Nicodranas¶

Overview¶

Nicodranas is the easternmost port city in the Menagerie Coast. Along with Port Damali it bookends the Menagerie Coast, although Nicodranas is approximately half the size of Port Damali. The city has colourful rooftops and towers vary in height and design, giving an eclectic visual of a jumble of cultures having built this space without a unified vision.

The city exterior wall has many gates and archways with portcullises that are held up by a chain mechanism beyond the wall. The gates are guarded by Zhelezo, who provide policing and security in the city. Towards the coastline, the walls slowly diminish in steps and extend out into the ocean. The walls beyond the exterior were once grey, but through the years of accumulating seagull excrement they became light grey with white patterns. The docks on the eastern and western sides of the city are the Restless Wharf and the Open Quay.

Neighbourhoods¶

Restless Wharf¶

On the eastern side of the city’s docks is the Restless Wharf, a busy but very tightly run dockyard surrounded by taverns and other cheap entertainments. Alongside the docks are warehouses, small huts, buildings and cranes. The cranes are made of wood, cord and rope, differing in size from 10 to 30 feet. They are often used, loading and off-loading various materials from the trade ships that are making their way into the harbour or loading up to leave. There are two or three larger guild buildings that are hubs of information for those that are coming from the docks. Walking around the docks are dockmasters gathering information on the ships that are coming and going, and making sure that everything is being handled appropriately.

Mother’s Lighthouse¶

A temple to the Wildmother located in the centre of the harbour. Lightkeeper Gladys had been keeping the temple for the entire 86 years that she had spent in Nicodranas. It sits on a rock that protrudes where the docks come to an end and the stone continues out before breaking off into a shelf into the ocean below. On a gradual tower-like point on the back side facing the ocean is a 20-foot relief of the upper torso of a woman that is emerging from the lighthouse looking out over the ocean, a beautiful sculpture with wild and tangled hair that curls around her shoulders. As the light beacon rotates, the eyes of the woman flare up as the light passes that side of the tower.

On the Top Floor are no windows, but there is a metal structure that holds up the 15-by-15-foot dome making up the ceiling. Each of the openings between the metal rods are where the light protrudes. In the center of the floor is a rough-cut, quartz-like crystal that’s three-and-a-half to four feet in diameter. Every day the lightkeeper needs to invoke the Mother’s blessing on the stone to ensure that the light guides the ships back to safe shore.

Leaning against the edge of the tower is a spyglass to look at people down below. The view from the top is of everything around, the harbour, the ocean and the shoreline, the fields and rolling hills that surround Nicodranas, the Cyrios Mountains to the north, and far to the east the Quoraska Jungle that vanish up the sides of the Ashkeeper Peaks. It’s a tremendous view the entire city below as well.

Temple #Wildmother¶

Wayfarer’s Cove¶

A tavern that caters to the working person. Decorated with flotsam and bits of shipwrecks and detritus, the interior has no music, just whispers and conversation. The smell is not pleasant and hits immediately, a mix of mossy musk from waterlogged wood, liquor and ale that have been spilled and left to stain the wood where it lies, and unwashed bodies. The bar is tended by a rather crotchety looking half-elf named Xeno Michals; he is scarred on one side of his face, a bit heavy set for a half-elf, with a small paunch and a soft chin and jawline.

Orly Skiffback still frequents this tavern.

Tavern¶

The Wharf Load¶

One of the larger center parts of the dock that juts out into the harbour a good hundred feet. There is a central dock house where a lot of the business is conducted. Inside are a handful of Zhelezo and folks that are filing out big leather books, ledgers, and receipt books of various people travelling through. There is a table with a bunch of papers rolled out, charting maps and large assembled lists of previous excursions. This is the place where the Harbourmaster works.

Meandering Treasures¶

A place someone could sell items. They tend to pay, maybe not top change, but quickly. Deezma is the proprietor of this shop. The store is carpeted and why would you do that?

