The Nyran Flats (nye-rin)
The Nyran Flats cover almost a third of Obriin and make up most of its uninhabited land. The Flats are bordered by two of the planet's main rivers, which unfortunately don't compromise its perpetual dry, dusty state. Traveling across this area induces strange, hallucinatory effects, causing it to be mostly uninhabited. Legend has it that it's named after the first traveller to ever come across the area, who died partway through the journey. His surname was never known, the only identification being a small card in his wallet, which read, "Nyran I."
This vast, empty landscape appears quite uninteresting from far off: just some once-smooth rock now covered with impact craters from the many asteroids that have landed in the area over the years. Small patches of sand can be found here and there, occasionally being swept up into glittering clouds. Otherwise, however, nothing remarkable can be seen from outside the area's borders. It's about a half-mile into the wasteland where things get interesting.
The Travelers that have been through the land report hallucinations of swirling colors in the wind, along with the ghosts of starships, ruins, and even crowds of people. These visions constantly fade in and out of view, giving a feeling of unease and often queasiness. This has been fittingly named "The Nyran Effect". The flickering forms of buildings seem to be calling, and a spell is put on the mind that's hard to release. The senses of judgement and direction are greatly impaired by these alluring ghosts. It's only far too often that people crossing the Flats lose their way and become a part of the miserable landscape, wandering the land until their supplies run out. Even the use of a GPS or compass proves unhelpful, as these pieces of technology are just as befuddled by the Flats' apparent magic. These devices never provide accurate directions in the Flats, only stranding travelers further.
Unfortunately, rescue missions ceased long ago, as these too typically became lost in the confusing landscape. Fortunately, new reports describe help from mysterious figures whose images flicker in the swirling sands, only to disappear when touched or spoken to. The stories claim that in the place of these disappearing shapes can be found a small bag made of leather-like material. This bag often holds canisters of food and water, and sometimes a compass. This compass is always trustworthy and leads people right out of the Flats, but afterward, when travelers try to find it in their pockets as proof, it's gone.
Recently, further discoveries have been made about the Flats: people's hallucinations have one small detail that's disturbingly similar across tales. Most parts of travelers' visions have differed, starships being of different models and the strange people being different shapes or wearing different clothing; however, one constant has been found: after leaving the area, everyone realizes that sometime while they were there, they saw a city. A large city, with distinct pointed towers and towering gates. Despite claiming having only glimpsed the city off in the distance, each person making this claim can draw it from memory.
Every drawing of the city has been identical.
Geography
This vast, empty landscape appears quite uninteresting from far off: just some once-smooth rock now covered with impact craters from the many asteroids that have landed in the area over the years. Small patches of sand can be found here and there, occasionally being swept up into glittering clouds. Otherwise, however, nothing remarkable can be seen from outside the area's borders. It's about a half-mile into the wasteland where things get interesting.
The Nyran Effect
The Travelers that have been through the land report hallucinations of swirling colors in the wind, along with the ghosts of starships, ruins, and even crowds of people. These visions constantly fade in and out of view, giving a feeling of unease and often queasiness. This has been fittingly named "The Nyran Effect". The flickering forms of buildings seem to be calling, and a spell is put on the mind that's hard to release. The senses of judgement and direction are greatly impaired by these alluring ghosts. It's only far too often that people crossing the Flats lose their way and become a part of the miserable landscape, wandering the land until their supplies run out. Even the use of a GPS or compass proves unhelpful, as these pieces of technology are just as befuddled by the Flats' apparent magic. These devices never provide accurate directions in the Flats, only stranding travelers further.
Unfortunately, rescue missions ceased long ago, as these too typically became lost in the confusing landscape. Fortunately, new reports describe help from mysterious figures whose images flicker in the swirling sands, only to disappear when touched or spoken to. The stories claim that in the place of these disappearing shapes can be found a small bag made of leather-like material. This bag often holds canisters of food and water, and sometimes a compass. This compass is always trustworthy and leads people right out of the Flats, but afterward, when travelers try to find it in their pockets as proof, it's gone.
Recently, further discoveries have been made about the Flats: people's hallucinations have one small detail that's disturbingly similar across tales. Most parts of travelers' visions have differed, starships being of different models and the strange people being different shapes or wearing different clothing; however, one constant has been found: after leaving the area, everyone realizes that sometime while they were there, they saw a city. A large city, with distinct pointed towers and towering gates. Despite claiming having only glimpsed the city off in the distance, each person making this claim can draw it from memory.
Every drawing of the city has been identical.
To this day, the strange phenomena of the Nyran Flats remain unexplained, but one thing is apparent: there's something out there. And, most likely, someone.
Type
Wasteland
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