The Shattered Peaks
Rising ominous to the south, the Shattered Peaks bear the marks of magical battle from aeons past when the Dwarven King, Skaloff Thunderbearer, made these peaks home. A powerful crafter and wizard, he fell during the Wizard Wars that nearly destroyed the world but the mountains still bear the halls, mysteries, and dangers of his reign. And maybe even the treasure.
History
Rumors and Tales:
• There is more than one dwarven ruin in these mountains. Rumors speak of a mighty treasure vault deep below in "the place where the air stops being cold and starts being hot" (close to magma). The path there, though, is at the very least occupied by foul, skittering creatures and monsters.
• A large crater in one of the mountains was caused by the use of an unbelievably powerful spell that nearly blasted the entire mountain to dust. This explosion exposed many minerals and gems that were swiftly mined out after the wars concluded, though perhaps the miners of old missed a few spots.
• The Hall of Bron Longtooth, a dwarven city, caved in many years ago after centuries of abandonment. Archaeologists would love nothing more than to find a way to excavate that ruin.
• Frolki's Last Stand is a narrow pass in the mountains where a lone dwarven warrior is said to have held off an entire army though sheer stubbornness and might. It was named an important cultural heritage site in recent years.
• Stone giants have figured out how to use earth elementals to their advantage when hunting in these mountains.
• There is a legend of an unlikely friendship between a dwarven king, King Durdin Tornshield, and a red dragon named Krashatrix. They say the king raised the dragon from an egg and taught it to value goodness and to reject its natural inclination toward evil and selfishness. Many murals and wall carvings in the abandoned dwarven ruins depict scenes of this legend.