Midnight Muscadines

Tagged “nimm_town”

Palefire

Palefire, one of the four Beacon Holders, is a bastion of spiritual devotion in the face of the world’s waning magic. Perched atop a steep, rocky outcrop overlooking the surrounding plains, the city is a striking sight, its ancient stone walls illuminated by the warm glow of its namesake beacon.

Sun Shard Monks

At the heart of Palefire lies the Beacon Temple, a grand structure of pale stone and intricate carvings with a massive spire reaching up to the city’s sun shard. The temple serves as both a place of worship and a center of learning, where monks dedicate their lives to studying the mysteries of light and maintaining their sacred sun shard.

Concentric rings of buildings radiate outward from the central temple, with libraries and meditation gardens occupying the inner circles. As one moves outward, the architecture shifts to accommodate more practical concerns, with shops, markets, small businesses, barracks, and fortifications forming a protective ring around the city’s spiritual core.

Serene Mountain Life

Palefire’s reputation as a tourist destination stems from its breathtaking views, serene atmosphere, and the promise of enlightenment. Pilgrims and curious visitors alike flock to the city, hoping to catch a glimpse of the monks’ mysterious rituals or to find inner peace in the serene gardens.

Penumbral Defenders

The city carefully balances this influx of outsiders with its need for security, maintaining strict regulations on where visitors can go and what they can see. As a border city and beacon holder, the defensive presence in Palefire is both significant and unobtrusive. Garrisons of volunteers remain on call to defend the beacon and the city, their training grounds cleverly integrated into the city’s terraced landscape. These specialist volunteers, known as the Pale Guard, are as much peacekeepers as they are warriors, trained in diplomacy as well as combat.

Palefire Locations

The Withering House

headquarters of the Sage Leafs guild.

With the majority of Nimm’s tea production happening in and around Palefire, the guild’s headquarters is situated in the city’s outer ring. In addition to the day-to-day management of the guild, the headquarters serves as a central hub for communications between the different arms of the guild. As such, there are often opportunities to perform work for the guild, either delivering order requests to farms high in the Penumbral Range or delivering shipments of tea to shops all across Nimm.

Breelam Tea Garden

spanning three wide terraces high above Palefire.

The Breelam Tea Garden has found itself focusing more on tourism than tea of late. The views of the ringed city from its terraces of the ringed city are unmatched, and the clear mountain air offers a vantage into the valley of Nimm unlike any other. The altitude often proves problematic, however, as tourists just arriving in Palefire rush to Breelam without taking time to acclimatize. Altitude-sick tourists may be in need of assistance at Breelam or anywhere along the footpath leading up from the city.

Palefire Monastery

the largest monastery of the Solen Society.

The Palefire Monastery sits adjacent to the Beacon Temple at the center of the city. The Monastery is the heart of Solen Society activity in Nimm. Monks from across the valley regularly visit the Monastery, where the Society keeps its most treasured texts and artifacts of the world before the shattering. There is a public-facing section, which includes a museum frequented by tourists, but most of the building is restricted to members of the Solen Society.

The Broken Field

Pale Guard training ground across the rooftops of Palefire.

One of the most unusual parts of becoming part of the Pale Guard is training on the Broken Field. This is a sort of obstacle course set around the rooftops of Palefire’s outer ring, where defenders learn how to quickly traverse the city by leaping from one building to the next and taking advantage of banners and signs that bridge gaps over the wider streets of the city. Defenders from across Nimm journey to Palefire just to train on the Broken Field, and trainees can be seen leaping across the rooftops at all hours of day and night.

Twilight Peak

mountain of the Penumbral Range just south of Palefire.

The tallest mountain of the ring around the city of Palefire, Twilight Peak is a focus of both mountaineering expeditions and pilgrimages. A ledge near the top of the mountain lies half in the light of the Palefire sun shard and half in the darkness of the Wildernight. Monks of the Solen Society stand on this ledge, at the edge of the light of Nimm and looking out over the vast darkness of the Wildernight, as they take their final oath to protect the sun shards.

Winter’s Lace

garden and tea shop in the inner ring of Palefire.

A short walk from the Beacon Temple, Winter’s Lace is a popular tea shop that has its own meditation garden. The shop and garden are tended by Selene, a soft-spoken, silver-haired monk of the Solen Society who is also an elder member of the Sage Leafs. Selene is happy to sit with customers and discuss the history of both her guilds, and she never rushes people out of her garden. She grows some of the tea she serves right in the garden, but she may also need help procuring deliveries from farms outside the city’s walls.

Palefire People

Horace Werning

head of the Marmateers’ Palefire bunkhouse.

Despite its proximity to the Wildernight border, on account of the mountainous terrain, very few Marmateer crews call Palefire home. Horace is the only Marmateer to repeatedly travel across the Penumbral Range to hunt for Midnight Muscadines. He has seen good results from his foraging, but has noted increased sightings of the Shadows of Tume in recent seasons. He believes the Shadows are planning something, and he is starting to recruit adventurous Marmateers willing to accompany him into the Wildernight to investigate.

Grandfather Joseph

senior monk of the Solen Society.

Grandfather Joseph is the leader of the Solen Society in Palefire. Respected both because of his advanced age and of his incredible memory, Joseph knows by heart the text of every tome in the Palefire Monastery’s many libraries. He routinely recites hours-long epic poems from the time of the shattering to congregations in Beacon Temple, a must-see event for tourists. He has been particularly troubled of late, as he feels his connection to the fifth sun shard dimming, as if a shadow lay between them. Whether that shadow was gathering around it or him, he has yet to determine.

Ginny Rose

Marmateer and owner of the Lady Rose Ink tattoo shop.

A talented artist, Ginny joined the Marmateers to learn the intricacies of handling magical plants and ingredients. She now runs the Lady Rose Ink tattoo shop, where she experiments with making pigments from magical ingredients in order to make magical tattoos. She is always looking for new plants to use in her work, and she may be willing to trade her services for samples of rare plants.

Pete Clavell

high adventure tour guide.

A popular guide for tourists looking to experience everything that the Penumbral Range has to offer, Pete offers expeditions that span from mountaineering, rock climbing, and rappelling to wildlife spotting, foraging and hang gliding. No one knows the mountains around Palefire better.

Alicia Rincón

leader of the Pale Guard.

Alicia has served in the Pale Guard for nearly thirty years, during which time she found herself elevated to the top position in the organization. She is a short, stern woman who is committed above all else to her duties of protecting Palefire and Nimm above all else. She has been looking for assistance from people familiar with traversing the Wildernight, as she believes the Pale Guard needs to expand their patrols beyond Nimm’s borders.

Paulie Arnault

senior Fieldhouse operative, looking to establish a presence in Palefire.

While Meadowlarch controls trade in most of eastern Nimm, Paulie believes The Fieldhouse can get an advantage on their rivals by developing a relationship with the Sage Leafs and by building up trade routes that bypass the Meadowlarch presence in Tesson. To start, Paulie has acquired an old warehouse he hopes to convert into a free school, though he is in need of assistance procuring construction supplies and skilled labor.

Palefire Encounters

A monk has been sitting in silence for a week.

Loren, a young Solen Society monk, has been sitting in a meditation garden within sight of the Beacon Temple for over a week, without eating or drinking. They have said nothing, but their face looks pained. Other members of the Solen Society are beginning to worry. When Grandfather Joseph arrives to convince Loren to come back to the Monastery, Loren gasps, and a lumenite manifests next to them in the garden, a miracle few have witnessed since the shattering of the sun.

A torrential storm has washed out several terraces above the city.

Almost a dozen tea farms have been destroyed as retaining walls gave out under the strongest storm Palefire has seen in decades. The mudslide reached all the way down to the streets of the city itself. Before anyone can start to rebuild, however, there are multiple reports of people missing, probably buried or trapped somewhere in the swath of destruction that ranges up the slopes of Twilight Peak.

The Festival of the Ring is happening.

Once per year, the Monastery empties into the streets of Palefire and the monks walk in a continuous ring around the city, circling the Beacon Temple while chanting their prayers to the sun shards. The Festival goes on for three days, during which time the people of Palefire take responsibility for bringing food and water to the monks as they complete their circular pilgrimage, tending to the monks in the same way the monks tend to the shards. As with any other festival, criminals within Nimm will often take advantage of the distraction, and may even attempt to breach the Monastery’s restricted libraries and vaults in search of valuable tomes and relics.

Shadows of Tume attack an outpost of the Pale Guard.

A recently constructed outpost in a high mountain pass is attacked by Shadows of Tume. One guard manages to get back to Palefire to report the attack, but the other dozen guards stationed at the outpost are unaccounted for. Alicia Rincón is now looking for help with a reconnaissance mission to the pass to survey the damage and determine if any of her troops survived the attack.

A tourist excursion is attacked by a Shadow of Tume.

A group of tourists on a mountaineering expedition led by Pete Clavell was attacked by a Shadow of Tume while on the dark side of Twilight Peak. Pete managed to keep his customers safe, but he is terrified to take anyone back to the mountains until someone qualified to deal with the Shadows can sweep the trails for the monster.

A tea brewing competition is happening in a plaza.

Not exactly an annual event, tea brewing competitions pop up from time to time in Palefire, and when they do, they attract Sage Leafs members from all over town. Competitors are judged on the quality of their tea, as well as whether they can achieve certain flavors over others. While the actual competition is decided by only three judges, tea flows freely for everyone in attendance, with each cup accompanied by the business card of the tea shop that supplied it.

Brighton Cove

Town Emblem of Brighton Cove

Brighton Cove, one of the four Beacon Holders, stands as a formidable frontier town and the secondary seat of government. Perched on the southern border of Nimm, this bustling city is a unique blend of military might, industrial prowess, and political influence.

Shimmering Green Fortress

The city’s most striking feature is its imposing walls, built from tall greenstone and reinforced with magical wards at great cost to Nimm’s jam reserves. These fortifications not only protect the city, but also house a significant military force not formally recognized by the rest of Nimm. The garrison, known as the Brighton Wardens, is renowned for its discipline and unwavering dedication to protecting Brighton Cove, though there has rarely been need for its deployment.

There is a lingering concern among officials in Dawncrest, Cloudlight, and Palefire that the Brighton Wardens could be used to enforce a militaristic doctrine over the otherwise peaceful and united Nimm.

Solen Powered

At the heart of Brighton Cove stands the Southern Reach Spire, a massive structure that holds Brighton Cove’s precious sun shard. The tower serves as both a symbol of the city’s importance and an experiment to harness the sun shards to generate electricity - a first in the land. The glow of the beacon can be seen for miles, a comforting presence in the often wild and unpredictable southern lands.

The city’s economy is driven by its rich mining operations, with numerous shafts delving deep into the plains to find bedrock. The docks along the southern coast are a hive of activity, with ships constantly arriving to transport valuable ores and other goods to the rest of Nimm. This economic independence has fostered a strong sense of self-reliance among the citizens of Brighton Cove.

Hardy Isolation

As the second seat of government, Brighton Cove houses its own council chambers and administrative buildings. The city often sees itself as separate from the rest of Nimm, a sentiment born from its geographical isolation and the vast stretches of rural and uninhabited wild lands that surround it.

The people of Brighton Cove are known for their resilience and independent spirit. They take pride in their role as the guardians of Nimm’s southern border, facing the unknown threats that may emerge from the wild lands beyond.

Despite its isolation, Brighton Cove maintains strong trade relations with the other Beacon Holders of Nimm. However, the city’s leadership often advocates for greater autonomy in decision-making, leading to occasional tensions with Dawncrest.

Brighton Cove Locations

Southern Reach Power Station

a large, boxy, industrial building adjacent to the Southern Reach Spire.

At the Power Station, the Architects have constructed the machinery required to convert the power of the sun shard into electricity. Now that the Architects have had some success in this endeavor, the first power lines are starting to appear, leading from the Power Station to other factories throughout Brighton Cove, which are slowly shifting from burning wood and coal to utilizing electricity.

Marmateers’ Rest House

wooden building in the scrubland an hour’s travel due south of Brighton Cove.

Some Marmateers choose to establish their base of operations near Brighton Cove, and the Rest House is the perfect place to resupply before heading into the Wildernight. The guild had wanted to build their local branch within the protective walls of the city, but because of the Marmateers’ close connections with the Nimmian government in Dawncrest, Brighton Cove’s leaders forced them out into the Scrublands, viewing each Marmateers as a potential spy.

Outer Docks

docks outside of the walls to the north.

While the majority of travellers and tourists to and from Brighton Cove arrive at the docks that lead directly into the city, most of the trade from the city’s mining industry goes to the Outer Docks, avoiding the lengthy path through the city’s gates and over the city’s streets. Because of their relative isolation, and their distance from the Brighton Wardens’ watchful gaze, the Outer Docks are also the center of black market trading, where small boats can load shipments bound for Lumiere.

Bruud’s Atelier

workshop owned by Bruud, a patchfolk.

Bruud has been running his small workshop in Brighton Cove for several years. Though he never had much in the way of financial success, he was able to provide for himself and to help out other patchfolk in the city. Since Heeransh secured a constant power supply for the workshop, however, Bruud’s Atelier has been hopping with business, as his new power tools work ten times faster than his old hand tools. Bruud, nearly overwhelmed with work, will gladly pay for help making deliveries of completed work or picking up supplies from the docks, as he often orders parts from specialty workshops in Astrom.

Warden Home

headquarters for the Brighton Wardens.

Warden Home, often referred to as just “Home,” is a brutalist building constructed of the same green stone as Brighton Cove’s walls. Home sits in the heart of the city, nestled among the buildings housing the local council. On the ground floor is the Wardens’ recruiting agency, where new enlistees sign up to join the Wardens. A public-facing service desk where crimes and misdeeds are reported can also be found here. Freelancers are often hired to deal with smaller issues, issues “beneath the training” of the Wardens, as Calvin Renier puts it.

Dustkeep Mine

large mining operation to the west of the city.

The Dustkeep Mine is the largest single tunnel system in the Southern Reach Scrublands. The mine brings up all sorts of useful and valuable materials, the majority of which go straight to the Outer Docks and across Lake Solen to Astrom. As it is the area’s largest mine, Dustkeep has the largest contingent of miners, which also makes it the headquarters for the miners’ union here. The union does not yet have a proper central office, though that is on the list of things to do for Harris Tindel, the union leader.

Brighton Cove People

Harmish Gray

head of the Architects, the guild of rookwrights working to exploit Brighton Cove’s sun shard.

Harmish was not the first scientist to suggest using the sun shard to create electrical power. She was, however, the one who identified the benefits of forming a guild to protect and promote such work. She is now the most powerful person in Brighton Cove outside of the Wardens, and she hears petitions every day from factory owners looking to access the electrical power she controls.

