Royal Mountains

"The last few rays of light shimmering off the silver peaks, the mountain reflected in the bay's still water; It's a sight I will surely never tire of." - Captain Gar of the Snowrunner, speaking on the appearance of the Royal Mountains at sunset.
The Royal Mountains are a range found in the northeastern region of Astora. They begin in The Wilderlands and stretch southwards, ending on the shores of Dragon's Cove. Going east to west the range itself is only about 50 miles across, making it quite a bit smaller than the Vilmyr Mountains. The Royal Mountains were named because of their proximity to Royal's Bay, as it inhabited almost the entire eastern coastline. It would later be nicknamed the "Silver Mountains" because of it's high snowy peaks and the silver shimmering effect the range displays during dawn and dusk hours.
Though containing less economic resources than the Vilmyr range to the east, the Royal Mountains still providing Astora with many advantages. Specifically, the Royal Mountains acts as a shield or blockade to the country's northern region. Meaning that any wishing to enter Astora, either friend or foe, would need to venture towards the more highly populated south, or brave the hostile Wilderlands to the north.

Geography

The Royal Mountains soared at a very high elevation, several thousand feet higher than the Vilmyr range to the west. At it's highest point, Mount Lookout stood at over 21,000ft, making it one of Naneth's tallest features. Because of this elevation, life atop the Royal range was desolate, with very few creatures able to survive such conditions. The only exception to these conditions seem to be the existence of Astora's mighty white dragons. Though incredibly rare, the inhabitants of areas like Shimmer or Forlorn still report seeing these majestic creatures soaring above the peaks and roosting atop the highest summits. Many believe these dragons to be direct descendants of Bahamut himself.
Because of it's elevation, most of the range was permanently covered in ice and snow, even during Astora's warmer summer months. Even the regions of the range that spread southward towards the Ironwood Forest maintained a degree of frost. Additionally, the cliff faces that sat along the coast of Royal's Bay were covered in a permanent layer of thick ice, caused by the freezing waters constantly washing up against them. This added to the shimmering effect of the range, and likely led to the naming of Shimmer; the Royal Mountain's largest city.

History

Discovery and Naming

The Royal Mountains were discovered by Atmorans in the early years of the Age of Renewal. These explorers quickly named the range after Royal's Bay, the body of water the mountains accented in the east. This makes the Royal Mountains unique in the fact that it is one of the only features in the region named by Atmorans, rather than founders of Astora. Of course, these mountains had a different name to the elves that had called this region of Naneth home long before humans arrived; Ered-Loss or "Mountain of Snow" in common.

Founding of Shimmer

In AoR 299, the town of Shimmer was founded in a coastal inlet of the Royal Mountains, making it the first Astoran settlement situated inside the mountain range, and at the time, Astora's northernmost settlement. Shimmer itself is built out of the stone and ice of the area. Many portions of the city lay inside the mountains themselves, while other parts are built in and on the massive, permanent ice caps that line the coast. Over time, Shimmer would grow into a large city, serving as one of Astora's largest ports and a center of distribution by ship to the rest of the country and other nations.

Notable Locations

• Icewind: One of Astora's settlements that is populated almost entirely by Arctic and Mountain Dwarves. Icewind is a small and sturdy fortress built into the mountains, built long ago and occupied by the dwarves of the region. Most other races would not survive such harsh living conditions.

 

• Forlorn: Forlorn was a small settlement in the far reaches of Astora's north. It stood watch over the northern pass of the Royal Mountains, until it was destroyed in AoR 598 by a young Green Dragon named Venomfang.

• Shimmer: One of Astora's larger cities, and one of the most popular port cities on Naneth. It was used as a massive distribution center, specifically for goods traded between Astora and Atmora.

• Royal's Cove: Once used as a foothold for some of Astora's first explorers, Royal's Cove is now merely used as a small port town. It is mostly bypassed by larger ships in favor of Shimmer. Though this has made it a popular stopping point for some of Astora's less favorable seafarers. 

• Mount Lookout: Astora's tallest mountain, Lookout stands at the southern edge of the Royal Mountains, and overlooks Vinheim and the rest of the Capital Peninsula.

• Highpoint River: The Highpoint River begins in the high elevation on the Royal Mountains, fed by a spring deep beneath the snowy rock. Portions of this river a re frozen year round, making it Astora's smallest river in terms of volume and length. The Highpoint flows in two different directions, ending in Royal's Cove in the north and Dragon's Cove in the south.

Basic Information

Type: Mountain Range
Location: Northeastern Astora
Elevation: 21,000ft (Mount Lookout) 16,000ft (Average)
Other Names: Ered-Loss (Elvish), The Silver Mountains
Notable Inhabitants: White Dragons, Arctic, Mountain Dwarves