Nevermelting Fields

Geography

The Nevermelting Fields is an expansive, perpetually frozen plain located north of the towering Ice-Crowned Summit mountain range. It stretches across a broad peninsula, bordered by a frigid, icy ocean. The region is marked by rolling hills of snow, frozen rivers, and scattered ice formations that glimmer under the pale sun. Massive glaciers form natural boundaries between the fields and the coastal cliffs.

Localized Phenomena

The Nevermelting Fields are famous for their ever-present snow, but the reason for their eternal winter is a phenomenon that the skarr tribe calls the Heart of Winter. When the abericlase went dark, the fields ended up freezing over due to some magical symbiotic relationship. This magical force pulls heat from the air and the ground, preventing the snow from ever melting. At night, faint, shimmering lights dance across the horizon, forming what the locals call the Veil of Ice, a mystical aurora said to signal the presence of ancient magic.
Another rare event is the Frostquakes—sudden, silent tremors that ripple through the ice, rearranging glaciers and creating new, perilous landscapes.

Climate

Temperatures in the Nevermelting Fields are consistently sub-zero, dropping to even more extreme lows at night. The sky is often overcast, casting a dim light over the landscape, though blizzards frequently sweep through the area, reducing visibility to near-zero. Winds howl across the open plains, pushing drifts of snow into towering dunes. Precipitation falls as fine, glittering snow year-round, but never rain.

Fauna & Flora

Flora: 

• Sparse but resilient. The Frostbloom, a silver-leaved shrub, grows in the frozen soil, storing water in its waxy leaves. 
• The Glacier Moss, a cold-resistant plant, coats the ground near hot springs or geothermal vents. 
• Snowberries, frost-resistant fruits, serve as food for local fauna.

Fauna: 

• The Icefang Wolf is a pack predator with frost-bitten fur, perfectly adapted for blending into the white expanse.
• The Frosthorn Elk graze on glacier moss, their heavy coats and thick antlers designed to fend off predators.
• Beneath the ice, mysterious Snow Serpents slither through frozen rivers, hunting smaller creatures like icefish.

History

The Nevermelting Field--once called The Silver Plains--were green and fertile before the cataclysmic event of the abericlase going dark. The land was rich and fertile and farms dotted the plains with a mixture of races that fell under the tribe of the giants that lived there. Some believe that it was the power of the goddess stone that prevented this northern territory from freezing and provided the rich bounty, but when it went dark the protection of the god of nature disappeared. When this happened, the giants were frozen and sank deep into the earth; the skarr believe they paid the ultimate price as their protectors and continue to roam the land seeking answers.