Some Examples

One could be warned of “The Riftlands” where stone gives way underfoot unexpectantly, and where the most surefooted mules have been known to stumble, and have taken not a few of their less sure footed cousins to their doom.

Another example is that one could be warned to stay away from the “Wastelands” or “Badlands” — a landscape so inhospitible to any life that it starts to sap the very life force out of creatures or plants that are unwary enough to enter. Whether the place is inhospitable to life because the air drains life itself, is too hot and dry (or humid!), or conversely too cold, or lacks proper air or water, or even ground itself! to walk upon.

A third example is “The Deeps” — an Underdark of the Underdark — a place that is so deep that not much dare venture that far beneath the earth’s surface, and even less that ventures that deep returns, and those few which do are forever changed physically, psychollogically, and spiritually. Maybe there are evils down there that no one would dare disturb if they knew about their existance– and their existance if discovered would distroy the world for the very knowledge

A fourth example is “the beyond” which could be in outerspace or in the planes which the laws of physics are changed in unpredictable, random ways — or ways that are not intuitive (for instance the ability to stop on a dime, change directions and continue moving with no loss of momentum), where monsters that the players *think* they know the abilities of, no longer apply (trolls that regenerate with fire and acid, but other attacks work normally), where they themselves are able to get new abilities, powers, and skills that none have ever had before.

Maybe whole civilization(s) have built in these very concepts of “place” *terrains*

Just my 2 cp.