The Greyspires

Even the name evokes a sense of ancient, immutable power.

Rising like the jagged teeth of a slumbering titan, the Greyspires mountain range cleaves Vel’Nathar in two, a formidable barrier between the sun-drenched fields of Eastmarch and the shadowed depths of The Bleakthorn Wilds.

Unlike the rolling hills of The Lowlands or the windswept moors of the Northern Highlands, the Greyspires are a realm of stark, unforgiving beauty.

Here, stone reigns supreme, sculpted by millennia of wind, ice, and the slow, relentless grind of time.

Southern Ascent

The southern foothills, where the mountains begin their ascent, are a transition zone. Forests cling to the lower slopes, a patchwork of pine and birch gradually giving way to hardy scrub and lichen-covered rock. The first settlement encountered is Everholt, a human village built around a sheltered grove, serving as a lumber camp and trading post supplying dwarven holds with timber and grain. It’s a rough-and-tumble place populated by woodcutters, trappers, and those seeking life beyond Stormhaven’s laws.

Further northeast, nestled in a narrow gorge, lies the human settlement of Rockford. Built around a natural arch of grey stone spanning a churning stream, Rockford is a vital link between Eastmarch and the eastern Greyspires. It’s a town of skilled stonemasons and engineers, maintaining precarious mountain passes and constructing bridges for trade.

As one ascends, the landscape transforms. Trees become sparser, replaced by windswept crags and sheer cliffs. The air grows thin and cold, carrying the scent of snow. The Greyspires are riddled with environmental hazards: treacherous scree slopes opening into hidden crevasses; sudden "white squalls" reducing visibility; unpredictable avalanches from shifting glaciers; thin ice hiding frigid pools; and constant rockfall threats along narrow paths.

Despite the harsh conditions, unique flora and fauna cling to life. Hardy mountain goats navigate impossible cliffs. High-altitude eagles ride powerful winds. Resilient shrubs bear frost-rimed berries in sheltered alcoves, and phosphorescent moss glows in deep caves. Whispers tell of rare, stone-camouflaged scaled beasts and predatory birds carrying static from storm-wreathed peaks.

Realm of the Dwarves

The Greyspires however are undoubtedly the realm of the dwarves, their presence etched into the mountains. Known for stoicism and mastery of metallurgy, they have carved holds and passages into the heart of the Greyspires. After all, these mountains are rich in minerals, notably Galarium, drawing attention from across Eldareth.

The first major dwarven hold encountered is Kordrun-Thul, hewn into a sheer cliff face. Here, the Emberforge dwarves rule the flow of Galarium. At its heart lies the Pyrestone Crucible, the only known forge capable of working the, exceptionally rare, meteoric iron. Kordrun-Thul thrives as a bustling center of commerce, renowned for its iron mines and its master blacksmiths, the clang of hammers echoing through its halls. It also serves as a formidable stronghold guarding deeper mountain passes. The Emberforge dwarves, known for fiery tempers and fire magic mastery, craft sought-after blades, armor, and artifacts.

To the northwest stand the ruins of Varkul’Duun, the Black Halls. This hold suffered catastrophic rupture during the Upheaval, the stone tearing open to reveal a vast trench plunging into the Hollow Depths. Though sealed, recent years see ancient forges mysteriously stirring, fires burning without smiths. Dwarves speak hushedly of an older presence commanding the forge, awakening stone-bound spirits and forgotten war-golems. The rune-carved gates remain sealed, and few dare approach the immense power stirring within the abyss below.

Beyond the deep holds of the dwarves, other peoples carve out their existence in the formidable Greyspires. Nomadic clans of hardy, stoic goliaths, such as the Skybreaker Clan who guard the high terraces of Mount Vordrak, roam the peaks following mountain goat migrations. Known for their fierce independence and unwavering loyalty, these wary hunters represent one facet of life beyond the dwarven halls.

However, not all non-dwarven inhabitants offer safe passage. To the north, the treacherous Grimcleft Pass cuts a narrow defile between towering peaks, its inherent dangers amplified by the presence of the Fellcrag Clan. These orcs, remnants of a mountain-spanning tribe clinging fiercely to ancestral lands they refuse to surrender, haunt the shadows of the pass. Relentless and proud, their mythical reputation is earned through sudden emergence when threatened and occasional caravan raids fueled by cunning and rumored dark shamanic magic. The pass itself stands as a stark symbol of their enduring defiance against dwarves and humans alike.

Watching over a vital route into Eastmarch, just southeast of the perilous Grimcleft, the human settlement of Torvin’s Stand offers a different kind of mountain resilience. Clinging to its plateau, this settlement functions as both waypoint and stronghold. Its buildings, constructed of enduring grey stone and timber, stand firm against the frequent high winds and snowstorms, a testament to human tenacity in the face of the harsh peaks and the dangers lurking nearby.

Echoes of the Upheaval

To the northwest of the pass, the mountains bear the scars of forgotten cataclysms. Many grand dwarven works, once symbols of their enduring power, now stand as silent tombs to lost ambition and shattered dreams.

Deep beneath the peaks winds the Kazdruk-Varn, a vast, ancient network of subterranean highways carved by dwarven hands over countless generations. This intricate system was designed to stretch for untold leagues under the Greyspires, a testament to their mastery of stone, linking all their major strongholds—from the industrious forges of Kordrun-Thul and the mighty gates of Dun Karak to the now-ruined halls of Kazrund-Khal, Varkul’Duun, Zar-Kedhrum, and Korvazh-Khal—through the deep rock, far below the harsh surface winds.

