Settlements and Sites of the Four City-States #272

Settlements and Sites of the Four City-States #272 

September 30th, 2023 

• Number: 272 

• Name:  Deep Dive on a Site of Interest: The Sinking Lands of the Narrows – Part 6 

• Location: Central Narrows southwest of the City-State of Carasta 

• Population (approx.): 267 (Glistening Lake Villas) 

• Brief: In the distant past, a great geological event brought a spring to the surface in the center of the Sinking Lands. The body of water that formed was later named the Glistening Lake due to effect of the sun reflecting off of crystals and minerals on the lake bed brought up from underground. Glistening Lake’s borders have varied over the years due to tectonic action raising and lowering surrounding ground combined with local rains and the strength of the underground river feeding the lake’s source. That source also brought to the surface unusual fish such as the Red-lipped Batfish. Small settlements dotted the shores of the lake until the great earthquake of 3 centuries ago, that split the dormant volcano Lanumae to the east, flattened most structures and damaged others due to movement of both earth and water. Once the Glistening Lake settled and a new shoreline defined, the locals decided to live upon the lake rather than around it, fearing another catastrophe. 

• Tarnan (Tar) Keenfeet, 25, male Halfling, is an angler on the Glistening Lake in the Rift's valley. He is short and squat and has light brown hair. He keeps his beard trimmed but lets the hair on his feet grow wild. Tar has a tattoo of a golden fish on his right arm. His hazel eyes are bright and can get very wide when he reels in a 'big one.' Tar likes to wear long hosiery and bright yellow and orange tunics. When he goes to church on the weekend, he changes the tunic for a crisp white shirt with a bow tie. His only weapon is a utility knife he uses daily for work.  

• Tar owns The Clever Fish, a floating shop which provides fresh fish to the locals who live around and on the lake. He brings in the usual variety of fish but is always on the lookout for the Red-lipped Batfish. Halflings and Dwarves adore the taste of the Batfish and will pay extra when he snags one. Tar inherited the business from his grandfather and has big plans. 

• Tar lives with his grandmother, Rijen Nimbleflow, 73, Halfling. The two of them have a houseboat part of the Glistening Lake "Villas." Rijen likes to cook fish stew and sells it to the locals weekly. Tar's best friend since childhood is Joret Glassfollow, 23, male Halfling. They both want to run marathons and participate in the yearly Glistening Lake Run. 

• Geography: The Glistening Lake (location 5 see below) covers about 25 square miles of the center of the Sinking Lands roughly equidistant between the Ashen Expanse (#25) to the northwest and the Taop Hills to the southeast. It is thought to only be several hundred feet deep at most except for several tubes into the underdark. The trail across the lands, from Eulid’s Rest (#269) headed northeast, passes about the land. The path has changed over the years as the Lake’s shore changes from time to time. Several clusters of houseboats (the "Villas" of the lake) can be found on the eastern shore, ready to trade with land-born locals or host travelers and caravans passing through.