Gilrail Mountains
Known as the Crown of Orzaal, the Gilrail Mountains cover most of Arctica and rise to heights unmatched by the mountain ranges to the south. Little is known of these icy covered peaks, and even less is known about what secrets may be hidden deep within the range.
Many expeditions have set out to explore the Gilrails in the past years, all of them searching for the rumoured deposits of adamantine and other valuable minerals locked within the icy peaks. Few of these expeditions ever return, and those who do, speak of unknowable horrors that stalk them in the night, and of verdant valleys teaming with life, both friendly and hungry.
How much of what these broken men and women say is true is still up for debate, because the harsh climate of the polar mountains can, and will, break even the hardiest of souls.
Points of Interest
Ellova’s Hideaway
Deep within the mountains is said to be a lush and densely forested valley that the goddess of nature, Ellova herself, uses as her private get-away.
The verdant forest is home to countless creatures, both natural and mythical, all of them being attended to by ageless dryads, playful forest nymphs, and the other favoured fay of Ellova.
It should be noted that these points of interest are more a collection of rumoured locales, rather than real verified locations.
Yet it is always prudent to remember that most legends and tall tales have at least one foot in reality.
The Adamantine Peak
This mountain is said to be made completely of adamantine. If this mountain does exist, it would be the single largest source of this precious metal, and would be worth an unthinkable amount.
Most stories and rumours place this peak at the centre of the Gilrail Mountains, but no one knows for certain, and every year the stories seem to change as if the mountain moves about the range.
Pre-First Eon Ruins
A new tale that has recently floated down from Arctica is that of ruins dating from before the First Eon, which if true, would be the archaeological find of the century.
It is hard to pinpoint where the ruins are rumoured to be, or if they are nothing but tale tales meant to bring more explorers and adventurers to these frozen peaks; stories penned by one company or another in their never ending search for more riches and knowledge.
Ecology
Most of the animals and monsters that live in the depths of the mountains are still unknown. So instead we will offer a few beasts that stalk the foothills and the peaks closest to the coast.
Yeti
A large and hairy ape like creature that hunts and lives in caves high up in the peaks, descending down into the valleys and the foothills looking for anything to eat.
Some are said to stand well over 9 feet tall, and their horrible wails and cries haunt the mountains they call home.
Trolls
Just as vicious and voracious as their cousins to the south, the trolls of the Gilrails are beasts to be feared and avoided. They pay the frigid temperatures no mind, wandering over the peaks and through the valleys, searching for anything to eat.
Just like the trolls that hunt across the warmer climates away from the north, fire and acid will slow down their horrid regenerative biology.
Wraiths of Winter
A catch all term for the undead that have haunt the frozen peaks. What is story and what is fact is little comfort to those who come across these tortured souls, with the stories ranging from ghosts, to whites, to wisps, to zombies: all of them lost souls who succumbed to the cold while trying to find their way across this cold and quiet mountain range.