Ganleigh

the only remaining Solen Society monk to live permanently in Brighton Cove.

Unlike the other beacon cities, the Solen Society has almost no presence in Brighton Cove. The monks left when the Architects began to extract power from the sun shard, an act that the Solen Society views as at least disrespectful, if not outright heretical. Ganleigh stayed to keep an eye on what the Architects were doing, even if he has since given up on trying to dissuade them.

Calvin Renier

leader of the Brighton Wardens.

Calvin is a mountain of a man, a fact that has played no small part in getting him to where he is today the leader of Brighton Cove’s defenders. He is one of the most powerful people in the city, and he is also at the forefront of the push for independence from the rest of Nimm. While he views outsiders with suspicion, he will hire them to deal with small, local issues. In his mind, the Brighton Wardens’ job is not to protect Nimm from the Wildernight, but rather to protect Brighton Cove from the rest of Nimm.

Corinne Yeel

dockmaster at the Brighton Cove docks.

Corinne runs the docks at Brighton Cove with the precision and decorum of a drill sergeant. Boats are allowed in and out on a strict timetable, and all must submit to a full search. Any boat or captain unwilling to cooperate, or found to be carrying contraband, is likely to be banned from docking in the city and forced to utilize the Outer Docks. This can spell disaster for a ship’s captain, particularly if they are working as a ferry for tourists.

Heeransh

patchfolk member of the Architects.

Heeransh has proven to have a knack for building electrical circuits. Of all the Architects, he has contributed most to the current state of electrical technology, and as a reward, he ensured that Bruud’s Atelier was the first outside facility to get access to the power grid of Brighton Cove. Heeransh can often be found in one of the city’s tea shops, where he is more than happy to discuss his work, much to Harmish Gray’s chagrin.

Wes Ternley

administrator of the Brighton Cove Science Academy and Fieldhouse operative.

As science is a main focus of industry in Brighton Cove, it is also a focus of the education system. The Fieldhouse has been more than happy to meet this need, as they require a presence in Brighton Cove to manage the stream of goods and artifacts entering Nimm from the Wildernight across the Scrublands. Wes has also arranged multiple deals with local mines to make sure enough precious gems find their way onto boats to Lumiere, rather than all coming to market in Brighton Cove.

Brighton Cove Encounters

An investigative reporter and Pilcrow agent named Jennifer Tanninger has been snooping around Brighton Cove.

She is here to investigate reports that Calvin Renier is training a military force to seize power from Dawncrest. She has yet to find a way into Warden Home, but she has been walking laps around the building every day, waiting for an opportunity to talk to Renier. She would happily enlist the help of a crew of Marmateers, as she knows the magic they wield could break this story wide open.

A rumble shakes the city as a transformer in the Southern Reach Power Station explodes, cutting all power to the city.

In the sudden outage, the constant hum, whir, and grind of Brighton Cove’s factories disappear, leaving the city eerily silent. Architects rush to repair the damage, and rumors of sabotage fly through the city.

The sun shard atop the Southern Reach Spire dims, leaving the city in dusky twilight in the middle of the day.

The glow from those buildings attached to the power grid is particularly pronounced, as the shard is now darker than it gets even on a normal night. In a panic, the monk Ganleigh rushes to the Spire, only to find that the Architects have been doing some experiment with the shard that drew just a bit too much of its power. Within the hour, the shard’s light returns, but not before uneasy grumblings have begun among the city’s populace.

With a hundred tiny explosions, electric street lights burst all across Brighton Cove.

A power surge has ripped through the city’s grid, overpowering light bulbs and frying delicate circuitry in factories all across town. Though the surge lasts only a few seconds, the fallout will take weeks to recover from, leaving many factory owners looking for help to keep their businesses moving during the downtime.

The Wilderling raids that had been whispered about in town finally hit home as the Marmateers’ Rest House is attacked.

The exact motivation for this attack is not clear, but it appears to be similar to those that have recently taken farmers and miners in the Southern Reach Scrublands by surprise. All Marmateers in the southern Nimm are called upon to assist with repairs and fortifications at the Rest House; some are even planning to track the Wilderling raiding party back into the Wildernight.

Harris Tindel, leader of the miners’ union, is organizing a general strike.

Many miners, living in cabins and shacks out in the Scrublands, have been plagued by Wilderling raids lately. Harris wants the miners to go on strike until the Brighton Wardens deal with the Wilderling threat, though, as the young leader of a new union, he is having trouble getting buy-in from miners outside Dustkeep.

Tesson

Tesson, nestled in the dense forests north of Palefire, is a busy trading hub serving as the eastern counterpart to Lumiere’s clandestine operations. This well-protected city is a maze of narrow, winding streets and towering trees, where beacon light filters through a canopy of leaves to create an ever-present shadowy atmosphere.

The TreeHouse Town

The city hosts a unique blend of wooden structures seamlessly integrated with the surrounding forest. Many buildings are constructed around or even within massive tree trunks. Elevated walkways and bridges connect various parts of the city, allowing residents to traverse Tesson without ever touching the ground, while tunnels snake between the roots of the massive trees, enabling underground travel far from prying eyes.

Specialty Markets

As the primary trading center for eastern Nimm, Tesson’s marketplaces are a bustling hive of activity. The city specializes in the trade of rare forest products, including exotic woods, medicinal herbs, and magical flora and fauna. However, beneath this cozy exterior is a complex network of guild operations mirroring those of Lumiere.

Secret Passages and Hospitality

Tesson’s guilds operate with a level of sophistication matching their western counterparts. Secret meeting rooms are hidden behind false walls in taverns, while unmarked tunnels facilitate the movement of goods and information. The local government maintains a delicate balance, turning a blind eye to the guild operations while happily benefiting from their economic contributions.

Despite its shadowy undercurrents, Tesson is renowned for its warm hospitality and vibrant cultural scene. The city hosts regular festivals celebrating the forest’s bounty, though these events often serve as a cover for more secretive gatherings and negotiations.

Tesson Locations

Elm Hall

the center of the woadling community in Tesson.

While most woadlings stick to their groves deep in the Wierway Woods, a sizable community has built up within Tesson. They even run their own markets each week in the great Elm Hall. Held aloft in an impossibly old elm tree, Elm Hall consists of a large, open space where woadling traders set up their stalls. On smaller platforms suspended below the main hall are spaces for traveling woadlings to find lodging and respite from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Underoak Inn

popular ground-level accommodations for travelers.

Newcomers to Tesson often find themselves overwhelmed by the many-layered city above them, where hanging bridges connect multi-story tree houses throughout the canopy. The Underoak Inn offers a familiar sanctuary where rooms can be rented and food acquired. The basement of the Inn is also a central hub for the tunnel network below the forest floor, a fact that keeps the restaurant busy even outside of peak tourist season.

Canopy Retreat

a spa and meditation retreat in the treetops.

Canopy Retreat sits at the highest point in Tesson, with platforms built above the tops of the forest’s highest branches. Here, a group of Solen Society monks have built a retreat where they can see the sun shard atop Beacon Temple in Palefire. Open to the public, the retreat is a popular tourist destination, as the views over the Wierway Woods are unmatched and the spa services not insignificant.

Trail’s End

warehousing and mossback lodging at the edge of Tesson.

The streets and bridges of Tesson are no place for the larger domesticated animals of Nimm, though mossback caravans are required to transport goods to and from the rest of the valley. Run by the Alight branch of the Meadowlarch guild, Trail’s End is a combination ranch and industrial center, allowing caravans to unload and store goods in warehouses and board their animals while doing business in town.

The Tangle

elevated residential neighborhood made up of hundreds of homes connected by a complex network of walkways.

The maze of hanging bridges, rope ladders, and spiraling ramps spreads out through the canopy over half of Tesson. The Tangle is both home to a large portion of Tesson’s permanent residents and the heart of the town’s criminal enterprises. Travel through the Tangle often requires moving into and out of people’s homes, using their staircases to move between levels. Guided walks through the Tangle are a popular excursion, and young Tessonites can be heard hawking this service wherever tourists gather.

Tesson Central

main marketplace.

In a clearing near the middle of the town is Tesson Central. While the trees are spread out enough to allow for a few dozen market stalls on the forest floor, the six levels of platforms suspended above the clearing ensure plenty of space for hundreds of vendors selling everything from handicrafts and trinkets to food and building supplies. At the market’s highest level, one can find the finest jewelry shops and even a Verdangarde outpost dealing in magical ingredients.

Tesson People

Esther Tritch

bramblehand and herb seller.

Esther is an older woman that has spent her entire life in Tesson. A bramblehand, she often disappears into the Wierway Woods for days at a time. When she returns, she sells herbs, and the occasional magical ingredient, from her cart as she slowly walks the streets of Tesson. She may share her knowledge of the forest in exchange for a cup of tea and an engaging story.

Julia Quofob

Market manager at Tesson Central.

Lily’s shop is the primary supply store for the farms and ranches around Soleau. She regularly needs help with making deliveries to ranches on the Zephyrus Prairie and picking up orders from Nordton or Astrom. Cheerful and outgoing, she is always ready to gossip about the goings on in town.

Pickles

woadling head of city planning.

With so much of Tesson built in and on trees, it was important to early residents of the city to make sure they were respecting the forest. To this end, woadlings have been in charge of city planning for generations. Pickles can be found surveying construction sites throughout Tesson, often taking time to commune with the large trees on which the city depends. They are a kind, gentle woadling, and they often need help delivering messages and building plans across town, a task for which they can offer credit for food and lodging at the Underoak Inn or in Elm Hall.

Mikey Karge

member of The Fieldhouse operating in the city.

Just as the Meadowlarch guild is trying to increase their influence in Lumiere, The Fieldhouse strives to gain control of black market trade routes through Tesson. Mikey came to Tesson under the auspices of opening a medical center, for which he is still looking for a location. In the meantime, he has taken a room at the Underoak Inn and started to meet smugglers, trying to entice them away from Meadowlarch’s control.

Porshan

patchfolk tinkerer that runs a repair shop near Tesson Central.

Porshan is an outgoing patchfolk that opened a shop in Tesson in the last year. They are still growing their customer base and local awareness of their shop, Porshan Wrench. They can be found walking the second-highest platform of Tesson Central, where many of the vendors sell watches and other clockwork devices, hawking their services. Porshan is in need of help with security, for they worry that some of the more established businesses in Tesson feel threatened by the new shop, and they have noticed hooded figures scoping it out in the evenings.

Prince Tourvain

courier and head of the Ropers guild.

A smaller guild, the Ropers are couriers that operate in the streets, tunnels, and branches of Tesson. Prince is identifiable by her bright orange hat, her overloaded backpack, and her acrobatics. It is a common sight in the Tangle to see Prince leaping from one rope bridge to another to bypass some bit of traffic or congested stairwell and make her delivery a few minutes early. Other couriers soon took to mimicking Prince’s antics, and before long, Prince had the idea to form a guild of their own.

Tesson Encounters

A Hollowkin is haunting a section of the Tangle.

There have been several reports of strange voices coming from the shadows in the upper branches of Tesson, particularly in the midnight gloom of the city. It is unclear where these voices are coming from, and some residents suspect a ghost is haunting the neighborhood. Tensions in the area have started to rise, as several private conversations have been repeated by the hollowkin, revealing secrets in recognizable voices.

A crew of Wilderling merchants arrives from the east, along with a Dappleback to carry their cargo.

Wilderlings are not a common sight in Tesson, as the Wierway Woods east of the city are difficult to traverse. These merchants are selling bolts of iridescent fabrics and rugs that glimmer with points of starlight somehow sewn into the textile. Their arrival turns heads on the streets of Tesson, and their strange wares draw the attention of jealous Meadowlarch merchants.

A Roper needs immediate attention.

One of the couriers that race through the city at all hours of the day and night missed a jump between rope bridges and is now suspended by their rucksack from a branch below the Tangle. Fifty feet off the forest floor, they have been shouting for help for hours, but no one has figured out how to get them down safely.

A support line for one of the large, suspended walkways breaks.

The twisting platform leaves a crowd of people hanging onto the railing to keep from falling a hundred feet to the ground. Rescue efforts are underway, but questions about how the support line, a rope nearly a foot thick, could have broken are now swirling through town.

An ethervane beetle wanders among the roots on the ground.

If followed, it eventually finds its way into a hole that leads to a dark tunnel below the city. Eventually, it finds a chamber seemingly formed by an explosion in the tunnel. Within this chamber, the bodies of a dozen people float, motionless, glowing softly with iridescent light. The beetle begins to absorb the magical residue in this space, the glowing fades, and the bodies of the rival gangs caught in this magical explosion sink to the floor.

Rumors reach Tesson of sightings of a tanglebrun in the Wierway Woods just south of town.

A few Marmateers that were in town, and even a witch that was visiting from Cloudlight, have set off in search of the creature and the Loom Tree to which it is bound.

Lake Solen

Lake Solen

Lake Solen, the vast inland sea at the heart of Nimm, is a breathtaking natural wonder that plays a crucial role in the realm’s geography, economy, and culture. This expansive body of water stretches for miles, its crystal-clear depths reflecting the ever-present light of the surrounding beacons.

Life Blood of Nimm

The lake’s shores are dotted with vibrant communities, from the industrial powerhouse of Astrom to the bustling port town of Brighton Cove. Teeming with diverse aquatic flora and fauna, its waters support robust fishing industries, ensure vital trade routes between the lake’s settlements, and most importantly, provide leisure and relaxation for all.

Beacon Isle

At the center of Lake Solen lies a small island with a lighthouse from where all four sun shard beacons are visible. Beacon Isle is home to a solemn memorial dedicated to the Battle for the Sun Shards that serves as a poignant reminder of Nimm’s history and the sacrifices made to protect the realm’s light. Nimmians often make pilgrimages to the island to pay their respects and reflect on the importance of unity in the face of darkness.

Deep Secrets and Deeper Storage

While the surface of Lake Solen is a hub of activity and natural beauty, its depths hold a secret of immense importance to Nimm. Far beneath the waves, accessible only through hidden entrances known to a select few, lie the Marmateers’ jam cellars. This vast underground complex serves as the realm’s primary storage facility for the preserved magic of Midnight Muscadines. A marvel of magical engineering, the jam cellars are designed to withstand the pressures of the lake above while maintaining optimal conditions for long-term magical preservation. Multiple layers of magical wards and physical defenses ensure the safety of Nimm’s magical reserves, making it one of Nimm’s most secure locations.

The existence of the jam cellars beneath Lake Solen adds an extra layer of mystique to the already impressive body of water. They stand as a testament to the ingenuity and foresight of the Marmateers, who recognized the need for a safe haven for Nimm’s most valuable magical resources.

Lake Solen Locations

Beacon Ring

a collection of tourist-focused businesses that float on the lake in a ring around Beacon Isle.

