Now that we’ve gotten through Funeral of Hopes and have seen (or heard of) nearly every important Bremish locale in the series, it’s time to take a closer look at each of these places. Here’s a quick guide to all the most essential spots!
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Bewerian
Blessed Bewerian was a High Poet known for a unique ability: using poetry to compel truth from any liar. To capitalize on this trust, the budding Bremish government turned a sleepy town into a bustling metropolis astride the Great Gold River.
Over time, they built the Bremish Council, an imposing brown headquarters for the eponymous government system. The Bremish Council adjoins the War Committee, demonstrating the tight bond between political savvy and military strength.
While much of the capital’s commerce takes place across Mermina’s Bridge, in Goldnin, there are plenty of merchants and vendors there to feed those visiting from further afield. Bewerian is known for being a loud, overwhelming place, stuffed with tourists there to admire the lovely architecture designed by High Poets.
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Goldnin
Gritty Goldnin may not really be the capital, but it serves as the heart of Breme’s populace: a place packed with shops, bars, and training centers. This is where Uileac Korviridi, Orrinir Relickim, and Cerie Korviridi live in a home made by Cerie’s fellow poets.
The town is bolstered by two large buildings on opposite ends of the town. One, the War Academy, houses both the Bremish Army and those still in training on either side of the building. This magnificent structure is ringed by barracks, mostly for single men, and townhouses, for military families who cannot afford more expansive property.
At Goldnin’s other axis is the Goldnin meronym, where the High Poet Society works to train its students and study the whims of Poesy. This is the largest and most important meronym in Breme, known for producing the finest poets. Cerie is one such pupil, and she indeed lives up to the expectations, though it takes her some time to grow into her powers.
The meronym is one of the tallest buildings in town; its library is a full three stories, and its Recitation Hall has soaring ceilings that invoke awe in all who visit.
Many say that the Goldnin meronym was built so far away from the Bremish Council and War Committee to show them that though the military and government may rely on High Poetry, Poesy does not bow to them.
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Capitol Defensive Wall
In Funeral of Hopes, we see Uileac steeling himself to pass through the Capitol Defensive Wall. It is mentioned that the defensive wall hums with unspoken magic, echoing the chants of High Poets who prayed over its creation.
Both Bewerian and Goldnin are surrounded by the Capitol Defensive Wall, a barrier infused with High Poetry to repel the Sinans. This wall was crafted after the Sinans raided the country on Burning Day, razing the countryside and marching toward Bewerian. While it is bisected by the Great Gold River, great care has been taken to create a spiritual ‘net’ that closes the gap.
None are quite sure whether this truly works, as it has never been tested before. However, its side effect is a sense of unease that can drive horses mad and send them screaming for the hills.
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Quirnis
This rundown farming village was once a vibrant community – before the Sinans invaded and slaughtered most of the residents, including Cerie and Uileac’s parents. Now, it is a shell of its former self, going to ruin amongst the vines and wild goats.
Burnt carcasses of homes are slowly crumbling into the soil, while the lush fields are overrun with funeral cairns and wild plants. Only a few brave old-timers remain, though they see an influx of mourners every year around Burning Day.
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Great Gold River
The luscious Great Gold River is so named because it comes from the Gold Cascade high in the Rimuk Mountains. From there, it tears through the steppes, splits Bewerian from Goldnin, and waters endless cropland before petering out deep in the Windswept region.
Along the way, it is crossed by small footbridges, but its greatest architectural marvel is Saint Mermina’s Bridge, which connects the capital city with its suburb. This is named for Saint Mermina, the first Inculcated Poet who was trained by the famous Saint Luridalr herself.
It’s said that during a severe drought, Saint Mermina called upon Poesy to fill the Great Gold River, and a slot-shaped rainstorm came to the peoples’ aid. This miraculous feat is celebrated by the Feast of Saint Mermina in late summer, where people make flower dolls and throw them from the bridge. Hardy swimmers will dive in, hoping to catch these votives and hang them up as decorations.
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Rimuk Mountains
This strange barrier is composed of almost entirely vertical cliffs. While fleeing from invaders with the Seinn tribe, Saint Luridalr prayed for a “shroud” that would protect her people from their pursuers. Taking pity on the maiden, Poesy threw up a mountain range, forever segmenting the future Bremish from their neighbors.
The story of the Rimuk Mountains is outlined in Saint Luridalr and the Peony Phoenix, the national fairy tale of Breme.
As the mountains were created by their country’s founder, the Bremish are loath to sully the mountains with architecture; everything, from the boulders to the caverns below, are taboo. The near-vertical cliffs are almost impossible to climb anyway, making it infeasible that anyone without powered flight could reach past them.
However, this doesn’t stop the Sinans from attempting, time and time again. They have even hammered a defensive tower into the tallest mountain, Mt. Luridalr, in hopes of advancing their aims. This only adds to the emnity between the countries; whereas one sees a sacred, protective force, the other sees a nuisance.
Full-scale invasion is almost impossible, as is regular travel between the two countries. Still, it’s possible for one or two brave individuals, or a small squadron, to creep under the mountains and explore the other side.
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Rimuk Pass
This doorway-shaped pass is where Saint Luridalr and her tribespeople stood when Poesy brought up the mountains. Over the centuries, it has become a chokepoint for battle between the nations, fortified and covered over with endless layers of stone. Nearly every confrontation between Breme and Sina takes place here, as the rest of the mountain range is almost impossible to traverse.
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Gold Cascade
The powerful Gold Cascade surges from atop the Rimuk Mountains, though no one is quite sure where it emerges or how it is fed. Its source is too high up for anyone but the most daring – or stupid – to find.
