Griffin's Landing

Griffin's Landing is the only inhabited place in the Palla Mountains. There is a single-person sized track leading north about a third of the way along the Palla Mountains Pass.

Griffin's Landing
The climb up to the Landing is rocky, steep and quite difficult to navigate. It is said that only people who have a 'genetic pull' to Griffin's Landing make it up without getting lost.

After a long slow climb, there is a small plateau jutting out of the rock. It is a smooth grey, used for so many years that there is no rocks sticking out of it. There is the remains of a small campfire, there had once been a chair too but some look-out long ago had burnt it for warmth. The Keeper of Griffin's Landing spends his days sitting out here, keeping watch while wrapped in furs. Visitors are rare, it is normally the appearance of bears, wolves and mountain lions that they are keeping an eye on. The Keeper has been in the Bear family for many generations.

The cave entrance is tucked snugly into the rock, the watch gate remains open throughout the day to be locked tight at night. The rocky tunnel leads deep into the mountain to a wooden door, flanked by firey torches and a single chair. This is where the second Keeper sits. The door, although opened and closed often, still gathered ice crystals when it was shut - the cold wind whistling down the tunnel did that.

Through the door, there is a large cavern in the mountain. Eight short tunnels lead off this, with tiny wooden doors and small torches. Into the doors are carved an animal; after which each family gets their name.
 * Bird
 * Rabbit
 * Deer
 * Wolf
 * Fish
 * Boar
 * Squirrel
 * Bear

Homes
The homes in Griffin's Landing are naturally chilly, but include the basic amenities. A wooden table with chairs, bare wooden countertops with a pail of water, meats hanging in the corner covered in salt. They keep vegetables by 'packing' them in sand, so this wooden box is often put in the corner under the meat. There is also a carefully tended campfire in the middle of the room; with a smoke hole cut through the ceiling rock. This is covered in a round piece of wood, attached to a leather rope which is wound round a iron pickaxe stuck into a rock wall. This way the families can open and close as needed, and do not smoke themselves out.