A city built in a fallen god-weapon, where guilds rule, delvers vanish, and every choice echoes through tunnels of chitin, ash, and ambition. Welcome to Odrun Fell, a Friends and Fables adventure!
| Played | 874 times |
| Cloned | 31 times |
| Created | 14 days ago |
| Last Updated | Yesterday |
| Visibility | Public |
Bindershell Crossing
Bindershell Crossing acts as a dam and aqueduct where the Veinspring passes through the deepest bend of the Barrows. Its central structure is built from the fused carapaces of four ancient queen beetles, hollowed and bound with a unique waterproof sap and silksteel. Inside, Barley waterbinders use glanded weaver-worms to control the flow and direction of drinking water sent to lower districts. The filtered runoff is sent to Spindle brewers or used to flood insect pens in tunnel farms. The most important chamber in Bindershell is it's Communion Basin which acts as a cistern where water is purified with an alchemical solution created by a special group of Barley waterbinders. Any tampering risks contamination that can spread bad water through the entire city.
Bonebellow Hollow
The Bonebellow Hollow was once called the Owlbear Hollow. The change in name happened when something from the greatclub tunneled too far south and made it's home in the owlbear den. The Hollow sits atop an underground fissure that likely originated from the insect titan migrating beneath the Murkrun Forest. The local owlbear population has become unusually aggressive, and their plumage is slick with resinous oils that come from whatever invader burrowed below. The owlbears are exhibiting an almost hive-like behavior, where they'll be found guarding the cave entrance, dragging prey inward, and arranging bones in unnatural spirals. Explorers who've attempted to chart the Hollow's depths find it difficult to get past the owlbear guards, so no one has discovered the source of their odd behavior.
Chrysellate Atelier
The Chrysellate Atelier is a stage, a sanctum, a whispering hive of vanity, obession, and avant-garde biology. But for all intents and purposes, it is in fact a jeweler. The Chrysellate Atelier specializes in the "vivomorph adornment," which are exclusive wearable pieces made from carefully nurtured insect symbiotes enchanted with a tinge of magic. Heartbracelets that tighten with emotion, living brooches that flick their antennae when lied to, and necklaces that molt into new colors with each passing moonphase are just the tip of the iceberg for what is found within. The nobles, guild leaders or heirs, and the wealthy compete to commission pieces that prove not just wealth, but superiority. All pieces are custom-grown, and anything unique is specially commissioned for collection within the greatclub tunnels. Buyers are required to bond with their purchases before they leave the store, sometimes by blood, breath, or even by dream depending on the magic the flows within the piece.
Clattercage Roost
The Clattercage Roos is home to the Ribwicket Clan, a band of goblins that worship the Grizzt-Insteka, the Great Skitter-Gods. They believe that colossal insectoid beings that occasionally roam down from the greatclub are sent to test the worth of their people. The Murkrun Forest is far away from the enchanted chaos of the Shroud, but strange things still wander the edges, and sometimes enter into Murkrun. Over the years, the Ribwickets have scavenged chitin, fangs, and venom sacks from the wandering giant insects and have been incorporating them into their makeshift armor, rituals, and architecture. They host the "Skittergames" every year, where participants compete for the right to be called Beetlekin in a grand battle royal that involves several giant insects.
Council Chamber of Odrun
The Council Chamber of Odrun is the heart of the Regent's Estate, a sanctified hall where the fate of Odrun Fell is debated. Every policy, law, and judgement that shapes the city is born within these walls, carried forward by the voices of the four guild leaders and the Regent. Though often thought of as ceremonial in name alone, the Regent is the tie-breaking voice that brings finality to any stalemate decision affecting the city. The chamber is the crucible of Odrun's politics, where the Ashcoats hammer out logistics, the Promissory seeks opportunity, the Barleys fight for the preservation of tradition, and the Cudgel grasps for peace and civility. Regent Myra Thorneveil does her best to guide the city, but she can only do so much.
Crackleline Alley
Cracleline Alley is a food court in the Spindle. The alley used to be an overflow canal used as a molten chitin runoff from Ashcoat smelters, but now it's been reclaimed and paved over by ambitious street vendors under Promissory protection. Here, cooks will create all manner of bug-based delicacies for a mix of adventurers, guild scouts, and aristocrats, all packed shoulder-to-shoulder. A very well known stall that commands the alley's prime corner is Snap's Cracklin' Thorax, which has become a cultural staple in Odrun Fell. Snaps serves dishes that were born out of desperation from when he used to be a tunnel cook. His food is considered a must-try for any new comers entering Odrun Fell for the first time.
