The Horizon-Sestrala Border
Characterized by unforgiving mountains on one side and treacherous, cliff-littered forests on the other, the Horizon-Sestrala Border is a slim patch of land in comparison to the kingdoms on either side of it, left alone thus far because patrolling lands that give way beneath your feet without warning on both sides has been declared 'not worth the trouble.' The mountains are varying heights, made of softened igneous rock in shades of red and pale yellow which, when worked with water and a sharp claw, can be carved into more easily than other types. As a result of the mountain's formation, high winds cut through any path made available to them, steadily wearing away at the peaks until boulders have broken off and fallen--and then wearing them further, sharpening their edges and in some cases resulting in a strange cuboid shape, littering the paths between peaks. Rockfalls are frequent and dangerous. On the Sestrala side where mountain gives way to forest, the trees grow thicker and taller as they leave the peaks' shadows; as the ground softens, it becomes necessary to pay attention to where the trees have rooted, for that may be the only place safe to walk as the towering sentinels hold the ground together through age and will for survival. There are many fallen trunks and sudden, steep drops, and the trees grow close enough together that it's always better to watch your step.
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Silesta Outpost
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The Silesta Outpost is nestled into a valley close to the Horizon-Sestrala Border, just northeast of the steep mountains hiding the secrets of Rudrin's Maze. The mountains give way steeply to a calm lake, wide and placid except when the wind rises and far deeper than it appears. With the way the land dips down, these storms are few and far between, often caught instead on the edges of the mountains and only allowing clouds to gather high above, resulting in frequent but gentle rain. Across those shores and around them is a wide meadow, filled not with flowers but with thick, tall grass, water reeds nearer to the lake giving way to oat, barley and rye grass wherever the land has flattened. At the northernmost edge low stone buildings stand guard over the lake, with roofs made into thatch from the dried form of all the grasses that abound there, leaving the settlement to smell as much of these earthy tones as their borderlands do. Even further north, the flatlands give way to rolling green hills, with flowers finally poking their heads up away from the tall grass, and leading up to the King's Road, and into the Sestrala Commonwealth.
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Rudrini's Maze
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Lying in the shadow of the Altar of the Phoenix and burrowing underground, the Rudrini Maze has tunnels spanning the entire western range of the Horizon-Sestrala Border mountains. The maze has entrances on either side, but the winding tunnels are impassible except those who've grown up within the realms nearby. Though some places toward the center of Rudrini's Maze are exposed to the sky, the walls are tall and smooth, impossible to climb out of, and these openings always quickly give way to underground tunnels once more. Aside from the wailing screams and low susurrus that echo within the tunnels, the intersections curve, double back on themselves, and branch in confusing ways. Some sections of the pathways seem to become colder than others, and those cold spots shift according to criteria that no one has yet understood. The tale of Rudrini becoming lost in the maze is a cautionary one; having lost his life within these dark tunnels, his screams and murmurs are said to act as a warning to any who dare to enter after him. Some claim to have seen a ghostly figure walking ahead of them, yet the stories of this figure are wide and varied. Sometimes, it will lead you out and to safety--and other times, it seems intent on trapping you there forever as its companion.
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Altar of the Phoenix
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Visible from the Rothmos Burial Ground, to the Golden Dew Rise and with its steely gaze fixed as far as the Wild vale, the Altar of the Phoenix lifts itself proudly to take wing from the Horizon-Sestrala Border's mountains. Though set close by and watching over Rudrin's Maze, the way to the top of the Altar of the Phoenix is not found within it--though there are ways to the top, from within the maze, they are more dangerous and challenging than the true path. Instead, nestled among the foothills on the Horizon side of the Horizon-Sestrala Border, the tail of the Phoenix nestles half-buried in the ground, the carved feathers only visible if you know where to look. The slope following the tail up onto the Phoenix's back looks steeper than can be easily climbed, but there is a path that uses the rises and valleys of the carvings to their advantage, and eventually winds all the way up to its head. There are paths also leading out onto the widely spread wings, though after so much time moving fully onto the flight feathers of the Phoenix is not advised, for they can and will crumble alarmingly beneath the unwary traveler. Atop the Phoenix's head is the Altar of the Phoenix; nestled into the crown of feathers sweeping back from its carved gaze is a simple stone platform, just tall enough that even the largest lions must crane their necks to see the swirling pattern that covers its top.