In order to preserve the sanctity of its memorial, no commercial development is allowed on Beacon Isle. Instead, hotels, restaurants, and aquatic tour companies are based in Beacon Ring. Rowboats ferry tourists between the island and the buildings on the inner side of the ring, while piers on the outer side allow for larger fishing boats and ferries to dock.

The False Cellar

decoy jam cellar on Beacon Isle.

While the existence of the jam cellars below Lake Solen is fairly common knowledge, the location of the entrance to the complex is a closely guarded secret. Many assume the entrance is hidden somewhere on Beacon Isle, and those brazen enough to search for it may find themselves trapped in the False Cellar, a decoy built during the construction of the cellars. Each morning, the lighthouse keeper Jonas opens the doors to the False Cellar and releases anyone stuck inside, but not before a stern lecture on the importance of respecting the work the Marmateers do for Nimm.

central chamber of the Lake Solen jam cellar.

Soaring pillars ringed with glowing, backlit jars mark the main chamber of the jam cellars. Stored here are samples of every known magical ingredient, though these jars are mainly for display. Each pillar also contains a spiral staircase that leads down to the deeper tunnels and chambers. The Gallery sits at the crossroads of the two major tunnels that connect to the cellars’ four entrances Astrom, Wicker Beach, West Wood (the least used entrance), and Southern Reach (now decommissioned). The Gallery also hosts certain ceremonies, such as the annual induction of new Marmateers.

The Supply Lines

Smaller, more utilitarian chambers hold the Marmateers’ actual ingredient stores, and any guild member can request distributions of ingredients in abundant supply.

Each guild member is also assigned a locker, their very own store room in The Supply Lines. Here they may stash extra ingredients or even extra jam jars without worrying about their safety.

Muscadine Distillery

special chamber within the cellars where Midnight Muscadines are distilled for their magical essence.

As the Muscadines themselves do not keep forever, Marmateers regularly journey back to the Distillery to process their hauls. This is also the place where new jam jars can be crafted, old jars upgraded, and broken jars mended. The still is tended by the meticulous Stalsheen, one of the patchfolk that has dedicated their life to the study of the Midnight Muscadines.

The Southern Reach Entrance

sealed entrance to the Marmateers’ jam cellars on the outskirts of Brighton Cove.

In the wake of recent tensions with Brighton Cove’s leadership, and in no small part due to the forced closure of the Marmateer guildhouse in the city, the southern entrance to the Lake Solen jam cellars has been decommissioned and the entrance tunnel collapsed. The entrance still needs to be checked on every week or two to make sure nothing, and no one, makes an attempt at un-collapsing it, but so far there has been nothing of the sort.

Lake Solen People

Jonas of Deep Water

Solen Society monk and keeper of the Beacon Isle lighthouse.

Jonas is a balding, middle-aged man that has been a monk since he was a teenager. A native of Lumiere, he was an easy choice to become the lighthouse keeper, after spending his life as an apprentice under its previous keeper. Jonas now enjoys a quiet, meditative life on the island, often spending his days chatting with tourists atop the lighthouse or simply taking in the views of Nimm’s sun shards.

Owen Soled

young ferryman in the Beacon Ring.

Owen lives in the Ferry House, a boarding house and marina for the Ring’s rowboat operators. He spends his days rowing tourists to and from Beacon Isle and the various businesses that surround it. He knows about the False Cellar, and he is all too eager to encourage cellar hunters to seek out those trapped doors. He also knows Jonas’s schedule, and he makes a point of being ready and waiting when the monk releases whomever the trap has caught each morning.

Kaellyn West

Marmateer librarian and record keeper.

Kaellyn is one of the few permanent residents of the Marmateers’ cellars. She manages the library, which contains the collected knowledge of the Marmateers Guild on topics from harvesting Midnight Muscadines and finding magical ingredients to mapping the locations and makeup of Wilderfolk settlements and recording rumors of Wilderfolk cities deep in the Wildernight. Kaellyn spends much of her time reading these reports, making her an invaluable resource for new Marmateers planning Wildernight excursions.

William Tensenic

fishing boat captain.

Formerly a commercial fisherman out of Muguet, William now runs fishing excursions for Beacon Ring tourists. Still a fisherman, he supplements the tour income by selling his catches to restaurants on the Ring. During his trips, he happily shares stories of his time on Quench Pond, fishing and occasionally running contraband into Dawncrest. He happens to know all the ins and outs of the black market in Muguet, and he is now far enough away that he does not mind sharing this information.

Yssl

Murmuren tea shop owner.

Yssl runs a specialty tea shop on the Beacon Ring called The Pool. Upon entering the shop, customers descend a short set of stairs into a waist-deep pool of water fed from Lake Solen. Yssl is cheerful and outgoing, though their family members, who help run the shop, are not quite as talkative. Yssl is often in need of help with maintenance on the building that houses the tea shop, as the murmuren don’t go on the building’s roof or upper floors if they can avoid it.

Jace Torbern

head of security for the Lake Solen cellars.

Jace is an experienced Marmateer who has made countless excursions into the Wildernight. As he nears retirement, he has taken on the task of monitoring and ensuring the safety of the Marmateers’ cellars. When he catches someone finding, intently or by accident, one of the cellars’ entrances, Jace uses his special memory altering jam, the recipe of which he refuses to share.

Lake Solen Encounters

A whale seems to have collided with the Beacon Ring in the night.

The collision broke apart the moorings that held the Ring together and sent buildings floating out into Lake Solen. Not only are the buildings getting farther apart, at least one of the hotels appears to be sinking.

Someone has found the collapsed tunnel at the Southern Reach entrance to the Marmateers’ cellars and begun excavating it.

It is not immediately clear who is doing this, or if they know what they’ve found, but Jace Torbern is setting up a stakeout of that entrance to find out who has been digging and why.

The still in the Muscadine Distillery has broken down.

Stalsheen is at a loss for what has happened to it, and they are seeking help to carefully disassemble the machine, diagnose the issue, and possibly even source new parts from specialty manufacturers in Astrom.

A Ghost has been seen wandering the Supply Lines.

On the hunt for the last few days, Jace Torbern cannot explain how the ghost got access to the cellars on the hunt for the last few days. The ghost, the soul of a Marmateer recently killed by a Shadow of Tume, appears to know its way around the cellars and has been effortlessly avoiding capture. If found, an encounter with the ghost is likely to reveal information about the Shadows’ current activities.

While one Ethervane beetle might be tolerable, an infestation is a big problem for the Marmateers’ cellars, where all sorts of magic are kept.

Dozens of beetles have suddenly appeared in the tunnels below Lake Solen, and Jace Torbern is desperate for help ushering the noble creatures out of the cellars.

The annual induction ceremony for a new class of Marmateers happens today.

The Gallery is packed with guild members, many of whom were involved in training the inductees. So much traffic at the cellars’ entrances must have attracted attention, however, for it seems a few of the display jars in The Gallery have gone missing. The culprits must be found and brought to Jace Torbern so that their loot can be returned and their memories altered.

Soleau

Soleau

Soleau, a picturesque river town nestled in the heart of a vast prairie, offers a breathtaking panorama of diverse landscapes. To the south, the majestic snow-capped mountains and Palefire’s beacon loom on the horizon. To the west, the shimmering expanse of Lake Solen stretches as far as the eye can see, its waters reflecting the ever-present beacon light.

Fields of Life

The town itself is a harmonious blend of rustic charm and agricultural prosperity. Soleau’s buildings, constructed primarily of locally sourced stone and timber, feature wide verandas and large windows taking full advantage of the open views. The central square, dominated by a grand fountain, serves as the heart of the community, hosting weekly markets and seasonal festivals.

Surrounding Soleau are expansive fields of vibrant flowers and bountiful crops, creating a colorful patchwork that stretches to the town’s borders. These fields not only provide sustenance for the residents, but also attract visitors from across Nimm who come to witness the spectacular blooms, particularly during spring and summer months.

Philosophers’ Retreat

The river that gives Soleau its name winds gently through the town, its banks lined with weeping willows and dotted with small docks where locals fish or simply enjoy the calm waters. Several stone bridges span the river, connecting the town’s two halves and serving as popular spots for evening strolls and late-night philosophizing.

Soleau has gained renown as a retreat destination, offering a perfect escape for those seeking respite from the busier cities of Nimm. Visitors can enjoy leisurely boat rides on the river, guided tours of the flower fields, bike rides among prairie paths, or simply relax in one of the town’s many cozy inns and absorb the serene atmosphere.

Cultivators of Ingredients

The town’s economy thrives on a combination of agriculture, tourism, and small-scale crafting. Its fertile lands produce an abundance of grains, fruits, and vegetables, while its flower fields yield sought-after blooms and essential oils. Soleau’s artisans are known for their fine textiles and pottery, often incorporating motifs inspired by the surrounding natural beauty.

Soleau Locations

Zephyrus Tours

tour company with headquarters in central Soleau.

Zephyrus Tours runs tours of the farms and orchards on the Zephyrus Prairie, as well as supervised mossback and marso riding excursions. Any tourist new to Soleau is sure to benefit from a day with a Zephyrus guide, whether to find hidden cafes on the banks of the Soleau River or hidden vistas above fields of blooming fruit trees west of town.

Twelve Hill Ranch

mossback ranch on the Zephyrus Prairie south of Soleau.

Twelve Hill Ranch is part working ranch and part tourist destination. A cluster of cabins encircle a restaurant near the center of the ranch, surrounded on all sides by sprawling fields with herds of mossbacks. Jenny Ulstone is the notable exception to the trend of signing an exclusive contract with the Alight guild in Muguet for her mossbacks. This has hurt her livestock business, but she has kept the ranch running for years by successfully catering to tourists.

Old Oak Ranch

marso ranch in the forest to the north of Soleau.

While mossbacks require large open spaces for grazing, marso flourish in the thick forest beside the Soleau river. Old Oak Ranch is the place to go to try out marso riding and to secure one for adventures into the Wildernight. Walt Corman, a kindly mountain of a man running the ranch by himself, can always use a hand around the ranch or making trips into Soleau for supplies.

Tea & Tulips

flower and tea shop.

At the heart of Soleau is Tea & Tulips, a tea shop popular with locals and tourists alike. With its large veranda overlooking the Soleau River The shop is popular with locals and tourists alike, it is frequently used as a landmark for meeting tour guides. Jess Queen, owner and member of the Verdangarde, may need help making deliveries to nearby towns, and might even trade magical ingredients for the help.

The Terrace

luxury hotel and restaurant.

The Terrace sits at the crest of a hill on the western edge of Soleau, from which it offers stunning views of the Zephyrus Prairie and Lake Solen on the horizon. The hotel and its dining room are frequented by guild leaders and local politicians, making it a prime location for finding well-to-do visitors. Playing host to the local chapter of the Verdangarde guild, magical ingredients can occasionally be found growing in the hotel’s private gardens.

Wicker Beach

tourist destination on the shore of Lake Solen.

Wicker Beach is a popular excursion for visitors to Soleau. Several tour companies run cruises down the Soleau River to Lake Solen and Wicker Beach. At the beach, tourists will find a boardwalk with a variety of restaurants, shops, and theaters catering to all tastes. Marmateers are often found among the crowds of sunbathers, fueling rumors of a hidden entrance to the Lake Solen jam cellars.

Soleau People

Tanner Parks

owner and manager of New Blooms.

Tanner, a senior member of the Verdangarde, runs a peony and tulip farm near Soleau. He has also been cultivating a few ingredients and, with his special interest in sleep, frequently has a supply of dreamdrop orchid and wikenweed. He is reserved in his discussion of these ingredients, but he will trade these in exchange for delivering a volume of his notes to Joshua Terning in Nordton.

Lily Bhattan

Meadowlarch guild member that runs Soleau Feed.

Lily’s shop is the primary supply store for the farms and ranches around Soleau. She regularly needs help with making deliveries to ranches on the Zephyrus Prairie and picking up orders from Nordton or Astrom. Cheerful and outgoing, she is always ready to gossip about the goings on in town.

Harwa Yun

curator of the Stellan Gallery.

While Soleau is mostly known for its agricultural exports, it does have a budding art scene. Running one of the larger galleries, Harwa often entertains museum curators from the beacon cities looking for contemporary paintings to fill their galleries. She finds herself in need of help with transporting artworks to some distant corner of Nimm for an influential client.

Sully Harbaugh

member of the Wicker Beach Patrol.

Sully, responsible for the safety of the tourists enjoying Lake Solen’s waters, can be found marching the length of Wicker Beach each day responsible for the safety of the tourists enjoying Lake Solen’s waters. He has saved more than a few overconfident swimmers, and he will not hesitate to share these stories. While not a member of the Marmateers, he thinks he has found an entrance to the jam cellars below Lake Solen; this information may very well put his life at risk.

Ganthalger

a Woadling that lives in the forest north of Soleau.

Ganthalger has lived in the forest longer than most residents of Soleau have been alive, and they have shown no sign of putting down roots in their old age. They run a small wild farming operation here, selling mushrooms in the Soleau Central Market once a month. Ganthalger is an expert bramblehand able to share secrets about where to find magical plants on the banks of the Soleau River.

Winnie Banks

market organizer.

Winnie is responsible for assembling the vendors at the weekly Soleau Central Market, where craftspeople, florists, and ranchers show off their wares for the crowds of tourists. The Market is held in the central square, so space is limited, and Winnie decides on who gets a booth each week. This power has made her one of the wealthiest people in town, as gifts flow in from business owners looking for prime locations in the market, a fact she makes no effort to hide.

Soleau Encounters

The Peony Festival has arrived.

For two weeks each spring, the fields around Soleau are colored with fantastic blooms of peonies. During this time, people travel from all across Nimm to witness their ephemeral colors. All of the inns in town are full, and many locals take the opportunity to rent a spare room to a tourist. More than a few Field Hands will find themselves among the masses, though they are more focused on the fat pockets of tourists than they are on the flowers.

A mushroom boar has broken into and infected a herd of mossbacks.

Wildstar Ranch, a large mossback breeding center, has had its largest herd infected by a mushroom boar. Kevin Key, the owner, is begging for help to cure, or at least isolate, the affected animals, which are still roaming freely on his ranch. While these infections have happened before in Soleau, Kevin is convinced a rival rancher put the boar onto his property on purpose.

Someone has burglarized Winnie Banks’ house.

Just a block away from the town square, Winnie’s expansive home has been broken into, and several pieces of art have been stolen. Winnie is a wreck, and she is contacting all of the local guilds to demand a coordinated investigation be undertaken. By the time any investigation can begin, the stolen paintings are on a boat headed downriver, where they will eventually make their way to a Fieldhouse-run warehouse in Lumiere.

A tourist ferry has capsized on Lake Solen.

