The Hathaika Peaks

Cracked Mountains Bathed In Blood

The peaks of Hathaika are inhospitable and crowned with thick snow. Shattered rocks and split mountains make the landscape feel broken and crippled. The monotonous gray stone of the narrow, cliffside paths makes every mountain feel the same. Rungs of iron jut out of the mountain to make the paths easier. Regardless, Hathaika remains a dangerous place. No one would voluntarily live here, yet many groups call it home. All were wronged by the Shelitan Empire in one way or another. The Zealots had a doctrine that conflicted with the official religion of the Empire. The Peoples of Zan—snake-men—were architects and warriors, but they were crushed under the Empire’s heel. The Half-Orc Pashite Tribes were exiled because of the Empire’s prejudice toward orcs. All these people and more have been relegated to the most dangerous and inhospitable places on the fringes of the Empire. What’s worse, the Groteslang—a mythical snake of legendary size—has awakened to cause even more damage to the distraught peoples of Hathaika, cutting off the road between Azuvah and Barsā.

Geography

Tall and formidable mountains crowned with snow act as a natural wall between the jungles of Barsā and the dry prairie of Azuvah. The gray, andesitic stone makes the peaks of Hathaika feel monotonous and maze-like. Navigation is made even harder by the steep cliffs, high peaks, and deep valleys that could end your life in seconds. All throughout the mountains, trails snake through the valleys, consolidating wind that cuts straight through even the heaviest of clothing. When valleys aren't an option, precarious and rusty rungs of steel are stabbed into the cliffsides to help climbers reach their destinations.

Localized Phenomena

The Groteslang, an enormous snake, digs through the earth in the heart of the mountains. Before the Groteslang, the Salt Road connected the western side of Naer-til to its eastern half, but that route has been severed. Now, you must take a long journey around the mountains. 
The Groteslang carves smooth, tubular tunnels through the ground that the most foolhardy of adventurers will try to explore. They're called the Stretching Depths and a race of snake-men called the peoples of Zan live there. They are the only things that can reliably survive in the middle of Hathaika. Everything else is consumed by the Groteslang.
At the border between Hathaika and Azuvah, there is a large chasm called the Dragon's Den. Sophisticates have determined that it isn't a natural chasm, but it's difficult to know the true nature of the Dragon's Den. This is because it's covered in a very thick layer of mist that causes severe bleeding when it's touched. Repelling down into the mist is near impossible because the mist will seep through your fabric. Even if you could avoid the blood-sucking mist, it would be impossible to see what lies at the bottom.  The earth near the Dragon's Den quakes, as if something is destroying the ground beneath it.

Fauna & Flora

Most of the Hathaika Peaks are cold and inhospitable for plant life, but some of the deepest valleys in the center of the mountains are rumored to hold oases of jungle-like trees and foliage. Since the heart of the mountains is almost impossible to travel to now, it's impossible to know whether those rumors were true or just local legend. Regardless, there are areas of the mountain chain that have plenty of hardy trees that have weathered the tough conditions.
A monastery at the top of one of the mountains called the Mettabel Friary creates a delicious wine that is made from grapes that the friars claim are as big as a foot in diameter. Conveniently, anyone who is not a part of the monastery is forbidden from climbing the mountain for religious reasons, so it's impossible to confirm.
The Hathaika Peaks has fallen victim to one of the worst cases of invasive species that Naer-til has ever known. Not because the ecosystem was destroyed by the new animal, but because of the supernatural origin of the invasion. For millennia, a fearsome beast known as the Groteslang slumbered deep beneath the mountains. Two hundred years ago, the Groteslang awoke and brought with it nests of snakes.
Centuries ago, small rodents called picas were abundant in Hathaika, but the new populations of snakes have driven the picas nearly to extinction.
Mountain goats are also quite common here. Since they can climb the mountains with ease, plenty of myths, legends, and hearsay have developed around them. The most well-known superstition is that they will guide lost travelers out of the mountains using the safest paths through the crags.
There is more to the Hathaika Peaks than just beasts, however. There are common rumors of more sinister monsters. The preta are the most prevalent rumors. They are supposedly spirits of those that died in the mountains that spend their afterlife with extreme thirst and hunger. They stalk the living closely, hoping to take crumbs, full meals, or even living things to quench their hunger.

Natural Resources

• There's an abundance of gemstones and raw metallic ore under the mountains.
• The wines created by the Mettabel Friary and smaller wineries in scattered villages.
• An abundance of natural stone that is perfect for buildings and carvings.
• Fresh mountain water from the snow-capped peaks. Sometimes even transported to allow aristocrats in the Empire ice.
• A scarce amount of lumber is found here.

Alternative Name(s)

The Cracked Mountains

Type

Mountain Range

Contested By

• Shelitan Empire
• The Kree Tribes
• The Nashite Tribes
• The Peoples of Zan