The Crystal Scar
I remember seeing many streaking lights across the skies that night. My grandmother worried that the Dark Ones were returning. There was a loud boom that cracked the skies, followed by a plume of red and blue fire. Unlike the others, this one didn’t fade. It crashed into the land. I swear, as it was burning, crashing towards Elix, I saw all sorts of sparks; purple, blue, yellow, green, red. Beautiful, but terrifying.— Yvette Mair, 204 AT, Starmeadow
In the early winter months of 204 AT, a large meteorite crashed into the surface of Elix, in the southern portion of the Witches Hollow forest. Initial investigations revealed large chunks of rock and stone, with strange crystalline growths emerging from the porous, alien material. In the early months of its arrival, those who had made initial contact with the Crystal Scar and especially those who had taken samples from such, began showing strange signs of a corruption. Muddled minds turned to insanity, turned to near-ravenous psychopathy. As news of such occurrences spread, the Kingdom of Silverlight banned travel through the area and established Baldor, a military outpost, to enforce such a ruling. Over the next two-hundred years, the Kingdom of Silverlight and the Ecclesial Order have verified that the otherworldly crystals have entirely twisted the region of the Scar, to include any flora and fauna within. They also warn of the sickness without cure, called the Crystalline Madness, that eventually rots the minds and twists the bodies of mortals that make prolonged contact with the crystals. Today, while the Kingdom of Silverlight seems keen on containment, it is the Ecclesial Order that seeks to discover a means of eradication.
In the first year, we ignored it; it was just a strange, new feature in the Kingdom. Then people started seeing bizarre things. Deer, with strange crystalline antlers. Wolves with a third eye and a split muzzle, lined with razor sharp, jagged crystals. People who ventured into the woods and near the scar never returned. Shipments and merchants went missing, as did the patrols. Then, seemingly, they returned, as twisted and morphed as the creatures. They were changed, angry and violent, muttering gibberish and insanity before they were cut down. Since then, people began fleeing Arcadis. It isn’t safe anymore.— Kilian Hauer, 206 AT, Arcadis
The Pallid Expanse
All that remains of the rolling plains and vibrant city of Leonov is muck, mire, and tragedy. None on Elix are ignorant of the story of the Pallid Expanse or its creation through the Tierysian's wanton use of the arcane. It is said, in the final minutes of battle, and explosion rocked the lands; the magical force from such eradicated all life and leveled stone. In its wake, all that was left was the Pallid Expanse, a hopeless stretch of land covered in petrified flora and mud, perpetually still, cold, and eery. Covered in a ceaseless mist and smelling of death, the Pallid Expanse has always been impassable since its creation in 1240 BT, not due to external danger, but because of the terrain and complete lack of any source of fresh water or food. Though many would-be archeologists show interest in the former site of Leonov, after the fall of the Tierysian Empire, in the early years of the Age of Rebirth, Valgradian officials concluded that the site was, "completely and utterly destroyed with no chance of any meaningful retrieval." In the very recent years, however, those who wander too far into the wasteland come back with tales of shades and spirits prowling amongst the fog and mist. As more and more news reached the far corners of Elix, the Republic of Valgrad has upped its military presence on its southeastern borders as has the Ecclesial Order made an introductory appearance with the goal of confirming or denying such reports.
The Great Sink
The Greak Sink, a chasm, as many miles deep as it is wide and long, marks the graveyard of the Empire of Ziyan. Signifying the start of the Trial for Existence, the creation of the Great Sink remains a mystery, though many theorize it was the doing of the vengeful Dark Ones, with most pointing at Lexodros as the culprit. While this mighty pit has long been viewed with caution, wariness, and even mourning, in the past few decades, those manning the watchtowers lining the Great Sink have reported seeing torch lights and movements deep within the sink. Though it has always been postured that the gods, both Prime and Dark alike, would have created life far beneath the confines of the surface of Tel'Drannar, the convergence of such realities strikes fear into the hearts of those still recovering from the Trial for Existence.
The Haggard Marshes
Though once teeming with all sorts of life, since its corruption by Iona, the Mistress of Blight, during the Trial for Existence, the Haggard Marshes prove one of the most dangerous locations in Elix. Filled with a menagerie of illness and morbid beasts, very few besides the reckless and the Ecclesial Order dare to set foot in the Haggard Marshes. While its blighted denizens rarely venture far from their accursed birthplace, there have been sightings of such abominations somewhere within the Wyndriver Forest. While certain priests of Aldir and Yhona, especially within the Ecclesial Order, have theorized ways to cure the lands of Iona's blight, none have yet to act upon such.
At first, we didn't know what we were looking at. It was just a mass of a figure, roundish and contorted. As we stared at it for nearly a minute, it began moving. With what looked like numerous bloated appendages, it limped along, almost appearing injured. It let out an awful, slurping groan just before collapsing. As we slunk down behind foliage in fear, we heard a rythmic, and what I can only describe as wet, pulsing noise—like palpitations. Then there was a loud burst. We looked up, and where the creature once stood, and all around, were patches of flesh and stringed guts. In an instant, the trees and grass around where its torn body lay began to wither and rot away... like a hundred years of decay in seconds. The more that I think about it, the less I think I know what I saw that day.— Willan Lightrabbit, 486 AT, a three-day's travel west of Northtown
The Old Eminence
While the old island of Tierys, the site of the Old Eminence, remains
off-limits for all who would seek to venture there, remarks upon its appearance and state have trickled down through the centuries. Many reference a deep crater left within the center of the island; a miserable pit of glass and ash. The outer ring of the island, according to some, remains, to some extent, intact. Stories comment upon eroded, but beautifully carved stone structures, immaculate and perfect in their design and decoration. Others report a story of palpable stillness and lifelessness in the air around the island. Regardless, the history of the Tierysian Empire and what befell their island capital of Tierys remains a disturbing mystery that most have no desire to uncover just yet.
The Frozen Spine
The Frozen Spine, an endless stretch of frozen ice and glacier, remains almost completely unexplored, and for good reason: it's practically unsurvivable. Though the southernmost extent of the Frozen Spine, along the true northern coasts of Elix, melts and thins during the summer months, most of the region remains covered in thick, impenetrable ice that extends far beneath the surface of the icy-cold waters. It is said, long ago, during the Age of Strife, in an attempt to flee from her aggressors, the dead goddess Avotz, the Frostmaiden, buffeted the oceans with all her essence, freezing entire plumes of waves in her wake. Unsuccessful, she was slain, with many theorizing that the ice hasn't thawed due to her lingering essence.
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