Outside the City
The rain was as a Wordsmith's tale, slowly and quietly it began before gathering momentum and eclipsing all else. Huntsman Jaeger sighed then lowered the hood of his cloak, grimacing as the rain began to trickle down his neck. The sound of the rain muffled his hearing; with his hood up he'd be as good as deaf. He winced as a loud "splosh" sounded behind him from the stumbling merchant. They'd left it too late getting back; it was dusk now and would be dark before they got out of the forest. He wondered if the chunk of lalenthrium ore in the merchants pocket would compensate him for his ruined boots.
Very few ever venture outside Lalenth. The people would prefer not to have to leave the city at all but Lalenth's resources are limited and forays outside the walls are necessary. The city is built on a stretch of firm ground between the marshes and the Mara. As such the only natural resources available in abundance are clay, reeds, herbal supplies, gravel and fish. All stone is mined from a quarry on the opposite side of the river, on the city's western edge.
The other three sides of the city are surrounded by thick forests and treacherous marshlands. It is these places that inspire fear in the hearts on those that dwell in Lalenth. They call them the Wastelands. Occasionally, expeditions must be made into the forests and marshes to harvest timber, hunt wild game, and gather wild herbs. One other thing draws people into the Wastelands: lalenthrium. Its ore is only found in the forests to the south east of the city. Wild country always holds risks and the Wastelands of Lalenth have claimed many victims. Without the guidance of a Huntsman, very few people return alive and unaffected. The forests in particular are counted as being the most dangerous.
The Huntsmen tell stories of strange songs just out of earshot and of shadows that appear and attempt to lead men astray in the woods. They tell of savage creatures that are neither man nor beast. Dubbed "Nightmares", they will stalk and attack any that wander too close to their territory. All Huntsmen carry a small ward made of lalenthrium which is said to protect them from the spirits and beasts of the Wastelands.
Very occasionally someone will return from the Wastelands profoundly different. A well respected hunter or merchant will venture out only to return babbling and ranting like a lunatic, or sometimes just drifting along as though in a dream. Despite a complete absence of training they begin to display Thread Weaving abilities and experience vivid and often portentous dreams. Sometimes they are subtly changed in a physical sense also. Eye colour or skin tone becomes oddly metallic and tinged a deep blue. These changes may take months to manifest, often beginning with nothing more than disrupted sleep and headaches. In others the transformation is almost instant. These people are referred to as the Altered.
The nobles have instructed that they are to be cared for and have encouraged the rumour that they suffer from some kind of sickness but in truth no-one has any idea what causes their malady. Recent concerted attempts have been made by a group led by the Lady Di Canto and Grandmother Igraine but every piece of information they find flings up more confusion. The recent discoveries that many Altered share similar dreams has baffled the most learned minds. The Apothecaries Guild believes it to be a poison from some plant that is not yet known to them. The Alchemists agree that it is some kind of poison but suspect a gas from the marshes. Others still believe it is a result of direct contact with the strange beasts that roam the Wastelands. Most common people fear the Altered.
No one in living memory has ventured overly deep into the Wastelands - even the boldest huntsman remains within a day's travel of Lalenth at all times lest he be injured and needs to return swiftly. A recently discovered scroll, now in the possession of the current Lady Evron and for a time displayed by the Wordsmith's Guild gives tantalising hints of a wider world. It speaks of rivers so wide the other side cannot be seen, grazing animals as big as horses and hills so high their summit cannot be seen. Some have taken this as evidence that our ancestors were not bound to this locality, trapped in the thrall of fear, as we are. Others have said outright that this document is pure fantasy and not to be taken anymore seriously than a child's bedtime story.