Phantom Forest, on the shores of Mirror Lake.
Since the Great Earthquake, gray-white mist had spread from the depths of the Misty Path, spilling through valleys and fissures in the woods until it blanketed almost the entire Phantom Forest.
Once unmistakable trail markers had lost all meaning in the thick fog, and old experience and hand-drawn maps had become worthless. Countless monsters ran rampant through the forest, attacking every living creature that entered their territory.
For a time, the adventurers of Brekka Town suffered heavy losses. Many newcomers lost their way in the mist and fell prey to predators that had long since adapted to the dim conditions.
But Brekka Town never lacked newcomers. The many ancient magical traps that had vanished with the earthquake had, to some extent, also made the Phantom Forest less dangerous.
With several powers-including the Mage Association, Fried City, and Falania-beginning to watch the region closely, this town of adventurers had not only survived, but nearly doubled in size.
Landless farmers, bankrupt merchants, and urban paupers from every region sought to change their fortunes and find wealth through the tales of adventure sung by bards.
An adventuring party of a dozen or so people, typical of Brekka Town, was making its way along Mirror Lake toward Mute Valley.
The party's formation was haphazard. Armed with an assortment of weapons, the adventurers barely managed a semicircle around their two hooded employers.
The lake's surface, perfectly still as a mirror, could no longer reflect the vast sea of stars. Dense mist filled every inch of space between sky and water, utterly destroying the magnificent view that had once made heaven and earth seem inverted.
The wondrous sensation of walking among the stars on a clear night was gone, but Brekka Town's adventurers had not come to admire