Mhakan's Trials

Mhakan's Trials (pronounced ma-HAH-khan) are a major mountain range in Abanir that separates the dry, harsh, and often cold Uxtamazata Desert from the nearly endless grasslands of the Aban Steppe. The mountains have a reputation as being nearly impassible, their tall snow-capped peaks reaching high above the largely flat lands that surround them. For over 1500 miles, travelers along the Hundred Days Road from Pantaleon to Olkai have Mhakan's Trials looming in the horizon to the south. The route generally avoids the mountain foothills, aside from some alternate paths near Srumat and Kharrod, as most prefer the known dangers of the open steppe to the unknowns of the mountains - that few who attempt to cross the mountains ever exit them is powerful motivation as well.

The mountains take their name from the Abanir deity Mhakan, the Demander of Sacrifices. Some believe the name may refer to a test set by the god, but what precise event this may be is not certain.

Along with the Cage, the Akinak Mountains, and the Solar and Lunar Ranges, Mhakan's Trials form part of the long chain of mountains that define eastern Abanir by separating the Uxtamazata Desert from the rest of the steppe and from the ocean.