"You see these plains all around, stretching for days and days? Well, far beyond our sight is the Enchanted Wood, with trees so tall they touch the clouds. And beyond them are the Shattered Peaks, where they say even the dragons take care where they tred."
Though the name implies only a few mountains, the Shattered Peaks make up the northern border of
Etherea. Stories abound about the fantastical things that can be found there, both wondrous and horrifying. No one knows what lies beyond them; the common theory is that it's nothing but a field of ice, based on reports from the few bold ships that dared to sail around
Zarglÿf's volcano fields.
Due to their location beyond the thickest portion of the
Enchanted Wood, few humans travel within view of the Peaks. What is known about them came primarily from elven explorers and the dragons that once made their homes there.
GEOGRAPHY
The
Enchanted Wood marches right up to the foot of the Peaks, leaving very little between its towering trees and the imposing wall of sharp crags and deep crevices. The Peaks are shaped by icy winds that blast them year-round and glaciers that have spent millennia carving their way down the mountains. There are a few fertile valleys and pockets of greenery scattered throughout the range, even magical glades - or so the stories say. In the easternmost reaches lay the
Shard of Sardamas, the crystal fields were it is said the
Gem Goddess fell during the Creation War.
The Peaks grow taller the farther west you travel, eventually being swallowed by the mountains of
Kilgroth. The western range is far more barren than the rest, its valleys filled with ice instead of greenery. It's said that somewhere it the western reaches is a hidden entrance to the
Underrealm, but no one in
Etherea has ever found it.
HISTORY
Like most mountain ranges, the Shattered Peaks were once the home of feral dragons before their decline and relocation to
Araniae. More importantly, the Shattered Peaks have been the ancestral home of the
The Dragon Prince ever since the dragons' creation, and were his or her undisputed territory. Because of this, few other dragons made their homes in the Peaks, and none did so without their prince's consent.
FLORA & FAUNA
Due to their location far in the north, the Shattered Peaks are relatively barren. Pockets of greenery tucked into the rare valley provide homes for deer, wolves, bears, and other typical mountains dwellers. But like all places rarely touched by man, they also house their fair share of creatures few believe are more than legends.
Cliff Wraiths
Probably the Peaks' deadliest creature now that the dragons have left, cliff wraith are named for their supposedly ability to appear out of nowhere, like spirits. Their preferred hunting method is to cling to cliff walls and swoop down on prey as it passes below. Their venom is deadly to all but dragons and other weyrs, and they aren't afraid to pit themselves against dangerous prey.
Gryphons
A dwindling species, gryphons make their homes in aeries at the peaks of crags that are inaccessible from all but the air. Though powerful predators, they pose little danger to travelers unless they threaten their nests or young.
Drakul
Once quite populace in the Peaks, drakuls have all but died out as their preferred meal of dragon, gryphons, or roc eggs has become scarce. They usually flee from humanoids and other predators, but if cornered they will defend themselves, and their jaws are powerful enough to crush a man's bones easily.
Sphynx
A creature largely believed to be nothing but myth, sphynxes guard places and objects of powerful - even divine - magic. Their magical nature renders them almost immortal themselves, and they rarely leave their lairs. Those foolish enough to try and steal or desecrate whatever they've chosen to guard meet a swift and painful end.
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