Frozen Spires
Shiveraz
Excellent acoustics. Terrible heating.
Impossibly tall needles of ice ring like bells when the wind changes. Auroras curtain the sky, and under the ice lie warm aquifers and caves where life hides out the cold.
Electrosnow crackles as it falls. Crevasses open without warning, and occasionally close with someone's luggage inside.
The spires are not natural. Or rather, they are natural now, but they grew around something. Deep inside a few of them, scanners pick up the outlines of old metal frames, as if someone once built a forest of towers and the ice took it over.
Settlers live underground, around hot springs, in cave towns warmed by volcanic water. Above them, the spires sing.
Atmosphere
Bitterly cold, crystal clear, softly humming.
Local quirk
Ice resonance maps are hummed, not printed.
Regions · proposed names, not locked canon
Frozen Spires
The ringing ice needles.
Warm Aquifers
Hidden caves and hot springs under the ice.
The Bell Field
A cluster of spires tuned so precisely that the wind plays simple melodies. The settlers have written songs to go with them.
Hazards
- ▲ElectrosnowSnow that carries a static charge. It crackles, sticks and shorts out anything unshielded.
- ▲CrevassesCracks that open overnight. Some close again, with no warning.
- ▲Ice resonanceThe wrong note at the wrong spire can shatter a visor.
Visitor tips
- ✦Hum quietly.
- ✦Keep spare batteries in an inside pocket.
- ✦Accept every warm drink you're offered.
Local life
- ●Cave-dwelling settlers
- ●Aurora moths
- ●Ice-burrowing Kye
A day on Shiveraz
The sun barely clears the horizon. Light comes in long pink slants through the ice, and every spire throws a shadow kilometres long.
Underground, the cave towns are steamy and cosy. Children ice-skate on frozen ceilings using magnetic boots. Grown-ups pretend not to watch.
Locals & customs
The Hushari quiet towns
In a sheltered valley of the Frozen Spires, the Hushari live in padded domes. Ships are asked to land three valleys away, on tiptoe.
Mayor Hrell
Leads the largest cave town. Wears six coats at once and claims it's a fashion choice.
Aurora moths
Huge, soft, glowing moths that feed on auroral energy. They land on your helmet to say hello.
- ◆You hum, never whistle. Whistling can crack the wrong spire.
- ◆Every guest gets a warm stone to hold for the first hour.
- ◆Maps are passed down as songs. A long journey is a long song.
Legends & history
The Frozen Choir
Settlers say the spires were once a choir of giants who sang so beautifully that the ice came to listen and never left.
King Kapunka, asked about it, said only, 'Oh, them. Lovely voices. Terrible at keeping warm.'
Crew log
“I bought heated socks. They do not work. I am wearing them anyway.”
“The ice sings. I listened for a long time.”
Story seed · in development
Distress or Advert?
A distress beacon is frozen deep in an ice spire. It might be a warning about something heading to Earth. It might be a very persistent advert for heated socks.
The socks advert was a disguise. The real message, hidden inside the jingle, is a warning about something sleeping under the spires, and it's starting to wake.
Earthward stakes
If it is a warning, Earth needs to hear it. If it is socks, Zamfyr would like a pair.