Orea is rife with interesting areas and locales. They exist whether players go there or not. I have noticed that, for the most part, players are only interested in going to places if they have some plot/story relevant reason to. Still, from time to time, you get someone who says "That sounds cool. Let's go there."
Here's a sampling of the sorts of the things [I think] you're talking about:
The Tower of Towerton: a large floating hunk of rock, some 100' in the air, upon which sits an ancient wizard's domicile. The original wizard manifested his power to levitate his home when it came under attack from Zealot forces during the dark days known as "The Mage Wars." A bustling town grew up around/in view of the hovering stronghold out of needed protection and security from the original wizard's power and generally benevolent attitude. [There have been several "Wizard's of Towerton" over the past few hundred years.]
Larassal: Larassal is a large town/small city and surrounding region in a picturesque pastoral area of the continent. The rolling hills and fields produce some of the realms' finest wines. Larassal's claim to fame, however, is the small ruined shrine where the neophyte priestess, Physha of the Flaming Hair, began her tenure as a Daughter of Gilea. She was subsequently chosen by the goddess to become the first of her pacifist order permitted [by the goddess, Herself] to use armor and weapons and magic to harm others [in defense of one's self, one's sister-daughters and the faith, of course] and so became Orea's first "Protectress." Eventually, after saving the world, Phsyha of the Flaming Hair was Sainted by Gilea and ascended to [demi]godhood. Over the years, Larassal also now houses the largest temple/cathedral to the goddess Gilea in the southern realms. As might be expected, pilgrims from across Orea visit Larassal annually, seeking the endless healing and blessings of the servants of "the Merciful Mother", particularly around the week-long holiday/festival of Physha's ascension.
The Gardens of Nator: far from the rolling vinyards of Larassal, in the Mage Lands of R'Hath is the Archmagus Imperius' city-palace of New Enchans. The surrounding region south and west of New Enchans are some of the most lush, productive and beautiful orchards, farms and flower-fields in all of Orea. This region is colelctively referred to as "The Gardens of Nator" named after R'Hath's first Archmagus Imperius, the legendary wizard Nator. It is said that the prosperity and beauty of the Gardens are a direct reflection of the health and power of the Archmagus.
The Blue Crystal Tower of Andril: Orea's mega-opolis, Andril, has grown up over the past two ages around the sudden appearance of a massive tower made of a giant shard of sapphire blue crystal. Within the tower were/are 3 immortal sorceress sisters who took Andril as their own and have multiple times in Orea's history, saved the growing community from annihilation. These 3 are called the Oracles of Andril and a pseudo-religious organization of oracular priestesses has grown up around them. Whether to visit the oracles or not, travelers to "the Jewel of the East" all awe at the wonder of the Blue Crystal Tower, which can be seen from almost anywhere in the city.
Geological phenomena would include:
The Diamond Cliffs: are the edge of a receding glacier, rising from a couple to several hundreds of feet from the base, at the northern most reaches of the realms of Orea and, specifically, the Great Kingdom fo Grinlia. What lives/exists above/beyond the top of the icy cliffs is said to be nothing more than frozen wastes [the veracity of this statement, as Orea's creator and DM, I have not yet had cause to explore. bwahaha.]
The Black Waves/Thole: Where the cataclysm of the Great Spell fell to Orea the earth was completely broken, burned and torn apart. This region is known as Thole and is an entirely evil and cursed place. The Black Waves, themselves, are the incredibly high, sharp, jagged mountain peaks that surround Thole on roughly three-quarters of its perimeter. The mountains in many places curve/bend/lean outward and there are several areas with high concentrations of obsidian, giving the impression the mountains look "wet" and their curving shape led those outside of Thole to name the new geologic formations 'the Black Waves." These are certainly not thought of as a "wonder" in the sense of it being a place people want to go. This is a region to be avoided at all costs! Traveling even within view of the Black Waves is considered a risky proposition. But it is a unique geological feature of the continent.
There are many more. But I'll leave it here. Cool idea for a thread, btw.
