Flare Expanse

A magical catastrophe that carved a region of shifting chaos into Aerb, where danger and ancient secrets await.

The Flare is a specific region of Aerb called the Flare Expanse, not a single dungeon. Within it lies the 'Dungeon of the Flare', a site of immense danger and mystery in the Worth the Candle setting. The dungeon is characterized by its shifting, labyrinthine structure, deadly traps, and powerful magical remnants, drawing adventurers seeking glory, knowledge, or the secrets of its origin.

Lore & Background

The Flare was a catastrophic magical event that created the Flare Expanse on the continent of Aerb, leaving behind a sprawling, ever-changing dungeon. Its origin is tied to a failed planar merging experiment, not directly to the Dungeon Master. The dungeon is filled with the ruins of civilizations destroyed in the event, each holding secrets and perils. Adventurers brave its depths to recover lost magic and knowledge, but they must contend with reality-warping traps, hostile entities born from the Flare, and the constant risk of becoming lost in its shifting corridors.

Reader's Guide

The plot turns on the discovery that Mao created biological weapons using the Protomolecule on immunodeficient individuals, selling them to a rogue UN faction led by Admiral Nguyen and Undersecretary Errinwright. A key turning point occurs when Holden, Prax, and mechanic Amos Burton trace Mei to long-disused tunnels on Ganymede, releasing another soldier during a shootout before fleeing moon bombardment. Avasarala, initially dismissed at peace talks for violating protocol, is hired by Bobbie's testimony and deduces the political conspiracy after her assistant feeds info to opponents. To warn Holden about Nguyen's fleet intercepting them, Avasarala has Bobbie use smuggled weaponry to seize control of Mao's yacht. The climax involves a massive space battle at Io where the joint Martian and UN fleets defeat Nguyen's forces, preventing an all-out war while the Protomolecule structure on Venus launches into deep space.

Did You Know?

Some areas within the Flare dungeon experience time at different rates, making exploration unpredictable.
No 'Aethereal Compass' exists in canon; navigation relies on careful mapping and magical intuition.
Certain creatures native to the Flare have adapted to its unstable magic, gaining the ability to phase between dimensions.
The Flare dungeon is believed to contain the ruins of at least three distinct pre-Flare civilizations, each with unique magical technologies.