Mountains/DA

* Vimmark
* Belenas
* Hunterthorn
* Frostback
* Sundermount

The **Vimmark Mountains** are a steep mountain range in the Free Marches, stretching along the northern coast of the Waking Sea. They separate a narrow coastal strip in the south, including the major city-states of Kirkwall and Ostwick, from the basin of the Minanter river to the north.

## Contents

* 1Background
* 2Areas
	+ 2.1Legacy
	+ 2.2Mark of the Assassin

## Background

The creatures that appear in the Vimmark Mountains vary depending on location, but include ghasts, wyverns and darkspawn. The Grey Wardens have left their mark on the mountains, leaving behind ancient structures and tunnels dating back to the First and Fourth Blights.

According to Avvar legend, Korth the Mountain-Father kept his throne at the peak of the mountain Belenas, which lay at the center of the world and was so lofty that from it, he could see all the corners of the earth and sky.
Over time, bold young Avvar would challenge each other to scale the mountain of the gods. At first, Korth found this amusing, and he delighted in the valor of their failed attempts to enter his hold. Then Sindri Sky-Breaker, boldest of the heroes of old, succeeded in climbing to the summit and stood in the Hall of the Mountain-Father in the flesh. Korth, being a good sport, gave Sindri a hero's welcome, and the mortal returned to the Frostbacks with tales of gods and gifts from Korth, and soon more and more heroes were barging into the hall of the Mountain-Father demanded to be showered with honors. Korth grew weary of throwing banquets, and the other gods began to fear his temper.

So Korth spoke to the Lady of the Skies and lifted Belenas from the earth into her realm, which could not be reached even by the most intrepid climber, and there he dwells in peace.

The **Hunterhorn Mountains** stretch across western Thedas. They form the largest mountain range and hold some of the continent's tallest peaks, including its highest; Mt. Ambrosia.

## Background

In the southern reaches of this massive mountain range, within Orlais, lie the Gamordan Peaks, which surround from one side the Western Approach. This desert is marked by a great chasm called the Abyssal Rift, and on its edge stands the Adamant Fortress once belonged to Grey Wardens. This was also the site of a major battle during the Second Blight.

The Hunterhorn Mountains then expand north with the Tirashan forest to the east. Then the mountain range splits off into several ranges which enter the Anderfels. Beneath one of them, to the east, is located the great thaig of Kal-Sharok, once capital of the dwarven empire.

The northeast point of the mountain range ends in the city of Laysh, which lies next to the Volca Sea.*The following characters, lore and events in this section are **non-canon** in Dragon Age and exist only within the Dragon Age tabletop RPG.*

Griffons were native to the northern reaches of the Hunterhorn Mountains before their extinction during the Exalted Age.

The **Frostback Mountains** are a towering range of mountains that run from the banks of the Waking Sea to uncharted territories in the south.

## Contents

* 1Background
* 2Involvement
	+ 2.1Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne
	+ 2.2Dragon Age: The Calling
	+ 2.3Dragon Age: Origins
	+ 2.4Dragon Age: Inquisition
* 3Places
	+ 3.1Dragon Age: Origins
	+ 3.2Dragon Age: Inquisition
* 4Quests
	+ 4.1Dragon Age: Inquisition
* 5Codex entries
	+ 5.1Dragon Age: Origins
	+ 5.2Dragon Age: Inquisition
* 6Notes
* 7Trivia
* 8Gallery
* 9References

## Background

This mountain range forms Ferelden's natural western border with Orlais. Gherlen's Pass leading to Orlais is the only Frostback passage safe for year-round travel.

The mountains are considered highly inhospitable and the native Avvar tribes who live there are practically cut off from the rest of the world. In addition, the Frostback Mountains also house most of the continent's dwarves beneath its northern foothills. The entrance to the dwarven city of Orzammar lies in Gherlen's Pass, with its permanent shanty-town filled with traders and petitioners, making it of strategic importance.*The following characters, lore and events in this section are **non-canon** in Dragon Age and exist only within the Dragon Age tabletop RPG.*

The Frostback Mountains have had a place in Ferelden’s history for untold centuries. They are the natural barrier that made both the Tevinter and the Orlesian occupations ultimately fail as well as the nearly unassailable stronghold that allows the Avvars to continue to plague their estranged kin. The dwarves of Orzammar call the Frostbacks the “Frozen Teeth” in typically cynical dwarven fashion, because their many dangers chew up and spit out the unwary.
The heights of the Frostbacks are treeless masses of rock and year-round ice. They are frequently shrouded in cold mists and can generate snowstorms out of season, sometimes even at the height of summer. Whether wreathed in fog or easily discerned, the peaks constantly loom over travelers, continually visible above the trees. The middle and lower slopes are heavily forested with coniferous trees: larch, fir, spruce, and a great deal of pine. Nestled among the evergreens are a few solitary broadleaves such as birch, rowan, willow, and aspen. The ground is covered with an assortment of mosses clinging to rocks and the trees themselves. Few plants other than a variety of lichens and some of the hardier mosses can grow in the soil of the forest floor, which is highly acidic.

The middle and lower slopes are frequently wet, but the water is often frozen, leaving patches of snow on the ground for eight months of most years. In late spring and through the summer, the air becomes warm and humid. The farmers among the Avvars take swift advantage of the brief planting season by moving down from their stone-walled holds and into the foothills to grow crops, which they tend in nomadic fashion as they herd their flocks of goats and keep wary of lowlanders.

Many rodent species live in the Frostbacks: marmots, hares, squirrels, and countless mice scurry about. Lynxes, foxes, weasels, and predatory birds feed on the rodents. Raptors such as eagles, owls, and hardier falcons are common, and the Avvars have a special relationship with them. Herds of elk, deer, mountain goats, and the occasional moose wander through the woods. What travelers have to really watch out for, though, are the larger predator species that do not fear men: crag wolves, wild brontos, cavern bears, red lions, and dragons.

