Thunderspires

The Thunderspires are a series of tall rock spires situated in the edge mountains between Eastern H4 and 6. Known for frequent lightning strikes during the summer and winter solstices, the Thunderspires serve both as a respite for caravans of Leather Jacket Nomads and the foundations for geocurrent bridge collection towers associated with Tiberius Djanzer and his Craterhold Innovation Expo Park.

Geography

The titular Thunderspires are part of an ancient mesa system that has been eroded into a forest of narrow, relatively closely-packed plinths due to millenia of circumvective action. Chalky shelves and rolling, sage-covered hills define the surrounding landscape, blending into mountains ringed with sedimentary rock near the cube vertices.

Ecosystem Cycles

A combination of dry, dusty wind and the proximity of charged particle radiation from the adjacent Northern Tesseract ensure that the region sees intense electrical storms during the dry winter and summer months. Almost any time humidity rises and rain-laden clouds appear above the spires, they are accompanied by thunderheads. For this reason, experienced Leather Jacket Nomads know to avoid the region during these seasons, but this is not always avoidable. When the sky clears, spectacular aurorae are often visible beyond the storm clouds.
To protect themselves from approaching lightning storms, the Nomads move among the Thunderspires. These tall structures serve as natural lightning rods and are often undermined with networks of tunnels - eroded by flash floods and fall winds - which provide shelter from the elements. The lower reaches of some of these tunnels form natural cisterns, providing drinking water and even sometimes fish for visiting Nomads to consume. Importantly, however, a tunnel system must be scouted for hibernating bears should they need to be used for shelter during the winter months.

Fauna & Flora

The region surrounding the Thunderspires is a badlands environment. Penrose fescue and sagebrush grow especially thick in the lowlands where water can accumulate during the rare thunderstorm that actually produces rain. The occasional cluster of cactus, mesquite, or joshua trees breaks through the scrub. Predatory and scavenging birds of all types, including corvids, buzzards, hawks, and eagles, swoop down from nests in the Thunderspires to snatch up rabbits, mice, and lizards from the desert floor.

Natural Resources

Several of the Thunderspires are capped with tall trellis-frame antenna masts connected to the northern extent of the Expo Leyline. The Expo Leyline is an experimental geocurrent bridge project arranged by the enigmatic billionaire Tiberius Djanzer as a proof of concept for powering research at the labs in the bunkers beneath the Craterhold Innovation Expo Park. In exchange for minerals, reconnaisance, and some maintenance provided by the Leather Jacket Nomads who ply the trails around the Thunderspires, Djanzer has agreed to allow the Nomads to tap the line for their own limited uses, such as charging batteries, welding motorcycle components, and operating the Rookeries (see Tourism).

Tourism

The Rookeries at the Thunderspires is a seasonal resort operated by the Leather Jacket Nomads. Located atop seven particularly closely-arranged plinths capped with geocurrent bridge towers (see Natural Resources) and connected via suspension bridges, The Rookeries include a tavern, hotel rooms, meeting space, a limited RadNet communications center, and even a pool. The resort is not meant for long-term habitation, running on a skeleton crew of resort staff and geocurrent bridge maintenance workers during the stormy midwinter and midsummer doldrums.
The Rookeries resort serves as a trading post for the Nomads, but the most commonly traded goods there are information and personnel. Many Nomad families started with honeymoons at The Rookeries between the men and women of previously separate caravans. The relative comfort of the amenities has also had the unforseen side-effect of sparking many Nomads' realization that they would prefer settled life, causing them to later leave the Nomads to pursue their roots in Craterhold or the Rostran Archipelago Confederacy.
The Rookeries are occasionally visited by members of the Sorority of Solace or Burning Hearts Social Club looking to interact with the Leather Jacket Nomads in some way. The presence of the geocurrent bridge towers is not advertised to outsiders, as this could present a threat to their security if exploited by Bards-Recursant; even so, travel advisories are issued via the Navigator's Guild for weather-related reasons during the seasonal radioelectric peaks, meaning few guests are around to witness the true purpose of the towers.
The intense aurorae (see Ecosystem Cycles) and stark desert landscape around the Thunderspires provides ample inspiriation for visual artists. The region is sometimes visited by creatives from the Coalition States, particularly Craterhold, looking to turn the scenery into new works. Indeed, the murals in the airship terminal at the Craterhold Innovation Expo Park depict such scenes at the Thunderspires among other locations around the Eastern Tesseract.

Type

Rock Formation

Location under

Eastern Tesseract

Additional Rulers/Owners

• Tiberius Djanzer

Owning Organization

Leather Jacket Nomads