Cradle of Hooks
The Cradle of Hooks is an orphanage that doubles as a delver preparation hall. It was founded in the Barrows to help orphans pick up work as delvers when they come of age. Most of the orphans who live here are children of fallen laborers and delvers, so they are already pretty familiar with the duties that delvers would normally undertake. Children are given shelter, taught discipline, and given a change to forge their own path, but in the end they are mostly encouraged to delve or become laborers. Children are taught to rig simple traps, care for tunnelbeasts, and memorize essential tunnel routes at a young age. On the wall within the Cradle is a line where every orphan who enters and exits is recorded, with the names crossed out in red if they had died. On the wall, there are many crossed out names.
Emberhook Hall
The Emberhook Hall is a central mission staging hub for all Cudgel deployments. The hall is an enormous dome where delvers receive their assignments, form parties, and record their findings after returning from the Handle. The walls of this hall are scorched from torch smoke and engraved with the names of those who have died while delving into the greatclub's tunnels. Every name on the wall is considered sacred, and only the leader of the Cudgel, currently Captain Orin Vellak, is allowed to add new names on it. It's common for members of the Cudgel to reach out and touch a brass hook on the wall for good luck before leaving for a delve.
Estate Hallway
The Estate Hallway, also called the Converging Hall by the staff and stewards, are a network of wide corridors that serve as the crossroads within the estate. The Estate Hallway connects the Council Chamber, the Regent's Study, the Regent's Dining Hall, the private rooms, personal quarters, and every other room that is in the estate. Nobles, guards, and servants frequently pass each other here in practiced silence.
Eurven’s Forge
Eurven’s Forge is where most of the armor and weapons used by the Cudgel are forged or repaired. The forge is very busy with several of Eurven Brel's apprentices who are constantly at work on both new and old equipment for delvers. The forge is very popular because the equipment forged here is of a higher quality than most other forges in Odrun Fell because of how the forge is fueled. Where most forges would only be using coal, Eurven's forge is fueled by both coal and an alchemically treated insect oil that burns hot and clean. Eurven, even though she's a retired Ashcoat, is still a highly sought after blacksmith in the city. Members of the Promissory, the Cudgel, and even the Barleys line up early in the morning to try and catch Eurven at her forge.
Gate of Tines
The Gate of Tines is Odrun Fell’s southern gate, where the Road to Odrun meets the city’s outer wall. Unlike the opulence of the Sprigs or the chaos of the Spindle, this gate is functional, fortified, and fiercely watched. It's the main checkpoint for caravans, pilgrims, and would-be delvers hoping to prove themselves worthy of entry. Managed jointly by the Cudgel and Promissory, the gate balances vigilance with commerce—no shipment enters without scrutiny, and no smuggler lasts long unless they're useful. Cudgel officers vet delving hopefuls while Promissory scribes log taxes and trade manifests. Those familiar with its rhythm call it the “First Weight,” where the tone of a venture is set by how you're greeted: with a nod, a ledger, or a blade.
Gilded Mothlight Amphitheater
The Gilded Mothlight is a stage-crafted jewel filled with truth mixed with fantasy and spectacle. Commissioned by the Promissory, this amphitheater hosts everything from illusion-drama pageants to historical "reimaginings" of fictional tales of unsung heroes within greatclub tunnels and stories of Odrun the titan whose greatclub gave birth to this very city. Magical operas where the cast float midair in suspended amber threads is common. Illusion magic is embedded in the architecture itself with scenes that can be projected into the air above the crowd. Dancers are cloaked in swarm-light, and actors can literally become their roles. The guilds use Mothlight to shape the public memory, celebrate hollow victories, and rewrite history to fit what they want the people to believe. Entire court sessions have been settled not by evidence, but by applause. Nobles pay handsomely to reserve the amphitheater for private events, coronations, and galas.
Gnarlgut Hall
The Gnarlgut Hall is a communal extraction center where some delvers return to scrape, bleed, and break down their insect kills for coin. There are other places in the city where delvers can do this, but this one is run by a patchwork of independent guildless workers and old Cudgel retirees who couldn't afford to live anywhere else, so many who come here are supporting them by bringing their business here. Workers queue up daily to rent a butchers bay and pay a small fee to use sharpened chitin tools and collection bins. The halls don't discriminate, if you kill it and can carry it in, you will always be given space. Even though the Gnarlgut Hall is independent from all of the guilds, it has an unspoken agreement with the Promissory, who send middlemen to purchase unique goods before they are brought into the Slough.
