THE MOURNLAND
Once, Cyre shone more brightly than any of its sibling
nations in the kingdom of Gali far. It was the center of
the kingdom's wealth, a monument to its artistic and ar
cane achievements, and the site of great centers of learn
ing where preeminent masters of magic, architecture,
and artifice taught at the forefront of their craft. It was
also the home of House Cannith and its massive found
ries: some of them built on mountains or in mountains,
some gracefully spanning canyons, and others erected
in vast labyrinths deep underground.
Today, this region is a festering wound across Khor
vaire. A wall of mist surrounds a land twisted into
strange and terrible shapes. Cyre was once called the
Jewel of Galifar. Now it is the Mournland.
THE MOURNING
No one knows the reason for what happened on 20
Olarune 994 YK. Though it had been battered, Cyre
stood defiant; Cyran soldiers had recently driven deep
into Karrnathi territory and were holding their lines
against the combined forces of Breland and Thrane.
And then it all came to an end.
Some say that the dead-gray mist began in Metro!,
initially flowing out of the royal palaces of Vermishard.
Others swear that the disaster began in the Cannith
stronghold of Making. All that is known is that the mist
swiftly spread across the kingdom, transforming the
lands and creatures caught within it. Over a million
people died in the Mourning, including nearly all of the
inhabitants of central Cyre. The mist slowed its advance
as it spread, and some of those in the borderlands heard
of the disaster in time to flee. Others survived because
they were already beyond the borders of Cyre; the mist
stopped mere feet away from the camps of Cyran sol
diers holding sections of the Brelish front. And though
the vast majority of people caught in the Mourning died,
thousands did survive. Most have no clear memory of
the event, and there's no explanation for why they were
spared. The superstitious say that these people are
cursed, that anyone touched by the Mourning is now
an agent of darkness. (See the book's introduction for
further details on how the Mourning might have affected
characters.)
In the days immediately following the Mourning,
many assumed that the mist would continue to spread.
Intense panic slowly turned to curiosity as it became
MuTATEo WoRGS IN
THE MouRNLANDclear that the border had stabilized. Over the last four
years, people have ventured into the mist for many rea
sons. Some sought to plunder the abandoned treasures
of the richest nation in Galifar. Others hoped to find lost
loved ones, or some explanation for the disaster. Few of
these explorers have returned, and those survivors all
tell tales of a land twisted in unpredictable and inexpli
cable ways.MOURNLAND ENVIRONMENT
The arcane energies that caused the Day of Mourning
and that linger in the remains of Cyre are mysterious
and unpredictable, so they can be the cause of any
bizarre magical effect you want to bring to bear in
your game.
Maps of Cyre from before the Day of Mourning are of
limited use nowadays. The land beyond the gray mist
has been twisted and warped, and distances seem to
expand and shrink even as one treks across the wastes.
As a result, any Wisdom (Survival) check or any check
using navigator's tools made to negotiate the Mournland
is made with disadvantage.
As if the difficulties of navigation weren't bad enough,
explorers must bring their own provisions into the
Mournland, unless they want to risk the danger of in
gesting tainted food and water.TERRAIN FEATURES
The Day of Mourning redefined the geography of Cyre.
The cataclysm raised land, swallowed lakes, and moved
whole cities. In some areas, the earth has been torn and
gouged as if by some colossal beast. In others, it has be
come iridescent glass or semiliquid sludge. Trees in one
place turned to crystalline onyx; the flowers in another
place begin eerily buzzing when touched by a breeze.
Nothing in the Mournland is as it was; the entire land is
a scar left by the catastrophe of the Mourning.
Mist Wa /J. The borders of the Mournland are defined
by a wall of thick, gray mist that rises thousands of feet
into the air and forms a canopy that hides the ruined
realm even from above.
The area covered by the mist is a shadowy, muffled re
gion devoid of life, sunlight, and sound. The wall of mist
ranges in thickness from a few hundred feet to as much
as five miles. Travelers who linger in the mist suffer a
growing sense of claustrophobia and despair. It's easy
to get lost in the impenetrable fog, and some travelers