Highfall Village

“The Veil-Born Sanctuary”

“We remember what others forgot. We see what others miss. We are the keepers of lost truths.”
—Elder Talvyn

Highfall Village - The Veil-Born Sanctuary

Quick Reference

Overview

Highfall Village is one of the few continuously occupied pre-Shattering settlements, home to the Veil-Born—a distinct cultural group descended from those who lived in the mountain regions before the world shattered. Perched high in the Veiled Heights where the Aether thins and constellation-light is brilliant, Highfall preserves ancient traditions, oral histories, and pre-Luminar Council knowledge that mainstream civilization has forgotten.

The Veil-Born are pale-skinned, adapted to high altitude, and possess remarkable memory (cultural trait developed over generations). They serve as historians and lorekeepers, trading knowledge with Archivists, Clergy, and scholars who make the difficult journey to reach them. Their oral traditions contain fragments of truth about the pre-Shattering world that contradict official histories, making them both valuable and controversial.

Life in Highfall is austere, contemplative, and focused on preservation. The village operates on principles of communal responsibility, respect for elders, and dedication to remembering. They believe that memory is sacred, that forgetting is the true death, and that their purpose is to maintain continuity between the world that was and the world that is.

Elder Talvyn, the village’s spiritual and political leader, guards secrets passed down through 287 years: truths about the Luminar Council, the true cause of the Shattering, and prophecies about what comes next.

Geography and Key Locations

The High Island

Elevation: Upper Veiled Heights (precise measurement uncertain)

Conditions: - Thin Aether (breathing difficult for outsiders) - Cold (5°C average) - Clear visibility (brilliant constellation-light) - Isolated (difficult to reach)

Layout: - Village clustered (conserve heat) - Stone buildings (pre-Shattering foundation) - Central gathering hall - Terraced gardens (limited agriculture)

Key Locations

The Memory Hall: - Central gathering space - Oral history recitations nightly - Community meetings - Cultural heart

The Archive Cave: - Natural cavern beneath village - Carved stone records (backup to oral tradition) - Pre-Shattering artifacts preserved - Access restricted (elders only)

Elder Talvyn’s House: - Largest building - Also serves as guest house (travelers rare) - Library (written records supplementing oral) - Meeting space for council

The Contemplation Peak: - Highest point on island - Meditation site - Constellation observation - Vision quests conducted here

The Landing Platform: - Small airship dock - Rarely used (few visitors) - Maintained out of necessity

Society and Culture

The Veil-Born People

Physical Characteristics: - Pale skin (adapted to high altitude, bright light) - Strong lungs (thin Aether adaptation) - Exceptional memory (cultural trait, possibly genetic)

Cultural Values: - Memory is sacred - Knowledge must be preserved - Community over individual - Past informs future - Elders wisdom respected absolutely

Daily Life: - Dawn: Morning meditation - Day: Work (farming, maintenance, study) - Evening: Gathering (story-telling, history recitation) - Night: Individual contemplation

Education: - Oral tradition training (memorization techniques) - History recitation (entire genealogies, event sequences) - Begins age 5, lifelong process - Everyone knows core histories

Social Structure

Elder Council: - 7 elders (oldest, wisest) - Led by Elder Talvyn (first among equals) - Consensus-based decisions - Authority stems from knowledge

Lorekeepers: - Specialists in specific history branches - Family genealogies - Pre-Shattering events - Luminar Council records

Community Members: - Everyone contributes (farming, maintenance) - Everyone learns (history, tradition) - Egalitarian (except age-based respect)

Notable Residents

Elder Talvyn (68): - Village leader, master lorekeeper - Knows pre-Luminar legends (before Council) - Guards dangerous truths (Shattering causes) - Wise, cautious, burdened by knowledge

Kessa Skyeyes (22): - Youngest lorekeeper - Prodigy (memorized histories faster than any) - Questions tradition (should secrets be shared?) - Potential future elder

Old Marna (85): - Oldest resident, living history - Grandmother to half village - Remembers early post-Shattering chaos - Stories fascinating, endless

Current Situation (287 S.)