Molt Troughs
The Molt Troughs are one of the older Barley breeding rings. Here, a set of connected shallow pits are used for the shedding and collection of hardened exoskeletons from unique breeds of beetles, like the Huskbelly, used for meat and chitin. Once shed, these husks are sorted by quality and purpose, chitin for armor, fine filaments for fabric, and any remaining powdered flakes for alchemical use. The meat from beetles like the Huskbelly is immediately preserved with magic and shipped in to Odrun Fell. The process is time-sensitive and physically demanding, but handlers and breeders here are used to the challenge. The troughs here have been run by the same families for generations, and apprentices from outside the traditional families are not even allowed to observe the handlers here until their third year of tending.
Nectarway Pools
The Nectarway Pools are nestled in a lowland basin of the Barley Fields. They're naturally warm, algae-fed reservoirs that are cultivated to support nectar-feeding beetle breeds like the Sweetmaw. These pools are ringed with nectar stones, which the beetles graze on to produce a thick, golden secretion used in healing balms, stimulants, and certain ceremonial drinks that are favored by residents in the Sprigs. The quality of the nectar varies based on the pool balance, the beetle lineage, and the lunar phases. Tampering with any part of the ecosystem can ruin an entire season's output. Each pool is watched over by a single steward called a Brimwatcher, who records changes in beetle behavior and pool viscosity in petal-bound journals passed down through their family lines.
Odrun’s Splinter
Odrun's Splinter is the oldest living tree in the Shroud, believed to have grown from a fragment of the original greatclub. Its bark is nourished by the magic of the greatclub. It's interior is hollow, but alive, warm and damp, almost like the inside of a throat. The people of Odrun Fell avoid speaking of the Splinter openly. The Barleys once tried to harvest sap from the tree, only to lose the entire expedition group. The Ashcoats tried the same, except they sought to harvest the ironlike bark of the tree. Their expedition disappeared just the same. The Cudgel tries to remove the Splinter from their maps because they want to dissuade explorers from attempting to seek it out. Those who find the tree are careful, as no one has yet to find out what dangers lurk within that have killed so many explorers before.
Orchard-Limbs Grove
The Orchard-Limbs Grove is where the largest of the treebugs roam. These towering stickbugs have limbs that grow seasonal fruit used in everything from daily rations to expensive liqueurs sold in the Spindle. The bugs are docile, but massive. Harvesting must be carefully timed, as the fruit only ripens when the creatures molt. The Barleys treat the creatures with near-spiritual reverence, never using tools to harvest. For generations the Barleys have practiced using only hand-woven silk slings and hooked gloves passed down from their ancestors. A single misstep could cause the bug to drop fruit prematurely or enter a defensive shedding cycle, wasting months of care.
Regent’s Dining Hall
The Regent's Dining hall gives off a feeling of solitude. The only times the Regent is not eating here alone is when the space is being used for ceremonial banquets and post-council gatherings. The dining hall was build with grandeur in mind and meant for high society gatherings. Here, seats are carefully arranged by rank, politics, and influence. Meals hosted here are rich in both flavor and implication. Delicacies range from jelly-spiced stickbug fruit to steamed meat from deep-tunnel beetles, prepared by chefs bound to no guild. The hall is one of the few places where all four factions break bread under a single roof.
Regent’s Foyer
The Regent's Foyer is the main entryway into the estate. Here is where visiting dignitaries, guild envoys, and hopeful petitioners are all received all under the careful eye of estate attendants trained in etiquette and some in espionage. All arrivals into the Regent's Estate are documented and questioned, unless prior notice is given. Regent Myra Thorneveil is very relaxed compared to her predecessors and will often meet with anyone who seeks an audience if she is available.
Road to Odrun
The Road to Odrun, also known as Sunvein Crossing, is the final threshold between the normal wilderness of Murkrun and the oddness of Odrun that's brought about by the magic of the colossal greatclub that the city is built into. The path here is lush, the forest is beautiful, and everywhere you go is saturated with life, sound, and scent. Even so, this forest is not without its own dangers. Bandits, goblins, and the occasional owlbear can be found within. Wayfarers bound for Odrun Fell often find themselves strangely drawn to it as they walk this path, as the transition from what's normal to the wonders of Odrun Fell become more visible.
