Arhnos

Arhnos, the vast and unyielding northern continent, is a land of harsh extremes and stark beauty. Its frozen tundras and snow-capped peaks dominate the landscape, while ancient pine forests stretch endlessly, whispering secrets of a time long past. The skies are often heavy with gray clouds, casting a somber shadow over the land, though in the height of summer, the sun barely dips below the horizon, bathing the world in an eternal twilight.

Geography

Arhnos is defined by its unforgiving geography. To the north lies the Permafrost, a frozen expanse littered with towering icebergs, said to conceal ancient ruins beneath its icy depths. The Kerautuz Mountains, a line of jagged mountains on the most northern part of continent, forms the spine of the land, its peaks perpetually crowned with snow and battered by fierce winds. To the south, the land softens into vast taigas and rugged highlands, where hardy grasses and moss cling to life in defiance of the cold. The coastline is treacherous, lined with rocky cliffs and jagged fjords, battered endlessly by frigid waves.

The winters of Arhnos are long and merciless, with blizzards that can bury entire villages under drifts of snow. In contrast, the short summers bring fleeting warmth, transforming the tundra into a vibrant sea of wildflowers and shimmering streams, though the chill never fully leaves the air.

Localized Phenomena

Auroras: The Lights of the Northern Veil

The auroras, known as the Veil’s Lanterns, are the most striking feature of this frozen domain. Their ethereal glow dances across the night sky, painting the heavens with shifting patterns that seem almost alive. The Arhnosi believe these lights are the spirits of the departed, guided by the gods as they ascend to the Spheres of Death. The Skywatchers of Arhnos study these lights, claiming to read omens and divine the fate of souls in their flowing patterns.

The Cry of the Frostheart

The most enigmatic and awe-inspiring phenomenon in the Arhnos is known as The Cry of the Frostheart. Occurring only once every few decades, this event is heralded by an unnatural stillness that falls over the land. The howling winds cease, the auroras brighten and pulse with rhythmic intensity, and the very air hums with a low, resonant vibration that seems to emanate from the depths of the ice itself. The sount then resonate and vibrate over thousants kilomaters of land.

Climate

Arhnos is a land ruled by the relentless grip of cold, where the climate shapes both the land and its people and fauna. It is a place where winter never fully loosens its hold, and the fleeting reprieve of the frost summer serves only as a reminder of the icy dominion that reigns eternal.

The Never-Ending Winter

For the greater part of the year, Arhnos is consumed by a never-ending winter. Bitter winds howl across the tundra, carrying with them stinging ice crystals that scour the skin. Temperatures plummet to life-threatening lows, often cold enough to freeze exposed flesh in minutes. Snow falls relentlessly, piling into drifts that can bury all but the tallest landmarks, and glaciers creep slowly across the land, grinding down everything in their path.
The sun, when it rises, casts a pale, weak light over the frozen landscape, offering little respite from the darkness that cloaks much of the winter season. In the northernmost reaches, the sun vanishes entirely for months at a time, leaving the land shrouded in the long, unbroken night of the Northern Veil. During this time, the auroras dance across the black sky, their eerie lights a source of both wonder and foreboding to the people of Arhnos.

The Frost Summer

When the frost summer arrives, it is a fleeting miracle. Lasting no more than two or three months, it is a time when the sun lingers on the horizon, casting the land in a golden glow that fades into perpetual twilight. Temperatures rise just enough to allow snow and ice to retreat slightly, revealing patches of mossy ground and icy rivers breaking free from their frozen prison. This is true only for southern regions as the region of Permafrost remains frozen even during the summer.
During this brief thaw, wildflowers bloom in bursts of color across the tundra, and the air hums with the activity of life emerging from winter’s grip. Streams and lakes sparkle with the reflection of the midnight sun, and hardy grasses provide sustenance for the great herds of frosthorn elk and snow-haired mammoths that migrate to graze. Yet even at its warmest, the frost summer never truly banishes the cold. The nights remain frigid, and the looming presence of frost always promises a swift return.

Fauna & Flora

The wildlife of Arhnos is as fierce as the land itself. Great snow bears and packs of frost wolves roam the tundras, while shadowy dire owls are said to haunt the forests at night. There is also enormous amount of feral monsters that adapted to snowy and icy climate. A lot of them evolve to live under ice in depths but there are many that can vanish and became one with snow. The seas teem with massive leviathans, their haunting cries echoing across the icy waves. Even the plant life is formidable; thorned frostbloom vines and the resilient ironwood trees have adapted to survive in the harsh climate.
Arhnos is a land where survival is a daily struggle, but for those who endure, it offers a rugged beauty and a connection to a history both vast and mysterious. Its icy winds carry tales of valor, tragedy, and unbroken determination—whispers of a continent that stands as a testament to resilience in the face of relentless cold.
In general, all flora and fauna on this northern continent adapted to harsh climate and they became durable and vital.

Alternative Name(s)

The North, Land of Dwarves, Everwinter, Permafrost, Lands of Kerautuz

Type

Continent

Location under

Thalas

Inhabiting Species

• Dragons
• Thall

Continent of Arhnos

Here you can see brief view of Arhnos. Detailed map can be found here at the bottom of the page.

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