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The Five Towns

"Five places worth the walk, and every one of them wants something different from you. Ghelmyon takes your coin, Millhaven takes your secrets, Darkhollow takes your sweat, Thornwood takes your patience, and the Greenweald just takes you in. Learn which is which before you need them." - a caravan master at the Gate

The Known Lands hang together on five towns, linked by a handful of roads and a river. Each has its own trade, its own people, its own quiet powers - and each is the place you go for a particular thing. This is the working map: not the lore, but the where-do-I-go-for-what.

For the deeper character of the region - its history, its peoples, the things nobody talks about - see The World of Ghelmyon. For getting between these places, see Getting Around and Mounts & Travel.

At a glance

Town Known for Who really runs it You go there for
Ghelmyon The crossroads capital - markets, walls, every service Mayor, the Merchant Consortium, the Town Guard… and the Velvet Curtain in the shadows Everything: trainers, shops, temple, banking, the underworld
Millhaven Grain, the great mill, fair markets, river trade The Salt Mothers, quietly, from behind a friendly council Food, river passage, a comfortable inn - and secrets, if you can pry them loose
Darkhollow Ore, metal, the deep mines The Ironveil Kin (the dwarves) by trade-rank, not decree Raw materials, metalwork, smuggled goods, dangerous coin
Thornwood The ancient living forest The Verdathi, by old accord - the forest has its own opinions Hunting, herbs, neutral-ground drinking, a way through the trees
Greenweald Quiet woodland and a hearth-village south of Ghelmyon A village elder and a settled, easygoing community Hunting, foraging, a calm bed, room to find your feet

Ghelmyon - the crossroads capital

A weathered frontier town at the edge of the Thornwood: stone walls, thatched roofs, muddy streets, and trade caravans rolling through on the east road. It grew outward from the crossroads in rings - and the further out you go, the poorer and the more honest the streets become. If a thing exists in the Known Lands, you can find it in Ghelmyon. This is the hub, and most new players start here.

Who runs it. On paper, a mayor and an elected council; in practice, four powers share the town. The Merchant Consortium holds the purse, the Town Guard holds the walls, the Temple holds the souls - and the Velvet Curtain holds everything the other three can't. (For the players behind these names, see Factions.)

You go there for:

  • Trainers. The widest spread of any town - a fighters' hall by the gate, the Temple and monastery for the devout, the arcane collegium for spellwork, the Academy district for the basics, and more besides. See Skills ▸ Training Venues.
  • Shops & crafting. The Market Ward is the commercial heart: blacksmith, tailor, apothecary, tanner, glassblower, and the big trading houses. Whatever you need to buy or make, start here.
  • Banking. Ghelmyon has a proper bank hall - open an account, store coin, keep it off your corpse. See Banks & Coin.
  • The Temple Quarter for healing, the library, and the dead.
  • The underworld. The Warren is the rough quarter - alleys, fences, a thieves' den, fighting pits, and the Velvet's shadier business. Coin with no questions, and trouble to match.

Trouble: crowded streets mean crowded opportunities - pickpockets, brawls, crime that the Guard takes seriously inside the walls. Push into the Warren and the rules change.

Millhaven - grain, river, and quiet power

A prosperous farming town built around a great watermill, golden wheat to the horizon, clean streets and friendly faces. Millhaven is the region's breadbasket and one of its busiest river stops - and it should feel comfortable, which is exactly the thing to watch.

Who runs it. A merchant council sets policy. The council, however, answers - without ever admitting it - to the Salt Mothers, a circle of elder women who control food, midwifery, and matchmaking, and therefore everyone's winter, everyone's family, and everyone's secrets. Ask a local about town politics and you'll get a pleasant answer with no information in it.

You go there for:

  • Food and supplies. The market sells fairly; the granary and mill keep the region fed. A good resupply stop.
  • River passage. Millhaven sits on the river trade and runs the crossings; this is the way east toward the coast.
  • A warm bed. The town's inn welcomes travelers - comfortable, well-run, and listening to every word over dinner.
  • Secrets and connections. If you can earn the trust of the people who really run the place, Millhaven opens doors no other town can. It just takes patience.

Trouble: less open violence than most towns, more undertow. There's a long-running tariff feud with Ghelmyon over the river fees, and a smuggling trade nested quietly inside the legitimate one. The danger here is rarely a drawn blade - it's not knowing who you're talking to.

