Mistfall

A relatively new island which sprung from the ocean discovered and inhabited around four hundred years ago. The isle itself is little more than a mountain like spire sticking out of the ocean which has been carved and worked over years, with a sheer cliff almost a hundred feet above the water. The water itself is unusually violent around the island, a constant barrage of harsh waves and regularly forming maelstroms around it, combined with the thick sea fog it makes coming to and leaving the island a challenge. The land is typically blanketed with fog, only those in the higher areas of the island being free from it.

The island however does open up twice a year, once on a night now called the ‘Night of Spirits’ by the natives and again on the Winter Solstice. Otherwise though the island is impenetrable as even magic trying to scry on the island is prone to failing. Teleportation attempts in or out have also been unpredictable ranging from exactly as planned, moving only a few feet from the starting point, seeming to vanish all together, or appearing elsewhere mangled to pieces.

By now the island is a massive city cultivated over the centuries by traders looking for a place to act as an intermediary to store goods and wealth until more favorable conditions arise. However no mainland has been able to claim it as territory, so by all legal measures it’s a no man’s land with no law and order to protect the inhabitants. Instead those roles are pseudo filled by merchants with mercenaries, gangs, vigilantes, and so on who keep what can loosely be called ‘peace’.

Note on weather:
Mistfall's mist is so thick you only have clear view with 30ft, out to 60ft is concealment and anything beyond can't normally be seen. Some days can be better or worse but this is the average. Exception for light sources that light up 5ft around them from any distance as long as they normally provide at least 20ft of normal light or 10ft of bright.

Commons
The majority of the island is called the commons, the lowest physical and social rung where most Mistfall citizens live. Sprawling and incoherent outside of a few roads maintained by the wealthy or its citizens, ranging from back alley slums to well-kept townships. Nearly anything can be found here when it comes to goods, no laws means anything goes for the right price.

The borders of the commons are the crane-docks, a marvelous invention created by the gnomes. Basically large cranes that dip their hooks down into the water below the cliffs to raise up ships, better ones even being connected to areas to store them should the need arise. The docks range in quality but all are owned by trade companies and usually offer some measure of protection to their workers. Making them a popular occupation for those lacking trade skills or physical prowess.

Labyrinth
The central heart of Mistfall, taking up the middle of the city both vertically and horizontally, as well as down below the Commons. Largely it’s a network of manmade tunnels, hallways, corridors, etc. All of it made by those with a bit of wealth trying to claim territory by making it their own, leading to winding paths that give the feeling of roaming from manor to manor, from a dwarven hall directly into a breathing elven grove and back around into a mad gnome’s workshop. The Labyrinth is all but unnavigable to outsiders, even those who live in it only know the way to their own homes or places of immediate interest. As such many work as guides here trying to map it out, but frequent changes make this effort futile.

At the heart of it all is a spiral ramp that goes up the island to the Crown, connecting it to the rest of the island. Always patrolled by mercenaries and guards, it’s the only easy to find structure done through main roads in the Commons.

Down below though a mess of rougher tunnels exist. Nobody’s quite sure the nature of these tunnels, they open up all over the island and in the strangest of places made by potentially anyone. If the Labyrinth is confusing, the tunnels below are madness distilled into physical form as they twist and intersect. Even dwarves who could pinpoint their exact depth lose themselves in the tunnels, most only feel if they’re above or below the dwarven line. Used by all manner of unsavory individuals and organizations looking to hide, from assassins to the rumors of Tunnel Men and the Mirthful Cult. Always be warned before entering these tunnels, most who come down don’t come back out.

The Crown
The literal Crown of Mistfall, highest area in the city above the fog that encompasses the rest. The richest of the rich build manors here overlooking a sea of clouds to the horizon, blind to the turmoil below them. The people here are either rich or their servants, usually poor bastards who have to delve into the city proper on their benefactor’s behalf for errands or to protect goods. These servants typically have either a very short employment or a lifelong position, depending on how you like to look at it.

Fogwatch
Controlling a rather large district of the Commons the Fogwatch is the closest thing to a guard watch that the island has. Founded by a dwarf simply going by Eriksson, a gruff old dwarf who lost his right arm in the early days of the group. Himself claims only to be the seed of the group, the 'true' founding group has been kept anonymous to keep them safe. As of now the district they control of kept under some measure of law and order with a simple law system, violence and theft being criminalized with a jury system to judge on punishments. Though living in the district is ideal compared to the rest of the island from an average person's point of few it is still under constant attacks from gangs and enemy factions, chiefly the Fish Hooks. The people who live there are also largely on their own still, just when they get robbed there's a good chance of justice being done in some sense.

