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| {{Infobox Place | | {{Infobox Place |
| | name = The Zarloc Mountains | | |
| | image = Zarloc_Mountains.jpg | | | name = The Zarloc Mountains |
| | | image = |
| | alt = | | | alt = |
| | caption = View of highest peaks within the range | | | caption = |
| | | | location = North-western Veth |
| | location = [[The United Tszamoorian Empire]] <br> [[The Ring of Fire]] | |
| | features = Glaciers | | | features = Glaciers |
| | resources = Freshwater reserves (frozen) <br> Gold <br> Iron <br> Coal <br> Trees (lumbar) | | | resources = Freshwater reserves (frozen), Gold, Iron, Coal, Trees (lumber) |
| | dangers = Exposure <br> Rock slides <br> Altitude Sickness <br> Fires <br> Snow Blindness <br> Falls <br> Avalanches <br> Ice Storms <br> Starvation | | | dangers = Exposure, Rock slides, Altitude Sickness, Snow Blindness, Falls, Avalanches, Ice Storms, Starvation |
| | notable_plants = | | | notable_plants = |
| | notable_wildlife = Golden Eagles <br> Appenzell Goat <br> Various Cryptids | | | notable_wildlife = Golden Eagles, Appenzell Goat, Dire Yaks, Northern Wyverns, Various Cryptids |
| | sovereign_nation = | | | sovereign_nation = |
| | colonized_by = [[Ursland]] | | | colonized_by = |
| | settlement1 = Wilbur Crest <br> | | | settlement1 = |
| | settlement2 = Tahom Valley <br> | | | settlement2 = |
| | settlement3 = Xzenz | | | settlement3 = |
| | language1 = Common <br> | | | language1 = Common |
| | language2 = Various indigenous | | | language2 = Various indigenous |
| | language3 = | | | language3 = |
| | race1 = Human <br> | | | race1 = Human |
| | race2 = Orc (workers) <br> | | | race2 = Dwarf |
| | race3 = Dwarf (workers) | | | race3 = [[Provakh]] |
| | population = 25,000 | | | population = Unknown |
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| }} | | }} |
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| Located on the West to Northwest facing mountain range of Tszamoore, the Zarloc Mountains are host to the highest mountain peaks in the region. 85% of this range lies above the timberline and is primarily rich in gold deposits.
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| =Geography= | | =Geography= |
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| Habitable conditions are all mostly found under the timberline, which makes up only 25% of the land within the mountains. Of that, arable land only makes up 1% of the total land within the Zarloc Mountains, which again is only in use seasonally. Numerous mountain passes and remote basins can be found throughout the range. | | Habitable conditions are all mostly found under the timberline, which makes up only 25% of the land within the mountains. Of that, arable land only makes up 1% of the total land within the Zarloc Mountains, which again is only in use seasonally. Numerous mountain passes and remote basins can be found throughout the range. |
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| =Glaciers and Lakes= | | ==Glaciers and Lakes== |
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| Much of the mountain range above 15,000 feet retains glacial ice year-round, accumulating it faster than fallen snow melts. As summer approaches, conditions will warm enough in the higher elevations to begin to melt the glacial ice into a vast collection of river networks that travel down ravines and stream-cut troughs that have formed through erosion. These river networks eventually trickle down into the other territories of the Empire, such as [[The Great Bat Tree Bowl]] as well as into [[The Sawtooth Territories]] and the [[Timberland Province]]. It is these omniscient glacial deposits that feed and irrigate all of the immediate areas surrounding the choke of [[Veth]].
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| ==Onyx Lake==
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| ''Main Article: [[Onyx Lake]]''
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| The Onyx Lake, also known as "The Lake of the Dead," is a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soda_lake Soda Lake] that is [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypersaline_lake high in salinity] to the point where it never freezes. Because of this, there is a unique blend of lifeforms that exist within the small lake due to its high [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkaline alkalinity]. The lake remains a geographical phenomenon due to the fact that it lies within a salt-laden bowl surrounded by bedrock that apparently does not affect plant growth in the surrounding area. It remains inexplicable as to how the salt basin formed on the mountain side.
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| =History=
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| Early prospecting efforts and promising gains of mineral rich-ore laden with gold led to many inhabitants of Ursland to relocate to the mountainous region. Word spread rapidly, leading to a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_rush Gold Rush] that easily outweighed a potential future in agriculture for residents of [[The Great Bat Tree Bowl]]. The initial migration was sizable and just cause for a de facto system of government to be established in Wilbur Crest. Satellite cities that appeared within the mountains also formed local governments that oversaw mining operations as well as the isolated societies that settled.
