We go to the Gilded Page and ask the proprietor about the kidnapping of Marlowe. He gives a very thorough recounting. He describes the two automata that took him, and he says that they took him to the East. The only thing he said was “Run!” though it’s not clear who he said it to.

Celestiah says that she wants to learn more about the automata at the academy. She will take some time to go and do some research. She does some scrying and sees that they are several hours away by now.

We go to the Silver Stag Stables to get a horse. After setting off and riding for over an hour, things start to look strange and the trees are stunted. The horses are nervous.

We finally reach the location where they are holding Marlowe. We figure out how to open the doors using a central lever. Descending to his location, we hear him being tortured. He is saying that he “doesn’t know anything about a heart.”

We hide in the hallway. From here, Celestiah summons her cat familiar and casts a protective spell over Marlowe.

We had stayed up all night last night to get away from the keep, so we are exhausted. We have 2 more days until the stagecoach comes to pick us up.

Celestiah has the key to the observatory. Felric says that he can’t leave a mystery alone, and that we should all check it out together. After a while we head up to the second story and she opens it.

Felric finds in a small, hidden cabinet a set of 5 clay tablets created by the Singhara — the lion people — called the Stalking of the Star Paths. He knows very little about what they are describing, but it’s a long lost magical tradition about how they do Celestial Hunting Magic. These likely haven’t been seen in millenia.

Using the Arcane Lexicon Lens, Felric reads them and he sees they are called Stellar Hunting. There are 4 main mechanics: Track Star Shadow, Pounce Across the Void, the Unmaking Gaze, and Mantle of the Night Sky.

The Ushuri-Nga believed that the stars themselves were the scattered remains of a celestial being, She Who Fled Across the Sky.

At the end, scratched in — do not gaze too long at the Heart Star. We have closed our third eye forever.

• Track the Star-Shadow — Augment + Divination: Find any creature whose name or essence you know, no matter the distance. The target feels a faint sensation of being watched.
• Pounce Across the Void — Teleport: Step through starlight from one shadowed place to another. Only works at night or in darkness.
• The Unmaking Gaze — Curse + Attack: A dangerous, forbidden attack — you channel a sliver of the same void that consumed Asharan-Ma. High-risk (adds automatic Despair on certain results), but devastating.
• Mantle of the Night Sky — Augment: Cloak yourself in starlight, becoming nearly invisible in darkness and resistant to divination magic.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Gordon Gemhammer finds the maker’s mark of a forge with 3 stars above it, which references an ancient blacksmith named Brandon Three Stars.

Max finds a sapphire that absorbs light then glows in the dark.

Celestiah meditates for the rest of the day.

We rest for the next day and chill in the town, and then take the stagecoach back to our town. When we arrive at the Menagerie, however, there are signs of a struggle and Marlowe is nowhere to be seen.

Celestiah uses her magic to see the abduction in the past — about 10 hours ago, he was dragged out by mechanical automatons.

This was a cleanup crew to halt the spread of forbidden lore. Usually they wipe the memory of the person before disposing of their body.

Felric suggests using his space lion magic to find Marlowe. Celestiah says that it “might” not be too dangerous. However we are going to do some digging first, just some legwork.

The time of the Elder King was over 3000 years ago.

We head to the inn. Max asks for some hot stew but they don’t have any. He orders a sandwich and some wine. The places we can stay are called (from most to least expensive) the Celestial Rest, the Silver Stag and the Rusty Nail.

A woman named Seraphina Dawnweaver speaks with Celestiah and tells her that she has unlocked something . The Celestial Rest was once called the Observatory of the Third Eye.

Celestiah makes wards around her room to protect her and the Crystal Heart. She sleeps, and then after waking in the morning she sees that the ceiling above her is transparent and she can see the sky.

The next morning, we wake up and spend some time in the town.

