Teren-Okeân Divar (Ter-Rehn-Oh-Ki-Ahn Dee-Var)
During the days of the first settlement, when Steeghan was barren, king Myghchaell (Mee-Kael) kept traveling west, enthralled by the early signs of the Teren-Okeân Divar mountain chain. Once he arrived closer and was capable of admiring their monumental configuration. From the north, all the way down to the coldest regions in the south. As tempted as he was to build his kingdom, using Teren-Okeân Divar as a shield, the king had to make certain the mountain chain was as impenetrable as it appeared. He devised a contest between the two most respected explorers of the time: Godbert and Henfrey.
The goal was simple; each explorer could have a team of up to twenty five people, and try to cross through the Teren-Okeân Divar. The team that succeeds will have their weight in gold.
Godbert won the coin toss and claimed the inland as his territory. He set off with his team as fast as possible and his first act was to travel the full length of the majestic mountain chain. Once he reached the southern most part, it was calculated that he had traveled a distance of 32 crown's gallop (roughly 800 miles). During the next two cycles, Godbert and his team cataloged all they could about the mountains. During the summer, they chronicled the ones at the south end and came back north during the winters.
Here are some portions of the lengthy report given to king Myghchaell: The highest peak is estimated at 3125 crown's pace (12500 feet), and the lowest at 2250 pace (9000 feet). The height is only an estimate since no team could fully climb the mountains, even with all their modern equipment. Each time, after painstakingly reaching two thirds of the way up, they were blocked with no viable avenue to continue. It is as if the mountains themselves said "Thou shall not pass!" Other than some goats and a few eagle nests, no other animals were found living on the mountain. The lack of vegetation other than a few stretches of grass, made certain that it would not change anytime soon. For his part, Godbert declared the Teren-Okeân Divar impenetrable. Once he gave his report to his king, rumor has it that Godbert only took a small portion of his reward and left, heading south, never to be seen again.
Henfrey on the other hand had a more burdensome beginning. The northernmost mountain could not be circumvented by ground. Only by water. It took some negotiating to charter a vessel large enough for his team of twenty two and their equipment. They left on the first day of the season of the second harvest never to be seen again.
After three seasons without any messages from Henfrey, king Myghchaell called upon Ysemay to search for Henfrey and his team. After some hard negotiations, she set out with her team of ten on her boat. Her first act as newly appointed Royal Cartographer was to name the ocean that covered the entire western coast of Steeghan. It only took two days to find an appropriate name: Bloed an Donder. Blood and Thunder would describe best her excursion. Her journey took fifty-eight days due to the poor weather. On day three, her team discovered the wreckage of Henfrey's ship without any trace of survivors.
Only two beaches were exposed, giving way to a solid grey wall. No caves were visible and the shallow reefs made investigating closer very difficult. No other smooth resting place to bring a ship to shore was identified. As beautiful and majestic the Teren-Okeân Divar looked inland, they were equally intimidating and dangerous on the shore.
Over the years, the number of adventurers who tried to tame the Teren-Okeân Divar, have been numerous. All achieved one thing: They all disappeared in anonymity. It is unknown who started the legend of the man in the mountain (or men depending which version you hear) nobody knows for sure, but the list of possible suspects is as long as one of these mountains is high.
The goal was simple; each explorer could have a team of up to twenty five people, and try to cross through the Teren-Okeân Divar. The team that succeeds will have their weight in gold.
Godbert won the coin toss and claimed the inland as his territory. He set off with his team as fast as possible and his first act was to travel the full length of the majestic mountain chain. Once he reached the southern most part, it was calculated that he had traveled a distance of 32 crown's gallop (roughly 800 miles). During the next two cycles, Godbert and his team cataloged all they could about the mountains. During the summer, they chronicled the ones at the south end and came back north during the winters.
Here are some portions of the lengthy report given to king Myghchaell: The highest peak is estimated at 3125 crown's pace (12500 feet), and the lowest at 2250 pace (9000 feet). The height is only an estimate since no team could fully climb the mountains, even with all their modern equipment. Each time, after painstakingly reaching two thirds of the way up, they were blocked with no viable avenue to continue. It is as if the mountains themselves said "Thou shall not pass!" Other than some goats and a few eagle nests, no other animals were found living on the mountain. The lack of vegetation other than a few stretches of grass, made certain that it would not change anytime soon. For his part, Godbert declared the Teren-Okeân Divar impenetrable. Once he gave his report to his king, rumor has it that Godbert only took a small portion of his reward and left, heading south, never to be seen again.
Henfrey on the other hand had a more burdensome beginning. The northernmost mountain could not be circumvented by ground. Only by water. It took some negotiating to charter a vessel large enough for his team of twenty two and their equipment. They left on the first day of the season of the second harvest never to be seen again.
After three seasons without any messages from Henfrey, king Myghchaell called upon Ysemay to search for Henfrey and his team. After some hard negotiations, she set out with her team of ten on her boat. Her first act as newly appointed Royal Cartographer was to name the ocean that covered the entire western coast of Steeghan. It only took two days to find an appropriate name: Bloed an Donder. Blood and Thunder would describe best her excursion. Her journey took fifty-eight days due to the poor weather. On day three, her team discovered the wreckage of Henfrey's ship without any trace of survivors.
Only two beaches were exposed, giving way to a solid grey wall. No caves were visible and the shallow reefs made investigating closer very difficult. No other smooth resting place to bring a ship to shore was identified. As beautiful and majestic the Teren-Okeân Divar looked inland, they were equally intimidating and dangerous on the shore.
Over the years, the number of adventurers who tried to tame the Teren-Okeân Divar, have been numerous. All achieved one thing: They all disappeared in anonymity. It is unknown who started the legend of the man in the mountain (or men depending which version you hear) nobody knows for sure, but the list of possible suspects is as long as one of these mountains is high.
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