Mountains Of Heterocera

The mountains of Heterocera are the highest mountains on the grid. They form half a circle around the atoll continent. They are extremely high and form a long, common range. Crossing them is very difficult. No road exists that crosses through the mountains. Passes, even if they exist, are very high and inaccessible.

The mountains of Heterocera can be divided into two distinct areas:

* West Plateau (stretching from Neumoegen to Aplasta);
* West Mountains (from Aplasta to Astilus);
* East Mountains (from Astylus to Pavonia);
* Wast Plateau (from Pavonia to Crumbi).

From a strict Geographic point of view, only the West and East mountains are actually mountains, the other two are plateaus as they have a flat surface. However, in many regards, the landscape offered is similar to that of a mountain area.

One unique feature of Heterocera is that actually the continent is a multitude of plateaus. If we make a section from the central lake (Caldera) to the outer edge through the highest mountain (Campion), the structure becomes visible.

## Altitudes

The following peaks are listed based on their altitude. If two peaks share the same altitude, they are listed in alphabetical order.

* Vicina: 60 m
* Rivata Volcano: 104 m
* Pyri: 139 m
* Ziczac: 140 m
* Aplasta: 141 m
* Paranthrene: 141 m
* Cabera: 142 m
* Pavonia: 142 m
* Athetis: 147 m
* Deltote: 148 m
* Fucosa: 181 m
* Astylus: 193 m
* Epirrita - Nolidae: 209 m
* Lota: 228 m
* Spinach: 314 m
* Phasma: 349 m
* Campanula: 352 m
* Arches: 355 m
* Arches 2: 356 m
* Campion 2: 362 m
* Campoin: 365 m

The following are plateaus that share mountain-like features.

* Consular: 70 m
* Crumbi: 79 m
* Neumoegen: 88 m
* Velox: 101 m
* Oslar: 108 m
* Achemon: 113 m
* Nessus: 114 m
* Horisme: 125 m
* Maia: 131 m
* Pawpaw: 131 m
* Tyta: 134 m
* Hooktip: 135 m

## West Plateau

At Neumoegen is the last connection between inner and outer access ways in Heterocera, as the railway remains on the inside and the Robin Loop road moves to the outside. Neumoegen station is located at 65 m high. Between the two, a plateau starts to form. Altitude of the plateau gradually increases. While in Neumoegen it hardly gets over 80 m high, in Achemon it already is over 110 m. Achemon, Vine and Obscure are known for their beautiful gardens wild landscapes.

From Neumoegen on, the railway offers mountain-like landscapes, as it spans close to the inner edge of the plateau. The outer edge is much smoother and does not offer breathtaking landscapes.

Horisme sim is an important place, as the Great Wall starts here. It separates from the Robin Loop road at an Ancient Egyptian themed building. A bit further away, in Tyta, a smooth hill starts to form West from the Great Wall. Even if this does not look much, it is the Western end of the mountain range.

The Great Wall is, at this point, bordered to West by a long, smooth hill, that continues to rise gradually. To East, the landscape is more dramatic, altitude falls fast towards the railway and further on. On the railway, the landscape is that of a mountain area. In Aplasta, the hills reach 141 m high.

## West Mountains

The West Mountains are found West from Astylus sim. They rarely rise above 200 m high. They form a continuous mountain range. They are followed to East by the Great Wall and by route 6 (also known as the Mountain Road).

The mountain range can be found a bit West from the Great Wall, even if it looks more like a smooth, continuous hill. In that area, the Great Wall rises above the mountains and dominates the land view. To West, land gradually decreases without spectacular views. To East, if one crosses the Great Wall and moves further, altitude drops gradually towards the railway and then on to road 1 and the shores.

One can argue that from Tyta (Horisme) to Aplasta, where the Great Wall ends, there are no big mountains, but a long hill without significant peaks. However, from Aplasta to Astylus, altitudes rise gradually. There are a few peaks (especially Lota) that rise above 200 m. There are no passes where altitude drops below 170 m.

In some places, residents have built huge structures on the way, blocking access. Also, there are parcels with restricted access. But, in most places, anyone can travel along the mountain range. There is even a resident-made path in Fucosa.

In Astylus, a resident-made road, accessible only for motorbikes or SUV vehicles, crosses over the mountains. It is highly dangerous.

## East Mountains

The East Mountains are the highest on the grid. There are 6 peaks rising above 300 m, the highest of all being Campion (365 m). At previous surveys, there was much more abandoned land in the mountains. The 2020 survey revealed the presence of large amounts of inhabited land and many buildings.

Basically, there are 3 high mountains: Arches (356 m), Campanula (352 m) and Campion (365 m). They rise far above the surrounding land. Between the three peaks, altitude never drops beneath 280 m. Building a road over the mountains would be impossible.

Except for small parcels, it is possible to walk the entire length of the East Mountain Range.

Plebeja, also known as Simple's Mountain Retreat, is a good destination to visit. A network of stairs allows visitors coming from road 6 to climb all the way to the top. Lapara hosts an airport. It is an interesting experience to rezz you airplane at this high altitude and to fly over the mountains with it, but an even greater experience is to try to land here.

Another road allows access to the mountains from route 3, through Brocade sim, through Littleman's Cottage. Up, on the mountain range, there is an alien. It had been there since our first survey, so there is a big chance it will be there for a long time.

A third access road was found in Perizoma, coming from Road 6.

East from Campion, altitudes decrease fast and gradually, without major peaks. In Pavonia, the mountain range almost vanishes. A small peak can be found in Pavonia. Further, altitudes drop and the range is far smoother.

## East Plateau

From Pavonia and especially from Hooktip, there are no more mountains. In fact, there is a long plateau that drops in altitude at Pawpaw and again as we advance South towards Crumbi. However, landscapes, as seen both from Mountain Railway and from the Main Line (railway) are similar to what one would expect to see in a mountain area.

Railways had been built in this area to take maximum advantage from the landscape.

The first connection over the mountains is done by the first branch of Mountain Railway, in Pavonia. This area is known as Pavonia Pass. Second connection is done by Bembecia Hooktip Railway Maze, which is private-owned. Third connection is done by the main line of Mountain Railway on its way to Tussock. A fourth connection is at Pawpaw. So, as one can see, there are many connections through the plateau.

## Additional Structures

There is a mountain island located in Vicina sim, with a maximum altitude of 60 m. This island appears as a natural anomaly in a sim that is mostly coastal plain.

Inside Consular and Oakworm sims, altitude rise to 70 m, forming a large rounded mountain or a big hill close to the coast. This structure is separated from the rest of the continent by a pass measuring 44 m at its highest point.

At the border between Rivata and Epirrhoe, South from the railway, lies a small peak, isolated from the Inner Mountain Terrace by the railway. This peak, 104 m high, is actually a small volcano. The railway passes the area through a tunnel.

## See Also

* List Of Geographic Structures
* Second Life Geography
* Heterocera
* Mountains Of Heterocera Subcontinent.