The Eons Highlands rise in the northern reaches of the continent, an elevated landmass caught between the frigid northern waters and the warmer southern realms of the Empire of Sands and Rustmore. Perpetual winds scour the plateaus and cliffs, carrying salt from the eastern seas and frost from the glacial north.
The Mount Solenne dominates the center—a snow-capped volcanic peak visible from every corner of the Highlands. To the east, sheer basalt cliffs drop to the sea, while southern hanging valleys descend gradually toward the warmer borders below. The mountain air remains thin and sharp year-round, with visibility shifting from crystal clarity to sudden nothingness when the mists roll down from Mount Solenne.
Despite the harsh climate, scattered towns and villages dot the valleys and lower slopes. The population is small—farmers, herders, craftsmen, and miners. Yet these settlements are wealthy. The Highlands sit atop rich veins of precious minerals, and the mines produce silver, platinum, moonstone, and rare crystalline ores found nowhere else.
Following the fall of the Cherubs of Virtue, the great sites of the Highlands were renamed and consecrated as memorials to the Seven Heavenly Virtues. Each location embodies its namesake virtue through natural features, architectural design, and sacred function.
Notable Sites and Landmarks
Map
Mount Solenne
The highest elevation in the Eons Highlands and the spiritual anchor of the region, Mount Solenne rises as a solitary white-capped monolith from the rugged terrain, its snowbound peak piercing the cloud line.
The mountain is volcanic in origin. Its slopes are covered in ancient lava that flowed long ago. The mountain has not erupted in recorded memory, as if the fire at its heart has turned to frost.
Two sacred sites crown the summit:
- Chastity Aerie — Seven austere towers carved from white stone, connected by covered passages against the gales, and ending with a crystal-domed chamber at the top.
- Cathedral of Diligence — The floating archive drifting along the summit’s edge.
Two memorials lie at the mountain’s base:
- Steps of Humility — The tiered limestone amphitheater
- Descent of Gratitude — The memorial sinkhole
Chastity Aerie
Perched atop Mount Solenne, the highest elevation in the Highlands, Chastity Aerie occupies the mountain’s windy summit at an altitude where the air grows thin, and the temperature remains frigid year-round.
Seven towers carved from native white granite spiral upward from the mountainside. The structures maintain plain facades without ornamental carving, representing purity through simplicity.
Snow and rime accumulate, rarely melting completely, maintaining a pristine cover over the complex. The central summit chamber is a circular room open to the sky through a clear crystal dome, offering unobstructed views of the surrounding valleys and the distant eastern ocean.
Beneath the Aerie, within the mountain’s roots, lies a sealed vault cut. Its entrance remains hidden and accessible only through concealed passages.
Cathedral of Diligence
Drifting in mid-air along the summit of Mount Solenne is the Cathedral of Diligence.
It defies conventional architecture by remaining suspended in midair. The building takes the form of a multi-tiered archive and workshop complex of dark stone, with walls carved in relief depicting scenes of labor, study, and preservation. Spiral staircases connect between levels, and narrow bridges span the gaps between floating sections. The structure houses extensive archives, restoration workshops, and analysis chambers dedicated to maintaining records and artifacts.
Steps of Humility
Located at the base of Mount Solenne, the Steps of Humility form a tiered limestone amphitheater. The entire structure once hosted performances, speeches, and public gatherings when the site served as the region’s grand theater.
The same stage later witnessed darker spectacles. War executions were carried out here. The mingling of theatricality and bloodshed left an indelible mark, according to locals, who say the stone remembers both peace and tragedy.
Descent of Gratitude
A small hill rises from the grasslands north of Mount Solenne, crowned by a natural sinkhole, Descent of Gratitude. The pit measures forty feet across at the rim and descends into darkness, its depths cool and still, filled with soft earth rather than water.
Memorial markers line the rim. Stone steles carved with names and dates, spiraling inward toward the pit’s edge. The descent serves as the primary memorial grounds, with caskets lowered into the depths on ceremonial platforms.
Once each year, during the week of the Autumn Equinox, hundreds make the pilgrimage to climb the hill and enter the sinkhole. They descend into the darkness carrying candles and offerings, spending the night in prayer and remembrance, speaking to ancestors they believe can hear them in this thin place between above and below.
The locals had legends that centuries ago, a traitor to the throne was buried here. Not just any traitor, but a Royal Executioner who turned his blade against the King he had sworn to protect.
Fields of Temperance
The largest continuous grassland in the Eons Highlands, the Fields of Temperance stretch as a protected nature reserve in the east of the continent.
From the slopes of Mount Solenne, the view reveals the field’s secret. The grass grows in beautiful mandalas and rings, shifting between emerald and pale jade to create vast patterns visible only from elevation.
Sheltered from the harshest coastal storms, the Fields of Temperance enjoy moderate conditions year-round. Herds of white-spotted deer and wild fowl thrive in the tall grass.
Gardens of Charity
Northeast of Mount Solenne, tucked into a protected vale that lies closer to the eastern coastline than the mountain’s peak, the Gardens of Charity flourish.
The gardens consist entirely of rare white-flowering specimens, cultivated to produce blossoms in shades of cream, ivory, and pale silver regardless of their natural coloration. White marble paths wind through arbors covered in white jasmine and pale climbing roses.
A single golden rose grows wild here amidst the white, nowhere else in the Highlands. Locals say it appeared the morning after the Cherub’s fall.
Watchtower of Patience
Standing on the northeastern coast of the mainland where the Highlands meet the sea, the Watchtower of Patience rises.
The three-hundred-foot cylindrical tower serves a dual purpose. Its beacon guides vessels through the treacherous northern waters, while its very presence warns sailors that they are drawing near to Whale Island.
Sailors and keepers alike report a curious phenomenon: on certain mornings, when the dawn breaks clear, and the winds blow from the northeast, the fog around Whale Island thins just enough to glimpse the island.
Those who have seen it speak of vast shapes moving through the clouds above the fog. Majestic forms too large for birds, too graceful for storm, briefly visible against the sky before the mist closes again. The keepers record these sightings in logbooks dating back to the tower’s founding, though none can say what casts such shadows.