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| ==Initial Government==
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| The initial government formed from locals and settlers within Wilbur Crest as well as its satellite cities was based on a system of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederation Confederate Rule] that took mining operations and security into a unified set of principles ratified in a treaty of independence. The connected cities and territories therein laid claim to vast swaths of land that new settlers would essentially be required to purchase in order to own. Only land owners could participate in government, thus stymieing any fears that a vast migration could turn over control of the mountains to Ursland. As such, Wilbur Crest and its satellite cities became a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timocracy Timocracy] for a brief period before wealth from gold deposits quickly shifted politics towards a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutocracy Plutocracy].
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| ==Imperial Involvement and Build-up to Invasion==
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| {| style="float: right; border: 1px solid #BBB; margin: .46em 0 0 .2em;"
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| |- style="font-size: 86%; text-align:center"
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| | valign="top" |[[File:Tszamooreflag.jpg|200px]]<!--
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| --><br /> The Flag of the Tszamoorian Army
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| |}
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| A steady stream of reports from the mountains that Wilbur Crest was becoming a vast and growing entity due to gold-wealth had become cause for Ursland's rulers to turn their sights away from [[The United Tszamoorian Empire#The Southlands|The Southlands]] bordering [[Zul Kiras]]. With a military established and already equipped for war with [[Zul Kiras#The Clans|United Clans]], [[The United Tszamoorian Empire#Taltian_Kurleiser|King Taltian Kurleiser]] had his general redraft invasion plans.
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| Calvary forces were converted to unmounted units and the whole of the [[Tszamoorian Military]] were restructured and retrained for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_warfare Mountain Warfare].
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| ===Midnight Moon===
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| Ahead of invasion efforts, however, two [[Tszamoorian Military#The Headsmen|Headsmen]] units deployed covertly with assassination orders for all of Wilbur Crest's military and governing rulers. A military operation coordinated and dubbed, "Midnight Moon," was this exact draft of orders.
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| The plan took two weeks of reconnaissance missions, some of which required members of [[Tszamoorian Military#The Headsmen|the Headsmen]] to infiltrate and blend in with the civilian population of Wilbur Crest. The soldiers were tasked with identifying all of the major leaders, both civilian and military, and plotting their assassinations in a coordinated manner. The two units then converged and executed a series of attacks in one night designed to kill all of Wilbur Crest's central leadership. All of the targets except for the leader of the border guard were killed within their homes.
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| ==Military Invasion==
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| The night of the "Midnight Moon" operation, infantry units began to mobilize in its invasion efforts that aimed to take Wilbur Crest and its satellite cities. The invasion efforts were stalled, however, when an ice storm set back troop movement and offered the armed citizens of Wilbur Crest to disburse into defensive positions throughout the higher elevations of the range. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booby_trap Booby traps] were set all over the city of Wilbur Crest and dynamite was placed to knock out inroads and trigger avalanches that would crush and thwart the invading forces as they attempted to ascend to the city.
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| The struggle delayed and harassed the invading front, but counter-insurgency action on behalf of [[Tszamoorian Military#The Headsmen|the Headsmen]] would run off the remaining saboteurs. Three weeks into the initial invasion efforts, the Tszamoorian Military would make landing at Wilbur Crest, quickly taking the city under its control.
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| Ground operations then spilled over into the surrounding satellite cities, which were taken with initial resistance, but at minimal casualties.
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| =Installation of a New Government=
| | Much of the mountain range above 15,000 feet retains glacial ice year-round, accumulating it faster than fallen snow melts. As summer approaches, conditions will warm enough in the higher elevations to begin to melt the glacial ice into a vast collection of river networks that travel down ravines and stream-cut troughs that have formed through erosion. It is these omniscient glacial deposits that feed and irrigate all of the immediate areas surrounding the choke of [[Veth]]. |
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| The Military quickly installed a new ruling Governor in Wilbur Crest that would remain loyal to Ursland's policies. The population was rapidly humbled through occupation as well as increased security and resources brought in to aid mining operations. Transition of power and the subsequent occupation saw little resistance for decades and living conditions improved under the Empire. Additionally, those that profited locally from gold mining were targeted for assassination prior to the initial invasion, thus most of the remaining population saw little change in wealth distribution.
| | =Climate= |
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| =Dirth Kurleiser's Rule=
| | The climate of the Zarloc Mountains varies greatly depending on elevation. At the higher peaks, conditions are very unforgiving and temperatures can plunge rapidly at night into the -50s with wind gusts often increasing the intensity of the cold felt. Daytime highs within the peaks are meager, rarely reaching much above freezing year-round. Solar radiation in the summer helps to melt glacial ice, which feeds river networks throughout the region. |
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| Under [[The United Tszamoorian Empire#Dirth Kurleiser|King Dirth Kurleiser]], the costs of maintaining such an expansive military that was being stretched thin were becoming a growing concern. To combat the financial burden, the King imposed high tariffs on mineral exports as well as agricultural imports into the Zarloc Mountains. An already strained society of people grew even more impatient with Urlsand through the taxation and a resistance movement began to emerge. Small-scale sabotage of mining operations as well as of [[The Ring of Fire#The Imperial Highway|The Imperial Highway]] was cause for the Tszamoorian Military to clamp down harder and restrict freedom of movement.