In the short stretch of deep water that must be traversed from the outlet of the Soleau River and Wicker Beach, a whale has gotten a little too curious with a tourist boat. Shouts for help can be heard on the beach, and the capsized boat can be seen a half-mile out on the water.

Penny Lastappe, the Marmateers’ treasurer, has come to town from Dawncrest.

After hearing about the Alight guild acquiring exclusive contracts with mossback breeders, the higher-ups in the Marmateer guild have decided they should do the same to secure a steady supply of marso for their members. Penny has never been to Soleau before, and she will need help finding a rancher willing to sign a contract.

A Lantern Maw has been terrorizing Wicker Beach.

Two tourists have been attacked by the creature in the past week. Sully Harbaugh managed to resist the creature’s lure and save the victims-to-be, but he has had to close the lake to swimmers until the waters can be made safe again.

Lumiere

Lumiere, a small yet intriguing lake town, sits at the intersection where the dense forests of Nimm meet the shimmering waters of Lake Solen. Known for its unique approach to “wild farming,” where residents cultivate crops in harmony with the surrounding untamed nature, Lumiere is often portrayed as a cozy and unassuming settlement. This reputation benefits from the serene facade created by the town’s picturesque wooden houses and floating gardens.

Shaded Undercurrents

However, beneath this tranquil exterior lies a hidden world of intrigue and clandestine operations. Those in the know will attest that Lumiere hosts the unofficial headquarters for several of Nimm’s most influential criminal and black market guilds. The town’s position at the edge of the wilderness provides perfect cover for secretive activities, while its proximity to the lake offers convenient escape routes.

Gateway to the South

The guilds operate from nondescript buildings or even subterranean chambers beneath the town. Local taverns and inns serve as meeting points for covert exchanges, their rustic charm concealing the high-stakes negotiations taking place within. The town’s seemingly innocent wild farming practices often serve as a front for smuggling strange and potentially illegal magical herbs and artifacts. Also, as most trade between Brighton Cove and Dawncrest must pass through Lumiere, the guilds have a certain control over what goods travel between the two large beacon cities.

Despite its darker undercurrents, Lumiere maintains a delicate balance between its public image and hidden activities. The town’s leadership, rumored to be in league with the guilds, ensures that peace is kept and that Lumiere’s true nature remains concealed from the wider world of Nimm.

Lumiere Locations

Elk and Elm Farm

the largest wild farm in Lumiere.

Situated to the north-west of town on the edge of the Golden Birch Wode, Elk and Elm has been around since the founding of Lumiere, and it is well-established as a large producer of native fruits and vegetables in all growing seasons. Its location at the edge of the forest allows it to access overland trade routes, and mossback caravans leave the farm at least once a week, headed directly to Muguet instead of the more difficult paths through the forest to Lumiere.

The Wodehouse

headquarters for the Woderunners.

The Woderunners connect the wild farmers of the Golden Birch Wode to markets in Lumiere. In their effort to preserve and work within the forest, the wild farmers of Nimm had a problem: mossback caravans cannot navigate the footpaths that wind through the trees. Goods need to be taken by hand-drawn cart, a time- and labor-intensive process. This is where the Woderunners come in, a dedicated workforce specialized in the rapid movement of goods through the forest. At the Wodehouse, in addition to the union offices, a job board contains posts from various farmers with both upcoming shipments and requests for supply or equipment deliveries from town.

The Jammery

Marmateer neighborhood in town.

With its proximity to the Wildernight, in particular the Barrier Peaks mountain range, Lumiere is a popular home base for Marmateers. Many end up buying houses and relocating their families to Lumiere. The Jammery is a neighborhood with a particularly high proportion of Marmateer homes, and walking the streets of the Jammery is like walking through a miniature representation of the folk of Nimm. One home will be flying the flag of Dawncrest, the next will be constructed of stone blocks imported from Albedo, and on the corner a centuries-old maple tree will be playing host to a Tesson-styled treehouse.

Bread and Butter

general store near the Jammery.

In response to the metropolitan residents of the Jammery, Nels Richmond opened Bread and Butter, a general store aimed at being as general as possible. Nels specifically stocks the store to appeal to the residents of the Jammery, importing staples from across Nimm. Nels is a member of Meadowlarch, and the basement of Bread and Butter is the local headquarters, in competition with The Fieldhouse.

Bell’s Aquatic Gardens

nursery at the edge of Lake Solen.

To go along with the wild farming in the forest west of the lake, many farmers stake their claims on the lake itself. Bell’s Aquatic Gardens, run by Reena Bell, is the go-to nursery and farming supply shop for the lake-dwellers. Floating beds, hydroponic fertilizers, and plants specially bred to thrive in the aquatic growing environment are all on display here. Reena often needs assistance making deliveries further out on the lake, for which she will let you borrow one of her cargo-hauling outriggers.

Cork

finest restaurant in Lumiere.

Sitting on Lake Solen, Cork’s multi-story building floats on a magically-balanced raft just beyond the aquatic farms of Lumiere. There is only one seating per night, during which the restaurant floats out into the lake until it offers a view of the Beacon Isle lighthouse on the horizon to the southeast. The leaders of Lumiere and the heads of Lumiere’s guilds can be found here, and more than one secret agreement has been reached in the private rooms of the building’s lower floors, descending beneath the waters.

Lumiere People

Kelly Onstead

dockmaster at the port of Lumiere.

Kelly is responsible for managing maritime traffic in and out of Lumiere, from large cargo haulers on their way to and from Astrom and Brighton Cove to the canoes and outriggers favored by the lake dwellers and aquatic farmers of Lumiere. Kelly is meticulous in their work, and they are well-known and well-respected among the residents of Lumiere. Kelly can help arrange transportation over the lake or help with securing a boat rental.

Rany Quells

woodcarver and wheelwright.

From his shop near the center of Lumiere, Rany produces the finest wooden wheels in Nimm. He is the primary supplier of carts to the Woderunners, who require light but durable equipment for transporting goods over the root-riddled trails of the Golden Birch Wode. Rany uses this industry to fund his hobby as a master woodcarver. His wooden sculptures can be found in parks as far away as Cloudlight, and he has been commissioned multiple times by the Demmishock family of Dawncrest to create pieces for their private gardens.

Johan Zimner

head of the Woderunners.

Johan was well-known among Lumiere’s wild farmers long before he retired from running to form the Woderunners’ union. Of the adventurous sort, he can often be seen running the forest trails near Lumiere just to keep in shape. He dreams of extending the Woderunners’ territory to establish trading routes with Wilderingfolk villages, and requires assistance in developing contacts in the Wildernight villages west of Lumiere.

Gwynnie Courser

Fieldhouse leader.

As with most organizations, criminal or not, at the top of The Fieldhouse is one person: Gwynnie Courser. After aging out of a Fieldhouse-run orphanage in Brighton Cove, Gwynnie joined the guild and has, since then, dedicated her life to expanding its charitable works. She can be found meeting with Lumiere’s leadership, strolling the promenade along Lumiere’s docks, or dining at Cork, Lumiere’s finest restaurant.

Alix Terning

bramblehand from Nordton that recently moved to Lumiere.

Alix has arrived in Lumiere hoping to leverage his knowledge of Nordton’s twilight farming techniques out in the twilit region of the Golden Birch Wode, where few farmers are currently active. Alix, like his cousin Joshua, is part of the Verdangarde guild, and he routinely cultivates magical ingredients. His farmstead can be found far to the west, and it has become a common waypoint for Marmateers heading into the Wildernight from Lumiere.

Wilston Bolsh

innovative aquatic bramblehand.

Wilston is an aquatic farmer pushing forward the techniques of fish husbandry. Hydroponic rafts are the standard for Lumiere’s aquatic farms, but Wilston has been focusing on cultivating the fish that eat the plants’ roots and that other farmers see as pests. He is also experimenting with floating his beds, and his home, out into the deepest parts of Lake Solen to get away from the nutrient-poor milieu in the waters closest to Lumiere’s docks. He will probably get stuck out on the lake one day, or possibly have his farm devoured by a passing whale.

Lumiere Encounters

The street starts to move beneath the character’s feet.

With a sudden, violent lurch, the ground gives way as an explosion of light and sound overwhelms the PCs. They find themselves falling into what was a hidden, subterranean cavern that someone was using as a warehouse. Two groups, a Fieldhouse crew and a gang hired by the Meadowlarch guild, are fighting in there, though both groups appear dazed by whatever caused the explosion.

A Woderunner calls for help.

On a trail close to the edge of Lumiere, a Woderunner, Maya Stinton, has broken her ankle. She managed to keep her cart upright, but she cannot walk, let alone complete her delivery. She asks for help both getting herself to the Wodehouse, where there is a doctor she can see, and getting her cart to the docks, where a ship bound for Astrom is expecting the load of mushrooms.

A huge storm wreaks havoc on the aquatic farms on Lake Solen.

Hydroponic rafts are destroyed, debris is everywhere, and multiple farmsteads have disappeared, torn loose and set adrift on the lake.

A gala is being held at Cork.

The heads of several major guilds, as well as local political leaders, are expected to be in attendance. Ahead of the gala, rumors fly about a secret meeting occurring during the evening. Alix Terning, hoping to expand Verdangarde’s presence in Lumiere, is in need of an invitation, or at least a way into the restaurant before it sets sail.

A young Fieldhand is trying to sell black market ingredients.

The Fieldhand, Julianne Trine, is wandering the streets of the Jammery, looking for a Marmateer to take the product off her hands, and not being subtle in the least. The ingredients (draw 3 ingredients at random) were stolen from the cart of a Woderunner bringing goods from Terning farm to the docks in Lumiere, though there are no markings on the package to indicate their destination.

The annual festival of light is held in the center of town.

As Lumiere does not play host to a sun shard, the Solen Society has only a passing presence in town. However, once a year, a delegation of monks travels down from Dawncrest and stops in Lumiere on their way to Brighton Cove. While in town, they host a festival, a celebration of the salvaged sun shards and a reminder of Lumiere’s dependence on the larger cities of Nimm.

Astrom

Astrom, a bustling industrial powerhouse, stands proudly on the shores of the vast Lake Solen. This city has masterfully harnessed the lake’s immense water resources to fuel its thriving manufacturing sector, making it one of Nimm’s key economic centers.

A Skyline of Power

The city’s skyline is dominated by an impressive array of water wheels, turbines, and aqueducts that channel the lake’s power into countless factories and workshops. These structures, ranging from traditional wooden wheels to cutting-edge turbines, create a unique blend of industrial might and engineering

artistry, while the constant hum of machinery and the churning water form a distinctive symphony.

Astrom’s manufacturing prowess is diverse and far-reaching. The city produces everything from finely crafted textiles and intricate clockwork mechanisms to robust farming equipment and innovative magical devices. Many of these products use raw materials sourced from across Nimm, including rare minerals from Albedo and exotic plants from Nordton, further cementing Astrom’s role in the realm’s prosperity.

Marmateer Jam Cellars

The city’s docks are a hive of activity, with ships constantly arriving with raw materials and departing laden with finished goods. This bustling port has given rise to a cosmopolitan atmosphere, with traders, artisans, and innovators from all corners of Nimm converging in Astrom’s markets and guildhalls. A well guarded secret, Astrom’s docks hold one of the entrances to the Marmateer’s jam cellars where Nimm’s supply of preserved Midnight Muscadines are safely stored.

Beauty Among Industry

Despite its industrial focus, Astrom has not neglected the natural beauty of its lakeside setting. The city boasts several waterfront parks and promenades where residents and visitors can enjoy stunning views of Lake Solen.

Astrom’s commitment to innovation extends beyond manufacturing. Assisted by University of Cloudlight scholars, the city is at the forefront of developing sustainable practices that balance industrial growth. Advanced filtration systems and magical purification techniques ensure the purity of the lake’s waters despite the city’s heavy use, setting a standard for responsible urban development in Nimm.

As the beacons dim, Astrom transforms into a spectacle of lights and shadows. The glow from its factories and the shimmering reflections on Lake Solen create a mesmerizing display, earning the city its nickname “The Jewel of Solen”.

Astrom Locations

The Switchhouse

control center Astrom’s water supply.

With so many factories deriving their power from the river flowing through Astrom into Lake Solen, control of the flow of water is a major focus of local politics. The Switchhouse sits on the river north of Astrom, and it performs the task of dividing the incoming water into the various canals and aqueducts that wind through the city. Under the direction of the current Rivermaster, on more than one occasion certain canals have run dry while others overflow, though no one has thought to investigate this beyond blaming Silen Quomm’s indiscretion…

Shiftwork

all-night diner popular with Astrom’s factory workers.

Shiftwork is the place to go before or after a late-night shift in one of Astrom’s many factories. The menu offers a wide selection of local seafood, as well as dishes themed around and sourced from cities all across Nimm, like the Soleau steak sandwich and the Nordton mushroom burger. Everything is available to-go as well, making it the perfect spot to fill a lunch pail before heading to work.

Alight Guild Headquarters

large building in the center of Astrom that holds the leadership of Alight, the shipping arm of the Meadowlarch Guild.

With the continuous flow of goods and materials through Astrom’s factories, the shipping industry is centered in Astrom. The building contains a variety of offices, lounges, and dining areas for members of Meadowlarch, and on the first floor is a bulletin board where specialized transportation requests are posted. Here, anyone can take a job, usually moving something small and valuable that the shipper does not want to entrust to a standard mossback caravan. Completing these jobs is one way to earn entry into Meadowlarch and Alight.

Lakeside Stables

a large stable and ranch on the east side of Astrom, along the edge of Lake Solen.

Part of the Alight shipping network, the Lakeside Stables care for mossbacks awaiting their next caravan assignment. The stables will also board marso for travellers visiting Astrom, and they have veterinary facilities that can accommodate all sorts of Nimmian and Wildernight animals. Doctor Haley Pless, head veterinarian and also a Marmateer, uses her knowledge of magical jams to heal animals. She may need help acquiring specific ingredients or information on particular rare animals.

Solen Skywalk

elevated promenade above the shore of Lake Solen.

A popular tourist destination, the Solen Skywalk extends out over the Astrom docks, two hundred feet in the air. From here, one can just glimpse the top of the lighthouse on Beacon Isle on the southern horizon. The Skywalk also offers magnificent views of the city of Astrom, with its labyrinth of waterways descending through the city from the north and pouring out into the clear waters of the lake.

Pearl of Astrom

cruise ship for tourists that launches from the docks in Astrom each evening.

Another prime tourist experience in Astrom is taking a cruise on the Pearl of Astrom. First, the cruises tour Astrom’s docks to show off the large freight ships that ferry goods across the lake to Lumiere and Brighton Cove. Then, they pass the water treatment facility that removes industrial pollutants from the city’s canals before the water that drives the city’s industry is released into Lake Solen. Finally, as the sun shards are dimmed to their lowest level, the cruise offers the best view of the Jewel of Solen, with the lights of the city reflecting off the still surface of the lake.

