Moon Lands
"The Confluence is an intriguing place. What I wouldn't give to understand its secrets. I don't believe half the rumors, but if even one of them is true, the Moon Lands may be one of the most important locations in all of Vault." - from the memoirs of Lewin Von Treet, Vault: the Land of Stuff and Things
Location Description
Population: ~200
Founded: Unknown
Before the Kindred were forced from their homes across western Vault and made to settle on what came to be known as Kindred Isle, the island bore a different name: Rotwood. And while Rotwood was an evil and forbidden place, it was still accessible. And so it came to pass that when the Kindred were forced to settle on Rotwood, they found the ruins of a people who had already lived there.
The Moon Lands are ancient and, in many ways, unknowable, even to the Kindred who can see the clear signs of their ancestors' presence. Only a few things are certain: Kindred lived in Rotwood before the arrival of the Newcomers. No Kindred has any living memory of who those people might have been. And those Kindred living on Rotwood left behind a magnificent civilization that has succumbed to the decay of time.
The ancient Kindred of the Moon Lands left their marks, telling a story of lunar worship and nocturnal living. While these eastern reaches of the Kindred Isle are held in high regard, not enough is known about the ancient Kindred and their former home to consider is sacred. Still, it carries that air all the same.
Inarguably, the most distinctive and enchanting feature of the Moon Lands are the paths of the Confluence. A name pulled from ancient murals and texts, the Confluence is a series of twisting, labyrinthian stone paths, running for dozens and dozens of miles across the Moon Lands. It is widely agreed among the Kindred that the Confluence is an arcane system; some manner of magical construction, but no one knows how it operates or can identify its uses. There are hundreds of theories based on study of the paths, including that walking them in a certain order unlocks immeasurable power, or that they reveal the secrets of the moon if one spends their life traversing their winding ways.
Regardless of their intended use, the Kindred will often walk the Confluence as a way of connecting with their ancient forebears, in spirit if in nothing else. The Kindred are very protective of the Moon Lands and forbid Newcomers to study the magic therein, but the Confluence is becoming of more and more interest to the people of Vault, as word of its arcane power spreads.
The blight of the Kindred Isle has also left its mark in the Moon Lands. More and more of the beautiful bioluminescent flora are dimming and extinguishing completely. Some say even the moon doesn't shine quite as brightly onto the land as it once did.
Location Landmarks
Celestial Gardens - while nearly all of the plant life in the Moon Lands responds to the presence of the moon, nowhere is this more on display than the Celestial Gardens. Hundreds and hundreds of trees and flowers, blooming in iridescent beauty in the light of the moon. It is said removing a flower from the Celestial Gardens is to incur the wrath of the night sky.
The Luathanon - these crumbling stones are the most intact structure in the Moon Lands; a place whose purpose can still be surmised despite its ruin. It once was a temple with a moving ceiling that would, at all times, allow the light from the moon to flood its inner chambers. Such a marvel of engineering is now lost but the texts and mosaics of the Luathanon still remain to varying degrees.
Whistlereed Affair - most believe the Moon Lands to be vacant but in actuality, is has a small population of permanent residents, all of whom live together in the Whistlereed Affair. So named for the reeds that make astounding music with the wind, it is a pleasant and quiet settlement near a flowing river, not large or structured enough to even be a town or village.
People of Note
Brummford: Male Harengon, the best farmer in the Whistlereed Affair, Brummford is a grumpy old man but cares too much to allow anyone to go hungry
Lady Lifeless: Female Wolfkin, a hunter who keeps a certain kind of creature of the Moon Lands in check
Particula Pertinent: Female Owlin, the preeminent knowledge on the ancient people of the Moon Lands, she also keeps Newcomers from that knowledge