The Shattered Plains

The Shattered Plains is a vast, desolate expanse of cracked earth and floating rock formations located on the border between the central continent and the Western Wastes. Once a fertile breadbasket for a pre-Ruin civilization, the region was decimated by the "Aetheric Detonation" that created the Mana Wastes. The name "Shattered" is literal; the ground is crisscrossed with deep fissures that glow with a faint, sickly purple light at night, and massive slabs of the original landscape hover at various altitudes, held aloft by lingering anti-gravity anomalies. It is a place of absolute silence, save for the occasional grinding of stone against stone as the floating islands drift in the erratic currents.

Historically, the Shattered Plains were the site of the "Battle of the Shattered Plains" (218 AW), a pivotal engagement during the Arcanum Wars. It was here that Commander Vane utilized the region's unique geography to ambush the Arcane Ascendancy's main host. By planting "Gunpowder Mines" in the anti-gravity fissures, the Crimson Company was able to drop entire sections of the landscape onto the Ascendancy's marching columns, effectively neutralizing their magical advantage through sheer geological violence. The battle is still studied as a masterclass in asymmetrical warfare and the use of environmental hazards to defeat a numerically superior force.

In the modern era, the Shattered Plains are avoided by all but the most desperate. The region is home to "Void Hounds" and other mutated predators that have wandered in from the Mana Wastes. Furthermore, the "Aether-Bleed" from the fissures causes chronic illness and hallucinations in organic life after prolonged exposure. However, the Plains remain a focal point for researchers from the Aetheric Accord, who monitor the fissures for signs of further reality-instability. There are growing concerns that the "shattering" is not static, but is slowly expanding eastward, threatening to consume the remaining fertile lands of the central continent if the Mana Wastes are not somehow contained.