Unbearable Mountains
The Unbearable Mountains are remote and treacherous, east of the Dead Forest and south of Bull City, and despite every reason not to live there, they are one of the most populated areas in the region. The remoteness itself is the draw. Natural One families have built log cabins and lodges among the steep terrain, maintaining gardens and trading furs, fish, and mountain products with the occasional visiting merchant.
The Mountain Men who inhabit these peaks are notably larger and taller than typical Natural Ones. Some whisper they have been warped by the infection like the mountain creatures that share their terrain. Nobody asks, and the Mountain Men do not volunteer the answer. They mark safe trails with standing piles of stones. Stray from these markers and the mountain introduces itself: dead trees similar to those in the Dead Forest, mutated poison ivy that causes seizures instead of rashes, and brambles with six-inch thorns as sharp as needles. Fresh-water lakes attract both people and animals, which means the watering holes are places where predator and prey converge.
When the fog comes, everything changes. Thick mist rolls down from the peaks periodically, blanketing the mountains in a dense white shroud. Within the fog, unseen creatures emerge to hunt. The Natural Ones know to stay inside or hide when this occurs. Cut-off screams of the unwary can be heard within the mist, muffled and directionless. When the fog lifts, the mountain is quieter than before. Harsh winters and harsher summers define the calendar. The fog defines everything else.
The Mountain Men who inhabit these peaks are notably larger and taller than typical Natural Ones. Some whisper they have been warped by the infection like the mountain creatures that share their terrain. Nobody asks, and the Mountain Men do not volunteer the answer. They mark safe trails with standing piles of stones. Stray from these markers and the mountain introduces itself: dead trees similar to those in the Dead Forest, mutated poison ivy that causes seizures instead of rashes, and brambles with six-inch thorns as sharp as needles. Fresh-water lakes attract both people and animals, which means the watering holes are places where predator and prey converge.
When the fog comes, everything changes. Thick mist rolls down from the peaks periodically, blanketing the mountains in a dense white shroud. Within the fog, unseen creatures emerge to hunt. The Natural Ones know to stay inside or hide when this occurs. Cut-off screams of the unwary can be heard within the mist, muffled and directionless. When the fog lifts, the mountain is quieter than before. Harsh winters and harsher summers define the calendar. The fog defines everything else.
Geography
Trees, rocks, lakes, and steep mountain terrain define the Unbearable Mountains, located east of the Dead Forest and south of Bull City in Mountaina. Natural Ones mark safe trails with standing piles of stones. The mountains harbor dead trees similar to those in the Dead Forest, mutated poison ivy that causes seizures instead of rashes, and brambles with six-inch thorns as sharp as needles. Fresh-water lakes attract both people and animals. Thick fog periodically rolls down from the peaks and blankets the area; when the fog descends, dangerous creatures emerge from the forest to hunt. Harsh winters and harsher summers dominate the climate.
