Great Khibiny Mountain Range

The Khibiny Mountain Range (aka the Khibins, etc.) are a range of magnificent peaks, deep valleys, staggering beautiful waterfalls and seemingly bottomless chasms that serve as the northern most border of the Sundered Plains. The mountain range extends from coast to coast, west to east, traversing approximately 4,500 miles. At their narrowest point, they are some 300 miles across and up to 600 miles across at their widest making crossing the mountains a very perilous and labor intensive journey. In total, they cover just over 500,000 square miles. The highest peak, deep in the northwest region of the range, is Mt. Elbrus at 30,000 feet. The highest inhabited mountain area is Mt. Cymeria at just over 18,000 feet above sea level. The lands beyond the Khibins are mostly unknown. In olden times, maps of that are simply read Here There be Monsters.

Despite their power, the Khibins were not unaffected by the Sundering. There are places where the mountains seemed to have literally walked or been twisted from the earth. Great chasms have opened up, making traversing the ranges hazardous for those not familiar with its geography.

Taltai (Land of Fire)
The Great Khibiny Mountain Range starts as a volcanic wasteland just north of The Sacellum and stretches for at least a hundred miles northward along the coast. This section is called Taltai, the Land of Fire. The region is highly geologically unstable and volcanically active. There are numerous active shield volcanoes on the coastal west end of the range. Vast lava fields stretch to the sea where there is a perpetual fog caused by the lava pouring out of lava tubes into the ocean.

===Another hazard are frequent, violent earthquakes which often result in powerful tsunamis. Further inland, as the ground begins to rise, so do the volcanic peaks. Here, the mountains shoot fire to the skies as massive strato volcanoes belch gasses to the atmosphere.===

West Khibins
Just beyond the Taltai, the Khibiny Range narrows, dips inward toward the Sundered Plains and rises to soaring snow-capped mountain peaks. There are still a few glaciar covered volcanoes, but not as many as in the Taltai and many are dormant or extinct. This region of the mountains is mostly unihabitable with little in the way of forage for man or beast. There are a few gaps and passes that lead through to the Anvil, but they are buried under massive amounts of snow over three quarters of the year.

The West Khibins end abruptly in a ragged break where the land has subsided thousands of feet into a Torenthi Chasm. This chasm runs the entire breadth of the Khibins range. At the bottom is a vast river that drains south, on the far side are the Torenthi Falls. The falls also run nearly the entire width of the mountains.

There are trails down into the chasm and, presumably up to the other side.

The Highlands (Estcarp)
Beyond the Torenthi Chasm and extending on to the east is the region of the Khibiny Mountain Range known as The Highlands where the country of Estcarp is located. From the Torenthis Escarpment where Lake Kharsten creates the spectacular Torenthis Falls, the ground rises further. The region is mountains, but the geography also includes vast, high escarpments, plateaus, mountain valleys, alpine meadows and great forests.

This region is bordered on the east by Mt. Fen and the massive Fen River that flows across the mountains, cutting a massive canyon on its path to the Sundered Plains.

To the north of Estcarp and almost geographically center of The Highlands is Mt. Elbrus, the tallest mountain peak in the known world. It soars 30,000 feet in the air. Its summits and peaks form a massive barrier between Estcarp and The Anvil.

South and slightly east of Mt. Elbrus is Mt. Cymeria, a lesser range, but just as magnificent. Like the other mountain ranges within the Great Khibiny Range, Cymeria has a varied topography with Mt. Cymeria being the tallest settled peak in the range at just over 18,000 feet. Mt. Cymeria is a vast mountain with numerous less peaks, many valleys, meadows, and forested sections.

Cymeria Valley is a very high and vast mountain valley with a variety of terrain from forests to an escarpment that is host to another magnificent waterfall. The valley was created when a massive super volcano erupted and then collapsed creating the floor of the valley. The mountains and ridges that form the valley's walls are the remnants of the volcanic crater itself. Beyond the rim lies the rest of Mt. Cymeria. As this region still lies over a magmatic hotspot, although there is little fear of another eruption, there are also many hot springs - both under and above ground.

At the northeast end of the valley, where it meets the base of Mt. Cymeria, from underneath a wide escarpment a huge waterfall bursts out of a hole in the side of the mountain to fall thousands of feet into a huge lake. This is Lake Bakal which feeds into the Bakal River via a series of step waterfalls.

The Bakal River bisects the Cymeria Valley flowing south. Midway down the valley, the river forks. The  fork that flows south and east, the Greater Bakal, widens into a vast escarpment and tumbles over the edge into another valley below. This is the Bakal Escarpment and has the only known passes leading out of this section of the Highlands and down towards the foothills to the Sundered Plains beyond.

The other fork of the river flowing south and west works its way down in a series of sharp narrow cuts and high free falling waterfalls. The Little Bakal has the most breathtakingly beautiful scenery and waterfalls in the Highlands. The eastern border of The Highlands is the mighty Fen River.

East Khibins
Continuing eastward from the Highalnds, the last steps of the range are the East Khibins. Three quarters along this length and the range once again begins to narrow and start sloping to the seas. This is the oldest section of the mountains and while still massive, time and erosion have taken their toll. Only the foothills of the East Khibins boasts any settlements and human habitation.

Traversing the Mountains
The average width of the Khibins is from 300 to 600 miles. There are narrower regions and even one or two wider expanses. The widest point is in the Mid-Khibins where Mt. Elbrus and Mt. Cymeria are located.

The Khibiny Mountain range is riddled with passes and gaps. Some do lead through to other parts of the range, potentally all the way to the Anvil. Many, however, end abruptly in sudden drops, bottomless chasms, or solid rock walls.

