Lucem

THE LORE-KEEPER

OLD LORE:

You have arrived in Dusk, a clan that hovers between Shadow and Light. We are a clan of many talents, and talent is so prized among our people. Our main camp is situated within the Hewn City, but along the border between the Sunbeam Ruins and the Tangled Wood is where Dusk truly shines.

Many of the residents of Dusk chose to work as merchants, traders, craftsmen, and the like. These entrepreneurs spend their lives in the marvelous Night Market, a miniature metropolis that springs to life every night right where the Ruins meet the Wood.

A small city of tents painted in bright and brilliant colors, purples and pinks, oranges and blues. Walk through its thoroughfares and you will see- here is a richly hued green and golden tent where a heady aroma of cooking food wafts into the street, the sizzle of the skillets inside, the clink of spatulas and spoons, the clanging of pots and pans... The glorious smell alone almost lifts one off their feet.

Over there is a tinkerer's shop- watch the dragon inside -a gray and orange Imperial- as she twists even the most delicate of wires into ornate shapes. Beside her stands a brown Coatl, carefully setting gems into the Imperial's creations, and manning the forge is a brilliantly red Nocturne, bending and twisting and hammering metal with the ease and surety that only a lifetime of craftsmanship can bring.

Just down the way from the forge and the cooking tent is a bejeweled caravan carved with countless icons and sigils, the meanings and purposes of which ranging from speed and swiftness to warding off rot and termites and strengthening the wood to anti-theft spells. Inside, a pair of veiled Imperials dressed in glittering jewels hawk spells and enchantments. The female, a dark purple with swirling cherub markings, has a deck of magic cards floating about her, and the male, a crystalline lavender gentleman, has a runic halo encircling the crown of his head.

But beyond the glittering market where craftspeople and merchants hawk their wares, beyond the ancient ruins where the ordinary dragons of Dusk live, lies a secret society- the Court of Shadows. Unbeknownst to the rest of their clan, they lurk in secret. By day, they are ordinary citizens, but by night they are so much more than ordinary- they scurry about in darkness, deep in tunnels beneath the Hewn City and the Night Market, trading cursed goods, vile services, and dark secrets. Their motives are many, and their ambitions are unknown. But whatever dark machinations are in the works, their endgame (whatever it may be) is certainly sinister.