Ironedge Mountains

[subtitle]The Western Wall Where Giants Dream[/subtitle]

"The Iron Edge rises like a curtain between worlds. Cross through its passes, and you leave everything you know behind." — Mira Nash, Shadowvein Navigator

Rising majestically along Western Nolavor's eastern border, the Iron Edge Mountains form a colossal barrier stretching from the northern wastes to distant southern shores. Their metallic peaks catch the sunset's light, creating an illusion of burning iron that gave the range its name.

"Our villages aren't marked on any maps. That's how we prefer it. Let the soft people of Threadspire wonder where their slaves come from." — Sherman's Mother, Goliath Matriarch

The Goliath settlements remain fiercely independent from the industrial ambitions of Threadspire and other Western cities. Their mountain homes, carved into the highest peaks where the thin air discourages lowland visitors, preserve traditions predating Western Nolavor's earliest recorded history.
The Cradle of Echoes, home to Sherman and Gherman's clan, perches among the highest peaks, accessible only through a series of hidden passes. Here, the Grub Mothers practice their ancient flesh-shaping arts, transforming fallen warriors into meat puppets through processes that blend primal magic with disturbing biological engineering.

"The mountains choose what they share. The metal in our blood helps us listen. The outsiders? They only hear the wind." — Grub Mother's Apprentice

The western slopes channel mist from the Shadowvein River into the peaks, creating perpetual fogs that the Goliaths navigate by instinct and inherited memory. These clouds carry trace minerals that slowly transform longtime residents, marking them as children of the range.
Throughout the middle elevations, hidden valleys serve as proving grounds where young Goliaths learn the arts of raiding and survival. It was in these harsh testing grounds that Gherman honed his skills before undertaking his fateful journey east.
The mountains' unique geology produces veins of living metal that pulse like blood vessels through the stone. The Goliaths believe these metallic circulatory systems form a nervous system for the entire range, carrying messages and memories through the rock itself.

"We don't mine the mountains - we harvest them. Like bleeding a great beast. The metal flows return, but the mountains remember every wound." — Elder Stormfist, Vein Keeper

Near the Cradle of Echoes lies the Vale of Meat, a hidden canyon where the Grub Mothers conduct their most important flesh-shaping experiments. The valley floor holds pools of various solutions, each carefully maintained to produce specific mutations in tissue samples.
The highest peaks host colonies of Iron Vultures, massive birds whose magnetic feathers interact with the mountains' mineral content. Their nests, built from magnetic ore and bones, serve as natural compasses for those who know how to read them.
Below the inhabited levels runs the Marrow Ways, a network of tunnels that occasionally shift and reorganize themselves. The Goliaths believe these passages serve as the mountains' digestive system, slowly breaking down and redistributing minerals throughout the range.

"Every tremor is a thought. Every avalanche, a decision. Learn to read them, and the mountains will tell you their dreams." — Goliath Dreamwalker

The Ghostways connecting major settlements utilize bound spirits and ancient magics, visible only to those who've undergone specific ritual preparations. These paths allow the Goliath clans to maintain communication while remaining hidden from lowland observation.
Deep within the range lies the Chamber of Failed Shapes, where unsuccessful flesh-crafting experiments are preserved in massive vats. The chamber serves as both archive and warning, though some whisper that not all its contents remain as dormant as they appear.

"The Chamber doesn't just hold failures. It holds possibilities that weren't ready for their time. Sometimes we hear them singing." — Grub Mother's First Assistant

The western faces feature the Forgotten Monasteries, where Goliath mystics study prophecies they claim to read in the patterns of ore deposits. These recluses maintain minimal contact with the settlements, communicating through complex systems of smoke signals.
The Slave Markets operate in temporary locations throughout the lower slopes, never staying in one place long enough for outsiders to reliably track them. Here, the Goliaths trade captured lowlanders to buyers from Threadspire and the Drift Cities.
The Breeding Cradles, scattered throughout the middle elevations, house the Goliaths' most ambitious experiments in creating new life forms. These facilities are carefully hidden and guarded, their existence kept secret even from most of their own people.

"We shape flesh because the mountains shaped us first. Every change we make is an echo of their work." — Master Flesh-Shaper

Ancient giant ruins dot the highest, most inaccessible peaks, suggesting the Goliaths weren't the first large humanoids to claim these mountains. These sites are treated with reverent caution, as disturbing them often triggers violent weather changes.
The Consequence Pools, scattered throughout the range's hidden valleys, contain liquid metal used for both divination and disposal of dangerous materials. Each pool develops its own properties over time, influenced by what's been consigned to its depths.
Regular tremors shake the range, which the Goliaths interpret through a complex system of divination. They believe these "mountain thoughts" provide guidance for their flesh-shaping experiments and raiding expeditions.

"Other peoples read the stars or the water. We read the living stone. Its truths are written in magnetic fields and mineral veins." — Pool Priestess Varna

The very air of the Iron Edge Mountains carries transformative properties, most notably in the highest settlements where the Grub Mothers work their flesh-shaping arts. This ensures that even Goliaths who leave their homes carry the mountains' mark in their blood.
The distance between the Iron Edge and the eastern lands like Grizburg has helped preserve the Goliaths' independence and ancient ways, letting them maintain their unique culture free from outside influence or industrial corruption.

References

Category: Geography Subcategory: Mountain Ranges

Type

Mountain Range

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