Ice Flats

From The World of Layonara
Revision as of 15:01, 11 March 2019 by Orth (talk | contribs) (Text replacement - "<span class="DROPCAP">([A-Z])<\/span>" to "$1")
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

The name for this great expanse of barren land is a bit deceptive; it is not only ice that attempts to cover the rocky soil, but also snow. This land is both the loneliest and most beautiful stretch of the western lands. One can travel for days without a change in the wintry scenery. While the cutting cold is inhospitable, it is the solitude that one feels when traveling the flats that is unbearable; nothing can be seen for miles--not a twig, a legged beast, or even a large rock. Only the shrill cry of a bird occasionally rolls over the silent land, where the gentle crackle of snow under one's feet can seem as loud as the sound of thunder in the early morning. These rare bird calls are all that lend life, if only for an instant, to this place that even nomads avoid.

West of the ice flats, there is nothing but the crystal clear expanses that lead toward the ocean. Seen from inland, one has an unobstructed view of the place where land meets sky. From the coast, great icebergs dot the sparkling waters, pointing upward toward the lonely sky. To the east, as clear as if drawn by the most talented hands, the raw stone springing from the ground in defiance of the plains, is the western face of the mountains that surround the Great Central Plains.

It is a sight not quickly forgotten. Indeed, the skald Elegar of the Lone Bear Clan once said, "To stand in the middle of the Ice Flats and see the sunrise over the mountains as the sun reflects on the water in the far western sky is to see day for the first time."

Snow Tooth has been seen perched atop the eastern spires from time to time--or at least so say the travelers who follow the path at the base of the mountains.