Ancient crescent structures of bone-glass and crystal, older than settlement, scholarship, or good ideas. They are not ruins in the comforting sense—nothing is broken, nothing is worn down. If anything, they appear patient, as though waiting for their true purpose to be fufilled.
The Arcs are arranged with unsettling intent. Smaller crescent structures form Arc Clusters, each angling arcane energy with obsessive precision toward a single focal point: the Grand Arc. The prevailing theory—accepted mostly because all other theories caused headaches—is that the clusters siphon magic from other realms entirely, channeling it inward to fuel the Grand Arc. What this power is meant for remains unknown. “Which is actively unhelpful.”
Magic near the Arcs is violently unstable. Spells amplify beyond intent, fold back on themselves, or misinterpret metaphor as instruction. Reality wavers, thins, and occasionally lets something through.
“Fair warning it usually has teeth.”
Time behaves oddly in these regions. Echoes arrive before causes. Wounds heal too quickly or not at all. Footprints appear where no one has walked yet. Arcward Rangers report that the land itself feels “expectant,” as though bracing for a question no one should ask out loud.
Wild Mages adore the Arcs. They describe casting there as “pure”, “honest”, “intoxicating”,” and “the only place magic doesn’t lie.” This has not reassured anyone. Surgebound incidents increase dramatically within a day’s travel of any cluster, usually followed by craters, memoirs, or both.
As mentioned before Elysira avoids the Arcs completely. This is notable, as she avoids very little. When pressed, she says they “echo too clearly.” She does not mean sound. She has declined to elaborate further, saying it better some things are left unsaid.
The Grand Arc itself remains untouched—not because of restraint, but because every expedition that approached it either turned back voluntarily, forgot why they were there, or returned convinced they had already succeeded. Records of these expeditions contradict themselves even when written in the same hand.
In summary: the Whispering Arcs are not evil. They are not broken. They are functioning precisely as intended.
Which, frankly, is the most troubling part.