The Mystic

The Mystic is an enormous forest of which stretches across over half of Manitoba, Canada. This is the very same forest which shrouds Avia and hides it from the rest of the world. Tourists, though fleeting, remain clueless about what horrors lie beyond the city's limits, though townsfolk are constantly reminded. The people of Avia have dubbed the forest 'The Mystic' due to it's mysterious and mystical charm--well, it's either that or because no one has ever gone beyond the treeline and returned to tell the tale.

**Known Locations Include:**

* Ancient Shrine
* The Lake

## Ancient Shrine

The Shrine is a tale as old as Avia, itself. Legends from the founders long before the residents of today tell about a shrine hidden deep within the confines of The Mystic. These legends also mutter of a path lies at a certain point within the trees, or so it is said. If followed correctly, this twisting labyrinth will lead you to the shrine. Though these are just tales. It's nothing that is an easy suit to find, so many recommend not searching for it. Newcomers are often unaware, and thus learn quickly, but the locals know full well what lies beyond those trees and just why finding the shrine comes at such a taxing cost. All those who search for the shrine either find themselves lost, or make acquaintance with the locals of The Mystic.

Tales of the foreign shrine tell of an entrance just as uninviting as the woods, itself. Two great pillars are said to stretch out, broken off at the tops from centuries of weathering, clawing at the sky. The stone of these pillars and all within the mouth of the entrance is said to be scrawled with a mysterious foreign lettering. Only one repeating phrase within the jumbled mess of chicken scratch and glyphs is said to be legible: "6183." The shrine itself is hidden well within the side of a hill--the only indicators of any sort of building being present are the outstretched pillars and the monstrously large rectangle doorway, shrouded in shrubbery and dirt. No one knows where the mutterings of such an outlandish architecture within the trees came from, but certain tales of the story speak of the shrine housing something beyond the grasp of the stone pillars and the mouth of the beckoning doorway--something unspeakable, with white eyes, pure enough to rip holes into your mind.

## Lake

The Lake is less of a rare sight within the confines of The Mystic, compared to the labyrinth said to lay before the shrine. From the yard of the Rehabilitation Center, a path almost seems to be clearly lain out, leading towards the shimmering and beckoning waters of this certain lake. Many patients and townsfolk, alike, have entered the woods and stumbled upon the gorgeous sight. From the thinning edge of the trees near the water's shore, the mountains in the distance are clearly visible, as are the darker, taller, and more haunting trees, closer towards the heart of the forest. The water's edge is lined with an array of multi-colored rocks and pebbles, slowly sloping downwards and into the mistily clear depths. A rocky island is said to reside not far offshore, surrounded by fleets of rocks jutting out and almost pointing towards the formation. Often times, rumors will arise of silhouettes sitting and harmonizing atop these rocks. Abandon houses are said to sit at the bottom of the lake, though people are unknowing of where they came from or how the lights keep coming on inside of the residences. Here, in the greatest lake of The Mystic, many have seen shapes moving through the water, and many have been unfortunate enough to hear the hollow notes of someone singing not far from the shore.