The Gelid Isles     The Gelid Isles are an archipelago located just off the north coast of Lur-Asko, outside of the ancient influence of the Protodragons. The climate is freezing cold and often windy, and the ocean conditions are frequently treacherous. Other than a few lightly timbered regions to the south, an ancient layer of ice and permafrost covers nearly all the available land, preventing any vegetation from growing. Many of the mountains are unexplored.

    Virtually the only above-water life in the Gelid Isles is the Vitur Roc species, along with a few types of well-insulated animals adapted to catching fish. The Vitur Roc form the vast majority of the sentient population - hundreds of thousands live in scattered coastal fishing villages, which occasionally shift due to movements of fish or threats of piracy. The central and historic home of the Roc, Viturheim, is located to the south; this city of around 70,000 is located amidst the densest "forest" available, and today its large dockyard is the hub of the whaling industry. Other guilds in Viturheim focus on processing the whale blubber into lamp oil and soap, much of which is exported to Hal'Cione, and from there, throughout Lur-Asko.

    Given its distance from mainland Lur-Asko and the general disinterest of the Vitur Roc in non-coastal regions, the inland areas of the Gelid Isles have been a favorite location for especially eccentric or dangerous activities. Most notably, the mountains of one northern island are home to the Tennebris. Ominous and striking, this ancient black fortress is the legendary academy of the Aterr. Although the sect is not usually unified, one can always find a few of them in the Tennebris. Here the Dark Ones train, research, and plan, far beyond the prying eyes of the “Blinded Ones” they believe they have transcended. Still, even non-Dark adventurers are known to brave the voyage on occasion; despite the ominous aura of the fortress, the Dark Ones are known to offer rewards to those who return lost atruensis or other Aterr artifacts.

    To approach the Tennebris by air is considered suicidal; in addition to its conventional automated defenses, the fortress' weather control field is still operational, and creates a protective ring of perpetual storms and unfavorable winds. The approach by sea is safer, but still moderately perilous. The remnants of the Northern Diran Siege Fleet - Alacrian ships that once blockaded the Tennebris, now crewed by haywire reanimators and constructs - were stirred to reactivation by Aterr naval activity during the Resistance War. They now prowl throughout the northern Isles. Though the ancient, decrepit ships are spread thin and ill-maintained, they still pose a threat to slower vessels. Make it past the Fleet, and an even stranger peril awaits within the clouds: the Tennebris Guardian. Little is known of this entity, other than that it is an ancient creation of Aterr sorcery and industry, and that it singlehandedly repelled the original assault of the Siege Fleet. Those who have "legitimate" business at the Tennebris are unlikely to see the Guardian; those who approach with ill intent are unlikely to return.

    In Old Roc mythology, the northern Gelid Isles were the site of many battles between the "Ships of the Dead" and the "Serpent-Lord of Storms," the latter of which was "birthed by the words of the Shadow-Gods." Modern scholars believe that these are representations of the Northern Diran Siege Fleet and the Tennebris Guardian created by the Aterr. Based on further legends of the "Shadow-Father," it is believed that Atro Vys himself recruited out of and courted alliances with the primitive Vitur Roc tribes, who were otherwise almost entirely ignored by the Alacris. According to recent adventurers' tales of successful trips to the Tennebris, it is advisable for prospective visitors to go to Viturheim and seek out the Svartari - a clan of Dark Path Roc who are well-learned in the ancient myths and the proper way to approach the fortress.