Description:

The Ice Spires, ironically named, is an area of extreme highs and lows; full of treacherous canyons, towering spires, and stretches of high plateaus, all cast in hues of red and yellow. The area earned its name due to the amount of heat stroke victims; those who survive and are properly tended to describe suddenly feeling overwhelmingly cold and unable to cease shivering.

Despite how dangerous the Ice Spires are, the journey to them is the most hazardous part. Once an adventurer has tolerated the overwhelming heat and the hostile predators that stalk the sands surrounding the Ice Spires, they can find a sort of hidden oasis. Generations of modern civilization have found a way to adapt to the precarious environment, hollowing out the spires and plateaus like ants or termites, and making a home, shaded from the unforgiving sun. Within the canyons is a maze of caves where vegetation can be found, as well as carefully tended wells of water.

Landmarks:

• Spire City - The majority of dwellings and civilization reside hidden beneath the red rocks and inside the naturally built towers. Spire City stretches from beneath the canyon floor, to the tip of the tallest tower. Smoothed sandstone hallways and glass give a surprisingly modern aesthetic to the inner workings of the city. The tiled floors are inevitably dusty from the sands surrounding the Ice Spires. Electrical wiring runs along the ceilings of hallways and rooms, shielded from the heat by a thick rubber-esque casing.
  The building structures within the spires aboveground are usually working areas and never quite cool enough to prevent a layer of sweat from forming on its occupants. Dwellings are found further down, where plumbing pipes water to public spas and individual dwellings alike.
• The Ant Hill - The original dwellings with the oldest hollows; are now used as a flea market of sorts. Locals and far-off merchants set up wares in this multilayer hollowed spire. Towards the base of Ant Hill and just below it can be found Administrative offices. Long strips of cloth hung between the neighboring spires provide some shade to the market, as well as vivid color.
• Echo Caves - The more prominent caves. Not all caves around the Ice Spires are open to the public or even commercial use. However, the majority of Echo Caves are deemed safe. Crystal formations reflecting off tall ceilings, pools of rushing water, and even sections of private farms and orchards with artificial lighting can be found in this tourist hotspot.
• Raptor Raceway - There is a long, dug-out donut-shaped pit with shaded stands surrounding the outer edges. This area supports the favored sport of the Ice Spires: Raptor Racing. Handlers pair up with their Tokotas to train dangerous raptors for a race.
• Solar Fields - On the widest and tallest plateau sits a field of solar panels; an obnoxious view for any Spire windows facing these reflective panes, these solar panels grow each year, providing energy throughout the day for the entire city. At night, with reduced power in effect, the energy that’s been stored up in large generators as well as water-powered wheels within the caverns can provide the needed power.
• Lovers’ Plunge - Another tourist spot, these cliffs overlook the canyons and provide a picturesque location for dates. Benches and wooden fences mark these points. Unlike the other viewing areas around the canyon, Lovers’ Plunge often hosts a magnificent sunset, the sun plunging between the canyons and slowly disappearing, which casts beautiful colors along the red canyon walls and the darkening sky.
• Thrice Price Towers - Towards approximately the center of Spire City towers, stand three pure white towers. Not quite as tall as The Ant Hill or other towers, these three are remarkable due to the sparkling marble that forms them. The three towers are used for various things, depending on the individual's walk in life; for worship, meditation, offering, ceremonies, or even just to be viewed.
• Fountain - At the center of the town in the middle of the ravine is a large fountain that is fed by an underground spring. The spring is what brought the original townsfolk to build here. The fountain was originally a well that the townspeople survived off of, but as innovation took over the Ice Spires, there was no need for a fountain when plumbing came to the area. The well was then transformed into a fountain, and ever since the days of the well, the city has expanded in all directions from the center point of the town, which is the Fountain.

Lore:

• Some natives of the Ice Spires would argue the name “Ice Spires” derives from the freezing nights. Even further, some would claim that Ice Spires represented the three white spires towards the center of the area.
• Some say that there was a young child that fell into the well that the fountain now sits in place of and every full moon after the change of season the child can be seen sitting or playing in the square that surrounds the fountain. No one knows if the legend is true or if the child is friendly or not... some that claim they have seen the child just state that they seem lonely.