| | ==Peaks== |
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| ==The Coup of Heights==
| | Climates at Peak-level, or just above the timberline, are harsh and are generally chalked up to being Polar Climates. On average, temperatures rarely reach above freezing for more than two months. Of those two months, the majority of flooding at lower elevations takes place in summer; though settlements higher in elevation than those are afflicted by these conditions. |
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| ''Main Article: [[The Coup of Heights]]''
| | At the higher elevations, winds can reach up to 150 mph, often sweeping snow from the peaks and dusting glaciers and other areas at below. These winds have claimed numerous lives on higher mountain passes where treacherous roads wind along the sides of cliffs. Gusts have been known to sweep a many travelers and climbers off to their deaths. |
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| As the resistance built more and more momentum with military clamp-downs and exhaustive taxation, the [[Tszamoorian Military#The Headsmen|Headsmen]] unit native to Wilbur Crest, [[Tszamoorian Military#The Shadowmen|The Shadowmen]], were lured into taking part in a plot to overthrow [[The United Tszamoorian Empire#Dirth Kurleiser|King Dirth Kurleiser]] and restore negotiations with Ursland towards independence for the Zarloc Mountains.
| | ==Inhabitants== |
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| The Coup, however, dubbed "[[The Coup of Heights]]," was disastrous and failed in any of its objectives. [[Tszamoorian Military#The Shadowmen|The Shadowmen]] were seized and summarily executed along with resistance members who took part.
| | A smattering of human and dwarves can be found around the Zarloc, though understandably, these tend to be exceptions rather than commonplace settlements. There's also the [[Provakh]], a nomadic herd race of apparent half-giants that roam these valleys and peaks. |
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| =Wilbur Crest=
| | [[Category: Geographical Features of Note]] |
| The Zarloc Mountains |
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| Geographical Information |
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| Location: |
North-western Veth |
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| Geographical Features: |
Glaciers |
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| Significant Resources: |
Freshwater reserves (frozen), Gold, Iron, Coal, Trees (lumber) |
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| Dangers: |
Exposure, Rock slides, Altitude Sickness, Snow Blindness, Falls, Avalanches, Ice Storms, Starvation |
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| Notable Wildlife: |
Golden Eagles, Appenzell Goat, Dire Yaks, Northern Wyverns, Various Cryptids |
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| Civilization |
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| Inhabitants: |
Human Dwarf Provakh |
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| Common Languages: |
Common Various indigenous |
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| Population: |
Unknown |
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Geography
The Zarloc Mountains are host to some of the highest peaks found in North-Western Veth, especially those upon the Northern Peninsula. The highest peak, Mount Zah, is 26,000 ft in elevation.
Habitable conditions are all mostly found under the timberline, which makes up only 25% of the land within the mountains. Of that, arable land only makes up 1% of the total land within the Zarloc Mountains, which again is only in use seasonally. Numerous mountain passes and remote basins can be found throughout the range.
Glaciers and Lakes
Much of the mountain range above 15,000 feet retains glacial ice year-round, accumulating it faster than fallen snow melts. As summer approaches, conditions will warm enough in the higher elevations to begin to melt the glacial ice into a vast collection of river networks that travel down ravines and stream-cut troughs that have formed through erosion. It is these omniscient glacial deposits that feed and irrigate all of the immediate areas surrounding the choke of Veth.
Climate
The climate of the Zarloc Mountains varies greatly depending on elevation. At the higher peaks, conditions are very unforgiving and temperatures can plunge rapidly at night into the -50s with wind gusts often increasing the intensity of the cold felt. Daytime highs within the peaks are meager, rarely reaching much above freezing year-round. Solar radiation in the summer helps to melt glacial ice, which feeds river networks throughout the region.
Peaks
Climates at Peak-level, or just above the timberline, are harsh and are generally chalked up to being Polar Climates. On average, temperatures rarely reach above freezing for more than two months. Of those two months, the majority of flooding at lower elevations takes place in summer; though settlements higher in elevation than those are afflicted by these conditions.
At the higher elevations, winds can reach up to 150 mph, often sweeping snow from the peaks and dusting glaciers and other areas at below. These winds have claimed numerous lives on higher mountain passes where treacherous roads wind along the sides of cliffs. Gusts have been known to sweep a many travelers and climbers off to their deaths.
Inhabitants
A smattering of human and dwarves can be found around the Zarloc, though understandably, these tend to be exceptions rather than commonplace settlements. There's also the Provakh, a nomadic herd race of apparent half-giants that roam these valleys and peaks.