Mountains That Touch the Sky
The Paths of Ascension
A Treatise by the Arcane Citadel
Throughout the known worlds, mountains have stood as barriers, proving grounds, and celestial bridges, their peaks reaching beyond mortal understanding. These towering summits are more than mere rock and stone—they are divine thresholds, separating the mundane from the sacred, the weak from the worthy.
To ascend these mountains is to undergo a transformation of body, mind, and soul. Each peak is a trial, a challenge meant to test those who seek enlightenment, power, or the favor of the gods. Some who set foot upon these paths return with newfound wisdom, while others are never seen again, their fates lost to the heavens.
The following are among the greatest sky-touching mountains, known across history and the planes as gateways to the divine and the unknown.
13. Mount Olympus & The Celestial Stair
"The gods do not descend to meet mortals; they expect mortals to rise to meet them."
Nature & Structure
Mount Olympus is not simply a mountain—it is a realm unto itself, a celestial threshold where mortal ambition meets divine power. Its physical form rises from the mortal world, but its peak exists beyond reality, where the gods hold court.
- The Celestial Stair is said to rise from the mountain’s highest summit, leading directly into the heavens.
- Some claim Olympus is not truly one place, but a mountain that manifests in many realms, appearing where divine influence is strongest.
- The peak remains unseen by the unworthy. For those deemed impure of heart, the summit appears as a storm-wreathed illusion, unreachable despite endless climbing.
Traversing Olympus & The Celestial Stair
- Only those chosen by fate or possessing divine favor may begin the ascent. Those who lack such worthiness find themselves endlessly lost in its foothills.
- The path is not merely physical—climbers must face visions of their past, tests of their virtue, and the temptations of false gods.
- At the peak, the Celestial Stair appears, leading upward into a sky that is not the sky, vanishing into the divine unknown.
Many who reach the summit find not a city of gods, but a door of judgment. Whether it opens for them is a secret only Olympus itself knows.
14. The Seven Trials of Mictlan
"No soul reaches peace without first proving it is worthy."
Nature & Structure
The path through Mictlan, the Aztec underworld, is not a simple descent—it is a journey through seven realms, each one a trial of the spirit. Souls do not simply arrive at their resting place; they must earn it through hardship.
- The road begins at the Place of the Dogs, where only those who were kind to animals in life may cross the Black River with the aid of a spirit hound.
- The second trial leads through a valley of obsidian blades, where the winds cut away the memories of the unworthy.
- The deeper one descends, the more the body fades, until only willpower remains to carry the soul forward.
- The final step is the Hall of the Lord of the Dead, where the soul is weighed and judged before it may rest.
Traversing the Seven Trials
- Some mortal shamans and necromancers have entered Mictlan while still alive, seeking wisdom from the dead. Few return, and those who do carry marks upon their souls that never fade.
- A soul that fails a trial is lost, forced to wander the underworld endlessly, unable to reincarnate or find peace.
- Some roads loop endlessly, trapping those who cannot let go of their past lives.
To walk the Seven Trials is to face everything a soul once was—and everything it might become.
15. The Shattered Peaks of the Aether
"To climb the peaks of the sky is to step beyond the world itself."
Nature & Structure
The Shattered Peaks of the Aether are unlike any mountains of the mortal world. They are floating monoliths of stone, drifting upon the currents of celestial energy, rising ever higher toward the heart of the heavens.
- Each peak hovers in the air, linked by bridges of light and clouds.
- The mountains shift and change, rearranging themselves based on the wisdom of the climber—those who lack understanding will find themselves walking in circles.
- At the highest peak, it is said a final door stands, leading to the realm of true enlightenment, but it has remained unopened for millennia.
Traversing the Shattered Peaks
- Only the enlightened may see the true path—those who climb with arrogance or greed find themselves plunging into the abyss.
- The mountains resist the unready, their bridges vanishing beneath the feet of those who are not prepared for ascension.
- Time moves strangely in the peaks—a single step can span a lifetime, or a year can pass in a single breath.
Those who have returned from the Shattered Peaks speak of visions beyond comprehension, but none claim to have reached the top. Perhaps none ever will.
16. The Pillar of Heaven
"The sky does not hold itself aloft—it is carried upon the shoulders of those strong enough to bear it."
Nature & Structure
The Pillar of Heaven is a singular, titanic mountain, said to be the very foundation upon which the sky rests. It is found in many legends, sometimes as Mount Kunlun, sometimes as Meru, sometimes simply as the One Mountain.
- Its peak is hidden in clouds, said to support the celestial vault itself.
- Some believe the gods or titans placed it there to keep the heavens and the earth apart.
- Unlike other mountains, it has no summit—those who climb never reach an end, for to ascend is to become part of the pillar itself.
Traversing the Pillar of Heaven
- Those who seek wisdom must climb in silence, for speaking the wrong words may bring down the sky itself.
- Sages and warriors alike attempt the climb, but none return unchanged—some age a hundred years in a single step, others gain knowledge they were never meant to hold.
- It is said that at the highest point, the stars themselves whisper secrets to those who listen, revealing the nature of all things.
Many seek the Pillar of Heaven, but few dare to climb beyond the sight of the world, for at its peak, it is said one must decide whether to return… or to remain and hold the sky forever.
