Hascona Cliffs
The cliffs are nestled back inside the southern stretch of the Patuiq Strait that sits between the Mөс and South Sinenen Oceans. Harassed by sporadic wind and snow, the cliffs rise out of the frigid waters of the strait, gleaming in the sunlight with an otherworldly aura.
They looked like walls of smoke-stained gemstones, standing upright in the water. At first, we thought they were carved columns. Giant prisms carved into the icy cliffs. Once we were closer, we realized that they might have formed naturally.
Indeed, after some study by master stonecrafters, the prism shaped columns of the cliff face were not carved. Magic was not ruled out as a glimmer of the spellcraft was detected running through the stone, following veins of minerals and crystals like an underground river.
The gentle, uncanny blue and green aura provide a pleasant sight through the depths of the strait. On moonless nights, the swirling glow is bright enough to illuminate the shadowy outline of sunken ships in the frigid waters. Some bear a strong resemblance to Ancient Order designs, yet all are out of reach for now.
These flowing veins of magic are responsible for the ghostly aura of the cliffs that can be seen, even a night. Why they flow like a thin magical waterfall over the cliffs with no apparent source is a mystery. Arcane surveyors suspect the reason may rest either deep below the ground or the water.
However, the cliffs have more than flowing auras. They are also home to a hidden enclave of people, perhaps the only ones on Glacialis.
People of the Trackless Snow
An underground world exists behind the prism-like face of the cliffs. Each of these caverns runs up toward the cliff face, forming a network of chambers and tunnels. In some cases, the cliffs are a literal window outside due to the crystal formations being natural windows in the rock.
In these caverns live the Qitanni clans. They are not a unified people, but distinct clans living beneath the snow and stone. Over the generations, these people have excavated underground rivers and uncovered hidden chambers of underground plant-life.
In these subterranean valleys, the Qitanni make their home in settlements carved in an expert fashion out of the stone walls to form underground cliff-dwellings.
It was magnificent. The ‘sky’ of this underground world is lit by sunlight filtered through ice and crystal. Each ‘town’ or ‘settlement’ is designed vertically with stairs, ladders, and lifts moved by counterweights. Naturally, they have no fear of heights, just a healthy respect for it.
At home in this unforgiving environment, the Qitanni have a unique perspective on the hidden dangers and creatures that lurk in the Glacialis snow. This includes the nearby ruins from the Ancient Order.
Tip of the Iceberg
A short distance from the underground cliff-settlements of the Qitanni, a set of weathered metal ribs thrust up out of the snow. These are the Natoce Ruins.
Barely as tall as a modest house, they are curved like the rib bones of a giant. Windtracer explorers confirm the remains date from the Ancient Order and are likely Dwarven influenced, if not Dwarven-made.
Like all the Ancient ruins, they have suffered due to age and the Great Collapse. Yet, they still hold many of the secrets of the Ancient Order and lethal dangers. In the case of the Natose Ruins, what is above ground is only the entrance. The bulk, and genuine find, lies deep underground.
Alternative Name(s)
Heaven's Cliffs
Type
Cliff
Location under
Related Ethnicities
Wyldlife
Plants
Magic Fields and other Hazards
Life Among the Frozen Wastes
After surviving the magic winter malestrom at in the Patuiq Strait, then meeting the Qitanni people, I shouldn’t have been surprised to find some animal and plants making their home here.
The cliffs have their own unusual plant, and animal life that has become suited to the location. Whales with long unicorn-like horns inhabit the frigid waters off of the cliff face. There they hunt the multi-colored flying fish that seem to spend as much time above water as below.
Also, ice golems are common. Rising naturally from the floating icebergs that dot the waters off the cliffs. Alongside those are large colonies of frost seals and blue-gill squid that roam the area.
The most dangerous of all are the gigantic ice-wyrms. Those immense beasts ‘swim’ through the snow at the top of the cliffs as well as inhabit the frozen waters.
The beasts are huge! You can see the wake as they swim through the snow or water. When close to the surface, their nose horns cut like a dorsal fin of a shark.
Best to remember that these beasts hunt by sound and vibrations. So walk soft over the snow.
You make some lovely words in this article~ Hascona, Wyldlife, Qitanni... 'Trackless Snow' <3 The clans seem interesting... I wonder how they are distinct, and if they all get along?
Oh, hello! And thank you! They are interesting in their own right. This harsh place they live in is a bit unforgiving. They share some cultural traits and disagree on many others! There are Lorekeeper reports on the Qitanni that should be available very soon!