Earthspur Mountains

The Earthspur Mountains, or simply the Earthspurs, and sometimes named the Giantspike Mountains or the Dragonspike Mountains, was a great mountain range in north Faerûn. It ran roughly from northwest to southeast, from the Moonsea and the Galena Mountains in the north to the Sea of Fallen Stars in the south. It had two arms: the smaller Troll Mountains and Earthfast Mountains. This range bordered Damara, Vaasa, and Impiltur in the east with the Vast in the west.

Geographical features
The Earthfast Mountains were high; the range's tallest peaks were nearly 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) high. There were few trails through the mountains, making them very dangerous. One was Three Trees Pass, a long cleft between the Earthfasts and the Troll Mountains. There was a gap in the mountains where the High Country of the Vast jutted east; rumors told of hidden passes through the mountains into neighboring Impiltur.

At the center of the range, at its highest point, was the Glacier of the White Worm, from which cold winds continuously blew around the peaks. It covered an area of approximately 1200 square miles (3100 square kilometers). To the east was the Earthwood, and Lake Icemelt was to the south of this.

Underdark
In the Underdark, the domain of the Deep Wastes stretched to the Earthspur Mountains in the east.

Locations
The Monastery of the Yellow Rose was positioned on one of the mountain range's highest peaks, beside the Glacier of the White Worm.

The goblinoid community of Brikklext sat beneath the southern foothills of the Earthspur Mountains, on the eastern side.

There were a number of shield dwarf settlements within the mountains.

Inhabitants
The Earthspurs were inhabited by orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears, and drow could found also be found. Cave trolls were common in the mountains west of Impiltur as well. There also numerous other monsters.

The mountains were also home to shield dwarves, such as the Ludwakazar clan.

Activities
The mountains were rich in iron and silver, with some bloodstone, and mining was lucrative here. Conditions were harsh, but Dunfee in Impiltur and the Arcatan towns Sudrav and Tomrav existed as mining communities here.

History
In the Year of the Wyvernfall, 512 DR, the orc kingdom of Vastar rampaged out of the Vast and threatened other lands with war. Swarming through many small passes in the Earthspur Mountains, the orc chieftain Ulbror and his horde invaded the uplands of Impiltur.

As Vastar descended into civil war in the Year of Writhing Darkness, 572 DR, dwarves from the north and east expanded their mines under the Earthspur Mountains and into Vastar. The dwarves let no orc who'd seen a dwarf remain alive, to prevent any word reaching orcish chieftains of their nature of their enemy. The unexplained deaths of large numbers of orcs in the mountains were blamed on the civil war.

After defeating the orcs and bringing down Vastar, the dwarves founded the kingdom of Roldilar in its place. But Roldilar fell to resurgent orcs in the Year of the Bloody Crown, 649 DR, and many surviving dwarf clans escaped into the Earthspur Mountains.

From the mid-1350s DR, prosperous new deposits of ore were discovered in Earthspur and Earthfast Mountains, inspiring prospectors to brave the harsh conditions and hobgoblins, hoping to strike it lucky. These new mines were predicted to fuel the Impilturan economy.

In the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR, an Earthspurs mine broke into an old temple of Laduguer, and miners discovered more tunnels leading into the Underdark. They sought adventurers to follow the tunnels and see if they led to duergar settlements. A local merchant's guild even prepared a trade expedition to the grey dwarves.