The North

THE WEST RIDGE
is a half a mountain range. It is very high, very very very cold, and picturesque in a valley-of-death kind of way. There are no known inhabitants, and they would have to be either medically insane or polar bears to live there anyway.
ANIMALS
None to speak of.
PLANTS
If you're lucky, you might see a pine.

THE PEAKS
are also a mountainous region. It is however, inhabited by a group of monks. According to the rest of the population, they are also insane.
ANIMALS
Large white bears, though they're a mottled white-brown toward the east where they breed with the brown bears common to the Hublands. A few stray packs of wolves that prefer to stay in the valleys. Just to survive in this region, they are bigger, smarter, and faster than the average wolf. Also slightly inbred, but hey. In terms of prey, there are multiple species of mountain goat, usually only hunted by the bears. Herds of elk can be found near the ocean, but are uncommon. Lemmings and other rodent species also manage to make a living in underground tunnels. A vast array of hunting birds exist in this region. Most eat fish, though there is a species of fabled eagles that are almost too big to fly. Their powerful wings are strong enough to withstand the mountain winds. They hunt in groups to take down any wolf, goat, or human that manages to stray from it's group. Surprisingly, many freshwater fish can be found in the pools formed by the rivers born of mountain springs. They are usually small and very good swimmers, especially in uphill conditions. Several species even lay eggs, for whatever reason, in the higher pools, but spend most of their lives in the ocean. The monks find this very amusing, and 'stupid as a salmon' is a common expression.
PLANTS
Again, few. Small forests and glades of pines and spruces exist in the valleys. Weeds and grasses can be found near everywhere if you brush the snow aside, but nothing much can be said about those except that they are very hardy. There are even some flowers closer to the ocean, but they bloom for two weeks, produce enourmous amounts of pollen, and die.
CULTURE
The monks live in tunnels in the mountains, generally built around the plentiful hot springs, and snicker to themselves about the rumors of fat as thick as white bears. They have it pretty sweet, except in terms of food. While the goats were domesticated with surprising ease several centuries ago and provide dairy and meat, in terms of vegetables they are severely lacking. Therefore, they purchase fresh and dried produce from the Hublanders, who have built a thriving tourist business around the amzing craftwork done with the stringy weeds of the Peaks, generally an activity assigned to the young and impatient. When the Hublanders try to overcharge for the food, the monks usually start preaching and dribbling at them until they lower the price and go away. They then laugh about it with their friends. Like I said, they have it pretty sweet. Isolation works for them-- if word got out that those crazy monks didn't sit around on mountains all day and give amazing prophecies of things to come, sharpening their minds on the razor-sharp winds of the mountains (which end around Mindlight anyway), they'd be screwed.
There are three main tunnel systems, seven smaller ones, and four 'rogue' tunnels. As the name suggests, rogue tunnels are not connected to the other systems but the ten others are, much in the same way towns and cities are. You could put down a dot on a map, but zoom in and all you get is a sprawling network that is near impossible to put an exact boundary to withour offending somebody. Since it is relatively rare for people to leave, expanding and building new tunnels is very important and pretty difficult. On the plus side, the facade also ensures that there are few immigrants as well.


To be continued. See, we are so working on this.