Explore the real-world places that appear in Splintered worlds by Greenberg, Robert M.. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include Aurelhold, Shardspine Pass, The Fractured Gate, Gloamwood Hollow, Thornwater Crossing and 5 more.
Capital city of the Heartland
The protagonist first arrives here seeking counsel from the ruling council about the fracturing of the worlds. The council's divided loyalties are revealed and the journey truly begins.
Aurelhold was raised on the plains where the first realms were said to have been joined. Its great hall is built around a cracked keystone that legend claims once held all worlds together.
The city embodies the tension between unity and fragmentation. It marks the protagonist's turn from observer to participant.
Treacherous mountain crossing
The travelers cross the pass under threat of storms and pursuit. The crossing tests the bonds of the party and forces hard choices.
The mountains are said to be the splintered edge of a broken world. Travelers report strange echoes of other places in the wind.
The pass represents the first great obstacle and the cost of crossing between worlds.
Ruined portal between worlds
The party discovers the gate flickering with glimpses of other realms. Here the protagonist learns the nature of the splintering.
Built by an ancient order to join the worlds, the gate shattered in an age-old catastrophe. Its shards still drift between realities.
It is the story's central symbol of broken connection and the possibility of repair.
Hidden forest sanctuary
The protagonist and allies shelter among forest dwellers who guard old knowledge. They gain a vital guide and a warning of coming conflict.
The forest folk claim the trees remember every world that has been lost. They keep their records in living wood.
A place of healing and memory, it offers the protagonist wisdom to balance the harsh politics of the cities.
River town and trading hub
The travelers meet merchants who carry rumors from distant realms. A tense encounter here exposes a spy among the party's contacts.
The town grew around the only bridge over the Thornwater. Its guilds have long profited from the rifts in the world.
The town shows how fragmentation breeds both opportunity and mistrust.
Western harbor on the Sundering Sea
The protagonist seeks passage across the sea and learns of lost islands beyond the horizon. The port's harbor master becomes an uneasy ally.
Sailors say the sea itself was born from a fracture in the world. Charts of the port show islands that appear and vanish.
It stands for escape and the unknown, widening the scope of the protagonist's quest.
Stilt village in the fen
Marsh dwellers shelter the travelers and reveal a hidden shard of the broken keystone. The party must defend it from pursuers through the fog.
The villagers believe the fen swallowed a fragment of another world. Strange lights are said to rise from the water at night.
It tests the protagonist's resolve through hardship and shows the humility of those who guard fragile things.
Southern trading port
The party arrives hoping to find a ship and instead uncovers a smuggling ring dealing in world-shards. A chase through the docks ends in a narrow escape.
Founded by exiles from a vanished realm, the harbor thrives on trade in odd relics. Its markets are famed for rare curiosities.
The harbor shows the dangerous commerce around fragmentation and tempts the protagonist with easy power.
Fortress at the edge of the desert
The antagonist's forces gather here to claim the remaining shards. The protagonist confronts a hard truth about the cost of reunification.
The citadel was built from the glassy remains of a scorched battlefield. Its founders sought to rule what remained after the first splintering.
It is the story's dark mirror of Aurelhold, showing unity won through domination.
Shifting desert with buried ruins
The travelers search buried ruins for a final shard, hounded by sandstorms and visions. One companion is nearly lost to the illusions.
Nomads say the dunes hide the bones of a world swallowed by sand. Voices in the wind speak names of the dead.
The desert strips away illusions and forces the protagonist to face what must be given up.
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