Click anywhere on the map to learn more about the lands of moonstone.
MAP DESIGN BY Melia Sonia Monteagudo
golden sands
The district of Golden Sands lies along the western shore of Moonstone and is home to beautiful beaches, making it the primary home for Moonstone’s tourists. Founded by the nation of Sedessa, the area is known for its Sedessan elegance and luxury. The Sandmaze and the Sandwell, ancient structures created by the native people of Moonstone—the Zhinj— are located in this district, and the Sandmaze Hotel is next to them both. Other important buildings include the local palace, Sundial House, and the Greenhouse that grows rare plants and trees. The Zuzierre family, descended from merchant princes of Sedessa, rules this district, and Egno Zuzierre is the current prince–his sister Talva is known as his closest advisor.
holy ibis
The district of Holy Ibis is a pilgimage site for Abbatines due to the presence of the Sanctum, an immense sanctuary dedicated to the saints, and also due to the presence of various saints’ artifacts and dwellings from early in the district’s history. Holy Ibis is also home to many cemeteries. Founded by the nation of Taradia, once the center of a great empire, this island was the first to be settled by colonists from the Thirteen Nations. Important buildings include the ancillaries, seminaries and libraries attached to the Sanctum, as well as the holy laundry of deacons’ clothing. The prince of this district is Ebel Quareen, of the Quareen family, and he lives in the local palace, called Saints’ Ease. Long steps run along the western edge of the island, giving access to the water at almost every point.
hundred quays
Hundred Quays is the district of Moonstone with a harbor deep enough to welcome large ships from the sea. Originally settled by the sailing people of Belakkos, it is a cosmopolitan place with a wide boardwalk that runs the length of the district. The district is a peninsula attached to the Moonstone River’s eastern shore at the river’s mouth, and is ruled by the wealthy and powerful Xilphis family. Important buildings include the Customs Office, the Coin Exchange, the Main Ticket Office of the Moonstone ferry system, the Balcony—the district palace, which hangs from a cliff—and the Ancillary of the Blessed Descendants, which hangs even higher on the cliff. Attached to the district is the fortress of Hundred Keys, which houses sentinels and defends the city. The district’s current prince is called Didias Xilphis.
juniper island
Juniper Island is the book-market of Moonstone. It is home to elite bookshops of various kinds, as well as printing shops, and the harbor is full of bookboats that sell more popular titles. Juniper Island is also home to the city’s moonwater industry, and is full of moonplum trees. Settled by the people of Tamirlia, who are known for using magic, the island is often thought of as a secretive and insular place. The district is ruled by Judovic Kest of the reclusive Kest family—this clan took over from the Mingre family two hundred years ago. The most important buildings are Disappearing House, the local castle, and the Book Market, a large indoor collection of bookstores.
opal island
Opal Island is the central district of Moonstone. Originally settled by citizens of Uluria, it is the only district directly ruled by the archprince of Moonstone, who comes from the clan of Mai. Important buildings include the Library, the Magistery, the Palace of Innumerable Pearls, and the Chapel of the Initiatrix. Opal Island is also home to the Sand Market, the most famous outdoor market in Moonstone, and hosts many streets devoted to particular industries such as jewelry, silversmithing, and carpentry. The current archprince is Jalian Mai; his wife, Tilgana, is sister to Lord Griseus of Mor (the country to the south).
moon’s daughters
The Moon’s Daughters are a sub-archipelago of Moonstone. The seafaring nation of Gengrassia founded this district, and in Gengrassian tradition, the Moon’s Daughters maintain some unusual customs, including matrilineal descent and polygamy. The house-roofs here, made of a unique Gengrassian ceramic, glisten like fish scales. The ruling family, the clan of Berduin, is of both Gengrassian and Zhinj descent, and the current princess is Sylte Berduin, whose chronically ill mother abdicated to allow her to rule. The district government, which includes a council of village leaders, is on the easternmost island, called Bilha’a. The Berduin house, called the Mothers’ House, is also on Bilha’a. The rice fields in the shallow channels between islands are a source of food for the city. Most of the islands are named for virtues, like Serenity and Patience.
