The Evernight Emporium

Nature of the Emporium

Descriptions of the Evernight Emporium vary from traveler to traveler, yet certain details appear again and again.

Visitors speak of:

• an open market beneath an endless night sky
• winding lanes of stalls lit by lanterns, candles, and uncanny light
• cloaked patrons and merchants whose faces are never fully seen
• impossible wares, forbidden services, and bargains best refused

The Emporium does not appear to exist within the ordinary geography of Starfall Rest. Though reached through doors in the waking world, the ‘Night itself seems to occupy somewhere other: neither wholly of the world nor entirely apart from it.

Some scholars believe the Emporium is maintained by the Vamfyre, shadowed and mercurial cousins of the Vampyres. Others insist it predates them entirely and merely tolerates their presence.

The truth remains unknown.

The Door

Entry to the Emporium is granted through a freestanding wooden Door that appears in certain hidden alleys during the full moon in the cities of Darkenfell and the Horngate. Emporium employees, a Door Keeper who allows passage and armed Emporium guards, are stationed at the Doors to maintain peace and accept coin for passage.

The Door stands alone, rooted in stone yet attached to no wall. When opened, it reveals not a room beyond, but a darkness deeper than the night around it. Those who pass into the darkness through the door are said to enter the Evernight Emporium itself.

The Door disappears before dawn. No reliable account exists of anyone successfully moving it, forcing it, or opening it except at the proper hour.

The ‘Night

Those who have visited the Emporium often speak of the strange quality of the realm itself.

Though it is open to the sky, it is never day. The air is cool, the light low, and the atmosphere saturated with fog, lantern glow, and the sense of being watched by things that are not necessarily hostile, but are certainly interested.

It is said that one may find there:

• markets of secrets and dreams
• merchants selling bottled memories
• charms, relics, and dubious miracles
• brokers of information and forbidden services
• stalls whose wares seem to alter according to the desires of the buyer

Laws of the Emporium

Only one rule governs the Evernight Emporium, and it is absolute.

Anonymity is sacred. One does not speak of who they meet or see in the ‘Night.

Some travelers also repeat a third warning, often attributed to the Door Keeper:

Do not pet the cat with three eyes. No consistent explanation accompanies this rule.

Currency and Trade

While gold is accepted (and often in large quantities), the Emporium’s true commerce is conducted in things of far greater intimacy.

Commonly rumored trades include:

• secrets
• memories
• dreams
• promises
• names
• regrets
• pieces of magical power

The price of a bargain is rarely straightforward. What appears a trinket may cost a sorrow. What appears a service may require a confession. Some leave feeling relieved, as if something heavy has been taken from them. Others depart with the unmistakable sense that they have sold more than they intended.

Scholars caution that the most dangerous bargains are often the ones that feel, in the moment, like mercy.

Known Figures

The Door Keeper

A vampyre woman (her name is her business and only given as a gift) who receives the entrance toll, states the rules, and decides whether one may pass.

Memory Traders

Merchants who buy and sell bottled memories, often treating grief, joy, and shame as if they were common wares.

Underguild Brokers

Dealers rumored to facilitate work connected to the Thieves’ Guild and other less lawful interests. Whether these figures belong to the Emporium itself or merely conduct business there remains uncertain.

Warnings and Reputation

Among scholars and seasoned travelers, the Evernight Emporium is not regarded as evil, but neither is it considered safe.

It is a place people seek when ordinary remedies have failed them. Some come looking for answers, while others come looking to forget. Some come to buy back hope, and some simply wish to sell their pain.

A common warning associated with the Emporium states: “Be careful what you bring with you into the ‘Night… and what you leave with.”