Felric searches for old lore in the area. At Mother Eldara’s Herbs and Remedies, he finds a children’s book that is over 200 years old and teaches the local lore through fairy tales. He pays her five copper for the book. It reads:

“Seven hearts of crystal bright,
Made to hold the Maiden’s flight,
Love and Sorrow, Joy and Fear,
Anger, Hope, and Grief sincere.
When the seven beat as one,
The Maiden’s work is done.”

 

We are exhausted and decide to stay the night here in the temple where it’s safe. During the night, Celestiah has nightmares about the tentacles.

As we wake up, she feels terrible. Using her insight, she probes the dark energy and, with effort, is able to break the hold of the tentacles.

We make our way back into town and see that everyone seems disoriented. They have been under this dark power for a long time.

We try the Garden of First Joy next, and this time Kargrath is completely overwhelmed with joy. Felric again goes to save him, but gets stuck in there with him.

The others go into the other gardens, and the main chamber opens.

Kargrath and Felric are joined by a young boy who challenges them to a game. He will jump across a stream and step on certain rocks. We must follow him exactly.

Both Felric and Kargrath succeed early on but fail toward the end. They both lose memories that they had — Korgrath from both sides of his heritage, both ork and civilized. Felric loses the knowledge of his first invention.

-1 die to Knowledge checks the rest of the session.
-1 die to Culture for the rest of the session.

Celestiah has true love pulled away from her, but she realizes that all of the memories in the place are connected and are powering the crystaline heart.

Max gets emotional whiplash — he must make a test when he speaks or he will say the opposite of what he means to.

We go down into the main temple and there is memorite in the walls, where we hear the echoes of memories stored in them.

At the bottom all of the stairs there are five crystaline hearts floating above five pedestals arranged in a circle. In the center there is another heart, which we think is the true one. The floor is in the shape of a mandala.

Celestiah pulls out her spyglass and sees that the one in the center is shining very brightly, so bright that she has to turn the lens away. The other five are connected to it by energy.

There are five pressure plates in the floor that we might need to

Max realizes that this is a music box, and the song is based on the journey through all of the rooms above.

We step on the stones on the floor and the heart is released. We grab it and head for home!

We finally arrive at Willowbrook. It is quiet and creepy here. A woman is sweeping her stoop and greets us warmly, but we see that her knuckles are white as she grips the broom. She invites us in but we decline, thinking that she may be corrupted.

Celestiah checks the area and sees that the black tendrils are everywhere. We decide to move on, quickly.

We finally arrive at the temple and see that there are rooms laid out like a flower. There are 6 chambers:

• North – The Garden of First Joy
• South – Pure Terror
• West – True Love
• Southeast – Ancient Rage
• East – Deep Sorrow
• The center chamber

Max uses his cloak and passes through the closed doors of the center chamber. He finds some runes, however he can’t read them. He scrawls them down and brings them back to Celestiah, who translates them.

In order to gain access to the middle chamber, we must occupy three of the gardens at the same time.

We start at the Garden of Deep sorrow. Kargrath goes in and becomes deeply depressed, not able to move. Felric goes in to save him but starts becoming depressed as well. They are finally able to break free.

We fight the wolves!

We sleep through the night, though everyone is now on higher alert now that we’re aware of the music. However, Celestiah’s dome keeps us safe.

We wake up and there is a chill in the air. The stagecoach driver remembers hearing the music but not that it affected them.

As we set off, we notice on the map that the forest is much closer than it is supposed to be — miles. We see that the others who are with us don’t notice this at all. There’s nothing we can really do, so we continue on.

While traveling, we make very good time. We notice contradicting wind patterns, and other strange things like birds flying back and forth between trees, and squirrels. However later, the road goes back into cobblestone. After not too long, there is a fork in the road that should not be there! We decide to go to the left, and the NPCs go to the right. Things get even more weird; deer are walking in perfect circles.

Soon we see a pillar made of marble with veins of gold in it. Celestiah believes that this might be the emotion stone of joy. We come nearer to it and it says “the first laugh of the first child” on it. There are scenes of celebration. Some of us uncontrollably smiling for several minutes due to the effects of the stone. Any fear that we were holding onto disappears. Celestiah looks through her telescope and sees that it is glowing.

