Geography of Icengale
Icengale's dominating geographical feature is the Godspawn Mountains, which circumnavigate the equatorial regions of the planet, with only a small gap existing at one specific point, known as the Icen Gap. The narrow waterway is known as the Icen Channel. Most denizens of the planet refer to the mountains as The Great Belt. These mountains are surmounted by the Vainen Glacier, which spans the entire globe, including the Icen Gap. Most of the time passage through the Icen Gap is blocked to surface vessels. It is possible for aquatic creatures or those with magical assistance to traverse the channel beneath the surface but the unpredictable currents and fields of ever-shifting ice make this extremely dangerous endeavor to all beings.
The Great Belt, which reaches elevations of nearly 45,000 feet, is dominated by The Vainen Glacier, which for most of the range is the highest point above sea level, ranging from 35,000 to 40,000 feet in elevation. Only in about 50 locations do the Godspawn Mountains manage to poke through the glacier. Given the rather unique origin of the planet the regions near The Great Belt are geographically speaking relatively young and are dominated by sharp features. The further South and North that you travel the features are older and more weathered.
The highest known peak is The Spire of Karana, and reaches a height of 46,154 feet. Many believe that an altar rests atop the peak of Karana. This holy shrine is known by many names, such as The Shrine of Voices to Humans, the Seat of Divinity to Minotaurs, the Anvil of Desperation to Dwarves, the Bench of Communion of Gnomes, the Pedestal of Merit to Elves, Everhope to Halflings, and the Temple of Despair to the Sarai, and it is said that those who stand before the altar and present the proper offering can speak to the Deities, and they will answer.
In Earth terms the "dead zone" starts at 37,000 feet. Above this elevation only a handful of creatures can survive for extended periods of time, and none of them are the dominant humanoid races of the world. The lowest gap over the Vainen Glacier has an elevation of just over 38,000 feet and it is impossible for any of the dominant humanoid races to traverse over the Vainen Glacier without magical assistance to survive. And even then survival is not guaranteed as those few species that have adapted to survive at such altitudes are fearsome creatures that would be a serious challenge in a less hostile environment. Many say that even with the most powerful of magic that it is impossible to traverse the Godspawn Mountains and the Vainen Glacier."
Once every couple of years the currents in the surrounding seas shift and warmer waters thaw a tunnel through the glacier, exposing the Icen Channel. This tunnel, often referred to as The Merchant's Portico, is only open for about 4 months. During this time merchants and explorers from both sides race through to do as much trading as possible before the glacier once more closes in and seals off both halves of the world. The tunnel is usually open for about two months, but some years it has stayed open as long as 4 months and on rare occasions it only stays open for a month. One year it was open for only 8 days. Many a merchant has found himself stranded on the other side of the world because they tarried too long. Untold numbers of ships and dead sailors litter the bottom of the channel because they tarried too long. On top of that there is no guarantee it will open every two years. Sometimes it might be three years. The longest known closing was five years.
Given the dominance of the Godspawn Mountains much of the world rises up from the sea, extending ever upward to the Vainen Glacier. Or most of the world this is a gentle rise, but in areas, especially the foothills of the Godspawns, it can be fairly steep. With a solitary glacier surrounding the entire world streams and rivers are abundant in most regions. Most rivers, though, are only navigable for relatively short distances as they are often broken up by rapids and waterfalls. And given the amount of frigid waters flowing down from the Vainen Glacier to the seas below fog is a very common feature in much of the world. This abundance of fog has resulted in an abundance of forests, especially at upper elevations and along rivers. There are many temperate rain forests at the mid-elevations of the main continent.
One feature that is lacking in the world is deserts. There are only three known deserts in the world, two in Icengale and one in Elagneci, and of the two in Icengale only one, the Taiyoral Wastes, can be considered a "proper" desert with high temperatures during the day and cold temperatures during the night. The other, the Mrax Desert, is a high altitude desert and it is a cold and windy place where snow is not uncommon. The Plains of Corvus, the desert in Elagneci, covers an entire peninsula and many believe that if not for a natural cleft known as The Wall of Loem it would have consumed much of the world.
While the North is dominated by regions of vast land, much of the South is dominated by vast bodies of water that are sprinkled with islands both small and large. Many of these islands have large regions of rocky shores and are surrounded by shallow regions littered with shoals and coral reefs. Vast coal deposits dominate the regions beneath the shallows of both the North and South and in some regions there are oil deposits that some dwarf clans have learned to harvest.
