The Warnaka Mountains bear the Styrásh name úarna'cáey (úarna'cáey) meaning simply "hill-mountain" or "hilly mountain", which is said to refer only to the first mountain of the chain higher than 2000 peds, appearing like a large hill from afar with rock formations on top. The name of this single mountain obviously led to the name "Warnaka" for the complete chain, though the literary Styrásh translation isn't accurate anymore. It is also possible that the name derives from the comparison of this range with the nearby Tandala Highlands which consists of far higher peaks and is virtually unpassable. The Tandala mountains dwarf the Warnaka mountains and perhaps thus are lending them their name.

The Warnaka chain dominates the Northern Peak. The Bear Peaks are composed primarily of the mineral uruyant, and where it is exposed the mountains shimmer and reflect all the colours around them. The landscape that they imposed is jagged, and cut by deep ravines and valleys. Few species live in the mountains, though the southern foot hills share much vegetation with the Bolder Forest, which it neighbours.

Description. The Warnaka mountains are neither the longest, nor the highest in Santharia. But they are certainly dominating, to pass the chain on one of the many passes that traverse it is a challenge indeed. Much of the mountain range is characterised by very deep ravines, and some of the passes simply end in sheer vertical drops.

Picture description. View on the Warnaka Mountains in northern Santharia and parts of the Bolder Forest in the foreground. Image by Quellion.

The looming, jagged, grey peaks dominate the landscape of northwestern Santharia, borded in its southern foothills by the Bolder Forest. Often the summits are well shrouded in cloud, giving them an austere, sometimes meanacing dignity. On sunny days however, the peaks, covered in altitude loving plants in the southern part of the range, or sometime snow, are quite the most beautiful site, especially when viewed from the sea or the island of Narvos to the west. Exposed peaks shimmer and relfect all the colours of the day, due to their predominant uruyant composition. The mountain chain extends all the way up the Northern Peak, an unrelenting march northward. In between the depth of the mountains of the southern range are idyllic hidden valleys, often containing deep lakes created by snow melt waters and streams that drain the high peaks of the bountiful precipitation they recieve. Further north, no signs of vegetation however are visible on the mountainsides and the valleys and gulches are cluttered with a jumble of rocks and debris.

Notable peaks within the range are the Great Northern Peak, the most northerly mountain in the range and the largest, towering above the rest of the range and the sea beyond, Dragon's Point, which is actually two twin wiuth virtually unreachable peaks of very similar height atop which a Great Adamant Dragon was rumoured to live thousands of years ago.

Location. The southern foothills of the Warnaka Mountains, bordered by the Bolder Forest, petrude into the the province of Vardýnn, but most of the range is to be found in the province of Nermeran. To the east is the town of Ishmarin, while the chain extends all the way up the Northern Peak Peninsular. To the west of these summits one can see the Isle of Narvos. From the Warnarka heights the Santharian dwellers can glimpse the northern continent that they are seperated from by the practically impassable Tandala highlands.

People. Few people live in the mountains. One islolate community of elves lives in a southern valley, not far from the fringes of the Bolder Forest. The rest of the mountain range would be deserted if not for miners who visit in the more habital summer months to harvest uruyant. In the far north of the range, one will find the only other permanent residents: the Outer Circle, a small community of mages who are led by the mysterious wizard of the White Tower, and indeed live within its bounds, a strange but magnificent building, with many small towers protruding from the main tower situated in the most northerly valley.

Climate. Once into the peaks of the range the weather is usually very wet, as the height of the peaks encourages rainfall, creating a rain shadow over the neighbouring Bolder Forest. The peaks are often shrouded in cloud, and fog is, therefore, very common. The altitude combined with this moisture makes for a very cold bleak environment indeed. The mountains are known for being stormy also notorious for the huge storms that brew over their crowns. Thunder storms are common and electric, lightning forks cutting around the mountain tops. However, the valleys within the range, while still rather wet, are well sheltered from most of these elements, and so are often rather warmer than one would expect at this latitude.

Flora. Very little lives in the mountain peaks. A few hardy, altitude loving plants, the yrom and the halim to name two. Much of the peaks are exposed and unplanted. The valleys, especially in the southern part of the range, share much of their flora with the neighbouring Bolder Forest. Candlebushes are one of the most common species to be found here.

Fauna. The mountain peaks are fairly unhospitable to animal life. Only steppe deer has the adaptations necessary to survive and can be found grazing on the Yrom, but mostly the slopes are populated by insects. The mountains are prime habitat, so it is said, for the great drakes and lesser drakes are often found in the northerly edges of the range.

Resources. Much of the northern range is rich in uruyant, the hardest known mineral in the world. Almost the whole of the northern Warnaka Mountains are made up of this material. The rough climate of the north has in all likelihood eroded the outer, sedimentary strata of the mountains, leaving only their uruyantine core. The same process is responsible for the formation of the uruyantine arches which are today one of the distinct landmarks of the northern territories. Such arches are clearly visible in the sea around the Northern Peak, and make the stretch of water between the mainland and Narvos particularly treacherous. As the dressing of uruyant is all but impossible, spezimen which are of the size to serve as pieces of jewellery are highly prized in the southern parts of the country. 

	Time Table of the Warnaka Mountains Date Incident 1650 b.S. Caeins Sacrifices Maengolth atop the Warnaka Mountains Caein, youngest son of the Erpheronian sovereign, promises the adamant-dragon Ol'dem'brey to kill his father himself to free his people again from the suppression of the dragons. As Caein himself longs for the power of the Erpheronian sovereign he had no remorses to sacrifice Maengolth on an altar at the tops of the Warnaka, hoping to receive praise of his people and to become sovereign himself. But after finishing the ritual the enraged Ol'dem'brey destroys Caein too in front of his people as he returns from the altar with bloody hands. The burning Caein, head held high, should later on become sign of the Erpheronian tribe (shown in the tribe's coat of arms), representing the unceasable will to power as well as the divine punishment for human arrogance. After the death of their leaders the Erpheronians await the further assaults of the dragons defenceless. ca. 200 Serveran seeks out the Wizard of the White Tower Serveran seeks out the wizard in the White Tower to appeal for help against his father, Saban Blackcloak, who has decended to the Hèckranian volcano to topple the Earthern Titan.