Mount Tianshi
The tallest mountain on the continent, said to be so tall it scrapes the heavens and serves as a home to millions of war-dead
A mountain o' tha dead - in every sense of the it, if'n yous be askin' us. Dere's a reason none of us native folk'll be goin' near dat peak. Issa bad omen, eh. The price'n ya be havin' to pay to climb dat summit be a bit too steep for us - dey say issa nothin' less than your body. Dat ya become one of dem spirits 'pon dat mountain. So let it rest, eh. Enough folk died on dis Blood Mountain already. Let 'em rest, or offer up a lost loved one to da mountain spirits - dey'll make sure dey make it home alright.
Geography
As the tallest mountain on the continent, Mountain Tianshi's geography is defined by sharp rocky crags, mountain outcroppings, and sheer cliff faces stretching for hundreds or thousands of feet up and down - the upper portions of the mountain are covered in snow at most all times, and the highest peaks of the mountain are said to be surrounded by a beautiful aurora constantly; an eternal display for the honored dead created by The Spirit Kings to honor their sacrifice.
Several beautiful mountain springs are found towards the top of the mountain, while mountain runoff channels can be found cascading down its rocky edifices in beautiful sheets of pure blue mountain springwater that reflect the light found at the top of the world. As the mountain sits in the center of the Tianzhao Peaks for which it was named, mountains and beautiful expanses of the land below offer gorgeous vistas for any bold enough to make the trek even partially up its cliffs to gaze out at the world below, so high above that one can stand even above the clouds themselves.
Ecosystem
The ecosystem of the mountain is altogether normal for a mountain - at least, partially. Once one travels above the Uhlmi Line(Defined as a line about 70% up mountain) demarcated by visible signage, the ecosystem of the mountain changes entirely - no living creature is found above this point, no sound is heard, and the only company one will find is haunting, bone-chilling silence and the howling of wind through mountain canyons. Ghosts are reportedly seen frequently past this point, starting out as faint glimpses out of the corner of one's eye just beyond the Uhlmi LIne and increasing to such a potent degree that at the peak they are said to make it almost impossible to move, standing so close and so packed to travelers as they are said to do.
However, because of the ill-fated nature of every expedition that has traveled beyond the Uhlmi Line, this information is piecemeal and incomplete - recovered from the journals of the lost members of those expeditions days, weeks, months, or even years after their disappearance.
Ecosystem Cycles
Depending on the season, the eastern side of the mountain is hit by torrential rain and wind - though the land beyond the Uhlmi Line reportedly does not experience these weather patterns as if it is somehow immune to them. Otherwise, the mountain exists in a mostly perpetual state beyond a certain point - as tall as it is, most of the upper portions of the mountain remain mostly unaffected by the passing of time and the coming and going of seasons aside from varying amounts of rainfall, wind, and the like.
Localized Phenomena
Most notable of Mount Tianshi's unique phenomena is the plethora of spirits present upon the upper portions of the mountain that dwell beyond the fabled Uhlmi Line(A line that demarcates the upper 30% of the mountain) - these spirits, when glimpsed, invariably resemble dead soldiers, warriors, or other forgotten fighters and the like, bearing wounds that resemble how they likely died or suffered during their lifetime. This overwhelming surplus of spirits has given the mountain its legendary nickname of The Stairway to Heaven, owing to the belief of the native mountain tribes that the mountain, as tall as it is, serves as a gathering point for the lost and wandering spirits of the war-dead - a place where spirits can go to find their way back into the the Lifestream that will eventually carry them beyond the Tenfold Gates and into the afterlife.
The mountain, one can imagine, is therefore and incredibly spiritual place - and the beautiful aurora that supposedly can be seen from the mountain's peak is a beautiful, mournful siren light that was created by The Spirit Kings to honor the war-dead of Zheng-Kitar that supposedly serves as a physical connection point between the realms of the living and dead; a proof of the covenant between The Spirit Kings and their faithful on Zheng-Kitar who were promised their eternal protection.
To a similar but more sinister point, the mountain is believed to claim the bodies of living creatures who travel beyond the Uhlmi Line - as the mountain's peak is believed to be a connection point between the realms of the living and the dead, the mountain is believed to protect this point by allowing only the lost and wandering spirits of the dead to travel to its peak; attempts by mortal mountaineers to reach this peak have invariably resulted in their disappearance and presumed deaths. The one and only exception to this rule is when mournful mortals make the trek up the mountain to offer up the body of a dead or living relative whose soul has lost its way(Either from having been trapped by magic, forced to suffer as an undead, or any number of similar means that have bound the soul beyond death) - on such occasions, these travelers are allowed by the mountain to journey beyond the Uhlmi Line to place the bodies of those they wish safe passage into the afterlife, and return after the body has been placed upon the mountain - even going so far as to protect those who make such a journey with the spirits of the war-dead, who lash out with their ghostly weapons to dismember and tear apart those who would disrupt such a ritual.
Fauna & Flora
The flora and fauna that dwell upon the mountain are those normally native to such a climate - though no flora or fauna dwell above the Uhlmi Line on the top 30% of the mountain which is the domain of spirits alone.
Natural Resources
The mountain has remained mostly untouched by mortal hands - even the notoriously industrious Ezdhûl have stayed away from mining its depths out of respect for the spirits that dwell atop it, meaning its natural resources remain unknown and unsullied.
History
In truth, the history of Mount Tianshi is too long and storied to recall - it has long been, for one reason or another, a focal point for carnage and bloodshed stretching back for thousands of years; most recently having been the sight of the fabled Blood Mountain Execution for which it recieved another grisly nickname. In this conflict, the mountain saw the final holdout forces loyal to Thorgrom Blackgranite slaughtered en masse upon the mountain's peak by the rampaging forces under Kyra Aenai, who were said to commit such profane blasphemies upon the ravaged corpses of the last Ezdhûl Loyalists that they themselves were gorged and claimed by the mountain for their desecration of the war-dead.
Going further back, the mountain has seen such conflict stretching back into the time of antiquity - even below the mountain's peak, its' naturally defensible peaks and crags have made it an attractive point for armies of all kinds to make final stands on. As such, armies of countless nations have died upon the slopes of the mountain either in attack or defense of its slopes - even back to the age of the armies of The Spirit Kings, who were reputed to have fought at the mountain's very peak in their final halcyon days.
Tourism
The mountain does not see much visitation - in times past many were eager to try to scale the legendary Blood Mountain to see the gorgeous aurora that supposedly dwelled at its peak, but after each such expedition did not return, the tourist fervor has died down. Now, only the most foolhardy or desperate visit - either in hopes the mountain will guide a dead loved one's spirit or in the foolish, vain hopes that they will be the ones to reach the summit while they yet live.
Little Soldier Boy, Frozen in Time At his final post, he shall remain Vigil Eternal, Bound to the Mountain Rime Climbing the stairway, he shall find his way again;
Alternative Name(s)
The Stairway to Heaven, Skygrave Summit, Blood Mountain
Type
Mountain / Hill
Location under
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