Aterousa Mountains

The Aterousa Mountains are a chain of limestone mountains running along the southern edge of the Sirdabi province of Irzal. On the south they overlook the Gulf of Khurum and Gateway Bay, while to the north lie the floodplain of the Ennescu River and the drier plains of Yerand, with a smaller chain of hills called the Horsebreaker Hills separating them. The elevation of the Aterousas rises from west to east, and eventually they merge with the Ulamiya Mountains to wrap around the entire northeastern side of the Gulf.

The Aterousas are the lowest and most arid of Irzal's numerous mountain ranges, and much of their area is covered in a mix of broadleaf forest and steppe. Eladjit oak and ink oak make up much of the forest, mixed with wild pistachio and almond as well as smaller shrubs. The mountains here are home to a sparse but widely spread population of small villages and semi-nomadic pastoralists, most of them raising goats, tending half-wild orchards of nuts and fruits, and growing small plots of vegetables and legumes. During the winter months many of this region's inhabitants bring their small surplus of produce, goat cheese, and local handicrafts to the city of Awrazat, taking advantage of the seasonal influx of visitors there to stock up on goods not available in their mountain home and enjoy the mild winter climate on the south side of the Aterousas.

Besides human residents and their stock, the mountains are home to numerous wild creatures adapted to life on the semi-arid slopes and woodlands. These include the spotted eagle and golden eagle, Ruleskan lion, ghost leopard, striped hyena, royal mountain fox, olliwag, Irzali fallow deer, mouflon sheep, and the little brush-tailed mouse, among many others.