High Country
This northernmost portion of the Sunrise Mountains is a place of dark hills, ancient monoliths, wild magic, and strange occurrences. Few go there, and the Rashemi who live in this place are a cautious and suspicious folk. The High Country is a chain of high peaks surrounded by a scattering of hills. Ragged and forbidding, the slopes hide hundreds of small ravines and valleys, many of which are filled with snow for months. They claim dozens of lives every year from fools who mistake a smooth white break in the mountains for a pass, only to discover it is a thin crust of snow and ice over a hundred-foot drop into a crevasse.
Some of the monoliths are markers for old Raumathari sites, but others are magical traps created by the Raumathari wizards to imprison Nar demons. If broken, these stone prisons would release any trapped fiends, so the Witches of Rashemen check the known monoliths every year for wear and damage. Other structures predate the Narfell-Raumathar war and may be wayposts left by the Imaskari or an even older race. Natural animals avoid the magical stones.
Grim hunters who prefer solitude sparsely inhabit the mountains. Even the most nature-savvy Rashemi wonder how these folk manage to survive. The hunters are suspicious of all strangers, even other Rashemi, and assume that non-Rashemi are wizards intent on stealing souls or enslaving the innocent. They are very superstitious and carry charms and amulets (some magical, some not) to ward off hostile spirits. They fear the monoliths and avoid them at all costs.
Goblins and kobolds live in the ravines and dig many warrens there, raiding mining settlements and even lowland areas when the weather is good. The largest colony of goblins is ruled by King Nanraak the Fierce (LE male goblin Ftr7), a lean and belligerent chieftain with over one hundred fighting goblins under his command. Tekun the Warlord (NE half-white dragon kobold Rgr6 of Auril) is the greatest kobold leader in the mountains and may have two hundred or more kobold warriors in his forces. Snow tigers, wolves, and winter wolves are common predators in the mountains. The normal animals are a threat to humans only when other game cannot be found, but the winter wolves maliciously seek out intelligent prey, sometimes working in concert with goblin tribes. The most powerful one known by name is Hurrahesh (NE male winter wolf Bbn5), easily recognized by his unusual green eyes. The winter wolves sometimes work with small troll tribes, but as they compete for food and territory, this is infrequent except in times of plenty.An adult white dragon, Kissethkashaan, has been spotted in several places among the mountains but withdraws whenever he notices humans. There are many half-dragons and very young white dragons among the local kobold tribes, suggesting that the dragon, called Kashaan by the Rashemi, has been creating minions for himself. He is avoiding conflict, preferring to annex most of the High Country through his offspring.
Recently, human miners have reported patrols of gray dwarves at night east of Lake Mulsantir. Apparently, the duergar have tunneled through to the surface and are surveying the area. Whether their intent is hostile or mercantile is unknown, but tensions are high among the mountain folk, and the leaders of Rashemen are investigating.
Telthors and the ghosts of slain Tuigan raiders lurk in the mountains. The telthors usually wish to pass messages to their families or scare off enemies, but the Tuigan ghosts can be vengeful. Travelers are warned to avoid anything appearing insubstantial, even if on good standing with the local spirits. What seems a guardian spirit of Rashemen may turn out to be a years-dead raider from the Endless Waste looking to take revenge for the failure of the Horde.
