Firepeaks

The Firepeaks were a series of mountains located along the eastern edge of the Great Amber Steppes in the Hordelands.

Description
The Firepeaks, which received their name from the reddish glow seen at night, were located several hundred miles east of Almorel and were considered one of the most famous landmarks in the Endless Wastes.

An active geothermal basin surrounded by a circle of volcanic mountains, eruptions from at least one of the peaks occurred nearly weekly. The ash thrown into the air could be seen as far as the Spice Road, which passed within 100 miles of the mountain range.

The nomadic tribes of the area considered the mountains sacred, calling them Badara-Kharshi, or "Land of the Fire God." They could not be visited by the nomads until ritual preparations were made.

Many outsiders came to the mountains to use their many hot springs, which were said to have healing and spiritual properties.

Inhabitants
The Firepeaks were known to be inhabited by an ancient Dwarven kingdom, numbering at about 5,000 dwarves, known as the Siremun, (the "Iron Men"), to the nomads. The dwarves here mined skystone, a completely clear crystal that could be shaped and chiseled like normal stone, which they used not only to build parts of their own fortress but also exported to wizards and princes to use as well, to be used in projects and buildings such as the Caliph of Semphar's palace.

The dwarves were not the only inhabitants of this mountain range, however; both a number of goblin- and giant-kind had been attracted to the area as well. Most noticeably, a large number of orcs, around 7,000, resided there, who were at war not only with the dwarves but also among themselves, as they had split into several tribal groups including the Shagtooth, Burnt Finger, Grayhair, Unngus, Rat-eater, Old Woman, Bent Knife, and Snakekiller tribes.

A large number of ogres were also present on the surface of the mountains, trying to create a spa for giant-kind around 1359 DR. This created a gold-rush mentality for the ogres, which caused them to start fighting over the better hot springs. At least one group of ogres was trying to bring order to the area but had only limited success.