The Crystalline Tundra

In Mordonia’s far northeast lies the Crystalline Tundra, an unforgiving expanse of frost-laced plains, glacial valleys, and snow-capped mountains that glisten like shards of shattered starlight under the sun. Silence rules here, broken only by the howling wind, the distant cracking of ice, and the occasional cry of a creature adapted to the land’s biting temperament. The tundra’s beauty is ethereal—pristine and untouched—but it comes with a cold that burns the unprepared and a stillness that unnerves even the most seasoned wanderer.
At its heart sits Polaris, a gleaming city of angular architecture and towering spires carved from ice and enchanted crystal. Here, order and tradition rule above all. Ruled by a secretive council known only as The Cold Sigil, Polaris remains politically neutral in the growing tensions between Al-Zandhar and Solania. The city's isolationist policy has turned it into a rare haven for those fleeing the broader continent’s chaos—but it is not easily entered. Outsiders are rarely welcomed without purpose or invitation, and every lawbreaker within is subject to the city’s swift and uncompromising justice.
To the west, nestled within the frostbitten cliffs overlooking the eastern coast of Ataraxia Bay, stands the Tower of Malchius the Wise. This spiraling structure of blackened stone and frozen bone is home to the infamous necromancer who once served the courts of kings, now self-exiled to perfect his arcane craft. Travelers often seek him out in desperation, for Malchius is said to offer resurrection to the fallen—though his price is rarely gold. More often, he demands that one undertake perilous tasks, seemingly mundane on the surface but somehow woven into his long, cryptic agenda. It is said no one ever leaves his service unchanged.
Deep in the easternmost reaches of the tundra, beyond the realm of natural cold, lies the Permafrost Depths, a mythic, near-inhospitable crevasse veiled in shifting blizzards and magical cold. Said to have no true bottom, the Depths are riddled with icy tunnels, ancient ruins, and petrified beasts from Mordonia’s primordial age. Explorers and scholars flock here, though few return. The most daring delve in search of what is believed to be the last remaining surface entrance to the Duskvault—a vast, alien world far beneath the crust, whispered to be the original seat of mortal nightmares. The Permafrost Depths are not just a gateway—they're a crucible. Only those willing to confront the ancient horrors buried deep within the earth can ever hope to pass.