Lumina Lake

Surrounding the castle of Thassena stretches Lumina Lake, a body of water so luminous it cradles the stars themselves. On clear nights, the lake mirrors the heavens in such perfect detail that travelers swear they’ve walked between two skies at once. To the Thassenians, Lumina Lake is not only their jewel but their lifeblood: provider, protector, and muse.

The kingdom’s great castle rises from an island within, a fortress of stone and light accessible only by a single narrow bridge…or by wings. Its reflection on the lake’s surface appears almost as real as the fortress, as though two kingdoms exist: one of stone, the other of shimmering water.

Thassena’s healers and dancers claim the lake’s essence fuels their gifts. The most revered among them, the Selachrim, are water dancers whose movements channel the rhythm of waves and the stillness of deep water. Their performances are said to heal hearts, calm rage, and stir tears as easily as they stir tides. Legends trace their art back to a being older than kingdoms: a mermaid who once dwelled in Lumina’s depths. She is said to have risen from the waters to teach the first Fae with water affinity the sacred dance, her voice the current, her body the flow.

Whether she was real or myth, no one knows. The mermaid has not been seen in centuries, her story dissolving into whispered song and bedtime tale. Still, on nights when the lake gleams brightest, some swear they see a figure gliding beneath the surface, watching, waiting, and perhaps reminding the Thassenians that their lake remembers more than it reveals.