#44 The Rime Plain

Age: Time Passes Slowly Here

Hidden or Lost?: No

History: Located amongst the highest mountains of the God Fangs, the Rime Plain is a desolate frozen field of mist, death, and forgetting.

While there are countless dangers and pitfalls to be found amongst the forbidden peaks of the God Fangs, the Rime Plain is said to hold treasures and mysteries that should never have been lost. From overhead the Rime Plain appears as a thick cloud layer trapped within a high altitude depression between the peaks. A caldera of roiling mists, strange lights, and obscured mysteries.

On the floor of the Rime Plain, the freezing mists penetrate all protection, causing a bone-deep chill that can evaporate even the strongest will, corrupting even the kindest heart. Visibility on the plain is almost nonexistent. Obstacles and dangers seem to appear out of the blue gray fog, sometimes only inches away, and there is nearly limitless peril to be found.

Beyond the freezing climate and sudden crevasses, the plain is home to Chillblaines, phantoms of pure freezing jealousy that will whisper lies in your ears and convince you to harm your closest companions or even yourself. There's also the House-With-The-Candle-In-The-Window, a humble, lonely building standing alone on the plain, beckoning travelers with its warm light. However, visitors will only be greeted by a blistered crone eager to steal their warmth before they even notice that the house is built of fingernails and bones. Or travelers might encounter a wandering patrol of Snow Orcs from Fort Gulthanc. The last of their kind, they still hold vigil for a war that ended thousands of years ago, attacking all they encounter.

Aside from the dangers, and assuming they don’t get hopelessly lost and starve, visitors to the Rime Plain might get lucky and encounter one of the more beneficent locations in the mists. For instance there is the mystic portal known simply as the Northgate. Flanked by two giant statues of a nameless leopard goddess, it is the only known access point to Underterra, the Hollow Core. Or they might find their way to the Cold Forge, a magical blacksmithy that can imbue weapons and armor with the incredible power of the Wild Cold.

Traveling the Rime Plain can be a deadly endeavor, but for those who survive, they can leave with untold treasure. Just remember, trust no fire.

1. Rime Pass

2. Ice Bridge Maze

3. The Chillblaines

4. The False Flame

5. Hungering Chasm

6. The North Gate

7. Reflection’s Deep

8. House-With-The-Candle-In-The-Window

9. Doorless Dome

10. It-Lives-In-The-Mist

11. Worm Floes

12. Fort Gulthanc

13. Cold Forge