The Wild Peaks

Written by Yerran

The arid mountains of the Wild Peaks hold little vegetation and are ever in the presence of the burning sun. It is a perfect environment for chimeras, manticores, perytons, rocs, drak and giant bats that roost high on the slopes and hunt the livestock in the grasslands to the north. Paths wind precariously through the barren canyons and high peaks, crossing ancient bridges that survived the cataclysm. Though to walk the paths is perilous as tribes of orcs war against the local ogre, goliaths and troll tribes. It is a place where strength and resourcefulness are valued above all else.

Environment & Weather

The Wild Peaks suffer in the sweltering sun for much of the year, with dried cracked reddish stones and sparse vegetation throughout the canyons. Though higher up on the plateaus the weather, though still in the glare of the heat, is cooler as the winds blow down from the Sea of Iriheim to the north and meet the winds of the Shattered Shelf from the west. This creates a perfect place for flash storms of fierce and brutal majesty that appear and vanish again within an hour, filling the canyons with raging torrents of water and washing everything clean. The upper peaks of the great mountains rise high above all around them and feel the chill of winter early in the morning and late at night. It is upon this level that small settlements and the city of Grok'Thundar rise, for few sentient creatures wish to build amongst the dangers of the lower canyons.

A Place for Beasts

The remote peaks and dark canyons are a breeding ground for beats of all sizes and shapes. Between the semi aquatic insectoid creatures that lurk in the cracks of the canyon walls that can kill with the venom of their sting and the gigantic aerial creatures of prey that soar upon the updrafts created by the mountains, any bipedal or quadrupedal creature that seeks to pass during day and on clear nights ought to be careful. While there is often battle between the clans and tribes of the mountains the same is going on between the beasts and animals that live there, for each wishes to rule over the vast peaks. Most of these creatures have evolved to become even more deadly than their counterparts in other parts of Lenwir due to the forced evolution created by the magic of the The Rage of Castellian making these mountains incredibly deadly.

Various tribes, in their bid for power, have tried to domesticate several of the animal species, though most attempts end up with poor results. Some have had success with symbiotic relationships and extraordinary individuals have been known to bond a familiar of some type or other. But it is clear to all within The Wild Peaks, even if a tribe managed to gain ascendency over the others, the real competition are the beasts about them.

A Place of Strength

Tribes of various races and sizes are spread across The Wild Peaks, though the largest is the orcs whose vast fortress of Grok'Thundar looks over the Bay of Culls and The Shattered Shelf. Their tribes and hunting parties often venture out into the Wild Peaks, battling beasts or the other tribes. Smaller tribes of Goliaths, ogres, trolls and mountainous human clans as well as other semi-sentient creatures appear all over the Wild Peaks and constantly battle for supremacy over each other through raids and skirmishes. Some have even been known to take on contracts with the human smugglers to help protect their operations through the mountains, though it is never money they wish for but weapons, resources or items of power.

A Path Between Nations

Broken stone paths and ancient bridges trail between and around the peaks and canyons, left behind by 'The Ancients' of old. Though they still stand and leave a clear trail through The Wild Peaks, it is incredibly dangerous to follow that path due to beasts attacking from the sky above and the canyons below, as well as a sure-fire way to attract the attention of the clans and tribes that live within.

However, The Wild Peaks is a common place for smugglers and bandits to reside or move through, offering a path between Sabal and The Kingdom of Alenian beyond the prying eyes of guards and regulators. For this reasons many smuggler dens can be found within the canyons and hundreds of dangerous and hidden paths carve their way through the lower levels of The Wild Peaks.

Grok' Thundar

The city of orcs is built amongst the  westerrn mountains of the Wild Peaks with its seat of power atop the highest of them ‘Thundar, the lightning peak’. Thundar acts as a natural lightning rod and the orcs hold their highest and most violent ceremonies during great storms, where lightning repeatedly strikes its top in what they see as favour from their violent gods..

Type

Mountain Range

The Rage of Castellian 

Here upon the edge of The Shattered Shelf the Rage of Castellin peters out, and the power it holds over the islands far out to the ocean is a fraction of what it once was. However, it is still a powerful storm with odd magical effects, ones that affect the wildlife of The Wild Peaks and are said to have played a part in their odd and often deadly evolution.

Stonetusk Drak

Seen as the most deadly species among the beasts of The Wild Peaks, it is often used in many tribe's displays and rituals of strength to prove themselves as great fighters, though it claims the challengers lives more often than not.