Skelk’s Hollow
Skelk's Hollow is a neighborhood tavern, healers den and part minor shrine run by a retired delver named Skelk Murn. As a gathering place, it welcomes delvers, laborers and travelers alike, serving as a quiet sanctuary for those who've seen too much of the tunnels or too much travel. As a healer's den, healers from the Cudgel often stop by to treat injured laborers and delvers free of charge if you don't count the free meal provided by Skelk's Hollow. As a minor shrine, this neighborhood tavern offers a quiet place with an alter to no particular god that a devout cleric can find a moment of peace in. Skelk's is also well know for it's "story nights" where a regular gathering of delvers takes place. They trade tales and patch each other up mentally and physically. Busted legs or bruised souls are as common as a scraped knuckle at Skelk's.
The Bentroot Exchange
The Bentroot Exchange is an unglamorous sprawl of open-air booths, all kinds of makeshift to high quality kiosks, and family-run counters. The upper stalls of the Spindle chase wealth and reputation, but the Bentroot is different. The Bentroot is a simple marketplace that is filled with honest barter and grit. Farmers from the chitin terraces are hauling in sacks of wing-husks and chitin while forge-workers are offloading imperfect plates for salvage. This is where delvers find rope and flint, laborers trade fungus bricks for bone soap, and apothecaries haggle for herbs or ingredients. Personal guilds don't mean much at all here, the only thing that makes a big difference is reputation, availability and the occasional casting of Identify.
The Blackmouth Grotto
The Blackmouth Grotto is one of the few known natural entrances to the Spirals. Ancient explorers once claimed the Grotto was a wound where the Shroud has almost turned inward. It was where the greatclub's magic started to twist roots and matter into a recursive ruin. The cavern walls are veined with blackened wood, pulsing like it were alive and slowly dying. Scholars and delvers from the Hilt say that the grotto was one of the major birthplaces of the Hollowmasks. The sound of weeping, laughter, and false prayers can be heard drifting from the depths. The Cudgel has posted no formal claim here, and the Barely refuse to harvest anything that grows within fifty feet of the entrance. Although it is deemed dangerous, there are great rewards that accompany the risk, as passing through the grotto leads explorers into the Spirals, where fame and fortune are as common as danger.
The Burrowlight Hearth
The Burrowlight Hearth is a refuge for adventurers looking to heal in peace. The inn is named after the bioluminescent larvae that illuminate the rooms from the walls. The inn offers warm meals, reinforced cots, and silence. The owner is a half-orc apothecary named Tennel who lost both his legs to a beetle mauler in the Handle. He now tends to the wounded and weary, often giving discounts or free rooms to injured travelers or delvers. Delvers, both young and old, frequent this tavern to relax, some to speak with Tennel to clear their minds. The Burrowlight Hearth has become something of a sanctuary for those grappling with tunnel trauma. The inn is not flashy, and it never will be, but in a district of noise and momentum, the Hearth provides a nice deep breath. Some say Tennel knows how to brew potions that soothe the soul more than the body, but everyone know the truth is that he's just good at making soup and setting beds.
The Chitin Vaults
The Chitin Vaults are a high-end marketplace for some of the rarest and most dangerous monster parts recovered from the greatclub tunnels. The Vaults are officially licensed by the Promissory and are one of their most important operations within the city. Legal enough to be endorsed, lucrative enough to justify intimidation, and prestigious enough to attract wealthy buyers from the Springs without ever needing to leave the comfort of the Spindle. Transactions here are usually done through contracts, where buyers select certain pieces for weapon commissions, fashion accessories, or powerful alchemical distillations. It's common to see Promissory agents inspecting delivery crates while nobles from the Sprigs are found arguing over who gets to buy what first. The Vaults never have to advertise because everyone knows where they are and that no matter how rare something is, it can be found in the Chitin Vaults.
The Clattercell
The Clattercell is somewhat of a makeshift laboratory and micro-factory that exists off the grid of the Ashcoats' sanctioned forges and outside the Promissory's tax ledgers. It used to be a cold storage vault for silk larvae, but the space was repurposed by Frindle Brasswitch into a hybrid workshop and black-market archive. Down here, ideas that are deemed too unstable, too dangerous or too clever for the Council of Odrun's comfort are born and refined. Findle has created many different annoying and illegal contraptions, from spy-bugs and lockpicking millipedes to translation-scarabs that mimic voices. The equipment and magical gear that is created here is made for and sold discreetly to smugglers, mercenaries, revolutionaries, and pretty much anyone else with coin and questions that they don't want answered.
