Lost Locations
“Islands That Vanished”
Overview
Phenomenon: Settlements, islands, or structures
disappearing without trace
Frequency: Rare but documented
Explanation: None definitive
Impact: Navigation unreliable, psychological unease
Documented Cases
The Floating Gardens (~150 S.)
Description: Agricultural island, prosperous
Population: ~300 residents
Disappearance: 187 S. (trade ship found empty
space)
Evidence: None (not even debris)
Theories: Rot consumed, fell into
void, Aether anomaly
Beacon Station (~220 S.)
Description: Navigation outpost, communication
relay
Population: ~50 staff
Disappearance: 241 S. (routine supply run found
nothing)
Evidence: Lantern fragments found drifting (weeks
later)
Theories: Storm destroyed, deliberate sabotage,
dimensional shift
Thornspire Settlement (~260 S.)
Description: Minor mining outpost
Population: ~120 residents
Disappearance: 278 S. (gradual—communications ceased
over days)
Evidence: Final message: “Light
coming from below, beautiful, calling—”
Theories: Rot seduction, mass madness, Voice Beneath
The Scholar’s Retreat
Description: Archivist library, pre-Shattering research
Population: ~30 scholars
Disappearance: 285 S. (two years ago)
Evidence: Personal effects found on neighboring island
(no bodies)
Theories: Experiment gone wrong, knowledge too
dangerous, fled deliberately
Theories
Natural Disasters
Belief: Islands fell, storms destroyed, structural
failure
Evidence: Plausible (gravity fluctuations occur)
Counter: Usually debris remains, survivors escape
Adherents: Pragmatists, Sky-Guild navigators
Rot Consumption
Belief: Corruption spreads rapidly, transforms
island entirely
Evidence: Rot’s transformative power
established
Counter: Usually evidence of corruption visible,
process gradual
Adherents: Constellation Clergy,
survivors
Aether Anomalies
Belief: Reality fluctuations cause spatial
displacement
Evidence: Shattering proves reality
unstable
Counter: Why specific locations? Why no return?
Adherents: Scholars, Archivists
The Voice Beneath
Belief: Sky Rot intelligence
deliberately erases locations
Evidence: Some final messages mention “voices,”
“calling,” “beautiful light”
Counter: Why these specific targets?
Adherents: Rot-Touched, some clergy
Deliberate Disappearance
Belief: Residents fled, faked destruction
Evidence: Pre-planning possible (Scholar’s Retreat
especially)
Counter: Why fake death? Where did they go?
Adherents: Black Sky Cartel, conspiracy
theorists
Pre-Shattering Technology
Belief: Ancient defenses activate, teleport or
destroy
Evidence: Luminar
Council tech still active occasionally
Counter: Why now? Why these locations?
Adherents: Returners, Kalis Dren
Common Elements
Warning Signs (Sometimes): - Communication difficulties (static, delays) - Reality anomalies (visual distortions, time discrepancies) - Psychological changes (residents report dreams, compulsions) - Light phenomena (“glow from below,” “stars calling”)
Aftermath: - Total disappearance (no debris field) - Neighboring islands report “bad feeling” - Navigation becomes unreliable nearby - Some areas avoided (superstition or caution?)
Ongoing Mysteries
The Drifting Void
Location: Former site of Floating Gardens
Phenomenon: Empty space, no island, no debris
Navigation: Ships report compass failures, time
distortions
Avoidance: Trade routes detour (adds days)
The Echo Islands
Location: Scattered Far Reaches
Phenomenon: Islands reportedly appear, vanish,
reappear
Witnesses: Few, contradictory accounts
Reality: Possible mirage, Aether distortion, or actual
phenomenon?
Impact
Practical
Navigation: Routes updated constantly (charts
unreliable)
Settlement: Fear of “unlucky” islands
Economy: Insurance premiums, trade disruption
Population: Reluctance to settle distant islands
Psychological
Unease: “Could happen to us”
Paranoia: Watching for warning signs
Superstition: Rituals to prevent disappearance
Despair: Uncertainty of existence
Prevention Attempts
Warning Networks: Communication protocols
(report anomalies)
Evacuation Plans: Most settlements have emergency
procedures
Investigation: Archivists studying patterns
(no breakthroughs)
Religious: Clergy blessings (effectiveness
uncertain)
Additional Documented Cases
The Merchant Fleet (Year 198 S.)
