In the Amora Region, two natural landmarks dominate the landscape. The first was the Great Kar Forest. Situated in the northern part of the region, the Great Kar was a huge forest that humans needed days to cross. The forest’s western end bordered one of the great lakes of the world, The Windy Depths, and the Keg Mountains bordered it in the north. It was one of the greatest forest in the world of Ioplon.

However, as great as the Kar was, it was still dwarfed by another regional landmark. Compared to the Great Kar Forest and the Keg Mountain, the Homeless Plains could be said to be boring. A flat, sweeping landmass that did not change much no matter how far into it you go, the Homeless Plains only had one feature that was of note. It was huge.

Humans first named the plain Homeless because it was believed that if you were got in it, you could travel forever and never reach where you were going. It wasn’t completely wrong. The Homeless Plains stretched from the east end of the Great Kar Forest all the way to the southern part of the Amora Region. A few landmarks dotted the great plain such as the city-state of Yachium and the river known as the Invisible Stream.

Situated just south of the Great Kar Forest, the Invisible Stream was a good-sized river that cut across the plains but if you asked the humans living in the region at that time, most would not have heard of it. Most knew of a river that was between the Great Kar Forest and the southern reaches of the Homeless Plains, but most would not be able to tell you it’s name. To them, it was just the river between the Great Kar Forest and the Homeless Plains.

That was just the way Apep Daybluff liked it. Although Apep was a mage of some power, he also considered himself to be a simple man. He hated politics; despised power plays; and disliked humans on principals. To the mage known as Apep Daybluff, as long as he got enough food to eat, water to drink, and his magical research to pass the time, he was happy. In short, he was a disagreeable old man who just wanted to be left alone. He was however just too powerful for that. How could humans not keep track of a mage that could level a town if he so choses to? That would be irresponsible!

Apep found that his movements were being tracked; his house burgled, and worst; his magical research was being copied! So the day came when he had enough! Apep took everything he could carry and left the city of Yaslay. That came as no surprise to the authorities but they were surprised when they lost track of him. They couldn’t find him and wondered where he went off to.

Situated north of the Keg Mountains, the city of Yaslay had been in an on-off conflict with the neighboring city of Yachium for years and Apep used the bad relations between the cities to his advantage. Apep figured that even if someone wanted to find him, they would probably never have thought of looking for him in the direction of Yachium.

So that was the direction he set off on. Apep skirted the Keg Mountains and entered the northern reaches of the Homeless Plains. As a mage from a rival city, he avoided the city of Yachium altogether and travelled southwards between the Kar Forest and Yachium. He crossed the Invisible Stream and planned to keep on going. However, he found a spot he liked in the southern part of the Homeless Plains and decided that he had went far enough. Here he built a house and lived in peace and quiet for many seasons.

Then one day, fate intervened and it all changed.