Celestriana

Celestriana rises from the western reaches of the Other, a jagged monument
to nature’s most sublime and terrible aspects. Towering mountains of obsidian
and quartz catch the light of twin moons, creating a landscape that seems to
shimmer and shift when viewed from different angles.

The terrain is dominated by the Spire Mountains, whose peaks are said to
pierce the very fabric of reality, allowing glimpses into other worlds through
the aurora-like phenomena that dance between them. Within these mountains lie
countless caves and ravines, many leading to vast underground networks that
the few human inhabitants have learned to navigate by necessity rather than
choice.

Most notorious among these cavern systems is the Labyrinth of Echoes, where
sounds repeat and distort until they transform into voices that whisper
secrets or madness, depending on the listener. Fae lords occasionally use this
natural wonder as a venue for their more elaborate games, releasing captives
into the maze and wagering on how long they survive before the darkness claims
them.

The largest human settlement, Solace, exists in a deep valley protected by
natural formations that disrupt the hunting patterns of nocturnal predators.
Built primarily underground with only minimal structures visible on the
surface, the community has survived for seven generations by maintaining
strict protocols: no fires after sunset, no metal objects that might gleam in
moonlight, and no children allowed outside the central chambers until they can
recite the complete Litany of Silence, the formal rules of quiet and not
drawing attention.

By day, Celestriana offers resources worth the considerable risk, rare
crystals with inherent magical properties, herbs that grow nowhere else in the
Other, and the precious, luminous fungi that serve as both food sources and
trading commodities for the human enclaves. Gathering expeditions are
carefully timed and coordinated, with sentries posted to watch for the first
signs of dusk.

Abandoned Fae structures dot the landscape, elegant ruins of impossible
architecture left behind when their creators grew bored or moved on to new
diversions. The wisest travelers use these locations sparingly and never twice
in succession.