Description: 5 ships traveling together (cargo convoy) Population: 40 crew total Disappearance: Between Skyport Eos and Ironhold (well-traveled route) Discovery: Ships never arrived (both destinations) Evidence: None (no wreckage, no distress signals, no survivors) Theories: Storm (but weather was clear), piracy (but no demands), Aether anomaly
Impact: Major trade route disruption (weeks of delays while alternate routes found)
Highwatch Tower (Year 215 S.)
Description: Observation post (Periphery monitoring) Population: 8 (rotating observers) Disappearance: Gradual (communications became strange, then ceased) Last Message: “The stars are wrong. They’re moving in patterns. Beautiful patterns. We’re going to—” Evidence: Tower found empty (3 weeks later) Theories: Constellation phenomenon, madness, Aether-Sickness
The Sanctuary Isle (Year 229 S.)
Description: Medicant Order hospital (Rot-Touched care) Population: 60 (30 Medicants, 30 patients) Disappearance: Overnight (neighboring island noticed absence) Evidence: Island intact but empty (buildings, supplies, everything except people) Theories: Rot transformation (but no corruption visible), mass exodus (but why?), Silence Phenomenon (but island remains)
Impact: Medicant Order traumatized (lost entire facility)
Windfall Mine (Year 256 S.)
Description: Iron mine (small but productive) Population: 45 (miners, support staff) Disappearance: Gradual (production stopped over 3 days) Last Message: “Something in the deep shaft. Singing. We’re investigating.” Evidence: Mine found abandoned (tools, ore, everything left behind) Theories: Underground discovery (what?), gas leak (hallucinations), Voice Beneath
Investigation: Mine sealed (too dangerous to explore)
The Drifting Chapel (Year 273 S.)
Description: Mobile monastery (small island, wandering) Population: 12 (monks, contemplatives) Disappearance: Between recorded positions (should have been seen, wasn’t) Evidence: None (island and people both gone) Theories: Fell into Deeps, Aether anomaly, divine rapture (monks believed this)
Impact: Clergy disturbed (even holy places aren’t safe)
Patterns and Analysis
Geographic Distribution
All Regions Affected: - Bright Reaches: 6 cases (most populated, most cases) - The Periphery: 5 cases (dangerous region, expected) - Howling Expanse: 3 cases (storms might explain) - Veiled Heights: 2 cases (isolated, hard to verify) - The Murk: 1 case (or more unreported—no one tracks Murk carefully) - The Deeps: Unknown (expeditions vanish regularly anyway)
No Safe Zone: Anywhere can be affected
Temporal Pattern
Frequency: Increasing - Year 150-200 S.: 2 cases (rare) - Year 200-250 S.: 8 cases (accelerating) - Year 250-287 S.: 12 cases (continuing) - Trend: Worsening (like Rot, like storms, like everything)
No Seasonal Pattern: Occurs any time of year
No Constellation Correlation: Various alignments (no divine pattern)
Population Size
Range: 8 to 300 people - Small outposts vanish (8-50 people) - Medium settlements vanish (50-150 people) - Large settlements rare (150+ people—only 2 cases)
Possible Pattern: Smaller populations more vulnerable? - Or: Larger settlements noticed faster (smaller ones might vanish unreported)
Warning Signs (Sometimes Present)
Communications Anomalies (40% of cases): - Messages become strange (content is odd) - Frequency changes (more or less than normal) - Final messages cryptic (“something beautiful,” “calling,” “we’re going”)
Psychological Changes (30% of cases): - Residents report dreams (shared dreams sometimes) - Compulsions (desire to go somewhere, do something) - Euphoria (unusual happiness before vanishing)
Environmental Anomalies (20% of cases): - Light phenomena (glows, strange colors) - Sound phenomena (singing, humming, voices) - Reality distortions (time feels wrong, space looks bent)
No Warning (50% of cases): - Sudden disappearance (no signs) - Normal until gone (no preparation) - Complete surprise (to neighbors, authorities, everyone)
Investigation Efforts
The Lost Location Registry
Maintained By: Archivists (comprehensive records)
Contents: - All documented cases (22+ over 287 years) - Witness testimonies (hundreds) - Physical evidence (fragments, messages, objects) - Theories (dozens proposed) - Maps (marking lost locations)
Access: Open (hoping someone finds pattern)
Findings: No definitive pattern (frustrating)
Sky-Guild Navigation Updates
Purpose: Keep charts current (lost locations marked as hazards)
Method: Reports from pilots (if island is gone, update charts)
Problem: Islands might reappear (Echo Islands phenomenon)
Solution: Mark as “uncertain” (approach with caution)
Impact: Trade routes lengthened (avoid uncertain areas)
Clergy Investigations
Approach: Spiritual (pray for revelation, divine guidance)
Results: Minimal (constellations don’t answer)
Theory: Divine punishment (locations were sinful?)
