The Nivelline Mountains

The Nivelline mountains are a large mountain range in near the south coast of the Northern Island. They stretch from the town of Balgrom and the Oxen plains in the west to the Heywood lowlands in the east.
The westernmost mountain in the range is known as the Wolfrock, for it is supposed to have been once inhabited by a great number of wolves. The mountain is also home to Wolfrock mine, the main source of income for the town of Balgrom and one of the entrances to the great Dwarven halls and tunnels which run under the mountains.
The mountains themselves are full of small valleys, but the three larger ones are Namthorom Vale, Khelgrom Vale and Keghdorom Vale. The first is where the largest above-ground settlement in the mountains, Namthorom is located. The large village specializes in exporting a special granite only found in the surrounding mountains and as such boasts a large quarry and an impressive pulley system to transport the stone over the Narghorim pass. Khelgrom Vale used to be home to the only real town in mountains, Khelgrom, which was razed by Lord Rurik Reinhild during the last Reinhild-Ingmar war. The last large Vale is where the Thanorum, the second largest settlement in the mountains, and the large Keghdorom lake are located.
The mountains, though still formidable, are not the tallest in Ancaepya and the range isn't that interesting above ground. Underground, however, can be found ancient dwarven halls, iron and gold mines, tombs, tunnels, and ruined cities. Most of the travel in the mountains is done through the tunnels carved in the mountains by the Dwarves. The tunnels lead to different ore veins, underground settlements, as well as the various settled valleys in the mountains. They are well lit and every split is marked with inscriptions guiding travelers and miners.

The mountains are home to various creatures only found here or in similar mountain ranges, such as the giant goats, called Mörch in Dwarvish, which are used by the locals as beasts of burden and for transportation.
Travelers should beware the Yeti and Trolls which haunt the mountain passes. The Dwarves aren't the only ones digging in the mountains, and the various Goblin tribes which raid above and below ground are an ever-present danger in the Nivelline mountains.
One of the most known natural phenomena in the mountains is the Mycelium Cave, also known as the Mushroom Forest. It can be found intersecting the tunnel leading from Hogh Doral Mine in the Namthorom Vale to Thanorum Mine in the Keghdorom Vale. The Cave is home to many species of fungi, some of which can grow as large as trees. The most interesting is a species of small glowing mushrooms, called Aclosie, which contain a strong poison that activates upon contact with skin. The Cave is also home to many species of underground creatures, which live in the relative light of the fungi. The largest carnivores in the Cave are large insect-like creatures with strong mandibles called Chraxaldae that suck the insides out of their victims leaving the skin intact.

The mountain range is one of the foremost sources of iron and other metals in Ancaepya. It also exports a special type of granite, called Nivelline Granite, which is considered one of the strongest and most beautiful types of stone in the world.

The Nivelline mountains are widely considered the ancestral home of the Dwarves, although some scholars contest this. The first records of Dwarven states place all of them within the mountains and valleys of the mountain range. Both of the most prominent Dwarven Clans, the Ingmars and the Reinhilds, can trace their lineage back to the Nivelline mountains and so the range is culturally significant to both great houses. It is also where the most famous Dwarven guild, the Runesmiths, was founded.
Some of the more important Dwarven historical and legendary figures who called the mountains their home include the likes of Thromneal, the legendary founder of the Runesmiths and creator of the Hammer of Thromneal and the Dragon Scepter, as well as King Thomyor Ungart, whose hall and tomb lie deep in the mountains.
More recently the mountains were the reason for the last large war between the Reihilds and the Ingmars, which was fought over the Town of Khelgrom and its Vale. The war ended with Rurik Reinhild deciding to raze the town, earning himself the nickname the Hammer of Khelgrom and ending the war.