Later we come upon another one that is blue and black obsidian. Another emotion stone, and this one is “sorrow”. Celestiah realizes that she doens’t know how long she has been walking. This is possibly 3 miles away from the last one. We decide to head back and meet up with the others.

They are back where we originally split up and are pretty upset — the path to the right follows the edge of the forest but never goes into it. We discuss and eventually take a vote. We decide to go left as a group.

After a long while we haven’t passed any pillars. Continuing on, we finally reach a path that goes into the forest. It is strange in here, with no animals or birds anywhere to be seen.

As we keep on walking it seems to be perpetual twilight. The sounds around us are muted and it gets colder. The trees seem to lean toward the path; it’s thicker where we are but brighter elsewhere. Some of us get very disoriented. Mist starts spiraling up from the ground in little wisps, and we hear children singing again, but this time we hear it from above. Three wolves appear, their bodies like shadow and mist rather than corporeal. They make no sound and the grass is withering as they go near it.

We prepare to fight. The other adventurers take shots at the wolves with their crossbows. One guard hits the lead sorrow wolf. There is a meaty *thunk* but the bolt passes through. The creature stumbles slightly and we can see its eyes that they are flaring with pain. It lets out a blood curdling howl.

AKA “42% Tip”
AKA “One Holler, That’s a Dollar”

In the morning, we head for the stagecoach. It is us and a random woman. It is a 3 day journey. As we are leaving Vale’s End, we hear the driver and guards at the gate talking about a risk of bandits in the local area. On the guard’s station there is a small sign that says “Increase Patrols, Refugee Situation.”

We transition from city cobblestones to packed earth roads. We pass a working farm and see that the gate is open. We see wagon tracks leading out toward Vale’s End. Also the chicken coop is empty.

The family is packing up to leave. The father says that things are getting too bad here and they can’t stay. The mother says that he is overreacting but their daugter has been acting strangely after going into the woods. She has been obsessively drawing the same thing over and over.

We stop the carriage and go inside to see what the girl is doing. Her drawings are of trees with faces, a crystalline heart in a temple, and the same phrase “they remember everything.”

Gordon sees that she is under a mild enchantment. Celestiah checks her aura and sees something grasping her, but she can’t dispel it. We decide that we can’t help her and we head out.

A few hours later we cross the Silver Flow River via Bertram’s Ferry. We overhear Bertram speaking with someone, saying that the river started flowing backward. As we complete our crossing, the water goes completely clear and we see visions of the ferry being built, and then we see ourselves, older, crossing back this way. Korgrath, Celestiah, and Lupin are especially affected by the vision and suffer strain.

We glimpse the forest soon after. Later we pass a merchant who has very strange wares like a mirror that shows other people’s reflections.

As we are heading into the forest people pass us. They hand a map to Lupin and say “you will need this more than us.” The map supposedly shows safe paths through the forest. Similarly someone gives Felric a vial of Liquid Courage.

We approach a tower that is three stories. The temperature starts to drop, and mist rises up from the warm ground. The door is broken open and there is faint light coming from the windows. There are ancient carved warnings in multiple languages. Celestiah knows that it is very old, from the Mordun civilization, and was likely made by dwarves. The Mordun were the “first rememberers” and were more in tune with emotions than anything else. Their healers didn’t just mend bodies, they mended hearts and minds. Gordon’s great grandmother would have talked about these areas.

We decide to check out the tower for 20 minutes. We see carved everywhere the words “they remember.” The second floor is abandoned guard quarters. There are personal effects here left behind in haste. We find a journal entry and part of it says “day 12. The dreams are getting stronger. I can see her face. Tomorrow I go to find her.”

On the top floor we see an elf, and we startle him. He says his name is Malanis and he’s here to study the Mordun. In his journal he is sketching out the construction of the tower. He says that he is unaffected by the forest because of the pendant he’s wearing. He says that the pendant is from the order of Anamnesis. They are the “rememberers of the forgotten, the chroniclers of the lost.” He wants to understand why some things choose to be forgotten.

