Continued from previous post. And as earlier these have not been proofread.
This is the quick summary I wrote to come with the adventures. I was committed to write a “full” campaign on this but sadly our gaming group fell apart. I think it was mainly because my own frustration and lack of interest and for that I am a bit ashamed. As we are hopefully starting a new campaign quite soon I have decided to include themes and issues presented at the first two sessions we managed to play the Winter of Warlords. Hopefully those of my new group that were involved in it will get some additional kicks from it.
The Grey Mountains
“In ancient times the Unberogen held the mountains (as sacred as did other tribes along the mountains even before them) and came to the mountains to bury their dead in crude but enduring tombs and cairns. Those same monuments of dead are still said to dot the mountain range and are avoided in fear of restless dead whenever possible.
And even before the men even came to these parts of the Old World elves came to the mountains to worship their gods of skies and stars. And who is to say what ancient beings were there even before the elves. Or are still slumbering under the shadows of the mountains.”
Duncan Baumgartner, Adventurer
The Grey Mountains are long and tall range of mountains running almost from the Sea of Claws to the Vaults and the Black Mountains. It has always served as a natural border between the realms of Bretonnia and Empire having only a handful of usable passes allowing the clear passage from one to another.
The closer the mountains get to the Sea of Claws the more darker their stones get. Some claim that this is due the influence of chaotic winds from the North and though one might argue that is not the case it is also true that at the same time the terrain gains more sharper and wicker forms.
Along the ridge fertile land is scarce and is mostly used as pasture for sheep and other animals accustomed to the hard climate of the altitude. Very few crops can be farmed here but still no house is erected on the fertile soil.
Closer to the Vaults starting from Reikland that peaks and ridges are not as narrow, sharp and jagged, but they are still notorious of their lack of natural resources. This has been the main reason of the lack of dwarven settlements.
Actually the only rich veins of iron ore and some other metals can be found at the area that has been claimed by Bretonnia and belongs to the dukedom of Montfort. There even goes a rumor that the duc of Montfort controls a profitable gold mine. These kinds of rumors are discouraged by Bretonnians and by dwarves who claim that if there would have been gold there would have been more dwarven holds.
The absence of dwarven clans has permitted the greenskins to claim the mountains. They are a constant plague upon the Axe Bite Pass and the Grey Lady Pass (the two most important passes through the mountains) as well as the inhabitants of the mountains. Viciously though they are hunted their lairs seems to be hidden well as next to none have been found. This has lead to rumors of an impossible greenskin stronghold somewhere on the mountains but as greenskins are not exactly the kind of race to build something that lasts – or actually build anything, this is most likely to be only a rumor.
Nonetheless the greenskins are and have been to pain of the mountains. But as the Grey Mountains are a vast and mainly inhabitable all kinds of monsters and darker things lurk there. Many sheepherders still remember the tales of old about the Ghost of the Crags who wandered around the Grey Lady Pass before the turn of 26th century.
One of the most recent events on the mountains were the border skirmishes between Empire and Bretonnia during the winter 2514-2515 that ended only when the Emperor Karl Franz summoned Elector Count Valmir von Raukor and his son from north were they had been raiding the Norscan shores.
The last part of these notes the Legend of Karag Elgramazaul will be published tomorrow. Stay tuned.