Sunspire Mountains this circumstancial consequence

For @Falwasi, set in some nondescript locale to the west of Northstar Vale!

On the backside of the Plateau, the mountain ranges rose up proudly. It had taken most of his morning to finagle his way across and through them, leaving him by afternoon wondering why he had even bothered with taking what seemed the hardest path possible. But on the backside of those mountains, another valley had nestled itself deeply. And in spite of his wandering about, Mordecai hadn't realized it was even there to begin with. With another piece of the puzzle unlocked as far as his mental map went, he had delved down into the plains and forests of this little valley quietly.

The place did seem some travel, he was able to note. At one point, he supposed there may have even been a pack resting safely. The region reminded him of the Spine, though the basin walls of the Spine were less jagged and more rounded. Here, this place had towering mountains overhead, eluding to the sensation that he had just breached some fortress. It was an entertaining thought, but one he cast aside as a narrow creek bed popped up through the woodland. With the sunlight filtering through the bare trees, the copper-and-gold Ostrega had come to a pause, drinking steadily from the cold waters of an unnamed water source.

30 seconds to mars — echelon