At night we hear music, like a child’s lullaby, coming from the forest. Celestiah summons her familiar to check out the forest.

Felric stays up to keep watch. He notices after a while that the coach drivers are humming the tune. Suddenly they get up and start walking toward the source. Lupin and Felric grab them and pull them back.

Celestiah casts a spell to create a dome around us to protect us from the music. It takes her a few moments to create it, but two more hours to make sure it is sustained for the next eight. Using her astrolabe and being under the open sky, her powers are greatly increased.

Merchant’s Quarter

Marlowe’s Menagerie

Location: 73 Silversmith’s Row
Proprietor: Thaddeus Marlowe
Specialty: Magical artifacts, curiosities, and mechanical oddities
Description: A three-story building of aged oak and weathered stone, with windows that seem to look into impossible angles. Recently reopened after being the “Blackhaven Trading Post” for decades. The interior is larger than the exterior suggests, with rooms that occasionally rearrange themselves. A faint humming sound and occasional flashes of blue light emanate from the upper windows.

Notable Features:
Items are organized by danger level across different floors

• Cellar experiences temporal anomalies
• Brass pipes and copper wiring integrated into the building’s facade
• Building is secured with both mechanical traps and magical wards

The Clockwork Compass

Location: 12 Guild Street
Proprietor: Orla Brightgear (Female Dwarf)
Specialty: Timepieces, navigation devices, and precision instruments
Description: A meticulously organized shop with glass display cases containing gears, springs, and partially assembled devices. The walls are lined with clocks that chime at different intervals, creating a constant symphony of ticking and melodious notes. The air smells of oil and metal polish.

Notable Item: “The Wayfinder’s Chronometer” – A pocket watch that always points toward what the holder most desperately seeks.

The Alchemist’s Athanor

Location: 45 Crucible Lane
Proprietor: Tymon Vex (Male Human)
Specialty: Potions, elixirs, and alchemical supplies
Description: A chaotic but methodical establishment filled with bubbling retorts, distillation apparatus, and shelves of carefully labeled ingredients. The air is thick with a mixture of herbal, mineral, and occasionally noxious odors. Tymon wears protective gloves with burn marks and has a perpetual squint from peering at precise measurements.

House Rules: No open flames, no sampling without purchase, accidents are the customer’s responsibility.

Whisper & Tome

Location: 8 Scholar’s Way
Proprietor: Elindra Nightshade (Female Elf)
Specialty: Rare books, scrolls, and writing supplies
Description: A cozy, two-story bookshop with towering shelves and reading nooks illuminated by enchanted lanterns. The upper floor requires special permission to access, housing tomes on more esoteric and potentially dangerous subjects. Elindra is over 300 years old but appears middle-aged, with silver-streaked black hair and piercing violet eyes.

Notable Feature: A magical card catalog that can locate any book in the shop within seconds, operated by whispering the subject matter to it.

The Silver Anvil

Location: 29 Forge Street
Proprietor: Durgan Stonehammer (Male Dwarf)
Specialty: Weapons, armor, and metalwork
Description: A large, open smithy with multiple forges constantly burning. The heat hits visitors like a wall when they enter. Finished pieces hang from the walls and ceiling—everything from ornate ceremonial daggers to practical farming implements. Durgan is barrel-chested with arms like tree trunks and a beard braided with iron rings.

House Specialty: “Moonfall Steel” – A distinctive silver-blue alloy Durgan creates using a secret family technique, supposedly incorporating metal from fallen stars.

Temple District

Celestial Remedies

Location: 7 Healer’s Court
Proprietor: Seren Lighttouch (Female Halfling)
Specialty: Medicinal herbs, healing potions, and spiritual remedies
Description: A serene shop with bundles of dried herbs hanging from the rafters and the sweet, calming scent of lavender and sage permeating the air. Crystal jars containing colorful powders and tinctures line the walls. Seren is extraordinarily intuitive, often knowing what ails a customer before they speak.

