flowers open up to the moonlight, much like their Material Plane counterparts with the sun When someone enters the fields, the flowers let out wails of grief and turn toward the visitor For the unprepared, the overwhelming sensation of heartache proves too much, and they join in the outbreak of despondency, never to emerge from the fields again Even the grue avoid the Grieving Fields, despite the easy pickings of miserable victims who cannot defend themselves LOST AND FOUND The Silver Path operate an odd recovery operation on the Plains of Desolation after they smuggle a group of darklings out of Zussael They discover people wandering through the plains who have miraculously survived the journey but have no recollection of who they are The Silver Path also walk along the Shoals to find people and objects washed up from deep shadow They bring their discoveries to a safe house near one of the Black Market operations where they feed and care for the people they have rescued and appraise the items they have collected The items usually end up in the Black Market and fund the Silver Path’s activities Silver Path operatives keep an ear out for visitors to Zussael and any mentions of missing or lost companions fitting the description of their not-quite-captives When there is a match, a representative of the Silver Path makes an introduction and discusses the price for rescue Refusal to pay is met with blithe comments about the lack of care in the rest of Zussael LUNA FORTRESS The misleadingly named headquarters of the Hidden Blades sits at the center of a labyrinth that meanders through and below Zussael Properly navigating the maze would take someone hours Members know shortcuts to reach the center in minutes, however, and these hidden passageways are closely guarded secrets Here, the Hidden Blades eliminate darklings showing sign of the curse and process (and eliminate, as necessary) the city’s subversives and troublemaking visitors The darklings rarely find they have any reason to actually take prisoners, for they typically eradicate them or return them to Zussael—blindfolded, of course — 130 — So those rumored dungeons are actually no more than a pair of decently appointed cells MOON LILY GARDEN Eons ago, when the Plains of Desolation were a vibrant ecosystem, flowers known as moon lilies grew in abundance As the area grew more inhospitable, darklings rescued the plants, transplanting them to a garden in Zussael The only known varieties of moon lily grow in Zussael are tended by descendants of those darklings Moon lilies sprout during the first quarter moon, blossom and pollinate during the full moon, and die as the moon becomes new again, giving the plants a preciously short lifespan The gardeners are highly protective of it and pursue anyone taking a moon lily RAINBOW PARLOR Displaying or wearing colors other than black, white, or shades of gray is not strictly prohibited, but many of Zussael’s inhabitants find such shows scandalous, if not subversive With color, comes emotion; with emotion, comes the curse Hushed rumors speak of the Hidden Blades “disappearing” or “reeducating” those who stand out People making flamboyant displays are seldom seen again while those few who return to Zussael wear more appropriate colors—along with curiously vacant expressions Other than strangers to the city, very few people show anything other than drab colors, and strangers quickly receive warnings about their choices But, like many explicitly or implicitly forbidden things in Zussael, color exhibitions have simply moved underground The Rainbow Parlor now caters to visitors wishing to experience vibrant colors The parlor’s drab exterior hides an intricate alarm system: pattern magic disables unwanted guests, who find themselves in random parts of the city after the parlor’s protective measures have knocked them unconscious The parlor moves to a new location after each attempted break-in to avoid concentrated attacks Learning about the parlor is difficult, but the use of nonstandard colors in conversation usually gets a member’s attention Once vetted, potential visitors receive a multihued ribbon which bypasses the alarms