The Shadow Mysts

The Shadow Mysts

What can be said about The Shadow Mysts? Sure, geographically they border the land of Lysia, but even still not much is known. These dark lands hold many creature and nightmare or so it is told. The deep blood red tree tops barely visible over the thick dark fog that shrouds the whole area. The land expands as far and wide as the sea, perhaps farther. As far as the human eye can tell, it appears endless. No one has ever gone in and come out the other side and all those that have tried to go around it, have been lost to the sea. Not even the sun's blessed light can pierce through the shrowded canopy. This land has truly been abandoned by the gods.
Now, The reason not much is known is because few survive these lands. Thousands have made the journey through but only a handful have made it back out and all of those who made it back, have gone mad. Through these mad ramblings, and through the journal entries of travellers, many bits and pieces have been gathered, but can you ever trust the ramblings of a mad person? Or the Diary of a man who's writing was so insane the words are lost in the madness? Nonetheless, documented here is what I have gathered.
"I saw this.. this creature... When it looked at me it was as if it was staring into my very soul, judging me for all my wrongdoing. But this creature it had no eyes, no mouth, no face at all. Where it's face should be there was only darkness, only... despair. My friend Finn was lost to it. If you stare at its face for too long you'll go mad. He started rambling about anything and everything he was guilty of over his short 30 years. We thought we had managed to calm him down, but when we awoke in the morning, Finn was gone. When we found him... I.. even thinking of it now it strikes terror into my heart. When we found him, it looked as though he had scrathed his own eyes out and sewn his own mouth shut using blades of nearby grass. The site was grousome and truly the most horrific thing I have ever seen. On top of this, we believe he died slowly over the course of a few days due to dehydration. Around him were scribbles of these.. characters? Runes maybe? I do not know what they were and I pray we never find out." - From the Journal of Syr Galtrad - 1189 - 1237 of the 1st age, Death caused by madness.
"The trees move! They creep and they stalk! The leaves they drip the blood of those they have devoured! They'll get you if you're not fast enough! Their roots will ensanre you and they'll slowly eat you alive! You cannot outrun them! You can't! They feed off those that wander and they speak an ancient tongue known only to them! Do not trust the trees!" - The rantings of Philip the Mad - 1287 - 1325 of the 1st age, Death caused by madness.
"We have been walking for what feels like weeks, maybe even months. Our map maker estimated we've walked over 3000 kilometers, but it doesn't end. I do not know if we are walking in circles or if this nightmare forest truly expands forever. Some of these trees... we have seen them before, if I didn't know better I would think they were... stalking us? But no that cannot be. The ground here is cold, colder than anything I have ever felt and I am from the north, where we have snow 10 months of the year. It's colder than ice... it feels like its slowly draining my very life from me. I awake every morning, more exhausted than the last. I'm not sure we can continue on." - Syr Feyn - 3 - 49 of the Second age, Death unclear, but the journal was recovered by a shadow-runner only 300 meters into the forest, beside her body... curious.
There are many more entries like this in the Great Library of Lysia, Journals and recordings of men, women and others gone mad. Some claim to have seen all kinds of creatures, but none of it can ever be known for certain. Many talkk of the trees and how they move about slowly. The Shadow Runners of Lysia make attempts to go into the forest, but none have managed to go further than a few hundred meteres in. Those that have gone in further either never made it back, or came back stark mad and raving about the trees or the nightmare creatures. This place is truly an abomination. The Mysts Guard stand watch over the border, with a Kilometer of No-man's land inbetween them. Curiously, some ancient texts from our archives claim the no-man's land used to be 10 Kilometers, but we believe that to be a simple conversion error.
The above is an exerpt from the Teachings of Syr Bryn, the Archmage of Lysia.
We should have realized. How did we not notice? The Mysts have overtaken us now. The year is 427 of the Second Age and our once great state has been overrun by... by trees and mists and all sorts of nightmare beasts. The rest of the free states have blocked us off and refuse to help us, we're doomed. Even the gods have abandoned us. - The last message recieved from Lysia, 3 years ago.

Type

Region