The Lay of the Land

Now that I've covered most of the characters in The Beast at the Gate, my next posts will discuss the world of Taren from a geographical and cultural perceptive. But first, what is Taren?

Taren is the wondrous world in which the story takes place. It is a land of extremes--and extreme danger. The Taren River divides Taren nearly in half, with one side known as West Taren and the other East Taren. The citizens of West Taren are a proud people who eschew psi-magic and instead favor the sword. East Tareners embrace their psi-magic roots, and until recently, practiced their craft freely.  All of Taren--both East and West--is surrounded by a red, barren wasteland known as the Band. It is said that all who enter the Band die.


The Band has a rather mysterious origin and no one in Taren truly knows much about it.White rods of energy fall down from the Band like unbent lightning and destroy anyone unfortunate enough to be in its path. This is where our heroine Rayna gets her first taste of Taren. Needless to say, it's not a good first impression.