The westernmost mountains overlooking the Shrapnel Strait, named in an old Vaelish dialect for their commanding views of the sea. The Miramar Peaks lack the mineral wealth of the Silver Slopes to the east or the forges of the Bellowing Mountains, but they control something equally valuable: sight lines.
The Watchposts
From the highest Miramar summits, observers can see weather systems approaching from the southern ocean, ship movements throughout the western strait, and smoke signals from as far as the Dalizi highlands to the north. Before the fall of Vael, the kingdom maintained a chain of signal towers along the Miramar ridge, capable of relaying messages across hundreds of miles in under an hour.
Most of those towers are ruins now. Kanzekill's rages have knocked down what five centuries of weather didn't, and the surface kingdoms lack the resources—or the desire to attract attention—to rebuild them. But the foundations remain, and a few of the lower towers still function as informal waypoints for travelers crossing the western Dragon's Spine.
The village of Kanzekill, perched in the eastern Miramar foothills, maintains the last operational signal tower. They use it primarily to warn neighboring settlements when the dragon is hunting, though the system has degraded to simple fire signals rather than the complex flag codes the Vaelish once employed.
The Slickrun Headwaters
The Slickrun originates high in the Miramar Peaks, fed by glacial melt from the permanent snowfields near the summits. The upper river is too steep and rocky for navigation, but the meltwater pools in several alpine lakes before beginning its descent to the strait. These lakes—cold, clear, and largely inaccessible—support isolated communities of herders and trappers who trade with the lowlands only a few times per year.
The largest of these lakes, Mirror Tarn, sits in a natural amphitheater at about eight thousand feet. Local tradition holds that the tarn's surface can show glimpses of distant places under the right conditions—a claim that has attracted occasional visits from scholars interested in scrying magic. None have documented verifiable results, but the legend persists.
Crossing the Miramar
Two viable passes cut through the Miramar range. The Slickrun Gap follows the river valley down to the strait coast, requiring no climbing but considerable care on the polished stone. The High Shoulder crosses the ridge at about six thousand feet, offering a faster route but demanding real mountaineering skill.
Neither route is safe during Kanzekill's active hunting periods. The dragon uses the Miramar thermals for altitude, and she's been known to snatch travelers from exposed positions. Locals time their crossings around her patterns, watching for the warning signals from the towers that still function.