Problem: No pattern in “sinfulness” (good and bad places both vanish)
Current Status: Prayers continue (but expectations low)
The Echo Islands Mystery
The Phenomenon
Description: Islands that appear and disappear
Reports: Multiple witnesses (independent accounts) - Island visible one day (can be reached, explored) - Island gone next day (empty space) - Island returns weeks/months later (same location) - Cycle repeats (unpredictable timing)
Documented Cases: 5 alleged Echo Islands - “The Phantom Isle” (Periphery) - “Ghostlight Rock” (Howling Expanse) - “The Wanderer” (various locations—moves?) - “Echo Station” (former Beacon Station—reappears occasionally?) - “The Mirage” (might not be real—witnesses unreliable)
Theories
Dimensional Phasing: - Islands shift between dimensions - Visible when dimensions align - Invisible when dimensions separate - Shattering made reality unstable (phasing is side effect)
Aether Currents: - Islands caught in strange currents - Carried far away (seem to vanish) - Return when current loops back - Natural phenomenon (not supernatural)
Mass Hallucination: - Islands never existed (collective delusion) - Aether-Sickness causes shared visions - Witnesses are mistaken (saw nothing real) - Skeptical view (but multiple witnesses)
Temporal Anomaly: - Islands exist in different time - Visible when timelines intersect - Invisible when timelines separate - Shattering broke time as well as space
Attempts to Study
Observation Posts: Established near alleged Echo Islands - Watch for reappearance (document when visible) - Results: Inconclusive (islands don’t reappear on schedule) - Or: Observers vanish (if island reappears with them on it?)
Expeditions: When island is visible, explore quickly - Problem: Island might vanish with you on it (trapped? Killed? Displaced?) - Risk: Extreme (several explorers lost this way) - Findings: Islands seem normal (when visible)
Current Status: Echo Islands are real (probably) but unexplained
Survivor Accounts (Rare)
The Floating Gardens Survivor (Alleged)
Claim: Escaped before island vanished
Account: > “I was visiting. Trade ship. Docked for 2 hours. Felt… wrong. Can’t explain. Just wrong. > > I left early. Sailed away. Looked back. Island was there. Looked away. Looked back. Gone. > > Maybe 5 minutes between. Island vanished. > > I’m only survivor. Because I felt wrong and left. > > What did I feel? I don’t know. Instinct. Luck. Divine warning? > > But I felt it. And I left. And I lived. > > Others didn’t feel it. Or ignored it. They’re gone.”
Verification: Impossible (solo witness, no evidence)
Significance: If true, warning signs exist (subtle, but detectable)
The Beacon Station Refugee (Unverified)
Claim: Escaped via emergency pod (found drifting weeks later)
Account: > “Station was normal. Then lights appeared. Below us. Beautiful. Calling. > > Everyone wanted to go. To jump. To fall into lights. > > I resisted. Locked myself in pod. Launched. > > Looked back. Station was… dissolving? Fading? I don’t know. It was there, then it wasn’t. > > I drifted for weeks. Rescued by merchant ship. > > They think I’m mad. Maybe I am. But I know what I saw. > > Something called them. They answered. They’re gone. > > I didn’t answer. I’m here. I’m alone. I’m haunted.”
Verification: Partial (pod was found, person was real, but account is questionable)
Significance: If true, phenomenon is seductive (people go willingly?)
Prevention Strategies
Warning Systems
Early Detection: - Communication checks (daily contact with isolated settlements) - Anomaly reporting (residents report strange phenomena) - Neighbor watch (adjacent islands monitor each other)
Effectiveness: Limited - Some vanishings have warnings (can evacuate) - Most vanishings are instant (no time to react) - False alarms common (every anomaly causes panic)
Evacuation Protocols
Trigger Conditions: - Communication anomalies (strange messages) - Environmental anomalies (lights, sounds, reality distortions) - Psychological changes (mass dreams, compulsions) - Neighbor reports (adjacent island sees something wrong)
Procedure: - Immediate evacuation order (everyone to ships) - Depart to safe distance (50+ km) - Monitor from afar (watch for vanishing) - Return if safe (or abandon if vanished)
Success Rate: ~30% (when warnings exist, evacuation sometimes saves people)
Problem: Most vanishings have no warning (instant, unpredictable)
Protective Measures (Attempted)
Clergy Blessings: - Consecrate settlements (prayer protection) - Result: Blessed settlements still vanish (ineffective)
Alchemical Wards: - Protective circles, barrier compounds - Result: No effect (vanishings occur anyway)
Constellation Alignment: - Build settlements at “safe” constellation positions - Result: No correlation (vanishings occur regardless)
Avoidance: - Don’t settle in “unlucky” areas (former vanishing sites) - Result: Might help (no vanishings at same location twice—yet)
The Reappearance Question
Do Lost Locations Return?
