Mirestrand
| Mirestrand | |||||||||
| Mire Strand · Maestrand · Myer Strand | |||||||||
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Mirestrand is the fog-bound stilted marsh village south of Gloamhearth, a poor vassal of Velkris where Velkris tax-agents shake down the local shops and the Still Current Inn caters anonymously to spies and liaisons. The party passed through in session 4 en route to Umbrafall, and it is here that Hugo first met The Black Mask, the dwarf-disguised devil who would seal his pact two scenes later [4].
Overview
Mirestrand is a fog-choked stilt-built marsh village adjacent to Velkris. Vassal of the Veiled Gate, taxed by masked Velkris collectors, frequented by spies, smugglers, contraband-runners, and devils — Mirestrand is the kind of place where everyone wears a mask and no one asks who you are. The party visited in session 4 on the road from Wyrmbough Grove to Umbrafall.
Geography and appearance
Stilted timber houses on blackened algae-covered pilings, the entire village raised above the tidal mudflats by the constantly-dripping fog. Lanterns swing in the mist. Walking is by plank, gangway, and skiff. Velkris tax-agents in masks shake down the local shops on a routine that nobody resists. The fog never quite lifts — described in s4 as “ideal for ambushes and contraband.”
Government / control
Vassal of Velkris; Velkris tax-agents collect the river-tributary contributions at the dockside daily. No local council is named.
Notable features
- The Still Current Inn — the major recorded establishment. Stilted on blackened pilings; main room over the water; mandatory reed-mask custom; whisper-only conversation protocol; rooms 1gp/night.
History in the campaign
- Session 4: Party arrives after a road-fight with two sabretooth tigers. Hugo knows from a history check (18) that The Still Current Inn is “where Umbrafall–Velkris liaisons stay” and leads them there. They eat, drink (red whispers and marsh wine), and are interrupted by The Black Mask in dwarf form, who proposes a wager and reveals Project Veilbreak via an altered sending stone recording. After the audience the Mask vanishes and a crow watches Caelumn through his window [3] — possibly the Mask’s familiar.
Inhabitants
- A barmaid at The Still Current Inn who gave Hugo a knowing nod through the mask, suggesting prior visits.
- Masked Velkris tax-agents (background).
- The Black Mask (transient; arrives, transports the party to a black void, returns them, vanishes).
Status as of session 16
Active and untouched by the party since session 4. Consideration was given in session 16 to returning here as a stopover en route to Sevryn in Wyrmbough Grove, but the party voted instead to sailing south toward the White Lantern Shrine.