Nyl

Village of Nyl

Village of Nyl, Ilûwyr, ca. 652 DR

Village on the Edge of Death

A rocky promontory juts out into the Great Death like a bony finger pointing to the ruins of Ildûn. Travelers along the Road to Nyl brace themselves against savage winds and the constant onslaught of cold, dust, sand, and stones. At the end of the promontory, the road rises to an old gate set within a stone wall. The heavy wooden gates hang askew upon ancient hinges. Above the village wall rise the pitched roofs of great lodges, crowded together around a central square.

The Road from Kry Irmàrend wanders westward across the mountains and into the bleak territory beyond. Unlike most roads that enter Ilûwyr, the Road to Nyl penetrates further into the region than any other. Legend has it that the road was built by the residents of Nyl, the only survivors of the Devastation that created the Crescent Desert. Today, the village serves as an outpost for those wishing to enter the western dead lands. Guides and mercenaries can be hired within the village to assist those interested in plundering the abandoned treasures of the Old Empire. Care should be taken however, for some of those for hire have no further interest than to lead their employers into the desert, kill them, and return for more work.

Landmarks

  • Magstìr Nor Nyl (A) Great Lodge of Nyl. The first building visitors notice when they arrive at Nyl is the Great Lodge. Built from white and gray stone, the lodge is topped by a high tower that rises above the village roofs. At its front, two wide staircases rise to a set of metal doors, each cast in five friezes of bas-relief battles between men and undead hordes. Statues once stood on the stair landing, but have long since fallen leaving only stone feet. Large circular windows look out across the central square. One bears the shield of Ðr. Ekèmys Ryl, founder of the lodge. The other bears the lodge’s shield, an octagon of overlapping swords. Head: Azmàdym Kùmunu.
  • Magstìr Vedre Phlèreð (B) Lodge of the Burning Hand. This lodge is in bad repair. It was originally a stone and timber structure, but has been brutalized by centuries of weather and neglect. It has recently come under the ownership of the Burning Hand Trading Guild, who have plans to repair the structure. The only evidence of the Guild’s presence is a tattered banner/sail that has been tied across the building’s face. The Guild feels that Nyl is an ideal location for exploiting the treasures of the Great Death. The other lodges are wary of this interloper, fearing well-funded and organized competition. Head: Neada Doon.
  • Magstìr Ilûwyr Erúsdur (C). Eyes of Ilûwyr Lodge. The building’s twin stairs and massive window whisper of a storied past. That history is long lost. Today, the crumbling stone, iron-banded doors, and broken glass are headquarters for a group of entrepreneurs called The Eyes of Ilûwyr. They provide scouting, guides, and other services to Nyl’s visitors. Luckily (for them), their reputation has not crossed the mountain walls of the Great Death. The other lodges view The Eye as thieves and murderers but do little to stem their activities. Recently (Druur 653), the group suffered significant losses during a failed ambush. Head: Shyrd Zygyrm.
  • Magstìr Dursòr Grân (D). Old Guard Lodge. The lodge is constructed of heavy native stone, blasted by centuries of wind and storms. The building is notable for its three gables and round green stained glass windows. Engraved in the stonework around these windows are Dekàlari letters that can no longer be read. The windows themselves depict three Dragul, or perhaps one creature in three different scenes. Magstìr Dursór Grân’s entrance opens away from the central square. Head: Sadàys Màldii.
  • Magstìr Askehlphylahl (E) The Haunted Lodge, Lodge of Askehlphylahl. Despite long years of preternatural weather that have blunted its edges and defaced the reliefs that once adorned its facade, the lodge remains structurally sound. The most mysterious feature of the edifice is the heavy stone door, left ajar by some careless custodian for as long as the residents of Nyl can remember. No one enters Magstìr Askehlphylahl for the villagers believe that the place is haunted by the ghosts of a failed lodge. The large round window above the gaping door depicts a long-haired swordsman standing amid ruins. The head of the warrior is a ragged hole, having been smashed ages ago. The carved letters “ASKEHLPHYLAHL” are barely readable above the rear entrance. Head: NA.
  • Ernàla Dra (F) Overlook Hall. The westernmost point of the village wall is a windowed chamber that overlooks the wastes of Ilûwyr. Throughout the history of Nyl, the Ernàla Dra has been a neutral location where members of different lodges, guilds, and companies could come together for discussions, trading, etc. The wooden building is suspended above a 200 yard precipice by iron cantilevers and ancient timbers braced against the promontory stone. The top floor contains a long carved wooden table, flanking stone fireplaces, and a series of five ornate stained glass windows with clear observation panes at the center of each. Both lower floors contain corridors of small rooms for private business. Fighting is prohibited in Ernàla Dra.

