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THE CITY OF MANIFEST
CHAPTER 2:
hoods, but the Watch is doing what it can to keep this area from developing into a “bad neighborhood.” According to most residents, their efforts are failing. A number of small temples have sprung up on Phantom Hill, in order to raise money for their respective religions by offering raise dead and other clerical spells for hire. There are few other shops or services found here, however. The populace makes its way down the hill to the Merchant Ward when it needs anything.
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Locations within Phantom Hill
The following entries detail locations of interest in Phantom Hill: H1. Heldon’s Dreams: Ghosts who want to recall the comforts of their former lives often go to this inn. Heldon’s Dreams specializes in using magical illusions to satisfy the needs of its ghostly clientele. For 10 gp per night, a ghost can sleep in his childhood bed, or the bedchamber of the king, attended by illusory servants. Heldon’s is known by its detractors as “the loneliest place in the world.” H2. Ustis’s Bakery: Almost every living resident of Phantom Hill (and more than a few of the ghostly ones, as well) makes a stop at Ustis’s Bakery every day. Talla Ustis (female gnome ghost Com5/Eidolon3) is renowned for making the freshest, most delicious breads and pastries in the whole of Manifest. Talla is welcoming and friendly, not at all hesitant to use her telekinetic powers to aid her in her work. H3. Piran Sedestadel: This is a small but elegant single-story stone building that is notable for not having any statuary on it whatsoever. Inside, visitors find three clerks sitting behind three desks, but not a stitch of decorative furnishings. These clerks are there to manage the affairs of the Piran Sedestadel (see Other Groups and Organizations later in this chapter). They make appointments for spellcasting-for-hire and occasionally for constructing magic items. The clerks are not spellcasters, merely bookkeepers who inform visitors of the prices of the group’s services and keep the schedule of when members will be free to accept work. H4. Ren’s Place: Located at the bottom of the hill, this building is notable for being constructed of lumber rather than stone. It is therefore notably lacking in statuary of any kind (although small, whittled dolls and idols decorate the bar and mantle inside). Instead, the wooden walls are covered with drawings, paintings, and etchings of ghostly figures. These range in quality from passably artistic renderings to barely recognizable shapes apparently scrawled under the influence of a few too many ales. This cheap alehouse is quickly gaining the reputation of being a good place to find criminals, hired muscle, or contacts in the Golden or even the Gold Knife (see Other Groups and Organizations later in this chapter). It’s a rare night when a fight doesn’t break out in the place, and the knife-throwing target that Ren (female human ghost Rog3/Eidolon2) hung
in the far corner hasn’t actually helped matters. Ale is only 2 cp here, but it’s heavily watered down. H5. The Tower Theater: Built near the very top of Phantom Hill, this old building is a theater that has weekly performances—alternating between tragedies, comedies, and musical acts. Although traveling minstrels occasionally come here, usually it is the regular “Tower Troupe” performing. Admission is 1 cp for standing room, 2 cp for a seat. Yanthis Havech (male human Brd7) is the manager of the theater and the leader of the Tower Troupe. The interior is decorated with statues of famous bards and actors dressed in the costumes of characters they were particularly fond of playing. H6. The Riding Guild: This small building used to be a local tavern. Now, it has comfortable chairs lining the walls and a small desk sitting in the middle of an otherwise empty space. Ghosts who seek a person willing to be possessed come here to meet with prospective hosts. The typical arrangement is for a ghost to choose an hour-long activity for the host (for example, eat a fine meal) and then use the Ghost Ride feat on the host. In this way, the ghost can experience the activity. Occasionally, but only rarely, arrangements are made so that the ghost actually controls the host body for the duration of the session. The ghost normally pays in advance for all incidental fees involved in the requested activity. Once an agreeable ghost-host pairing is found, the two register at the desk. They sign a contract stating that the ghost intends no ill will to the host and that the host will perform the agreed-upon activities (the exact nature of the activities is never spelled out in the contract). The ghost then possesses the host, and when their business is completed, they return to the guild to record that their transaction has been completed. A typical host is someone of average looks and ability who has no interest in doing real work but is comfortable with having an invisible guest experiencing everything he or she does. Some hosts go to great lengths to make themselves more attractive or more appealing to certain interests—for example, cultivating great strength or a particular skill set. These superior hosts can charge higher rates.
MERCHANT WARD The smallest and newest section of the city, the Merchant Ward was once a residential section of Phantom Hill. After a fire ravaged the entire section about eight years ago, merchants began building shops and service houses in the area. Soon, it was declared its own ward under Hervest Mul (male human ghost Com5/Eidolon4), an unfortunate soul who lost his home and his life in the flames. Hervest is still the warder today. He usually stays out of controversial political issues, focusing his efforts on the only love he retains from life: making money. The Merchant Ward has the look and feel of any mercantile district, aside from the presence of ghosts, of course. Shops of stone and wood are built along wide cobblestone streets made narrow by the presence
