Odarnadar Mountains

According to Ankhuran stone-scholars, the Odarnadar Mountains came to be as part of the same ancient geologic events that led to both The Cauldron to the southwest and the Impossible Peaks to the northeast, though the Odarnadars are nothing like those other ranges. The Odarnadar Mountains are neither steep and cold nor riddled with volcanoes; instead they are lush and green save for the tops of the tallest peaks, with broad, sloping sides covered in deep, ancient forests.
The soil here is not good for planting or grazing, and even a gentle mountain makes for a harsher way of life than The Plains and hills below, so the majority of the Odarnadar Mountains remain untouched by civilization. Exceptions include the deep-cut farming and grazing terraces in the lower northern slopes near the foot of the range, as well as the various iron and gem mines higher up on the same side. There is also a well-maintained, broad pass through the middle of the range, running roughly north-south, which is loosely guarded by Xha’en troops from late spring to early fall, for uses both mercantile and military.
Outside these exceptions, the Odarnadar Mountains are a place of pristine nature as far as the eye can see. However, this is not to say that they are harmless to travelers. Aside from the one guarded pass, the majority of the mountain range is home to all manner of perilous wildlife, including at least one large pack of dire wolves, many other dire animals, megafauna from the Earos Hills, and any number of forest- and mountain-dwelling magical creatures.
It has been said that the Odarnadar Mountains are guarded by some powerful being that protects them from being despoiled beyond certain encroachments. According to rumor, this entity might be an ancient mountain god, a gold or green dragon, a kirin, or an immortal druid. Animistic shrines dot the side of the road along the guarded pass through the mountains, and while the druids who maintain them say they are devoted only to the land itself, the travelers who stop beside them to pray or to leave offerings of coin, food, and pretty stones will tell you they are praying to almost every conceivable entity for safe passage through its territory.
And, indeed, the road itself is usually as safe as any wilderness travel can be expected to be. Those who step off the road outside the marked camping areas, however, are indeed known at times to disappear or to be found slain by wild beasts. Whether this is simply because they have left the safety of the guarded road or because they transgressed against the unspoken rules of whatever entity may or may not claim the Odarnadar Mountains as its territory is perhaps a matter best left to personal interpretation, as those who know the truth, if any, aren't talking.

Type

Mountain Range