The kingdoms of Mythea claim vast territories, but most people understand a simple truth:
Civilization occupies only a fraction of the world.
Beyond the city walls lie ancient forests, forgotten ruins, untamed mountains, hidden valleys, and wilderness older than recorded history.
Many regions possess legends as old as the gods themselves.
Travelers quickly learn that roads exist for a reason.
The Worldspine Mountains divide much of the continent and dominate the horizon across central Mythea.
The dwarves of Khazad-Dur call them the Bones of Creation.
Legends claim Khaldur struck the world with his hammer during the earliest age, raising the mountains from the earth.
Countless ruins, forgotten mines, ancient tunnels, and lost strongholds remain hidden beneath their peaks.
Travelers often report strange lights deep within the mountains.
The dwarves rarely comment on such stories.
Large portions of the forests surrounding the Sylvaran Covenant are known collectively as the Whispering Wilds.
Visitors frequently report hearing voices carried upon the wind.
Most are harmless.
Some are not.
The elves teach that the forest remembers.
Many ancient groves are considered sacred and protected from logging or settlement.
Several disappearances have been attributed to travelers ignoring local warnings.
Deep within the southern deserts lies a vast expanse of blackened crystal.
According to legend, an ancient civilization perished there during a magical catastrophe.
The sand fused into glass.
Even centuries later, little grows nearby.
Strange reflections are often reported upon moonlit nights.
Some claim they reveal events from the distant past.
Others insist they reveal possible futures.
Along portions of Mythea's western coastline stand immense sea cliffs broken by ancient cataclysms.
Entire villages have been discovered hidden within caves carved into the stone.
Sailors believe parts of the coastline change over time.
Maps drawn decades apart rarely agree.
Many shipwrecks are blamed upon this phenomenon.
Few travelers willingly enter the Hollow Marshes.
The region is perpetually covered in mist.
Ancient ruins occasionally emerge from the waters before vanishing again.
Locals claim the marsh remembers forgotten things.
Objects lost elsewhere in Mythea are sometimes discovered there years later.
No satisfactory explanation exists.
Stretching across portions of the southern continent, the Crimson Savannah takes its name from the red grasses that cover the landscape.
The region supports numerous nomadic tribes.
Great herds migrate across the plains each season.
Many stories speak of massive creatures moving beneath the earth.
Whether these accounts are true remains uncertain.
Scattered throughout Mythea are locations where fragments of Starfire are believed to have fallen during the earliest ages.
These areas are collectively known as Starfall Fields.
Magic behaves unpredictably near them.
Plants often grow in unusual ways.
Animals sometimes display strange characteristics.
Many adventurers seek Starfall Fields in hopes of discovering rare relics.
The Endless Wild is not a physical location.
It is the legendary realm of Vorathys and Vespera.
Yet stories persist of places where the boundary between worlds becomes thin.
Hidden glades.
Moonlit crossroads.
Forgotten gardens.
Ancient doorways.
Those who pass through such places sometimes return with extraordinary stories.
Others never return at all.
Across the continent, fragments of ancient roads occasionally appear far from any known settlement.
No records identify who built them.
Many are remarkably well preserved.
Some continue for hundreds of miles before disappearing into wilderness.
Superstitious travelers avoid them after sunset.
Many adventurers deliberately seek them out.
Certain locations are believed to possess unusual spiritual significance.
Examples include:
Ancient standing stone circles
Sacred groves
Forgotten temples
Mountain summits
Hidden springs
Starfall craters
Such places often attract pilgrims, scholars, cults, adventurers, and creatures of myth.
No two Places of Power are exactly alike.
Travelers throughout Mythea commonly observe several traditions:
Never whistle into a forest after dark.
Always leave a small gift at a crossroads.
Never follow distant music unless you know its source.
Do not sleep within ancient ruins unless invited.
Avoid speaking your true name near standing stones.
Thank a river before crossing it.
Most people cannot explain these customs.
Most follow them anyway.
Despite centuries of exploration, large portions of Mythea remain poorly understood.
Maps contain blank spaces.
Legends persist.
New ruins are discovered every year.
Entire valleys remain unexplored.
Most people believe the world still holds countless secrets.
Many adventurers devote their lives to finding them.
Some succeed.
Most simply become part of the next generation of stories.
A popular saying among explorers states:
"Every map is a confession of ignorance."
The phrase reflects a belief shared across Mythea.
No matter how much is discovered, there will always be another mystery beyond the horizon.
For many adventurers, that mystery is the reason they continue their journey.