The Dome
The Dome is not a place that was built for comfort, but rather a place built from necessity. Captain Orin Vellak repurposed it as a shelter many years ago to tend to the needs of those injured in greaclub delves. Many laborers and Cudgel recruits who are too broken to return to the tunnels or too poor to seek healing elsewhere wind up at the Dome. At it's heart is a permanent hearth where broth never stops simmering over a stove. Around it are retired delvers that act as orderly who provide care, administer remedies, and teach new recruits how to recognize fatal tunnel wounds. Coin never changes hands here, and that is a rule. This shelter is a beacon in the Barrows and acts as proof that there are those in Odrun Fell who see value in lives without title or trade. The Promissory and even the Ashcoats will occasionally send token supplies out of obligation or politics, but the people know whose hands built the beds.
The Dregvault
The Dregvault is the Hilt's high-security containment archive for the most dangerous, unstable, or valuable insect species. Whether they are bred by the Barleys or unearthed in the depths of the Handle, or mutated by the magic of the greatclub in a unique way, these creatures and their spawn are housed in layered vaults beneath the surface. Aboveground, the structure looks modest, but it expends five levels downward, with each sublevel becoming colder, darker, and even more reinforced. Inside, creatures are kept in arcane stasis pods, insulated bio-boxes, or sealed hexrooms. There have been accidents in the past, but never more than once per level. The Dregvault is maintained by a combination of efforts from Cudgel mages, Ashcoat engineers, and Barely specialty breeders. Every specimen has different monitoring systems and the entire vault is tested weekly against breach scenarios.
The Emberfold Sanctum
The Emberfold Sanctum is the spiritual heart of the Barrows. It's not like a traditional temple or a shrine. This sanctum is a place of mourning, reflection, and gentle rites of farewell. The Sanctum was once a burrower nursery before being sanctified by the survivors of a devastating delve in the early years of the city's founding. Over time, the site grew into a sacred refuge for grief-stricken delvers and family members of those who have suffered from losing family members to the greatclub tunnels or the Shroud. It now serves as a neutral ground where all faiths are welcome, but it is quietly understood that Sarneth’s presence is what keeps the Emberfold from fading into irrelevance. The Emberfold houses an archive of fallen names, a wall of chitin etched with the sigils and likenesses gathered from recovered remains. It also provides a space where the wounds of the mind and soul are tended, occasionally alongside the wounds of the flesh if delvers seek Sarneth for aid.
The Gilt Thorns
The Gilt Thorns are known for being a ceremonial training ground dedicated to the art of social combat. The kind of combat where words can be daggers, and daggers must never leave a scar. Here, the wealthy of the Sprigs learn the rituals of sanctioned dueling. The calls, the steps, the poisons permitted by contract, and the expressions expected of the victor. Every lesson teaches both law and performance, given by instructors who are well versed in etiquette, anatomy, and the art of leaving a bruise that teaches and humiliates. Many who train here hope to never draw blood, but the Gilt Thorns is not a place for place. Duels of inheritance, grievance, and reputation are staged here weekly. A group of retired instructors act as scribes who ensure that every match abides by Odrun's legal codes and that every floorboard is enchanted to record the flow of movement for review to ensure there is no foul play.
The Glowhives
The Glowhives are one of the places in the Shroud where the light flourishes, but not in a welcoming way. These ancient, semi-organic structures formed when the Shroud had just started to be saturated with the magic of the greatclub. Over generations, the magic created Glowbees and twisted their queens into Hive-Sovereigns. Each hive is led by these deadly broodmothers who exude pheromones capable of driving explorers mad if they venture too close. The Glovehives are a very rich destination for harvesters and arcanists because they have radiant honey called sunspill. Sunspill has unique properties that allow it to restore vitality and guard the mind from any mind altering magic. Harvesting even a thimble of Sunspill is a lethal challenge, but many still try. The Promissory funds small expeditions here, using desperate delvers to retrieve what they can.
