Zakros Mountains

The Zakros Mountains form the eastern barrier of the valley of the two rivers, protecting most of Istaflumina from the wild storms and changeable climate of the Great Ocean Ûthaf. Some peaks near the Gulf of Ur rise more than two miles high. The mountains are home to several tribes of nomads and barbarians. Near the River Saan and the Lesser Saan live the Kouthi people, who eke out a poor living in the cold climate of the high mountains. From time to time, a chieftain rallies all the Kouthi clans to descend upon the decadent plains’ cities to loot and plunder. East of the Kouthians, where the peaks are not quite so high and the valleys broader, live the Nallaeans in the vicinity of Lake Turmia. Farther south, the Empire of Adenia has its homeland, and they are able to protect themselves quite well against the wild warriors.
The mountains also form a barrier to the north and the northwest that stretches for hundreds of miles and reaches more than three miles in height. In the midst of the peaks are glaciers perhaps thousands of years old, which are the ultimate sources of many of the rivers that flow from the Zakros range.
Highland rumors talk about isolated strongholds found among the peaks — a handful of impregnable fortress-cities situated along the river valleys of the interior Zakros Mountains. These fortresses are supposedly home to exiled warlords, tyrannical princes, or strange cults, depending on who is doing the telling. When asked for specifics, though, the mountain people are unwilling (or unable) to provide details, so the people of the city-states tend to view these accounts as mere fireside tales. These high and hostile mountains might be avoided altogether by civilized peoples except that in season, the mountain slopes abound with rare and wondrous — and costly — herbs useful to healers or magicians.

Type

Mountain Range