At its foot sits a small lake called the Scrying Pool, which serves much like a drowning machine. The force of the water has carved out deep underwater chasms in the softer rock; wild and unpredictable currents can shove a drowning person into one of these pockets, where they can’t escape. At the surface, though, it appears much smaller and calmer than what rages below, which can tempt the ignorant into taking a dip.
Folk wisdom says that the Scrying Pool has killed everyone who has stepped foot in its depths and that hundreds of bodies lurk below, forever trapped in the pitch-black crags. Few have ever attempted to find out the truth behind this, instead giving it a respectful berth. Still others whisper that if one should look deep into that strangely calm water, they may see the souls of the dead crying for help – or receive miraculous visions of Poesy’s whims.
The first few leagues after the Scrying Pool are called the Little Gold River, as the river runs sideways and appears much shallower than it really is. Later, it widens into the familiar Great Gold River, which is much safer to cross.
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Cave of All Fallen
This mythical cave is believed to be deep under the Rimuk Mountains, a place no living soul can enter. It is here where the spirits of dead Bremish people sleep until the end of the world in an endless dream-stasis, guarded by the Five Bremish Saints.
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Dropbone Caverns
As the Rimuk Mountains were brought up in one cataclysmic event, it produced deep fracture caves that transect its entire bulk. No one is quite sure how far they extend, as many of the first explorers were killed when walking off ledges they could not see in the dark. The lucky survivors skurried from the caverns terrified, babbling about the sounds of the mountains settling in above them.
Several underground rivers only make the terrain more treacherous, as they have carved ever-deeper canyons down below. These are the reason that the Dropbone Caverns are said to be the location of the mythical Cave of All Fallen; the burbling water can appear to be souls whispering in the underworld.
Access to the Dropbone Caverns is strictly regulated; all entrances have been closed off with heavy iron doors. The Bremish Army sporadically searches the area for missed entryways and has even set up traps to catch unsuspecting traffickers or trespassers. However, since they aren’t always on patrol, it’s more likely that a visitor will die of starvation or madness before they’re ever discovered.
The only other permitted visitors are High Poets there to offer alms to the dead or to call upon the saints for guidance. In an interesting reversal of the usual order, even they must ask for permission from the Bremish Army, but this is for their own safety.
There have been rumblings that the Sinans have begun mapping and exploring these caverns, but most dismiss that as impossible.
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Vercingetorix
Those who visit Vercingetorix will note that the town is composed of rickety homes and shops teetering precariously atop boulders. This Bremish border town was previously destroyed during a manmade avalanche, triggered by a Sinan queen to demoralize the townsfolk. Rather than being deterred, the people rebuilt their homes on the sacred stones blasted down from the Rimuk Mountains, sometimes on top of their destroyed dwellings.
The town is named after Blessed Vercingetorix, a High Poet renowned for enchanting arrows with a sickness to kill countless Sinans. For her trouble, she was captured by the enemy and tortured to death. Her intact fingernails, with their mysterious sigils, are kept in a reliquary inside the Vercingetorix meronym, renowned for its healers.
Other than the meronym, Vercingetorix also has a military outpost nestled against the entrance to Dropbone Caverns, which is closely guarded by the Bremish military. The outpost is known both for its cave rescuers, who retrieve those foolish enough to trespass, and its interrogators, who capture stray Sinan soldiers for intel.
The other point of interest in Vercingetorix is Quillstone, a shop run by the meronym’s High Poets. Here, shoppers can purchase enchanted weapons, commission poetry-infused homes, or buy medicinal treatments for common ailments.
Many buy wish bugs, which are squat clay statues with big beady eyes and wide lips. While the best wish bugs are made by the supplicant, who press a votive inside while the clay cures, others will purchase a ready-made wish bug and paste their wish inside. The High Poets will then offer a specialized poem based on the user’s desire. These are not really magical, but they comprise an important folk custom in the region.
Funds raised from Quillstone’s wares are donated to the meronym, used for medical supplies and the High Poets’ daily needs.
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Cachaille
During the earliest days of Bremish history, a naturally triggered rockslide almost destroyed this tiny town. A Bestowed Poet named Cachaille happened to be passing through the area and used her High Poetry to protect the villagers’ homes, though she was ultimately crushed by a massive boulder in the process. Thanks to her bravery, Cachaille was named as one of the Five Bremish Saints.
Cachaille’s bones still lay under this stone, which is situated at the center of the town square. People pray to the Holy Boulder in honor of her sacrifices.
However, there has never been a meronym in Cachaille. The High Poets remain concerned that the Rimuk Mountains are too fragile in the area and that their religious site may be destroyed again. Instead, solitary poets will visit Cachaille on pilgrimages and religous retreats.
Cerie Korviridi builds a meditation hut on the outskirts of Cachaille, one of her first major acts as a newly inculcated High Poet. This is frequented regularly by her fellow poets and, later on, becomes its own tourism site due to Cerie’s reputation.
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The Windswept
This little-explored, mysterious region is home to Breme’s native tribes – including those of the Seinn tribe, who are relatives to the famous Saint Luridalr. Here, they practice their traditional nomadic ways: traveling with the seasons in yurts and large horse herds, hunting game and foraging for their needs.
Bremish tribes don’t just have to worry about wild bears and wolves, though; the Bremish settlements have been increasingly encroaching on this territory, even though it is set aside for nomads by the Bremish Council. Unrest and even outright battles between settlers and nomads are common, and the Council Guards often intervene on behalf of the settlers instead.
Some tribes have settled into a semi-agrarian existence, such as the Hierlec. These people are best known for their delicious sheep cheeses and fine wool yarn. Others include the Mouton, who hunt and cure wild sheep, and the Towlow, who have made a name for themselves through their beautiful bone beads.
