I'm in the process of building my own fantasy world for my first original novel (I've previously just dappled in fan fiction). I'm focusing on one continent for now along with a couple of nearby islands. There are at least three races that I've decided on. Humans, an aquatic/human race (not mermaids...they basically look like humans but just a few differences such as closeable gills in the neck so that they are comfortable in or out of water), and a 'feloid' race (cat-human). The idea is that no one knows of the feloid race yet. Basically, the continent has a huge, um, mountain made up of tall, sheer cliffs in the middle of it. No one has ever been able to climb it. The humans always just traveled around it by land or by sea if they wanted to travel to the north end or south end of the continent. Anyhow, the idea is to have a huge earthquake create a rift in the mountainside enabling people to enter/climb the mountain for the first time, thus discovering the feloid race. I wanted to include the 'discovery' of a new race and the results thereof as part of the plot. Now, as I'm still building the world, I have no real problem altering parts of it. Maybe the feloid race is on an island instead? Anyhow, is this idea feasible? Or do you think it is a bit far-fetched that they hadn't been able to climb the mountain and discovered the race yet? Oh, and this is not a 'modern' world. It's sort of medieval with magic and such. Edit: Bah, typo in title...forgot the 'b' in unclimbable, can't change it...sorry.
At this time period perhaps there was no time to be adventurous, and the children were forbidden to try climbing the mountain. So I think it's believable.
I don't understand the whole problem with the unclimbable mountain if they could just travel to the other side with boat, or as you say travel around it, so how could that "new race" not have been discovered when they did that?
Oh, sorry...the new race lived in/on top of the mountain, not on the other side. Traveling to the other side was just to visit other kingdoms/towns/etc...
If your feloid race live in a valley surrounded by your unclimbable cliffs, then an earthquake creating a break in one of the cliff faces would serve as an entryway. If this is a fantasy don't get bogged down in details. It is always possible that the humans knew of the feloid race but forgot them after years of not dealing with them...there could even been myths featuring them.
This is totally feasible, and much more interesting than putting them on an island. As long as you are clear on HOW the earthquake makes it possible for them to climb, it will be cool. Go for it!
I think this is entirely feasible. To have an earthquake that destroys part of the mountain, creating paths that weren't there before. Perhaps the feloid race sealed themselves off and the earthquake results in an issue when all three races have to interact again? I don't know. But the mountain being unclimbable and then a way in or up appears, it would make sense to me.
In ancient history many gods lived on top of mountains. Why? Because people couldn't climb them and imagined them to be impossible places to reach. Why not? Its your story - its feasible as long as you say it is. Try to avoid that old - because I told you so - response so.
