Mount Ferrule

Mount Ferulle is an extinct volcano in the far northwest of the Iron Hills which, according to legend, is the home of a fearsome dragon.
The terrain on and arround Mount Ferrule is extremely rough and steep, with large expanses of exposed rock and steep cliff faces covered in moss. Scattered trees and ferns grow in patches where they can find enough soil. There is also a huge number of cave openings, opening into an enormous network of lava tubes and volcanic vents, leading down into a sprawling cavern network.

Ecosystem

This sparse plant life on the surface supports a surprising variety of grazers: wild sheep and goats are the largest of these, travelling in large herds, along with rabbits, marmots, mice, and other small creatures. The area is also home to hawks, eagles and foxes, who feed on the smaller animals. Most notably, however, the region's many cave openings provide perfect habitat for a sizable population of cave drakes that feed on the goats, sheep, and whatever else they can find.
Most scholars hearing the legend of the "Dragon of Mount Ferulle" agree that it is these cave drakes that are the more likely cause of the legend: while generally smaller than dragons and flightless, old cave drakes can easily grow large enough to regard a group of explorers as a food source, and are more than capable of turning a network of caves such as those beneath Mount Ferrule into a living nightmare for anyone who goes in unprepared. Going by the oldest records of the account, the attacking "dragon" was reported to be upwards of 30 feet from nose to tail, well beyond the size of those seen in more traveled regions, suggesting that cave drakes left to their own devices can become very old indeed.

Natural Resources

Mount Ferrule lies in the far northwest of the Iron Hills, a particularly remote region right at the edge of the reach of the nearest anchors in Rethis and Chelestra. Because of this, and because of the extreme roughness of the terrain and the lack of easily accessible drinking water, there had been little serious effort to explore the region, particularly in the years since the "dragon" attack became so sensationalized. As such, the region has never been properly surveyed. However, one would expect a volcano like Mount Ferrule to house a variety of ores containing lead, copper, nickel, tin and zinc, though these can be difficult to process due to the toxic sulfur fumes released in the smelting process. Because of this, as well as the wealth of alternative options in the Iron Hills, volcanic deposits are often considered less desirable than the more weathered deposits found further south.