A Hidden Oasis of Steam and Vice
Nestled in a remote, volcanic caldera deep within the northern territory of the Free-Soul Collective, Thieves' Landing is a geographic anomaly. Here, geothermal fury meets stunning, treacherous beauty. The caldera is a canvas of vibrant, surreal color: steaming pools of electric blue and sulfurous yellow, blood-orange mineral deposits streaking cliffs of black obsidian, and petrified forests of stone trees coated in emerald-green moss fed by constant, warm mist. The air is thick with the eggy scent of sulfur and the mineral tang of hot springs.
This chaotic, hidden beauty makes it the perfect sanctuary. No giant army could march here without getting lost in the maze of unstable ground, toxic fumes, and boiling geysers.
Thieves' Landing isn't a formal settlement; it's a permanent bazaar of the damned and the free. It operates under one ironclad, unwritten law: No violence within the Steam-Haze. The constant, billowing plumes of steam from a hundred vents provide natural cover, but also carry a whispered threat—break the peace, and you might simply vanish into the mist, a victim of the unstable ground or an unseen blade.
Its population is a mix:
Free-Soul outcasts who find the Collective's rules too restrictive.
Frost-Fang exiles and disgraced warriors.
Independent smugglers, pirates, and relic-hunters.
A small, permanent contingent of the Veil of Sighs, who use it as a neutral sanctuary and information clearinghouse.
A guild of nimble Lítillfólk guides, the only ones who know the safe paths through the constantly shifting thermal vents and brittle sinter terraces.
Thieves' Landing is a black market, sanctuary, and neutral ground rolled into one. Here, you can find anything—for a price.
Information: The primary currency. Spies from every nation come to sell secrets about troop movements, secret alliances, or the location of a failing heat-source.
Stolen & Forbidden Goods: Sun-Splinter crystals "liberated" from the Throne, prototype Ashen Crest steam-arms, maps to rumored pre-Frost ruins.
Sanctuary: A place to hide from the law, a rival clan, or a vengeful giant. Payment is often in future services or irreplaceable secrets.
Specialists for Hire: Disgraced Jötun-Bane hunters, rogue Stone-Wright engineers, and mercenary mages can all be found drinking fungal ale in the makeshift taverns built around hot springs.
The Gilded Geyser: The social hub, a massive, clockwork geyser that erupts with spectacular predictability. Deals are made in its shadow, timed between eruptions.
The Obsidian Labyrinth: A natural maze of razor-sharp black glass, used for secret meetings, dead drops, and the occasional permanent disappearance.
The Rust-Pots: A neighborhood of semi-permanent shelters built from the scavenged hulls of wrecked Skyships, lashed together with mammoth-hide rope.
The Silent Auction: Held monthly in a different, secret location within the caldera. Bids are written on steam-resistant parchment and dropped into a boiling mud pot. The highest bidder is contacted via the Veil of Sighs network.
Thieves' Landing is a cyst of beautiful chaos in the frozen north. It is a boil on the backside of civilization, where every dream has a buyer, every sin has a price, and the only law is the hiss of steam and the sharpness of your wits.