Welcome to the Guild
Welcome to the Stormhaven Writers Guild. The Guild specialises in the writing of fantasy fiction and the building of worlds. We meet in a back room of the Sleeping Dragon Tavern in the city of Stormhaven on a world called N’Ume. It puzzles the locals how we got into this room as no one saw us passing through the door. When the Taverner, Boz, is asked about this he responds, though this puzzles them more, that we came through the door of imagination.
I have called this world into existence but there is yet much to be done to make it breathe as it should, to make it dance in the minds that touch it. It is the job of the guild to make N’Ume a living world. ~ Gavin Sealey, Guildmaster.
A Visitors Guide to Stormhaven.
Stormhaven is a large and growing port city at the mouth of the T’Ever River when it meets the Garissan Sea, sometimes named the Sea of Liberty. It is the capital of the Arten Commonwealth, a diverse federation born from rebellion against the imperial ambitions of the Adzar Empire. Its roots reach deep into the ancient world of N’Ume, and it is known for the Eight Gates, mysterious and closely guarded transdimensional portals to other worlds.
Once a provincial outpost under Adzar rule, Stormhaven rose to prominence through the defiance and leadership of Ulf Pendragon, a Paladin who rejected the cruel hand of Imperial power and sought justice for all. Under his guidance, the city broke its chains and emerged as a beacon of ethical governance. Pendragon’s legacy – of service, dialogue, and inner discipline – remains etched into the city’s identity as much as it is in his collected teaching in “The Dialogues of Ulf Pendragon”. His words are still quoted and discussed in the Citadel of Governance: “Politics without Ethics is tyranny. Ethics without Politics is hypocrisy.”
The city itself is a marvel of many peoples and traditions. The central Citadel of Governance, carved from the pale Narshadow stone by Dwarakai and Manakai (Human) masons, is both fortress and forum. Great fluted columns, dragon-headed capitals, and stained-glass windows tell stories of Stormhaven’s founding, its battles, and its rebirth.
Stormhaven’s population is as rich in heritage as its architecture. Among its citizens are:
The Renlai, pale-skinned Manakai, constitute the majority population in Arten though less apparent in Stormhaven. The former nobility of Arten are largely Renlai and, although serfdom was abolished and democratic institutions established throughout the Commonwealth, the Noble Houses still wield considerable power and influence because of the wealth they retained after the Serf’s Rebellion.
The Durdessans, darker-skinned Manakai, have a warrior and scholar heritage, and long established communities in Stormhaven. Their legendary Queen Amanirenas allied with Ulf Pendragon to resist imperial domination;
The Sho, are similar in appearance to the East Asian peoples of Earth from whom they are descended. The Sho, known for their scholarship and spiritual depth, are a small community of merchants, scholars and diplomats. Prime Administrator Euen Mistborn has welcomed their presence as a hopeful prelude to establishing diplomatic relations with the Sho Kingdoms in the East.
Other sentient or sapient races, besides Manakai, have established communities in Stormhaven. The Dwarakai and Orakai have a substantial representation in Stormhaven where they have found employment in the construction industries. But Elvakai are usually only encountered as travellers and adventurers or in Stormhaven University.
Beyond the walls of the Old City lie the labyrinthine streets of the Sprawl and the Fringe. The Sprawl is the name given to the South Side of the River T’Ever where gang lords and secret networks operate beneath the surface. In truth, the Sprawl is a crucible of resistance and vision. Figures like Strike, a former Imperial Inquisitor turned vigilante and gang boss, and Ongrin Stormfist, a principled Dwarakai guards sergeant, embody the tensions that still shape Stormhaven’s soul. North of the river is the Fringe comprising the Amberhill and Moonwell districts. The Fringe population is particularly diverse and industrious and very proud of the community they have forged. They are suspicious of the largely refugee population in the Sprawl south of the river who they fear for having brought ethnic and religious tensions to the city as well as lawlessness. The residents of the Fringe have recently established their own militia. They resist the argument of the Light Keepers that the violence of the Sprawl refugees is born of their desperate poverty.
Spiritual guardianship is shared between the militant Paladins, who protect both people and principle, and the mystical Light Keepers or Pilgrims, who build psychic defences against demonic incursions and shadow-born phenomena. Not all threats to Stormhaven are political; some rise from unseen dimensions, requiring both sword and soul to confront.
Almost seventy years after Ulf’s death, the city finds itself at a crossroads. Euen Mistborn, the Prime Administrator, must navigate rising unrest, imperial plots, and ancient prophecies. Beneath the surface, others – mages, monks, seers, and outcasts – pursue personal and ideologically driven ambitions.