| The Dome | |
|---|---|
| Also Known As | The Lost City of Zindariel |
| Nation | Nation of Lexovar |
| Type | Quarantined Forbidden Zone |
| Location | Deep in the coastal highlands of Lexovar |
| Status | Forbidden — Arcane Council Quarantine |
| Radius | ~50 miles |
The Dome
Once a shining marvel of arcane innovation, the city of Zindariel is now entombed within a mysterious, 50-mile radius sphere of churning green mist known only as The Dome. No wind can disperse the fog, and no conventional magic can pierce it. Within, reality itself fractures.
Origin of the Disaster
Zindariel’s greatest minds constructed the Arcanum Engine — a revolutionary device intended to unify and regulate magical frequencies across the city. It worked, until it didn’t. When the Engine failed, it tore open a permanent rift between life and death, twisting the city and its surrounding landscape into an arcane wasteland.
Current Conditions Inside the Dome
The Fog
Dense, luminous green mist that churns like a living entity. No wind affects it. Visibility drops to a few dozen feet.
Magical Warping
Magic behaves unpredictably within the Dome. Necromancy is amplified. Conjuration and healing are suppressed or inverted. Illusion and enchantment become unstable. Wild magic surges occur without warning.
Necrotic Pull
Life ebbs unnaturally. Death saving throws are especially difficult. Long rests may fail to restore health or spell slots.
Reanimation Effect
Corpses reanimate within hours unless burned or beheaded.
Construct Ban
Constructs — warforged, golems, and summoned objects — shut down upon entry.
Mutation Exposure
Prolonged time inside the Dome causes physical and magical mutation. Minor mutations appear after hours of exposure. Major mutations, potentially permanent, develop over days.
Key Landmarks
The Verdant Gate — A half-collapsed portal covered in vines and ancient glyphs. It occasionally pulses, and strange mutated creatures sometimes emerge from it.
The Silent Spires — Towering ruins of Zindariel’s arcane academies, visible through the mist like broken fingers. Some glow faintly. All are haunted.
The Breach — The cratered heart of the city, where the Arcanum Engine once stood. Constantly emits blue-green lightning. Said to be the eye of the storm.
The Cradle Gardens — Once a botanical paradise, now a grotesque jungle of sentient, mutated flora. Every plant is hostile, and none survive transplant beyond the Dome.
Villages Trapped Within
Four villages are known to be caught inside the Dome’s radius, now warped reflections of themselves — isolated and strange. Some remain partially inhabited. Others are overrun with mutation and madness.
- Cricklehaven
- Thallid’s Verge
- Tinker’s End
- Duskgrove
Rumors from the Dome
1. The Heart Moves — The Breach slowly shifts its location every decade. The center of the Dome is never where it used to be.
2. Whispering Mist — At night, the fog whispers names — sometimes the names of the dead, the lost, or those yet to enter.
3. Reality Tears — Stepping in the wrong place might send you to another plane, usually the Shadowfell, but not always.
4. Ghost Keys — Floating spectral keys occasionally bond to explorers. They unlock any lock, once. Then they vanish, and something about you might disappear too.
5. The Undead Court — An ancient council of Zindariel’s nobility still meets in their ruined palace, plotting their resurrection.
6. The Clean Zone — A 500-foot bubble near the old university where magic functions normally. No one stays there long. Everyone feels watched.
7. Living Tattoos — Magical tattoos that slither off the dead and seek new hosts. Some grant power. Others drain the soul.
8. The Bell Tower Still Rings — Randomly, a ruined tower tolls. Those who hear it either vanish, go mad, or kill indiscriminately.
9. Child’s Laughter — Heard deep in the mist. No child is ever found. Those who chase it never return.
10. The Arcanum Engine Lives — Some theorists believe the Engine didn’t break. It evolved. It is cocooning the city, waiting to hatch.
Why Enter the Dome?
- Rare magic-tech and mutagenic artifacts
- Relics of pre-disaster Zindariel for sale to noble houses and arcane schools
- Specimen retrieval for study
- Forbidden knowledge and experimental breakthroughs
Few return. None return unchanged.