Blackthorn Mountains

To the west of the Imperial Provinces of Midaevia and Calderon, stretching across an area of almost 200'00 square miles, lies a fog-shrouded mountain range. Craggy peaks claw their way through the clouds, thin streams carve perilously steep valleys through the dark, unforgiving granite, and the ruins of forgotten civilisations dot the mountainsides. The area has been called many names throughout history, though the majority of those living in Erru know it as the Blackthorn Mountains.
In the time before the Empire, the region teemed with all manner of ravenous creatures, striving for dominance over each other. The oldest tales speak of ancient battles between colossal titans whose duels reduced some mountains to rubble and pulled others out of the earth. These are only stories, of course, but those who travel through its narrow passes cannot help but notice that the terrain seems twisted and warped.
When the Midaevians started their wars of conquests, the Blackthorns became a place of great interest to them. Dragons had long ago taken root in the mountains, growing fat and numerous, making it the perfect place for the Ministry of Enlightenment to test their various arcane creations, such as the earliest iterations of the Iron Knights or Imperial Praefects.
Their experiments quickly exceeded the Ministry's wildest expectations, exterminating not only the dragons, but the wyverns, stone giants, cyclops, trolls and kobold clans. Faced with such a large, suddenly depopulated stretch of land, the Ministry began to consider what other uses the region might have.

For decades, the Empire's arcane researchers had been fascinated with the possibilities of the draconic races. Taking advantage of the opportunity granted to them, they move their work into the mountains. Beginning with just a few small clutches of eggs, they unveiled their two greatest creations; the Iron Dragon and the Iron Dragonborn  born of draconic stock but crafted according to the Empire's specifications. The peaks were given over to the iron dragons, who like their slain predecessors soon grew fat and numerous. The valleys and caves and foothills were settled by the iron dragonborn, who flourished as well, developing their own culture that was a primitive reflection of Imperial society.
In current times, the Blackthorns have been almost entirely repopulated, but unlike the savagery of the ancient times, there exists a sense of simple order among the mountains. The iron dragons still engage in occasional squabbles, and the iron dragonborn are want to fight the odd skirmish with their neighbours, but both species' bow their heads and submit to the Empire's every command. How the Midaevians maintain such an unquestioning hold over two such indomitable races is a mystery of an entirely different calibre.

Type

Mountain Range