Yehimal Mountains The Yehimal , a name meaning " Rock - Snow " , or the Mountains of Snow , and sometimes called the Yehimal Mountains or simply the Yehimals , was an immense mountain range that formed the primary barrier between the three continents of Zakhara , Faerûn , and Kara - Tur , and between them the Hordelands . They were famed as the largest , highest , most extensive , and indeed greatest mountain range in all the known lands of Toril . Geography . The Yehimal was undoubtedly the most majestic natural wonder in all the Hordelands , thanks to its soaring , glacier - topped peaks . These ranged in height from 15 , 000 feet ( 4570 meters ) to astonishing 30 , 000 feet ( 9140 meters ) above sea level , marking them as the tallest in the world . The mountains were formed from folded and upthrust granite , with jagged profiles . The mountains sprawled southwest of Shou Lung in Kara - Tur and lay south and east of the Jumpa River Gorge , which delineated the mountains from the steppes of the Hordelands . The Yehimal effectively dominated and separated the steppes from the southern kingdoms . The Yehimal appeared to have been formed as a result of the southeastern part of the continental plate being pushed over its own southwestern part . As the colossal mountains of the Yehimal were forced upward , the Jumpa River Gorge was driven downward , creating twice over an insurmountable physical barrier across half the continent . Geographical Features . The Yehimal was an enormously extensive system of mountains that sprawled across three continents . It comprised multiple lesser mountain ranges and branches , each of which had lesser mountain ranges and branches of their own . Some of the most significant were : Climate . As a very high mountainous area , the climate around the peaks was extremely cold . Unexpectedly , snow was relatively light , as the wind was too great and the thin air could hold little moisture or warmth . Misty clouds wreathed the upper slopes , while formidable winds rushed around the mountains . Windstorms could howl for days on end , and were a serious hazard for travelers . However , the countless valleys and low points were more hospitable . Flora & Fauna . Although the mountain valleys could be quite fertile , the high altitudes could barely support life , owing to the bare rock , extreme cold , unending wind , and thin air . The majority of vegetation at these heights were only beds of hardy lichens and mosses , and no natural plants grew at all above around 17 , 000 feet ( 5180 meters ) . The Yehimal were home to the typical beasts of the high mountains found around the Hordelands . In particular , snow leopards could be found there . Locations . The Yehimal and their attendant ranges held many glaciers , whose run - off formed many of the great rivers that flowed out of the mountains . Deep in the heart of the Yehimal , hidden in one of the valleys , was the fabled and sacred Cave of the Monkey . The Jumpa River began in the Katakoro Shan and was fed by the whole northwestern face of the mountains , making it one of the most high - volume rivers of the mountains . It flowed through the Jumpa River Gorge , paralleling the foot of the mountains , and through the Great Pass of the Yehimal . The mystical realm of Langdarma lay isolated and hidden deep in the Yehimals . Inhabitants . Yeti dwelled in the Yehimal , as did some go - zu and me - zu oni . Asperii were also known to roam the Yehimal . As for dragon s , t ' ien lung made their homes here ; conversely , copper dragon s were confirmed not to inhabit the Yehimal . History . According to dwarven legends , the Yehimal was the site of the very first dwarf settlements on Toril , founded some tens of millennia before the 14th century DR , that is , around −16 , 000 DR . Scholars estimated that they later made a great exodus out of the Yehimal , migrating into the continents of Faerûn , Kara - Tur , and Zakhara and dividing into two or three major branches . The ones who ventured north into Faerûn are theorized to have made their first settlements under the lands that would be known as Semphar , before spreading westward . By −15 , 000 DR , they ' d already founded their first great kingdom , Bhaerynden , beneath the Shaar . Appendix . Background . The Yehimal are of course based on the , also a vast and extensive mountain range , with a similar name ( meaning " Abode of Snow " ) , formed through similar plate tectonics , and also dividing continents and cultures .