Voiceless Corridor

Put a bridle on thy tongue; set a guard before thy lips, lest the words of thine own mouth destroy thy peace... on much speaking cometh repentance, but in silence is safety.

— Father Wilkres Drust

Geography

The Voiceless Corridor is comprised of an elevated mesa, with large buttes surrounding a valley at the Corridor's core that houses the city known as Resonaire. Layers are visible along the butte's cliff faces, ranging from shades of dark browns and reds to light yellows and oranges. The ground is made of a hard, cragg-like red clay that is not conducive to agriculture, or much plant growth at all. There is no ready access to fresh water within the Corridor, unless one knows where to look. There are small springs that well out of the butte walls near the valley floor, and a large aquifer was found under Resonaire that is used to provide water to its population.

Localized Phenomena

Living beings within the Corridor are completely incapable of producing sounds due to a curse from the Wren God of Music, Hljómveigr, after the natives there mocked his song. Whether those sounds be voices, footsteps, roars, or otherwise, everything that lives is silent. Because of this, the people living within the Corridor have developed a system of communication similar to Imperial Sign Language, differing mostly by not using mouth movements and keeping gestures more confined to the space around the body. It is not uncommon for individuals to wear small bells around their necks, wrists, or ankles while in public to broadcast to others that they are present, or to get someone's attention up close.

Interestingly, because of the nature of the Voiceless Corridor, the art of instrument craft and the playing of music is widely considered one of the most noble things one can pursue. The Voiceless often dedicate their entire lives to developing their art, and are known across the continent as the best maestros, musicians, and bards alive in the Age of Ash. Travelers that pass through the Corridor from the Concord towards the Seraphate (or vice versa) report that the mesa is veritably alive with a scattered orchestra of strings, winds, and percussions playing the same piece harmoniously, if just a little off beat from the distance.

Work in Progress

Alternative Name(s)

Silent Badlands

Type

Badlands