THE WORLD OF VALEN

Myths passed down through scattered villages speak of a time—nearly a thousand years ago—when Valen overflowed with mana. Rivers shimmered with energy, machines from forgotten ages thrummed with power, and great cities stretched across the horizon. But these tales are inconsistent, fragmented, and wrapped in superstition. No one alive has ever known a world like the one described in old songs and carvings. For the people of today, Valen has always been a place of fading color, weak magic, and an uneasy stillness that deepens each year.

What is known is simple: mana is disappearing. Whether it is draining away, burning out, or being consumed is unknown. Fields yield little. Wildlife grows restless and distorted. Ancient relics once powered by mana now lie dormant. Many claim this decline has been happening for centuries—others insist it worsened only recently. No historian, scholar, or priest agrees on the cause. Memory has eroded over generations, leaving only rumors and contradictions in its place.

Yet one myth remains consistent across every culture: when mana reaches its lowest ebb, a Chosen will awaken, carrying within them a spark capable of rekindling the world. This figure must be escorted to the Temple of Mana, an ancient place said to rest where all remaining traces of mana converge. No one truly knows if the journey will restore Valen or doom it completely—only that the cycle has come again. The Chosen has awakened, frail but glowing faintly with inner light, and now your party must guide them through a world that barely remembers how to hope.

Southeast portion of Valen