Fish Hooks
A notorious island wide gang known for their brutal dismemberment and disfiguring of people who go against them. Coming from humble roots as a group to defend fishermen who dared to scale down the cliffs far enough to fish the turbulent waters they've grown island wide to extort money and deal in unique drugs. They're known to violently hate the nobles who try to extend down into the commons and the Fogwatch, thinking both are just as ruthless and ready to take away their ambiguous freedoms. Though despite being known mostly for hanging bodies on poles with hooks hanging from viscera they are actually very kind to their members provided they follow orders, once a person joins their family is guaranteed protection even after they pass, both financial and physical.

Mirthful Cult
A mysterious group only barely starting to show. Not too long enough people began to see colorful jesters looming at the edge of their vision in the mists, invitations to odd places, so on. People have taken to calling these mysterious clowns the Mirthful cult and consider it just another anomaly of the island, some even think that there's no actual people in the costumes and just some magical force.

Lamp Lighters
One of very few good aligned groups of Mistfall, possibly only because it's more a blanket term for a certain kind of person. Taking the name from some notable figures who would roam the streets and light the lamps. After a while people began to just associate the lamp lighters with safety since at worst they'd be walking as part of a group and at best it's centered around someone community minded enough to watch out for everyone, the position became a respectable title and eventually a recognizable group. As of now there's still no real cohesion among them but most everywhere has at least one reputable lamp lighter who had stopped more than their fair share of villainy. So as a rule of thumb people just know if you see lit lamps in the fog or better a person walking around lighting them then it's safe to be out.

Cog-eye
A fresh legend only a few years old, first appearing as children staying out on fog heavy days telling parents about a strange green light bobbing and following them in the fog. Now many people say they've seen the same light on similarly heavy days, a withering old gnome behind it following people, sometimes brandishing machining tools. Looking at them through a peering glowing green mechanical eye, seeing if they'd make a good subject to test his machines on. Some say its a ghost, having appeared as nearly skeletal in some tellings, a tinker killed by his own devices looking to continue his work.

The Tunnel Man
They say to wear padded shoes in the tunnels and to run if you hear whistling, tapping, or chipping stones. For in the tunnels lurks a warped dwarf, blind and grey wandering the depths with an unlit lantern and a sharpened pick axe. He moves by tapping the handle of his pick along the walls, feeling his way around until he needs to rest or feels the need to dig. Best to wear quiet shoes least he hear you and mistake you for an intruder or animal to hunt, as many unwary visitors met their end at the Tunnel Man's pick.

Lord of the Rats
When you find yourself in the tunnel you do well to bring a tribute for the rats, shiny trinkets, bits of food, a secret on a scrap of paper, any will do. If the rats take your offer you may find a strange altar on your way, knee height to a human of a 6 limb rat on it's hind legs holding five bowls, one on it's head. The two lowest have water, the second pair has a piece of bread and cheese, the last atop it's head holds a gift. Taking the gift without partaking in the feast brings a curse, best to return the courtesy from the Lord of the Rats.

Maelstrom Survivor
There is a man somewhere lost in the city now, who survived the maelstrom around Mistfall. Stories have changed over time with different factors, but the most popular is that about a decade ago a pair of merchant spent the end of the winter solstice arguing and trying to prevent each other's ships from docking. They bickered till the last minute when the maelstrom whipped up again barely leaving the half dozen ships below time to escape but the captain of one knew the crew wouldn't have enough supplies to survive the trip back to the mainland. So against reason he set sail into the waves and lightning, those on the docks could hear the ship get crushed by waves. However the day after at the dock the two were fighting over a lone man, soaked and bleeding, crawled onto the cliff's edge. How he survived the maelstrom is a mystery but accusations of magic, divine intervention, and sheer luck have all bee suggested. One thing remains, he's the only man to have ever survived the maelstrom and now keeps to himself hiding as a living legend in the city. Well, supposedly anyways.

Talker in the Walls
Parents tell kids to not go out at night for a good reason on mistfall, dangers abound for them. One of the worse is the Talker in the Walls, a disembodied force with a thousand voices. If a child is left to wander the streets alone it may hear familiar or comforting voices leading them away from lights or the public view, to be taken into the mist and lost forever. This myth is particularly popular as may who grow up on the island claim to have had heard the Talker before. Some even well into adulthood hear the luring voices, some even still go missing after being confounded by it.

Mind Eater
In the Labyrinth you find many strange folk, some stranger than those in the cliffs with talent for magic. One such example is the fabled Mind Eater, an old man who wanders the halls with his clawed hands behind his back. He walks slowly and deliberately, looking at each door and taking only every second turn. Only known to appear at night, its best to be polite to any elders you find walking the halls for if you're rude to the Mind Eater or pass without a polite greeting he'll follow you. Trying to run at this point is a lost cause, your only hope is to apologize and make your excuses. If you don't? Well many still living bodies have been found in the Labyrinth, eyes glazed over and mind completely emptied with a thick purple-green smog lingering around them.