Heaven's Peaks

The massive mountain range which separates northern Algaria from the southern part of the continent are known as Heaven's Peaks for their sheer height and impassable nature. The mountains are also well-known for the many dangerous creatures which call them home. While some mountaineers have managed to scale or otherwise pass through the mountains, they're almost impossible for merchants to pass through save by airship or teleportation platform.
The primary routes past Heaven's Peaks are far to the west, where a trade road winds south, then east through a vast valley between the mountains and one of their southern spurs, and along a desolate path dotted with city-states south of Corval and west of the Great Desert, passing over the eastern plateau and down into the verdant cities surrounding Tanlan Bay. In many respects, taking a ship into Algaria is faster than traveling overland, though much depends on the destination and where a traveler starts their journey. While the Thorned Wood also crosses the mountains, piercing underground through some of the highest peaks, only the Illisyr or the desperate would dare follow it below the range's roots.