The Redshift Phenomenon
A magical phenomenon of unknown origin. The Redshift is the name given to the supernatural miasma which has cloaked the ancient and lost kingdom of Vessoth - also called The Redshift Zone - for some one thousand years. Every several days the Redshift wanes. A few short days later it begins anew, blooming from the Vessian Star Tower which seems to pierce the heavens and is visible even from hundreds of miles away. Its beginning is marked with an event named the First Wave: a rapid-moving gust of energy that takes one's breath away, but is ultimately harmless. Following the First Wave the red-tinged miasma begins to spread much more slowly; it takes several days for the Redshift to fully encompass its 400-mile radius.
If any sapient creature ventures into the crimson-stained cloud they are instantaneously shifted: flesh and bone twist and erupt and the mind is lost either in agony or corruption. There is no known cure for this affliction.
Lesser creatures are affected less-often and less-severely, for reasons unknown. Thanks to this wildlife are able to survive and thrive in the Redshift Zone in ways ordinary mortals cannot. Likewise, inanimate objects and the very earth itself has been known to suffer shifting even less frequently.
In this place anything can happen and the layman's understanding of reality need not necessarily apply. One may find a school of fish adapted for swimming in midair or a clan of boulders who speak like men. However, due to the extraordinary danger presented to mortals, it is extremely difficult to explore The Redshift Zone.
As a phenomenon which covers the entire eastern border of the Holy Cradian Empire, it has been in the Empire's best interest for a millennium to carefully watch, warn, and mitigate problems caused by the Redshift. The Redshift Zone has never expanded since its initial appearance, and is considered a stable phenomenon whose primary dangers are to the brave or foolish.
Professor Decus Az-Moryna was an eccentric study with a hobby of researching the Redshift for much of his career - until he invented the Blueshift formula, the first known magic capable of repelling the Redshift. Using this, it is possible for creatures to exist in the Redshift Zone without being afflicted by shifting. Thanks to his efforts the Redshift Expeditionary Commission was formed.
If any sapient creature ventures into the crimson-stained cloud they are instantaneously shifted: flesh and bone twist and erupt and the mind is lost either in agony or corruption. There is no known cure for this affliction.
Lesser creatures are affected less-often and less-severely, for reasons unknown. Thanks to this wildlife are able to survive and thrive in the Redshift Zone in ways ordinary mortals cannot. Likewise, inanimate objects and the very earth itself has been known to suffer shifting even less frequently.
In this place anything can happen and the layman's understanding of reality need not necessarily apply. One may find a school of fish adapted for swimming in midair or a clan of boulders who speak like men. However, due to the extraordinary danger presented to mortals, it is extremely difficult to explore The Redshift Zone.
As a phenomenon which covers the entire eastern border of the Holy Cradian Empire, it has been in the Empire's best interest for a millennium to carefully watch, warn, and mitigate problems caused by the Redshift. The Redshift Zone has never expanded since its initial appearance, and is considered a stable phenomenon whose primary dangers are to the brave or foolish.
Professor Decus Az-Moryna was an eccentric study with a hobby of researching the Redshift for much of his career - until he invented the Blueshift formula, the first known magic capable of repelling the Redshift. Using this, it is possible for creatures to exist in the Redshift Zone without being afflicted by shifting. Thanks to his efforts the Redshift Expeditionary Commission was formed.