Notable Service: “Dreamwalker Tea” – A special blend that allows the drinker to consciously navigate their dreams, often revealing solutions to problems or hidden fears.

The Shrouded Candle

Location: 15 Mourner’s Path
Proprietor: Thorne Mortus (Male Human)
Specialty: Funerary supplies, memorial items, and spirit communication tools
Description: A somber but not gloomy establishment with tasteful displays of urns, shrouds, memorial jewelry, and ceremonial items for various cultural traditions. Thorne wears formal black attire and speaks in hushed, respectful tones. Rumors suggest he can speak with the dead, though he neither confirms nor denies this.

House Specialty: “Remembrance Lanterns” – Paper lanterns that, when released, are said to follow the path to the deceased’s spirit, carrying messages from the living.

Artisan’s Alley

Threads of Fate

Location: 33 Weaver’s Court
Proprietor: Zinnia Threadweaver (Female Human)
Specialty: Enchanted clothing, tapestries, and textiles
Description: A colorful shop with fabric samples in every hue imaginable and the gentle click-clack of a magical loom operating itself in the back room. Mannequins display clothing that seems to shift and change subtly when not directly observed. Zinnia has heterochromia—one eye blue, one green—and her clothes always complement both colors.

Notable Service: Custom garments with minor enchantments (water-resistance, temperature regulation, dirt-repelling, etc.)

Prismatic Glassworks

Location: 21 Shimmer Street
Proprietor: Finn Sparkshaper (Male Gnome)
Specialty: Stained glass, crystal objects, and magical light fixtures
Description: A dazzling workshop where sunlight streams through hanging crystal prisms, casting rainbow patterns across every surface. Display cases contain delicate glass sculptures that seem too intricate to have been crafted by mortal hands. Finn wears specialized goggles with multiple lenses that can flip down for different tasks.

House Specialty: “Luminary Orbs” – Glass spheres that absorb sunlight during the day and gently release it at night in various colors and patterns.

Riverside Market

The Siren’s Catch

Location: Pier 7, Harbor District
Proprietor: Captain Mira Saltwind (Female Human)
Specialty: Fresh seafood, exotic imports, and naval charts
Description: A weather-beaten establishment built on a sturdy pier, with barrels of salted fish, nets hanging from the ceiling, and crates of goods from distant shores. The floor is perpetually damp, and the air smells of brine and adventure. Mira is sun-weathered with fading tattoos of sea creatures on her forearms and a voice that carries like a foghorn.

Notable Feature: A massive map table where Mira marks recent sea monster sightings and dangerous currents, freely sharing this information with other captains.

The Wandering Barrel

Location: 4 Brewer’s Row
Proprietor: Barton Oakenheart (Male Human)
Specialty: Wines, spirits, and specialty beverages
Description: A cozy establishment with floor-to-ceiling racks of bottles, aging barrels, and a small tasting counter. The air is rich with the scent of oak, fruit, and spices. Barton has a magnificent mustache he constantly twirls when thinking and knows the story behind every vintage he sells.

House Specialty: “Faegleam Mead” – A honey wine with a subtle blue glow, made using honey from bees that pollinate flowers growing near magical ley lines.

Sweetsmith’s Confections

Location: 16 Sugar Lane
Proprietor: Rosemary Sweetsmith (Female Halfling)
Specialty: Candies, pastries, and magical treats
Description: A charming shop with striped awnings and the intoxicating aroma of caramelized sugar, chocolate, and baking spices. Glass jars of colorful candies line the walls, and a magical cooling cabinet displays delicate pastries. Rosemary is plump and cheerful with flour perpetually dusting her apron and a magical wooden spoon that floats beside her, ready to assist.

Notable Treat: “Memory Drops” – Candies that, when consumed, briefly allow the taster to experience a specific pleasant memory with all five senses.

