In the world of Tirakan, you can always come across special places that tell of past events or radiate a special power. Battles were fought here, sacrifices were made, or the events of the world were otherwise intervened in.
Hidden in the deep mountains of the West lies that plain which was to be the last refuge of the Demons in the Second Age, before Ginae's body covered the unspeakable maw that Dhas'Garyll had torn open among the Demons. Hidden both from the eyes of the fledgling human cultures and from the knowledge of the Atiarel and Fraxut who populated vast swathes of land at that time. Only the Morgalas were sad witnesses to this expulsion, as they were to be enslaved by Wisgu at the same time.
The shadow world first appears on the southern horizon of the continent in the 5th century. Slowly but surely, this "long dark shadow" as the seafarers call it, pushes towards the mainland; in the 6th century it reaches the mainland. The area beyond the shadow's border presents itself as a perverted reflection of the actual world: unsteady and unreal, it distorts life, animals and all existence as if through a broken mirror.
South of Thenon, around the year 322 EC., a cult forms around the dark mage Ortan and his followers. Although the shadow world has not yet reached the southern tip of Tirakan, these followers attempt to build a portal to the shadow world.
This defensive structure, like a huge rampart, is located at the narrowest point of the strait between Yavon and Toran. To the east, the structure reaches the marshy lands of Fohndor, an almost impassable swampy landscape that stretches to the Rock Sea. The western end is formed on a jagged cliff on the West Sea. It is not certain when this complex, which is aligned on both sides, was erected, nor is it clear who its builders were.
Somewhere in the dark forest, in the south of Toran, lies an old, decaying house. It doesn't matter in which century you visit this place, the house always looks equally destroyed and dilapidated. The wooden façade has large breaches, the shutters hang crookedly.
The plains of Kaal are a vast icy desert in the north of Tirakan. Wanderers from the south cannot expect much here, as the icy, snow-covered vastness stretches for many miles.
Also known as the "cursed lands". This place was drenched in blood during the first storm of the Hoofs, around 160 EC. 3000 Jirans fell victim to the axes of about 200 of the Hoofs, fully overcome by the force of the bulls. The fear and rage of that day mingled with the blood of the dead and since then this place has been visited by eerie apparitions and deviants. Unconfirmed legends say that Bouhr, king of the ghouls, exercises his cruel rule here.
Re was once the original home of the Atiarel. Under the ever-young Atiarel herself, the city was long run by the kings Slamar and Silmarion. For long centuries, life flourished in this great city to the north, north of the Valley of Oblivion. But everything was to change with the invasion of the Anscharon.
This tower is located at the westernmost tip off Tirakan on a rocky island at the level of the Katora territory. In fact, there are only legends about it, as its coast is not suitable for landing ships. Nor is it possible to reach it magically, so the structure, like its builders, remains an unsolved mystery to this day. The legends about this tower go back to the earliest times, and the following is a compilation of some of these legends:
The mage academy Stormrock in Yadosia is by reputation the best academy in Yadosia. The round grey granite tower rises proudly into the sky from the edge of the cliff. The academy is situated on the edge of the cliff and is surrounded on one side by the Rock Sea, and on the other by the city of Stormrock. The town, whose harbour is a good hundred metres below it, is also situated on the cliff and formed from the local farmers and craftsmen who supplied the academy.
If a traveller in the seventh century manages to reach the heart of the Al Bah JiRa desert, he may come across a strange place. In the middle of the desert, a galleon lies dry. The ship is badly damaged. The side of the ship is broken in many places, the sails are hanging in tatters.
Long ago, when the Gods were still alive on Tirakan's soil and the Demons were waging their cruel wars, an event occurred on the plain of Jaar that was to change everything. There, on the vast steppes of the plain, the Demons were rounded up, and there the final battle was to take place. It was here that Brahas tore a huge rock from the earth, and with it slew the god Herbarin. The rock shattered into a thousand splinters and became known as Tanium.
The Academy of Arcane Arts at Bayard was founded in 277 EC by the brothers Henry and Pierre LaFoilette. The school was built in an old Yadosian militia building, a whitewashed, castle-like masonry with red bricks.
In the harbour of the Asgoran capital Thenon lies the academy Hardas Lockheist, two miles from the first breakwaters. On a high reef, in the middle of a mostly agitated sea, lies a jet-black building that is bathed in a magical fog all year round. From the sea, only a billowing mass of mist can be seen, from which countless tall black towers rise above, with no windows.
The Valley of Oblivion lies in the northwest of Meridian near the ancient city of Re south of the Atiarel mountains. The origin of the area is obscure, elven legends report that it was created in the time of war and the fall of Re. Other sources claim it was created by the Atiarel or even Tar himself to protect the Atiarel during the stasis of their leader.
Baba built a hut atop the rotting stump of a giant tree that was felled long ago. It was only after she embedded a magic gemstone in the hut that the whole thing was imbued with a semblance of life. When she wills it to do so, the hut pulls its gigantic roots free of the earth and shambles around like a spidery behemoth, shaking the ground with every step. The hut attacks with its flailing and stomping roots. It can also use its roots to fling large rocks.