Terratuens

The Terratuens or the Dragon Mountains are a mountain range running along the east of Damonth and Magorion, curving at their southern end to meet with the Western Sea. There are three active volcanoes and several dormant ones, all in the southern part of the range.

The Dragon mountains are rich with blue and purple sapphires and (somewhat less) rubies. The precious stones were believed to be formed by dragon's fire freezing, whence the name of the mountain range. No verified sightings of real dragons have ever been reported in the Dragon mountains.

There are large copper and gold deposits in the southern tail, and significant tin ore deposits along the western edge of the tail. Historically, this region was central to the bronze trade in Gondala.

Etymology
Dragon Mountains, from Dargadrill: terratu (dragon) + ennu (mountain range).

Geography
The mountain range is composed of two main sequences of mountains, the Dargadian one north of the Winged Mountains, sometimes called the Head Range, and the Magorian half south of the Wings, called the Dragon's Tail.

The Head Range is very steep and virtually impassable, while the Tail offers some mountain passes and larger valleys, particularly on the western side. One such valley, Magos, is possibly the origin of the name of the country of Magorion.

Where the Dragon's tail meets the Western Sea, an expansive archipelago of small isles and islets dot the ocean. In Dargadian parlance, these are called the Dragon Teeth Isles, while in Magorion, they are usually referred to as the dragon tail spikes, making for a less confusing metaphor.

In Mythology
The Machors widely believed these mountains to be populated by dragons, which were used to explain volcanic activity and precious stones. A Machoric myth also speak of huge beings made of rocks and stone that carried the mountains from the far east and put them in place to build a home for the dragons.