Location from Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson
Mountain homeland of the Moranth — insectoid-armored allies of the Malazan Empire whose munitions changed the nature of warfare across the world.
The Moranth are among the most enigmatic peoples of Genabackis. They wear chitinous armor that covers them completely — no outsider has seen a Moranth face in living memory. Their alliance with the Malazan Empire provided the Empire with two decisive advantages: aerial transport via quorl-mounted Moranth, and munitions — the clay grenades that leveled the playing field against sorcery. The mountains themselves are ancient, geologically and culturally. The Moranth have occupied them since before human settlement of Genabackis, and their relationship with the local fauna suggests a symbiosis that took millennia to develop.
Steep mountain ranges draped in mist and cloud forest. The Moranth cities are largely hidden — built into cliff faces and high valleys, accessible primarily by their giant dragonfly-like quorls. The few outsiders who visit describe architecture that blends seamlessly with the rock, as though the mountains grew the buildings.
Also known as: Moranth Mountains, the Moranth homeland, Cloud Forest