Wilting Rose

The Wilting Rose was a conservatory dedicated to the goddess Shelyn located on the outskirts of the Verduran Forest that has now fallen into serene ruin. Before its decline, the campus was known as Everrose School and was where young Taldans learned the art of sculpture and painting to a standard that matched the famed Rhapsodic College of Oppara. It has since become a mostly abandoned haven of werecreatures and hags.

History

The Wilting Rose is located in Taldor's Northern Tandak Prefecture along what was once a prosperous trade route into neighbouring Galt. Trade to Taldor's former province of Galt decreased dramatically in the wake of the Even-Tongued Conquest in 4081 AR, and the school—which had also served as a serene oasis for weary travellers—entered a long period of decline. The school was eventually abandoned by the church of Shelyn and gained its current moniker: the Wilting Rose.

Today, Wilting Rose still retains the murals, sculptures, and other divinely inspired works of art that were too delicate or difficult to be evacuated, or later looted. Its inhabitants have also changed, now frequently hosting bands of werewolves and witchwolf beastkin from deeper in the Verduran Forest. Due to its atmosphere of ruined, despoiled beauty, it also frequently attracts various type of hags. These hags sometimes form unholy alliances with the local werewolves, if their paths cross, creating a force that can become a true menace to the surrounding region. Still, despite this danger, young couples will often undertake a strange pilgrimage to Wilting Rose to spend a night amongst its ruined beauty in the hopes that Shelyn will bless their love or gift their children with artistic potential.