Holyfield

The Sacred Land, The First Corner. Holyfield is a region held high in some teachings of Zol’s Religions. In these teachings, it is thought to be the first place where The Watcher in The Door began creating the world. Academics will tell you there is no real evidence of this, however the region possesses strange, and unique natural tendencies. Those who go there will also tell you there is an undefinable, gripping emotion that is associated within being in this place. A haunted feeling of beauty, awe, fear, and reverence. Something deep within ones gut they tells them they are not worthy of this place. These strange natural tendencies are known as The Hum, and are most present as a mysterious musical humming 1/3rd of people can hear.

Holyfield is largely made up of a vast expanse of golden-green colored grass, broken up by occasional stone outcroppings. Despite its reverence, and high pedestal it is held in by some, there is not much variety to be seen within the region.

The properties of The Hum that exist beyond The Blades are as follows:

• Any damage done to the land, be it cracked stone, cut plants, or moved dirt slowly heals over time similarly to a cut upon ones flesh. It may scar in an inexact way, but the land returns itself to a constant state.
• Any structure built within the region crumbles and rots within hours.
• Plants do not grow or die, they seem held in a constant balance.
• Any natural material taken from the region crumbles to dust in a matter of days.
• There are no animals that have been recorded in the area.
• Ocean waters near Holyfield are almost entirely still.
• The weather is a constant here. Medium winds and slightly cold temperatures blanket the land.
• When approaching Holyfield, one will witness the sun either rise or fall to rest so it is slightly below the horizon. Making it so the land has a feeling of constant early dawn or late dusk. A time referred to by painters as ‘golden hour’.
• All who traverse these lands experience a constant haunted feeling of beauty, awe, fear, and reverence.
• Roughly 33% of individuals who enter the region claim to occasionally hear a musical humming sound. This hum is quiet but has great enough kinetic energy behind it it can cause cymatic patterns in water. This is the most prevalent characteristic of The Hum.
• A brave few make pilgrimages deep into the field and over 95% don’t return. Most of those that do return claim to have found nothing, but a rare few return with broken minds and what is known as a ‘Creature Gift’. These gifts take the form corpses of horrible, asymmetric, mangled beasts of black fur, chitin, red eyes, sharp teeth, and distended jaws. Those who have seen them explain them to look somewhat like a dog. No one knows what they are or where they come from, but they are extremely sacred to The Church of The Hum. Academics have attempted to get their hands on one of these beings but The Church of The Hum’s members will lay down their lives to protect them.

Two religious groups have formed in the area. The Church of The Hum and The Speakless. The Church of The Hum are a reverent group who seek to experience and understand the power of the region and how it relates to The Trinity. The Speakless are a dangerous cult of silent and lethal warriors that attack any who they catch trying to venture deeper into Holyfield. Both parties are considered a manifestation of Obscuran belief.

• Qalderaach - A collection of large stone outcroppings. Thought to be where The Speakless originate from.
• The Few - Five massive trees, no one knows their origin or significance.
• The Blackbeach Coast - The western coast of black sand beaches.
• The Beachless Cliffs - The eastern coast, no beaches exist here. Merely cliffs that vary between heights hundreds or even thousands of feet above sea level. It has been determined that the lack of beaches is a product of The Hum. Any erosion of the cliffs repairing itself after being removed. Any sand produced by the erosion dissipates into nothingness.
• Inera - A forest of trees that exists mostly outside of the effects of The Hum. However there are times where the effect of The Hum temporarily expands its influence upon Inera, causing for a very peculiar ecosystem. The beasts and monsters found here are described as angelic and terrifying.
• Church of The Hum - A massive campus with a cathedral at its center. This sect is tied to the ideals of Trinity-Centric Religion, with a focus on The Hum’s presence within Zol. These individuals are know to be extremist in their views, and are very strange to outsiders.
• The Cymatic Lakes - 2 grand lakes who’s surfaces occasionally vibrate with the cymatic patterns of The Hum.

Due to the effect of The Hum, the area is in a constant state similar to that of a late temperate spring.

Holyfield was explored in the early first age by the Elves of Gethsemane. However it was first discovered by the Changelings of The Glassius Reach, who view the land as forbidden. It took much time for the clergy of Zol to discover religious significance within the area. When the idea of it being the worlds place of origin came to light, many thought to build a city within the sacred land. However due to the effect of The Hum this was impossible, and even if there was a method of maintaining a structure within the region there are no resource to support a large society.

Smaller groups then moved to build something at its edge, The Church of The Hum was founded from this mission. During the early days of the new church, its members discovered another group that had seemingly been there long before. A sect of frightening and mute warriors masked in rags who were named The Speakless.

The Speakless acted as sentinels of Holyfield, attempting to stop anyone who ventured deep into the realm. However Holyfield is quite large, and The Speakless are few. Without horses or proper fortifications, pilgrims from the Church of The Hum are able to sneak past them successfully. However those that are not are swiftly dispatched.

The region borders the kingdoms:

• Gethsemane by way of the Wrath Wastes
• The Glassius Reach