Buildings

  1. Residence (Abandoned)
  2. Livery Stable. A large stable that belongs to the Ilûwyr Inn. It appears to be a converted home. The stable-boy that takes care of the building and animals lives in a small enclosed garret above the steeds.
  3. Ilûwyr Inn. Located near the front gate of the village, the Ilûwyr Inn is the only formal inn within the walls of Nyl. Run by the loquacious Barádas for many years, there are few that come and go from Nyl that have not stayed in its simple but comfortable rooms. The inn has two stories and a stable. A large dimly lit dining room is filled with stuffed armchairs, semi-private booths, and a central fireplace that is kept burning with scavenged and imported wood.
  4. Residence
  5. Residence (Abandoned)
  6. Residence (Abandoned)
  7. Residence (Abandoned)
  8. Residence (Abandoned)
  9. Residence (Abandoned)
  10. Leather Goods
  11. Oil Merchant
  12. Residence (Abandoned)
  13. Residence (Abandoned)
  14. Residence (Abandoned)
  15. Residence (Abandoned)
  16. Residence (Abandoned)
  17. Spectacle Merchant
  18. Residence (Abandoned)
  19. Parchment Merchant
  20. Residence (Abandoned)
  21. Chandler
  22. Armorer. An oddly shaped store leans against the rear of the Burning Hand lodge. The walls are covered with metal shingles hammered from old chest plates and shields. The fall of a hammer rings outward from the gaps between two walls, pitched outward on heavy stakes. A brick smokestack rises from the rear of the plated building, its smoke stripped away by the winds above the village walls. This is the forge of Czalun the Armorer. Czalyn doesn’t create armor and weapons so much as repair them. The bearded Viríllyn has a great reputation throughout islands as a restorer of precious treasures.
  23. Armorer’s Residence. This is the home of Czalun the Armorer. His wife Tarēne and two children share this modest home.
  24. Residence (Abandoned)
  25. Residence (Abandoned)
  26. Residence (Abandoned)
  27. Scribe
  28. Residence (Abandoned)
  29. Residence (Abandoned)
  30. Residence (Abandoned)
  31. Residence (Abandoned)
  32. Residence (Abandoned)
  33. Taxidermist
  34. Residence (Abandoned)
  35. Residence (Abandoned)
  36. Sharper
  37. Cartographer
  38. Residence (Abandoned)
  39. Brothel
  40. Residence (Abandoned)
  41. Residence (Abandoned)
  42. Great Death Brewery. A weathered wooden plaque creaks in the wind above the door. While the paint has been long since stripped away, the chiseled relief of a skull remains. The building is filled with wooden casks used for brewing Nyl’s very own Great Death Ale. The beer would not win any accolades in civilized areas, but is the best libation going in eastern Ilûwyr. The brewer, Danhus, does not spend too much time in the brewery itself except to feed his Ilûwyran guard dog.
  43. Brewer’s Residence. Danhus the Brewer lives here. He once lived here with his wife, but the desolation finally got to her and she leaped to her death from Overlook Hall.
  44. Residence
  45. Carpenter
  46. Residence (Abandoned)
  47. Barracks (Abandoned)
  48. Düllogor’s Curiosities (Antiquarian). A dusty shop of cluttered tabletops and boxes brimming with all manner of rummage along every wall. The Dwürden Düllogor is a fixture in the village. Most have had some dealing with the old merchant and his memory of visitors is impressive.
  49. Tailor
  50. Residence
  51. Residence
  52. Kennel
  53. Residence (Abandoned)
  54. Mining Merchant
  55. Residence (Abandoned)
  56. Arcanist
  57. Laágar’s Shop (Apothecary). An iron hook that once supported a merchant’s plaque still hangs over the door to this small weather-beaten house. Inside, visitors find a large sitting room filled with tables and a wide stone fireplace. The walls are covered with small box shelves brimming with bottles, tiny bags, bundled roots, candles, and thousands of unidentifiable odds and ends. The proprietor is an unassuming bald man with thick spectacles. He talks softly and handles everything with a light touch. Laágar has a prodigious knowledge of herbs, ointments, salves, and poisons. He is the de facto doctor and chirurgeon for the village, having years of experience dealing with a great variety of wounds and ailments suffered by those venturing into the Great Death. He established his shop in 647 DR. He abandoned his previous business in Nyrrm Nalam after the death of his wife. Stricken by a devastating disease, he drowned her in a special bath of herbs that would preserve her body until he could find a remedy. He then wrapped her corpse in treated linens and brought her to Nyl, hoping that he could find secrets to her condition among the ancient texts and artifacts found there. To this day she lies in his bedroom, neither dead nor alive, waiting to be awakened and cured.
  58. Residence (Abandoned)
  59. Residence (Abandoned)
  60. Residence (Abandoned)
  61. Residence (Abandoned)
  62. Residence (Abandoned)
  63. Residence (Abandoned)
  64. Residence
  65. Bookseller
  66. Residence (Abandoned)
  67. Residence (Abandoned)
  68. Residence (Abandoned)
  69. Lapidarist
  70. Residence (Abandoned)
  71. Residence
  72. Residence (Abandoned)
  73. Residence (Abandoned)
  74. Hide Merchant
  75. Residence (Abandoned)
  76. Merchant
  77. Merchant
  78. Residence (Abandoned)
  79. Residence
  80. Residence
  81. Residence (Abandoned)
  82. Residence (Abandoned)
  83. Residence (Abandoned)
  84. Residence (Abandoned)
  85. Residence (Abandoned)
  86. Residence (Abandoned)
  87. Merchant
  88. Merchant
  89. Residence (Abandoned)
  90. Residence (Abandoned)
  91. Tavern
  92. Tavern Annex
  93. Residence (Abandoned)
  94. Residence (Abandoned)
  95. Bulwark Tower
  96. Bulwark Tower (Crane)
  97. Bulwark Platform
  98. Temple (Abandoned)
  99. Armory (Empty)
  100. Armory (Empty)
  101. Bulwark Tower (Crane)
  102. Bulwark Tower (Crane)
  103. Bulwark Tower

People

History