Kodakar Sky Islands

Written by Lokrow

The Kodakar Sky Islands are a unique sight within The Hold of Belkzen. Their incredibly high peaks represent relative safety for many sedentary legacy clans, thanks to dense foliage and steep terrain. However the settlements are often remote from each other and the people who inhabit them know to be wary of the Islands' more unexpected dangers.

Geography

The Sky Islands were unnaturally formed by the psychic convulsions of Mhar. This event isolated much of the ecosystem of the peaks and led to a drastically different environment forming on their lowlands. Whilst most of the lowlands of the Sky Islands follow wih the rest of the Hold's arid climate, the peaks are home to lush forests covered in fog.
The range's sheer incline as they rise provides sufficient dissuasion for most to attempt to scale, nevermind cross. This makes the Kodakar range the natural border between many different territories. It serves as the border between the west of the Hold, the southern part of Land of the Linnorm Kings along with Irisen's and the country of Varisia.
If their steepness were not enough to deter most people from attempting the scale unprepared, many of the peaks of the range are also volcanically active. Perhaps due to repeat eruptions these peaks are often the most accessible, which lead to many a people through time settling into those areas.

Fauna & Flora

From the lush forests to the various animal species which inhabit those forests, the range offers a radical change from the rest of the Hold's environment. However, one should remain alert as their potential lethality is a common trait with the other inhabitants of the Hold.

Flora

The forests are a mix of deciduous and coniferous forests on the lower altitudes, changing to coniferous in higher altitudes. They provide the settlements of the peaks with all the naural resources of normal forests. However, they are both hard and dangerous to explore and harvest for those resources as many are lost to the woods. Those who do return oft spin tales about moving trees tricking them into turning in circles as well as nauseating shrieks resounding through the woods.
Indeed, the forests are home to many a sentient plantlife, though none who return have been able to identify them.

Fauna

The trees are not the only terrain to shift in the Kodakar range as the stone giants who reside there also play such games with unsuspecting adventurers. And if adventurers aren't disoriented, crag spiders are a common sight in the rocky patches separating forests. In the higher reaches of the range, rocs often hunt for prey in the forests and are also known to sweep travelers even in the lowlands, dive bombing them silently before flying off with prey in claw.
Other animal species inhabit the peaks but are often less documented such as dragons, yeti and storm giants.

Natural Resources

Though agriculture and animal husbandry is rare amongst orcs, the orcs of Wyvernsting have taken to both growing food, herding some cattle in order to provide for their wyvern riding. Their remote location has equally pressure them into it as it has enabled such a lifestyle, with wild variants of commonly cultivated crops growing around them which they learned to plant and harvest. Their herding of cattle being enabled by the regular migrations of aurochs crossing through the range.

Alternative Name(s)

The World's Roof (Shoanti)

Type

Mountain Range

Included Locations

• Brimstone Haruspex
• The Foundry