The Hallowcrawl
This is where city-folk go to find entertainment in Odrun Fell. The Hallowcrawl is a premier entertainment trench filled with artistic misfits, street performers, and illusion-fueled shows in the Spindle. Anyone who can charm a crowd, string a puppet, paint stories with bioluminescent dust, or perform in any way that draws attention will eventually find their way here. By Promissory decree, no trade of coin is allowed to occur within the core ring of the Hallowcrawl, and if anyone wants something here they must do it by performance, barter, or by favor. There isn't really a reason why things are done this way here, it's just a rule that's been around for decades, and the Hallowcrawl has been around longer than anyone can remember, perhaps as old as the city itself. While most of the district is filled with trade and ambition, the Hallowcrawl is where Odrun’s soul comes to play, weep, and even dream.
The Hemlock Weirs
The Hemlock Weirs are a tiered series of flow-gated platforms constructed just below the Barrows where the Veinspring narrows. Overseen by the Barleys, the weirs trap sediment-heavy water to cultivate hem-algae, which is an iron-rich crimson filament used in nutrient broths and salves. Beneath the surface, woven chitin nets catch freshwater crustacea and filter out industrial runoff from upstream Spindle wash-offs. The Barleys guard this site zealously, using sting-tail drones bred to detect unauthorized water siphoning. Apprentices are trained here in the art of selective skimming, where special kinds of algae are harvested for purity and potency. Trade with the Sallowrack relies on this site’s yield, making it a silent cornerstone of both nourishment and healing for the city’s poor.
The Hollow Steps
The Hollow Steps are the formal entry into the greatclub tunnels. There are many smaller entrances and exits, but this entry point is almost considered sacred as it is only opened for sanctioned Cudgel delves or the occasional city operation. The Hollow Steps are a slick and dark staircase carved into the Handle that descend to a set of man made doors covered in runes that ward off any approaching inhabitants of the greatclub. Usually this area will have several guards from the Cudgel stationed at the Hollow Steps to keep unauthorized people away, mostly for their own safetly.
The Hookline Gantry
The Hookline Gantry is a massive build where industry thrives in the Hilt. The Ashcoats more raw insect carapaces and tunnel-forged chitin from forge to frame. It's a network of elevated tracks, winches, and pulley systems that link loading platforms with armor pens and distribution stalls. Beetle teams are essential here as they are trusted for hauling and required to navigate the screeching maze of gantries without panic. The Hookline is where metal and muscle become armor and where fire burns slow enough to teach patience but fast enough to kill carelessness. Some of the workers at the Hookline Gantry risk permanent harm to complete their work, but they have to meet their commissions, particularly from the Cudgel, who the Ashcoats rely on for protection within the greatclub tunnels.
The Lamenting Hollow
The Lamenting Hollow is as beautiful as it is silent. There's not a sound coming for local wildlife. No birds sing, no insects buzz, and the wind itself seems to try and avoid passing through. The trees that encircle the Hollow are not even trees, but creatures that were once roaming the Shroud, only to have become wooden prisoners by some ancient magic. The Spiral entrance at the Hollow's heart is unlike any of the others. It doesn't descend as much as it draws those nearby downward. Its edges are slick with rootglass and the air is warm, damp, and eerily still. Delvers who pass through will often see visions of the memories of others who have passed through, as if the hollow rearranges parts of your mind with those who have come before in an attempt to prepare those who enter for the dangers that lurk within the Spiral. Most explorers who seek entry into the Spirals come through the Lamenting Hollow.
The Lanternrest Inn
The Lanternrest was once famous for its glowing fungi groves and lanterns that were so bright it could pierce even the thickest parts of the Murkrun fog. The inn was run by a retired adventurer in the past, a bard named Carleth Quen. Years ago, the bar had become overtaken by bandits who now use it as a toll post. Travelers who pass by the Lanternrest on their way to Odrun Fell are met with hostility and extortion. The bandits here are afraid of the dangers that come from the greatclub tunnels, many of them bear scars from their time within Odrun Fell before they left for a safer means to make money by extorting curious travelers. Some of the bandits have spent time working as mercenaries for the Cudgel, others were laborers who were fed up with the dangers of working within the tunnels.
The Palehook Stave
Named for the bone-colored pincers of the creatures it captures, the Palehook Stave is a fortified underwater trapyard used to lure, capture, and process Veinspring crawdads. Managed by a Barley subsect known as the Snapline Keepers, the Stave lies beneath the surface near a dammed eddy of the Veinspring where the water grows unnaturally still. Enchanted scent-lures and eel-bristle drums are sunk nightly, baiting territorial crawdads from deeper lairs. When the traps spring, teams of handlers descend in tethered pods to shackle the beasts and haul them to shore. Crawdad meat is boiled for protein pastes, while their chitin is hardened into riveted trade-shells sent to the Handle. Once a year, the largest captured specimen is paraded through the Barrows during the Deepboil Rite.
