Oldenheim

While most bards travel far and wide in search of inspiration, there have always been places where they liked to congregate in order to compare their craftsmanship, swap stories and melodies, and learn new skills. Oldenheim is the oldest and most famous of these gathering spots, and to this day the city hosts numerous music festivals, concert calls, and music academies which are visited by professional musicians and enthusiastic fans alike.

Less well known is that the city hosts many collections of occult secrets. Bards are always eager to hear new stories, and many do so not just for their entertainment value, but because they might also hint of supernatural threads which need to be investigated and dealt with. They often compared their notes with other bards when they met at Oldenheim, and stored them here for future use. However, these collections were often organized in a rather haphazard manner, and the period when the city was occupied by Negroth the Doombringer further encouraged secrecy, as his minions looted whatever libraries they could find.

Thus, it is a challenge to even learn that any given collection even exists. Then the would-be researcher must convince the curator of the collection that they are trustworthy, and will keep the collection's secrets. For the larger collections, this might require swearing strong oaths with dreadful curses befalling those who would break them, or even joining an entire secret society.