the perfumery
The Perfumery is so named because its fields and gardens give forth a wonderful smell. Its fruits, vegetables, and grains feed many in the city. Founded by the plains nation of Chaea, the Perfumery is dedicated to agriculture and has the city’s only cows and horses. Samwin Girgorra is the current prince, and he has three daughters who are known for their feuds with one another. Important buildings include Dunekin House, the district seat, as well as the Balm Academy, a school for medicine and midwifery. A significant portion of the people who live in the Perfumery are Zhinj, of the original native population. Two smaller islands, home to Zhinj villages, are also part of this district: Mai’ila (the easternmost) and Ma’a (the westernmost).
scattered pearls
Scattered Pearls is Moonstone’s art, fashion and college district. Originally founded by the Fenge nation, Scattered Pearls is a cluster of micro-islands connected by bridges. Important buildings include City-of-Bridges, the district palace and home of Prince Hallan Nethre who is the local ruler, as well as Pearls-of-Wisdom University, and the House of Blossoms, where concubines are trained. The northernmost island is Diver’s Strand, and the westernmost island, where district government is located, is called Niniane’s Spear.
seven lanterns
Seven Lanterns is home to the city’s micro-orchards. Settled by the Yanuilt nation, which is heavily forested, many of this district’s citizens have walled gardens and orchards where they grow fruit. The Lanternelles, also part of this district, are known for the raising of sea sheep. The district is ruled by the Dhagura family, and its current prince is Hoel Dhagura, the chief interrogator of the Council, whose wife, Angelissa Dhagura, is known as a patron of Abbatine causes. Important buildings include the Lanternhouse—the local palace—as well as the Chapel of the Lamp of Origin, and Undersong House, the seat of the Sha’an people in Moonstone. This district welcomed the Sha’an people and their silkmoss trees, which are used to make fine fabrics.
sorcerer’s kettle
Sorcerer’s Kettle, founded by the nation of Lower Phantos, has been influenced by the radical ideas of its founders, who were part of the Phantosi revolution against the ruling class. More crowded than most of Moonstone’s districts, Sorcerer’s Kettle is known for theater and night life, and is also a home to several of Moonstone’s factories. A high percentage of the district’s people are Errantines (a minority freethinking religion). The Lid, the long, narrow island next to Sorcerer’s Kettle, is part of this district and particularly known for its bohemian lifestyle. Important buildings include Phantosia House, the local palace, as well as the Errantine shrine known as the Chapel of the Pattern. The Chei family rules the district, and, the current ruler, Princess Sajine Chei, governs with the advice and consent of a local elected council. Sajine Chei has two spouses: Tesper Mai, great-grandson of an archprince, and Onxye Luria, a revolutionary philosopher and dancer.
string of coins
The islands of String of Coins are especially known for rare plants excellent for dyeing, and this is a weavers’ district. Settled by the people of Nordynor, the island is also home to a hot spring. Important buildings include the Drake’s Hoard Bath, which makes use of the hot spring, as well as Madder House, the home of the ruling clan of Lutei. Giya Lutei is the current prince of this district. There is also a famous chapel here called the Shrine of Bells. The largest island is known as Drake’s Hoard; the others are Wyrm’s Vestry (easternmost), Giant’s Purse (northernmost, Hermit’s Tryst (small island close to Drake’s Hoard), Trollswimple (westernmost), Hueshaven (southernmost), and Summercrown (center).
turtles clutch
Turtle’s Clutch is a collection of four islands—Bellbillow (southeast), Sesserina (center), Kestrelery (northwest), and Saintsfish (southwest)— and several micro-islands. Upper Phantos, known for its rural manors and conservative politics, founded Turtle’s Clutch, and Phantosi is still spoken here. The district is largely rural, specializing in boatmaking, shepherding, and pearl-diving. The Turtle’s Shell fortress on Kestrelery trains and berths the city’s sentinels. The ruling clan here is called Phorya; the current prince is old and it is widely rumored that his wife is in charge.
vexriver
The district of Vexriver is composed of three main islands. The first is Vexriver, which includes the underground Vexriver Fortress, tunneled into the island’s soft stone, that defends the city from its southern end. The second is Vexmere, which is the location of the city’s River School, where elite warriors, diplomats, librarians, rulers, scholars, and administrators are trained, as well as of Zhinj fishing villages. The third is Little Vex, a logging and fishing community—its main town of Vexenden serves as a port for goods coming upstream from Mor and is known for its lawless ways. The district was founded by the nation of Mor and is the only Moonstone district that is proximate to the nation that founded it. The small island, Cedara, is often used as a neutral place for treaty-signing. The ruler of the district is Prince Leo Lent, and the royal seat of the district, on Little Vex, is called Cumulonimbus House. Other important buildings include the Zaggery, a house of public concubines on Little Vex, and the River School Chapel.
