The Frostbite Mountains
Where the known world ends.
Located far from civilization, The Frostbite Mountains are utterly remote and all but impossible to traverse save by the most determined seeker. Many legends cling to mountains, and, like any place of myth, it is a beacon to dreamers, madmen and questors of adventure. Some of these brave souls attempt to scale the impossible mountains, perhaps seeking wisdom or enlightenment, however they all have to pass through one of the three main strongholds of the dwarves : Gradmout, Hekler and Dustdrir.
Geography
The heights of the Frostbites are treeless masses of rock and year-round ice. They are frequently shrouded in cold mists and can generate snowstorms out of season, sometimes even at the height of summer. Whether wreathed in fog or easily discerned, the peaks constantly loom over travelers, continually visible above the trees.
The middle and lower slopes are frequently wet, but the water is often frozen, leaving patches of snow on the ground for eight months of most years. In late spring and through the summer, the air becomes warm and humid.
Using the natural curvature of the rock, the dwarves sculpted stone pathways and stairs into the lower parts of the mountain.
Fauna & Flora
The middle and lower slopes are heavily forested with fir, spruce, and a great deal of pine. Nestled among the evergreens are a few solitary broadleaves such as birch, and aspen. The ground is covered with an assortment of mosses clinging to rocks and the trees themselves. Few plants other than a variety of lichens and some of the hardier mosses can grow in the soil of the forest floor, which is highly acidic.
Many rodent species live in the Frostbites: marmots, hares, squirrels, and countless mice scurry about. Lynxes, foxes, weasels, and predatory birds feed on the rodents. Raptors such as eagles, owls, and hardier falcons are common. Herds of elk, deer, mountain goats, and the occasional moose wander through the woods. What travelers have to really watch out for, though, are the larger predator species that do not fear men: crag wolves, cavern bears and the most dangerous of all, the griffons (who have a special relationship with the dwarves of the mountain).
Many rodent species live in the Frostbites: marmots, hares, squirrels, and countless mice scurry about. Lynxes, foxes, weasels, and predatory birds feed on the rodents. Raptors such as eagles, owls, and hardier falcons are common. Herds of elk, deer, mountain goats, and the occasional moose wander through the woods. What travelers have to really watch out for, though, are the larger predator species that do not fear men: crag wolves, cavern bears and the most dangerous of all, the griffons (who have a special relationship with the dwarves of the mountain).
Natural Resources
The mountain range holds a great deal of Iron and Coal ore which the dwarves mine and trade with the rest of the continent. Not open to trade are the famous Sapphire mines found in the western part, near Dustdrir, which the dwarves guard fiercely.
History
"In the early ages the land was dry and the mountains were alive.
They walked the earth and stepped their large feet into the skin of the world breaking and cracking it and leaving behind dale and canyon.
One such mountain was so happy to be alive that he danced and skipped across the land, happy as a child to see the world. But he was unaware what occurred in his wake.
So once a brave dwarf rode out from a destroyed village. He sought out the giant and wished to slay it. But when he found him, the giant was not an angry beast, but a curious figure fascinated by his new little friend.
And so the dwarf told him of the world beneath his feet. The dwarves, the birds, the dogs and the cows. He told them of the little critters that dwell in the trees and the large beasts that make their homes beneath the ground.
The Giant listened in awe. Such a world that he had never seen. He must see it! So he rose to depart again but the dwarf stopped him. For there was a second part to his tale.
Wherever the giant put his feet he found life. And where he found life, he left death. His recklessness had cost the lives of many things.
It broke the giant's heart. So he made a promise to the dwarf never to take another step again, as long as he lived, and they live eternally.
And so he lay there, falling asleep and letting the dwarves settle on his back.
But the heartbreak was too much and from his eyes sprang salty tears which flooded the land like rivers, and lakes and seas.
And thus from the mountain the sea was born.
The mountains still live today. Listen closely and you can hear them snore in their sleep. Perhaps one day they'll wake."
-Old dwarven legend by the Scribe Sanderf Naintti
They walked the earth and stepped their large feet into the skin of the world breaking and cracking it and leaving behind dale and canyon.
One such mountain was so happy to be alive that he danced and skipped across the land, happy as a child to see the world. But he was unaware what occurred in his wake.
So once a brave dwarf rode out from a destroyed village. He sought out the giant and wished to slay it. But when he found him, the giant was not an angry beast, but a curious figure fascinated by his new little friend.
And so the dwarf told him of the world beneath his feet. The dwarves, the birds, the dogs and the cows. He told them of the little critters that dwell in the trees and the large beasts that make their homes beneath the ground.
The Giant listened in awe. Such a world that he had never seen. He must see it! So he rose to depart again but the dwarf stopped him. For there was a second part to his tale.
Wherever the giant put his feet he found life. And where he found life, he left death. His recklessness had cost the lives of many things.
It broke the giant's heart. So he made a promise to the dwarf never to take another step again, as long as he lived, and they live eternally.
And so he lay there, falling asleep and letting the dwarves settle on his back.
But the heartbreak was too much and from his eyes sprang salty tears which flooded the land like rivers, and lakes and seas.
And thus from the mountain the sea was born.
The mountains still live today. Listen closely and you can hear them snore in their sleep. Perhaps one day they'll wake."
-Old dwarven legend by the Scribe Sanderf Naintti
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