Fantasy RoH: Skal'mir - The Tundra

[Vyolence]

Skal’mir - The Tundra

Artist: Noah Bradley @ noahbradley.com ​

The region located farthest to the Northeast, it is known as a harsh and mostly inhabitable land.
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~ Commodities include; rugged taverns, - degree temperatures, variety in hunting and loot, and very fluffy horses. Some parts of Skal’mir are colonized, though these civilizations hold populations of under 1000. ( If you're thinking 'Skyrim', then you're definitely onto something ).
~Locations within the region include; caves, mountains, unexplored territory, small campsites, the occasional tavern/inn, etc. This region has no major cities and lacks a government entity. A massive underground system of ice caves dwells beneath the rocky surface, harboring creatures of myth.

Skal'mir - Ice Caverns

Artist: blueroguevyse.deviantart.com

Whilst remaining sparsely populated upon its icy and mountainous surface, a massive network of underground caverns are home to denizens and beast alike!​

~Living underground can only be so tolerable, right? The farther one might travel into the caverns, the more nomadic and feral the inhabitants become. Any monsters can be NPC’d here, along with encampments, hideouts, etc.
~Example of inhabitants might include; rabbits, bears, ice wraiths, foxes, trolls, mythical creatures of ice, dragons, wil-o-wisps, etc.
~Reminder - Players may post in any location within Skal’mir and create NPCs for locations/people as they see fit.

This location is OPEN. Please enter with posts as you see fit. Thank you for the participation!



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[MarieK]

One timid step, then two more.

Ayla tiptoed inch by methodical inch across the precarious ledge, a hand's breadth away from a height phobic's worst nightmare.

The leather gloves prevented the jagged mountainside from tearing at her skin, but it made for slippery travel as her fingers groped for purchase along the snow-laden rocks that jutted out from the cliff. A frigid breeze tormented the sensitive flesh of the tips of her ears and tempted her to pick up the pace- but she could not risk such foolishness.

Her fingers clasped onto a loose rock and when she shifted her weight against, it dislodged. A gasp bubbled up in her chest, but the lump in her throat stifled it as she recovered her balance before she could plummet to her death. Rubble rained down on her head and shoulders as the one rock unsettled a cluster of pebble-sized rocks. Once it had passed, she released a pent-up air of tension.

Just a little more until she was there...

Steeling herself, she continued on in her pursuit across the mountainside. A few moments later, she had reached the leafy-blue plant that was notoriously known for it's lethal toxicity. One leaf could kill a grown man. What most were unaware of were the medical qualities of the plant.

Or how much one could be sold for at a local tavern.

Trading a blue-fern, she would eat for days.

Careful not to break the leaves, she stuffed it into a small pouch hanging off her belt, and started back across the ledge. The return went smoother and within minutes, she was back on even, more spacious, ground.

The chilled air and icy terrain made life difficult if not impossible for some species, but the view from the mountain was breathtaking. Where some avoided or fell victim to the adverse land conditions, Ayla thrived. Each death-defying moment made her blood sing with an excitement that normalcy deprived her of. Skal'mir was her home, and she lived for the adventure within it's unexplored and uninhabited land, but the enticement ended at the underground caverns.

Creatures of myth slithered beneath the mountains within the bellies of the caverns, harboring horrors she had only experienced once before. The memory of it yet haunted her. For that was the day she had lost everything- and everyone.

Of course, not all tunnels possessed monsters. Many nomadic creatures dwelled there as well, and if it were not for their trades, she would have had to travel elsewhere to look for a living. All in all, those that called Skal'mir home were few, but she had been fortunate enough to befriend a few, while keeping away from more monstrous beings.

It was nearly nightfall and the temperature was beginning to plummet, but the tavern Ayla stepped into was held a lively crowd. They celebrated a holiday, but she could not remember which one.

Whatever it was, they used it as an excuse to down as much mead as they could, and act like fools.

"Ayla!" boomed the barkeep. The giant of a man slung a yellow brown cloth over his shoulder and leaned his bruised knuckles against the bar. His eyes, an nondescript grey at first glance, spun into a rusty red as he held her gaze. The peculiarity was the only visible sign of his mixed lineage, but she had lacked the courage to inquire as to what inhuman blood ran through his veins.

He grinned. "T'is good to see you have not yet killed yourself. How goes it? Have you brought us any treasures?"

"Aye," she responded, uneasily, as the weight of a few curious eyes ventured in her direction. Victur was many things, but subtle was not one of them.

Gently, she pried the fern from the pouch and held it out for him to see. Victur nodded, approvingly.

"Pretty, that thing is," he muttered, stepping back and leveling an index finger in her direction. "And deceiving. Aye, just like my first wife. Put it away, girl, before you contaminate my goblets."

Ayla put it away and glanced around. "Has Alistair come by?"

"Nay, not yet," Victur gestured to the chair in front of him. "Why don't you sit down and wait? Here's a goblet to warm your gut."

Nothing unsettled Ayla more than having to walk outside in the dark, but she had little choice but to wait if she wanted to eat that evening. Taking the goblet of mead the man offered, she settled into the chair and waited.