Skytops
Standing alone in the centre of the land of Shardar are the mountains known as
the Skytops. These magnificent
natural monuments of solid stone tower above the surrounding hills and have long
been the focal point for legend and rumour.
One tale
says that the Skytops are the outer edge of a vast pillar that runs down through
Keltar and comes out at the other side. The
Gods used this hollow pillar to travel from one side of the world to the other
and it became abandoned when the Gods left Keltar for their homes in the skies.
Another
rumour says that there is an Academy of Mages who worship Death hidden high in
the snow covered peaks. These Mages
are evil and corrupt and gain power from the life essence of those around them.
The only way for the Mages to gain the full power of the essence is to
drink the heart blood of young, strong people.
Females are preferred for some unknown reason, but males will do if there
is no other choice.
Yet
another tale states that the Skytops are a cover for a vast cavern, a cavern
that stretches for miles in width and thousands of feet in height.
In the centre of this cavern is a creature from the distant past of
Shardar, a creature that was imprisoned their by beings of another world.
If anyone managed to enter the cavern, they would free the imprisoned
creature and allow it access to a world that has long been denied to it.
There is no
way of proving if there is any truth to these, or any of the other rumours, but
they are still spoken of in whispers by travellers who pass by the huge
mountains. And those people who
live in the shadow of the Skytops never speak of it without making the sign to
ward off evil Magic. Perhaps it is
all just superstition but, then again, most superstitions have at least a basis
in fact.
Very few
people dwell in the area of the Skytops, but there are a few small villages that
have sprung up in the hills that surround the mountain range.
It is these hardy people that mine the vast majority of metals that are
used in Shardar and the ground around and below the Skytops is a honeycomb of
mines and tunnels. The ore that is
brought out of the mines is usually smelted into a more transportable form and
then taken down, by wagon train, to Camber.
It is unusual for these wagons to be attacked because most bandits would
have very little use for tons of metal but the wagons that return with the
payment and barter goods for the villages often fall victim to attacks of
bandits and deserters.
Nestling
almost at the very base of the Skytops are the ruins of Marketh.
Marketh was once a thriving town where the majority of ore was brought to
be melted and processed but, in the Year 236 it was destroyed by warring Mages. No town has grown up to take its place and the ruins have an
evil reputation that it as bad as, if not worse than the reputation of the
mountains themselves.
The
fiercest predator to roam the Skytops as the gigantic cave bear.
These bears can stand as much as 14 ft at the shoulder when upright and
have the strength to tear a full grown cow apart with one swipe of their
powerfully clawed paws. The bears
often come down into the hills in search of food during the spring and autumn
months and can be a serious threat to the local villagers.
The pelt of a cave bear can bring in as much as 40 Falcons in a Camber
market and their bones are said to have Magical properties.
The snow
capped peaks of the Skytops are home to a strange breed of bird that can lay
clutches of up to a dozen eggs. The shell of the egg can be powdered down and used as a
remedy for many of the summer fevers that can spring up in Shardar from time to
time. No one knows why this is
true, but there is no doubt that a tea made from the crushed shells will reduce
all kinds of fever and is incredibly valuable to any healer. The
bird is pure white in colour, is about the size of a pigeon and is called the
Snow Jem.
Avalanches
can be a problem in summer and anyone who wishes to travel through the Skytops
is advised to hire a local guide. Most
villages have at least one resident who is willing to risk their lives on the
mountains for the right price and some make a habit of taking hunters or the
just curious into the mountains.