Challenges

Population Decline: - Youth leaving (opportunities elsewhere) - Birthrate low (harsh conditions) - Traditions risk dying with elders

Isolation Increasing: - Fewer visitors (dangerous journey) - Knowledge trade declining - Economic pressure

Secret Burden: - Talvyn knows Shattering truth (devastating) - Struggles with whether to reveal - Would change everything

The Prophecy Dilemma

Ancient Prophecy (pre-Luminar, passed orally): - Predicts second Shattering - “When stars reach alignment of old, the breaking comes again” - Timeline: Uncertain but approaching

Talvyn’s Calculation: - Based on constellation positions - Estimates 20-30 years - Aligns with countdown pattern others discovered

Decision: - Tell world (cause panic) - Stay silent (potential deaths) - Preparing quietly (cowardice?)

Secrets and Mysteries

The True Cause

Secret: Veil-Born oral tradition contains truth about Shattering

Official Story: Apogee Working failed, Luminar Council accidentally shattered world

Veil-Born Knowledge: - Council knew it would happen - Did it intentionally - Attempting to escape/transcend reality - Succeeded partially (but destroyed world)

Proof: Pre-Shattering documents in Archive Cave

Why Hidden: - Would destroy Clergy’s narrative - Incite violence against pre-Shattering survivors/descendants - Truth doesn’t help anyone (Talvyn’s position)

The Pre-Luminar Civilization

Secret: Luminar Council wasn’t first civilization on Terrum Solidus

Truth: - Earlier civilization (millennia before) - Destroyed themselves (similar catastrophe) - Luminar Council found their ruins, learned from them - Repeated their mistake

Evidence: Deep Archive Cave contains older artifacts

Implication: - Cyclical pattern (civilization rises, falls, repeats) - Shattering not unique event - May happen again (prophecy)

Kessa’s Discovery

Secret: Kessa found discrepancy in oral histories

Discrepancy: Two versions of same event (impossible—oral tradition perfect)

Implication: - Someone altered history (deliberate) - OR prophecy was edited (hiding something) - OR memory isn’t as reliable as believed

Told Talvyn: He dismissed (or is investigating secretly)

Quest Hook: Help Kessa investigate truth

The Archive Cave Depths

Secret: Archive Cave extends deeper than explored

Known Sections: Upper caves (Veil-Born records)

Unknown: Lower passages (blocked, forbidden)

Warnings: “Do not descend” (ancient script)

Theory: Pre-Luminar ruins beneath Highfall

Daily Life in Highfall

Morning Routine

Dawn (High altitude—dawn comes early): - Wake before light (cold, thin air) - Morning meditation (Veil-Born tradition) - Breakfast (simple, communal) - Begin work

Morning Work: - Farming (limited—altitude makes crops difficult) - Herding (mountain goats, hardy animals) - Crafting (weaving, carving, practical arts) - Study (for those learning histories) - Maintenance (buildings, paths, walls)

Afternoon

Midday Meal: Light (conserve food)

Afternoon Activities: - Continue work - Teaching (elders instruct youth) - Constellation observation (daylight astronomy) - Archive work (for scholars) - Meditation (spiritual practice)

Evening

Dinner: Communal (entire village gathers)

Evening Gathering: - Elder Talvyn’s teaching (histories, prophecies, wisdom) - Storytelling (oral tradition practice) - Constellation watching (night astronomy) - Prayer (to Memory, to Veil, to others)

Night: - Early rest (cold, dark) - Study (for dedicated scholars) - Meditation (contemplatives) - Constellation observation (serious astronomers)

The Reality: Austere but meaningful - Hard life (cold, isolated, difficult) - Simple pleasures (knowledge, community, stars) - Purpose (preserving history, seeking truth) - Pride (Veil-Born identity, cultural preservation)

Veil-Born Culture at Highfall

Values: - Knowledge (sacred) - Memory (essential) - Truth (pursued) - Tradition (preserved) - Contemplation (valued)

Practices: - Morning meditation (daily) - Evening storytelling (nightly) - Constellation observation (constant) - Oral tradition (memorization, recitation) - Pilgrimage (seekers come to learn)

Taboos: - Forgetting (worst sin) - Lying about history (unforgivable) - Destroying records (sacrilege) - Disrespecting elders (who hold knowledge) - Rushing (contemplation requires time)

Social Structure: - Elders (knowledge-keepers, highest status) - Scholars (students, respected) - Workers (farmers, herders, craftsmen) - Children (future knowledge-keepers) - Visitors (tolerated if respectful)

Additional Residents

Grandmother Salis (Oldest Resident)

Age: 89 (oldest in Highfall) Role: Living history (remembers 70+ years) Memory: Extraordinary (recalls details precisely)

Knowledge: - Pre-Luminar legends (passed down generations) - Veil-Born traditions (ancient customs) - Prophecies (some fulfilled, some pending) - Histories (oral tradition master)

