Stone Axe Mountain

A natural border between the Venatorian Republic to the West and the Authenian Republic to the East. While most in the Venatorian Empire see Stone Axe Mountain as a normal part of the landscape, the Authenians tend to have negative superstitions about it, due to the fact that the Temple of Hecate was built into the eastern side of it.

"I think that the Temple of Hecate is nothing but a ruin of a bygone time: a darker time. But despite that, I don't think I will ever look at that mountain and not shudder. Too much innocent blood was shed under that mountain. And besides, birch-bugs give me the creeps." ~Levoith Silverscribe, Head Researcher of the Authenian Archives.

Geography

Stone Axe Mountain is a long, slightly narrow mountain range with sharp and jagged rocks littering the slightly grassy mountainside. It is steep, though not impossible to hike if you choose the correct route. Tall birch trees are littered across the landscape, often covered in a thick layer of lichen.

Fauna & Flora

Fauna

Birch-Bugs are a species of stick-bug that are roughly the size of a wolf. Their exterior is a perfect mimicry of the texture and colour of a birch tree. Birch-bugs imitate large branches on birch trees, waiting for potential prey to walk by. Birch-bugs have six legs, a slender body, wings, and two long, pointed horns on their head. Birch-bugs hide on birch trees until they spot a potential kill, at which point they spring into action and try to gore their target with their horns. Birch-bugs are carnivorous, and leave no trace of their meals, as they can eat both flesh and bone. While one birch-bug may not be considered too dangerous to the average mortal, if they catch you off guard you could be dead before you even realized they weren't part of the tree. Mist Dogs are the descendants of the guard dogs owned by cultists of Hecate before the destruction of her temple and her death at the hands of Helios. For years the dogs stayed in the ruins, absorbing the foul essence of the place, though in the last few hundred years, they have began to venture outside into the wilderness. The dark magic within the temple has had an advantageous side effect on these dogs. They constantly emit an inky black mist from their bodies, and can create large clouds of it at will. While these clouds eventually disperse, they last long enough for the mist dogs to prey upon whatever they have blinded. While the magic of the Temple of Hecate has altered these dogs, they are not malevolent, though the hundreds of years that they have spent in the wild has ensured that they are not tame. Another strange effect of their exposure to the divine energy of a dead god is that their domestic evolution has appears to be slightly reversed, meaning that mist dogs have an appearance far more wolfish than most dogs. They do not typically hunt mortals unless driven to starvation or provoked, and instead prefer to feast on deer, goats and even birch-bugs. Mist dogs typically hunt in packs of ten to fifteen members. Dire Bats are incredibly large bats, which are also known as Fury Foxes, due to how their heads look slightly like that of a canine. Dire bats have thick leathery skin and two large, powerful wings. Dire bats are roughly as large as a drake, but they are capable of flying long distances. Dire bats are capable of hunting medium sized mammals, such as birch-bugs and mountain lions. Dire bats use their massive wings to create powerful gusts of wind in order to knock their prey over, so that they can pick they up, fly them to a lethal height and then drop them. Dire bats are nocturnal, and are rather afraid of mortals, and due to these two facts, stories about dire bats killing mortals are practically unheard of.

Flora

Birch trees are the only type of tree found on Stone Axe Mountain, and no lumberjack dares go near them, out of fear that they will be attacked by birch-bugs. Birch trees grow hazelnuts, which are eaten by deer, goats and wild pheasants. Birch trees and birch-bugs seem to have a symbiotic relationship, where birch trees provide shelter and camouflage, and birch-bugs provide protection from woodcutters. Cinderberries are small orange berries that can be found on small shrubs on Stone Axe Mountain. They have a bitter, sour and slightly acidic taste to them, and have a small seed at the centre. They are primarily eaten by squirrels, crows and occasionally be mist dogs. Some members of the Church of Dionysus have mastered the art of fermenting cinderberries and turning them into a bitter and rather strong wine. Bluehearts are an onion-like plant with a light blue skin. They have long, slender stalks and heart shaped leaves, hence the name. Bluehearts are incredibly sweet, and create a sense of euphoria in whoever consumes them. Along with the euphoria, those who consume bluehearts tend to become more affectionate. The effects of the blueheart plant vary from consumer to consumer, though the general consensus is that the more durable the consumer, the shorter the effects will last. Some believe that bluehearts are an ingredient that the Church of Aphrodite uses to create love potions. While the Church of Aphrodite rejects such claims as mere conspiracy theories, they do tend to grow small amounts of blueheart in their temples.

History

Stone Axe Mountain was not considered to be an important geographical location until 108, when the Cult of Hecate built a temple in honour of their dark goddess into the mountain. For hundreds of years, the Temple of Hecate was a place of horror, where mortal cultists would become vampires so that they could prey upon the weak and innocent. This ended in 511, when the Cult of Hecate was destroyed by the Order of Helios, and Hecate herself was erradicated at the hands of the Titan-God of the Sun. Despite the fact that the Temple of Hecate lies in ruins, many Authenians still consider that place to be cursed, and avoid whenever possible. They believe that although Hecate is dead, her corruptive potential cannot truly be ended.

Alternative Name(s)

The Dark Wall (By Authenians)

Type

Mountain Range

Contested By

Inhabiting Species