring to stay as formless sprites that bear claw-like wisps about them. It is said that when a climber dies during their ascent, they join these beings' ranks forevermore.
If certain expedition groups are to be believed, the apex being that inhabits the Mountain is the god that resides at its peak. Not much stake has been laid to these claims, as no other expedition has stated that such a being exists. To this date, the nature of this supposed divinity has never been revealed.
Spirits and ghosts are another matter entirely, as there is extensive evidence that supports their continued existence around the mountain. These are said to be extremely aggressive against passers-by, seeking to maim and injure anyone making their way to the summit and leaving them to die from the cold. These undead beings do not take a humanoid form, preferring to stay as formless sprites that bear claw-like wisps about them. It is said that when a climber dies during their ascent, they join these beings' ranks forevermore.
If certain expedition groups are to be believed, the apex being that inhabits the Mountain is the god that resides at its peak. Not much stake has been laid to these claims, as no other expedition has stated that such a being exists. To this date, the nature of this supposed divinity has never been revealed.
Natural Resources
While it is theorized that there is an abundance of metal resources deep inside the Mountain, only small outcroppings of iron and copper ore have been found by prospectors. It is important to note that most prospector expeditions only go as far as a mile up in the hopes of finding an appropriate location to set up a working mine. This, however, has not been able to come into fruition as of the writing of this article, be it for the lack of evidence of these large deposits or because of the lack of gold necessary to fund such an operation.
History
The Mountain was first discovered by expeditioners searching to push the nascent Kingdom's borders, around five hundred years ago. The prospect of climbing this mountain appeared soon after the scouting party reported its seemingly impossible verticality and the colors that 'danced' near its summit. Centuries of conflict following the arrival of the Sunseeker Empire and a general lack of interest impeded the Mountain's exploration for the better part of the Kingdom's existence, leaving it uncharted. The first successful ascent occurred on 93 BE, when a crew of five mages joined up with three rangers determined to chart the entire world. They would later be immortalized with the name Sandice Seekers and are responsible for raising interest for the challenge the mountain offered. Since then, only a eleven people have been able to reach the summit and descend alive, with most of them passing away soon after their return due to health complications resulting from the climb. Some of these individuals were killed in unrelated incidents, leading a group of people to believe that the Mountain is somehow cursed.
Surviving records of fascination for the Mountain have been proven to be well over two thousand years old. They were left behind by an unknown group of settlers that seems to have migrated away from the continent due to some unknown cause. These come in the form of carved messages and painted legends found in the rocky outskirts of the Wayfinder's Folly, where depictions of a white haired being climbing the mountain and returning with a glowing object but no limbs to hold it. Historians and scholars have posited that this is a probable origin of the myth of the first thread, where Xythana, child and herald of the stars, discovered the way to manipulate the Weave, thus introducing magic into the world.
Expeditioners seeking to climb the mountain will oftentimes cite the myth as one of the reasons for their ascent, claiming that their ascent is a spiritual journey that will take them closer to the world's roots. Such was the popularity of this activity that a small village was established around ten miles from the mountain's slope, adopting the name Climber's Sanctum. Climbing expeditions part from this place, lodge guests and travellers seeking to traverse the Folly and even offer spiritual counselling and respite for those on pilgrimage. It is said that these individuals would come back from their climb behaving in multiple ways, yet none of them coming close to the described tranquillity of picking at the world's roots.
In recent years, a second myth has eclipsed Xythana's in prominence and popularity: that of the summit of all time. Six out of the eleven climbers that survived the round trip claimed that time becomes a single, unified concept at the mountain's peak, while three stated that the summit was a god's abode. It is important to state that these two groups of people correspond to two groups of expeditioners climbing the Mountain, so it is possible that the effects of the weather affected them in some way. These individuals would later spread their claims, leading to and even greater increase in the Mountain's popularity. It is estimated that at least one hundred climbers will die before 26 AE ends.
Surviving records of fascination for the Mountain have been proven to be well over two thousand years old. They were left behind by an unknown group of settlers that seems to have migrated away from the continent due to some unknown cause. These come in the form of carved messages and painted legends found in the rocky outskirts of the Wayfinder's Folly, where depictions of a white haired being climbing the mountain and returning with a glowing object but no limbs to hold it. Historians and scholars have posited that this is a probable origin of the myth of the first thread, where Xythana, child and herald of the stars, discovered the way to manipulate the Weave, thus introducing magic into the world.
Expeditioners seeking to climb the mountain will oftentimes cite the myth as one of the reasons for their ascent, claiming that their ascent is a spiritual journey that will take them closer to the world's roots. Such was the popularity of this activity that a small village was established around ten miles from the mountain's slope, adopting the name Climber's Sanctum. Climbing expeditions part from this place, lodge guests and travellers seeking to traverse the Folly and even offer spiritual counselling and respite for those on pilgrimage. It is said that these individuals would come back from their climb behaving in multiple ways, yet none of them coming close to the described tranquillity of picking at the world's roots.
In recent years, a second myth has eclipsed Xythana's in prominence and popularity: that of the summit of all time. Six out of the eleven climbers that survived the round trip claimed that time becomes a single, unified concept at the mountain's peak, while three stated that the summit was a god's abode. It is important to state that these two groups of people correspond to two groups of expeditioners climbing the Mountain, so it is possible that the effects of the weather affected them in some way. These individuals would later spread their claims, leading to and even greater increase in the Mountain's popularity. It is estimated that at least one hundred climbers will die before 26 AE ends.
Tourism
People come to the Nameless Mountain from all over the Kingdom, although people from other countries have been known to visit Climber's Sanctum and climb the Mountain's lower reaches. They go for a plethora of different reasons, but the most prominent one is the spiritual undertaking of climbing the mountain to reach some level of enlightenment or to overcome some self-imposed challenge.
Alternative Name(s)
- Knife at World's End
- The Howling End
- Climb of All Tomorrows
Type
Mountain / Hill
Location under
Related Myths
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I enjoyed reading this article very much - full of interesting details, well structured, engaging writing. I particularly liked what you did with the quotes - that was so funny. I will be saving it for 'inspiration' when I come to my take on the prompt. Well done.
Thank you so very, very much for your words. They are encouraging beyond belief. My hope is that I can keep producing interesting articles for you to read. I am honored you would consider this article as a source of inspiration for your upcoming work. Once again, thank you very much!