Archive:Eth Thjar Zozr
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Eth Thjar Zozr is the largest mountain range on the continent of Moria as well as possibly Alathra itself. Located to the north of Moria, it takes up roughly half of the Anderm geographical region and proves a well defensible barrier for Cythamuir from the south.
Geography
Eth Thjar Zozr is located in northern Moria within the region of Anderm. It is a range consisting of three mountains, each with varying heights. The eastern most mountain, Glymenth meaning "bright one", is the middle mountain in height and features the brilliant gates to the mountain city of Dakuh Duzma. The central mountain, Vjaeravobi, is the tallest of the three, earning itself the name of "Rises above". The third and western most mountain is that of Mimmenth, meaning "dark one", and is the shortest of the three. Although each of the mountains are unique in their slope, shape, and general makeup, they are the heart of TiirtaÄävot Jat and make up one of its major cities. Glymenth and Mimmenth are both snow capped, with streaks of ice as well, but Vjaeravobi pierces the clouds and thus receives no snow fall, leading to a fully ice covered mountain top.
Each of the three mountains features a unique composition of minerals and materials. Glymenth is so named for the rich deposits of calcite and quartz that sometimes strike through its side and reflect the sun upon an observers eye. Vjaeravobi doesn't have much special stone within its interior, although it retains both materials from Glymenth and Mimmenth on its exterior, but it is quite rich in all sorts of minerals and precious gemstones such as netherite, iron, gold, diamond, and amethyst. Mimmenth is comprised of mostly deepslate, with gashes of blackstone appearing along the surface. The interior of Mimmenth is even more interesting to those who are brave enough to venture into its halls.
History
Thousands of years before humans had learned how to hold a stick, before even the peoples of Ezrael had started living on Moria, the Dwarves roamed the hills and lands of ancient Moria. At the time, they were a simple people and hadn't yet discovered their aptitude and love of mountains. During this time, the majority of dwarves lived in central Moria, what would eventually become Irithil. As they continued to live, they began to develop an aptitude and need for working with metals and their hands. Thus began the era of the Dwarves of the forge or BezmadanDjergr. As this culture of Dwarves continued to tinker and work with various metals the could find in the region, they began to dry the area of its natural resources and thus, instead of learning from their greed, the Dwarves sent parties all over Alathra in search of new settlements to migrate to. Each of these parties was comprised of a decently sized company of dwarves and, due to this, those who did find settlement decided not to return to the BezmadanDjergr, leaving them stranded and for death. The only party that chose to send message back to the BezmadanDjergr were those who went directly north, meeting the slopes of Glymenth head on. The dwarves felt that this discovery had to be shared amongst themselves and decided to make it their home. Now since the goal of this expedition was to discover new minerals, it was only natural that a mine was started within the mountain.
The Birth of Dakuh Duzma
As the BezmadanDjergr began to dig into the mountain side, they realized they had struck gold, or rather quartz. The Dwarves soon constructed a small settlement at the base of the south eastern face of Glymenth, the ruins now known as Winterwell. The settlement was small and only lasted a few years as the Dwarves began to dig houses, shops, and other various rooms into the mountain's core. The Dwarves eventually completely abandoned the settlement 15 years after its completion as they had mined from one end of the mountain to the other at this point. As they exited the tunnel they had just created, they marvelled at the sheer cliff face of white quartz and marble, only lightly hidden by stone. They decided this would be their new grand entrance to the underground city which they had begun construction of. They sealed the eastern entrance to the mine, leaving all but a the pillars of stone and wood that had held up the mine's entrance. As they began to carve into the stone, quarrying out unthinkable quantities of marble and quartz, the city began to take shape and they named it Dakuh Duzma or "Shining Cliff". This Dwarven kingdom would grow to become the largest in the world, as well as most extravagant, but during its peak it was little seen by those who didn't live there already.
Disaster
As the Dwarves mined the range from east to west, creating new areas and discovering new minerals with each section dug out, they reached the most definitive separation of Vjaeravobi and Mimmenth. The Dwarves, not knowing that something may have been lurking within, continued forwards with their construction but they dug too deep and too far. Neither historical record nor historian is entirely sure what it was that the Dwarves discovered at the heart of Mimmenth, some suggest that it was an old rune whilst others refute that it must have been a creature. Whatever the case may have been, it spelled doom for the BezmadanDjergr. Upon that discovery, the eternal storm that now rages around the mountains was released and the Dwarves, unprepared and caught off guard, were victims of its wrath. As the storm grew outside the kingdom, the Dwarves hunkered down, hoping for a short event that they might struggle with but ultimately endure. As days turned to weeks turned to months and food stores turned to rations turned to empty closets, it became clear that this storm wasn't going away. As the storm raged on for hundreds of years, the Dwarven population dwindled as good people turned to cannibalism to survive. All efforts were in vain though, as the thousand year storm continues to rage to this very day.
New Beginnings
Around 540 years ago, a ship crashed upon the shores of northern Moria, containing Admiral C. Vernesteen and the first of the Äävot Daasee. These strangers to this land would discover the mountain range awaiting their arrival and they started living in it, taking shelter from the ongoing storm. As their population grew, some of them moved outside the kingdom, forming villages such as Rinoimiskee Pyyn and Volkstad. This expansion from the mountain city was the start of the nation of TiirtaÄävot Jat and would mark the beginning of a new era of prosperity for the long forgotten mountains.