Frosthold

The Frosthold Plains form a massive stretch of ice‑covered tundra lying directly east of Emerald Scar and Glacier’s Reach. Despite their harsh climate, Frosthold is more inhabited than the northern frontier thanks to its fishing routes, river trade channels, and hidden mineral wealth. 

A long, powerful river that flows from the southern mountains northward, cutting clean through the plains until it reaches the coastline known as Bright Coast. Even in the dead of winter, the Solek River rarely freezes completely - something scholars attribute to underground geothermal flows or latent etheric activity beneath the mountains. 

Its name comes from an ancient human word meaning “the Silver Vein.”

Southern Mountains

At the southern edge of the Frosthold Plains lies a jagged mountain chain riddled with fissures and shadowed valleys. 

Within these mountains are several hidden mine entrances, narrow and well‑camouflaged, known only to the Dark Dwarves of Terralode. 

These mines are not Dominion outposts — they are Dwarven domain, ancient and fiercely guarded.

Fisherman’s Cove

Fisherman’s Cove is one of the northernmost human settlements in Aetherion with a thriving community despite the cold. It is located on a surprisingly calm section of shoreline where the sea ice pulls back just enough to allow winter fishing and trade.

West Hill Fort

Just west of Fisherman’s Cove, perched upon a frozen hill, stands a Covenant stronghold overlooking the town and the northern sea. It's purpose is to:

• Protect Fisherman’s Cove from Dominion raiders 
• Serves as a staging point for scouts monitoring Dominion activity in eastern Illdoridri 
• Houses a small detachment of elven sentinels and human soldiers 
• Contains an ancient lookout tower repurposed into a modern watch post 
• Its beacon fire uses a special oil that burns gold — visible for miles 

The fortress is small but strategically critical, especially with the Dark Dwarves operating hidden mines in the south.

Norvale

Norvale is a long‑deserted human settlement located at the heart of the Frosthold Plains, built along the icy banks of the Solek River. Once a modest but thriving frontier town, it served as a rest point for traders and fishermen traveling between the southern mountains and Fisherman’s Cove. Now, its wooden homes stand frozen in time — doors half‑open, tools left where they were dropped, and frost creeping through every crack. No signs of struggle or battle remain, only an eerie stillness. Travelers who pass near Norvale swear they hear faint voices on the wind or see flickers of warm light in abandoned windows, though no living soul has walked its streets in years.

The Ironshade Undervaults

The Ironshade Undervaults are a rapidly expanding mining network carved directly into the mountains south of Frosthold by the Dark Dwarves. Unlike the deep ancestral warrens of Terralode or the ancient forges of the Stormpeak mountain range, the Undervaults represent a modern, high‑pressure extraction effort, driven by Dominion orders and fueled by relentless industrial discipline.