Terra's Bones

A large human-built utilitarian workshop squats against the Cliffside wall at the far end of the Artist's Quarter. The Fellport Watch maintained it in the early days of independence before consolidating their metalworking services in the base of the Lakeside Spire. It sat abandoned for decades, scavenged clean by the Watch, but it still had the strong memory of metalworking baked into its stone walls.

Ten years ago, a merchant named Ryn came to town looking for a workshop far off the beaten path. They found the old forge and petitioned the Fellport Council to use it, with support from the Monk of Paint, the de facto leader of the Artist's Quarter. The council agreed, and Ryn brought the place to life again, calling it Terra's Bones.

Ryn (Syl-Arryn)

Syl-Arryn grew up in the Alfinwald, a child of privilege and destiny. They gave up their gender early, already feeling more like a political pawn than a toddler thanks to their parents' ambitions. They learned to hold their tongue and listen to the ambitious fill the air with words continually produced from insecure minds. Arryn always had an aura of quiet power and an intensely present gaze which disquieted adults, especially those in positions of power.

Arryn's parents groomed them to assume their legacy since birth. Their days filled with royal hunts, political feasts, arms training, and endless study of history, divinity, and arcane secrets. Arryn secretly studied poetry, art, and nature as well, all topics considered "unimportant" by their parents. But those were the only things that held Arryn's attention for any length of time.

The Rumor Mill - Week 16

I'm currently lacking inspiration for week 16 of The Rumor Mill, so let's find a theme. Numerically, 16 is the first perfect hypercube (2 to the 4th power), and its only factors are 2s. I suppose some sort of duality theme would make sense, but I'm not feeling it. Traditional 16th anniversary gifts involve wax. That sounds like a plan to me, so let's see how far we can cast the net for rumors about wax.

Just on a quick check, we've got bees, waterproofing, candles, candy making, writing tablets, official seals, and perfume. And where does all this wax even come from? Let's dive a little deeper.

The Rumor Mill - Week 15

We get a little industrial here in week 15 of The Rumor Mill, with a focus on the production and workers who keep the merchants well-supplied with everyday things to sell. With strong industries in ships, glass, flour, and paper, Fellport produces many items essential to modern (fantasy) life. With 500 years of history to cover, many of today's industrial companies boast archives rich with long family traditions.

So let's dive into some stories around craftspeople and laborers from up and down all the levels of Fellport.

Dragon Peak: The Elements Puzzle

Puzzle Props

After solving the Trial of Moonlight, the illusion in the room fades. The entry arch disappears, making the room an empty 60 foot diameter cylinder with a 20 foot ceiling. Five channels or grooves run the circumference of the wall at about waist height for a human, and carvings appear in the wall where the exit arch should be. This final puzzle unlocks the door and allows access to the interior of Dragon Peak.

Five alchemical symbols appear etched in the wall, one above each channel. Each has a corresponding opening to allow access to the channel which exactly fits the five stones with elemental symbols that the characters earned by solving each prior trial. The word "Harmonize" in Draconic appears on the wall above the channels. Sharp-eyed characters will notice faint words corresponding with each symbol/channel pair, each appearing in the viewer's native tongue. The words are:

• Moon: Thrive
• Fire: Ice
• Air: Bright
• Water: Shade
• Earth: Lost