Echo Islands: Allegedly yes (appear and disappear cyclically)
Most Cases: No (vanished permanently)
The Question: Are Echo Islands different phenomenon, or are all lost locations cycling (but we haven’t waited long enough)?
Time Scale: If cycling, period might be decades or centuries - We’ve only observed for 287 years (might be too short) - Lost locations might return in Year 500, 1000, never - No way to know (can only wait)
If They Return, What Happens?
Scenario 1: Island returns, people alive - Where were they? (other dimension? Time loop? Stasis?) - Are they aged? (time passed for them?) - Are they changed? (experience transformed them?)
Scenario 2: Island returns, people gone - Island is empty (people stayed wherever they went) - Or: People died (island returned, corpses present) - Or: People transformed (Rot-Touched? Something else?)
Scenario 3: Island returns, people hostile - Experience changed them (traumatized, corrupted, alien) - Attack anyone who approaches - Must be destroyed or avoided
Scenario 4: Island doesn’t return - Vanished permanently (wherever they went is permanent) - Most likely (no confirmed returns yet)
In-World Documents
Archivist’s Lost Location Registry (Excerpt)
LOST LOCATION #14: THE FLOATING GARDENS
Type: Agricultural island Population: ~300 (farmers, families) Last Seen: Day 89, Year 187 S. Discovery: Day 92, Year 187 S. (trade ship found empty space)
Description: Prosperous farming community, supplied food to Skyport Eos, stable for 100+ years
Disappearance Details: - No warning (communications normal until vanishing) - No debris (complete absence) - No survivors (all 300 gone) - Neighboring islands report nothing unusual
Investigation: - Search conducted (found nothing) - Aether-pressure normal (no anomalies detected) - Constellation positions normal (no divine correlation) - Rot-testing negative (no corruption in area)
Theories: 1. Fell into Deeps (gravity failure) 2. Aether anomaly (spatial displacement) 3. Mass exodus (fled deliberately—but why? where?) 4. Unknown phenomenon (most honest answer)
Current Status: Unsolved. Location marked as hazard on navigation charts.
Personal Note: 300 people. Gone. No explanation. This is the 14th case. I’m starting to think we’ll never understand.
—Archivist Mara Recordkeeper, Year 187 S.
Survivor’s Testimony (Floating Gardens)
WITNESS: Merchant Captain Theron Swiftwind EVENT: Floating Gardens disappearance RECORDED: Day 93, Year 187 S.
Testimony:
I was there two hours before it vanished. Docked. Traded. Normal day.
But… I felt something. Can’t explain. Just wrong. Uncomfortable. Like being watched by something I couldn’t see.
I left early. Didn’t finish trading. Crew thought I was crazy. I thought I was crazy.
Sailed away. Maybe 10 km. Looked back. Island was there.
Continued sailing. Hour later, looked back. Gone. Just… empty space.
I sailed back. Searched. Found nothing. Island, people, everything—vanished.
If I’d stayed, I’d be gone too. I felt wrongness. I left. I lived.
Can’t explain it. Instinct? Divine warning? Luck?
But I felt it. And now I always listen when something feels wrong.
Because wrongness saved my life.
Final Message from Highwatch Tower
TRANSMISSION #47, Day 134, Year 215 S.
FROM: Highwatch Tower TO: Skyport Eos Command
MESSAGE:
The stars are wrong. They’re moving in patterns. Beautiful patterns.
Not normal movement. Different. Deliberate. Geometric.
We’re watching. We’re recording. We’re—
[Transmission ends]
FOLLOW-UP: No response to subsequent communications. Supply ship sent (Day 156). Found tower empty. All 8 observers gone. Equipment intact. Logs show nothing unusual (last entry: routine observations, Day 133).
CONCLUSION: Observers vanished between Day 134 transmission and Day 156 discovery. 22 days. No explanation.
—Skyport Eos Command, Investigation Report
Windfall Mine Last Entry
MINE LOG - Day 67, Year 256 S.
Foreman’s Notes:
Deep shaft, level 12. Miners report hearing something. Singing. Beautiful singing.
I went down. I heard it too. Can’t describe it. Not human. Not animal. Not mechanical.
