Mt. Orodruin

Geography

Mount Orodruin is the tallest peak of the Trône des Rocs chain of mountain, and therefore the highest peak in all of Achaea. Its full stature is somewhat diminished by the fact that it is surrounded in other mountains of also impressive height over a large area, yet it still stands out by about a thousand meters among its companion mountains. Despite its size, Mount Orodruin can not be readily observed by the naked eye from outside of the Trône des Rocs region because it is relatively deep within the mountain chain, making it largely remote and very difficult to access. 
The most distinguishing feature about the mountain, and that which gives it its name, is that it is actually an enormous stratovolcano. The full extent of its magma chamber has never been properly estimated and two rival schools of belief exist on the matter. Due to the fact that Mount Orodruin sees constant effusive lava flows, one group believes that magma does not accumulate much and is instead evacuated periodically, making it largely harmless. The other group however believes that these effusive eruptions are but the tip of the iceberg, covering a magma flow of immense proportions.

Ecosystem

While a variety of animal and plant life can be found in the greater region of Trône des Rocs, the same cannot be said of Mount Orodruin itself. The conditions on and around the stratovolcano are such that it creates a dead zone of sort where no vegetation exists and which even small critters and birds avoid systematically. If life does exist on Mount Orodruin, no expedition has ever managed to find it... or to survive to bring back the tale.

Localized Phenomena

Mount Orodruin differs from the usual volcano due to the fact that its activity period seems to be constant. Its general remoteness and the fact that only small families of mountain natives live even remotely close to it means that study of the mountain's phenomena and cycles is spotty at best and relies excessively on hearsay of these few locals. However, if they are to be believed, Mount Orodruin is in an almost incessant state of gentle flow, with lava rivers snaking down from its summit and slithering around the other mountains more often than not. These are considered a natural part of things in the area and the locals do not seem worried about it.
More uncommonly, explosive eruptions also do happen with some measure of regularity about every five years. These tend to be relatively small considering the enormous size of Mount Orodruin, and well below the estimated capabilities a volcano of that size should have, but they are nonetheless sufficient to release large quantities of toxic gases - especially sulfur and chlorine - into the air around it. It is the presence of these gases that create the Dead Zone around Orodruin where no native life exists, and it also makes a large region of Trône des Rocs highly dangerous with every renewed release of gas.

History

Mount Orodruin has for thousands of years been part of the folk mythology and traditions of the four founding peoples of the Seilurid Empire in Achaea. More than any other mountain, if the Trône des Rocs was the 'land of the gods', then Orodruin was the palace at its beating heart. This mystique has remained strong over the ages due to the extreme remoteness of the stratovolcano as well as the periodic cycles of toxic gas surrounding it. A great many expeditions have attempted to reach tit in ancient times, but only an infinitely small number survived due. In addition to the dangers of the volcano's cycle itself, simply getting there through tens or hundreds of kilometers of snowy peaks, rare oxygen, freezing temperatures and little food, shelter or water was an herculean effort.
In more recent times, modern understanding of sciences and natural physics has allowed humans to fully grasp the challenges ahead and the behavior of the volcano itself, but how to actually solve those challenges remain quite difficult, even with modern innovations like gas masks and canned food. Reaching the mythical Orodruin by air is one of the driving motivations bringing funds and interest to the burgeoning air industry, although it's far from the only one.

Height:
6642 meters

Alternative Name(s)

The burning mountain, the heart of fire

Type

Mountain / Hill

Location under

Trône des Rocs Mountains