The following is provided for backstory only – there is no guarantee, without direct party action, that adventures will take place here.

When one passes through The Good Tunnel, one finds the Other Side of the known world, called by commoners and kings alike, as The Cusp of Curios.

1.) Sugoisa – The home of the Imperial Triune.  They are the human sovereigns reigning over The Cusp.  The city has many similarities to Bevcourte, but with a distinctive flair and bent toward the metaphysical.  Sugoisa is actually twice as large population wise as Bevcourte, but lacking the proper farming resources, most of its commoners exist in a state of slave labor.  Sugoisa, also lacking much of the mineral resources of The Platuea and Bevcourte throughout the ages, has focused on making the most use of lacquered wood, knotted rope, and magical means to defend themselves.  Also, they have perfected the arts of meditation and unarmed martial prowess beyond the reckoning of Plateau folk.  Even though Sugoisa has two strong resource deficiencies, it has existed for almost a millennia and has the most enlightening libraries of history, philosophy, alchemy, martial and magical lore.  Also, The Sugoisa Triune has at its call three juvenile dragons, the holy mounts of its rulers.

2.) Bakajin – A sizable city near The Good Tunnel.  Bakajin is ruled by 5 Major Guilds, namely the Accountants, the Heralds, the Lawyers, the Militia, and the Seers, with an array of lesser guilds holding varying degrees of power.  The Guild Lords have frequently quarreled with Sugoisa’s Imperial Triune, bargaining back and forth for land contracts and resource claims.  Their allegiance to Sugoisa is dictated by the terms of an ancient contract, called “The Leaflet,” and politicians on both sides squabble over its specifics.  Indeed, during the last great conflict, when both neighboring realms were threatened by the Varusiaff and creatures from the Dungeon, Bakajin withheld its support, stating that because the main battles were occurring on The Plateau of the Crescent Sea, they had no obligation.  Goods in Bakajin can be found for a good deal, if you can haggle, but sleep with one eye open.  Everyone here is an opportunist.  Rumors abound throughout the rest of The Cusp that pirate raiders that harrow The Good Tunnel take refuge in Bakajin.  For a city its size, Bakajin rivals all others in diversity and schemes.

3.) Mildedung – Atop the frosty summit of Eirgar’s Curse is the small kingdom of Mildedung.  Its people are hearty, tall and broad-chested, bearded, brave, and strong.  They regularly test their mettle against Dungeon creatures and the harshest conditions of sparse farming resources and a never-ending winter.  They are not a learned people, with a simple written language of runes, but their scalds retain an immense oral history.  Their weapons are primitive, mostly bronze and bone (or those taken from southron folk during raids), but their battle valor is unmatched.  They have close relations with the Dwarven Clan Kelmeere, who reside within the Jag of Thunder below.  The Mildedungar also claim to be in communion with dwarven clans from further up crags of Spyre, older and fiercer than they themselves.  Mildedung is ruled by King Frostbitter, who owes no allegiance to anyone else within The Cusp.  The Mildedungar war constantly with the Raptorkin of Aarkaque, creatures they see as no more than any other monstrous invaders.

4.) Camp Genovesii – A community built around the regular travels of vagabonds and nomads, this huge campground has become a village of sorts.  Many goods and services are available from around The Cusp, as well as special magical ingredients, treasures, and auguries not available elsewhere.  Although it is unwise to voice this opinion among them, it is widely acknowledge throughout The Cusp that Camp Genovesii is as much a gathering of thieves as it is an actual settlement.  Those that cannot find a home or trade elsewhere flock here, and the more migrant drifters of The Cusp occasionally stake tents on these grounds for a time before passing through.  Camp Genovesii is a prime location to gather gossip or news of things to come, and to mingle with all manner of folk.  Camp Genovesii is one of the only places one can find Sugoisi, Bakajin, Mildedung, Dwarves, Elves, Raptorkin, and even some Dungeon races milling amongst each other.

5.) The Old Stones of Fort Bushi – Once, a long time ago, this was a mighty fortress occupied by humans in order to fight back the hordes of the Dungeon races.  Now, only random tracts of wall and lonely pylons dot its landscape.  Although stories have reached all ends of The Cusp about how this place is haunted, it is usually occupied by one minor race of Dungeonling or another.  On their rare forays outside Bakajin, the Militia Guild sweeps clean the Old Stones of Fort Bushi, and makes camp for the turn of a moon or two.  Legends claim that underneath these ruins there is a Dungeon route of great mystery.

6.) The Good Tunnel – This leads to the port town of Halveton, and then to The Peninsula of the Crescent Sea.  Because of water flow, it is easier for ships from The Cusp of Curios to make this journey, but not the return trip.  Many captains know this, and travel accordingly – few take the risk of venturing further than Halveton unless there is profit to be made.

