World of Alhanzar

Background

It was at the end of the first millennium in the lands of Alhanzar when they came. Foul, hideous creatures they were, streaming down from the north with but one goal in mind: the destruction of the twelve races of humans, elves, dwarves and halflings. Perilous times indeed were these, for although the forces of good fought valiantly, whenever one of the creatures was killed, another filled its place after only a short time as if out of thin air. But, just when it appeared as if all were lost, as if by an act of God a star fell from the sky, landing in the midst of the lands to the north. The evil forces trembled at this, and no longer did one of them fill the place of another that was killed. With this the forces of good arose anew, defeated the evil creatures, and drove them from the land.

Having rid their lands of the evil creatures, the twelve races then set out to repair the damage that had been done and build up their countries so they would be even stronger than they had been before. Great cities and great lands were developed, civilization flourished, and peace reigned throughout. All that was left was to civilize the lands to the north, which had become known as the 'Mystic Realms'. Very little was known about these lands, though it was rumored that despite the overwhelming evil that was there, some forces of good existed nonetheless.

An outpost, known as Minton, was established in the Mystic Realms, and the process of civilizing these lands was thus begun. However, after just a short time after it was established, and to the horror of all, Minton was attacked and overrun by evil creatures who had regained the ability to return out of thin air a short time after they were killed.

Given the terrible implications of this incident, a great meeting was called among the wise and powerful in the lands of Alhanzar. Even though the clerics of the land had mastered the ability of 'recall', allowing slain individuals to be raised from the dead, and the magic users of the land now had great magical abilities, it was the decision of these individuals, who came to be known as 'The Powers That Be', that they did not know the extent of the evil in the Mystic Realms and they thus did not know if they had the power to overcome it. As such The Powers That Be ruled out the possibility of a military expedition. Instead, what they decided was to re-establish the outpost at Minton, but this time protect the outpost with an impassable sphere, and then populate the area with those seeking their fame and fortune. As those inside the sphere, which became known as 'The Sphere of Mysticism', became better able to deal with the evil outside, the sphere would be expanded and in this fashion the evil in the Mystic Realms would be overcome.

With this, the outpost of Minton was reestablished near the site of the old outpost, the Sphere of Mysticism was put in place, and a 'Call to Adventurers' was sent out.

Geography

From the Sea of Tranquility, the Mystic River runs west before turning south where it is joined by the River Styx from the west. It then travels south into the pacified lands of Alhanzar.

The town of Haven was built by the Powers That Be on the north bank of the Mystic River just before it turns south. Haven is mostly a training center for adventurers.

The town of Sanctuary grew up quite spontaneously just to the northeast of Haven, once adventurers started arriving in the Mystic Realms. It provides various things, like potion sellers, that the planners of Haven neglected.

To the west of Haven, where the River Styx flows into the Mystic River, is the town of Verbonic. Originally just a pub at this point, there have been a number of buildings added by the Powers That Be, including one dedicated to the various classes in the realm.

Southwest of Verbonic is the town of Clysmort. When Minton (to the north of Clysmort and west of Verbonic) was overrun by the undead, the Minton survivors fled south across the swamp and expected they would be next. But, the undead never came. The town then grew up after that, and now has a number of stores not available elsewhere in the realm.

The town of Uswick is north of Sanctuary, through the mountains. There, in a secluded valley, the residents of Uswick held their ground when the area was overrun by evil, with the walls of Uswick proving invaluable in their defense. With the arrival of the PTB, Uswick is much more secure now (though, evil is never very far) and there are a number of unique shops there.

Salazad, with its solid stone walls, had been under attack for years before the invasion of evil, and thus was able to withstand that attack as well. The Sultan of Salazad has his palace in the eastern part of town, not far from the east gate which leads to the Sea of Tranquility.

The area south of Verbonic, across the River Styx, is known as Greenwood and is special in that is totally run by the PTB, LOR and adventurers. There is an arena there, a pub, and various guilds have constructed guild halls for their private use.

Index of Important Locations

The following is a list of places of note, divided up into Friendly, Dungeons, and Miscellaneous. Most have maps included; you can also find an old world map of Alhanzar here.

Friendly Towns

These are places currently held by the Forces of Light, where adventurers can rest, buy and sell equipment, and meet other heroes without fear of being attacked by monsters.

Dungeons

Generally speaking, a dungeon is any place inhabited by monsters (zombies, goblins, evil humans, etc.). They generally remain in the confines of their respective dungeons, though they are not, however, bound to remain there, as hapless adventurers fleeing from or walking too near the entrance to one of these places have found. They often have more than one level; the ones marked with a star (*) are the ones where lords and stat runes can be found.

Miscellaneous

These are places that don't fall into any other category; some offer little of note, but since they are named, they are included here. Most of them are friendly, with the exception of the Clysmort Swamp.

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