Astrom People

Rivermaster Silen Quomm

controller of the river switchhouse.

The Rivermaster, an elected position in Astrom, is responsible for managing the Switchhouse to ensure equitable distribution of water power throughout the city. Silen Quomm has held this position for only a few months, and he has already earned a rather unfavorable reputation, neglecting his duties on more than one occasion after a raucous night on the town.

Guildmaster Julice Hawthorn

head of the Alight branch of the Meadowlarch guild.

Julice joined the guild as a warehouse worker at the docks in Muguet, and he has climbed the ladder to become the head of Alight, Meadowlarch’s shipping arm. Julice has developed relationships with breeders in Soleau to ensure Alight has access to the finest mossbacks in Nimm, and he has leveraged Meadowlarch’s reputation with those breeders to ensure no one outside of the guild is able to break into the shipping industry.

Piper Marsh

rookwright and mechanic.

Piper operates Future Power, a company that installs and services the newest generation of wind and water turbines. Her company has grown quickly, picking up new customers who are interested in upgrading their factories’ aging waterwheels. She has a constant need for help with the transport and installation of new turbines. She also could use assistance to investigate why her machines have been breaking down more frequently of late. She suspects sabotage, but has no idea who might be behind it.

Lady Quinn

witch, member of the Cloud Coven.

Lady Quinn was trained at the University of Cloudlight and then joined the Cloud Coven. She resides in Astrom under the auspices of running a small shop, Foliage, where she sells tonics, potions, and some basic magical ingredients. The ingredients are the lure that brings Marmateers into the shop, for Lady Quinn is in Astrom on a secret assignment to find the entrance to the Solen jam cellars.

Jonathan Benst

manager of the Marmateers’ Astrom offices.

As Astrom holds one of the hidden entrances to the Solen jam cellars, the Marmateers have a permanent presence in the city. Jonathan Benst manages the Astrom offices and lodging, which are held in a large, ornate building close to the docks. Jonathan is the perfect local liaison for visiting Marmateers; acting as both host and concierge, he can arrange for transportation within and out of the city, entertainment, and meetings with other local guilds.

Laura Wollman

investigative reporter and technology writer.

Laura, a member of the Pilcrow guild, is a reporter stationed in Astrom to cover the developments of the city’s many manufacturers. She studied engineering and journalism at the University of Cloudlight, experience which lends her reporting an informed angle that readers appreciate, publishers love, and rookwrights fear. More than one “life-changing” invention was panned by Laura on technical grounds that only became apparent to the inventor after they read her article. Laura is able to provide information about the activities of different factories that most citizens of the city are unaware of.

Astrom Encounters

A young boy, Manny Gorm, is stuck near the top of a waterwheel.

The 10-year-old started climbing the immense wheel because it was not moving. Shortly after he reached the top, however, the channel suddenly filled with rushing water and started the wheel turning. Manny is now perched on a decorative bit of stonework on the edge of the aqueduct, eighty feet off the ground, shouting for help over the roar of the water and the grinding of the wheel.

A group of workers are picketing a factory.

The workers, who are all skilled machinists, are on strike from Sellinger’s Components, a factory that produces bespoke metal parts for industrial applications. The factory owners have been resistant to meeting with the workers to discuss their contracts, and the workers have gone on strike. A few of the workers have considered more drastic action to get the factory owners’ attention, but no one is talking about that in the open.

A large water wheel has fallen onto a house, and the residents are now trapped inside.

Waterway workers were in the process of performing maintenance on a hundred-foot-tall water wheel within downtown Astrom. They had to disconnect one side of the axle, and the weight shift broke the other side, causing the wheel to fall across the street and crush the upper floor of a small house. Terrified shouts can be heard from inside the house as the workers race to get a crane to lift the huge wheel.

A large group of Marmateers is headed to the jam cellars below Lake Solen.

By some coincidence, several Marmateer crews have arrived in Astrom at the same time, meaning several dozen people need to use the hidden entrance to the jam cellars. This has drawn the attention of the people of Astrom, and interested parties, namely Lady Quinn and her associates, are now monitoring the Marmateers’ movements in an attempt to find the entrance.

An aqueduct overflows, turning the street below into a river.

Without warning, the entire flow of water through the Switchhouse is directed into a single aqueduct. The water quickly overflows the sides of the aqueduct, turning the street below into a raging river. Not only that, the first set of water wheels on this aqueduct’s course, unable to withstand the sudden increase in flow, are torn free of their axles and begin careening through the city toward the docks.

The Festival of Innovation takes over downtown Astrom.

Part celebration of invention, part trade show, the Festival of Innovation is an annual event in Astrom. Here, half of the booths are reserved for inventors showing off their handiwork in the hopes of selling designs to factory owners. The other half are set up by independent craftspeople selling their creations, often small but functional machines based on clockwork mechanisms with various amounts of magical augmentation.

Muguet

Muguet, a quaint fishing village nestled along the shores of a serene lake south of Dawncrest, has blossomed into a vibrant trade center thanks to its strategic location and natural resources. This charming settlement seamlessly blends the tranquility of lakeside living with the bustling energy of a commercial hub.

Lakeside Market

The village’s economy is primarily driven by its thriving fishing, crabbing, and algae industry, with local fishermen renowned for their skill in harvesting the lake’s abundant and diverse aquatic life. The daily fish market at the heart of Muguet is a spectacle of colors and aromas, drawing visitors from near and far to sample the freshest catch.

Muguet’s rise as a trade center is largely due to its well-established connections with neighboring towns. Regular trade routes link Muguet to Astrom’s manufacturing prowess, Lumiere’s unique wild farming produce, and the valuable resources from Brighton Cove in the south. This network has transformed Muguet into a bustling marketplace where goods from across Nimm converge.

Guild Headquarters

The village’s architecture reflects its dual nature as both a fishing community and a trade hub. Traditional wooden piers and boathouses line the lakeshore, while the center of town features a mix of cozy cottages and larger structures housing the headquarters of various merchant guilds. The town square, dominated by a grand fountain depicting local aquatic life, serves as the focal point for both daily commerce and community gatherings.

Small Town Facade

Despite its bustling industry and growing importance in Nimm bustling industry, Muguet has managed to retain its small-town charm. The locals are known for their warm hospitality, welcoming traders and visitors with open arms while proudly showcasing their fishing heritage. This unique blend of tradition and progress has made Muguet not just a vital trade link, but also a beloved destination in its own right.

Muguet Locations

Hullingsway Fish Market

main fish market in Muguet. 

Almost every fish pulled out of Quench Pond passes through Hullingsway on its journey to a plate somewhere in Nimm. The market sits a few blocks from the docks. Dedicated overhead rails connect it to warehouses all along the waterfront so that the different fishing companies can quickly transport their catches to their individual storefronts via rail carts. Everyone from locals shopping for dinner to purchasing agents stocking Nimm’s finest restaurants can be found browsing at Hullingsway.

The Red Buoy

sailors’ tavern anchored just beyond Muguet Harbor. 

The Red Buoy can be seen from the docks in Muguet; the wooden building seemingly adrift in Quench Pond. While it is not technically drifting, it is floating, and getting to the tavern requires either a short row or a long swim. Its strange location is also its main allure; the food and drink are certainly nothing to write home about. However, one can be sure to find one or two fishing boat captains at a table here, and sailors aplenty at the bar, making this a prime location to catch up on gossip about recent events in Muguet.

Pondview Hotel

busiest hotel in Muguet. 

The Pondview Hotel sits on the town square overlooking the grand fountain at the heart of Muguet. Despite what the name implies, only the highest rooms on the north side of the hotel oversee Quench Pond, but that has not hurt its business. The manager here, Clive Bonwain, is a kind man who will happily sit with curious tourists and share the history of the hotel and the town with curious tourists.

Dockside

popular waterfront teashop. 

Opening before dawn, Dockside caters to fishermen grabbing a pastry and a hot drink before they head out on their boats. Once the sun is up, the teashop is a popular tourist stop, with its outdoor seating looking out over the water. The shop’s basement, with its row of windows just above the water level but below the boardwalk, is a hotspot for smuggled goods on their way to and from Dawncrest.

Nellie’s Net

high class restaurant in the city center.

Nellie’s Net is the fanciest restaurant in town, though it makes a point of separating itself from the industries on which the town depends. Here, you are as likely to order a steak from the fields of Soleau or a mushroom burger from the forest north of Nordton as you are to order a fish filet from Quench Pond. Frequented by leaders of the local unions and the larger guilds that maintain a presence in Muguet, such as the Meadowlarch and Pilcrow guilds.

Scholl and Scholl Lakeweed

algae processing and packaging facility.

Pulling algae from Quench Pond, the factory is run by brothers Lars and Paul Scholl, natives of Soleau who moved to Muguet to open this business. The Scholl brothers have the only algae processing facility in Nimm, but they have failed to generate demand to match their supply. Mostly, the dried and bailed lakeweed is shipped to Soleau as feed for livestock. Lars and Paul, for their part, are committed to promoting consumption of the algae, to the point that one can always smell the bottom of the Quench Pond on their breath.

Muguet People

Anita Hullingsway

director of the Hullingsway Fish Market. 

Hullingsway Fish Market has been run by a member of the Hullingsway family ever since it was founded by Anita’s great-grandfather, Kent Hullingsway. Anita took up the mantle when her two siblings left Muguet to join the Marmateers’ guild, an event that left Anita bitter and resentful toward the Marmateers. While she may be courteous, Marmateers should not expect to find or earn any sort of special treatment with the vendors at Hullingsway.

J. S. Kelten

entrepreneurial fish tinner. 

J. S. recently purchased his own warehouse near the docks in Muguet, and he has begun the process of developing a production line for a variety of tinned fish offerings. He is convinced that tinned fish is the food of the future, and he will not hesitate to regale listeners with its many benefits. He is preparing to go door-to-door at restaurants and hotels across Nimm to market his line of Kelten Tinnery products, but he has become paranoid of late, convinced that other fish sellers in Muguet are conspiring to ruin his business. He is not wholly incorrect.

Captain Lorelai Braun

captain of the fishing boat Unquenched. 

Captain Lorelai is among the most well-respected fishing boat captains on Quench Pond. Young fishermen fight for spots on her crew, as they know there will be a paycheck at the end of every outing. Other captains have been known to follow her out onto the pond, since she always finds the best fishing spots. She is nervous though, as she has sold a few of her catches to Kelten Tinnery instead of at Hullingsway Fish Market, and Anita Hullingsway made a vaguely threatening comment about this decision during their last encounter.

Brie Candless

painter with a studio and gallery on the south side of Muguet. 

Brie runs the town’s only gallery. She can often be found painting en plein air near the docks, masterfully capturing the boats going in and out of the harbor, as well as the sun reflecting on Quench Pond. A witness to more than one strange occurrence at the docks and on the water, she might be able to offer information about clandestine activities around Muguet.

Solomon Persell

head of the fishermen’s guild.

The most powerful guild in Muguet, on account of having the largest local membership, the fishermen’s guild boasts of a headquarters right on the central square of Muguet. Solomon Persell, an elderly man who spent a career on the water before retiring and taking up the mantle of guild leader, is responsible for approving fishing licenses for all boats docking in Muguet. He is also empowered to revoke those licenses, a power that several local businesspeople, Anita Hullingsway among them, would love to wield.

Cranson Jullip

diver and rookwright. 

Cranson is a young man with big ideas. He has been developing a diving bell apparatus to allow for prolonged trips to the bottom of Quench Pond. His interest in diving is merely a step toward what he views as his life’s work: the development, construction, and installation of underwater railcars that could transport goods and people around Nimm. He is starting with a focus on the trade route between Muguet and Dawncrest, but he envisions his railcar network one day crisscrossing the bottom of Lake Solen.

Muguet Encounters

A cart headed to Hullingsway has derailed and dumped hundreds of live crabs into the street below.

The rail carts do not carry a crew, so as of yet, no one with any authority is aware of the accident. Crabs are crawling all over the street, heading into the sewers as well as through the windows of nearby buildings. A few kids are running off with handfuls of crabs, eager for a fancy afternoon snack.

A well-dressed man, Jeremy Stevens, is sitting on a bench near the fountain in the town square with a dozen wooden crates stacked around him.

A purchasing agent for the restaurant at the Melody Hill Spa in Feushire, he came to Muguet to secure a shipment of fish for an upcoming banquet. He reports that he got into a conversation with a man named J. S., and before he knew it, he had spent his entire budget on tinned fish. He seems dazed and asks for help securing transportation back to Feushire, since he had not planned to carry his purchases back himself.

A large boat, the Fathomless, sinks in Quench Pond.

This was not a fishing boat, but rather one of the cargo boats that transports goods across the pond from Muguet to Dawncrest. The crew of six was able to safely escape and row themselves back to Muguet, but the cargo went down with the ship. The contents of that cargo is now of great interest to unsavory types throughout town, and rumors of looters planning to head out onto the water tonight are flying through town.

A marso, which are usually not brought onto busy town streets, has gotten loose in the Hullingsway Fish Market.

Not only has it helped itself to a snack at a half dozen different market stalls, but in its panic it has knocked over several baskets of odd looking crustrations that are now scuttling about the marketplace, joining in the rampaging feast.

A shipment of parts that Cranson Jullip ordered from Sellinger’s Components in Astrom has gone missing.

A mossback caravan arrived from Astrom today, and three crates of machined components that Cranson was expecting were missing. He is furious, but the head of the caravan, a man who identifies himself only as Mr. Porter, is taking no responsibility for the lost boxes.

A business meeting at Nellie’s Net deteriorates into shouting.

J. S. Kelten was meeting with Dillinger Unlee, a local Pilcrow representative. Kelten has been trying for weeks to secure advertising space for Kelten Tinnery in newspapers across Nimm. However, it turns out that another company has consistently outbid Kelten for the ad space: Hullingsway Fish Market. A furious Kelten is accusing Unlee, and the entire Pilcrow guild, of engaging in unfair practices in order to destroy his business. He is probably right.

Cloudlight

Cloudlight, a stronghold of knowledge and illumination, is only rivaled by Dawncrest as Nimm’s most prestigious city. Renowned for its illustrious university and its role as a sun shard guardian, Cloudlight embodies the perfect balance of education, innovation, and magical wonder.

At the heart of the city rises the Spire of Luminous Knowledge, a magnificent tower that houses one of Nimm’s vital sun shards. The spire’s architecture is a marvel in itself, with intricate designs that channel and amplify the shard’s radiance along its entire height.

