The Wylrd-Walker

Each Walker is slightly different in its size and shape, but all share the same general features; a mountain with legs, as many a farmer would bluntly put it. While arms and legs have been viewed and documented, the arms themselves don't seem to do much except steady the Walker on what was once treacherous terrain. Their backs are large and rocky, and seem to extend from next to feet like a hardened cloak. Though this in itself took hundreds of years of study, as the back is also covered with dense, lush forest life, the variety depending on the geographic region. The head extends from this foliage like a tortise emerges from its shell, although unlike the tortise the head does not seem to retract.     In terms of the Walker's effect the local geography, one need look no further than Walker's Canyon. The Great walls of the canyon have been rubbed smooth by the passing of the Walker over the thousands of years. It's believed that the canyon itself was once flat plain like the land surrounding it, but has been worn down over time to be the massive crevasse it is today. Similar massive changes to the landscape can be noticed across the Mortal Lands.

The Walkers are a phenomena unto themselves, but probably their most distinctive feature is that they... walk. Well, shuffle really. If they were to take actual steps cities miles away would crumble from the shockwaves. They don't seem to eat, or sleep, or take part in any of the biological processes of life, much to the relief of those left in their wake. They merely continue their paths around the world, time and time again.

The Wyrld-Walkers are as old as the Mortal Lands themselves. Ever since word could be recorded, there has been record of the Wyrld-Walkers. Even the Memoria, whose technological prowess exceeded all others, have marveled at the fantastic wanderers. Ancient data-logs suggest that the Memoria once tried to harness the Wryld-walkers for their own purpose, only to be stymied time and time again. Chains would vanish, Walkers held in place one day would be gone the next, and even an attempt to glue the Walker in place, failed.   After the Memoria passed on, very few would approach the giant, meandering creatures. Slowly, those races that inhabited the Mortal Lands came to learn which areas were safe, and which were not. Villages were built, and in time the great and seemingly fearsome walkers simply became part of the landscape, albeit that which moved on occasion.   In modern times, explorers and engineers alike have debated how to span Walker's canyon to allow for better trade, stymied only by the fact that the Walker passes through every two years, shattering any current construction. So far the only recourse is to wait for the Walker to tread the path deep enough that a bridge will pass over its head.

While no one has successfully walked on a Walker, (at least no one publicly known), small villages all over the world hold festivals every time the Walker passes their town. Perhaps the most prominent is the town of Achardia at the edge of Walker's Canyon. It is the little village's biggest event and revenue driver, and the recent boon of exploration activity has brought life back to the tiny town.