The western terminus of the great Whitewall—a continuous ice cliff stretching across southern Venalthier where the continental glaciers meet the sea. West Whitewall marks where the Scepter Mountains disappear beneath the ice sheet, their peaks becoming mere nunataks before vanishing entirely into the frozen mass.
Geography
West Whitewall extends roughly 150 miles along the southwestern coast of Venalthier, where the glacier front meets the Dismar Deep. The ice cliffs rise 200-400 feet above the waterline, with an additional 100+ feet extending below the surface. The total ice thickness at the wall face is typically 500-600 feet.
Unlike East Whitewall, where the cliffs are carved into a mountainside, West Whitewall is pure glacier—a solid mass of compressed ice flowing slowly from the interior ice cap toward the sea. The wall is the glacier's edge, where the ice sheet ends and the ocean begins.
The wall face is constantly changing. Chunks calve off regularly, creating icebergs that drift into the Dismar Deep. Fresh ice flows forward to replace what's lost. The process is noisy—booming cracks echo across the water as new fissures open, followed by thunderous crashes when sections collapse. From a distance, the wall seems static; up close, it's constantly in motion.
Character
West Whitewall has a different character than its eastern counterpart:
No Settlement: Unlike East Whitewall, where the Nabuhe have carved homes into the frozen rock, West Whitewall is uninhabited. The ice itself provides no stable surface for construction—anything built would eventually calve into the sea. The few rock outcrops that pierce the glacier are too small and exposed to support permanent occupation.
No Resources: East Whitewall has Frostfire. West Whitewall has only ice—abundant, useless ice. There's no reason to come here except to see the wall itself or to pass beyond it.
Pure Desolation: East Whitewall is harsh but inhabited. West Whitewall is simply empty. The only sounds are the glacier's groaning, the crash of calving ice, and the wind. No birds nest on the unstable ice face. No seals haul out on surfaces that might collapse at any moment. The wall is as close to true lifelessness as anywhere on the surface of Alaria.
The Ice Shelf
South of the visible wall face, the glacier extends underwater and eventually resurfaces as a floating ice shelf. This shelf extends perhaps 20-30 miles into the Dismar Deep before breaking up into discrete icebergs.
The shelf is navigable in theory—flat ice extending over open water, solid enough to walk on in most places. In practice, the shelf is treacherous. Crevasses open without warning. Pressure ridges create impassable barriers. Sections break away and drift, stranding anyone caught on them. The ice that looks solid may be only inches thick over deep water.
Ships avoid the shelf entirely, giving it a wide berth. The icebergs it spawns are hazard enough; approaching the source would be suicidal.
Approaches
West Whitewall can be approached from three directions:
By Sea (West): Ships from the Dismar Deep can view the wall from a safe distance. Approaching closer than a mile is risky—calving events can create waves that swamp small vessels, and underwater ice extensions can damage hulls. The wall is impressive from the water but inaccessible.
From Tundra Oblivio (North): The glacier rises gradually from the tundra, transitioning from permafrost to ice sheet over perhaps 10-15 miles. The boundary is marked by increasing crevasse density; the point where the ice becomes impassable is obvious. Travelers can walk to within view of the wall face but cannot safely approach the edge.
From the Scepter Mountains (Northwest): The southern Scepter peaks are absorbed by the glacier. Following the mountain edge allows travelers to approach the wall where ice meets rock, but the terrain becomes increasingly dangerous as the mountains disappear beneath the ice.
What Lies Beyond
South of West Whitewall—beyond the ice shelf, beyond the icebergs—the Dismar Deep opens toward the polar ocean. No ships have explored these waters extensively. The few that have ventured south report endless ice floes, persistent fog, and magnetic anomalies that make navigation unreliable.
Rumors persist of land beyond the ice—islands, or perhaps a southern continent, glimpsed through breaks in the fog. No verified discovery supports these claims. The polar ocean remains largely unknown, its secrets locked behind the Whitewall barrier and the hostile conditions that make exploration impossible.
Comparison to East Whitewall
The two Whitewalls are connected—part of the same glacial system—but differ significantly:
| Feature | West Whitewall | East Whitewall |
|---|---|---|
| Composition | Pure glacier ice | Ice over rock cliff |
| Stability | Constantly calving | Relatively stable |
| Settlement | None | Nabuhe dwarves |
| Resources | None | Frostfire deposits |
| Access | Extremely limited | Difficult but established |
| Strategic value | None | Controls heat supply |
East Whitewall matters because people live there and resources exist. West Whitewall matters only as a landmark—the visible terminus of the ice sheet, marking where habitable land ends absolutely.