University of Cloudlight

The University of Cloudlight, often simply called “The University”, is the crown jewel of the city. Its sprawling campus features a mix of ancient libraries, filled with what could be collected by brave librarians from across the world after the Battle for the Sun Shards, and modern research facilities, attracting scholars from all corners of Nimm. The University is particularly noted for its schools of Thaumaturgy, Natural Philosophy, and Engineering, producing some of the most accomplished mages, scholars, and scientists in the land.

The famous Lantern District, home to countless bookshops, magical supply stores, and cozy cafes, buzzes with intellectual discourse at all hours. Many folk claim their ideas and inventions stemmed from listening to or participating in conversations at the Lantern District.

Hub of Magic

Cloudlight’s economy thrives on education and innovation. Results of its magical research and technological advancements are seen on every street, with many graduates establishing workshops and laboratories to pursue their groundbreaking ideas. This atmosphere of creativity and discovery has led to the development of numerous magical devices and techniques that benefit all of Nimm.

Despite its focus on academia, Cloudlight maintains a vibrant cultural scene. The annual Festival of Lights, celebrating the city’s beacon and the pursuit of knowledge, attracts tourists from across the realm. During this time, the entire city is transformed into a dazzling display of magical illuminations, scholarly debates, and joyous celebrations.

As a cornerstone of Nimm’s defenses against the encroaching Wildernight, Cloudlight also houses a significant contingent of the realm’s volunteer defenders. Many students supplement their studies with combat training, preparing to protect their homeland if the need arises.

Cloudlight Locations

All Hands On Press

popular print shop and bookbindery.

All of those books in the bookstores and libraries of Cloudlight need to be made somewhere, and more often than not, that somewhere is at All Hands On Press. It is currently run by Justin VanCrow, a young man that took over after the untimely passing of the Press’s previous owner, Pol Stenson. Trained as Pol’s apprentice, Justin is still getting a handle on the business side of things, and he is in need of assistance with both bookkeeping and finding reliable shipping services.

Crousmoll Books

small but popular bookstore within the Lantern District.

Run by Lily Crousmoll, a woman of uncertain age with long, black hair and a proclivity for funereal attire. Crousmoll’s shelves are stocked with leather-wrapped classic novels, zines of contemporary poetry, and handbound volumes of philosophy. It is a major milestone in every University student’s education to solicit Lily’s advice when looking for their next bit of reading, and her influence on the political leanings of the student body cannot be understated.

Seeds and Sticks

magic ingredient supply store.

Seeds and Sticks is the local outpost of the Verdangarde guild, and it is the primary source of ingredients for students at the University. While the distribution of most rare ingredients is heavily restricted, students create a high enough demand for even the most common of plants to justify keeping the storefront open. Also found here are the paraphernalia of the pedestrian magic user, though notably lacking from inventory are jam jars, which are tightly controlled by the Cloud Coven within the University.

The Noble

large, stylish hotel.

The most popular hotel in the city, The Noble sits across The Green from the Spire of Luminous Knowledge, so it is popular with tourists, the families of University students, and visiting dignitaries alike. A crew of Marmateers might take a room here, but the tourist trap vibes will not entice them to stay for very long. The management at The Noble might be interested in hiring such a crew, however, to investigate a recent series of thefts from the hotel’s basement, and involving local authorities would result in publicity hotel management hopes to avoid.

Blue Hour Club

exclusive social club within the Lantern District.

The Blue Hour Club is the place to be for the elites of Cloudlight. The Club’s membership includes University professors, politicians, and heads of research and industry from across Cloudlight, Feushire, and as far away as Nordton. The dining room at the Club has seen conversations that went on to spark new inventions, new businesses, and new allegiances among the guilds and their factions. While Marmateers might not be able to just stroll in and sit down, they certainly could attend a meeting or event as a member’s guests or representative.

The Green

a large park at the center of Cloudlight.

On the edge of the park stands the Spire of Luminous Knowledge. Complete with fountains, birds, benches, statues, trees, and the occasional kite-flyer, The Green is a popular place for University students to meet, read, and study. The area becomes particularly busy at lunchtime, when the offices within the Spire of Luminous Knowledge empty out into the various cafes lining the edge of the park.

Cloudlight People

Professor Prendin Melegho

engineering instructor at the University of Cloudlight.

Professor Melegho is beloved by the students of the University, though he has been seen out and about less and less of late. Famously, he was the lead engineer on the most recent round of renovations and enhancements to the Spire of Luminous Knowledge. This left him with more knowledge of the Spire, and its sun shard, than anyone else in Cloudlight. Recent events have left him worrying that this knowledge might end up putting him in danger, which is why he has been spending most of his time shut away in his quarters within the University.

Stephen Tremblaux

Solen Society monk.

The Solen Society maintains only a modest presence in Cloudlight, as the Spire of Luminous Knowledge is viewed as relatively secure given the size of Cloudlight’s force of volunteer defenders. Tasked with maintenance of the sun shard’s mounting apparatus, Stephen frequently takes trips to the top of the Spire. It was during one of these trips that he discovered evidence of a break-in: a locked door near the top of the tower had been neatly removed from its hinges. He found no sign of theft or sabotage, so he did not share this finding widely. He is, however, worried about what the finding might mean, and as such would be very interested in investigative assistance.

Boris Krenash

elderly President of the University of Cloudlight.

Boris came to the University when he was still a teenager. He graduated after studying political science, but never left. Instead, he dedicated his life to helping the University grow. This included negotiating the first agreement to share resources between the University and the witches that would become the Cloud Coven, an agreement certain among the Coven have come to resent. He can be found on the Green during the day and at the Blue Hour Club in the evenings.

Maeve

witch and member of the Cloud Coven.

Maeve has been an instructor at the University for several years, specializing in the use of magical jams to interact with and interpret dreams. She would trade her services of dream interpretation for some wikenweed or dreamdrop orchid. She can also teach a Marmateer about how a jam of wikenweed and wicketreed can be used to summon a creature from a dream and bind it into service.

Francis Salt

member of the Meadowlarch guild and owner of the Cloudlight Stables.

In the southern outskirts of the city stand the Cloudlight Stables. Francis runs the stables, where marsos can be boarded by travelers visiting the city, and mossbacks can be rented for use as beasts of burden. From here, Francis also runs a successful drayage and shipping operation, though he holds a grudge against the late Pol Stenson, which is why he will not sign a contract with All Hands On Press.

Helen Indahl

manager at the Blue Hour Club.

Helen holds the keys, literally and figuratively, to the Blue Hour Club. If someone wants to gain membership, if a member wants to book a dining room for an event, or if a guild wants to hold a conference in the grand ballroom, Helen has the final say. As such, she lives a life of luxury, pampered with the gifts (she would never call them something so vulgar as “bribes”) sent by hopeful patrons to make sure their requests get her attention.

Cloudlight Encounters

A deafening explosion showers the street with shards of wood and glass

A small workshop, known as Seebold’s Shop, has just suffered a catastrophe. Within, Seebold, one of the patchfolk, is reeling from the disaster. They were attempting to repair a small clockwork device brought for inspection by Stephen Tremblaux, who had found it within the sun shard chamber atop the Spire. Seebold is not completely sure what went wrong, but they have an inkling that this may actually have been the intended effect of the device.

A pair of Lumenites, calling themselves Ess and See, are found wandering the streets

While lumenites are seen from time to time in Cloudlight, on account of the sun shard’s presence, Ess and See are unfamiliar to the locals. Flickering wildly, they find themselves drawn toward the Spire, saying that the sun shard is at risk and in distress.

A librarian, Lady Rue, is transporting an overloaded cart of books through the city streets

With the recent changes in management at All Hands On Press, the University of Cloudlight Library has been sending Lady Rue to manually collect print runs of books under the University’s imprint. She is struggling with the current delivery, which is far too large for her small, wheeled cart. She would surely be willing to trade some gossip in exchange for a hand with the delivery.

A group of students are demonstrating in front of the offices of Carabus Locke

Locke is a local politician on a public mission to contest the power of the Cloud Coven within the University; he believes the witches do not deserve so much of the University’s funding. The students have heard of this and, at the suggestion of one Lily Crousmoll, have started demonstrating and distributing zines high-lighting the importance of the Cloud Coven to their education and to the safety of the city.

Everything on The Green floats up into the air

An apparent accident has occurred as several students were experimenting with some zephyr’s dew they had smuggled out of a classroom. Everything and everyone on The Green is now levitating, with no indication as to when they might be able to come down.

In the dimmed light of evening, a hooded figure darts between alleys near the center of Cloudlight

Following this Wilderfolk saboteur will not be easy, and catching them will be even harder, but if someone managed to apprehend them, they would find a curious clockwork device that absorbs and stores solar energy, and then probably releases that energy in an explosion.

Feushire

Nestled in the lush Sylvanus Wilds forest north of Cloudlight, Feushire is a picturesque hamlet  renowned for its serene atmosphere and rejuvenating springs. Colorful banners, pennants, and duskbells crisscross the walkways as folk from all across Nimm seek respite from the hustle and bustle of the larger cities of Dawncrest, Cloudlight, and Palefire.

Relaxed Bathhouses

The town is built around a series of natural hot springs, believed by many to have healing properties. These springs have been carefully cultivated into a network of public and private baths, ranging from rustic outdoor pools to luxurious indoor spas. The soothing waters, combined with the town’s tranquil setting, make Feushire an ideal retreat for both weary travelers and stressed city-dwellers.

Vendors and Craftspeople

Feushire’s architecture is a delightful blend of traditional Nimm style and whimsical designs inspired by the surrounding nature. Cozy cottages with thatched roofs sit alongside elegant inns, all adorned with colorful flower boxes and intricate wood carvings. The town center features a quaint marketplace where local artisans sell handcrafted goods, herbal remedies, and unique souvenirs, many not found elsewhere in Nimm.

Vigorous Relaxation

Shopping and bath houses aren’t the only activities for visitors. Hiking trails wind through nearby forests with breathtaking views and opportunities to spot local wildlife, while adventure courses span the canopy, and spelunking trips take people far below the town. In the evenings, Feushire hosts seasonal festivals celebrating everything from the harvest of their famous tea leaves to being the first town to welcome each new season.

Feushire Locations

Feushire Greenhouses

large complex of greenhouses.

The witch Genevieve is running an independent magical plant cultivation business. Genevieve’s operation is the primary competition of magical plant growers part of the Verdangarde guild. A member of the Marmateers or Cloud Coven might be able to barter with Genevieve for individual ingredients, but she is reluctant to trade away her living plants or her knowledge of their cultivation. Information on any Verdangarde advancements in the field would be of particular interest to her.

Central Baths

public bathhouse in the middle of Feushire.

The largest public bathhouse sits on the only hot spring within the town of Feushire. Frequented by both tourists and locals, it serves as a central location for gatherings as well as a rendezvous point for excursions. Every tour guide in town has spent days in the Central Baths hawking their services to visitors newly arrived to Feushire.

The Feushire Grand

the largest and most luxurious hotel in Feushire.

Situated on the northern edge of town, The Feushire Grand, usually called just The Grand, is the premiere hotel in town. It often hosts elites from Dawncrest and Cloudlight, as well as the heads of Nimm’s major guilds. Its grand ballroom is the venue for annual receptions for the Marmateers and the Pilcrow guilds. While commoners cannot afford a room at The Grand, most vacationers at least set aside one evening for dinner in the hotel’s gourmet restaurant.

Melody Hill Spa

high class hot springs resort east of Feushire.

The fanciest private bathhouse in the area, Melody Hill Spa is the go-to place for the elites of Nimm to go on vacations and retreats, or even to hold important business meetings. The Demmishock family keeps a bungalow reserved for their private use, and April Demmishock is as likely to be seen here as in Dawncrest. The manager, a tall, amicable woman who goes only by the name Swan, might report issues with some of the Spa’s hot springs. The waters have been alternately flowing slowly or full of sediment, neither of which is good for business.

Lifeblood

a popular tea shop in town.

Of all the tea shops in Feushire, Lifeblood is the busiest. This is not because of the quality of the tea, which is middling, but because of its location: Lifeblood sits on the plaza that holds the Shinnow Art Garden, across from the entrance to the Central Baths. Its rooftop terrace offers a beautiful view of the craft market, and is considered a must-see for first-time visitors. It also happens to be a front for the local branch of The Fieldhouse, with a horde of contraband moving into and out of the city through a hidden sub-basement.

The Trailhead

headquarters for the Sylvanus Stewards.

The Trailhead is an oversized cabin situated just past the northern extent of Feushire. From here, the Sylvanus Stewards maintain the leisure trails that crisscross the forest near the town and respond to emergencies in the woods. The Stewards are composed of both Feushire locals and visitors from across Nimm that fell in love with the Sylvanus Wilds. The Trailhead is useful as a rendezvous point for hikers, and the Stewards might need assistance dealing with dangerous wildlife, a damaged bridge, or stranded spelunkers.

Feushire People

Donald Pars

expert spelunker.

Donald runs a one-man excursion business for tourists looking to experience the cave networks under Feushire. He has explored more of the caves and tunnels than any other spelunker in Feushire, and he’ll be the first to say so. He has some knowledge of the caves’ limited flora, and might be able to lead an interested party to growths of gloomfern.

Skeir Lanst

Pilcrow guild member and printer of the Feushire Post.

Skeir runs the local paper in Feushire, which is mostly a collection of advertisements for various tourist-focused businesses. He does occasionally, however, print news of note, most of which he gathers from informants that have been hanging around the Central Baths. He’s always willing to listen to a pitch for a newsworthy story, and can offer in exchange services from any of the businesses that advertise with him in exchange.

Penelope Trell

naturalist and craftsperson.

Penelope sells herbal remedies at Shinnow Art Garden, the main craft market at the center of Feushire. She does not practice true magic, but is versed in the art of potion making using magical ingredients. She has an intimate knowledge of the Sylvanus Wilds, and she could serve as a guide to parts of the forest off the beaten path. In exchange, she would gladly accept certain ingredients that are difficult to find around Feushire, such as ghost lily and last respite.

Stanley Valstallen

miner who recently moved from Albedo.

The youngest of the Valstallen family, Stanley recently struck out on his own to get out of the shadow of his older brother, Bruce. Having heard tales of the extensive cave networks below Feushire, Stanley has begun prospecting in some of the shallower tunnels. He has yet to identify deposits of any value, but, unbeknownst to himself or the people of Feushire, his unregulated drilling has begun to weaken the town’s foundations.

Bonnie Quinn

member of the Sylvanus Stewards, expert climber of rocks and trees.

Bonnie is an older woman who has been a Steward her entire life. She would love to fully retire, as she just became a great-grandmother, but there is no one to replace the Stewards’ most skilled climber. Nowadays, when a broken cable or jammed pulley strands a tourist on a high-ropes course, the Stewards will call her in to lead the rescue efforts. If Bonnie is seen in the woods, it is safe to say that someone is stuck in a high place.

