adventure
-
The Geography of Love

The evening light filtered through the workshop’s western window, painting Gareth Stonecarver’s hands in shades of amber and rose as he worked the chisel across marble that would become a fountain for the merchant guild’s courtyard. But his attention kept drifting toward the door—not with impatience exactly, but with the particular anticipation that had characterized Continue reading
-
Iron and Stone

What is your favorite form of physical exercise? The training platform carved into Grandfather Ironheart’s western flank caught the first rays of dawn like a bronze mirror, and it was here that Korin Earthborn faced his first true test—not of courage or skill with weapons, but of the fundamental strength that separated Peak-rider defenders from Continue reading
-
The Price of Silver Dreams

How much would you pay to go to the moon? The observation deck of Skyholm’s eastern platform jutted into open air like a defiant finger pointing at the impossible, and it was here that Finn Windcaller found his cousin Tomas already positioned with his back against the crystalline railing, arms crossed, jaw set in the Continue reading
-
The Art of Smoke and Time

The predawn air hung thick with possibility as Silas Emberhand surveyed his domain—a brick smokehouse tucked into the eastern corner of Lumen Vale’s Artisan Quarter, where the scent of burning hickory and apple wood had woven itself into the neighborhood’s identity over two decades. His hands, stained permanent amber from years of handling seasoned meat Continue reading
-
What the Woods Know

The afternoon sun filtered through the ornate glass windows of his brother’s dining room, casting prismatic patterns across the polished mahogany table that could have seated twelve with room to spare. Garrett Ashwood traced his calloused finger along the table’s edge, feeling the perfect smoothness of wood that had never known actual use, that existed Continue reading
