A sprawling mountain range south of The Screech and the Gaplands, forming the backbone of this section of the Dragon's Spine before the land breaks apart into the Shrapnel Strait. The Shasalassere Mountains are forbidding by any standard—high, cold, and perpetually wrapped in mist—but their true horror lies below the surface. The mountains are riddled with subterranean lakes, and the lakes are home to something that should not exist this far from the sea.
The Shasalassere Mermaids
Sometime in the distant past—centuries ago at minimum, possibly millennia—mermaids traveled up the rivers that drain the Shasalassere slopes and found their way into the underground lake system that honeycomb the range. There they remain: colonies of pale, eyeless creatures that have adapted to absolute darkness and perpetual cold, feeding on the blind fish that share their waters and, when opportunity presents, on anything warm-blooded foolish enough to approach their lakes.
The Shasalassere mermaids bear little resemblance to the sea-dwelling merfolk of other regions. Generations in darkness have left them completely unpigmented—white skin, white hair, milky eyes that no longer function. They navigate by sound and vibration, detecting prey through the water with precision that makes sight unnecessary. Their teeth have grown sharper, their fingers have developed webbing and claws, and their behavior has lost whatever social complexity merfolk normally possess.
They are not intelligent in any way travelers can negotiate with. They don't speak, don't make tools, don't seem to communicate beyond simple hunting coordination. They emerge from the water with terrifying speed, drag prey under, and tear it apart. Groups that lose members to the mermaids rarely recover bodies.
The mermaids' range has expanded over time. They've colonized every connected lake system in the Shasalassere, and their underground waterways extend north into the foothills of The Screech and west toward the Pinnacles of Rosensaw. Any body of water with underground connections might contain them. Any river flowing from these mountains might carry them.
Geography
The Shasalassere Mountains rise to over ten thousand feet at their highest points—taller than The Screech to the north but less dramatic in profile. The slopes are steep but not vertical, covered in permanent snow at higher elevations and scrubby vegetation below the tree line. The rock is predominantly granite, weathered into rounded shapes that contrast with The Screech's sharp spires.
The mountains' most significant feature isn't visible from outside: a vast network of caves, tunnels, and underground lakes carved by water over millions of years. The system connects the Shasalassere range internally and links to underground waterways extending for hundreds of miles in multiple directions. This network made the mermaid colonization possible and makes containment impossible.
Surface water is abundant—streams and rivers drain every slope, fed by snowmelt and rainfall. Most of these waterways connect to the underground system somewhere along their course. The Birintine River flows north through the Pinnacles to the Gaplands; the streams that feed the Murky Lakes drain east through The Screech; countless smaller watercourses eventually reach the sea.
Avoiding the Mermaids
Travelers through the Shasalassere have developed rules for survival:
Never camp near water. The mermaids can leave the water for short periods—long enough to snatch prey from the shore and drag it back. Any campsite within fifty feet of a lake, river, or stream is a campsite within mermaid range.
Never wade or swim. The mermaids are faster in water than anything with legs. Fording rivers requires bridges, boats, or very careful rock-hopping. Swimming is suicide.
Never drink directly from the source. Mermaids have been known to lurk in shallows, waiting for animals or people to lower their heads to drink. Fill containers from a distance; drink away from the water's edge.
Watch for ripples. Mermaids moving underwater create distinctive patterns—V-shaped wakes that don't match current or wind. Experienced travelers learn to read water surfaces and avoid any body of water showing suspicious movement.
Listen for clicking. The mermaids echolocate using a distinctive clicking sound that carries through water and sometimes through air. Hearing clicks near water is a warning to move away immediately.
The rules help. They don't guarantee safety. The mermaids are patient, numerous, and hungry.
The Shasalassere Route
Despite the dangers, people travel through the Shasalassere. The mountains contain the most direct route between the Gaplands and the Shrapnel Strait region, and the alternative—going around—adds weeks to any journey.
The Shasalassere Way is the established path, maintained by guides who've spent lifetimes learning which water sources are safe (or at least less dangerous) and which routes minimize exposure to mermaid territory. The journey takes roughly eight days on foot. Guides charge substantial fees and refuse to guarantee anything.
Key waypoints include:
Rosensaw Pass, where the route enters the mountains from the north. The pass itself is relatively safe—too high and dry for the mermaids.
Whisper Lake, a surface lake halfway through the mountains that guides claim has no underground connections. Travelers camp here, though no one sleeps easily.
The Blind Mile, a stretch where the route necessarily follows a river valley. Guides insist on traveling this section only during daylight, in groups, with constant water-watching.
Southern Descent, where the route drops toward the Shrapnel Strait approaches. The lower elevations are actually safer—the water here flows too fast for the mermaids to ambush effectively.
What Lives Here (Besides Mermaids)
The Shasalassere aren't entirely devoid of normal life:
Mountain goats graze the higher slopes, having learned to avoid water sources that the mermaids have colonized. Their avoidance behavior serves as a useful indicator—where goats drink is probably safe.
Raptors hunt the lower slopes, taking advantage of prey animals concentrated near the few safe water sources. The birds have no reason to fear the mermaids and sometimes nest above mermaid lakes.
Blind cave fish populate the underground lakes—the mermaids' primary food source. The fish have never been properly catalogued; no one wants to study the lakes closely enough to do so.
Rumors persist of other things in the deeper caves—things the mermaids themselves avoid. The guides don't discuss this. They don't go that deep.
Hooks
The Source: A scholar believes the Shasalassere mermaids must have come from somewhere—a specific starting point from which they spread. Finding and destroying this source might allow the underground lake system to be reclaimed. The scholar wants to hire an expedition. Most people think he's insane.
The Safe Lake: A prospector claims to have found a major underground lake completely free of mermaids—and rich with mineral deposits that would be worth a fortune if they could be extracted. He needs help reaching it, protecting the operation, and getting the extracted minerals out past the mermaids.
The Mermaid Speaker: A woman in the Gaplands claims she can communicate with the Shasalassere mermaids—that she's established some form of contact that might allow negotiation. The guides want to know if she's a fraud, a madwoman, or something more dangerous.
The Winter Crossing: During the coldest months, some of the underground lakes freeze, potentially trapping or killing the mermaids. A merchant consortium wants to know if winter travel through the Shasalassere might be safer—and they're willing to pay for someone to find out firsthand.