Ebonmoor Locations Ebonmoor, once a bastion of honor and loyalty, now stands at a precipice, its fate uncertain in the wake of the Rotmire Blight. Before the sickness took hold, House Wilthorne and House Valkenmar were inseparable, their alliance one of mutual benefit and unwavering trust. Together, they strengthened Faulmoor, ensuring its dominion over the treacherous marshlands while securing their influence across Norvostra. Ebonmoor flourished under this partnership, its wealth growing through trade and its disciplined people serving as a stabilizing force in the region.  Ebonmere “Ebonmoor will rise, as it always has, on its own terms.” — Lord Eadric Wilthorne Ebonmere is the capital of Ebonmoor and the seat of House Wilthorne. Built around towering sea-facing cliffs and a major harbor, the city combines old chambers cut directly into the rock with later districts of stone and timber that spread outward above the coast. Overview The oldest parts of Ebonmere are carved into the cliffs. Their builders and original purpose are no longer clearly remembered, but many of the surviving halls remain in use as civic, noble, and religious spaces. Its harbor still works, which means the city still wakes to cargo, repairs, bargaining, and departures even while every movement of people or goods carries greater political weight than it once did. Below and around those older structures, Ebonmere developed into a maritime city of docks, shipyards, warehouses, markets, and merchants. Sheltered approaches and generations of seafaring expertise made its harbor one of the most important points of trade in Faulmoor. The city has remained more functional than many settlements affected by the Rotmire Blight. Ships still arrive and depart, goods still move through the harbor, and skilled sailors and shipwrights remain central to local life. History “Ebonmere was not simply built upon older foundations. Portions of the city occupy chambers whose corridors continue behind later walls and whose stairs descend below the present waterline. Whatever stood here first was considerably larger than what survives.” — from the Ebonmere surveys of Veydrith Serrin, Lucent Endura Ebonmere's cliffside halls are older than the present political order of Faulmoor. Later generations expanded the settlement outward and turned its natural harbor into the commercial center of Ebonmoor. Trade tied Ebonmere closely to the mainland and helped support the long alliance between House Wilthorne and House Valkenmar. Those same connections became sources of tension once quarantine, scarcity, and control of movement became matters of survival. Present Day Ebonmere remains a working port, but the Blight has changed what moves through it and who is allowed to travel. Smuggling has expanded alongside legitimate commerce. Refugees, relics, silver, restricted goods, and private passage all command high prices, and accusations of noble protection or participation are common. The true extent of House Wilthorne's direct involvement is not publicly settled. Political distance from the mainland has also become more visible. Some residents argue that Ebonmoor's survival depends on stricter isolation, while others remain tied economically or politically to Faulmoor. Notable Locations The Tidecourt The Tidecourt is the seat of House Wilthorne, occupying a network of old chambers carved into the cliffs. It remains the principal center of noble government in Ebonmere. The Gilded Tide The Gilded Tide is a waterfront tavern associated with sailors, traders, and the city's less official commerce. Its reputation is closely tied to smuggling and discreet passage. The Saltspire The Saltspire is a prominent merchant hall overlooking the harbor. It serves established commercial interests while carrying a reputation for transactions involving rare and restricted goods. The Widow's Walk The Widow's Walk is a cliffside temple and crypt associated with mourning those lost at sea. Driftwood offerings and memorial rites remain part of its local tradition. See Also Ebonmoor House Wilthorne Rimewatch Keep The Gloom Rotmire Blight The Gloom The Gloom is the common modern name for the ruined city historically called Velmere, once one of Ebonmoor's great trade centers. The city was deliberately sacrificed during the early spread of the Rotmire Blight: its ports were burned, its bridges were severed, and its population was abandoned in an attempt to stop the catastrophe from spreading farther. Smoke still rises from the ruins years later. Overview Velmere's importance came from trade and from the bridges and causeways that connected its commercial network. Large