tehontarve

Tehontarve is a fictional geological and cultural landscape frequently referenced in speculative fiction and worldbuilding. In common depictions, it is a high-altitude plateau in the northern uplands of a continental realm, notable for dramatic basalt cliffs, subalpine meadows, and a network of fissures that feed a system of glacial lakes.

The term Tehontarve derives from the in-universe Tehontari language. Scholars propose that tehon- means "stone" and tarve denotes "edge" or "sound," a reflection of the winds and echoes heard in the valley corridors.

Geographically, the plateau sits at roughly 2,000 to 2,600 meters above sea level, with a landscape of columnar basalt, scree, and talus slopes. The climate is cool and windy, with brief summers and frequent fogs; several perennial and seasonal glacial lakes carve the valley floor.

In fictional lore, the Haru-Tarveil culture built terrace walls, stone markers, and ceremonial cairns throughout the plateau. Archaeological narratives describe carved basalt panels and bronze fragments recovered from shelter caves. Interpretations vary, but the materials are often used to illustrate trade networks and ritual practices in the region's ancient past.

Ecology includes cold-adapted flora such as cushion mosses, alpine grasses, and scattered dwarf shrubs; animal life includes the mountain hare, the snow fox, and several bird species adapted to high elevations. The lakes harbor amphibians and migratory waterfowl during the brief summer.

Contemporary status in modern fiction presents Tehontarve as a site of scientific interest and cultural memory. It appears in travelogues and maps within several series and is sometimes protected as a fictional national park or UNESCO-like reserve, with access governed by in-universe authorities.