Alpuk Alpuk , also called the Central Basin , was the largest of the three regions of the Great Glacier and the home of the Iulutiun people . Geography . The Great Glacier was naturally divided into three regions . The largest region was Alpuk , located in the southwest and bordered by the Uppuk River in the north , the Tuutsaas Chain in the west , the Lugsaas Chain in the south , and the Keryjek Ridge in the east . The region of Angalpuk was to the east , and Nakvaligach to the north . Alpuk encompassed the two largest seas in the Great Glacier , the Nakalpgotak and the Lugalpgotak . The mysterious mountainous region known as Novularond , home of frost giant s and arctic dwarves , was also within its borders . Most of the land was at a low elevation , but the ground was rough and occasionally contained rolling hills . Weather . Average temperatures in Alpuk ranged from −30 °F ( −34 °C ) to 35 °F ( 2 °C ) from Mirtul to Kythorn with a daytime average of 15 °F ( −9 °C ) and a nighttime average of −15 °F ( −26 °C ) . In the month of Flamerule , temperatures ranged from 0 °F ( −18 °C ) to 50 °F ( 10 °C ) with a daytime average of 30 °F ( −1 °C ) and a nighttime average of 10 °F ( −12 °C ) . During the months of Eleasis through Uktar , they ranged from −35 °F ( −37 °C ) to 20 °F ( −7 °C ) . The daytime average was 10 °F ( −12 °C ) and the nighttime average −20 °F ( −29 °C ) . The winters were bitter and long . Temperatures fell as low as −75 °F ( −59 °C ) from Nightal to Tarsakh and rarely rose any higher than −10 °F ( −23 °C ) . The average temperatures for winter were −35 °F ( −37 °C ) during the day and −55 °F ( −48 °C ) at night . Strong winds could make them temperatures seem even colder . These usually blew from the north or the south . Only five to eight inches ( thirteen to twenty centimeters ) of precipitation fell on Alpuk per year on average . The ice depth over much of Alpuk was between 200 and 500 feet ( 60 – 150 m ) , though it thinned to as little as five to ten feet ( one and a half to three meters ) in some areas . Because of this , traditional building materials , such as mud , stone , or wood were hard to come by . Flora & Fauna . Wild caribou herds lived in the hills and mountains of Alpuk , though not nearly in the large numbers seen east in Angalpuk . The strange creatures known as " walrus dogs " , or kupuk , lived wild in Alpuk and were often tamed by the Ulutiun s . Seals were plentiful within the two great lakes of Alpuk . The white - furred " heteff " breed of sled dog was also native to the region . Two monsters lived in Alpuk that caused fear among its people — white dragon s and the bizarre centipede - like tirichik . Very little vegetation grew in Alpuk . A few exceptions were mikka , a mint - flavored , black lichen growing near streams , and seal berries , found on the shore of the Lugalpgotak Sea . History . Alpuk was first settled by human s in −1648 DR by hunters and explorers from Sossal , who were ambushed by a tirichik and then lost . They eventually found their way to the Lugalpgotak Sea and settled around its shores . Inhabitants . The primary inhabitants of Alpuk were the Iulutiun tribes , descendents of the first settlers from Sossal . The estimated population of Iulutiuns in 1359 DR was between 42 , 500 and 63 , 750 , and this accounted for about 85 % of the total human population of the Great Glacier . The most populous areas were around the two great seas . Arctic dwarves , known as " Innugaakalikurit " , and frost giants also lived in Alpuk .