Gorgon Gorge

Nestled deep within the Greypeak Mountains in the far northern reaches of The Earth Realm, Gorgon Gorge is a perilous and forbidding chasm of ice, stone, and death. The gorge is a place of constant howling winds, where the cold bites deeper than steel and the air carries a noxious stench of decay—a grim reminder of the legendary predator that resides within.

For centuries, travelers and warriors alike have whispered of the metallic terror that prowls the gorge, an ancient and indomitable force known simply as the Gorgon Bull. Said to be a great iron-plated bull, wreathed in frost and exhaling a breath so vile it can vaporize living flesh, this beast has claimed countless victims—their bones now littering the icy ravines like trophies of its eternal hunt.

Despite its deadly reputation, some dare to venture into the gorge, whether out of desperation, folly, or the desire for glory. None have ever returned.

Landscape & Environment

Gorgon Gorge is a natural, winding chasm carved through the icy peaks of the Greypeak Mountains, a place of perpetual frost and bitter winds. Unlike the more traversable valleys of the Earth Realm, this gorge is twisting, jagged, and treacherous, filled with deadfalls, ice caverns, and sheer cliffs that make even approaching it a harrowing task.

Walls of Ice and Stone – The cliff walls rise almost impossibly high, jagged with spear-like ice formations that hang ominously overhead. These frozen stalactites glisten in the dim light, their surfaces etched by centuries of gorgon breath, leaving blackened frost-burns upon the rock.
The Noxious Air – A pale, bluish mist rolls through the gorge at all times—a toxic fume of unknown origin, seeping from the depths where the Gorgon makes its lair. Those who breathe it too deeply often experience a slow, agonizing dissolution, their flesh breaking apart as if corroded by an unseen force.
The Stench of Death – The gorge carries a terrible odor of rot, an unmistakable signature of the Gorgon’s many kills. The deeper one ventures, the more prominent the decay, with half-dissolved bones of past victims fused into the permafrost.
Frozen Trophies – Among the remnants of the Gorgon’s hunts, some corpses remain eerily intact—frozen solid in agonized, screaming expressions, their bodies calcified in the toxic frost, as if turned to stone by the beast’s malevolent power.

The Gorgon: Iron Bull of the North

The legendary guardian of Gorgon Gorge, the Gorgon, is a creature of both natural and unnatural origins, a fearsome metallic bull, plated in impenetrable iron hide, and fueled by an insatiable hunger for the hunt.

A Beast of Metal and Frost – Unlike any natural creature, the Gorgon is forged of living metal, its hide resembling a suit of battle-worn armor, unyielding and unbreakable. Even blades of the finest craftsmanship have been known to shatter upon impact.
Breath of Dissolution – The Gorgon’s most notorious trait is its deadly breath, an exhalation of toxic mist so powerful that it can rot away flesh and bone in seconds. Some claim that those caught within it are not merely killed, but unmade, their bodies reduced to mere whispers on the wind.
Unrelenting Hunger – The Gorgon is not a beast of reason nor one of mercy. It does not kill for sport, nor does it feast upon its prey—it simply hunts because it must, driven by an eternal, unquenchable urge to chase, trample, and annihilate all who enter its domain.

Legends & Myths

Stories of Gorgon Gorge and its iron-clad master have persisted since the earliest days of recorded history, told in the fearful whispers of mountain nomads, dwarven scribes, and even Earth Avatars themselves.

Trial of the Stone Lord – It is said that Avatar Umber, first of the Earth Avatars, sought to challenge the Gorgon in his youth, believing it to be a manifestation of the Earth’s untamed will. Though he never slew the beast, he wrestled it for three days and nights, carving the great valley at the gorge’s entrance in their struggle. When Umber finally ceased his challenge, the Gorgon did not pursue him. Some claim this was a sign of respect, while others believe that Umber realized the beast could not be defeated, only endured.
The Doomed Expedition – Centuries ago, the Tyrenholt Expedition, a band of warriors and scholars from Avalon, sought to capture the Gorgon and harness its metal body for weapons of war. They entered the gorge with a hundred men and dozens of war machines. None returned. Days later, wrecked wooden machines from Avalon were found crashed in the hills, their crew and hull rotted beyond recognition—the mark of the Gorgon’s breath.
The Frozen Pilgrimage – Among the Vale of Everwinter, there are those who accept their fate and willingly make the final journey to Gorgon Gorge—a pilgrimage of honor and death. They see death by the Gorgon as a cleansing, a way to return to the earth in the purest form. Many such figures have been found, kneeling in the snow, their bodies turned to stone-like remains by the Gorgon’s final gift.

Legacy

To this day, Gorgon Gorge remains an untouched, deadly expanse, its reputation known far and wide as a place that none return from.

Sailors of the North steer their vessels wide from its mountain borders, fearing the low mist that sometimes creeps down the slopes and into the sea. Avalonian scholars and druids still debate whether the Gorgon is a force of nature or something more ancient and eldritch, perhaps an unliving relic of a forgotten age. Adventurers still dare to challenge the Gorge, hoping to claim the head of the Iron Bull, but all who have ventured into its depths have met the same fate—silence.