The Hills of Tharoz mark the northeastern approach to the Foggy Mountains, a rumpled expanse of wind-scoured ridges and shallow valleys that separates the Dragonsong forests of the Wanderlands from the higher peaks to the south. The hills take their name from Tharoz the Unbowed, a Dalizi war-chief who led a doomed expedition into the Wanderlands three centuries ago and was last seen alive crossing these heights.
The Hills of Tharoz occupy roughly forty miles of transitional terrain between the forested lowlands of the Wanderlands and the perpetually fog-shrouded slopes of the Foggy Mountains. The hills themselves are granite-cored, with thin soil supporting sparse grass and hardy shrubs. Exposed rock is common, weathered into strange shapes by the constant winds that funnel between the Dragonsong and the mountain wall.
Elevations range from 800 feet in the northern valleys to over 3,000 feet where the hills merge with the Foggy Mountains proper. The terrain is not technically difficult—no cliffs, few truly steep slopes—but the lack of landmarks and the persistent wind make navigation challenging. Travelers report that distances seem longer here than they should be.
The hills channel wind from the Wanderlands plains into the gap between the Dragonsong forest and the mountains. This creates a near-constant airflow that varies from a stiff breeze to genuinely dangerous gusts. The wind carries sound unpredictably—sometimes voices carry for miles, sometimes they're swallowed within feet.
Old shepherds claim the wind "talks" in the Hills of Tharoz. Most attribute this to the sound of air moving through rock formations, but the phenomenon is unsettling regardless. The wind occasionally carries the scent of the Dragonsong—pine, old growth, and something else that makes horses nervous.
In the year 3,071 SD, the war-chief Tharoz of the Dalizi state of Kagoro assembled a force of three hundred warriors to cross the highlands and investigate reports of rich hunting grounds beyond. The expedition was meant to establish whether expansion north was feasible.
They crossed the hills that now bear Tharoz's name in early summer. A runner returned two weeks later, half-mad with thirst, reporting that the force had entered the Wanderlands and encountered "something in the forest that sang." No other survivors emerged.
The Dalizi made no further attempts to expand north. The hills became a boundary marker—the point beyond which sensible people do not go.
The Hills of Tharoz remain unclaimed by any Dalizi state. Shepherds from Kagoro and neighboring states occasionally graze flocks in the southern reaches during summer months, but none stay overnight. The northern hills, closest to the Wanderlands, are avoided entirely.
The hills serve primarily as a landmark—visible from much of the eastern Dalizi Highlands, they mark the edge of known territory. Travelers heading east toward the Misty Valley or Banesnap Hills use them for navigation, though none approach closely.
- Misty Valley — East, where the hills descend toward the coast
- Foggy Mountains — South, the perpetually shrouded range
- Dragonsong — Northwest, the dragon-haunted forest