Nakvaligach

Nakvaligach, also called the "Northern Barrens", was the most dangerous region of the Great Glacier.

Geography
Nakvaligach, the smallest of the three regions of the Glacier, was located north of Alpuk, across the Uppuk River. It was bordered on the west and east by the Tuutsaas Chain and the Keryjek Ridge respectively.

Unlike the two "Basins", Alpuk and Angalpuk, Nakvaligach was covered with mountainous terrain and treacherous crevasses. This played a role in the architecture of the region, where Nakvaligach residents made use of stones in their constructions. It also affected the ease of transportation; sleds were not of great use here.

The ice depth was usually between 200 and 500 feet (60–150 m), though it thinned to as little as five to ten feet (one and a half to three meters) in central areas. In the northern mountains, the ice layer was nearly a mile (one and a half kilometers) thick. There was very little potable water in the region.

Weather
Because of the higher altitudes, stronger winds, and distance from the larger seas, the temperatures in Nakvaligach were more severe than anywhere else on the Great Glacier, dropping even as low as 150 &deg;F (100 &deg;C) below zero in the northernmost mountains. This was so bitter cold that it was said that winds here could freeze a person solid mid-step.

Elsewhere, average temperatures ranged from &minus;50 &deg;F (&minus;46 &deg;C) to 15 &deg;F (&minus;9 &deg;C) in the spring (from Mirtul to Kythorn ) with a daytime average of &minus;5 &deg;F (&minus;21 &deg;C) and a nighttime average of &minus;35 &deg;F (&minus;37 &deg;C). In the month of Flamerule, temperatures might range from &minus;20 &deg;F (&minus;29 &deg;C) to 30 &deg;F (&minus;1 &deg;C) with a daytime average of 10 &deg;F (&minus;12 &deg;C) and a nighttime average of &minus;10 &deg;F (&minus;23 &deg;C).

During autumn, (the months of Eleasis through Uktar, ) they ranged from &minus;55 &deg;F (&minus;48 &deg;C) to 0 &deg;F (&minus;18 &deg;C). The daytime average was &minus;10 &deg;F (&minus;23 &deg;C), and the nighttime average &minus;40 &deg;F (&minus;40 &deg;C).

Temperatures fell as low as &minus;95 &deg;F (&minus;71 &deg;C) in the long winter (from Nightal to Tarsakh ) and rarely rose any higher than &minus;30 &deg;F (&minus;34 &deg;C). The average temperatures for winter were &minus;55 &deg;F (&minus;48 &deg;C) during the day and &minus;75 &deg;F (&minus;59 &deg;C) at night. Strong winds could make them temperatures seem even colder.

Fewer than five to eight inches (thirteen to twenty centimeters) of precipitation fell in the region per year.

Flora & Fauna
Deer, polar bears, and a variety of fish and birds were found in Nakvaligach. Unlike other regions of the Great Glacier, seals did not live here, and the caribou populations were lower, rarely existing in herds of more than one hundred animals.

The mukteff, a gold-furred sled dog, was native to Nakvaligach.

Tirichik laired in the most desolate areas of Nakvaligach, deep within its crevasses.

Short birch, evergreen, or willow trees somehow managed to survive in isolated regions of Nakvaligach, rarely growing more than ten feet (three meters) tall.

Flame heather was a strange plant unique to Nakvaligach. This yellow and red plant was known to burn very slowly, which made it useful for house fire pits.

History
In 1339 DR, Sharra Frohm the great-great-great-granddaughter of the famous explorer Palus Frohm set out to explore Nakvaligach and complete a second volume of his work Blood and Ice.

Notable Locations

 * Ahtitlak : This small village had a strange bond with remorhaz, having learned even how to ride them.
 * Igotak Sea : This was the largest body of water in Nakvaligach, but it was frozen solid the whole year.
 * Kresttet : This village was the largest human settlement in Nakvaligach.
 * Olyniak Crevasse : This deep chasm was rumored to have a network of tunnels at the bottom that led to Ulutiu's resting place.
 * The Shakkak Pit : This deep chasm was filled with fairy ice and was a burial ground for white dragons.

Inhabitants
Only about five percent of the Ulutiun humans living on the Great Glacier lived in Nakvaligach, because of its hostile environment. These people were the Nakulutiuns, and their total population was estimated between 2,500 and 3,750 souls in 1359 DR. The largest (by far) Nakulutiun settlement was Kresttet, which only had a population of 300.

Frost giants and white dragons lived in the mountains, and both groups kept the Nakulutiuns living in fear with periodic raiding.

Small groupings (usually fewer than seven individuals) of yeti also roamed the mountains here. Some of them were subservient to the white dragons.