construction projects were underway when the Blight reached the city, drawing laborers, merchants, sailors, and materials into crowded districts near the harbor. The ruins retain the shape of that unfinished expansion. Broken bridgeworks, burned docks, abandoned construction sites, storehouses, timber yards, and damaged streets remain cut off from the routes they were built to serve. The persistent smoke gave the ruins their current name. From elevated parts of Vexenford, the dark column over the Gloom remains visible across the water. History The first outbreak spread through crowded waterfront and labor districts while the scale of the Blight was still poorly understood. Once the danger became undeniable, the response was deliberate. House Wilthorne and the Baronial authorities chose containment over evacuation. Ships and ports were burned, bridges linking the city to surrounding routes were destroyed, and outside assistance was withdrawn. The measures helped isolate the outbreak, but they also trapped the people who remained. Velmere did not simply collapse. It was sacrificed. Present Day No serious effort has reclaimed the city. The broken approaches and continuing presence of Blighted make ordinary travel into the ruins extremely dangerous. What remains is not merely a ruin but the physical record of a decision: bridges cut behind people, ships burned beside them, and an entire city made into the boundary of a quarantine. Stockpiled materials, tools, abandoned goods, and unfinished infrastructure continue to attract scavengers and relic-seekers despite that danger. The name Velmere remains the historical name of the city. The Gloom refers to what it became after its destruction. Notable Locations The Broken Bridges The surviving bridge remains are the clearest evidence of the city's former role as a trade hub and of the deliberate measures used to isolate it. The Burned Harbor Velmere's harbor was intentionally destroyed during containment. Wrecked docks, vessels, warehouses, and waterfront structures remain among the most dangerous parts of the ruin. The Construction Districts Large sections of the city were still being expanded when the outbreak occurred. Abandoned work camps and unfinished structures remain around the ruined approaches. See Also Ebonmoor Ebonmere Rimewatch Keep Vexenford Rotmire Blight Rimewatch Keep “I tell myself I'm keeping Ebonmoor safe. At night, I still see the faces of the people we turned away.” — Sergeant Willem Grast, Rimewatch garrison Rimewatch Keep is a fortified cliffside stronghold controlling the Ebonmoor end of the principal crossing from Vexenford. Under House Wilthorne, it has changed from a military gateway and trade post into one of the island's most severe quarantine checkpoints. Overview The keep occupies high ground above the water and the crossing, giving its garrison control over travelers, cargo, and access to Ebonmoor. A small fishing and farming settlement developed beneath its protection during more peaceful generations. Docks, homes, markets, and services grew around the garrison because merchants and travelers regularly waited there before crossing. The Rotmire Blight changed that relationship. Rimewatch now exists primarily to control entry, and the community beneath the keep lives under the same suspicion applied to outsiders. History Rimewatch predates the current political relationship between House Wilthorne and House Valkenmar. It was built during an older period of rivalry to guard the crossing, coastline, and approaches to Ebonmoor. As relations stabilized, the fortress became a gateway rather than a frontier bastion. Trade and diplomacy passed through the crossing, and the settlement beneath the walls prospered from the traffic. The destruction of Velmere, now the Gloom, changed Rimewatch's purpose almost overnight. The crossing was militarized, inspections hardened, and preventing possible Blight exposure became the keep's defining duty. Present Day Rimewatch remains under strict military control. Travelers are searched and examined before passage, and suspected illness may result in detention, refusal, exile, or worse. The checkpoint's necessity and cruelty are difficult to separate cleanly. Every traveler turned away may represent a danger kept off the island or a person abandoned on the wrong side of the gate. The bridge remains open, but movement is tightly restricted. The relationship between soldiers on the two sides of the crossing has grown more distrustful as Ebonmoor and mainland Faulmoor pursue increasingly different priorities. The village beneath the keep continues to function, though fishing, farming, trade, and