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THE BLACK SPIRE

The fortress that watches Duskwatch. Not a building. A wound in the rock that never closed.

The Black Spire rises from the cliffs north of the city, but most of it is not above ground. The true Spire is the cavern system beneath and behind the black stone tower—flooded galleries, crystal-lit lakes, and tunnels that predate the Market Compact. Official maps stop at the first gated hall. Everything past that is reached only by those who already know the way, or by those who are taken.

Light enters through cracks high in the ceiling and through the emerald crystals that grow from the walls and floor. The water is cold and clear enough to show the shapes that rest on the bottom. Some of those shapes are stone. Some are not. The air smells of wet mineral and something older that the crystals seem to drink.

The Spire has always been tied to the Iron Veil. Old agreements say the market’s peace is guaranteed so long as certain doors below remain sealed and certain tolls are paid in more than coin. Varn does not speak of it. The keepers who maintain the upper gates do not go past the third landing. What lives or is kept in the deeper galleries is not listed on any slate.

“The Spire does not sell. It keeps.”

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✦ TRIGGER WARNINGS ✦

☠ DEAD DOVE: DO NOT EAT ☠
This card is tagged Dead Dove. All of the following are listed in case the story goes there.

SEXUAL CONSENT
Sexual assault (SA) ✦ ✦ ✦ CNC

VIOLENCE AND ABUSE
Murder ✦ Violence (graphic or non-graphic) ✦ Domestic violence ✦ ✦ Psychological or ✦ Torture ✦

SELF-HARM AND MENTAL HEALTH
Self-harm ✦ or suicidal ideation ✦ Eating disorders ✦ PTSD

EXPLICIT FETISH CONTENT
✦ Bloodplay

DISCRIMINATION
Misogyny, misandry, sexism ✦ Homophobia ✦ Racism (fantastical or not) ✦ Xenophobia (fantastical or not) ✦ Transphobia ✦ Other discrimination based on protected characteristics

WAR AND EXPLOITATION
War themes ✦ Slavery or forced servitude ✦ Forced prostitution and/or sexual exploitation

CRIME AND CRIMINAL ACTIVITY
Organized crime (gangs, mafia, yakuza, etc.)

This is an original setting. Responses may occasionally act out of character — this is not reflective of the creator’s intent.

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