Adventures in Arcadayn
Mountain Ranges in Arcadayn

By Tim Emrick

Except for part of its western border, Arcadayn is surrounded by a ring of mountain ranges: the Whitecrags (north), the Auroras (northeast and east), the Ongrican Mountains (southeast and south) and the Landrings (southwest). Everything inside this ring is Arcadayn; everything outside is the Outlands. Arcadayn contains one other major mountain range, the Thunderhead Peaks, which extend south from the Whitecrags to the Great Sea.

The Auroras: Named for the fact that, from most of Arcadayn, the sun rises over this range. The majority of the south face of this range borders Visala, with the northern end bordering Riversmidst and the southern end bordering Eastmarch (in Krith) and Kurbesim. The Twin Passes (see Visala: The Dales) lead to the Outland nation of Sakan.

The Landrings: Named for the Landfall of the Pilgrims, which tradition says occured on the southwestern foothills of this range. That part of the range is no longer known to the men of Arcadayn, and is the subject of much speculation about lost Anidel cities and fearsome monsters. Few humans are foolhardy enough to attempt to cross the Landrings--manticores prowl the northern peaks, lizard men are found near the Highmarch, and dragons have occasionally been encountered throughout the range.

The Highmarch plateau in the Sandmarch is an extension of this range. The northern half of the range forms the steep spine of a peninsula between the Great Sea and Ocean of Darkness. The central peaks of this northern region are volcanic. Whiel no iron or bronze dwarves are known to live near these mountains, both of those races have legends of "firerock dwarves" who dwell beneath the hot spots.

The Ongrican Mountains: Named for the land of Ongrica, which was once the colony of Tembar before the Krithian Civil War. Ongrica lies to the southeast of the gap guarded by Kurbesim, but has been visited only rarely by humans since the Great Scourge laid it waste.

The bronze dwarves of Onbarrut dwell in the part of this range due south of the Sea of Krith. Only that race regularly travels in these rugged, uninviting mountains. The dwarves claim that the region southeast of their lands has volcanic activity, and is home to fire giants which raid north every generation or so.

The Thunderhead Peaks: Like Tempest Bay and the Storm Isles to the south, this range is named for the powerful storms found in the region. The central part of the range is home to the iron dwarves of Junrazzak. The rest of the range is home to giant, dragons, unseelie faerie races, and a few brave human explorers from the Northlands, Riversmidst and the Bogmoors.

The Whitecrags: Named for the year-round layer of snow found on this range's taller peaks. These mountains are the tallest in Arcadayn, and contain many glaciers. The interior is said to be covered by a permanent ice cap of unknown depth.

Iron dwarves live in the portion of the Whitecrags just northwest of Riversmidst. These Gaaz are independent of Junrazzak. The dwarves tell tales of ice gnomes, frost giants and other creatures who dwell in the northern ice.

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