The planet of Shashnia is larger than Earth, and there is more land area than our planet.  However, the continents are on average much smaller.  The planet seems to be undergoing a tectonic upheaval and possesses an abundance of subduction and collision zones.  As a result most of the mountain ranges are still growing.  The young ranges are very high; a few ranges comparable or exceeding the Himalayas.  These are generally found near coast lines (think of the Andes) or continental margins (where two plates collide far inland, e.g. Northern India).  Others are very old and have been rounded and eroded over time, these are usually the inland chains, sometimes rising enigmatically out of the desert (like Australia).  Mountains in the desert are critically important for the thin band of vegetation and rains they bring.  These desert mountain settlements, along with canyons are key parts of trade routes.  Some of the mountain ranges are volcanic.  Worldwide, many of the mountain ranges are covered in treacherous glaciers.  Most are impassable, all are considered formidable features and can present significant barriers to trade, gene-flow and travel.

CC3.0 - Peter Seckler

Mountain Races & Adventurers

• Gurus: monks, wanderers, powerful in physical magic
• Miners and Tinkerers: under-mountain folk, stocky, strong
• Stoneskin subspecies
• resistant to heat (boilers, geothermal)
• strong physical skills
• technical bonus
• Snowskin subspecies
• furry like yetis, resistant to cold
• endurance physical skills
• spiritual bonus

Regional overview

• Movement is a matter of survival outside, so it becomes the distance you can withstand being how far you can travel. 
• lots of dungeon crawls and strongholds to jump between, not all of them friendly
• Machine cities
• usually built near geothermal vents to run boilers, crystal caves, or valuable mines
• highly mechanized and automated structure
• most of the work is machine maintenance and labour
• farming; mushrooms, lots of mushrooms
• Tunneler cave dungeons
• Tonkins
• feral goblinoid Shashnimyn and semi-intelligent tribal myn
• lightly furry, cave dog-monkeys
• harrasing and dislike other species, especially Womps
• Womps
• Wombat-boar creatures
• Moss and mushroom eating
• Aged Womps grow tusks
• Triple-tusked womps are spell casters
• Aegarim
• intelligent dinosaurian myn culture all but lost
• Surface towns
• Nepalese, Tibetan, Andean-like culture
• Subsistence farming
• Can farm rare herbs that grow no where else
• Victorian/Steampunk flavour
• gadgets, goggles and steam!
• One of the few places in the world combustion is acceptable because the heat byproduct is desired
• Shashnimyn rely on heat and light generated by crystals and brass/steam generator systems
• In emergencies of survival, e.g. in a blizzard, fire is forgiven when later atoned for
• Tonkins use fire  with impunity

arbyreed flickr.com

Travel across mountain ranges

Travelling inside mountain ranges is always difficult due to cost or danger. Merchants are highly valued for their bravery, often of the Snowskin (yeti) variety.

• By foot
• super dangerous
• can be a part of a spirit quest
• some monasteries are up there
• By skyship
• Expensive, slow, not without risks
• Train
• Tunnels through the mountains are rare and expensive

Encounters

Creatures

• steam-powered snow golem; a little bit ironic, and definitely made as a protector by a powerful invetor

Hooks

• Cave collapse revealing new areas
• Conflicts between various 

Mountain Adventures

From the lips of peril winds sing

The drift stretched out before him, a smooth white dip angle delicately amongst a crown of jagged granite.  The blow of winds and snow was enough to keep it pillowy under the stream-like current that whistled over it and pelted the rocks.  He strode purposely through it to the rock face and searched for holds, happy that the his footprints marring fierce beauty would only last a few hours in this weather.  He pulled himself up to the next ledge, and continued to push on.  The winds forced him to stop and wait till he could see his hands again.  He could climb blind if he had to, but he needed to find the safe route up...

Sometime later, his hand reached until it found hold, and pushing with legs while pulling up, he hoisted himself to the next ledge, and found it was the last.  He stood solidly and adjusted his parka.  The breathing vents hissed as they opened to adjust the heat balance.  The goggles revealed the mask of unburnt skin, his eyes wide framed by a face of red.  A figure was hunched over a small stove, with a tent behind.

"I fell back there"

"I know, I'm sorry."

"I wasn't sure we could take that route, but I'm thankful for the lines you strung on the other route."

"I had to get up before the winds"

"This will set us back a bit I suppose"

"Yeah, sorry."

"Don't be, I secretly wanted that to work and the risk is part of this."

"Everything is a lesson to you?"

"Well, in this environment you've gotta learn from lest you fall too far"

Cultural notes

The mountain peoples have a very rich tradition of storytelling.  Every evening, some gather in simulated star domes to listen to the elders recount the tales.  The stories are usually well known and audience members will contribute illusion magic to aid in the effects.

Landscape imagery

arbyreed flickr.com

arbyreed flickr.com