abstract
| - The towering Eiglophian Mountains mark the northern border of Cimmeria. Beyond their peaks to the northwest are the lands of the Vanir invaders; to the northeast are the folk of the Æsir (Aesir), who are infrequent allies or foes of the Cimmerians. There are few passes through the mountains, so most hostilities are limited to raids and pillaging — or so many believed, before the Vanir marched an army of warriors into Cimmeria. Passage through the mountains is difficult and dangerous, even for seasoned travelers. Apart from trappers and scouts, few men dwell in these mountains. To survive in the Eiglophians, one must be possessed of incredible willpower, physical strength, and great courage. The howling winds and biting cold gnaw at both body and soul; the leopards and ice worms weed out the weak, and treacherous paths and sheer cliffs kill the unwary. What human life does cling to existence here is divided between scattered Cimmerian clans and the savages of the flesh-eating tribes that have bedeviled hunters and trappers for decades now. These murderous cannibals raid nearby Cimmerian villages, not for conquest, but to capture people who are fated to be eaten in the deep, dark caves that the flesh-eaters claim as their territory. The range itself is a holy place to the Cimmerians. In the eastern spur of the Eiglophians, there stands Ben Morgh, known to outlanders as Mount Crom. Here, it is said, Crom dwells, sending out death and doom to those who have failed him. His anger shakes the peaks in the form of thunderstorm and avalanches — and Crom is wrathful of late, as invaders from Hyperborea, Nordheim, and the Border Kingdom trespass ever deeper into Cimmeria.
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