Zephyr Mountains

So I checked the Wiki and Noticed that the Zehyr Mountains literally have no Lore. So time to go for it.

The Zephyr mountains are named after Emperor Zephyr the 2nd. The Last ruler of the Empire of Drache. His father having died in the War of the necromancers left his young son as to watch over a collapsing Empire riddled by plague and hunger.

Overwhelmed by this stress sources say that the Emperor and a large portion of nobility fled somewhere west to Reestablish the Empire. For centuries the people of Komjatina and the Marshes would venture West to look for the Rebornn Empire of Drache only to be trapped at the Zephyr Mountains.

The Zephyr Mountains are not the Tallest mountain range in the World with that Honor going to the World Spine and Wall of the World, but they are the trickiest to navigate.

The mountain chain is riddled with caves, with so many caves in fact some mountains look like Swiss Cheese. Traveling over the mountains is a treacherous journey as at any time land under your feet might collapse making you fall into a cave sometimes causing massive landslides. The safest way to travel trough the mountains is thus trough the 'lower tunnels' said caves lay at the feet of mountains and thus are hard and stiff. Without a local guide never expect to find your way out though.

The Natives of the Zephyr mountains are simply called "The Cave Men" by the people of Komjatina, in spite of mostly being just Goblins of Humans. That is because unlike the GE worshiping Vampires the people of the Zephyr mountains mostly worship "The One Who Sings". The one who Sings is the personification of the great Western Wind which when blowing trough the mountains makes the Mountains "sing" as wind travels trough the caves. The Locals claim that the one who sings bestows gifts and blessings. Such believes are seen as barbaric paganism by the civilized people's of The region.

The Cavemen of the Zephyr mountains once used to enrich themselves by leading adventurers and diplomats trough the mountains or by transporting luxury goods from side to side.

This is not possible anymore. The Hobgoblins of the Thoughtcraft Commune to keep their land secret have forbidden the Natives from this practice and Hobgoblin Samurai roam the Mountain Ranges executing anyone who would dare bring an outsider into the Tunnels.

Still this trade continues in more remote parts of the mountains to a large extent thanks to foreign influence. The Zephyr Mountains are a place where many Exiled Vampired end up. Stripped of the Protection of Komjatinas eternal night, the Infinite Caves of Zephyr seem like the only other place where they can live and plot a return to Komjatina. Such formerly exiled Vampire lords have indeed lead many raids on Komjatina and even at times on Khanate lands.

The myth about the New Drache Empire also has not been lost, rather it has transformed. It isn ow believed that the Caves lead downwards and that eventually one of said Caves leads to the City of New Khesselina, where the old Drache Empire and all it's old Riches still survive. As such the Zephyr Mountains have become a grave to many adventurers from either side of the mountain range.

Other Caveman tribes found themselves swearing loyality to the Great Khan to gain protection from the Hobgoblins and other dangers.

Major Factions within the Zephyr Mountains

> The Coalition of 10 Counts

The 10 Counts are the Major Vampire counts in the area and are a major pain to the people of Komjatina. They lack the manpower to wage open war as such they have a habit of of trying to cause populist revolts instead. Disguising themselves as genuine Vampire counts and attacking the local humans to make them think their lord broke the Peace between man and Vampire. This tactic has initially lead to many successes and count Radimir even manged to use the other 9 counts to restore his ruler over his domain, but not for long before the forces of the Grand Duchy chased them out back into the mountains. Where they still plot, wasting their eternal lives.

> The Sons of Drache

A relatively new religious sect which worships the old Drache Empire as Divine. Due to their militarist and aggressive tendencies they tend to be shunned by civilized nation and wild tribe alike. As such they found their home in the Zephys mountains, at first a place of exile it became a spot of divine duty. The Sons of Zephyr are currently the main group trying to explore the deep underground and find the New Capital.

> Clan Grega

Clan Grega is an ancient Goblin Clan which refused to cave into the demands of the Thoughtcrafters and were crushed for it, but due to their initial resistance they gained status among the Goblin and Human Clans of the region. Clan Grega is the closest to rulers the Cavemen have ever seen, though they mostly coordinate guerrilla warfare against the Samurai of the Commune as well as underground trade with the Khanate and Grand Duchy.

> Clan Ken

A Clan which was insignificant up until merely 3 years ago when Keros Klen married Kusetra Sennen. A necromancer exiled from the Necroswampers for her treacherous nature. Trough the adoption of Necromancy, Clan Klen is trying to amass power in the region and expand their land.