Prince Aejar’s Climbing Expedition to Mount Herrian Overdue

CRAGWAR—More than two dozen mountain climbers, including Prince Aejar, remain in the Blackcaps tonight, two days after the scheduled conclusion of a journey to the top of Mount Herrian.

Search parties were being organized from among all able-bodied men in Cragwar and surrounding villages, a courtier said on condition of anonymity. Crown representatives were unavailable for comment as the Sharn Inquisitive went to press.

Mount Herrian, deep in the Blackcap Mountains, is most famous for the ancient shrines, dating from the latter days of the Dhakanni Empire. It’s regarded as a straightforward climb, requiring little technical proficiency, say local climbers.

Like other mountains in the Blackcap Range, Mount Herrian has no snow on its peak; the surface of the mountain remains warm no matter what the weather. But the path to the mountain is long and winding.

Also among the missing are noted diviner Alliqua Brashen, retired army Colonel Warrick Nathuna, famed explorer Laasha Halli, a squad of King’s Own infantry, and more than a dozen porters and servants.

Aejar, Boranel’s fourth son, is sometimes referred to as “the scarred” due to the claw marks on his face and neck—the result of a childhood mishap with a palace bodyguard animal. He lost an arm in the same incident, but the loss didn’t deter his zest for adventure.