The Glowing Chasm

Source: Politics of Cyre

Rather than being concentrated in one central city, the people of the canyon lived a truly idyllic lifestyle in a large assortment of villages and towns. Below are some example towns that could be found in the area.

Crossroads

Strategically located at one of the eastern exits of the Verdant Canyon, Crossroads was a bustling town with a large shrine to its patron Kol Korran. The city held special importance to the Juran family of House Cannith, as the wandering tinkers found the city a convenient place to catch up on news while restocking their supplies.

Sidor

One of many mining towns in the region, Sidor has a long history of deep mining that delved into Khyber. During the Last War, alchemists began experimenting with the natural gas that had been sealed away by the wizards before them, combining its chemical power with traditional magical weapons. These experiments never saw widespread use but were an effective way to bypass defenses against magic.

Raled

Raled was located adjacent to a historic grove of tree infused with Irian energies. The aura the grove emanated sustained life and cured diseases keeping the people of Raled healthy and strong. In exchange, they took responsibility for preserving and maintaining the grove. The heart trees of the grove, ancient and thick, were said to date back to the Age of Demons. Such age has allowed the trees to soak in evermore Irian energies–even cutting them is hard, as their wood almost instantly regenerates.

Source: Politics of Cyre

When the mists swept through the Verdant Canyon, life that had once been sheltered was swiftly abolished. The ground rumbled from terrible earthquakes, leveling and sometimes even outright swallowing the towns and villages scattered throughout. The inhabitants that survived the mists were transformed into aberrant versions of themselves, growing toxic indigo crystals and undergoing other strange physical changes.

Source: Politics of Cyre

The Verdant Canyon was full of colorful personalities before the Mourning. Unlike the rest of Cyre, the Verdant Canyon was not under the governance of any noble, instead existing as an independent governing zone without an intermediary power between the local community and the crown itself. This arrangement freed the people of leeching aristocrats, but also reduced their ability to advocate for aid and resources in times of crisis.

Ashraf Yunnus

An outspoken farmer and activist, Ashraf Yunnus (he/him) was intensely critical of the crown’s desperate taxation and conscription attempts as the war increasingly soured. Ashraf was a product of the long traditions of freedom and independence within the valley, and he held the feudal restrictions that dominated the rest of Khorvaire in disdain.

Saheeli Juran d’Cannith

The matron of the Juran family, Lady Seneschal Saheeli Juran d’Cannith (she/her) spent most of her time running a large, mobile operation that functioned throughout the Verdant Canyon. She was loathe to leave the area and minimized the time she spent in Eston by using proxies and messengers to conduct business. For truly important business that demanded her presence, Saheeli leveraged House Orien’s recent innovations in teleportation to minimize the time she spent away from the canyon.

Firoza Attab

A local leader interested in improving people’s material conditions, Firoza (she/her) believed outside investment in the region was essential. Her outreach to surrounding nobles sometimes aroused the ire of other prominent members in the region, who believed that preserving their traditional way of life was more important than economic growth and change. 

Source: Politics of Cyre

While the Verdant Canyon shunned the urban industrialization and high culture prevalent in the rest of Cyre, its agriculture and unique resources made it a vitally important region of the country.

Entertainer. While most professional performers in Khorvaire are licensed by House Phiarlan, the rural independent performers who strayed from guild guidelines were able to thrive in the isolation of the Verdant Canyon with support from the local populace. Did you try to avoid politics, or if not, what sides did you take?

Folk Hero. While the prominent Irian zones leave much of the canyon idyllic, that doesn’t mean the region was trouble free–magical beasts also enjoyed the region’s bounty, growing strong and occasionally gaining strange abilities. What problem did you deal with and how did it end?

Hermit. The magical lands of the Verdant Canyon left plenty of room for individuals who avoided society and lived their own lives in communion with nature. Does your Discovery relate to why you went into isolation or is it something you that was revealed to you in the canyon?

Source: Politics of Cyre

A horrifically dangerous region even by Mournland standards, the Glowing Chasm may hold the answers to untold secrets.

The Glowing Forest. A group of diviners claim that the Irian-touched forest adjacent to Raled has somehow survived the effects of the Mourning. A wealthy but sick noble believes that a branch from a heart tree of this forest is the only cure available for his rare disease.

The Whispers. Expeditions that have passed by the Glowing Chasm sometimes report strange whispers coming from the canyon that speak truths of the past and future. These whispers come from Tul Oreshka, the overlord of maddening truths. Is this just her power extending onto the surface from Khyber or does her presence have a deeper tie to the events of the Mourning?

Mutant Threats. An unusual number of twisted creatures have begun to flow from the Glowing Chasm. At first their movements were contained within the Mournland, but they have recently made their way outside of its borders. Channara d’Medani (she/her) of the Thousand Yard Stare, based out of Arythawn Keep in Thrane, needs a strike force to investigate and hopefully eliminate whatever is causing the torrent of aberrations.