High Reaches

The central part Krashin is dominated by a mountainous region full of jagged peaks that are always covered in a white blanket of snow. This mountain range is called the High Reaches because the peaks resemble fingers reaching for the sky. This metaphor of reaching fingers is truest of the four tallest and steepest peaks in the chain which are located in the center of the range. The Reaches contain many caves and tunnels, but few dare venture into them and even fewer know where they lead.

Krashin is traversed by many small rivers and streams. All of which spring forth from the High Reaches where they are fed by the melting snow. These streams begin life fast and shallow, turning deep only when they reach the sea. For most of the year they are but a shadow of themselves. In the spring, however, they swell and a sudden thaw will transform them into furious giants.

Like the forests, the rivers are vital to the people of Krashin. They constitute the only effective means of moving lumber from the forests to the towns and ports. Most inland travel makes use of these watery highways as well. The rivers also provide food for both the people and the animals of Krashin. Every year the salmon return to their birthplaces, feeding not only the people of Krashin but also the bears, foxes, and eagles of the land.