The Quiet Hollow

The Quiet Hollow, a bewildering stretch of plains at Venden's heart, swallows sound entirely, a phenomenon attributed to a bygone clash of gods. Silence governs life here. The Hollow is an exceptionally fertile farmland, relied upon to feed the surrounding regions, but its dangers are ever-present, amplified by the unnatural quiet.   Sign-language and other non-verbal cues are the core of communication for those who live there. Citizens of the valley are known to outsiders as Rap-tappers; people with no telepathic or illusory means of translation that typically carry rapping sticks, using different rhythms and pulses to explain messages. Those with close association to the earth, such as , dragonborn, and embers sometimes develop tremorsense after extended periods of living here. People who have lived in the Hollow their entire lives will find themselves permanently deaf when leaving for the first time.   The land stretches flat and pale, bleached by the same ancient force that expelled sound. Despite its unnatural color, it remains particularly bountiful. Crops produced in the Hollow lack pigmentation and appear white. While oddly colored, vegetables and fruits from its fields are instantly recognizable as a mark of quality. The wide openness of the area offers little cover, leaving travelers exposed to danger.   The absence of the moon Ankaryo’s light amplifies the inherent risks of the Quiet Hollow. Wolves, cockatrice, grazing standers, and other aggressive beasts use the lack of noise and darkness to their advantage. Stirges, originating from the Cobalt Lake in the west, have become a plague, descending quietly in swarms on unsuspecting victims.   Gorgons have been spotted near the far edges of the Hollow. How they arrived is a mystery, but herds have been posing deadly threats to farmers and travelers alike. Their presence has heightened the danger in the already perilous region, forcing locals to take more drastic measures for protection.   Farmers have begun using modified Klaxon Threshers to defend their fields. These machines have been altered with new sensory technology, detecting movement and heat, and relaying signals through vibrations and magical pulses. When triggered, the threshers use flashing lights and tremors to repel threats.