Piercing Hills

Considered a minor extension of the Cairnbrow Mountains, the Piercing Hills are a geological border between Nivasa and Aymaq. Prior to the discovery of piercing ore, Astagua's most lucrative export, the Piercing Hills were named for the screams of the wraith-like creatures roaming their peaks.

Mining Operations

At present, the mining operations at the Piercing Hills are managed exclusively by the Aymaquan Aristocracy. Several barons own at least one mine, though in accordance with Umran law, 51% of the mines belong to the seat of The Unified Council, Count Xoruk Goldtooth.
Piercing Ore is refined on site, and ingots are shipped sparingly across Astagua. The majority of the ingots are traded internationally, under supervision of the Unfied Council.

History

The formation of the Piercing Hills occurred some time before the Great Sacrifice. They originally earned their name by the attentive travelers who heard shrieks and screams of the undead carried on the winds at night. It wasn't until some Orcs of Aymaq, wanting to dispatch of the undead, stumbled upon the uniquely dark and glimmering ore that the hills were mapped and mining operations began.
The composition of the hills varies tower to tower, with the only consistency being piercing ore, typically found on the surface. While traditional geological substrates such as granite or limestone are usually beneath the ore, the largest towers have as-of-yet unidentified materials beneath. Divination magic fails to identify the materials, and all tested materials have failed to leave a mark, leading some researchers and academics to believe the towers served some purpose for the Celorians.

Hauntings

Wraiths, ghasts, and other undead spirits are abundant in the Piercing Hills. As with many undead, they either vanish or go into hiding during the day. As such, mining operations only occur from dawn to dusk, and only during those days that are not overcast.
While most of the undead creatures in the hills are indiscernable from one another, there have been several reports of a particularly abhorrent and grotesque creature that defiles everywhere it goes. This creature, nicknamed "The Warden," is attributed with closing down two mineshafts in the last year.
The mineshafts were both dug into the second-largest tower in the hills, which caught the attention of the researchers at Academia. They requested that the Aymaquans study The Warden to discern its purpose, if it has one, and see if there's any correlation to the Celorians.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Aymaq doesn't want to waste money on such a venture.

Type

Mountain Range