Just… singing. From deeper down. Below level 12.
Miners want to investigate. I’m organizing team. We’ll descend tomorrow.
Whatever’s down there, we’ll find it.
[No further entries. Mine found abandoned Day 70. All 45 people gone. Deep shaft unexplored—sealed by authorities.]
Navigator’s Warning
NAVIGATION HAZARD ALERT
AREA: Former Floating Gardens location (coordinates: [specified])
HAZARD: Empty space where island should be
DANGER: - No island (don’t expect landing) - Compass anomalies reported (navigation unreliable) - Time distortions reported (clocks run wrong) - “Bad feeling” reported by pilots (psychological effect)
RECOMMENDATION: Avoid area. Detour adds 2 days to Eos-Ironhold route, but safer.
STATUS: Permanent hazard (until island reappears—if ever)
—Sky-Guild Navigation Authority, Year 188 S.
Medicant Order Memorial
IN MEMORY OF THE SANCTUARY ISLE
60 souls lost. 30 Medicants. 30 patients.
They served the suffering. They healed the Rot-Touched. They showed compassion when others showed fear.
They vanished. No explanation. No remains. No closure.
We don’t know where they went. We don’t know if they suffered. We don’t know if they’re at peace.
We only know: They’re gone. And we mourn them.
May the constellations guide them, wherever they are.
May we continue their work, however we can.
May we never forget: They served. They vanished. They mattered.
—Medicant Order, Year 230 S.
Conspiracy Theory (Tavern Graffiti)
THEY’RE TAKING US
Lost locations aren’t random. They’re chosen.
Pattern: Knowledge. Power. Resistance.
- Floating Gardens: Fed Eos (food security)
- Beacon Station: Navigation hub (communication)
- Scholar’s Retreat: Archives (knowledge)
- Sanctuary Isle: Medicants (compassion)
Someone is removing key infrastructure. Weakening us. Preparing for something.
Who? Why? When will they finish?
WAKE UP. This isn’t random. This is attack.
[Graffiti found in Murky Chasm, Year 287 S. Author unknown. Theory unverified. But disturbing.]
Quest Hooks
The Investigation: Investigate recent disappearance site (gather evidence, interview witnesses, develop theories)
The Rescue: Settlement reporting anomalies (evacuate before vanishing, or investigate phenomenon?)
The Survivor: Find alleged survivor of lost location (verify account, learn what they know)
The Pattern: Help Archivists analyze cases (find pattern if one exists)
The Prevention: Settlement showing warning signs (evacuate, investigate, or dismiss as paranoia?)
The Echo Island: Find island that appears and disappears (explore while visible, risk being trapped)
The Warning: Develop early detection system (save lives if warnings exist)
The Expedition: Search for lost location (maybe it’s displaced, not destroyed—find it)
The Return: Lost location reappears (investigate, contact survivors if present, understand what happened)
The Trap: Discover lost locations are trap (something is luring people—stop it)
The Connection: Link lost locations to other phenomena (Silence, Rot, divine silence—are they related?)
The Conspiracy: Investigate theory that disappearances are deliberate (who? why? how?)
The Wrongness: Feel “wrongness” at location (heed warning and leave, or investigate despite danger?)
The Final Message: Decode cryptic last transmission (what were they trying to say?)
The Truth: Discover what really happens to lost locations (GM decides—revelation is horrifying, hopeful, or incomprehensible)
Related Topics
- The Silence Phenomenon - Related mystery (populations vanish)
- Unsolved Phenomena - Other unexplained events
- The Periphery - Many lost locations here
- The Deeps - Possible destination
- Aether Phenomena - Reality anomalies
- The Archivists - Maintain registry
“Islands vanish. Hundreds of people gone, no trace. We make theories, tell stories, avoid certain routes. Truth? We don’t know. Maybe there’s no pattern. Maybe tomorrow, Eos disappears. We wouldn’t see it coming.”
“Twenty-two documented cases. Twenty-two unsolved mysteries. Twenty-two times we’ve failed to understand. But we keep documenting. Because maybe case twenty-three will be different. Maybe.” — Archivist
“I felt wrongness. I left. I lived. Others didn’t feel it. They stayed. They’re gone. What’s the difference between survivor and vanished? Instinct. Luck. Divine favor. I don’t know. But I’m grateful.” — Survivor
“The Echo Islands appear and disappear. We’ve seen them. We’ve explored them. We’ve lost people to them. Are they real? Are they illusion? Are they trap? We don’t know. But we keep watching. Because understanding might save lives.” — Navigator