The Frozen Wastes are what cover most of the Northern Reaches Continent. Desolate, near lifeless snow covered land punctuated by the iconic 4 story tall conifer trees every so often. The wind often picks up the snow and builds it up in one place or another, creating a snow maze like environment. Stand in one place and you're likely to get frost bite and lost at the same time. A compass does wonders up here, if you can see through the frost covered glass over the needle.
Visitors don't often make their way over the Tidaran Pass into the Frozen Wastes. Those that do often never cross back the other way. Some come to die, others come to seek treasure. But digging in the snow here usually only results in one kind of find, the frozen bodies of monsters or other people that didn't turn around in time.
There are some monsters up here that thrive in the cold climate.
The Polar Bears that migrated here from the North Pole during a land bridge event find the place to be slightly warmer than their previous climate. They also find much more food than before, so they've been thriving since the land bridge melted back into the Arctic Ocean.
Seals make their yearly migration to the southern coasts of the Frozen Wastes where they live in the cold climate here until their Mol-Nee Islands refreeze. Then they migrate back.
The Whooly Dragon and Ice Dragon, both cousins, evolved differently some time in the distant past. The Whooly Dragon has so much hair that when it's on the ground, it looks like a dog the size of a house. These Dragons make their roosts in the Kioska Mountains, but rarely delve into the warmer climates of the Mystic Forest Region. They much more prefer the cold of the high altitude and the southern Glacial Forest.
Comparatively, the Ice Dragons grew acclimated to the colder climates of the northern edge of the Northern Reaches and are often flying back and forth between the North Pole and the Frozen Wastes. These dragons proved to be a pest to the ancient barbarians that fashioned the Ice Throne fortress. They never venture too far south, the cold air there still too warm for them. The signature fire breath of the rest of the Dragon Family is absent in this variety and usually is replaced with a blast of air so cold it can freeze water in seconds. No records exist of a good encounter with an Ice Dragon.
Ice Eagles, surprisingly, are even more rare than Ice Dragons. They have been spotted flying near and around the Glacial Forest, but no one knows where they roost. Feathers from an Ice Eagle are said to be made of pure diamond and worth a small fortune. Rare examples of these feathers are on display in Granholm and Grippa. Some cache's of different colored Ice Eagle feathers have been found in the ruins scattered about the world.
Ice Elementals form and dissipate throughout the Frozen Wastes and are mostly found around the Ice Throne area. Myth has it that the ancient barbarians used a lot of magic to cut down the trees and the bleed off of that magic cause the elementals to appear. Still... it's just a myth.
Still, with all these downfalls of even voyaging to the Glacial Forest, people still foolishly cross the Tidaran Pass every year. The rumor of the great barbarian hoard of gold and other treasure is simply too enticing to pass up for some. They pay for their foolish notions with their lives.
Subject: The Great Frozen Wastes 
Mon Feb 16, 2009 4:26 am
