Lalibon Mountains

The **Lalibon Mountains** are a mountain range that occupy all of the area above Sharikba and the easternmost half of Kosna that span across the Kosna-Minuka border. The range lies in and is surrounded by national forests of Sharikba, Lakoba, and Scrabnogi, all major cities that mark the north, south, and east ends of the range, the western end is bound by mostly dry chaparral-like prairies that lie between the Spanning and Lalibon Mountains. The highest peak of the Lalibon Mountains is Mount Paynapelka (3,074 m) that sits at the southernmost end of the range and its silhouette can mostly be seen in northern sections of Sharikba, Mount Paynapelka's occasional snow-capped peaks can be seen on clear days and dominate views of the Sharikba skyline, sometimes portions of the peak can be seen at points as far south as Aicha in Mecirhan.

## Geography

The Lalibon Mountains occupy the entire area above Sharikba and the eastern half of Kosna spanning into a small portion of Hartnett and parts of the southwestern border of Minuka-Kosna. Sharikba, being a warm and sunny climate, has a strange climate change, the more higher you go up in the Lalibon Mountains, within a ten minute span, you can go from the average 19°C to a freezing -7°C. The areas surrounding the rugged and rocky Lalibon Mountains is mainly coastal chaparral and prairie.

## Ecology

Wildlife is heavily diverse in the Lalibon Mountains, lower elevations parallel that of Sharikba's wildlife but the higher you go in the mountains, wildlife begins to parallel that of the Spanning Mountains. The mountain range is the only place you can commonly find red foxes in Kosna, where they have a subspecies of their own called the Lalibon red fox, where they are found everywhere in the range but become rarer the more lower you get down the range.

### Basin Area

Introduced species such as the saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea), snowplant (Sarcodes sanguinea), and sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana) escapees have been spotted in some quantities in the Lalibon Mountains' basin areas. Kosna cicadas (Cicada orni), adonis blues (Polyommatus bellargus), green stink bugs (Chinavia hilaris), culpeos (Lycalopex culpaeus), long-haired cloudrats (Phloeomys cordelliesa), common gazelles (Gazella subgutturosa), golden jackals (Canis aureus), and alpine ibex (Capra ibex). With up to twelve million visitors per year, the basin area is a popular hiking, picnicking, and gathering spot. Other creatures include red deer (Cervus elaphus), chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra), and the rare opossum (Dedelphis virginiana).

### Forest Area

The black pine (Pinus nigra) and scots pine (Pinys sylvestris) are the dominant species in the range's forests, although there are also some hazels (Corylus avellana) and hornbeams (Carpinus betulus) scattered about. Some Kosna cicadas (Cicada orni) and green stink bugs (Chinavia hilaris) migrate to the forests in the summer for shade and to mate, while insects such as the alpine longhorn rosalia (Rosalia alpina), western honey bee (Apis mellifera), and Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis) are year-round residents and can be found in the forests, except during snow. The red fox (Vulpes vulpes), golden jackal (Canis aureus), alpine ibex (Capra ibex), red deer (Cervus elaphus), chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra), and brown hare (Lepus europaeus) dwell in this habitat, as do the majority of the mammalian species in the mountain range. Most of the range's raptors and predatory birds are commonly seen in large numbers in the forest.

## Assumptions of being haunted

Many believe the Lalibon Mountains are one of the most haunted places in the world, especially if it is home to the infamous Oksana Forest located at the northern tip of the range, immediately east of Lakoba. There have been many arguments whether the Lalibon Mountains, Angeline, or the northern belt of Lobelia is the most haunted place in the world, but many picture the Lalibons as the most haunted with over 1,000 ghost sightings reported a decade, over half are reported in and around the Oksana Forest area. Up to 362 unmarked graves were discovered in 2019, by a group of teenagers, which were then discovered by scientists to be the graves of the peoples of historical Obnivir who lost to battles between the northern peoples of Kosna and themselves. Oksana is also scarce in birds and wildlife which scientists speculate are due to them sensing strange circumstances in the woods. Throughout the other portions of the mountains, not much is going on, but one infamous ghost is said to inhabit caves around Mount Peynapelka, some believe it was that of a unfortunate skiier who hit a tree which knocked his head and half of his torso off his body, some believe they seen both halves floating around and peering out at people, mostly drivers coming to ski, out of caves. The Lalibon Mountains is also home to the qipmimmy, mimmyqip, and casamur, some believe some screams with no source come from victims being attacked by the casamur.