However, time, war, and the world-shattering chaos of the Upheaval have taken their toll on this once-great under-realm. While the core routes connecting currently inhabited holds like Kordrun-Thul and Dun Karak may remain functional, albeit heavily guarded, many sections of the Kazdruk-Varn are now lost or perilous. Passages leading through or near ruined settlements, such as the abyss beneath Varkul’Duun or the haunted depths near Zar-Kedhrum, have often been deliberately sealed off with massive rune-warded gates, collapsed due to seismic shifts, or simply abandoned to the darkness and whatever now dwells within.

Kazrund-Khal, the City Beneath the Cracked Mountain, exemplifies this fractured legacy. 

While the surviving Ironcrest Dwarves stubbornly reinforce their halls above, the section of the Kazdruk-Varn running deep beneath their sundered city is notoriously dangerous and largely sealed. It is whispered to have become a hunting ground for something vast, silent, and unnatural—a presence that moves with unnerving quiet through the living stone. Few dwarves dare tread these abandoned deepways, sealing them where possible to contain the encroaching silence and the potential horrors that may lie beyond the broken paths of their once-unified underground empire.

Far deeper lies Zar-Kedhrum, a ruin where ghostly blue flame still burns in abandoned forges. Weapons and armor remain untouched by time, never rusting or breaking. Yet those taking these relics speak of strange, haunting dreams—whispers in an unknown language echoing in their minds. At Zar-Kedhrum's heart, the Broken Gates of Ulmath-Thal stand sealed, chains binding the entrance to an ancient dwarven under-empire. Something inside still knocks rhythmically.

Nestled into the western mountainside, connected to this labyrinth, is Korvazh-Khal, the City of Unfinished Thrones, entrances half-buried by Upheaval avalanches. This metropolis remains incomplete—half-carved statues of rulers who never reigned, vast halls abandoned mid-chisel. Deeper ventures encounter heavier silence, like the mountain mourning the city that never was.

The Aerie of Echoed Thoughts

High above to the northeast of Grimcleft Pass, clinging to a sheer cliff face nearly impossible to reach, lies the Aerie of Echoed Thoughts. This place was, for centuries, a secluded monastery inhabited by monks dedicated to solitude and spiritual discipline. Built into the mountain, it appears less constructed than grown from the stone itself.

Its purpose transformed dramatically during the Reckoning Years however.

After discovering injured extra-planar beings at a nearby crash site, the monks brought the Naerids here. Within these ancient walls, the gravely weakened Naerids performed a final, profound act of sacrifice: they pooled their remaining strength and knowledge, pro1jecting their consciousness onto the monks. In a brilliant psionic display, this unlocked latent abilities and transformed the monks into the Venthari—a race born from shared will and inherited wisdom. The dying Naerids then entrusted their sacred relic, the Celestine Obelisk, to the newly formed Venthari.

Now, the Aerie is the Venthari's ancestral home and sacred charge. Monks of the Way of the Celestine dedicate their lives to psionic mastery, guarding the Obelisk deep within their most shielded sanctums, their minds attuned to its power. Powerful mental wards shield the monastery and the Obelisk, making the Aerie nearly invisible to those not deemed worthy or who approach with hostile intent. Pilgrims seeking enlightenment—or those hoping to learn the ways of the Venthari—still attempt the arduous climb, though few ever succeed in reaching the heights where the Obelisk's silence resonates.

High Peaks and Hidden Dangers

North of the monastery, where mountains grow truly wild, lies the Goliath’s Stair—naturally formed terraces ascending the sheer face of Mount Vordrak. Here, the Skybreaker Clan of goliaths carve villages into the rock face. Fierce warriors and climbers, they guard high passes into the Northern Highlands, their culture revolving around trials of strength and endurance.

Shrouded in perpetual mist within Mount Vordrak's shadow lies the Whispering Hollow—a foreboding natural cave concealed behind a cascading waterfall. Its entrance leads deep into the mountain’s bowels, descending into the Murmuring Depths, a labyrinthine network of tunnels and caverns. Long a place of fearful reverence, locals avoid it. Few who venture deep return, speaking of eerie, maddening sensations of being watched. Some say the Murmuring Depths lead to realms beyond, where reality warps. Its true contents remain a feared mystery.

A Cosmic Scar

As one moves north towards the highlands, hidden deep within mist-shrouded hills lies Lake Thalorn, a vast, frigid expanse. This area marks the crash site of the legendary crystalline ship, the Ithis Veyra, which completed its desperate journey carrying the Naerids and dire warnings before crashing into the peaks. Though mostly salvaged, small, unnatural remnants may still rest beneath the lake's surface, hinting at its origin and the forces it fled. Monks from the nearby monastery discovered the injured Naerids here. This chilling landscape holds the memory of that catastrophic arrival.

Threshold of the North

Traveling further north, the Greyspires grow ever more desolate, transforming into a realm of perpetual snow and ice. Peaks rise above glacier-filled valleys. Forests thin to jagged crags and icy summits. Isolated clans of goliaths, resilient orcs, and independent humans carve lives here. Highest summits remain largely unexplored, steeped in legend. Beyond known settlements, the Greyspires hold countless unnamed valleys and summits. Each nameless crag holds dangers and legends known only to those navigating the unforgiving terrain.

At this inhospitable wilderness threshold stands Dun Karak, the mightiest dwarven fortress in Vel'Nathar. Its vast halls echo with master smiths' hammering, a bastion of craftsmanship and strength. Dun Karak serves as sanctuary and first haven after miles of harsh terrain, marking entry to the Northern Highlands.