Overview:
A wide, fertile land filled with small villages and wandering tribes. No sect claims it, mostly because it’s hard to manage and doesn’t offer major power advantages. People here live simple, quiet lives away from the ambitions of the world.
Appearance:
Gentle hills stretch across the horizon, covered in bright wild plants and tall grasses that sway like waves. Rivers twist through the land, feeding deep forests older than most sects. The air is fresh, carrying hints of flowers, soil, and clean water. Only scattered homes, farms, and camps break the natural landscape.
Settlers:
Farmers, herbalists, foragers, and small family groups who prefer peace over progress.
Nomads:
Traveling bands that follow the seasons, trading meat, hides, and crafted goods.
Wanderers:
Retired cultivators, quiet hermits, and travelers who seek a place without rules.
Life is slow, honest, and shaped by nature.
Evergreen Paths:
Long, winding trails connecting villages. Easy to get lost without a guide.
Willow-Bend Rivers:
Calm waterways rich in fish and rare herbs. Many camps rest along their banks.
Oldroot Forest:
A thick, ancient forest holding untouched wildlife and hidden ruins from forgotten clans.
Sky-Meadow Hills:
High ridges with wide views. Locals say the stars look brightest here.
People are too spread out to control.
No single village wants outside rule.
Land offers little for conquest but much for peaceful living.
Because of this, it remains a quiet pocket of the world — free, natural, and unchanged.
Overview
The Unclaimed Expanse is a wide, peaceful land that sits untouched by major sect rule. It stretches for hundreds of miles, dotted with quiet villages, nomadic camps, and long-forgotten ruins buried in nature. Though fertile and full of life, it holds no rare Qi veins, no strategic points, and no ancient treasures worth starting a war over. Because of this, it remains one of the last free regions in the world, where people shape their own lives without fear of sect control or political struggles.
Most who live here do so by choice. They want to escape strict laws, heavy taxes, and the expectations placed on cultivators. Here, strength matters less than kindness, and community bonds are stronger than ambition. Outsiders often call it “simple,” but those who stay know its peace is a treasure on its own.
The Expanse is a blend of rolling hills, thick forests, open grasslands, and crystal-clear rivers. Nature is the true ruler here.
The soft hills rise and fall like gentle waves. Wildflowers cover them in the warm seasons, painting the land with bright colors — gold, violet, white, and deep red. During colder months, thin mist clings to the low valleys, giving the area a dreamy, quiet mood.
Oldroot Forest is the largest and oldest woodland in the region. Trees here reach dizzying heights, with trunks so wide four grown men couldn’t wrap their arms around one. Moss carpets the ground. Strange lights sometimes glow between the branches at night. Old hunters whisper that the forest holds spirits, guardians, or maybe just creatures long forgotten by the outside world.
The Willow-Bend Rivers flow through the whole region. Their waters are clean enough to drink straight from the stream. Small fish, silver eels, herb-rich mud banks, and floating lily pads make them a lifeline for villages and travelers. Further north is Lake Starfall, named after old stories claiming a falling star once crashed there, turning the waters unnaturally clear.
The Sky-Meadow Plains stretch far beyond the eye. Tall grasses sway with the wind, hiding herds of horned deer and strange, harmless spirit-hares. At night, fireflies dance in huge numbers, lighting the plains like a living lantern field.
Most villages are made of wood and stone. People grow food, raise livestock, and trade simple goods. They enjoy calm lives, untouched by the pressure to cultivate. Still, many practice light body-strengthening or basic Qi techniques passed down from ancestors — nothing fancy, but enough to stay healthy.
Villagers value honesty, hospitality, and hard work. Outsiders are treated with respect, though with a bit of caution.
Many tribes travel with the seasons. They ride large, gentle beasts called Plainwalkers and move between hunting grounds. Their culture is built around storytelling, tradition, and survival. When two tribes meet, they hold friendly competitions of strength or skill.
These nomads also act as messengers, carrying news between villages.
Some are former cultivators tired of politics. Others are broken warriors seeking peace or people running from their past. Hermits live near rivers or deep in the woods, often becoming healers, guides, or protectors for the locals.
Though uncommon, some become quiet legends — the “White-Fang Fisherman,” a retired Qi master who teaches children, or “Mist-Edge Nana,” a grandmother who can still outrun younger hunters.
A massive woodland where sunlight barely touches the ground. Strange herbs grow here, and ancient carvings hide on tree trunks. Some think an ancient clan lived in these woods long ago before vanishing completely.
The largest independent settlement in the region. Built around a huge, smooth boulder said to “shine like a fallen sun” during sunsets. Markets here attract traders from every corner of the Expanse.
A quiet lake with water so clear you can see the bottom even from the center. People say it has healing properties. Others say the “star” that fell into it was actually a beast long forgotten.
A massive natural stone arch where nomads meet to settle disputes or exchange goods. Battles are forbidden here.
Despite lacking a ruler, the people of the Expanse follow a loose, shared code:
Do not harm without cause.
Do not steal from another home or camp.
Honor trade and spoken promises.
Respect nature — do not waste or destroy needlessly.
This code is simple, but breaking it earns a person quick exile. In the Expanse, being cast out is worse than facing a punishment.
Fast, clever, and extremely hard to hunt. Locals say catching one brings luck for the season.
Soft white creatures with glowing eyes. They are harmless, but some think they carry messages from nature itself.
Long, sleek creatures that guard freshwater banks. Usually peaceful, but they become aggressive during breeding seasons.
Massive beasts with antlers so wide they look like tree branches. Rare, proud, and considered sacred.
Though peaceful, the Expanse isn’t without risks.
Ancient creatures from Oldroot Forest sometimes roam too far. Some are gentle, others territorial.
Old buildings half-swallowed by forests hold traps, unstable Qi pockets, and old guardian constructs.
Most come here to hide, not harm. But some criminals or war deserters pass through, causing trouble before vanishing into the wild.
The land is open. Storm winds can be strong enough to topple trees or tear apart tents.
Villages are too scattered to control.
No major Qi veins exist here.
The people would resist rule.
Maintaining order would cost more than it gives back.
Even the strongest sects see no reason to force their will here. And so, the Expanse stays free.