The Mountains of Plenty

The Mountains of Plenty are located to the South of the Central Plains. It is a series of mountains spanning from the coast of the Western Sea to the Borders of the Southern Desert. The mountains are rich in minerals and wildlife, housing more than 30 different species of birds as well as small and larger mammals accustomed to living in the mountains. Temperatures in the region did not show significant difference to those in the Central Plains.   The name of the mountains comes from its abundant amount of minable minerals and metals, particularly the vast reserves of iron. Even though it is well known that there is a significant reserve in the area, only a small percentage of the area has been explored due to the dense forests in the region accompanied with the high level of elevation. However, there are occasional visits to the site by people who claim they are experts been finding new sources of metals and minerals funded by the King himself. Near the edge of the mountains a mining settlement has been created to be able to settle miners.
There are three large mining camps in the area, which have significant distance between one another. All of the mines are located underground and are supported through wooden beams constructed by the miners themselves. Each mine can roughly house 50 to 60 miners at any given time. The one located on the western side contains an abundance of iron, commonly used for the crafting of swords, and shields as well as local household items used by lower class noblemen. There are even cases where peasants through sufficient savings or able to acquire iron tools to help them in their day-to-day lives.
The second one, located around 3 kilometers away from the iron mine is a silver mine heavily guarded throughout both day and night. This is due to the local currency being based on silver. During the kingdom's history there have been cases where smugglers were able to smuggle silver out of the mines and create their own counterfeit money. To prove the significance of such a crime the King organized a ceremony where all perpetrators were publicly hanged.
The final mine was also of the utmost importance to the King and his court, a goldmine. The nobility as well as the King himself had great pleasure in owning gold covered bowls and utensils, thrones, and even gold coated armor. Gold was also highly sought out by Merchants and Craftsman who helped spreading traditions and beliefs which would help fabricate demand for this rare mineral. One of these traditions included gifting every child a golden pendant following his 7th birthday, which would help ensure the child could take care of himself were anything to happen to his parents. While this tradition was uncommon among the poorer populace, it still was a popular trend among the nobles for a period following the firstborn prince being gifted a well-crafted pendant he still wears to this day.
In addition to the miners, the high level of wildlife has attracted a significant population of illegal poachers looking to make good money without having to engage in the high competition of the forest region. As such the King has dedicated a special group of his soldiers to guard the area. while the cause itself is noble, it has done little to stop the poachers. The main challenge was the significant land mass these poachers were hunting in compared to the low number of guards garrisoned in the area. While dangerous due to the high level of steepness and wildlife, there are natural paths one could take if they wished to travel to the desert zone. 
While the guards focus significantly on not letting anyone get in, they spent less interest on making sure everyone who got in got out. This is because no one in their right mind would willfully enter the mountains only to leave it through the desert region. That is unless someone were to be very desperate…

Type

Mountain Range