Wilderness
We have one shot of the open world - a healthy plain at the edge of a forest. The sky is clear, the trees are full and healthy, and the tribespeople we see appear fit and well-nourished. We may see some birds or other wildlife.
In the background, a large mountain range blocks a significant portion of the sky.
Excepting this one panel and a couple of obscured views, the prologue is set in a dark and mysterious wood. Shortly after leaving sight of the open plain, strange happenings begin for an expedition party:
One Keeper vanishes to his comrades’ astonishment.
Another suffers auditory hallucinations and takes flight deeper into the darkness.
Ominous ornamentations and sinister structures are discovered in and around the trees.
Vegetation rapidly overgrows the path they followed, making retracing their steps impossible.
Unease weighs heavy here.