7.) Darkbolt Pass – One of the two main caverns in the mountain range known as The Jag of Thunder, this area is beset by Oni, Kappa, Gremlins, and undead spirits.  Deep within its catacombs is the dungeon lair of The Mandarin, a powerful Chaos, Illusion, Mind and Shadow Mage who uses the lesser creatures of the Dungeon to do his bidding and wreak havoc in The Cusp.  Despite efforts of Sugoisa’s army, the Mandarin’s keep has never been found.  The legend of The Mandarin has existed for more than two hundred years, and it is thought that he was once a member of Sugoisa’s Imperial family, corrupted by the strange magical energies he has accessed.  Luckily for all, his ambitions remain petty, only treasure plundering and making life difficult for the other goodfolk of the Realm.  That is, unless his grander scheme is yet to see fruition…

8.) Snikt – The existence of this village is constantly debated by noble highborn politicians as well as the simply peasantry, for no one who was not meant to find it does, and those that do, if they do, never tell, or do not return at all.  According to myth, Snikt is the legendary Village of Ninja, home to the Scorpion Kings, the Playful Spiders, the Guild of Mute Assassins, and other lesser known Clans.  If this place is real, it is a potential hotbed for all manner of magic and intrigue.  Even if this town does not exist, the Ninja Clans certainly do, and they occasionally crop up to disrupt the political order.  Many aspiring practitioners of ninjitsu seek Snikt, never to be heard from again.

9.) Fangs of Eirgar – This rocky shoal is the basin where The Breaking Falls empty into The Cusp of Curios’s main waterway.  Nothing can survive if they began their descent from Eirgar’s Curse.  Many fishermen claim that a great beast lurks beneath these frothy waves, eager to crush ships that come too close.  Also, there is legend that a secret entrance to the Dungeon lies behind The Breaking Falls, filled with the creature’s horde.

10.) Namu-Namu’s Door – A passageway into the Dungeon, this area is avoided by most people of all races.  It bares huge runes of warding, but still monsters occasionally pour forth.  Not far inside is the Oni keep known as “The City of Masks.”  Magicians and adventurers occasionally try to find it, but the hostile nature of that place makes it a foolish errand despite the potential wonders that could be discovered.  Namu-Namu’s Door is best avoided.  Legend says the wards are meant to keep an ancient demon trapped within; the Oni seem to be doing fine, so perhaps that threat is gone.  The Oni are not.

11.) Cavern of the Matrix – Gremlins here have built a giant machine-city from the stone.  At its core is a Dungeon that moves, and some say there are rooms that haven’t been tread upon for hundreds of years.  Beyond the Matrix is the Dungeon Core, and if an adventurer is brave (or foolish) enough, they might find themselves on The Other Side, on the Plateau.  The journey is perilous though, and totally impractical for trade or regular transit.  Even getting past the Gremlin city is a task, as its constantly tumbling gears and pivoting walls have been known to drive the common traveler insane.

12.) Aarkaque – The current home of the Raptorkin.  Once, so they claim, they ruled from aeries on high, before Eirgar’s Curse was stricken with eternal winter, before even humans walked the plains of The Cusp of Curious.  The Mildedungar have differing sagas, and have beaten the Raptorkin down to these caves, the Aarkaque, where they now huddle and eke out a meager existence fighting Dungeon creatures and scavenging the nearby countryside.  Because the Raptorkin are still savage in many ways, they do not have the same alliances and relationships that other humanoids share with humans.  Still, the Raptorkin try their best to maintain peace with Sugoisa and Bakajin, and await the day they can expel the barbarian Mildedungar from their ancestral homelands.

13.) Mines of Clan Kelmeere – A stronghold of dwarves in the upper reaches of the Jag of Thunder, who value valor and honor, strength and wisdom.  They have a higher understanding of magic than their Plateau cousins, particularly in Air, Alchemy, Animal, and Illusion schools, and are masters at training dire animals to serve as mounts.  A dark offshoot of the Kelmeere, the Kildeere, are their sworn enemies alongside Oni, Orcs, Goblins, and Gremlin, lurking deep within the Dungeon, and have made dark pacts with Insect totems and trolls.  The Kelmeere are proud and aloof, rarely associating with men since the great war.  Clan Kelmeere has an uneasy alliance with the fae in their area.  The Mines of Clan Kelmeere are rich in many gems and ore, and they guard them jealously.

14.) The Icy Arch – The sole entrance to the Dungeon by way of Eirgar’s Curse, this network of tunnels connects to both the Mines of Clan Kelmeere and the Aarkaque of the Raptorkin.  Mildedungar patrols regularly march through these passages to keep trespassers away, but occasionally creatures from the depths arise that close it off (even more than it usually is).  It is the only safe way down to the rest of The Cusp of Curios, although that is a relative term.  The Icy Arch is filled with snow and frost monsters.

15.)  Lonnal Forrest – This is the primary forest of Sugoisa’s territory.  It is filled with lesser creatures, and some fae, but the worst threat comes from Oni and Orcs hiding within its many canopied glades.  There is also rumored to be several hermit wizards and monks that dwell in its depths.

16.) Eeyae Forrest – More dangerous than Lonnal Forest, the Eeyae is teeming with all manner of dire and supernatural creatures.  Because there is nothing except the Fangs of Eirgar, the isolationist Mines of Kelmeere, and the phantom village of Sniket beyond its reaches, few people have reason to plumb its mysteries.  Eeyae Forrest though is the only place where Mandrake Root and Refuto Wood may be harvested, which are potent magical (or anti-magical) ingredients.  Also, the lost treasure of the Cuijik may lie within.

Next up, the Pantheon of Spyre…