The Bian Mountains

"Our ancestors once passed these mountains. I do not know how they did it, especially as refugees fleeing the Endsworn, but Axu owes its existence to their tenacity... Still. Travel by sea instead. Skirt around the coast if you cannot sail. For inexperienced wanderers, the Bian Mountains are a death sentence."

Former home of the Amber Serpent, the Bian Mountains are possibly the most impassable mountain range on Wyral - not so much for their sheer size as for their danger. Only two passes through the range are even feasible to traverse, and neither of them are anywhere near 'safe'. Beneath the surface stretches a warren of mining shafts rich with gemstones - but recently, the tunnels have been claimed by mysterious, corrupted wyrbeasts. And something beneath the earth is stirring...

Enforced Solitude

Stone, Like Water

Supposedly, the Bian Mountains were formed by the Amber Serpent in her battle with Izhen Earthshaker, a monster which threatened to tear into the very foundations of the earth. She raised spires of crystal that resonated with her power, and in response Izhen caused the ground to roil like waves, and magma to erupt below the bedrock. In the end, the Serpent destroyed the construct - but the landscape was forever changed, from a flat plateau to an unforgiving mountain range.
The Mountains are not the tallest in Wyral, nor the widest. They are simply the least stable. The earth has a tendency to collapse inward beneath one's feet, into pockets of air left over from the Mountains' creation. Deadly drops and impassable crevasses litter the range, making a safe or predictable path through it impossible. And as altitude, sea winds and Axu's climate collide, the weather becomes difficult to manage at best and a complete deterrent at worst. Even neglecting the environment, the monsters which flee the densely-populated plains of Axu lurk here, preying on the weak, tired and careless.
Izhen's remains are scattered across the mountains, resulting in spires of carved, undulating stone which often shift the underlying rock as they used to when whole. Deposits of precious crystal, too, lie both exposed and underground, often weathered by time into strange shapes. Many of these deposits are made of okai - a magic-absorbing gem, meaning that mages will be unable to cast within the vicinity. The shadow of this titanic battle has left scars upon the Mountains, both seen and unseen.

Hunger, Like Death

Despite the Bian Mountains' danger, the okai that it is so rich in is invaluable to any civilisation with mages. If one can control the flow of magic, one can control a mage. Axu, whose founders traversed the mountains in their flight from the Endwar's horrors, saw both potential and significance in the treacherous stone of the peaks. Alsil, a mining town in the foothills, flourished against all odds, bringing in immense riches to the growing nation. Even the presence of a nearby, hidden ikayal outpost could not mar their success.
That is, until about 698 A.E, when strange crystal creatures with stranger power began to emerge from the roots of the Mountains. Attempts to investigate their source were unsuccessful, and in any case the mining town could not afford to keep sending people on such dangerous missions. These monsters were made partially of okai, but their power was not like that of most wyrbeasts, and they were legion. Every nightfall, they would attack Alsil, gradually growing to be able to burrow through solid stone. Alsil held out at first, but the constant torrent of dangers meant that many people fled.
Eventually, the Alme of Axu took notice and posted a large contingent of guards in the mining town. This returned a modicum of stability for Alsil, and allowed some refugees to return - but the tide of monsters has not abated, and there is still no explanation for their origin or ability. Some whisper that the Earthshaker is pulling itself together once more, breaking the power of the Amber Serpent, freeing these beasts from their long imprisonment within the earth. As dangerous as the Mountains are, perhaps they were only a tomb for something far deadlier...

Type

Mountain Range

Owner/Ruler

Alea, the Amber Serpent

Izhen, Earthbreaker

Izhen was originally a runic construct on the eastern continent. Like so many of the time, however, its crudely-made and poorly-safeguarded enchantment allowed it to run rogue, absorbing the magic of other constructs and even mages once its "appetite" grew. Moreover, due to the complex wyr-currents in the world, it was able to grow far beyond normal. It travelled south and was narrowly driven out of Arkan, but collected power all the way - ripping rock from the earth to form a stronger body, hiding its fragile enchanted core. By the time it reached the Amber Serpent's abode, Izhen supposedly had enough influence to reach into the very roots of the earth. Whether or not this description is accurate, Alea considered the Earthbreaker a great enough threat to engage it in battle.