(Small town, pop. 1,890) Mystenmere is Morrain’s window into the elven nation of Anseur. Built in the shadow of the elven wood and overlooking Valfors Bay on its western shores, it is the home of scholars, wizards, and hunters with a deep respect for the natural world. An embassy in all but name, the queen of Anseur has extended her protection over the town—a gesture greatly appreciated by the Argent Sovereign. In turn, the king sends ambassadors into the elven realm to keep the queen apprised of events well outside her forest. If Mystenmere had an Elder, it would be the haggard mage in brown robes who lives in an unobtrusive tower at the center of the town square.
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Aragoth is a venerable human of unknown years, and certainly Mystenmere’s oldest human resident. He emerges from his tower only during the most monumental of occasions or when a governmental decision is needed. Considered a preeminent sage of the Northlands, Aragoth always knows more than he tells. Those seeking counsel with the old wizard are faced with two choices: wait a very, very long time (often spanning weeks or months) or perform a service for him. Services have included journeys to the Dyzan sea caves, retrieval of rare spell components in the Ashwood Forest, and deliverance of puppies to children in the town of Bone Hollow. Visitors must be prepared for anything. Mystenmere is also the home of a semi-renowned society of arcanists—mostly consisting of wizards, sorcerers, and loremasters—named the Tome, which meets monthly in a back room of the Twisted Staff.
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The wait staff of the esteemed inn has reported dry laughter, archaic languages, and lecturing old voices. Even the Staff’s proprietor feels certain he can hear more men speaking behind the closed door than arrive at his inn. Inns: The Twisted Staff (expensive), the Raven’s Nest (average). Taverns: The Dark Archer (average), Gozarr’s Flagon (dwarf-run, average), the Sylvan Wolf (average). Shrines & Temples: The House of the Starmistress (temple of Yuelral), the Elder Stone (menhir and shrine to Torag), Hallowed Well (water well and shrine to Gozreh).
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