Three Empty Cities

Tliuklef is sometimes called the City of Glass Thorns or the Growling City, and some bards are trying to coin it as the Swamp King’s Castle, although anyone can see that it lacks a castle entirely. Each day it grows a little more out of the swamp, as if it sunk long ago and is now rising back up. But surely it has changed, as now it is impossible to enter without hearing a constant scratching, clicking, and buzzing from every direction. No source of this noise can be seen, and in fact the city has an eerily complete lack of any life whatsoever.

Those who explore soon leave, finding nothing of use, and food brought into the city is always stolen overnight, leaving only the faintest remnants. Only a few people have run screaming from the place, covered in cuts and punctures. Some have been lost to the city, and those who survive these mysterious attacks claim that they saw nothing, but were suddenly attacked from all directions as if by tiny invisible knives. This has earned it a fearsome reputation of being cursed, or full of unseen hazards, though some survivors claim that it was no idle thorns that threatened them, but rather a ubiquitous and malicious force.

The Growling City is inhabited by a hive of giant, invisible insects. Each one is about the size of two fists put together, and they have barbed mandibles that rip apart flesh. They are generally peaceful, but those who have died within were simply unlucky enough to step on one, angering the swarm. These insects are not the reason for the city’s return to the surface, they merely took up residence there.

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The Coward’s Peak is a small city built on a mountain pass, presumably once a great trade route. Now it is called cursed, a place of eternal darkness and nightmares. The city looks shaded from afar, a dark space nestled between two mountains, in a way that seems almost natural. But even when the sun shines on it, no light reaches those towers or streets.

From within it is even worse; the sun and moon disappear, the sky becomes black, and the stars open up into gaping, soulless eyes. None can walk the streets without feeling death at their heels, and sleep only yields endless nightmares of ripping oneself apart using nails and spikes. The city is also filthy, filled with the stench of rot and obvious signs of decay.

The only group to have stayed longer and returned said that they could see eyes in every shadow, and always when they turned there would be something poking out from the corner that quickly ducked back out of view. After their return they have proved to be mad, one killing their spouse and children, while another ran into the wilderness and disappeared. Any who die within the city are found dead beyond its walls the next morning, even if there were no survivors to carry the bodies.

The only thing living there is a powerful monster and the aura of fear it exudes. It doesn’t want to kill, or even to be known. But when people enter its city, it fears them. And with this fear it creates nightmares, showing people what they fear most and attempting to chase them from the city. If they still linger, then it will attack, shrouding itself in their greatest fear. It weeps tears of terror as it attacks, killing the trespassers and dumping their bodies safely out of its city, its sanctuary, the only place where it can be safe.

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The Wild City appears to be a great metropolis, but like Tliuklef there is not a single thing living within. What makes this even stranger verging on impossible, the city lies in the middle of a forest, near a well travelled road. Anyone who enters beyond view disappears quickly and quietly, leaving no traces. Many travellers have disappeared along that road, and are thought to have been taken in by the city, devoured.

It looks beautiful, with elegant archways and clean, seemingly polished surfaces. The gates are open and inviting, and a faint smell of baking bread surrounds the place. This city is in fact a mimic. Possibly one gigantic mimic, possibly a colony of them (like algae), or perhaps even the god of all mimics.

Dark Magic

Dark magic is a destructive force that draws power from the oldest and greatest of emotions; fear. A dark mage cats their spells from a mirror, which holds the fear and turns it into dark power. The simplest spell is to release all the power within the mirror at once, in a burst of destruction. It is similar to an explosion, but for the lack of concussive force or fire; the black burst simply obliterates anything it touches. With practice, the mage usually learns precision and control, enabling them to mete out energy and utilize it more efficiently, perhaps focusing the release into a narrow beam with longer range or multiple projectiles.

To gather their power, a mage must gaze into their mirror and focus on what frightens them. This perverse form of meditation will never seek to overcome or learn to live with these fears, for if they do so then power will be lost. Instead, mages simply fixate upon their fears and paranoia, warping their minds and twisting their souls over time.