Darkhollow - ore, smoke, and the deep mines

A foreboding settlement carved into volcanic rock, smoke rising from vents in the ground, the air sharp with sulfur. Darkhollow is two towns in one: the human settlement above, and the dwarven tunnels below. It's remote - reached only by hard mountain trails - and it runs on one thing: the ore comes first.

Who runs it. The Ironveil Kin - the dwarves - by trade and expertise rather than command. A dwarf introduces themselves by what they do, not who they are. Humans mine alongside them in the upper levels and have an advisory seat on the mine council; the deep tunnels are dwarven ground and off-limits. The Undercroft, a great cavern-tavern at the boundary, is where the two halves meet.

You go there for:

  • Raw materials, cheap. Ore, metal, and stone are the local trade - buy them here below what they cost anywhere else.
  • Metalwork. Dwarven smiths and the surface market handle the finished goods; this is the place for serious metal.
  • Smuggled goods. Because the official supply lines are fragile, there's a long-standing shadow route into Darkhollow. At the right standing it can get you imports the legitimate market can't - and here, running supplies feels less like crime than mercy.
  • Independent training. The lawless edges of Darkhollow teach things the lawful venues won't (see Training Venues).

Trouble: isolation, hard work, and old labor tensions between dwarves and humans that simmer but rarely boil. Imported food and comforts are dear; the remoteness is the real hazard.

Thornwood - the living forest

A dense, ancient forest of gnarled trees and shifting shadows, where paths twist between trunks two thousand years old - wide enough, in places, to build a tavern inside one. The Thornwood is the connective tissue of the region: every road between towns brushes its edge, and the forest is very much alive.

Who runs it. The Verdathi, by an old accord that's held a century and a half longer than anyone expected. They tend the forest the way a nervous system tends a body; without them, the trees would grow into an impassable wall. Ghelmyon claims the forest edge; the deep forest answers to nobody human. Bramble's Lodge - the hollow-trunk tavern run by the one human the Verdathi trust - is neutral ground.

You go there for:

  • Hunting and herbs. The safe outer eaves are worked by herb gatherers and hunters - wildflowers, bark, mushrooms, game. Good ground for Herbalism, Gathering, and tracking.
  • A drink on neutral terms. Bramble's tavern is a rare place where humans and the forest's own people share a counter.
  • A way through. The Thornwood is the overland route between several towns - but only the edges are forgiving.

Trouble: stay in the eaves and it's calm. Cross the boundary oaks - the trees carved with spiral marks - and the accord no longer protects you: the deep forest is genuinely dangerous, the paths shift, and burning your way through earns the forest's lasting enmity. Respect the boundary.

Greenweald - quiet woods, a hearth to rest

A sprawling stretch of old-growth woodland just south of Ghelmyon - mossy oaks and birch, streams over rocky ground, the air full of pine and wildflowers. Hunters and herbalists know it well; travelers less so. At its heart sits a small, settled village built around a green and a watermill: easygoing, welcoming, and a world away from the city's noise.

Who runs it. No grand power here - a village elder and a close-knit, hearth-minded community that mostly governs itself. The land is gentle and the people settled; what holds Greenweald together is neighborliness, not authority.

You go there for:

  • Hunting and foraging. A hunt-camp and a foragers' pitch make this prime ground for tracking, archery, skinning, Herbalism, and survival skills - the open-country counterpart to the city venues. See Training Venues.
  • A calm bed. The village inn is a quiet, friendly place to rest and resupply - see A Place to Live.
  • The basics, without the crush. A general store, a smithy, a herbalist's hut, a chapel, and stables cover everyday needs at an unhurried pace. A good place to find your feet before braving the capital - and an easy walk from Ghelmyon.

Trouble: the wild woods around the village hold game and predators, so the trails carry real risk for the unready - but the village itself is about as safe and welcoming as the Known Lands get.

Quick reference - "I need… → go to…"

I need… Best bet
A trainer for almost any class Ghelmyon (widest spread)
Outdoor / wilderness training (hunt, forage, track) Greenweald or Thornwood eaves
A bank and a safe place for my coin Ghelmyon
Healing, a temple, a library Ghelmyon (Temple Quarter)
To buy or craft almost anything Ghelmyon (Market Ward)
Cheap ore, metal, and stone Darkhollow
Food, grain, fair markets Millhaven
River passage east Millhaven
A fence or the underworld Ghelmyon (the Warren)
Smuggled / hard-to-get goods Darkhollow (right standing) or the Warren
Hunting and herbs Greenweald or Thornwood eaves
A quiet, friendly place to rest Greenweald
Secrets - if you can earn the trust Millhaven
A way through the deep forest Thornwood (respect the boundary)

See also