The Radiant Borough

55% Dwarves (mostly spirit-practitioners, healers, builders) 20% Elves (especially from House Thassyran, due to long-standing spiritual ties)   15% Humans and Half-elves   10% Other (Aasimar, Goliaths, Tabaxi, and spiritual nomads)   A notably high number of the population are crippled, soul-marked, or otherwise changed — yet thriving. Some say the light here heals. Others say it amplifies what was already inside you.

The Radiant Borough is not ruled in the traditional sense. Instead, it is guided by a council known as the Circle of the Lit Hearth — a group of six individuals chosen not by election or birthright, but by ritual illumination. Once every decade, a candle is lit in the Sanctum Mirror Hall, and the first six to reflect light in unusual ways are invited to lead. The Circle governs through consensus and spiritual interpretation, focusing on maintaining the town’s harmony, health, and purpose. Officially, the Borough answers to House Greymutter — but the relationship is symbolic only. The House does not interfere.

There are no walls, no guards. The only defense is the Borough’s inviolable tradition — harming another within its bounds triggers a Lightfall backlash, known as the Hearthburn, which can maim the attacker’s soul. Still, should an enemy try something more elaborate, a small order of light-swearing warriors, the Gleambound, keep silent watch. They wear sunsteel armor and speak only during battle or ceremony.

The Radiant Borough trades primarily in:   Healing and restoration services (spiritual and magical)   Light-bound alchemical goods (such as lanternroots, gleamwine, soul-salve)   Dreamstone runes for visionwork, soul alignment, or prophecy   Quietude pilgrimages — spiritual retreats hosted for nobles, mystics, or aging warriors   Trade is strictly regulated to prevent spiritual pollution — no aggressive enchantments, blood-ink, or corrupted soul goods allowed.

The Borough is built in stone layers, rising along a gentle slope. White-gold cobbles mark the paths, and softlight lanterns float above gathering spaces. At its heart lies the Mirrorglow Plaza, ringed by healing halls, scriptoriums, and reflection pools. Rivers run beneath the stone, channeling geo-soul energy through carved veins that illuminate the Borough from below. The entire town is powered by what locals call Lightfall Channels — no arcane batteries, just natural resonance and intention.

Glowmarket – herbalists, light-ward weavers, potion-vintners, and rune-calligraphers.   The Candlefold – residential district where every door has a personalized lantern.   The Mirrorhalls – central complex of sanctuaries, libraries, and healing chambers.   The Sunk Yard – a quiet cliffside cemetery where the stones emit soft song at sunset.   Veilridge – the upper slopes, where reclusive mystics and scarred veterans live in peace.

The only known natural Lightfall source on the Ridge, offering healing, restoration, and strange soul-repair.   The Mirrorhalls, capable of spiritual and emotional rehabilitation on levels no cleric can fully explain.   A neutral sanctuary law, respected even by bounty hunters and faction agents.   True dreamstone, a mineral only found beneath the Borough, used in prophetic rituals and soul-bonding.

The Gleambound – warriors who train in silence and defend the sacred rites.   The Shimmerscribes – soul-script artisans who tattoo the wounded with healing runes.   The Circle of the Lit Hearth – spiritual council and caretakers of the Lightfall.   The White Ash Sisters – a healer’s circle known for restoring minds broken by war or soul distortion.   The Lanternless, an underground group of former Radiants who reject the Borough’s pacifism and believe the light should be weaponized — not revered.

Long ago, the land beneath the Radiant Borough was barren and lifeless — a wasteland scorched during one of the oldest dwarf-clan wars. It was said that a single survivor, a half-mad, rune-carved priestess, wept a prayer that bent the light itself and awakened a Lightfall Vein beneath the stone.   No one knows if the story is true, but the ruins beneath the Mirrorhalls are real — and they are forbidden. Even the Circle of the Lit Hearth avoids them.   Over centuries, the place became known for miracles: diseases halted, griefs eased, wanderers calmed. What began as a pilgrimage stop grew into a town, then a borough — not large, but deep, drawing those who needed light, and those who feared it.   The Soul Trade tried to claim the Lightfall once. They were politely turned away — and never spoke of it again.

1. The Mirrorhalls A sprawling center of spiritual care, consisting of quiet libraries, chanting pools, and meditation vaults. Within lies the Sanctum Mirror, a pane of impossible clarity said to show not your reflection — but what you are becoming.   2. The Glowmarket Lined with soft-glass stalls, this market sells glowfruit, dream-roots, and soul-salve candles that burn with color tied to emotion. Prices are paid in coin, stories, or healed deeds.   3. The Sunk Yard An eerie, beautiful graveyard. Each tomb is carved into the cliff, and each emits a hum of remembered voices at dusk. The Gleambound keep this place clean with reverence and silence.   4. The Vein Door Hidden beneath a stonewell, this sealed rune gate leads to the Old Chamber, thought to be the original source of the Lightfall. It is heavily warded and only opened during eclipse ceremonies — or emergencies.   5. The Lantern Ring A circle of ever-burning lanterns around the Mirrorhalls. Each represents someone who healed beyond expectation. It is said if a lantern flickers unexpectedly, someone is dying in the Borough — but trying not to.

Pilgrimage is the Borough’s lifeblood. Warriors seek healing, nobles come for quiet reflection, and soul-bonded couples renew vows in the Lantern Ring. No luxury exists here — but profound peace does, and many would pay dearly for it.

Stone and glowglass, built into rising terraces. No sharp corners — everything is rounded, layered, softened. Light is used like art, not just utility. Homes have high windows, letting in the glow of passing lanterns, and every building bears at least one personal rune from the resident family.

Set into the lower western slope of the Ridge, near the base of old ravines. A hidden spring flows beneath the town. Light gathers here unnaturally — never blinding, always present. Even in storm or shadow, the Radiant Borough never quite darkens.

Mild, misty, and gentle. Rain falls lightly. Fog carries glimmers at night. The air smells faintly of lavender, ash, and quartz. The stars always seem clearer here — even when the rest of the Ridge is clouded.

Dreamstone – crystalized resonance stone used in prophecy and soul magic   Glowroot – a healing root that carries minor light aura when brewed   Lightwater – faintly glowing water used in sacred rites and light-forged ink   Lantern clay – used for the famous soul-salve candles and memory urns