Northern Mountains

Location of the Northern Mountains in Duilintinn by tumblr user @thewatchau

The Northern Mountains are a natural landmark in Tirónar that form the border between Haneul and Duilintinn.

## Names

The Northern and Southern Mountains were the first major landmarks discovered by Waldren upon their arrival to mainland Tirónar. The Waldren colonizers went with two simple, convenient names for this range, not realizing until later that there were more mountains further north of the “Northern Mountains”. Despite the misnomer, the names has never been changed.

In the original Feadhainn Tongue, the Northern Mountains were called Beanntan Mathas, or Mountains of Bounty, since that’s where they mined most of the stone for their impressive architecture.

In Haneul’s native tongue, the Northern Mountains are called Dungjisan (둥지산) or “Nest Mountains”. Some say it’s because they curve slightly upwards on a map, forming a small nest in which Haneul sits. Others say it’s just because a lot of birds like roosting in the steep rocks.

Due to the Common Tongue’s ubiquity in Tirónar, most nations will use the original and common name for this landmark interchangeably. If nothing else, some people enjoy using the directional-based names for the sheer irony of it.

## Geography

The Northern Mountains are very jagged and rocky, with steep upwards slopes where only the mountain goats can live comfortably. The slopes become slightly less steep in the west, as these mountains merge with the other ranges in central Tirónar, but are still only sparsely populated. In comparison to its sister range in the south, the Northern Mountains are steeper, but less wide and tall overall.

The incredible amount of natural resources found within the Northern Mountains somewhat make up for the uninhabitable angle of the mountainside. Despite the lack of precious metals and stones, resources such as good workable stone, iron, and copper are mined in high quantities from both Duilintinn and Haneul on both sides of the mountains. In particular, copper is especially common, making copper one of the most utilized resources mined from the Northern Mountains by far. Not only is it durable and easy to work with, but copper is one of the two necessary ingredients for bronze, which of course is a major technological milestone for any civilization. While other metals such as bronze and steel are stronger, copper is still commonly used for everyday objects such as pots, tools, hinges, etc., simply due to how much of it can be found in the Northern Mountains.

### Duilintinn Side

The southern side of the Northern Mountains is largely located within Duilintinn’s House Brody province. Here, the climate is very cold and snowy during the winter and mild and rainy during the summer. However, since the region is located within the Northern Hemisphere and the mountainside faces the equator, the winters are much shorter.

Additionally, while most of Duilintinn features a heavy, chalky clay soil, the soil gets a bit sandier near the mountains, making it into a decently workable loam that’s good for planting. As a result, the transition zone where the foothills of the Northern Mountains meet the Monaidh Plains is one of the most fertile regions of the Feadhainn Valley.

### Haneul Side

The northern side of the Northern Mountains is located within several provinces along Haneul’s southern borders. Towards the west, the mountains end abruptly at a large ravine that is slowly being carved into Haneul’s western plateau by a river traveling down the mountains towards the sea. Further east at the foot of the plateau, a large forest sits at the base of the Northern Mountains.

## Travel

While none of Tirónar's mountains have been mapped in their entirety, there are a few known paths through the Northern Mountains.

### Agrona Pass

The majority of the paths over the Northern Mountains center around a single mountain pass  through the Northern Mountains into Haneul by the source of the Pa'Gille River and Agrona River, accessible via the Agrona Bastion. However, these paths are dangerous, poorly mapped, incredibly difficult to navigate (especially with any sort of heavy cargo), and usually only traversed with the help of a guide.

Evidence heavily suggests that this pass over the Northern Mountains was formed by the civilization of Feadhainn mining the surface of the mountains for the materials needed in their Golden Age building projects. While left abandoned during the Waldren Occupation, the pass would be later rediscovered when farmers in House Brody noticed that mundane animals native to Haneul were somehow getting over the mountains, sometimes migrating back and forth.

The usage of the pass by wild animals adds an additional element of danger to using the mountain pass. On one hand, the migratory period creates a clear path marked by trampled snow, droppings, and other evidence of their crossing. This makes the pass easier to navigate, but runs the risk of a dangerous encounter with wild animals. On the other hand, some travelers may choose to avoid these migratory periods, at the cost of having to find the pass through the unblemished snow.

Additionally, The Enemy’s forces have been known to traverse the mountains to gain access to the eastern half of Duilintinn without attempting to cross the heavily guarded and dangerous Agrona River. For this reason, the mountainous regions beyond the Duil borders have gained a reputation for being extremely dangerous, second only to the Western Forest. Many who do cross the pass will hire a member of the Mercenary Syndicate or Guard Coalition as protection in addition to a guide over the mountains.

Due to all these dangers, the only people who consistently use their route through the mountains are messengers between the two kingdoms, and even then, it’s usually still more efficient to travel by sea like everyone else. However, during the winter, when the coast of Duilintinn is wracked with devastating storms that prevent any ships from leaving or entering the harbor without serious risk of being dashed upon the rocks, the mountain pass is actually a safer route between Haneul and Duilintinn, despite the snow and hazardous conditions.

### Pa’Gille Caverns

The titular caverns of the Pa’Gille Caverns Outpost dive deep into the Northern Mountains. While much of the cave system of the caverns has been transformed into safe, navigable halls, there is a point where the renovations stopped, and the caverns continue in their natural state, deeper and deeper into the darkness. Rumor has it that there is a secret passage through these unmapped caves into Haneul, and while this is not impossible, no proof has been found.