Titansgrave

Titansgrave. A name rarely spoke of fondly by either Westerlander or Theissiesc. It is a range of mountains on the Northern border of the Theissiesc lands. The stone is black, but these mountains are covered in ice and snow year round. Not only by means of height are they kept covered in snow, but by the ire and curse of the dead Titans of the North who lie buried here, it is said, for indeed the weather seems a bit unnatural in ferocity. Ice storms rake the rocks clean of trees on the more exposed and windswept slopes and blizzards blanket the stone in snow year round, unwavering. Both the Peoples of Titansgrave and the very weather stand guard over the range, unwavering sentinels and fierce wardens they prove to be. These people are known simply as the Titansgrave Wardens. Many Theissiesc do not much like them, for though they are descended from Keltaren they almost never venture forth from their mountains in aid of the Theissiesc. Only when it was clear the Confederacy would fall, and that has happened only a meagre few times in history, or when they were attacked directly. They never travel outside their lands at any other time, it is as if they are shackled to their mountains. Sometimes a highlander or some Theivaryyd Clansmen will encounter the Titansgrave Wardens on their lower slopes - usually hunters, goat herders or patrols looking for unclean beasts to kill. It is these times of scarce contact that outsiders get any news at all from within the Titansgrave, and often report it immediately to the local lord, who sends it to the High Lord's Council, for their review. The High Lord of the Confederacy normally sends yearly emissaries to the mountains to tell the wardens the news of the realm. These emissaries speak of a kingdom built of ice and ice-encrusted stone, with large, magnificent buildings and walls. The common houses are said to be mostly built of ice, snow, or wood in some regions.
There is one pass through their mountains, and it is long and winding, through valleys and crevices, still coated in glare ice and blinding blizzards. No merchants from any land use this pass, as the Wardens kill any who dare trespass. It is not as if they would want to anyway, as either the frost or the dangerous beasts of the region would kill you anyway. Theissiesc are permitted entry, though that is not to say that ice trolls, white behemoths, or other beasts aren't a problem, so very few Theissiesc merchants use the route either. A few very well guarded and wealthy caravans make that journey on occasion.
When the Theissiesc have need, they send messengers into the Titansgrave, asking that the great pass be cleared of dangers. They do not receive any replies, but even still they generally have much less difficulty getting through and often find speared beasts throughout their path as if left as proof that the Wardens did as they were asked. Even the weather seems less harsh here after the messengers are sent. The Theissiesc do this only rarely, however, as the task of clearing the pass and keeping it safe would be a great undertaking, and it is as if even the mighty Theissiesc Lords would rather not trouble their higher (literally) brothers in the range. Even so, many Theissiesc of adjacent lands (most especially those of the Flint Hills) do not speak over-kind of their mountain brethren. They use a figure of speech, "watching the flames from on high", which is to say "when one knows about a problem but ignores it", or "when one turns a blind eye to the needs of others". That saying takes a very literal meaning when the Flint Hills are under mass invasion, when their towns burn and their people are being slaughtered and scattered by Westerlanders, Sanctians or horrors from the deeps of the Labyrinthine, many look up to the snow capped mountains in bitterness, how salvation could have come but never arrived. As usual.
The peoples of Titansgrave believe it is their sacred duty to protect the "holy mountain" from all trespassers, ie all who are not descended from Keltaren and keep his precepts, and to keep its sacred places free from unclean beasts. Few armies have attempted to invade the Titansgrave, and none have ever returned from such a venture, not even a single soul. Some try to force their way through the Great Northern Pass, but none get through unscathed, if they ever do. Savage beasts of all kinds are enough to worry about, let alone the fearsome Wardens of the Pass. They arm themselves with coldsteel weapons and armour, a deadly metal that is only found in places of extreme cold, and is as durable as steel and stays at a deadly freezing temperature that is so cold it freezes the water in the air around it, and coats the blade in a veil of ice and frost at all times. It remains at this temperature even when taken to the hottest climates, though few weapons of this type exist in the outside world. They are generally found wielding greatswords, short bladed spears (sometimes double-sided), and long spears that serve equally well as large long-range javelins, and sometimes bows and axes. They wear metal cuirasses, gauntlets, greaves, and sometimes helmets and hauberks, all of coldsteel. When inspected it is found that there are runes inscribed upon the inside that direct the cold outward, away from the person, with thick furs also lining the inside over top of the runes. This is so that simply wearing their armour does not kill the wearer. This was once used to kill a High Lord Usurper, they declared their support for him and came in person to present him with a gift. It was a beautifully wrought coldsteel cuirass. The Theissiesc people despaired, throwing all hope of throwing off his shackles of oppression once they believed he was supported by the Titansgrave King. However, the instant it was fastened to him by these ambassadors, it froze to his skin so that he couldn't get it off, and the cold killed him within 20 seconds. Just to get it off of him, it had to be ripped off, and it took all of his skin with it. It is said that this breastplate still lies with the Usurper's arsenal, and his skin protects any who wears it from the killing chill.
Wardens wear long fringed white and grey robes and cloaks over their armour. Their rangers fight in fur armour, armed with spear, bow, axe and sometimes riding rune inscribed, great shaggy white beasts. Their rank and file troops fight in coldsteel armour with white and grey fur cloaks, coats and robes overtop, and are armed primarily with greatswords, or sometimes with long-bladed axes or war spears. Their weapons are all of coldsteel. Their great beasts fight like living siege weapons, hurling great chunks of ice and stone or simply flattening enemies who get too close. These large beasts never stray very far from home, however, and will return back to the mountains shortly after a fight or any trek of considerable distance. The Wardens are remembered to have built large slingshot-catapults and battering rams when marching far from their home to supplement this loss and are thought to have a number of such slingshots and ballistas set up high on their cliffs that shoot large blocks and great bolts of ice so hard they can pierce stone. They are used both for the impaling of great unclean beasts and the crushing of trespassers.

Alternative Names

the Frostpeaks, the Wardrange, Sentinel

Demonym

Titansgrave Warden, Warders