Great Mountains

The Great Mountains is the collective name of the large mountain ranges on the continent of Serenia, located in the North. IT has a history tied to both Wizard and the Princess/Adventure in Serenia, and King's Quest series.

Background
Daventry's awesome mountains, the Great Mountains, punch upwards through the clouds to snow-capped summits daring to be scaled. The mountain ranges are inhabited by fierce creatures. Giants walk those clouds, yeti prowl the snows, and the great Roc's nest in its most inaccessible peaks.

The mountains separates the continent into three main areas. The Snowy Mountains, Westering Mountains range and the Spasky Hills (ranging from east to west) divide the northern kingdoms including Serenia from the southern kingdoms including Daventry.

The Glass Mountains and the Hibestian Range (which both range from north to south) divides the west from the eastern kingdoms (it includes the Vale of Obscurity and Kingdom of Sorrow) and leads down to the Northern Sea to the east. Icebella's realm is located high up mountains east of Serenia, and a small village is located east of her realm below the Roc's nest in a small hidden valley. The Glass Mountains are a series of ranges formed from black glass which make up part of the eastern ranges, and the Hibestian Range is a series high black mountain peaks beyond then were giants live and was the location of the Vale of Obscurity. Daventry lies west of both ranges. The Kingdom of Sorrow lies to the east of Daventry high in the mountains. Near Daventry lies the Door into Mountain which leads up to the Land of the Clouds.

Not so many years ago, it is said the great Wizard Harlin used his powerful magic to move a section of the Great Mountains north and east of the woods of Serenia and created a vast ocean in between and dividing the continent in two, leaving most of northern half of the continent missing, when it was moved to the North. These were created to be obstacles to prevent his enemies from reaching him.

Around this time, Gwydion crossed a portion of the great mountains on the northern edge of the continent of Daventry, which surrounded Daventry. This is the Sierra range where Sierra water can be found. Part of this range passed through the middle of the kingdom of Daventry ending at the Door into Mountain, the great mountain with the door leading to Land of the Clouds. To the north of the mountains he could see an untouched forested valley in Daventry with rivers and lakes could be seen. Some time later after the great magics were released to heal the land, the mountains and the rest of Serenia were restored to their original location.

The Underground Realm of the Gnomes is located to the north of Daventry under a series of volcanic mountains. The Barren Region is a plateau in the range above their mines, and it lies just below the largest volcano. The Frozen Reaches are located on top of the volcano. This great volcano may be part of the Great Mountains range or a mountain south of them.

Graham is said to have spent many an afternoon in the mountains with his family, defeating the occasional dragon that wandered across their path.

Geography
The Great Mountains are made up of several smaller ranges, several which surround the Sovereignty of Serenia on at least three sides, bounded on one side to the north beyond the Dark Forest, and bulk are the eastern mountains which border the sea to the east. The Snowy Mountain where Icebella lives and Snowy Mountains range rises up to east, and curves around to the south of Serenia. The Snowy Mountain might even be one of the larger peaks within the Snowy Mountains. The Snowy Mountains divide between Serenia and Daventry proper. To the southwest beyond the River and west of the Snowy Mountains lies the Westering Mountains & Spasky Hills. A mysterious valley exists up in the Snowy Mountains near Icebella's Snowy Mountain, a mountain known as Half Dome rises above the valley (seemingly touching two realities across space and time).

Then there is the Door into Mountain, it is a lonely peak that rises out of the highlands and foothills of the Kingdom of Daventry (though its location has shifted over time to due to magical flux and Magical law of "containment" sometimes to the north of the castle, and sometimes to the south). The eastern edge of the Snowy Mountains slopes down around the side of the mountain into Daventry. Many miles to the east of Daventry running from north to south before it reaches the Snowy Mountains and Icebella's Snowy Mountain are parallel ranges of the Glass Mountains, and the Hibestian Range. Near the junction where the Snowy Mountains, Snowy Mountain, Westering Mountains, Glass Mountains, and Hibestian Range meet is a great volcano, and the highest peak of the mountains which make up the Barren Region and the Frozen Reaches (if not a separate mountain in its own right, it might very well be the highest point in the Snowy Mountains). The Frozen Reaches may even lie near to Icebella's realm, for even the mountains near the Ice Queen's realm, are also described as the 'frozen reaches'.

Landmarks

 * Snowy Mountains
 * Ice Cave
 * Snowy Mountain
 * Mountain Trail (Mountain Path)
 * Frozen Waterfall (Jutting Rock)
 * Icy Crevasse
 * Ice Palace (Ice Castle)
 * Yeti Cave
 * Roc Nest (valley of diamonds)
 * Door into Mountain & Land of the Clouds
 * Westering Mountains & Spasky Hills
 * Vale of Willows
 * Glass Mountains
 * Hibestian Range
 * Vale of Obscurity
 * Kingdom of Sorrow
 * The Barren Region and Frozen Reaches
 * Sierras & Half Dome

Behind the scenes
The Great Mountains originate from the game, The Wizard and the Princess and the Adventure in Serenia. The mountains were were mentioned during the back story in the manual and back cover (box/manual/folder). Harlin's castle was said to lie beyond the great mountains. The mountains are capitalized as Great Mountains on the back of the box of the C64 port.

Most references to the mountains are lower case in King's Quest V. They are given as capitalized at least once during KQV, such as when Graham explains his quest to King Antony the Great, and of his need to cross the mountains.

The KQ5 Hintbook refers to this region as Great Mountains. The Official Book of King's Quest Third Edition refers to the region in KQ5 as the "Snowy Mountain" or the Mountains.

The Great Mountains are first introduced into The King's Quest Companion in the 2nd Edition with the addition of the King's Quest V material, but it also retroactively applies this region to the KQ1 mountain (Door into Mountain)/mountains, combining the region into the Great Mountains passing near Serenia. The Official Book of King's Quest 1st and 2nd Edition call this region the Snowy Mountains (based on the name given in the former sierra BBS hint site).

Great Mountains (unofficial)
The Great Mountains appear in the fan games, see Great Mountains (unofficial).