ordinary hospitality all operate under the pressure of quarantine enforcement. Notable Locations The Watcher's Gate The Watcher's Gate is the principal inspection and holding point at the Ebonmoor end of the crossing. Travelers and cargo are processed here before being allowed farther onto the island. The Iron Spire The Iron Spire is the keep's forge and armory. Its work increasingly serves the garrison first, leaving less capacity for civilian commissions and repairs. The Stone Flask The Stone Flask is an inn and tavern near the fortress, historically used by merchants, soldiers, and travelers waiting to cross. Notable People Captain Edric Faulke commands the checkpoint and is publicly associated with uncompromising quarantine enforcement. See Also Ebonmoor Vexenford Ebonmere The Gloom House Wilthorne Rotmire Blight Dunmere Dunmere is one of Ebonmoor's most important surviving agricultural settlements. Its grain fields, livestock, butchers, and food stores became critical after the fall of Duskford, when refugees and farm workers expanded local production in an attempt to replace what the island had lost. That effort is now threatened by a severe sickness among Dunmere's livestock. Overview Dunmere was built around fertile fields, pastures, river water, cattle, hogs, grain, and the trades needed to preserve and distribute food. Agriculture shaped ordinary life more strongly than noble politics, and local families developed long traditions of farming, herding, butchery, smoking, and preservation. After Duskford fell, displaced people arrived in Dunmere and helped expand fields, irrigation, storage, and livestock enclosures. The town became even more important to Ebonmoor's food supply. Crops still grow, but the livestock are failing. Cattle become restless, refuse food, develop darkened veins and swelling, and may deteriorate rapidly. The symptoms resemble the Rotmire Blight closely enough to cause fear, though no cause has been publicly established and Dunmere's people have not shown the same pattern. History Dunmere and Duskford once formed the agricultural backbone of Ebonmoor. Dunmere produced much of the food while Duskford helped move surplus into wider trade. Duskford's fall severed that relationship and placed enormous pressure on Dunmere. Production was expanded, refugees were absorbed into the agricultural workforce, and House Wilthorne increased defenses along the routes leading toward the ruined district. The livestock sickness emerged after Dunmere had already become the island's most important remaining food source. Present Day Food production continues under strain. Grain and vegetables remain available, while meat and livestock reserves decline. That makes every sick animal more than a farmer's loss. Each failed herd threatens butchers, stores, rationing, transport, and the island communities that now depend on Dunmere to replace what Duskford once produced. Rumors blame river water, corrupted soil, air, the Blight itself, or divine punishment. None of these explanations is publicly proven. Local decisions are increasingly made through a council of farmers and butchers operating beneath the broader authority of House Wilthorne. Rationing, culling, military protection, hoarding, and smuggling have all become sources of tension. Notable Locations Stonehall Market Stonehall Market was once the center of regional agricultural trade. It now serves as a major point for rationing, controlled sales, and disputes over dwindling supplies. Kaelssen Ranch Kaelssen Ranch is one of Dunmere's largest livestock operations and has been heavily affected by the current animal sickness. The Farmer's Keep The Farmer's Keep is the principal meeting place for the local agricultural council and for decisions concerning food distribution and livestock culling. The River Gate The River Gate is a principal access point to the waterways that feed Dunmere's fields and herds. Because the cause of the livestock sickness is unknown, the water itself has become a source of suspicion. See Also Ebonmoor Duskford Ebonmere House Wilthorne Rotmire Blight Duskford “That ship just sat there. No sails, no lanterns, no crew I could see. Then folk started getting sick.” — Renholt Grayne, former fisherman of Duskford Duskford is a ruined agricultural settlement in Ebonmoor whose sudden fall destroyed one of the island's most important food-producing districts and severed the routes leading north toward Fetterbrook. Overview Before the Rotmire Blight, Duskford and Dunmere formed the agricultural core of Ebonmoor. Fertile fields, reliable water, granaries, and organized farming estates supplied food to