Phelan_Varrent/world/locations/drenwick.md

Drenwick — Home City

Phelan's home base. A mid-sized city built around a river junction — part trade hub, part administrative center, part seedy underbelly. The city operates on a bell-based time system, with Godsday (Sunday) as a day of rest and ceremony. Architecture blends practical stone construction with magical enhancements, particularly in the Guild Quarter where wards and protections are woven into foundations.

Districts

• Guild Quarter — Central administrative and professional district. Legitimate business, political maneuvering. Where the registered guilds maintain their halls and offices. Warded streets and magical protections. Professional and orderly, with a sense of purpose and community.
• Dockside / Harbor District — Primary port and trade hub. Cargo, smuggling, cheap lodging, dockyards, merchant warehouses, fishing fleets. Busy, noisy, perpetually damp. Where Phelan rents his shack. The "Smuggler's Coves" are hidden inlets where illicit goods change hands.
• Arcane District — Registered magic users, shops, the Compact's local offices. Cobblestones damp with overnight dew. Thin autumn light. Half-shuttered shops in the morning.
• Noble Estates on the Hill — Clients who pay well and ask few questions.
• The Market District — Central commercial area. Covered stalls for goods and services. Magic suppliers, weapon smiths, information brokers.
• The Lower Ward — Working-class district. Smaller homes, workshops, taverns. More crowded and less warded. Lively, gritty, full of opportunity and danger.
• The Old City — Historic district beyond the main walls. Ancient stone buildings from before the current age. Narrow alleys and hidden passages. Sites of historical significance (some still magical).
• The Warrens — Slums, street-level crime, useful contacts.

Key Locations

Chandler's Row (Mere's Residence)

• Edge of the Guild Quarter, residential district
• Rented townhouse with three stories
• Moss-covered walls and window ledges
• A corner reserved for Sniff (the familiar creature)
• Bookshelves filled with reference materials and case files
• Fireplaces optimized for quick ignition (Phelan's work)

The Training Grounds (Chandler's Courtyard)

• Guild Quarter edge
• Open stone courtyard for physical training
• Fire sequence practice areas
• Observation galleries for instructors

The Archives

• Deep within the Guild Quarter
• Massive collection of case files, maps, and research
• Accessible to senior investigators (Tier Two+)
• Contains information on magic theory, creature lore, and historical events

The Watchtowers

• Perimeter of the city walls
• Observation posts for security
• Magical sensors for detecting intruders
• Communication relays between districts

The Thresholds

• Magical liminal spaces throughout the city
• Doorways and passages that lead to other places or times
• Some are Charlette's personal domains
• Warded against unauthorized access

Guild of Necessary Services — 14 Greystone Lane

The Guild's premises sit on a respectable street in the guild quarter. Small sign. Extremely polite receptionist who tells visitors there's an eight-week waiting list (there is no waiting list — it's how they filter clients).

Known spaces:

• Front office / reception — the public face
• Interview room — where clients are brought after passing the receptionist's filter
• Ledger's office — Guild Master's working space
• Planning library — a small working reference room available to guild members. Shelves of history books, old maps, and herb reference charts. Two or three tables with four chairs each, meant for spreading out research and planning work. Functional, not grand — it matches the Guild's character. Used for expedition logistics, case research, and any meeting that needs neutral professional ground.

Sensory Anchors

• Dockside at dusk: Tar, salt, fish oil smell. Barge lanterns lit against early dark. River traffic settling.
• Arcane district morning: Cobblestones damp with overnight dew. Thin autumn light. Half-shuttered shops.
• General: Fish and forge smoke. Barge horns (low, flat notes). Urban perfume of too many people. The air carries the scent of salt, smoke, and old stone.
• Mill road at night: Usually deserted after dark. Adjacent to Phelan's shack.

Notes for Future Development

• Chandler's Row — revisit as Mere settles in or when Phelan returns from training
• The Thresholds — remain unresolved (Charlette's departure)
• The Harbor District — opportunities for smuggling-related plotlines
• The Archives — resource for research-heavy scenes