Splittern Mountains

The Splittern Mountains are a range of mountains in the north of Rhoman. Initially a great barrier between the east and west of the land, a workforce was employed to cut a pass through them so the emerging cities of Fayrevale and Darkarches could access the trade routes in the west.

Description
Discluding the northern arm of the Velgen Mountains that border Rhoman, the Splittern is the longest range in Rhoman. There are twelve formally named peaks, whilst locals of Highcliffe and other surrounding hamlets have given titles to other relevent landmarks. The tallest of the range is Mount Arrowynn To the east, three main streams converge to form the Whiteward Flow, which joins the the Great Tornwater in the Lowing Lands. To the north the mountain rivulets form the Highfall and the Blluewater, which border Highcliffe.

461: Highcliffe
Whilst the Five King's Road gave power over the breadth of Rhoman, the north and south remained unclaimed. In 461yr King Aefic ordered parties to these extremes to cultivate populations there. The party north was led by the royal servant Evaris, and stopped only when they emerged at the edge of the land, on a great ledged plateau overlooking the great blue ocean they there named the Bay of Ostre.

771: The Conquering of the Arrowynn
Knowing of the Mari on the turret of the Velgens, it was speculated and hoped Ostre might have left a gift atop the Splitterns also. The people of Highcliffe, led by Fint, succeeded in climbing the great peak. Though they found nothing of matieral value at the summit, they did observe a shadow upon the snows they could attribute to no peak, rock or cloud.

This shadow they beleived an echo from that cast by the empyrean in the very beginning. Although the shadow has been confirmed to exist, its association with Ostre has never been confirmed.

884: The Splittern Pass
With the hamlet of Fayrevale growing into a city of its own, it set upon a project to connect itself with the great trade markets in the west. Breaking upon the mountains at what they beleived was its thinnest point, they took hammer to stone in an attempt to break through to the harvests beyond. This venture took 24 years, and was eventually completed in 908.

885: The Graehl Slaughters
As a week went by in Fayrevale without hearing word from the mountains, an envoi was sent and found every miner lay slaughtered in their camp. A second troupe was sent to investigate, but when they came back with nothing they took over the dig. A few months later there was another lull in contact, and the envoi from Fayrevale this time found the miners dead in their tunnels.

On his return, there was no man brave enough to take up the mining mantle, and the place was deemed an execution site. But weeks later one of the miner's showed up in Fayrevale having escaped the massacre, living rough and injured in hiding in the mountains. He said they dug upon a lair of creatures warped and bent, creatures forsaken by Ostre who hid beneath the hills. An army from High Ostre was sent to again scour the mountains. Again, there was no trace of such creatures, but the city did manage to assemble a third party of miners with the assurance the royal guard would be permenantly stationed with them.

Although the creatures were spotted thereafter, sightings were exceedingly rare, and they never again dared lay attack upon the miners.

903: The Exiled of Evebruel IV
After a failed attempt on the crown in 902, Queen Evebruel IV gathered all those, and their families, she held responsible, and gave them the choice of either execution, or an exile of mining in the Splittern Pass to assist the peoples of Fayrevale. Each of them chose the latter, and the progress increased to such a rate that after just five further years they broke out onto the western face of the mountains. The reinforcements remained exiled from High Ostre, and took residence in the small mining towns set up on the edge of the tunnel. These hamlets were named The Settle, Evann, Low Camp and Hammer Rest.

1043: The Missing Expedition
It was around 300 years after the Arrowynn was first summitted that scholars decided to themselves venture there to see the mysterious shadow. They never returned, and no trace of them was ever found. It is unknown whether they reached the summit or not.