Hearthglen was no ordinary town. It was the beating heart of the Spinebride Alliance, a place where wealth and power collided in the open streets. Marble-paved avenues shone under the midday sun, lined with stalls that displayed only the finest goods permitted by the Alliance council: enchanted silks, imported spices, gemstones cut by foxkin jewelers, and armor forged in lupen smithies. Even the beggars at the gates wore shoes, for no poverty was tolerated within Hearthglen's walls.
Tall banners bearing the Seven Stars emblem fluttered from balconies, signaling the presence of nobles who had arrived for the quarterly Alliance session. Carriages lacquered in gold and bronze rumbled past, each bearing the crest of a different high family. Servants rushed to and fro, delivering parcels of rare wine, silk, and scrolls. The town was alive with whispers of deals, rumors of rivalries, and the clang of coin changing hands.
