Ironspine Mountains
This sky-scraping mountain range stretches along the west borders of Primus. It is named for its immense mineral reserves, and once housed the mighty Kingdom of Stone.
Geography
The mountains stretch from the foothills in the Highland Reaches and stretch south, separating mainland Primus from the Misty Sea. The inland side is difficult to traverse, but has lower summits further inland, whereas the coast is sheer, rocky cliffs broken only rarely by gravelly beaches and grottoes.
Where it comes paralell with the The Great Conflagration, the outer edges of the mountains begin to change in composition, with the southern slopes having higher rates of volcanism. The range curves east here, and has its opposite edge in the inland rainforests and hill regions of the Maznah countryside.
Localized Phenomena
Since most of the range is subject to the neutral realm magic of Primus, the "base 0" of realm magics, most of the ironspines are normal, if exceptionally tall, mountains. Closer to the borders with Auria and Ignia, though, the realm magics of those realms begins to affect them.
The northwest and western heights form a border reason with Auria, but the climb is exceptionally difficult. The mixing of Primus' earth and water inclusions with the strong elemental realm magic of Air allow for a greater concentration of floating islands, especially vegetated islands, than elsewhere in the Realm.
The southern borders of the chain meld with Ignia, with some mountainsides becoming molten and joining the realm of fire's lava lakes or feeding its lava rivers. Many of the southernmost peaks are volcanic, and they have greater concentrations of igneous rocks.
Fauna & Flora
Because of the incredible range of biomes the mountains pass through, they are home to a wide variety of creatures, from Yeti in the higher and northern peaks, to wyverns in the eponymous Wyvern's Rise Hills.
History
In the age before the twin cataclysms, it is said that the Dwarven Kingdom of Stone spread so far and so deep through the ironspine mountains that the peaks were more dwarfhome than stone.
The Rain of Colorless Fire destroyed this empire. It not only devastated the once lush and fertile hill country, turning it into the Starless Mire, it also melted and shrank the Ironspines, flooding the ancient dwarfhome with molten and magically-liquid stone, as well as causing innumerable earthquakes and collapses. The destruction was so complete that the empire was largely abandoned, leading to the emigration of dwarves into mainland Primus.
Alternative Name(s)
the Spine of the World
Type
Mountain Range
Location under
Included Locations
Inhabiting Species