Laura Ylts

employee at the Feushire Greenhouses.

A Feushire native, Laura has been working at the Feushire Greenhouses with the witch Genevieve. Laura aspires to learn how to do magic herself, and she took the job hoping that Genevieve might teach her. She has picked up a lot of the details of the plants that Genevieve grows, but she is not a witch, so cannot practice anything she has learned without a magical jam jar. She would do just about anything to get her hands on a jam jar of her own.

Feushire Encounters

Two tourists from Lumiere are found wandering outside of town

They say their tour guide, a teenage boy named Eamon who claimed to be working for one of the larger tour companies, led them through trails into the Sylvanus Wilds and then abandoned them. Only after the boy was gone did they realize their hotel keys were gone as well. Eamon is a young Field Hand who only recently moved out of the local orphanage, and he may have trouble reselling the clothing he stole from the tourist couple.

Reports of people going missing in the caves below Feushire are circulating

Investigations reveal a will-o-wisp has found its way into the local cave system, and its alluring presence has led explorers deep underground before disappearing, leaving both tourists and guides lost in the maze of tunnels and chambers below the town.

A new vendor has arrived in the Shinnow Art Garden

An old Wilderfolk man, rarely seen in Feushire, has appeared in town. Accompanied by two bog’s garts, he is selling fine wooden handicrafts, such as jewelry boxes and children’s toys. His wares have become extremely popular with the tourists, as have his exotic companions, much to the chagrin of the other vendors. Whispers of plans to vandalize his stand and run him out of town are rampant.

Sinkholes have begun forming across town and the surrounding countryside

Entire houses have been engulfed in certain places. The people of Feushire need help both reinforcing the foundations of their homes and figuring out what is causing the sudden outbreak of collapses. Investigations will identify mining equipment in the caverns near the sinkholes, pointing toward the recent prospecting activities of Stanley Valstallen.

A bloom of Creeping Vines has disabled a large section of the treetop adventure trails east of Feushire

The Sylvanus Stewards have been trying to coax the plants out of the area, but they have been having a lot of trouble with the hardy vine, and they are seeking assistance, as tourist complaints have been rolling in.

For the past few days, odd happenings have been reported in the Shinnow Art Garden

No one can see them, but a pair of pixies have been quarreling, fighting over a tall tree with a particularly spectacular view of the garden. The magic used in their duel has been spilling out over the vendors, animating puppets, boiling drinks in their casks, and causing musical instruments to play themselves. Anxious to quell the magical disturbance, the vendors will be willing to trade their wares in exchange for assistance.

Nordton

Nestled in the northern forests of Nimm along the twilight border of the Wildernight, Nordton is a farming community known for its hardy crops, adaptable residents and for being the only town to regularly interact with the Wildernight. The town’s unique location allows it to benefit from both the nurturing light of Nimm and the cool twilight of the Wildernight, resulting in a diverse range of produce and plants. This wild agricultural haven has developed specialized farming techniques able to harness the best of both realms, cultivating sun-loving crops in the light-bathed fields and shade-tolerant plants in the shadowy orchards near the Wildernight border. The town’s farmers are renowned throughout Nimm for their expertise in cultivating rare and exotic plants that thrive along the twilight.

Duality of Light and Dark

Influenced by elements from both Nimm and the Wildernight, Nordton’s architecture is a testament to its dual nature, influenced by elements from both Nimm and the Wildernight. As one traverses the town from south to north, the buildings gradually transition from sun-bleached stone structures with large windows to darker, more organic wooden designs that meld with the encroaching forest. The town center features the grand Northern Market where locals, visitors, and the occasional Wilderfolk alike can trade goods, and is one of the only locations in Nimm where Wildernight denizens are not met with immediate fear and mistrust. This bustling hub is overlooked by the Star Field Tower, a unique structure powered by fallen stars that serves as both a lighthouse for Marmateers and a watchtower to monitor the Wildernight border.

Outpost into the Wildernight

The residents of Nordton are as diverse as their surroundings, possessing skills that span both realms. Many are accomplished farmers and herbalists, while others have honed their abilities as scouts and wilderness guides. The town serves as a vital outpost and training ground for new Marmateers and the few Nimm Folk wishing to explore the Wildernight, with experienced Marmateers offering classes in navigation, foraging, and creature identification. Visitors to Nordton often remark on the haunting beauty of the perpetual twilight, where the warm glow of Nimm’s light mingles with the soft, otherworldly hues of the Wildernight. This unique atmosphere has inspired a thriving arts community, with local craftsmen creating intricate twilight-themed jewelry and textiles highly sought-after throughout Nimm.

Nordton Locations

The Farmhouse

headquarters for the Verdangarde.

Near the southern edge of Nordton, well in the sunlight of Nimm, sits The Farmhouse. This is the headquarters of the Verdangarde, the guild that represents and supports farmers and gardeners all across Nimm. Representatives of the Cloud Coven and the Marmateers are frequently seen attending meetings at The Farmhouse, as their access to Nimm-grown magical ingredients depends on their relationship with the Verdangarde.

Marmateers’ Barracks

hub of activity for the Marmateers in Nordton.

Marmateers come to Nordton for many reasons: to use the town as a home base for expeditions into the Wildernight north of Nimm, to train with and learn from more experienced Marmateers, and to engage in the trade of magical ingredients at Verdangarde shops. Any member of the guild is welcome to take a bunk at the Barracks and resupply with any gear they need for expeditions into the Wildernight.

The Starlit Manse

headquarters of the Starlight Corps.

Past the northernmost edge of Nordton, down a twisting road into the darkness on the Wildernight side of the Sylvanus Wilds, sits a mansion constructed in the Wilderling style, with a steeply peaked roof and walls constructed of dark wood. The roof reaches nearly to the top of the trees and boasts the building’s most notable feature: the observatory dome. The Manse’s library is rumored to be filled with Wilderling books detailing methods of collection, storage, and use of fallen stars, though the common folk can never be sure; entry into the Manse is restricted to the secretive members of the Starlight Corps.

The Northern Market

open-air marketplace at the center of Nordton.

Part well-stocked farmer’s market and part industry showcase, the Northern Market is frequented by both the townsfolk of Nordton and representatives of produce distributors from across Nimm. This is the place to find not only the freshest produce, but also both beloved heirloom varieties and the newest cultivars of all manner of fruits and vegetables.

That Wicked Rooster

inn and restaurant in the center of Nordton.

Run by the five Cheshire siblings, That Wicked Rooster is both the largest inn in Nordton and the place to be for their daily variety shows. The inn has had an issue with rodents since the passing of Polly Sinderaak, and the owners would be delighted if someone could help clear the basement of rats and possibly ward the building against future infestations.

Singular Specialties

small shop run by the Verdangarde that sells magical ingredients.

There is no sign out front, and it has no mark on any map of Nordton. For those in the know, Singular Specialties is the place to go to acquire magical ingredients without venturing into the Wildernight. Admission to the shop is restricted to members of the Marmateers and the Cloud Coven guilds, as negotiated with Verdangarde leadership. Ingredients can be traded for other ingredients of similar rarities or for information about newly discovered ingredients and their cultivation requirements.

Nordton People

Talula Brenno

witch, member of the Cloud Coven.

Publicly, Talula has been assigned to Nordton to lead the instruction of University of Cloudlight students University of Cloudlight that come to this town to study agricultural methods. Privately, Talula is here to manage relations with the Verdangarde and get insider information on which magical ingredients are being cultivated domestically. Secretly, Talula has been tasked with studying the Star Field Tower, including the activities of the Starlight Corps that manages the lighthouse and the fallen stars powering it.

Streena Gallesse

a permanent Wilderfolk resident in Nordton.

Streena found favor with farmers on the twilight side of Nordton and now makes her living as an agricultural consultant, giving advice on the best ways to utilize the darkest reaches of the fields north of town. She lives close to the Star Field Tower, a location she was very particular about choosing. She claims that she wanted to be close to the tower because the sight of its crown of stars reminds her of home, but whispers in town suggest she has more nefarious motivations for keeping such a close eye on the tower.

Pavel Strung

an inventor of questionable repute.

Pavel is a clever man who has made a living developing and selling improvements for standard Nimmian technology. He is currently developing panels of focusing mirrors similar to those found in Eloise’s Lighthouse in Albedo. He intends to sell these to farmers to focus light from the distant sun shards onto fields of crops in the twilit areas of Nordton. He is looking for information about the Lighthouse or the work of the prismsmith Kailen Woods.

Joshua Terning

senior member of the Verdangarde.

A high-ranking member of the Verdangarde guild, Joshua is responsible for maintaining, and guarding, the guild’s library of knowledge regarding the cultivation of magical plants. The physical location of the library is a closely kept secret, though most assume (correctly) that it is not at The Farmhouse. Joshua might need help transporting sealed documents to and from Verdangarde members across Nimm, or he might be interested in the collection of unusual magical plants, such as the legendary Blistelle mushroom that he has heard grows in the Fireside Swamp at the foot of Tyrian Peak.

Yoweth Lamm

recent inductee into the Starlight Corps.

Yoweth recently earned her place in the Starlight Corps by traveling alone into the Wildernight and returning with a freshly fallen star. She has proven to have a knack for calculating the trajectory of falling stars, giving her an advantage in getting to their landing sites and then getting away before any Wilderling starcatchers or starstealers show up. Being young and new to the Corps, however, means that Yoweth is much more likely to share details of the Corps’ operations and their management of the Star Field Tower.

Barrienne Clos

owner-operator of Twilight Ranch.

Specializing in mossback husbandry, Barrienne, or just Barry to his business contacts, runs the largest mossback operation in Nordton. The animals are of critical importance not only to local farmers, but also to the produce distributors that need to transport foodstuffs from Nordton to points all over Nimm. Barry has been trying to get his hands on some hearthstones, which he thinks will make his animals stronger and able to pull larger loads. He might be convinced to trade a young mossback for a steady supply.

Nordton Encounters

Duskbells, present on nearly every building in Nordton, have been disappearing

Over the last few weeks, people have noticed the sound of a duskbell’s ring being cut short, only to find that the duskbell in question has disappeared. Tempers have begun to rise as more and more bells disappear, though no one suspects the true culprit: the ghost of Polly Sinderaak. In life, Polly was responsible for the eradication of pests in Nordton; in death, her ghost has embarked on a misguided quest to eradicate the sound of the duskbells, the last sound that Polly heard before she passed away.

A group of angry farmers are forming a mob

They report having purchased irrigation equipment from Pavel Strung, who claimed that his design, which incorporated rainfall recovery systems and a built-in reservoir, would increase yields of their crops. It turns out that the metal used in the reservoir leached into the water, killing all of their plants. They are on their way to extract compensation from Pavel.

A swarm of honey bees terrorizes the Northern Market

A pair of honeywardens were moving a half-dozen honey bee nucleus colonies to market to sell to orchard keepers. The axle on their cart broke, dumping the hives onto the street and releasing the bees into the marketplace. The honeywardens need help repairing the hives and finding the queens so they can draw the bees away from the market, or they might need protection from the other vendors whose customers were chased away. Someone investigating how the axle came to break might find signs it had been mostly cut through with a saw before it snapped.

The ring of a duskbell is answered by shrieks of fear

A young boy, Andel, huddles against the wall of a building, covering his ears and screaming until the ringing stops. With a little convincing, he tells the story of how, a month ago, he heard a duskbell ringing outside his window. When he looked out, he saw the old ratcatcher (he does not know her name) being attacked by a pair of hooded figures as she rang a duskbell furiously, the one by Streena Gallesse’s door. By the time he got his father to go outside, the figures were gone, and the ratcatcher was dead.

Whispers in the streets of Nordton talk of hooded figures being seen around town

Sometimes near the Northern Market, sometimes near the Star Field Tower, sometimes disappearing into the woods north of town. Gossip about who they might be has focused on either Wilderlings or the Starlight Corps, though no one can guess why either group would be acting so suspiciously.

A Marmateer has gone missing

During a training expedition into the Wildernight, a group of Marmateers was ambushed by a pair of Shadows of Tume, surprising the crew in an area that was still fairly close to the Nimm border. One of the Marmateers was dragged away into the woods, while the rest returned to Nordton to recruit reinforcements before going on a rescue mission.

Albedo

Albedo, a bustling mining town, stands as the cornerstone of Nimm’s mineral industry. Built atop an expansive network of rich mineral deposits, this industrious settlement is responsible for extracting and supplying the majority of Nimm’s metal ores and precious stones. The town’s economy revolves around its mining operations, with a significant portion of its population employed in various aspects of the mineral extraction and processing industry.

A Dusting of Pride

A fine layer of mineral dust perpetually blankets the town, a testament to its ceaseless industry. This grime, while sometimes seen as an inconvenience by visitors, is worn as a badge of honor by the proud residents of Albedo. The constant hum of machinery and the rhythmic clanking of mining equipment form the town’s distinctive soundtrack.

The False Beacon

At the heart of Albedo stands its most remarkable feature: Eloise’s Lighthouse, a towering spire that gleams even through the omnipresent dust. The lighthouse is ingeniously designed to collect light from the distant Dawncrest and Cloudlight beacons, concentrating and redirecting it deep into the sprawling network of caverns and mine shafts below. This innovative lighting system not only facilitates mining operations in the depths, but also creates a mesmerizing interplay of light and shadow within the subterranean realm.

The lighthouse’s intense brilliance is visible from great distances, leading to the common misconception that the tower houses a fifth sun shard. Adding to the town’s mystique and allure, this misconception has become a source of local amusement for Albedo’s residents, who often playfully encourage the notion among visitors.

Contest & Competition

Beyond its industrial significance, Albedo has developed a unique culture centered around its mining heritage. The town hosts an annual festival celebrating the discovery of new mineral veins, featuring contests of mining skills, exhibitions of locally crafted jewelry and metalwork, and culminating in a grand re-illumination of the central spire after its annual cleaning. This event draws visitors from across Nimm, temporarily transforming the hardworking mining town into a vibrant hub of celebration and cultural exchange.

Albedo Locations

Union Circle

street lined with the various mining unions. 

Miners of each precious metal and stone have their own unions in Albedo, and each union has its headquarters on Union Circle. Here, their leaders are constantly in negotiations with one another as they manage the distribution of light through the various mines and the assignment of prospecting rights to the different areas around and beneath the city.

The Lens

the space around Eloise’s Lighthouse. 

In the large, open field around the Lighthouse, hundreds of holes in the ground allow beams of light from the Lighthouse to be guided into the mines below. During the Lighthouse’s annual cleaning, these holes are covered up, and The Lens, the biggest open space within Albedo, plays host to the Albedo Cultural Festival. On the final day of the festival, the newly cleaned Lighthouse is revealed, and the light shafts are uncovered to relight the web-like network that illuminates Albedo’s mines.