CurioShop¶

Typhoon’s Rest¶

A two-story tavern of salt-stained planks with a slate roof, tucked among the working buildings of the Restless Wharf. A battered sign depicting a ship caught in a tempest swings on rusted chains above the door. Inside, a long oak bar runs along one wall, flanked by a mix of round and long tables that seat perhaps thirty-five. A small stage near the back hosts Pip Silverstring, a halfling bard who plays fiddle-led sailor’s tunes in the evenings, coaxing the crowd into off-key singalongs. The air is thick with salt, fried fish, ale, and tobacco smoke, and the atmosphere runs to raucous laughter and the clink of mugs -- sailors unwinding after a day on the water, merchants making quiet deals over pints, and locals avoiding questions they would rather not answer.

The tavern is owned by Maris Saltwind, a sharp-eyed half-elf who has run the place for twenty years. Not much escapes her notice. A private dock at the back of the building allows for discreet boat access off the main harbour traffic.

Tavern¶

Open Quay¶

The Open Quay is located on the western side of the docks. The Open Quay is the only part of Nicodranas not under the control of the Clovis Concord. It is a little bit smaller and seems to be less organized.

Tidepeak Tower¶

Tidepeak: A strange tower which sits in the center of the Open Quay and is owned by Yussa Errenis a mage who is (possibly) at odds with the Clovis Concord.

Seafloor’s Bounty¶

Seafloor's Bounty: General store run by a gnome named Sheila Bobsnopper.

The Withered Bird Inn¶

Popular inn among the sailors that come through Nicodranas. Run by an ex-pirate black-scale Dragonborn named Calthealud Jinzire. Poor to modest inn and tavern. They have one or two ales, including von Brandt ale from Trostenwald, a morning plate and an evening plate, and a locally famous “century” seafood stew that has been boiling continuously - supposedly for over 100 years. They have two double rooms that can be had for a higher price, or beds in a common dorm for less.

Stone’s Throw Shipping¶

The Nicodranas office of the shipping company headquartered in Port Damali. One or two of their ships are frequently in port and exclusively dock in the Open Quay.

• Wayward Accent
• Rumblecusp Express
• Sapphire of the Sea (personal yacht of Jester Lavorre, co-owner of the company)
• Nein Heroez (personal yacht of Fjord Stone, co-owner of the company)

The Opal Archways¶

The Opal Archways district of Nicodranas is the oldest district of the town. It is where the wealthier merchants and clientele seem to congregate. Nicodranas originally comprised only this district before it expanded outwards over time. There are eleven 15-foot tall stone archways marking this district. It has a gradual arch with a large gem embedded at its zenith. Along the street are poles that hold oil lanterns that give a faint flickering firelight through the dark cobblestone streets. Further in the district they give way to much more vibrant, magical baubles that hover about ten feet above in the air. The folks in this district appear to be well-dressed nobles, wearing a crushed silk-type clothing that is bright blues and purples, and jewellery of all sorts of gems and colours. There are various street buskers and performers on the roads.

Lavish Chateau¶

The Lavish Chateau is an esteemed hotel where the Ruby of the Sea used to perform. Now supposedly owned jointly by the Ruby and a mysterious businessman from Zadash who typically goes by “The Gentleman.” Jester Lavorre grew up in this hotel.

The Marquis Demesne¶

The palace where the Marquess of the city lives, along with a handful of diplomats. It is a somewhat gaudy palace in the Venetian style, with towers up to five stories tall, two at the front and one larger one in the back. It is a large building that is draped with white silk. It has a dull brass and orange-yellow stone with a sandstone base with about 40 rooms within the establishment. A lot of money has gone into its construction and it has been recently refurbished. There are about 40 or more Zhelezo keeping an eye on the vicinity.

Brenatto’s Better Self¶

Brenatto's Better Self is an apothecary in the southern sector of the Opal Archways district, owned and operated by Yeza Brenatto.

Perfumery¶

An unnamed perfumery and incense shop. Run by…

The Verdant Veil - Enchanted Oddities & Arcane Fineries¶

Nestled between a perfumery “Brenatto’s Better Self” in the Opal Archways, the shop appears as a crooked teal-and-gold storefront tucked under a riot of hanging vines and glowing lantern-fruit. The doorway is shaped like an archway of twisting ivy, and the sign overhead reads in curling golden script:

The Verdant Veil
“Mystery, Marvels, and Mildly Dangerous Wares.”

