In the north, a mountain plateau supports a cave network fed by glacier water that collects in pools. Accessing the plateau is quite difficult, requiring skills and knowledge of mountaineering. Even flying creatures face difficulty through treacherous weather that besieges the mountain. The dangerous journey yields access to one of the world’s places of power: The Grand Scry Pool. This pool of water is known to vastly improve the effectiveness of scrying, allowing even novice spellcasters to view all the remote places of the world and history, with the exception of the current city of Keridwyn, which no one has managed to glimpse through mundane or magical means. The many smaller collections of water within the caverns retain trace powers of the Grand Pool.

During the domination of the kingdom, the Grand Scry Pool was cleared of the native peoples and animals. The extent and complexity of the tunnels made the completion of this task impossible, but King Exandrian III managed to clear and fortify the Grand Pool, allowing the kingdom to monitor its vast domain. The city of Beacon was built from this foothold in layers: the plateau, the cliffside, and the underground network.

When the Gates to Keridwyn closed, the natives came out of the remote tunnels to retake the city. The few previous kingdom citizens who remained agreed to cohabitate with the natives. Now the city of Beacon welcomes people of nearly all creeds that can make the trip to the plateau.

When the shattering of the kingdom first began, the city focused its efforts on holding the alliance together. Unfortunately, the relations between the cities grew increasingly complex and several mistakes were made attempting to understand what was seen through the pool. Although they failed to stop the war, they continue trying to bring it to an end.

The system of law, if it could be called such, consist of the elder Flora who live within the city who enforce harmony among the younger species. This normally consists of enforcing the consensus of the population. The only two laws of this pseudo-anarchy are that one must maintain harmony within the city and access to the Grand Scry Pool must be paid for.

Flora and Shifter comprise the majority of the population, claiming roughly twenty percent each with Water Materia not far beneath that. The remaining species are mixed and comprise less than half of the population.

The city attracts many scholarly types who wish to study scrying magics or remotely study dangerous places and creatures. The nefarious types and spies who dwell within the city keep low profiles. The culture of Beacon is quiet and reserved with the exception of multiple festivals throughout the year. During these events, seemingly the pent-up energy is unleashed in short bursts of excitement held in honor of the ancient Flora, who are indifferent to the treatment yet endure it for the sake of harmony.

Even with the dangers of accessing the city, it is constantly under attack by those seeking to gain exclusive access to the Grand Pool or those angered by Beacon’s interferences.

Having a severe personality mixed with an intense gaze, Tanadar is a Shimmer who defies the soft-spoken stereotypes. He favors the tower shield and relies on blinding his foes with bright Radiant magics while bolstering his allies.

His youth was spent as a paladin in the Order of the White Flame. For over half a century, he served under an Angel named Cassilera. One by one, his brothers in arms of shorter lifespan retired from the order. Cassilera turned in her sword. Tanadar’s list of campaigns were longer than his arm, yet evil remained in the world. Thoughts of futility nagged at him, and he wondered if the world would ever change. He decided he could have a better impact living by example – a life of peace. Armor, sword, shield, and a bag of clothes were all he carried with him throughout the kingdom. He stayed in monasteries and homes of the welcoming, doing whatever work was needed without asking for anything. He protected any who had need of protection. It was the life he’d always wanted. He’d turned ninety-four, still vibrant for a Shimmer, when these travels took him to the gates of Crossroads. A soul of order in a city of chaos, Tanadar and Crossroads cofounded each other.

Myriad rival factions, both overt and secret, pulled him in and tossed him around. His conviction to help those who needed his protection, whether they wanted it or not, compelled him from one emergency to the next. Over three decades of cults, crime lords, and dangerous buried artifacts imparted lessons on how to navigate shifting politics. He’d almost gotten a handle on it when the gates of Keridwyn closed. A meager alliance in place of the old kingdom strained and was broken. Once again, the sense of futility of is efforts struck him. He left Crossroads and made the difficult journey with a small following he had gathered to the cliffs of Beacon. There he used the orator skills he’d learned in Crossroads to rally enough support to use the pools to steer the other cities back towards an alliance. His goal still to make a world where all live at peace with each other and the gods.

Worrow is a Troll who loves attention and popularity. He leans into the secret powers of controlling luck from his Troll blood. Always at the right place at the right time, managing to turn around dire situations with ease. Despite his fickle recklessness, he is loved by many in Beacon for various daring rescues and assists at the perfect time.

The small Trollan village that raised him quickly became too small. There is no fame and fortune in a simple life lived in a small village. When he came of age, he set out to make his mark on the world. His travels took him to Orbin, where he ran afoul of the other Trolls there. His independent nature and cavalier use of his Trollan gifts lead to disagreements. He fled quickly after.

In an effort to hide the source of his luck, Worrow claims expertise at using the scry pools, asserting it allows him to always know what is coming. It is a rouse that takes more and more of his energy to maintain, as a certain untrusting Shimmer is always trying to find out his secret.