Iron Spine Mountains
Geography
The main features of the Iron Spine Mountains are their impenetrability and extreme savagery. The passes are few and difficult and prone to disappear due to snowdrifts and avalanches. The safest ones from a geological viewpoint often hide other, more grievous danger to travels, like dens of brigands or the mountain tribes, or the dangerous beasts that live in the cliffs of the Iron Spines.
Due to the difficulty of traversing them, they, like the Broken Foothills, have had few detailed maps made of them. There are stories of travelers stumbling into unknown valleys, underground rivers that carve out tunnels wide enough for entire camps, and even forgotten cities from before the Age of Storms exist among the peaks and the deep, dark ravines.
Localized Phenomena
Abundant snowfalls are common in the Iron Spines, and can occur even in summer, though less frequently. The Tribesmen know that after a snowstorm has come, burying the peaks in snow for a week, they do not travel when the sun is warm and they speak with low voices, lest the mountain bury you in snowdrifts, mudslides, and avalanches. This leads to the Tribesmen of the Iron Spine to avoid shouting, especially when outside.
The Wyrdwinds affect the Iron Spines as well, though there is also a phenomenon in the Iron Spines called the Icewind. The Icewind is a gust of air so cold that it freezes everything it touches. It is visible, like a white vapor running very fast. It will freeze anything that is caught in it, be it animal, human, plant or even inanimate object. Objects become so brittle that they can shatter under a mere touch. No one is quite sure what causes the Icewind to come, but it can last from a few minutes to entire nights. The only thing that can be done in these cases is to find a good shelter and huddle inside. The Tribesmen will, quite often, call battles and hunts off when reports of the Icewind coming reach them. It has led to a saying among the Tribes: "Even blood can freeze."
Fauna & Flora
The Iron Spine Mountains have many hardy animals that live on their slopes, moving to follow the water and the grazing by the seasons, and thus followed by predators seeking to feast upon them as well. The Tribesmen of the Iron Spine hunt the wild board and the deer that live on the mountains, but also tend to their herds of Twisthorn Sheep and oxen. There are herds of wild Twisthorn Sheep and the Tribesmen often pay these herds respect, lest they offend the Guardian, one of the Spirits of the Mountain. Each herd is said to have its own Guardian, a legendary creature that is shaped like a large man but with a sheep's hooves, legs and head, complete with long twisting horns. These creatures are peaceful, but they will stealthily watch over the wild herds and show no mercy to any greedy hunter killing more of these beasts than they need. The mountains, of course, only respect strength. The Tribesmen say you will never hear them, but you will know they are around, for they will play their long trumpets, made from the horns of the old fallen sheep, which can be confused with the howl of the wind.
The marmots of the Iron Spine are very similar to their kin in the Broken Foothills, though they are smaller. These small, cute beasts live in large colonies. They are very intelligent and keep a sentinel guarding while the rest of the colony grazes. In case of danger, the sentinel whistles and the entire colony disappears into their burrows. The Tribesmen will often set out traps to catch these ground squirrels.
As for predators, there are the Crystal Bears, which are the apex predators of the mountains. Large white furred bears that grow crystals on their back, there are never many of these animals and they often fight one another for territory. Mountain cats are also common. They are grey-fur to better hide on the rocks and their fur changes to white during the winter. They are long and sleek, with sharp teeth and powerful jaws. Occasionally, when raised from a very young age, they can be trained by the Tribesmen as pets and hunting companions.
The lowlands are heavily forested with a mixture of deciduous and conifers, but as one climbs further up the slopes, the varieties begin to narrow to larches and a particular pine called the Gray Soldier. The Gray Soldier is valued greatly by the Tribesmen for it produces very large cones, that are extremely light-weight and can be used as fuel during the winter. Their seeds can be crumbled and mixed with honey for high-energy sweetmeats. As one goes towards the peaks (and few regularly do), even the Gray Soldier disappears and only bushes, fungi and lichen remain.
Type
Mountain Range
Related Ethnicities
Inhabiting Species