Inside, the shop is much larger than it appears—thanks to folded dimensional space. It feels like walking through a greenhouse crossed with a wizard’s attic. Items hang from vines, float in jars, or skitter across shelves when not looking.

Proprietor: Maître Verdazzo “Dazz” Fennec

• Race: Elf (Spring-aligned, most days)
• Gender: Non-binary (they/them)
• Appearance: Ever-shifting robes made of blooming flowers and living silk. Skin glows faintly with a pink-green sheen, eyes like polished emeralds. Always smells of expensive perfume.
• Personality: Theatrical, effusive, and just on the edge of insufferable—but completely sincere. They delight in impossible bargains, chaotic enchantments, and calling customers “sweetness.”
• Quirks:
  • Finishes some sentences with a song lyric that no one else recognizes.
  • Refuses to sell to “killjoys, clods, or anyone who pronounces ‘mage’ with a j.”
  • Claims to have once dated a treant and still gets birthday cards from them.

Featured Wares

• Whimwhistle Wands – Custom-made for personality types; might insult you if mismatched. (50–150 gp)
• Capsule of Convenient Escape – Throw it on the ground to create a smoke cloud and teleport 30 feet. (250 gp)
• The Candle That Lies – Glows when someone isn’t telling the truth. (320 gp)
• Roguish Reversible Cloak – Switch between “innocent merchant” and “dashing scoundrel” appearance. (75 gp)
• Potion of Instant Napping – Puts you into a perfect 8-hour rest in 10 minutes. Works exactly once. (400 gp)

Oddities Corner

1. A teacup that fills with the favourite drink of whoever holds it—but only if they hum a lullaby.
2. A box of live rainbow beetles that speak Celestial in haiku.
3. A broken pocket watch that always ticks faster in the presence of ghosts.
4. A painting of a field that changes based on weather in the Feywild.
5. A deck of cards—each with a different minor illusion trapped inside.
6. A mouse skeleton that dances when music is played.

The White Pearl (Jeweller)¶

Owner is Court Skimbleshanks; obsequious, awkward with Shin, female halfling.

Half-giant doorman named Fog.

🧩 Potential Plot Hooks¶

• The Living Mask: A cursed item recently escaped its display and is causing chaos in the Archways. Dazz offers a hefty reward for its safe return—“but do not damage the theatrical finish!”
• Suspicious Patron: Dazz is unnerved by a recent customer who purchased “The Candle That Lies” but hasn’t left town. Might be connected to a local spy ring.
• Backroom Invitation: If the party impresses Dazz, they’re offered access to a hidden backroom vault of rarer and more dangerous magic—some of which might be “ethically questionable.”

The Skew¶

The Skew is the main residential district of Nicodranas, spread across the hills that rise behind the waterfront districts. As Marion Lavorre once put it, it is where “most of the riffraff and the common folk live.” The neighbourhood is noticeably cheaper and more modest than the Opal Archways, with tightly packed houses of sun-bleached plaster and clay tile roofs climbing the hillside in uneven rows. Streets wind uphill at odd angles -- likely the origin of the district’s name. Small market squares, communal wells, and neighbourhood shrines dot the residential blocks, and the smell of cooking fires and drying laundry replaces the salt-and-tar scent of the docks.

The Skew’s elevated position proved its greatest asset during the tsunami of 845 PD: while the harbour districts flooded, the hillside streets remained safely above the waterline, and many residents of the lower city fled uphill to shelter here. The district also hosts a number of commercial warehouses along its lower edges, where the hills flatten out toward the wharf districts, serving as storage for goods that do not require immediate dockside access.

Temple of the Matron of Ravens¶

A modest stone temple dedicated to the Matron of Ravens (the Raven Queen) sits among the residential streets of the Skew. Unlike the grand temples found in wealthier districts of other cities, this one is austere and unadorned -- fitting for a goddess concerned with the passage between life and death rather than earthly splendour. The temple includes a subterranean ritual hall carved from natural stone, used for communion rites and funerary observances.

