Canticle is a dragon or other powerful being’s egg. The entire planet is an evenly rotating massive investiture sink. I can easily seeing that being a major part of the development of a dragon, both heating and sustaining the embryo. The hostility of the planet is also likely in part a defense mechanism.
Yeah, I think I was having a hard time understanding where exactly the mountain was. It sounded like Nomad thought it was at a pole but I probably misheard because that doesn’t really fit with it being in the way of people going laterally around the planet.