The Stream

A few minutes from Stonetop, at the base of the bluff in The Great Wood. Wide, shallow, swift, lined with small stones. Folks come to wash and fetch water, but rarely alone. It's not deep, but it's still a body of water — and at the edge of the Wood, that matters.

The constant rush and murmur of the current. Flat plain on either side, gravelly, dotted with saplings, weeds, wildflowers. Spring brings cold snowmelt swelling the Stream; summer brings dragonflies and lightning bugs; autumn carries leaves in the current. And always — the vague sense of dread, of being watched.

The Quiet Twins — a pair of ghostly children who haunt the Stream. Sightings are uncommon but not rare. Mute, bound to the water, given to mouthing silent warnings about something only they can see.

• A dangerous beast takes to watering near town.
• The Stream runs dry, despite ample rains.
• Something mysterious — possibly dangerous — is deposited by the current.
• Haunting songs are heard on misty days; hot-blooded youths are intent on finding the source (an entrancing Fae, perhaps).
• The Quiet Twins appear more frequently, urgently trying to warn of something.

• Water source below Stonetop
• Feeds the Cistern and daily village life
• Associated with spirits and ghostly signs