The temple is led by Reverend Haim Cortho, an erudite and kind man who oversees the small congregation. He is assisted by Sister Thana, an elderly, one-eyed monk who is sharp-witted, skeptical, and kind beneath her gruffness. The temple serves the common folk of the Skew, offering funeral rites, spiritual counsel, and shelter to those in need. During the tsunami, the temple opened its doors to refugees from the lower city.

The Moonlit Marvels & Menagerie¶

A travelling carnival operating under a limited engagement in Nicodranas, the Moonlit Marvels & Menagerie is pitched along the waterfront near the harbour, not strictly within any single neighbourhood. At dusk the grounds come alive with an odd blue lantern-light that gives the whole affair an otherworldly cast. Children paste posters on wooden posts and cafe walls throughout the city -- “Moonlit Marvels & Menagerie! Limited Engagement! See the wonders from beyond the sea!” -- and the carnival draws entertainers, performers, and curiosities from across the Menagerie Coast and beyond.

Following the tsunami of 845 PD, the carnival grounds became a gathering place and impromptu shelter for refugees streaming in from the countryside -- farmers and villagers whose homes were not spared as the city was. Brun the Behemoth MacDonald, a gentle half-orc strongman and prominent figure among the carnival folk, has been doing his best to take in the displaced. Madame Musk, an elderly fortune teller, is a familiar presence among the stalls.

The carnival’s role as a refuge has not been without cost. A frightened mob of city-folk, looking for someone to blame for the tsunami, attacked the grounds, throwing rocks and torches, overturning carts, and shouting that the “strangers and freaks” had brought the catastrophe upon the city. The party helped put out the fires and the mob eventually dissipated, but the incident left its mark on both the carnival and the city’s fragile post-tsunami peace.

The Sluice Weave Labyrinth¶

An ancient underground network of sewers and waterworks running beneath the city of Nicodranas, accessed by two submerged gates in the harbour. According to Captain Marius of the Restless Wharf, the system “hasn’t been working right for at least ten years.” In 845 PD, the party was commissioned by Marius to investigate.

The tunnels are carved stone, roughly eight feet high and six feet wide, with ankle-deep water flowing through them. Carved markers appear every fifty feet, bearing ancient Marquesan numerals -- a numbering system that predates the current city by centuries. The infrastructure is mechanical and ingenious: at key junctions, sets of three wheels with clock-face markings control the water’s direction, magnitude, and frequency, allowing the operators of a bygone age to manage the flow of water throughout the city with precision.

Deeper in the labyrinth, the tunnels open into a tall hexagonal chamber -- a balance room where four iron catwalks meet at a central pressure gate. Beneath the catwalks lies a deep sump pool that glows faintly with bioluminescent algae, and the humid air thrums with a rhythmic metallic clanging, like a vast heartbeat. Four massive balance valves, one at the end of each catwalk, must be harmonised to unlock the central gate and proceed further.

Beyond the balance chamber lies the heart of the system: a circular natural cavern, forty feet across, with a domed ceiling dripping with mineral formations. At its centre, on a raised stone platform, stands an ancient stone pillar -- a ley stone -- six feet tall and roughly two feet in diameter, covered in glowing Primordial script. The inscription reads: “Four winds carry, four waters flow, one heart protects all.” The pillar is pre-Divergence construction, possibly dating to the era of the Julous Dominion, and draws on the energy of a ley line confluence beneath the city to power the Sluiceweave’s mechanical systems. Three water channels converge in a central whirlpool around the platform, and the cavern is noticeably colder than the surrounding tunnels.

When the party first reached the ley stone, they found four brass censers burning at the cardinal points around the pillar, actively siphoning its energy -- draining the ancient engine like straws drawing from a well. The censers were destroyed, and a Kuo-Toa nest and chapel were discovered nearby; the party fought and drove off the fish-folk who had taken up residence in the tunnels. A fire elemental called Pyra now stands guard over the ley stone, ensuring the heart of the Sluiceweave remains protected.