Steambreath Mountains

The Steambreath Mountains are the smaller of the two major mountain ranges located on the Nercian continent. They separate the dense jungles of the Gurj Penninsula from the vast plains and rolling hills that dominate the land between the ruins of Viti and the southern foothills of the Frostbite Mountains.

The Steambreath range shares many features with the Frostbites, including rugged, sharp peaks and extremely rough and difficult terrain. Unlike the Frostbites, however, the Steambreath Mountains were never colonized by dwarves, and therefore lack any known roads, significant mines, or artifical passes. They functionally isolate the penninsula from the mainland.

Being as far south as it is, the range sees only a fraction of the snow that the Frostbites get, but the highest peaks are still covered year round in thick glaciers and permafrost. Some shaded valleys within the mountains feature deep, cold lakes that are frozen the majority of the year. In spring and early summer, immense waterfalls and flooded rivers run down the southern face of the range. Most of the snowmelt and precipitation eventually feeds the Wirrim - an enormous river that runs from the southern foothills of the mountain to the southern tip of the penninsula.

The range gets its name from the haunting effect of the dense fog formed by the hot, humid air of the southern jungle rising to hit the colder air of the northern plains. This fog appears to constantly rise out of the crags and valleys of the range, and roll down both faces of the mountains. A secondary effect of this phenomenon reported by explorers is an extremely unpredictable and violent weather system in the mountains. Those attempting to traverse the mountain can expect sudden hurricane force winds, violent squalls, lightning, and even spontaneously appearing air elementals.