Quiet knows that Queen Nostraya is a powerful vampire who rules over the valley. She has a large retinue of loyal servants, both mortal and vampiric. However, in his role as a spy, Quiet has heard many people talk of sedition. It seems that most people of the valley hate and fear Nostraya.

Quiet and the other kenku were sometimes invited to the Ember Keep to report their findings to Queen Nostraya or one of her servants. The Keep is a twisting labyrinth of shadowed hallways and gothic architecture. The entire structure is built around an ancient fallen star, made entirely of red crystal.

Quiet and the other kenku were often sent into Seabriar to search out sedition or spy on enemies. Seabriar is a walled city ruled by merchants and pirates. The majordomo of the city is a vampire known as the Merry Lord Montblanc. He is a hedonistic aesthete, a lover of theatre, gladiatorial combats, and music.

Brackish Bay is the entryway to the Valley of the Fallen Stars. Ships from all over the world dock and unload their cargo. One can buy anything at the ports, from exotic beasts to magic potions to slaves.

When Quiet fled his ruined tower, he made his way up the Gray Mare River. At Moonstone Lake, he saw an island with a massive blue crystal jutting from its center.

On the shore of Moonstone Lake, Quiet hid out in a small village called Ottswald. It is famous for the Blue Otter Pub & Boatworks.

Quiet eventually made his way to Umber Dell. There, he met the tortle Skywatcher Aris. A gnome named Skirovan, sent by Queen Nostraya, had just attacked the Skywatcher, so the young tortle was retreating to his hidden fortress with his guards, the Omyrian Order. Aris invited Quiet to join them on the journey.

Visitors enter Seabriar through one of three gates:

• Travelers by land enter through the Rivergate. The guards here are corrupt and require bribes.

• Travelers by sea enter through the Shipsgate. The guards here are corrupt and require bribes.

• The Crabber's Gate is supposed to be blocked shut, but somehow the vagrants and shipbreakers from Crabber's Den make their way into the city.

The vampire known as the Merry Lord Montblanc rules over Seabriar from his throne in the Merry Manor. Montblanc is a lover of the arts, music, and bloodwine. His manor has hosted an ever-evolving party for over a hundred years.

Outside the Merry Manor is the Merry Theatre, where the Moonstone Players host dramas, concerts, and gladiatorial combat.

The House of Silver Smiles is an enormous casino and inn. It is run by a tiefling gang known as the Silver Smiles, but recently Quiet had heard that ownership of the gang had changed hands to a mysterious figure named Mr. Bones.

The tortle Kalonius rules over this massive indoor market. Kalonius's thugs punish any merchants who operate outside of the Dragon Market, unless they pay a steep fee. Anything can be bought in the Dragon Market.

When Nostraya's spies identified an enemy of the Queen, the Ember Guard would take the prisoner to Stonehold to await their fate. A gnome named Virmin is the keeper of the cells, and is infamous for his cruelty.