The Hills of Sorrow form the southern boundary of the Rootspire Wilds, a broken range of sharp ridges and deep valleys that descend toward unknown territory. The name is not from any map-maker's whimsy but from those rare survivors who have attempted to cross them and lived to name them—though most return broken, half-mad, or worse.
What lies south of these hills remains largely unmapped. Whether it is additional wilderness, abandoned settlements, or something that defies simple categorization, few who venture beyond the range return with consistent accounts. Those who do speak of crushing pressure in the air, of terrain that doesn't quite align with itself, of sounds that seem to come from below rather than ahead.
The crossing itself is deadly in more obvious ways as well. The ridges are unstable—stone slides with disturbing frequency, and the valleys trap cold and wind in ways that kill the unwary. Large predators range here, creatures adapted to the extreme topography and isolation. But experienced guides will admit, quietly, that the terrain itself seems hostile in a way that goes beyond mere physical danger. It is as though the hills themselves do not wish to be crossed.
Those who have successfully traversed the Hills of Sorrow are few, and none speak of ever attempting the journey again.