The Vintermoors
The Vintermoors are a vast, wind-scoured upland dominating the interior of the Rendivar peninsula, defined by thorn-choked terrain, constant cold, and treacherous travel. Feared by locals and studied by scholars, the moors are widely believed to conceal remnants of an ancient, pre-Gattish past.
Geography
The land of the Vintermoors is firm underfoot but often slick with frost or moisture, giving the moors their characteristic iron-gray sheen. Travel is constrained to narrow, well-worn paths marked by cairns and waystones; straying from these routes risks injury or disappearance.
To locals, the moors are widely regarded as lawless and dangerous, associated with outlaws, monsters, and things best left undisturbed. To scholars, they represent a landscape shaped by forces older than recorded Gattish history.
Climate
The climate of the Vintermoors is harsh and unrelenting. Wind is constant, howling across exposed ridges and shifting direction without warning. Even during summer months, temperatures remain cold enough to require heavy clothing, and sudden squalls are common. After nightfall, conditions grow markedly stranger: winds behave unpredictably, distant lights flicker across the horizon, and sound carries in distorted ways. Many travelers report that the moors feel actively hostile after dark, as though the land itself resists intrusion.
Fauna & Flora
Vegetation in the Vintermoors is sparse, low, and aggressively adapted to the environment. Thorns and briar curtains sprawl across the land, capable of tearing skin and clothing with ease. Animal life is limited but notorious. Swarms of large, black flies plague travelers and caravans, drawing blood and following sources of light for miles. Larger fauna are rarely seen, though tracks and remains suggest the presence of creatures not easily categorized by known species.
History
A small but persistent body of antiquarians, particularly from Nelskrol and Sernovia, believe the Vintermoors conceal the remnants of an ancient proto-culture known as Vintar. According to speculative reconstructions, this civilization flourished and collapsed long before the Age of the Crater, leaving behind only eroded stone formations and strange relics. Most scholars dismiss these claims as romantic conjecture, though periodic discoveries continue to fuel debate.
Local traditions speak instead of spirits and taboos, warning that blood spilled among the thorns can awaken forces that should remain asleep.
Points of Interest
The Musterstones
The Musterstones form a long, wavering chain of stacked-stone cairns stretching across more than half of the Vintermoors. While many cairns have stood for generations, some are newer additions to the moors, intended to help wayward navigators.
Guides swear that if a Musterstone ever collapses on its own, the moor around it shifts in some subtle way—as if correcting an alignment only it understands.
The Musterstones are a lifeline for anyone crossing the Vintermoors. They are also a warning: where the cairns begin to thin, you are nearing the heart of the moor, and it will not be kind.
Varthrow
Varthrow is little more than a fortified trading post and weather-beaten rest station perched at the junction of three caravan trails. Nothing grows taller than a man here; everything is bent by wind.
The post survives because it sits at the exact halfway point between Rendmort, Svinvar, and Kralzost—an indispensable stop for merchants, militia patrols, and mercenary companies moving through the peninsula. Its name comes from Vart Hróth, an old Gattish term meaning, roughly, “sharp threshold.”
Ressel Tymm keeps Varthrow running, operating the general store and inn. Most stay in Varthrow for one night only, passing through on their way to safer environs.
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