The Whitecaps

The dim conference room in the Mercenary's Guildhall was abuzz with low conversation. A 'mystery' contract had been posted on the jobs board, promising a ten thousand Florin payout for a simple delivery, and it had attracted the attention of everyone at the Guild that day, Vance included. The hunter had a slight frown.
"What's with the cloak and dagger stuff? I don't see the need for secrecy unless there's subterfuge involved."
The mercenary sitting across from him shrugged, readjusting her headcap. "Dramatic moment? Oh, Siegfried's here."
The room went quiet as the mercenary captain stepped to the front of the table, his armor polished to a shine. "Right. You've all seen the contract. This is a pretty simple job. There's a hermit that needs a delivery of some materiel, and House Parnassus has funded an expedition. Just food and books, that sort of thing. Only thing is, our hermit lives in the Whitecaps in the south bend of Eastern Saibh, past the icefloes."
A collective groan came from the audience. Siegfried held his hands up. "You people didn't honestly think a ten thousand florin job would be simple? Anyway, the Guild has mandated a minimum team of four. Closest we can get to the destination by power-sail is here," he pointed to the map on the wall, "And from there it's three weeks overland through the Whitecaps till we find out whether Master Hermit is even alive or not. Nobody's heard from him in three seasons." The old captain folded his arms. "Suffice to say that this is a pretty dangerous expedition, and if we don't hear back after twelve weeks we're going to assume the expedition was lost and notify next of kin. We're only going to allow the best survivalists to join the team."
Many of the mercenaries in the room had started to slip out. Vance scratched his hand. "Honestly, Siegfried, ten thousand split among four wouldn't be enough to get me to go to the Whitecaps. Not enough reward for the risk."
Siegfried shrugged. "We always have the option of rejecting the contract if we can't roust four people for the price. Any takers?" He surveyed the room. Nobody raised a hand.

Geography

The Whitecaps are a treacherous mountain range at the farthest reaches of Eastern Saibh, towards its terminus at the southern ice cap. Perpetually snowed in with massive drifts, it remains the only reasonably safe way to access the ice cap, as the sea route is choked with pack ice and drifting bergs that can destroy or freeze-in any power-sail foolhardy enough to venture too close.
Although geographically the Whitecaps are not particularly unique compared to the other mountain ranges that compose Eastern Saibh in terms of size or scale, the dangerous weather and inhospitable climate, as well as the lack of local resources, make it a dangerous place to visit.

Fauna & Flora

Returning expeditions from the Whitecaps indicate a general lack of easily available wildlife. The climate is too cold to support plants, and expeditions report massive bears the size of Power-Wagons wandering the ice floes and mountain drifts, diving into the freezing rivers to pull out fish and small Nautiluses. Travelling further south results in the ice packing in and a lack of access to the ocean, resulting in a complete lack of animal presence.

Natural Resources

No mining expeditions have attempted to scout the Whitecaps. The presence of any exploitable resources there is purely speculative.

Type

Mountain Range

Location under

Saibh

Included Locations

• The Icefalls

Inhabiting Species

• Frostsprites
• Torsion Vines