Sieve and Hammer Supply

general store at the heart of Albedo. 

The place to go for everything from mining equipment to jeweler’s tools, Sieve and Hammer Supply prides itself on stocking equipment for every trade practiced in the city. The store is run by Petar Schall, who could always use a hand making a local delivery or picking up an order from a specialty toolmaker in some distant corner of Nimm.

The Mineshaft

the entrance to the mines below Albedo. 

The Mineshaft is over a hundred meters across, and its gaping opening is almost completely filled by two semi-circular elevator platforms. The platforms are connected and operated by a complicated pulley-and-counterweight system unfortunately prone to malfunctioning. At the bottom, a few hundred meters below the surface, the various mining unions have offices where miners check in for the day and even get a room to sleep in if needed.

The Slag House

restaurant near The Mineshaft. 

A favorite location for both miners and mine managers to get lunch. Every morning, The Slag House has hundreds of prepacked meals arranged on tables outside for miners to grab on their way to work. The two sisters that run the restaurant, Lana and Polly Gransel, are always looking for interesting recipes and ingredients to keep their menu fresh.

Outby Inn

the cleanest building in town. 

The Outby Inn is the premiere lodging for out-of-towners in Albedo. The Inn is run by Grant Bleakers, a native of Cloudlight who has declared war on Albedo’s ever-present grime. The Outby Inn is always spotless, thanks to a team of no fewer than a dozen window washers, and Mr. Bleakers insists that all guests remove their shoes and leave them on shelves in the building’s oversized foyer.

Albedo People

Janice Kanenn

the Albedo Comptroller of Light.

Janice sits at the top of the organization responsible for distributing the light from Eloise’s Lighthouse to the mines. The exact distribution is achieved by adjusting the multitude of prisms and lenses that sit within the network of light shafts, and that distribution is decided by Janice in consultation with the various mining unions.

Bruce Valstallen

head of the gold miners’ union.

Bruce grew up as the child of gold miners, and his early entry into, and subsequent rise through, the union has earned him an office on Union Circle. He is now responsible for negotiations with other unions to ensure the gold mines receive an adequate distribution of light.

Kailen Woods

master prismsmith.

Of all the varied industries of Albedo, crafting the prisms that funnel and direct the light from the top of the Lighthouse to the bottom of the mines is the most esoteric. Nowhere else in Nimm can this craft be learned, and Kailen is the most sought-after tutor. He may be in need of assistance transporting lenses down into the mines or avoiding a would-be apprentice that refuses to take no for an answer.

Jack Nell

window washer at the Outby Inn.

He is well-known in Albedo not for his window washing skill, but rather for his skill in climbing. During the week-long Albedo Cultural Festival, Jack leads the cleaning of Eloise’s Lighthouse. Using a magical jam of proprietary components, Jack ascends to the very top of the lighthouse to ensure all of its prisms are in peak condition. He will request help with sourcing ingredients for his jam, as recent changes in policy at the University of Cloudlight have made accessing certain ones much more difficult.

Sally Inshoff

local Meadowlarch guild leader.

Operates a general store focused on the domestic side of life in the mining town. While Home In Albedo is not currently in direct competition with Sieve and Hammer Supply, Sally has been using her connections through the Meadowlarch guild to build a supply chain so that she can expand into the mining supply business. She would love to get more details about Peter Schall’s contact network for niche toolmakers.

Maniskeld Brondly

the preeminent jeweler in Nimm.

While Albedo does not provide the same access to a wealthy clientele enjoyed by Dawncrest jewelers, Maniskeld’s proximity to the mines gives them first pick of jewels and metals, often before the materials even hit the open market. Maniskeld is the most sought-after jeweler in all of Nimm, to the point that they have been kept on retainer by the Demmishock estate for nearly three decades. Maniskeld has been looking for a source of fallen stars in the hopes of incorporating them into their designs.

Albedo Encounters

Outby Inn

the cleanest building in town

The Outby Inn is the premiere lodging for out-of-towners in Albedo. The Inn is run by Grant Bleakers, a native of Cloudlight who has declared war on Albedo’s ever-present grime. The Outby Inn is always spotless, thanks to a team of no fewer than a dozen window washers, and Mr. Bleakers insists that all guests remove their shoes and leave them on shelves in the building’s oversized foyer.

The silver miners’ union has started recruiting heavily.

A union rep, Yarnan, offers free room and board in the union bunks at the bottom of the mineshaft in exchange for one week of mine work. There has been a rash of injuries recently, which Yarnan blames on sabotaged equipment, though he cannot prove anything.

Cracks in the street blaze with golden light.

The light shaft network has been damaged, and light is leaking up through the ground. Finding the cause of the fractures, and the person or persons responsible, if any, becomes the sole focus of Janice Kanenn and her staff.

A woman, Brai Wossel, is banging on the door to the diamond miners’ union headquarters on Union Circle.

Her daughter, Tessa, went to work in the mines last week and never returned. Brai is desperate to have someone explain where Tessa is, or go down into the mines to find her, while most of Union Circle is ignoring her plea for some reason.

A young man, Rany Tomlin, is on a ladder repairing a broken sign above a storefront.

He is the owner-operator of By The Hearth, a newly opened store on a busy corner near the center of town. He does not know that Sally Inshoff is using her Meadowlarch guild connections to ensure that Rany’s new venture quickly goes out of business. Sally ignores that Rany is a member of The Fieldhouse, and the shop is merely a front for trafficking stolen gems and precious metals out of Albedo. Both parties would be interested in hiring some capable Marmateers to achieve their ends.

A crew of prismsmiths are performing routine maintenance on The Lens

Several of the holes that funnel light from Eloise’s Lighthouse have caved in, cracking the collector prisms that sit just below ground level. They may ask for help bringing new prisms in from Kailen Woods’s shop and installing them . In exchange, they will offer insider information about:

  1. The goings-on in the department of the Comptroller of Light.

  2. The relationships between the major mining unions.

  3. Some other ongoing story arc in your game.

The main elevators at the Mineshaft are out of order.

The mining crews have been stuck for three days now. Food and water have been lowered down using smaller lift systems, but there is not enough capacity to bring everyone out of the mines. Repair crews are doing their best, but they need parts only found in Astrom, and the runners sent out to retrieve them have not returned, even though they should have by now.

Dawncrest


Dawncrest, the capital of Nimm, stands as a shining beacon of prosperity and culture. As the holder of the largest sun shard, the city bathes in perpetual warm light. This metropolis has flourished into a bustling hub of activity with its vibrant markets, exquisite art scenes, and pulsating life.

Northern Defenders

While Nimm lacks a formal military, Dawncrest takes pride in hosting the valley’s largest volunteer force of defenders. These dedicated individuals operate on a rotating basis, ensuring the safety of both the city’s inhabitants and the northwestern territories. This unique approach to defense reflects the city’s community-oriented spirit and shared responsibility for security, with the volunteers often taking apprentices under their wing to teach them both defense and their daily trade.

Center of Wealth & Art

Dawncrest’s allure extends beyond its practical functions, as it serves as a haven for Nimm’s elite. Nimm’s wealthiest individuals have established their homes here, contributing significantly to the local economy and cultural landscape. Their investments in art and city markets have transformed Dawncrest into a visual masterpiece. Visitors and residents alike are treated to a feast for the senses, with the city boasting an abundance of lush parks, colorful murals, and intricate sculptures.

The Wanderer’s Crossroad

The city’s strategic importance is further emphasized by its well-developed infrastructure. A network of roads directly connects Dawncrest to other key locations in Nimm, including Muguet, Astrom, and Albedo. This efficient transportation system facilitates a constant flow of people and goods, solidifying Dawncrest’s position as the beating heart of the valley’s economy and culture.

Locations

largest art museum in Nimm.

The Gallery holds masterpieces as old as the sun shards. The greatest artists of Nimm have been known to use magical jam jars to mix their pigments and paints, with the resulting pieces looking as if the depicted scenes are unfolding before the viewer’s eyes. In the most famous painting, The Final Nightfall, onlookers watch as Valgus shatters the sun and the sky goes black.

Daybreak Bazaar

most eclectic marketplace in Nimm.

As opposed to the rather pedestrian offerings at the larger Dawncrest Central Market, the Daybreak Bazaar is the place to go to find the most interesting vendors in all of Nimm. Traders from all across the valley bring rarities and oddities, both antique and novel, to catch the eye of Dawncrest’s elite. Even witches and Wildering traders set up shop here, though only the most experienced patrons should enter into deals with vendors not interested in currency.

The Proving Grounds

training area for defenders of the northern frontier.

Less a military academy and more an open training facility for the volunteer defenders of Nimm, the Proving Grounds stand just outside the urban sprawl of Dawncrest. Overseen by Alistair Comus, the Proving Grounds offer both instruction and practice facilities, and the adjacent barracks provide free accommodations for patriotic young adults from all across Nimm.

Sunlit Haven

enclave of homes for the wealthy.

On the hill that holds the Skyward Pillar, Sunlit Haven is a community for Dawncrest’s most wealthy residents. There are no walls or gates, however, as the residents of Sunlit Haven welcome the population of Dawncrest to walk among their gardens. While the odd common ingredient might be found volunteering in a bed of magically oversized roses, it is on rooftop terraces that the rarest of magical plants are cultivated and displayed for special guests.

Eventide Theater

open-air performance venue.

Located in Dawncrest’s largest park, the Eventide Theater hosts Nimm’s most renowned musicians and actors. Its circular stage sits at the bottom of a crater-like depression a hundred meters in diameter. The sloping sides of the depression are ringed with benches for spectators, while the gridiron is hung from a massive hot air balloon tethered to six pillars at the outer edge of the theater.

The Skyward Pillar

tower housing Dawncrest’s sun shard.

On the highest hill in the city, the Skyward Pillar stands, cradling the largest of the remaining sun shards a thousand feet above the city. The tower itself is made of white marble, with veins of silver and gold shining in the shard’s undying light. As a security measure, the tower is solid and devoid of windows, doors, balconies, or stairs allowing access to the sun shard. Even so, there is still a constant presence of Dawncrest’s volunteer guards around the base of the Pillar, ensuring this symbol of Nimm’s perseverance remains safe upon its pedestal.

People

Jarlanse Pillen

curator at the Dawncrest Museum of Contemporary Art

Jarlanse is always dressed in the most fashionable suits. They make a point of attending every art exhibit in the city to identify and patronize up-and-coming artists - and also to secure pieces of art before the artists become famous enough to demand appropriate prices for their work. Jarlanse desperately wants to run the Nimmian Gallery, with its expansive budget, but they have been passed over for the job no fewer than seven times.

Penny Lastappe

treasurer of the Marmateers Guild.

Penny chose to live in Dawncrest, despite the Marmateers’ minimal presence in the city, to be closer to the Nimmian elite and wealthy. This allows her to better align the guild’s activities with the expectations and desires of Nimm’s most powerful. Her offices, near the Skyward Pillar, are always available for Marmateers looking for a place to stay while in Dawncrest.

Carl Stoler

innkeeper at the Outer Gates.

Carl runs the city’s busiest inn and prides himself on keeping his rooms affordable for all Nimmians. The dining room at the Outer Gates is a truly metropolitan venue, where one is as likely to find well-known faces of the Pilcrow guild discussing the next day’s headlines as to see a farmer and her children eating dinner with grandparents visiting the city. Carl is always up on the most recent gossip in Dawncrest, and he is not shy about sharing what he knows. For a price.

Sienna of the West

head monk of the Solen Society in Dawncrest.

Hosting the largest sun shard, Dawncrest is also home to the largest population of Solen Society monks. A kind, old monk in the Dawncrest Abbey, Sienna loves nothing more than to share stories, passed down through the Solen Society, of the world before the shattering. Feeling the cracks widening in Valgus’s prison, she is certain to be a source for quests to ensure no one discovers its location.

Gladi Dzomo

exuberant songheart.

Known best for the time he slept atop the Eventide Theater hot air balloon for three weeks. Gladi has made himself recognizable by folks all across Dawncrest, as his performances frequently disrupt the flow of daily life in the city - especially when he locks himself to some important gate or lies across a busy avenue. How he funds these performances is a mystery, one that Gladi keeps as secret as his real name.

April Demmishock

oldest and richest woman in all of Nimm.

April is a kind, grandmotherly woman, a philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. Her name can be found inscribed on plaques in every art gallery and community theater in Dawncrest. The Demmishock mansion is the crown jewel of Sunlit Haven, and its multi-level, terraced, rooftop garden is home to some of the rarest magical plants ever cultivated within the valley. Rumors swirl that April is actually a witch, forbidden magic being the secret behind her long life and vast fortune. April, for her part, laughs at such rumors. “No one would ever see me doing magic,” she has been heard saying from time to time.

Encounters

A man in an extensive patchwork cloak stands on a corner. 

He is entertaining a group of children with a story about a secret society of blind Wilderfolk cultivating Midnight Muscadines in secret clearings atop the Barrier Peaks. This is Clemmo Mellin, a member of the Storycloak Guild. If questioned, he will insist all his stories are true - except for the ones that aren’t.

A small cafe, the sign showing a steaming cup of coffee, bustling with patrons. 

Kellon, the owner, is running like mad trying to keep up with the flow of customers. If asked, he will apologize and say that his only employee recently stopped coming to work. Further investigation will reveal that Marissa is the granddaughter of April Demmishock and that kidnappers are now holding her to ransom.

A woman in a long jacket with the hood up steps into a narrow alley.

In the shadows, she exchanges a few words and a small package with another woman, and then the two part ways. They are Field Hands transporting a stolen package of rare, magical ingredients. Someone would probably pay handsomely for their arrest - or at least for the return of the ingredients.

A child runs down the street asking people for help, filled with fear and panic.

Anyone offering help will be accosted a few minutes later by two men in uniform who accuse the girl of stealing from a house in Sunlit Haven. Those found helping the girl will likely face an accusation of being an accomplice to the crime.

A pair of Wilderfolk stand beside their broken-down cart.

They were on their way to the Daybreak Bazaar to sell produce from the Wildernight. They are desperate to get moving, so they will make an outsized offer in exchange for assistance. Such an offer might include:

  • Information about a location in the Wildernight where Marmateers were recently ambushed by Shadows of Tume.

  • A hint about a location within Dawncrest said to be harboring Wildernight spies.

  • An offer of escort through the Golden Birch Woods to a Wilderfolk settlement with a busy marketplace.

  • A clue about an ongoing story arc in your game.

The sound of music heralds the arrival of a parade.

The street becomes crowded as onlookers are drawn out of homes and workplaces. At the center of the parade is a host of Solen Society monks and a series of floats, each depicting a scene in the story of how the Nimmians salvaged the sun shards and secured them atop the four towers. The distracted spectators are an easy target for young Field Hands in attendance.