The range is at its narrowest  in the west and, despite being very geologically unstable with earthquakes and active volcanoes, the mountains can be crossed with relative ease albeit they are still very dangerous. They narrow again to the far east.

Climate and Weather
The Khibin's climate varies with its topography. It ranges from tropical to arctic depending upon the altitude. The Terai (geologically active volcanic area, mostly uninhabitable) region, which lies in the tropical western part of the range, for instance, has a hot, humid climate. The mid-land regions are pleasant almost all year around, although winter mornings and nights are cool. The northernmost mountain region, around an altitude above 11,000 feet has an alpine climate with a considerably lower temperature and thin air in winter.

The high mountain valleys where the majority of the population resides is mostly temperate to alpine with four distinct seasons. The spring, summer and fall are relatively short seasons and winter is long, often relentless. In the higher peaks, well above 15,000 feet, the climate is arctic with snow on the ground year round and massive glaciers.

Flora and Fauna
With so many habitats and environments, there is a virtual explosion of plants and animals living in the mountains. There are massive forests of pines and hardwoods...oak, maple, birch and magnificent redwoods. The plants and trees seem the least affected by the Sundering.

The Great Khibinys never experienced the mass extinction of the megafauna that other areas did. Likely due to the overall sparsity of human population and the predilection of Highlanders to not take more from the land than is needed.

Massive elk, bison, mountain sheep, wild horses and a gazelle-like animal roam the meadows and high alpine plains. Following the animals of the plains, valleys and meadows are equally impressive predators; massive bears, sabertoothed cats, and dire wolves. The most fearful of these predators is the Stygian, a massive flightless bird that stands approximately eight feet at the shoulder.

There is also a variety of fish, mollusks, amphibians, birds, reptiles and insects.

The Sundering
Despite their formidable size, the Great Khibiny Mountain Range was also affected by the Sundering, the foothills and lower valleys moreso than the ancient mountains themselves. In some areas new gaps and passes appeared as mountains literally moved, some were twisted and in an instant heaved higher into the sky than ever before. Great craters and chasms opened up where lush valleys were before.

Likewise, dark and twisted creatures now roam areas of the mountains.

In the three hundred years since the Sundering, the higher elevations have mostly healed, though the memories of the events run long in the Highlanders themselves. Scars remain, both within the Khibin's peoples and on the land itself.

The Henges
As if in self-defense, a last bastion of the Light, a new feature now dots the landscape of the Sundered Plains. Seeming to have been created by the land itself as it sought to protect those within its embrace, great and small circles of stone dot the landscape, arising mostly on tops of hillocks although a few hide within circular glades in the forests. One massive henge, The Great Henge, stands on a small rise almost exactly dead center of the plains. Most are only large enough for a small group of people and animals to abide in, the Great Henge could encompass an army.

The henges seem to be a safe haven, of sorts. Most have grown up around fresh, running rills or springs that bubble up from aquifers deep underground. To safely cross the plains and forests, it is wise to have a map of the henges. Sleeping out in the open is ill-advised.

A henge's protection is not permanent, nothing and no one can live within their circle forever. Their magic or wards, whatever empowers them, drains away gradually when they are occupied. The more that seek their protection, the shorter time period they can be protected. Some of the henges even burn out and cannot be recharged.

Henges come in all sizes, but are uniformly circular. The may encompass an entire glade, massive stones ringing it with their backs literally to the trees. They can also be circles of small stones, like those used to ring a cook fire. The henges that dot the plains and set atop hillocks tend to be created of the massive stones and locked together by equally massive lintels set atop them. Some of these very large henges contain smaller circles within. All operate the same way, however, nothing of the Dark may enter. As their charge dwindles (sometimes needing days or months to fully replenish), their protection wanes as well.

Be it known that the seeming safe haven of a henge is also a double edged sword. If the unwary seek their protection, unprepared to move on when their power is exhausted, they can be taken by the things prowling the henge's perimeter. Use their protection carefully and drink of their waters sparingly.

In some instances, it seems that drinking the water of a henge will renew one's energy. Drinking too much, can have the opposite affect. Attempting to carry water from the henge destroys any of its benevolent qualities and drinking of it puts one as much at risk as drinking any of the bog water on the Plains.

Henges arose in the mountains as well, but they are, overall less numerous and spread wider.

The People
The people of the Khibiny Mountains are known collectively as Highlanders. From there, they are broken down by geographic region within the Khibins. These regions are called Marches. For example, those dwelling within the georgraphic region of Mt. Cymeria are known by their mountain's name...the Cymerians. Those dwelling on and around Mt. Altai, would be Altain, and so on.

Most of the plains dwellers were killed during the Sundering and those that survived and remained were changed in hideous ways. Those that still dwell in the plains have become known as the Revenants. The Sundered Plains, its forests and hills, have become the refuge of the darkest of criminals, people seeking to use or misuse its chaotic powers, or Apostates fleeing the Sacellum. At times, these peoples and beings attempt to flee beyond the foothills and into the mountains beyond, sometimes clashing with the Highlanders.

Amongst the Highlanders, there are two other distinct races or bloodlines, the Stormborn and their offshoot, the Istseleniye. Both races - or bloodlines - are heirs to certain magical abilities.

Magic
Magic works in the mountains and is less influenced by the chaotic energies released by the Sundering, at least in the higher elevations where the majority of the people reside. It does have its dangers and, if misused, can bring down the wrath of the Stormborn as well as potentially recoiling on the user.