By Quintas Von Orltas, The Empires leading scholar on Balazar and the Elder Wilds

Griffin Mountain has only be called that name for the past 160 years, it has been called many things many people’s over the years.

The horsemen of Pent call it ‘Little King Mountain’, the trolls of the Gork Hills call it ‘the lonely giant’, the Aldyrami of Er’oring Wilds call it the ‘High Place’  and Wind Children of the Rockwoods call it the ‘Sacred Cloud’.

It is highly likely that mentions of the ‘Er’oring Mountain’ found in some EWF texts actually refers to what we now know as Griffin Mountain.

Its history is not well known by any of these groups, and has only been uncovered by consulting with the oldest of sources, talking with spirits who have remember these things but forget who they are and the performing of Goddesses’ deepest magic’s.

As with many mountains before the dawn it was associated with the Gods of Air, Birthed towards the end of the God War the mountain is a manifestation of a Kolati called Umi.

Umi was a quiet and peaceable Godling unlike many of her kin. Content with her solitary place between sky and  earth she took many lovers and was the mother of many sylphs and a number of aeries of Wind Children. Some who lived on the mountain, others who lived in the Rockwoods. She was friends with most, and shared her magic with the Elves of Er’oring wilds to create the Windberry trees which adorned the top of her mountain.

Little is known of how Umi was ripped asunder by Cacodemon in the Great Darkness and why she never returned after the Dawn. Her children continued to dwell on her mountain Slyph and Wind Child worshipping the Spirits and Gods of the Air.

The first age passed with little note, the Elves of the Elder Wilds talked with them, but they have no interest in councils and new gods, equally they had no interest in the wars which followed much to the  annoyance of the local Aldraymi.

It wasn’t till the Aldraymi of the Elder Wilds joined with the EWF in the 2nd age that things began to change. The Great Dragon project was under way and the mountain became an important site in preparation of the ‘Dragon to Come’.

Dragon friends failed to persuade Umi’s children to involve themselves in the project, and a result the Umi’s Mountain was attacked, many were killed those who were not fled to the Eastern Rockwoods. The Orlanthi of the EWF prepared the mountain for their use in the project from settlements in Gorks Hills.

The Aldryami uprising of 890 destroyed the EWF settlement in Gork Hills, who we can only assume they abandoned the mountain soon after as the Empire disintegrated.

The mountain went unoccupied for 50 years before a handful of Umi’s Children returned, however it was not long before they were forced out by a dream dragon which according to documents burned up much of the Redlands before it dwelt in the mountain for close to 100 years, only for it to disappear when our Glorious Lady ascended into the Sky.

Umi’s children returned and dwell on the mountain for many years forming two distinct aeries atop the mountain, but conflict begins with some of the local elves over hunting lands. The conflict stagnates as neither side is able to challenge the other  preferred environment.

Only when Seomal Sunfollower a yelmalian aldryami heroquester invites Griffin friends to aid the Elves that Umi’s Children are forced from the Mountain for the final time.  The Griffins claim the mountain as their own and have dwelt there since, and its current name has stuck with the peoples of the Redlands and Balazar.