“In the far west of Malkona, separated from the rest of the world by barren wastes and the ocean, the enigmatic land of Noctaria shimmers in eternal twilight. Above these lands, the Phantom Moon of Taliskarn—Tranqa—always hangs at its zenith, shielding the native noctids from the sun’s harmful light.”

These are the mystical Nightlands, where scarcely a foot has ever trodden that was not born within them. The Glimmering Forests at Noctaria’s borders stand as vigilant guardians of the noctids’ peace, turning back any who attempt to pass… though that does not mean no one ever will.”

Here and beyond, I present excerpts from the epochal work “Notes on Taliskarn, Its Wonders, and the Creatures That Inhabit This World.”

Core Themes and Ideas of Noctaria

• Eternal twilight, creatures and plants adapted to its conditions
• Bioluminescence
• The noctids—ideological vagabonds and anarchists
• Sentient everything: living atolls, etc. (If desired, myconid-like fungi would fit right in here, but I’m trying to avoid that for now)
• Mind infiltration, illusions, a touch of madness as the region’s primary affliction
• Mysticism