Northwind Barrens

Overview
The Northwind Barrens mark the northern frontier of Solaris, a land of extremes where frozen winds scour the mountains and survival hangs by a thread. The region is divided into three distinct domains, each shaping its own identity within the cold expanse. To the west lies Eldergrove, a serene enclave of knowledge and culture, where bardic songs echo through halls of learning and magic is studied far from the grasp of King Alistair’s rule. At its heart rises Pinnacle Heights, the most treacherous stretch of the Barrens, defined by sheer cliffs, relentless blizzards, and frostbitten peaks that few dare to climb. To the east sprawls the bleak frontier, a desolate and uninhabited coast where the land descends into the fathomless black waters of the Umbral Sea, a place whispered to harbor strange, aquatic folk and mysteries best left undisturbed.

Eldergrove

Unlike the harsher expanses around it, Eldergrove is a refuge of peace, knowledge, and cultural prosperity. Here, bardic halls and arcane academies thrive, drawing students from across the continent, while pilgrims gather at the tranquil Eldergrove Lake. The city of Elderhaven serves as the heart of this subregion, alive with music, scholarship, and tradition. Eldergrove enjoys rare freedom from King Alistair’s direct control, making it a bastion of safety and learning in Solaris.
Full details of Eldergrove, its institutions, and settlements are expanded in the dedicated Eldergrove lore section.

Pinnacle Heights

The Pinnacle Heights form the most mountainous expanse of Solaris, their jagged peaks clawing at the heavens through veils of mist and snow. Crystal springs carve hidden valleys, where hardy flora and alpine wildlife cling to life, while avalanches echo like the growls of ancient titans. Blizzards sweep the cliffs with deadly force, testing all who dare to traverse these lands.

At the heart of this domain flows the Frozen River of Wuthering Vale, its icy currents winding through the peaks like a lifeline. Yet beyond the valleys lie deeper mysteries: forgotten ruins buried under frost, shrines sealed by time, and places so remote and hostile that even the most daring explorers have turned back.

Here dwells the Frostclaw Tribe, a resilient Goliath community that has thrived for generations in the cold extremes. Guided by traditions of strength, honor, and respect for the mountain spirits, they see survival as both a test and a gift. Outsiders are judged not by words but by deeds—only those who endure the blizzards and prove their worth may earn a place among them, often being treated as kin thereafter. The Frostclaws deliberately avoid the most perilous reaches of the peaks, believing that certain summits and hidden passes are the sacred domain of the gods. To trespass, they say, would be an insult that invites ruin upon the tribe.

Pinnacle Heights is also stalked by formidable creatures of the cold: ice hippogriffs soar over ridgelines, gelid trolls lurk beneath frozen cliffs, remorhaz burrow through snowfields, and other dangers turn every journey into a trial.

Umbral Sea

To the east, the Pinnacle Heights give way to the storm-beaten cliffs of the Umbral Sea, a vast and haunting expanse of indigo-black waters. Unlike the sparkling Azure Expanse to the south, the Umbral Sea broods in silence beneath near-constant fog. Its depths churn with treacherous currents, swallowing ships whole, while ghostly vessels are rumored to emerge under the pale moonlight.

Legends whisper of monstrous leviathans and drowned spirits that haunt these waters. Hidden within sea-carved caverns dwell tribes of kuo-toa, alien fishfolk whose bizarre rituals and twisted beliefs feed the region’s reputation as cursed. Few who venture into the Umbral Sea return unchanged—if they return at all.