The Platinum Carapace
The Platinum Carapace is an auction house that is known as a cathedral of indulgence. Here, the rarest spoils of monster-slaying, delving, and salvage are presented to the wealthiest bidders in the city. The auction halls are themed by material and species, having a uniquely decorated auction hall for each. Reptile themed auctions are in a hall adorned with iridescent hydra-scales, spider themed auctions are held in a hall covered in silk woven decorations, any beast type auction is held in a hall adorned with pelts and claws. There are several other decorated auction halls, each featuring a different specialty, from potions and poisons, to standard weapons, armor, and even magical wonderous items brought from merchants from afar. Beyond the main chamber and well known auction halls, the Carapace hosts sealed viewing rooms where live, and sometimes dangerous, specimens are presented for private clientele.
The Reach
The Reach is the communal heart of the Barrows. It's a plaza that serves as the central gathering place for laborers after their chifts in the Slough or the outskirt tunnels of Odrun's Handle. The Cudgel recruiters hang out underneath awnings draped with insect-hide banners, pitching glory to the youth or offering used equipment to anyone without a home or place to turn to. Even though the Barrows is filled with hardship, the Reach still buzzes with activity. Food vendors peddle build worm-spine broth while makeshift stalls have people bartering for scavenged cloths or general goods. Those who have little still find ways to share or make deals, sometimes at a loss just to help out. The Reach may be poor, but it’s rich in memory, voice, and history. Those who live here keep each other standing, even if the rest of Odrun Fell forgets their names.
The Regent’s Study
The Regent's Study has been used by every past Regent of Odrun Fell. Currently this study is where Myra Thorneveil attempts to parse the unspoken tides of the city. Here, she reads reports from the Hilt, parses trade ledgers sent by the Promissory, deals with laborer grievances against the Barleys, and mobilizes Cudgel forces for special expeditions decided upon by the Council of Odrun. This is the one place in the Regent's Estate where Myra Thorneveil feels is truly hers. Decorations like cracked masks from the Shroud, sealed vials of phosphor fog from the greatclub tunnels, and rare monster parts fill the room.
The Sable Archive
The Sable Archive is a library, but not the kind that one would expect. It is a library of faces. It is an ancient Hollowmask roost that is eerily abandoned. Hundreds of preserved visages lie within the dim chambers. Scholars and seekers occasionally find their way here, drawn by the rumor of power or magic gathered within the masks, the lives preserved in a form that can be worn. The archive is no passive monument. The magic of Odrun's Greatclub runs deep through the Shroud, and deeper still here in the archive. Within, the faces stare, not carved or hung, but almost as if the are being worn. Some drift in the air or flutter faintly in the alcoves or between the trees, many are affixed to the Shroud itself. Some who travel within lose a piece of themselves, only to find a mask with their features hung on a tree that had not been there the day before.
The Sallowrack
The Sallowrack is a small venom market and alchemical prep zone deep within the Barrows near the boundary of the Slough. It's not like the Spindle's perfumed apothecaries or any of the alchemy shops run within the Hilt. The Sallowrack has delvers and scavengers trickling in and out throughout the day, hauling dead tunnel-wasps, gland-filled spiders, and sacks of barbed larva for sale or dissection. Most of the stalls here have some kind of trade or specialty that require different venoms or poisons. Trade here is quiet and purposeful, rarely polite as poison has no friends. The Sallowrack is a lifeline for healers, delvers and alchemists, offering cheap salves, unlicensed pheromones, unique venoms, or unnecessary insect parts that are left over after the removal of their venom sacs. Cudgel officers sometimes visit the Sallowrack in plain clothes for antidotes that they can't get officially and some traders from the Spindle slip in for tax free venoms.
The Slough
The Slough is where survival sharpens into trade, where nothing is wasted. Delvers and scavengers from the Barrows and the Hilt will drag in their latest finds from the tunnels. Half-rotted mandibles, expired crawler husks, or low quality venom sacs that couldn't sell at the Sallowrack. There's an edge of danger in many deals, as there is little regulation within the Slough. The Promissory doesn't care about the low quality goods sold here, and the Cudgel's forces never police the area, so sometimes deals will sometimes be a promise of danger instead of just a chance, but anyone can leave the Slough safely if they have a silver tongue or are just familiar with the culture. While in the Slough, you can find a hag-born charm against bone-rot, a gland that stuns tunnel-beasts with its stink, or a claw etched with runes older than the city. While you might not always find what you need at the Slough, you'll certainly find something you'll want.