Shadowmarket (Underground)

The Broken Lock

Location: Accessible through a hidden door in The Rusty Nail Tavern
Proprietor: Silas Nimblefingers (Male Halfling)
Specialty: Lockpicks, security circumvention tools, and information
Description: A secretive establishment only accessible to those who know the right people or passwords. The space is cramped but efficiently organized, with various security devices displayed both as merchandise and as examples of what Silas can help bypass. Silas has a nervous tic of constantly checking over his shoulder but is unmatched in his knowledge of Vale’s End’s security systems.

House Rules: No names, no questions about other customers, payment in advance.

The Masked Merchant

Location: Varies weekly (follow chalk symbols in the Undercity)
Proprietor: Unknown (changes appearance regularly)
Specialty: Cursed items, forbidden artifacts, and dangerous knowledge
Description: A mobile marketplace that never stays in one location for more than a few days. The merchandise is displayed on black velvet cloths, each item accompanied by a card detailing its dangers and uses. The proprietor wears an enchanted mask that subtly changes their voice and obscures their identity.

Notable Feature: Customers must leave something of “equal danger” to make a purchase—not necessarily coin, but something with equivalent risk or power.

Whisperleaf Apothecary

Location: Dead end of Tanner’s Alley, through a door marked only with a single leaf symbol
Proprietor: Nyx Shadowgarden (Female Drow)
Specialty: Rare poisons, antidotes, and mind-altering substances
Description: A dimly lit shop with preserved specimens in jars of murky liquid and plants growing under magical lights that simulate various environments. The air smells of earth, chemicals, and exotic blooms. Nyx speaks rarely and touches nothing without her thin black gloves.

House Rules: Buyers must demonstrate knowledge of proper handling or be refused service, no refunds for self-inflicted poisonings.

Mystic’s Row

Astral Harmonies

Location: 9 Stargazer’s Path
Proprietor: Lunari Constellation (Female Tiefling)
Specialty: Astronomical instruments, star charts, and celestial magic components
Description: A circular shop with a domed ceiling painted to show the night sky, complete with enchanted stars that twinkle and move to reflect the current positions of celestial bodies. Telescopes, astrolabes, and other observation instruments are displayed on carved wooden stands. Lunari has silvery skin, star-white hair, and horns that curve like crescent moons.

Notable Service: Custom birth charts that reveal not just past alignments but upcoming celestial events that might significantly impact the customer’s life.

Fauna & Flora Emporium

Location: 27 Greenward Street
Proprietor: Thorne Wildshaper (Male Half-Elf) and Ivy Thornheart (Female Half-Elf)
Specialty: Exotic plants, magical seeds, and uncommon familiars
Description: A lush, maze-like shop that feels more like a miniature jungle than a store. Magical climate zones maintain different environments for various species, from desert succulents to tropical orchids. Cages and terrariums house potential familiars ranging from mundane (but intelligent) cats and ravens to more unusual creatures like miniature elementals and pseudodragons. Thorne and Ivy are twins who finish each other’s sentences and seem to communicate with plants and animals without speaking.

House Rules: Potential pet owners are thoroughly interviewed and must demonstrate they can provide appropriate care.

Dreamweaver’s Loom

Location: 41 Twilight Terrace
Proprietor: Esmé Slumbertide (Female Human)
Specialty: Dream-related items, sleep aids, and nightmare protection
Description: A serene shop with walls draped in flowing fabrics of deep blues and purples. The lighting is soft and warm, and the air carries the gentle scent of lavender and chamomile. Enchanted dream catchers and mobiles hang from the ceiling, gently spinning and catching the light. Esmé has a calming presence and speaks in a melodious, almost hypnotic voice.

Notable Item: “Nightmare Lanterns” – Crystal lamps that absorb negative energy from dreams, gradually darkening as they fill with captured nightmares and requiring periodic cleansing.