Personality: - Sharp, demanding - Impatient with ignorance - Protective of knowledge - Knows she’s dying (wants to pass everything down)

Current Work: Teaching Kessa (her successor)

Secret: Knows something about Shattering (won’t share—“not time yet”)

Brother Marten (Contemplative)

Age: 52 Role: Meditation master (teaches contemplation) Practice: Silent (speaks rarely, meditates constantly)

Specialty: Constellation communion (attempts direct contact) Success: Claims occasional responses (unverified) Reputation: Holy man (or madman—opinions vary)

Teaching: Meditation techniques (to those interested)

Secret: Heard Voice Beneath once (resisted, never told anyone)

Young Theron (Rebellious Youth)

Age: 17 Role: Farmer’s son (reluctant scholar) Conflict: Wants to leave (see world, have adventures)

Personality: - Curious, restless - Questions traditions (disrespectful to elders) - Dreams of city life (unrealistic) - Resents isolation (wants more)

Conflict with Father: Wants him to stay (inherit knowledge)

Secret: Planning to leave (saving money for airship passage)

Mira Starwatcher (Astronomer)

Age: 34 Role: Constellation observer (scientific astronomy) Specialty: Star-chart creation (precise measurements)

Work: Nightly observations (records constellation positions)

Discovery: Constellations moving mechanically (not consciously) Conflict: Finding undermines faith (disturbing) Shares with: Bishop Vael (correspondence)

Secret: Losing faith (astronomy reveals divine silence)

The Prophecy Tradition

How Prophecies Work

Source: Elder Talvyn (primary prophet)

Method: - Constellation observation (patterns in stars) - Historical analysis (cycles repeat) - Intuition (or divine inspiration?) - Interpretation (symbols, metaphors)

Accuracy: Variable - Some prophecies fulfilled (verified) - Some unfulfilled (pending or false?) - Some ambiguous (interpretation-dependent) - Overall: Better than chance (but not perfect)

Examples:

Fulfilled (Verified): - “The Anchor breaks” (Year 243 S.—Old Anchor broke free) - “The Voice speaks in Murk” (Year 267 S.—Kael Rotborn transformed) - “The Guild-Master seeks what was lost” (Year 282 S.—Song’s expeditions)

Pending (Unverified): - “The stars align in 23 years” (Year 310 S.—what happens?) - “The Captain’s face is revealed” (when?) - “The Spire returns” (Nexus Spire found?)

Ambiguous (Interpretation-Dependent): - “The Serpent rises” (Serpent worship growing? Or something else?) - “The Light dims” (Constellation fading? Or faith declining?) - “The Beneath ascends” (Voice Beneath? Or Deeps phenomenon?)

The 23-Year Countdown

Prophecy: “In 23 years, stars align. Truth is revealed. Choice is made.”

Current Year: 287 S. Alignment Year: 310 S. (23 years from now) Constellation Configuration: Unprecedented (all eight visible, specific pattern)

Interpretation Theories: - Divine intervention (constellations will act) - Catastrophe (second Shattering) - Revelation (truth about Shattering revealed) - Choice point (humanity must decide something) - Nothing (prophecy is wrong)

Talvyn’s Position: “I don’t know what it means. I just know it’s coming. And it’s important.”

Impact: Some prepare (how?), most ignore (too distant), some fear (what if it’s bad?)

In-World Documents

Elder Talvyn’s Teaching (Recorded by Kessa)

“Listen, children. I’ll tell you what my grandmother told me, what her grandmother told her, back through generations to before the Shattering.

We are Veil-Born. We remember. That is our purpose. That is our burden. That is our gift.

The world shattered. Records burned. Knowledge died. But we remember.

We remember the old world. The solid ground. The blue sky. The world before hubris.

We remember the Luminar Council. Their wisdom. Their folly. Their catastrophe.

We remember the warnings. The signs. The choices that led to Shattering.

Why do we remember? So we don’t repeat. So future knows past. So humanity learns.

You will remember too. You will pass it down. You will preserve.

That is what Veil-Born do. That is who we are.

Remember.”

Kessa’s Discrepancy Notes

HISTORICAL INCONSISTENCY INVESTIGATION

Issue: Talvyn’s account of Shattering differs from written records

Talvyn’s Version: “Luminar Council was warned. Three members dissented. They were silenced.”

Written Version (Archivist texts): “Council was unanimous. No dissent recorded.”