## Involvement

### *Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne*

Right before the Battle of River Dane in the first days of Dragon Age, a high dragon ravaged the Orlesian side of the Frostback Mountains.

### *Dragon Age: The Calling*

When the Grey Warden group along with King Maric are sent to the Fade by a demon in 9:10 Dragon, the dream of Kell ap Morgan is located in the Frostbacks, back in the days when he was a Jarl of an Avvar tribe.

### *Dragon Age: Origins*

The Frostback Mountains location on the world map transfer the Warden to a short pass which leads to the gates of Orzammar. Furthermore, the Village of Haven and the Ruined Temple in which the Urn of Andraste lies, are also located in a southern location in the Frostbacks.

### *Dragon Age: Inquisition*

After surviving the explosion at the Temple of Sacred Ashes, the Lone Survivor awakens somewhere in the Frostback Mountains, presumably near the now destroyed temple, having been taken into custody by the Chantry. Along with Cassandra, Varric, and Solas, the Lone Survivor fights through the Frostbacks to reach the Temple and help to close the large Fade rift that was created during the explosion.

Afterwards, they travel to Haven to set up a base camp for the survivors and to determine how to stop the Breach from growing.
Later, after Haven is destroyed, the newly formed Inquisition moves to Skyhold, a fortress deep within the Frostbacks, near the Dales.

## Places

### *Dragon Age: Origins*

Frostback Mountain Pass
Mountain Top
Caverns
The Gauntlet
Ruined Temple
Village of Haven
Haven Chantry
Villager House
Village Store
### *Dragon Age: Inquisition*

Temple of Sacred Ashes
Haven
Haven Chantry
The Singing Maiden
Skyhold

## Codex entries

### *Dragon Age: Inquisition*

Codex entry: A Tale of the Frostbacks
Codex entry: Adaar, the Vashoth *(Qunari Inquisitor only)*
Codex entry: Behaviors
Codex entry: Cadash, the Casteless *(Dwarf Inquisitor only)*
Codex entry: Cassandra Pentaghast
Codex entry: Character Record
Codex entry: Divine Justinia V
Codex entry: Fade Rifts
Codex entry: Foot Soldier *(when charging forward with the soldiers)*
Codex entry: High Chancellor Roderick
Codex entry: Lavellan, of the Dalish *(Elf Inquisitor only)*
Codex entry: Pride Demon
Codex entry: Red Lyrium
Codex entry: Revive
Codex entry: Shade
Codex entry: Solas
Codex entry: Status Effects
Codex entry: Tactical Camera
Codex entry: Temple of Sacred Ashes, Rediscovered
Codex entry: The Breach
Codex entry: The Carta *(Dwarf Inquisitor only)*
Codex entry: The Circle of Magi *(Human mage Inquisitor only)*
Codex entry: The Conclave
Codex entry: The Dalish Elves *(Elf Inquisitor only)*
Codex entry: The Qunari *(Qunari Inquisitor only)*
Codex entry: Trevelyan, the Free Marcher *(Human Inquisitor only)*
Codex entry: Varric Tethras
Codex entry: Wraith
## Notes

* In *Dragon Age: Inquisition*, Codex entry: The Frostback Mountains is titled: *A Tale of the Frostbacks.*

## Trivia

* (*Origins*) One of the three rare bulbs found in the Frostback Mountains, when dried and powdered becomes a Distillation Agent.
* (*Origins*) Beneath the Frostback Mountains, there are rich deposits of lyrium veins which have been mined by the dwarves of Orzammar for millennia.

**Sundermount** is a mountain north of Kirkwall and part of the Vimmark mountain range.

## Contents

* 1Background
* 2Involvement
* 3Places
* 4Stores
* 5Quests
	+ 5.1Act 1
	+ 5.2Act 2
	+ 5.3Act 3
* 6Notable items
	+ 6.1Crafting resources
	+ 6.2Other
* 7Codex entries

## Background

Sundermount is the tallest mountain in the Vimmarks and has a fearsome reputation. Legend says it was the site of a vicious battle where the ancient Tevinter Imperium and the elves of Arlathan unleashed horrors into the waking world, and creatures prowl the heights to this very day, unaware that the war for which they were summoned is long since over.

The Sabrae clan of the Dalish elves led by their Keeper, Marethari have settled at its foot after losing their halla. A cave to the west of the camp is guarded by a creature from elven legends. A passage near the camp leads into the Deep Roads and the Abandoned Thaig. A winding path leads up the mountain through spider-infested caverns to a graveyard where elven elders came to sleep. An altar to Mythal stands on the edge of the cliff next to it. An ancient evil is bound atop Sundermount, whispering to the proud in their dreams.

## Involvement

In *Dragon Age II*, it is accessible via the world map. In *Dragon Age: Redemption*, it is featured in the episode Saarebas.

In return for Flemeth's help in escaping the darkspawn in the Korcari Wilds, Hawke agrees to bring an item to Keeper Marethari, whose clan has settled near Sundermount. In 9:31 Dragon, Hawke brings the item to the Keeper, who asks them to perform a ritual on top of Sundermount. She sends her First, Merrill, to assist with the ritual. At the end of the ritual, Flemeth emerges from the item. She thanks Hawke for keeping their promise before flying away in dragon form.

Clan Sabrae remains at the foot of Sundermount for years, as Keeper Marethari is unwilling to abandon her former First, who left the clan to settle in nearby Kirkwall. Keeper Marethari is eventually killed after allowing herself to become possessed by the demon living atop Sundermount.