Thesk Mountains

Bare and inhospitable, the Thesk Mountains loom brown and sullen over the western stretch of the Golden Way. Little grows here, and the land is dry and infertile. The mountains are not terribly high—the tallest peak is only about 7,000 feet tall—but they are unusually steep and difficult, with few gaps penetrating the maze of ridges and canyons. The last patches of winter snow melt by late summer, but for most of the rest of the year, the higher elevations are blanketed in white. The biggest danger in the Thesk Mountains is a landslide. Incautious adventurers who make their way into unexplored portions of the mountains run the risk of bringing literally tons of loose rocks and earth down on their heads. Trails that have been safely used for generations can suddenly drop off into space, victims of the latest rainfall or rockslide. This is no place for an unwary traveler.

The Thesk Mountains are infested with all sorts of creatures, but the most common these days are orcs. The Zhents left these former warriors behind when they, along with the other armies of the West, faced down the Tuigan Horde many years ago. Today, many orcs work small iron mines scattered throughout the mountains, coming down to the city of Phsant to blow off steam whenever they scrape together enough ore and the time to enjoy the profits from their labor.