Didactic Plains

"Okay, tell me again why you shouldn't go to wherever this didumdiddlydoof place is?"
"Didactic plains, Markus, didactic plains."
"Whatever. Why don't we go there?"
"Because the last bunch of people that I know went there never came back again."
"They could've gone somewhere else."
"You think they left for somewhere else after going to a place no one comes back from and just never went home after a hundred years?"
"Yeah, why not?"
"Because you're an idiot, that's why not."

— Markus & Varkus

 

Today, We Shall Talk About...

  The Didactic Plains are a less a place than a phenomenon, having taken the place of one of the grasslands that cover the Eight Lands over the years. Most recently, it has taken the place of the Drummed Plains, a place halfway between Siren's Port and the Gelaal Mountains, south of Bugg's Kuppe.   When it takes the place of another, it does so quietly, as its teachings are not proclamations. The soil turns over at its boundary, marking the edge of the learning ground, warning those who do not want to be taught to not enter. Those who do enter must do so with the desire to learn whatever the plains desire to teach, though none have ever returned after stepping onto its ground.   What the plains desire to teach has been the subject of many, many conversations, academic theses, and drunken brawls, and should someone ever exit the plains, they can be assured of a welcome yet frightened return.  

Remember, Next Lesson We...

  Though those on the outside are not aware of the methods of the plains, its students are the grateful recipients of a timeless comprehension.   The lessons they learn within the plains are those of universal truths, focused on where their hearts and affinities lie. Some may learn the truths of death, others may learn the truths of space. Some may choose to learn the ways of multiple paths, such as complimenting fire with water. Within the plains, aging is slowed to a crawl. One day becomes thousands, leaving the question of an aging ability for those outside its boundaries.   While the main focus of the plains is to grant this profound knowledge, it understands that not all students learn the same way, and so those who have entered without the desire to learn are placed into the role of instructors. They teach what they knew in life; oftentimes this includes styles of cooking and combat, though not exclusively. They entered without the right desire to enter, so they may never leave.   The hidden truth of the Didactic Plains is quite simple: any student may leave, their newfound comprehension untouched, but leaving means you may never return, as you have decided that your lessons are complete.