Goddess
Name: Morte Mountains
Image Source: Picture 1 – Himalayan Program – The Mountain Institute at mountain.org/Himalayas
Picture 2 – Everest Base Camp Trek Guide at everestbasecamptrekguide.com/himalayas-pictures/
Classification: Mountain range
Location: Dathomir, the range of mountains that act like a wall on one side of the Great Desert from the forests and green lands where the Dathomirian Clans have their strongholds
Size: Large range that varies in width and height. Its length from north to south is about 1500 km (932 miles), widest point is around 250 km (155 miles), and highest point of the range is 8.85 km (5.5 miles) up.
Population: Of the two major species, there could be at any given time close to 15,000
Demographics: 57% Rancor, 38% Dathomirian, and 5% Kwi
Points of Interest: Several Rancor graveyards, Ancient Human graveyard, Waterfalls, and Morte Clan Stronghold
Description: The mountain range is on Dathomir, home of the Witches of Dathomir, and under the protection of the Mandalorians. It is the natural wall that splits the Great Desert from the lush forests where the Clans of Witches and Herds of Rancors claim as home. This natural wall is pretty much a continent divider with the length it holds. It stretches to touch the oceans of Dathomir with it northern and southern tips. The steeps angles come from the ends of the range due to the oceans’ endless fight with the land. There are sheer rock faces that water erosion caused. Throughout the mountain range, water erosion has made many rivers that flow to the east through the forests and lands of the Witches.
The highest points of the mountain range are around three hundred fifty kilometers from the northern tip. They are also markers to where the widest point begins to stretch out. Before even getting to the high points of the mountains, there are two graveyards. One is a humanoid site and other rancor one. Then moving down the range to when it starts to get wide is another rancor graveyard; however, it is fresher site because of the Morte Clan Stronghold’s massive entrances going into the mountains are found in the same area along with a large lake higher up that has a waterfall which feeds the river named Dreaming River. To the south, the range thins a little more compare to the northern section. Also the southern area produces more rivers and marsh lands.
History: As empires came to Dathomir, the humans (other species too) clung to areas that gave them shelter the quickest. The mountains and its caves were ideal for people that were not given tools or weapons. That is where legends formed around being the most ancient place humans settled on the planet. Legends are close, it was not the first but it was one of the sites during the Infinite Empire, human bones could have been found during the Paecean Empire. Due to the flux of humanoid life settling the areas, the rancor populations’ daily activities and remains were more prevalent. This formed graveyards for the rancors that passed away with more natural causes.
Around 3150 BBY, the Cavataio settled in the mountains and made it their base of operations in regards of their cult and criminal business. From then up to Allyan’s arrival, the mountains stood as they had for tens of thousands of years in silience; however, base for the Cavataio family was there with life. It was just deep in the mountains as the family wanted to keep to themselves. Until clans formed after Allyan’s death, some rejected witches were recruited to a clan that was forming in the mountain range, the Morte Clan. This clan used and expanded on what the Cavataio had done to integrate the new ideas of force to the old ones that the family had known.
The mountains were silent again of no major events for hundreds of years. There was some expanse of the Morte Clan, but one event around 31 BBY (about 500 years after clans formed), the Nightsisters made a push to the desert through the mountains. Under Clan Mother Zalem, as known as Queen Zalem, they moved for the Star Temples and Infinity Gates. Other clans tried to stop them before and through the mountains, but a Jedi and Clan Mother’s daughter foiled the plans.
As wars, an Empire, and other outsiders came and went, the landscape of the mountains and lush forests were home of fights among clans. Major civil war began around 160 ABY, as the Clan Mother of Morte Clan moved to unite the clans as a single front against the those that were threats against them and their ways. This made the Clan’s stronghold and mountain active for almost fifty years until Cavataio family began to disappear and leadership missing. The clans’ capital stronghold slowly became a ghost town.
Dathomir population grew but the Morte Mountains only saw a growth in rancor population. Of course this boom quickly stopped and life in the area, much like the planet was reduced because of the plague and the darkness that settled down. The mountains experience another round of silence. Standing tall, it watched the world and waited. In 835 ABY, life showed up when Petra Cavataio returned to the stronghold that she once had lived in. That and rebirth of the Morte Clan, the mountains have been seeing new activities since than.