Possibilities: 1. Talvyn is wrong (oral tradition corrupted over generations) 2. Written records are wrong (Archivists have incomplete information) 3. Dissent was suppressed (deliberately hidden from records) 4. Both are partially right (truth is complex)

Investigation: Comparing multiple sources, interviewing other elders, checking for patterns

Findings: Other Veil-Born elders tell same story (dissent existed)

Implication: Either oral tradition preserved truth written records lost, or Veil-Born collectively misremember

Question: Which source is reliable?

Current Status: Unresolved. Need more evidence.

—Kessa Windborn, Scholar, Year 287 S.

Prophecy Record (Elder Talvyn)

PROPHECY #47: THE ALIGNMENT

Date Received: Day 134, Year 287 S. Method: Constellation observation + meditation

Vision: In 23 years, all eight constellations visible simultaneously. Specific pattern. Unprecedented configuration.

At that moment: Truth is revealed. Choice is made. Path is chosen.

Interpretation: Uncertain. Could mean: - Divine intervention (constellations act) - Catastrophe (second Shattering) - Revelation (Shattering cause revealed) - Decision point (humanity chooses something)

Confidence: High (astronomical calculations verify alignment will occur)

Meaning: Unknown (vision was symbolic, not literal)

Recommendation: Prepare. For what? Don’t know. But prepare.

Personal Note: I’m 67. I’ll be 90 in 23 years. I might not live to see it. But I’ve recorded it. Future will know. Future will face it.

Whatever “it” is.

Veil-Born Lullaby (Ancient)

Sleep, child, beneath the veil, Stars watch over, never fail, Dreams will come and dreams will go, Truth remains, this you’ll know.

Mountains high and valleys deep, Memories keep while you sleep, What was lost will be found, When the stars come back around.

Sleep, child, the night is long, Morning comes with ancient song, You will remember, you will see, What was, what is, what’s meant to be.

Sung by Grandmother Salis. Learned from her grandmother. 287+ years old. Pre-[Shattering origin. Meaning unclear. Beautiful. Haunting.]

Visitor’s Account (Archivist)

I visited Highfall. Seeking historical knowledge.

Expected: Primitive oral tradition. Unreliable memories. Folk tales.

Found: Sophisticated preservation system. Precise recollection. Verified histories.

Elder Talvyn recited 3-hour history. No notes. Perfect recall. I verified against written records. 95% accurate.

The 5% discrepancies? Either he’s wrong, or written records are incomplete.

I’m starting to think: Oral tradition might preserve what writing lost.

Veil-Born remember. Precisely. Deliberately. Sacredly.

We should listen to them more. We should write down what they remember.

Before they’re gone. Before the knowledge dies with them.

—Archivist Mara Recordkeeper, Year 285 S.

Quest Hooks

1. The Journey: Make difficult pilgrimage to learn specific history (test endurance, gain knowledge)

2. The Prophecy: Talvyn shares prediction, hires party to investigate (verify, prevent, or prepare)

3. The Discrepancy: Help Kessa solve history mystery (research, compare sources, find truth)

4. The Trade: Negotiate knowledge exchange (what’s Veil-Born knowledge worth?)

5. The Rescue: Veil-Born youth left for city, now missing (find them, bring them back or help them stay)

6. The Deep Cave: Explore forbidden lower passages (dangerous, revelatory, forbidden)

7. The Revelation: Convince Talvyn to reveal Shattering truth he knows (or stop him from sharing)

8. The Preservation: Help document oral histories (write them down, preserve for future)

9. The Visitor: Hostile faction demanding knowledge (defend village, negotiate, or surrender information)

10. The Alignment: Stars approaching prophesied configuration (verify, investigate, prepare for whatever happens)

11. The Youth Exodus: Address young people leaving (help them leave, convince them to stay, mediate conflict)

12. The Archive: Gain access to Archive Cave (prove worthiness, learn ancient knowledge)

13. The Meditation: Learn Veil-Born contemplation techniques (spiritual practice, possible constellation contact)

14. The Prophecy Fulfillment: Witness prophecy coming true (what does it mean? What do you do?)

15. The Memory Test: Prove yourself worthy of knowledge (memorization challenge, oral tradition test)

Related Topics

• Veiled Heights
• Veil-Born
• Outland Clans
• The Archivists
• The Shattering

“We remember because someone must. We speak because silence is death. We preserve because the past is never truly past.”
—Veil-Born saying