Chapter 45: Sacrifice, Part 1

The griffons dropped them off at the base of the Harth Mountains, a mountain range that spread between the northern province of Stehl and the eastern province of Mykne. In olden days the mountains had been host to various temples, towers, shrines, and altars that had eventually given rise to the Temple of the Sacred Heart. But the history of the Reach of the North was an especially bloody one, rife with the sorts of sacrifices that had compelled the crown to outlaw the practice once and for all. The Harth Mountains still held shadows of those dark days, and people avoided them as much as possible. Those who desired to travel to a different reach usually went by sea. Every few years the High Priest sent Priests and Paladins into the mountains to ensure all remained well.

Though they could have gone almost anywhere on the continent, Alrin was not surprised they had wound up at the Harth Mountains.