Bleak Spires

The Bleak Spires, also known as the Black Spires, is a vast icy wasteland that crowns the northern reaches of [Continent] and named for the smooth, obsidian obelisks that jut skyward from the ice.

History
The Bleak Spires was, for most of recorded history, dismissed as nothing but an uninhabitable arctic tundra with no resources of particular value. The region didn't even earn a name until a group of explorers, hired by an eccentric noble towards the decline of the Thruhmuth empire, stumbled into the great obelisks. Very little information about this original expedition is known, though a single journal from the adventure has became a popular point of study for those interested in prehistory.

Geography
Being as far north as it is, the Bleak Spires offers nothing more than fields of immeasurably deep ice. The only hints of solid ground beneath the dark ice are the large rock formations that scatter the landscape.

Weather
Though very little precipitation falls in the cold tundra, it is no stranger to thick mists and violent thunderstorms. The sky hosts a permanent cover of grey clouds that suffocate and light or warmth the sun might offer.

Inhabitants
The only current residents of the Bleak Spires are the scholars and explorers who have made a semi-permanent cap at the base of one of the obelisks. These dedicated researchers are nothing short of annoyed when visitors come calling as their supplies are already stretched thin due to the difficulty of getting them there in the first place.

Threats
The primary threat of any arctic region is the biting cold; exposure is enough to quietly kill anyone foolish enough to come unprepared.

Some report massive whales breaching through the clouds and mists, and lightning illuminates even larger monstrosities hiding in the skies.