Crafters’ Commons

Beastmaster’s Provisions

Location: 14 Hunter’s Way
Proprietor: Rowan Beastfriend (Male Human)
Specialty: Animal supplies, training equipment, and monster-hunting gear
Description: A practical establishment filled with saddles, harnesses, specialized feed, and tools for animal care alongside equipment designed for tracking, capturing, or defending against more dangerous creatures. Taxidermied heads of unusual beasts decorate the walls, each with a plaque describing how it was respectfully hunted after becoming a threat to settlements. Rowan has a pronounced limp from a wyvern attack in his youth and is always accompanied by a one-eyed wolf named Shade.

Notable Service: Custom training regimens for unusual animal companions or recently tamed wild creatures.

Runecrafter’s Workshop

Location: 38 Spellward Street
Proprietor: Grimm Sigiltouched (Male Dwarf)
Specialty: Runestones, enchanted jewelry, and protective wards
Description: A sturdy stone building with runic carvings on every surface—walls, floor, ceiling, even furniture. Different sections of the shop demonstrate different runic schools and applications. The air hums with latent magical energy, and small sparks occasionally leap between metal objects. Grimm’s beard is braided with tiny metal beads inscribed with miniature runes, and his arms are covered in tattoos that sometimes shift and change.

House Specialty: “Binding Bands” – Paired rings, bracelets, or necklaces inscribed with connection runes that allow wearers to sense each other’s general emotional state and direction regardless of distance.

The Inked Scroll

Location: 5 Scribe’s Avenue
Proprietor: Quill Inkwright (Nonbinary Human)
Specialty: Maps, documents, calligraphy, and tattoos
Description: A bright, airy shop with large windows to provide natural light for the delicate work performed within. One half of the establishment is dedicated to paper goods—maps, scrolls, and fine stationery—while the other contains a tattoo studio where Quill creates designs that occasionally move or change color based on the wearer’s mood. The walls are covered in examples of their work, from ornate wedding invitations to maps of legendary dungeons.

Notable Service: “Living Maps” that update themselves as locations change, though they require “feeding” with a drop of ink each month to maintain this ability.

Lower Ward

The Tarnished Crown

Location: Corner of Beggar’s Row and Forgotten Lane
Proprietor: “Old King” Coleman (Male Human)
Specialty: Secondhand goods, junk with hidden value, and salvage rights
Description: A sprawling, disorganized shop that spills out onto the street with tables of miscellaneous items. The interior is a labyrinth of towering piles, narrow pathways, and precariously balanced treasures mixed with trash. Despite the chaos, Coleman can locate any specific item within minutes. He wears a dented copper crown and speaks of himself in the third person as “the King.”

Notable Feature: Coleman offers “salvage contracts” that grant exclusive rights to clean out abandoned buildings, with profits split between finder and “the Crown.”

The Copper Kettle

Location: 22 Hearth Street
Proprietor: Marta Warmhands (Female Human)
Specialty: Practical household items, cookware, and comfort foods
Description: A welcoming shop that smells of fresh bread and soup, with practical household goods arranged neatly on shelves and hanging from ceiling hooks. A large hearth dominates one wall, where Marta demonstrates cookware while preparing food she shares freely with customers. Her hands are perpetually warm to the touch, rumored to be a blessing from a hearth deity she once sheltered during a winter storm.

House Specialty: “Forever Warm” pots that keep their contents at the perfect temperature for hours without additional heat.

Pins & Needles

Location: 11 Thimble Street
Proprietor: Tailor “Quickfingers” Reed (Male Halfling)
Specialty: Clothing repairs, alterations, and affordable attire
Description: A narrow but efficiently organized shop with rolls of fabric, ready-made garments, and a fitting area separated by a colorful curtain. Despite the budget prices, Tailor’s work is impeccable—he can mend a tear so perfectly it becomes invisible and repurpose damaged clothing into something entirely new and fashionable. He works with astonishing speed, his fingers a blur when he’s focused on a project.

Notable Service: “Rush Repairs” – For an additional fee, Tailor will complete mending jobs while customers wait, regardless of complexity.