The Obsidian Spires of the Frost-Grip Coast

During the 50-year eclipse that inaugurated the Third Era, the Frost-Grip Coast was the epicenter of the planetary chill. While the rest of the world saw white snow, this region—located across the northern parts of the Kingdom of Leoriel and the Ethovian Wildlands—was buried under shadow ice, a dark, translucent substance that didn’t just freeze the water, but trapped the very aether within it. It has since been suspected that the shadow ice was somehow a consequence of the region being the closest to the cursed frozen continent of Jhasaris, known for its anti-aether field. When the sun finally returned, instead of the ice simply melting, it shattered into what is now known as the Obsidian Spires, thousands of jagged, needle-like towers of volcanic glass and frozen magic that now dominate the coastline.

Those who have navigated among the spires return with reports of a phenomenon dubbed the “Lament Wind”. As the wind whistles through the porous obsidian spires, it creates a sound that mimics human crying. Some scholars claim that the wind is vibrating at a frequency that thins the veil to the Shadow Plane, allowing the memory of the dead to leak back into the Material Plane.

A less harmless phenomenon is the appearance of Rime Wraiths, previously only having been seen in Jhasaris, but now a common enough sight in the Frost-Grip Coast to warrant the establishment of a garrison arranged by the authorities in Wyverngate. This specialized unit of soldiers wears armor reinforced with ground obsidian from the coast, something that has proven to be surprisingly effective against this unique brand of undead.

The region was never heavily populated, and today it has essentially become a training ground for elite forces, who had already established some footholds on the largely unexplored Ethovian Wildlands.