bilha’a
The chief island of the district of the Moon’s Daughters was once the capital of the Zhinj lands called the Tuilarajn, the Moonstones. The palace of the Berduin clan is located here.
drake’s hoard bath
Built by Nordynori settlers, the Drake’s Hoard Bath contains a variety of pools filled with the hot, healing waters of the spring on Drake’s Hoard. The spring is known to the Zhinj as Silfang and to the city of Moonstone as the Lifegiver Spring.
hundred keys
One of two main fortresses in Moonstone, Hundred Keys watches over the bay at the mouth of the Moonstone River. Sentinels are housed here, military paddlewheel boats are docked here, and this is also the base of operations for Moonstone’s customs agents.
the library
The Library, a white stone building that stands on the edge of Festival Square at the summit of Opal Island, is Moonstone’s reason for being. It holds tens of housands of books as well as scrolls, paintings, and other artifacts related to knowledge. Served by an elaborate hierarchy of warrior librarians, underlibrarians, and bookwardens, the Library tends to the collected wisdom of the known world. Its most important positions are the Lord Chief Librarian, usually just called the Chief Librarian, and the Lord Censor. There are particular Librarian clans whose children are trained as Librarians from an early age, and others in the city may also train to take the rigorous tests one must pass to be allowed to work at the Library.
niniane’s spear
Niniane's Spear is named for a legendary female warrior of the Fenge. This island is the seat of government in Scattered Pearls, and the palace City-of-Bridges is nearby. Niniane's Spear is also a cultural center and is known for its stylish fashion shows and art collections.
the sanctum
The Sanctum, built by early Abbatine settlers, is a round white building with a dome, somewhat similar to the library. Taradian settlers built it to dedicate Moonstone to the Abbatine belief system and the empire of Taradia. Many locals and tourists worship at the Sanctum. The building is at the center of a large seminary complex that trains Abbatine clergy and administers the Abbatine community of Moonstone. The Sanctum also enforces certain kinds of city laws, such as the anti-sorcery laws. The Sanctum is surrounded by a market neighborhood and also several cemeteries.
the sand market
The Sand Market is the largest open-air market in Moonstone. Located at the bottom of the eastern cliffs of Opal Island, it is not far from the Library docks. One can buy almost anything at the Sand Market, from pearls and silk to livestock, from unique woodcarvings to freshly baked bread. The Sand Market is often frequented by thieves and so sentinels patrol regularly. At night, the Sand Market becomes a venue for gambling.
sandmaze/sandwell
The Sandmaze is an ancient Zhinj edifice: a labyrinth carved of sandstone. The Sandwaze has high walls but is open to the sky. Zhinj legend relates that it has been a pilgrimage site for generations. At the heart of the Sandmaze is the Sandwell, a deep well that was once used for blessing births. The Moonstone governmental powers, particularly the Sanctum, have used it as a place of execution, likely as a way to remove, or co-opt, its power as a Zhinj sacred site.
undersong house
Undersong House, located on a small island just off the southwestern coast of Seven Lanterns, is the community house of the Sha'an people in Moonstone, and was purchased by the tribe at the time they settled in Moonstone. The house contains the silvirium, or sacred space of the Sha'an, as well as the Chamber of Elders where decisions are made. Istehar Sha'an and her family live here in this house as well.
vexenden
Vexenden is the port of the island of Little Vex. Commercial barges as well as local boats stop here to unload goods, catches of fish, etc. The district palace, called Cumulonimbus House, is located just outside of Vexenden.
vexriver fortress
Vexriver Fortress makes use of the caves in the soft rock under the island of Vexriver. Sentinels and customs officials occupy caves and tunnels beneath the island, and patrol the southern lands of Moonstone, at the edges of the city, to prevent unlawful incursions from Mor. One of the fortress tunnels extends from the south side of the island to its north side, and some boats use it to traverse the area.