There is no upper limit to how much fear a mirror can hold, but the more it is given, the harder it will be to control. Like filling a wineskin, it can stretch but will start to leak, and when you pierce it the contents may come gushing out when a more controlled stream might have been preferred. Mirrors will also leak when left idle for too long with power inside, becoming tarnished and shadowed. It is for this reason that most dedicated mages will keep a polishing kit along with them, as it takes much more focus to use every iota of darkness each day than it does to simply clean the mirror regularly. Some say that when a mirror is completely consumed by this darkness, it changes into a new metal, a black silver that has special properties. There isn't much evidence behind this however, and the mages themselves are unwilling to confirm or deny these rumors.

Most dark mages either come from or were trained at the white palace. Built of polished sandstone, it lies near the edge of the northern desert. The entire building is white, so that no dark magic can be hidden there; despite their many powers, no dark mage can create light. They are paranoid, distrustful, and violent people overall, and there are plenty of stories involving an unlucky traveler or villager being slaughtered for any small slight or even nothing at all.

The order of Light’s Shadow comprises the largest organized group of mages, though organized seems a stretch. They control the white palace, using it as a meeting center as well as a place for training new mage apprentices. They currently work with the kingdom of Orisria, centered in the jungles to the south of the desert. This is how they have access to the fine silver used to make their arcane tools, though the specific power structure of the order is quite hard to pin down due to frequent backstabbing and mysterious deaths.

Seppam the gnoll is a dark mage from the deeper deserts, near the famous volcano of the sands, who uses a mirror of obsidian. Some say her mirror can hold more power than others and never tarnish, but she is not part of the order, and refuses to share her secrets.

Sir Markim is a knight errant who is rumored to be a dark mage, though he does not carry any mirror openly, or keep a polishing kit. He’s even known for using a spell that creates a sword of darkness, but mages look down on personal combat as brutish and needlessly hazardous, while most warriors see mages as weak and paranoid, so it’s unlikely that someone would put the two together.

Magic item: Saddle of Flight

This saddle will allow you and your horse (or other mount), to fly at high speed. It does not however, prepare the animal for this in any way, causing it to panic and requiring that you keep it calm and try to stay steady while flying.

In a roleplaying game, you could fly at a higher speed than your animal runs, but require handle animal or similar skill checks in order to remain on the animal. Maybe it could even grow accustomed to it over time, and require less difficult checks, or develop a desperate fear of heights and get even harder to stay on each time you lift off. Story-wise, it would be hilarious and terrifying, and probably create some tension depending on how everyone feels about the animal.

Followers of the Shattered Path

Many have heard of the New Map, the enormous library of records and charts kept by the Markers of the Shattered Path. You have likely met a Walker of the Shattered Path, travelling on a Shard to add to their tales. But few realize the full scope and history of the faith.

The story begins with their origin. It is said that the makers created our world, and when they had finished, devised the First Map. It held record of all things in this world, including the hidden road to paradise. However, the Unwalker refused to leave mortals with the First Map, as it could only travel where we have not tread, and so it stole the map so that it alone could know the path to paradise. When all things are discovered, the last Follower of the Shattered Path will find the Unwalker, and will guide all mankind into paradise with the First Map.

Those who seek the Unwalker are known as Walkers of the Shattered Path, and are known far and wide thanks to the inquisitive nature of the sect. It is possible for anyone to become a Walker, so long as their heart is free and their life is a journey, but there are a few simple rituals required to become an official member.

One begins their journeys as a Seeker of the Shattered Path, travelling with an elder Walker on one of their Shards. When the journey is complete, the Seeker will then record it in the New Map, writing their story and crafting their maps. Here they decide whether they will go on to become a Walker or Marker.

Markers are the scribes and recorders of the order, scribing the journeys of every Walker in their Shards, adding to the New Map with tales and maps of every exploration. They are reclusive, though it is not unheard of for one to journey in search of their own Shard, even after finishing their Seeking, it is considered uncouth to do so repeatedly.

The City of Masks

The city of masks lies secluded in the midst of a dense forest, and can only be found through a few paths, somewhat hidden amongst the trees and undergrowth. But what is remarkable about this place is that the people wear mask whenever in public, because exposing one’s face in public is seen as vulgar and uncouth. In the city, one’s mask is a symbol of status and position, and there are a wide variety of masks for every profession. Masks produced here are obviously quite advanced, some of the more expensive masks are said to be able to stay on without straps or holsters of any kind, perhaps kept in place by some sort of magic. Interestingly, the city is also home to many of the world’s greatest singers, despite an otherwise lack of musical culture, with no instruments known to have their origins there, though some of the greatest singers in the entire world were born and even remain there.