The Spinemaw Pens
The Spinemaw Pens are massive stables where armored insects are raised, trained, and bred for work within the greatclub tunnels. Within the pens are giant beetles, mantises, roaches, and more, all tamed and at the ready. Members of the Cudgel work alongside the Barleys in this section of the Handle. Each stable has a blessing rune scrawled in fungal chalk that magically calm the creatures within the pens. Insects within the pens live out their entire lives performing duties like hauling loot, defending sections of the tunnels, or running errands or messages for the delvers. Insects from the Spinemaw Pens that die have their chitin sent to Eurven's Forge where every part is honored and nothing is wasted.
The Thornwell Hatchery
The Thornwell Hatchery is the oldest breeding structure still active in the Barley Fields. Generations of handlers have followed the same handling traditions that have remained unchanged since the founding of Odrun Fell. The managing temperature, pheromone balance, and diet are all carefully balanced in order to create silk strands that are used in both armorweave and noble garments. New Barley tenders must complete a year of training here before being trusted with their own clutches. The broodmasters who run it are tight lipped and tattooed with the sigils of their lineage to show their bloodlines.
Threadspire Archive
The Threadspire Archive is the premier independent cartographic house in Odrun Fell. It's operated under freelance surveyors, archivists, and wayfinders who update its living map collection through direct experience rather than secondhand accounts. The heart of the archive is its Living Loom, which is a magically suspended web of articulated rods and tensioned silk threads that create a constantly updating three-dimensional relief map of the Handle and its surrounding tunnel networks. Each strand represents an active path with collapsed or unstable routes flagged and rerouted in real time by unseen pulleys. The building also serves as a training hub for elite delver guides and cartographers. Seasoned delvers come here to look for guides to aid them on different expeditions into the greatclub tunnels.
Varlas Breeder’s Archive
The Varlas Breeder's Archive is run under the supervision of Matriarch Jezabel Varlas herself. The breeder's Archive is a living record of every line, trait, mutation, and collapse within the Barley breeding history. It's more than just a library, serving as both a school and sanctum for advanced tenders. Experimental species are sometimes kept in adjoining chambers, many of which are locked behind acid-sealed hatches. Inside, knowledge is preserved, bred, cultured, and sometimes quarantined. New breeds from the tunnels that have yet to stabilize are kept in special chambers where special tenders keep them under close watch to monitor their growth. The Breeder's Archive is near the edge of the Hilt by the southern entrance to Odrun Fell, as close to the Barley Fields as possible without being outside the city. It's location allows for special tenders to quickly be dispatched to the Barley Fields if any problems were to occur.
Varlas Conservatory
The Varlas Conservatory is a lush exhibition garden for the Sprigs' elite, filled with specially bred insect species. This conservatory is maintained by an elite cadre of Barely caretakers and mages who cultivate rare arthropods known for different alchemical utilities. Some are silk-producing spiders with silk that shimmers with emotion-reactive colors, venomous mantises with toxins that would fetch for a fortune on the black market, and chitin armored scarabs with shells that any Ashcoat crafter would desire. Buyers bid on specimens through private showing lounges or offer their own exotic monster parts for breeding rights or other exchanges. Each deal is veiled in politics and often illegal, but between the Promissory and the Barleys, and enchanted contracts, the trades that happen within stay secret.
Waspjaw Way
Waspjaw Way is a narrow, spine-crooked alley slashed between two collapsing trade towers deep in the Spindle’s underlayer. The alley used to be a ventilation shaft for a silk refining factory, but it slowly evolved into a haven for smugglers, bootleg inventors, and desperate delvers. This alley is also known as a haven for anyone who wants to vanish in plain sight. The Promissory turns a blind eye here, knowing that some trades in the ally eventually end up bringing them a big profit. Members of the Ashcoats try to avoid the alley because they are not welcome there. A lot of their rejected members often end up in the alley, and their resentment will often never go away. At the heart of Waspjaw way is Frindle Brasswitch's repair stall, which appears from the surface like a thrown-together kiosk of brass scraps, cheap wood, and bad decisions.