Ebonmere and supported trade beyond the island. For a time after the destruction of Velmere, Ebonmoor's containment measures appeared to have protected the interior. Duskford's later collapse therefore caused as much suspicion as fear. The outbreak spread rapidly. Fields, farmhouses, granaries, and roads were abandoned, and the routes north became unsafe. History Duskford remained productive after the first major Blight disasters elsewhere in the region. According to surviving accounts, a strange vessel was seen offshore shortly before people began falling ill. The ship later disappeared. This story became the foundation for widespread claims that the Blight had been brought to Duskford deliberately. Some rumors accuse mainland interests or even Baronial authorities of arranging the outbreak to weaken Ebonmoor. No public evidence establishes those accusations as fact. Whatever its cause, Duskford fell quickly and its loss dramatically reduced Ebonmoor's food security. Present Day Duskford is considered lost. Former farmland is corrupted, storehouses and granaries are abandoned, and Blighted remain throughout the district. Its loss is felt far beyond the ruins: empty granaries increase pressure elsewhere, broken routes isolate Fetterbrook, and Dunmere now carries a burden that the two agricultural settlements once shared. The settlement's fall also isolated Fetterbrook from its former supply routes. Travel through the ruined agricultural country is now largely limited to smugglers, hunters, scavengers, and others willing to accept the risk. With Duskford gone, Dunmere carries much more of the burden of feeding Ebonmoor. Notable Locations The Granaries Duskford's large grain stores once held agricultural surplus for Ebonmoor. Many remain standing but are considered unsafe. The Farmlands The fields surrounding Duskford were among the island's most productive. They are now associated with corrupted soil, abandoned farmsteads, and wandering Blighted. See Also Ebonmoor Dunmere Fetterbrook Ebonmere The Gloom Rotmire Blight Fetterbrook Fetterbrook is an old forest settlement in northern Ebonmoor, built among streams, hunting grounds, and former noble estates. For generations it functioned more as a retreat than a self-sufficient town, depending on regular supplies moving through Duskford. Duskford's fall left Fetterbrook isolated. Overview The settlement grew from private estates used for hunting, fishing, falconry, and seasonal retreat. Craftspeople, gamekeepers, servants, traders, and hunters gradually formed a permanent community around them. That comfortable arrangement depended on outside food, medicine, tools, and trade. The surrounding forests could supplement those supplies but were never expected to support the entire settlement indefinitely. When Duskford fell, the routes that had sustained Fetterbrook were severed. Many nobles departed, leaving estates, workers, and long-term residents behind. History Fetterbrook is among Ebonmoor's older settlements. Its forests and waterways made it attractive as a retreat for families seeking distance from larger political centers. For generations, regular supply lines allowed the town to specialize in hunting, falconry, leatherwork, woodcraft, and leisure rather than agricultural self-sufficiency. The Rotmire Blight broke that system when Duskford was lost and the approaches through the agricultural district became unsafe. Present Day Those who remain hunt, forage, ration supplies, and reuse abandoned estates as shelter. The settlement is not entirely empty, but its long-term survival is uncertain. The old luxury of remoteness became a trap when its supply route failed. Manor houses built for seasonal comfort now shelter people counting stores, hunting for food, and watching the water downstream for the next reason to worry. Another source of fear lies downstream. Bodies have increasingly been found along waterways south of Fetterbrook. Some show signs associated with the Blight; others do not. Their origin and cause of death are not publicly known. The reports have made communities farther south increasingly suspicious of the water flowing from the region. Notable Locations The Falcon's Rest The Falcon's Rest was a training ground for hunting birds. Most of its aviaries are now empty, though parts of the facility remain in use. The Old Manors Former noble estates stand throughout the surrounding forest. Some are abandoned, while others have been converted into communal shelters. Hunter's Hall Hunter's Hall serves as a meeting place and rationing center for many of those who remain in Fetterbrook. See Also Ebonmoor Duskford Dunmere Rotmire Blight