Description:

Crenny Knock used to be a thriving wharf town has now been absorbed by the fishing industry in the nearby city. Little by little, families moved away to be closer to their livelihoods, leaving homes and businesses empty.

Landmarks:

• Ninny's Nook - Ninny's Nook is the last remaining building. Open at all hours, all days during the year, the bookshop boasts a Bed & Breakfast and Cafe to meet the needs of any who find themselves on its doorstep. Owned and operated by Ninny and her family, Ninny likes to claim that they are the oldest record of an ancestral business in all of Narnvak.
• Tribute to Aippaq - A worn down shrine featuring an old well or fountain that is kept surprisingly clean despite the lack of any inscription describing its origin. The most interesting thing to note is that the walls of the well/fountain are made from stone carved to look like... is that books?

Lore:

Somewhere around three or five hundred years ago, a drought plagued Crenny Knock. The fishermen had to sail out further and further to find fish. The usually fertile fields withered and browned. The villagers worried about what this meant for the harvest and winter, but held out hope that fair Aippaq would restore their land.

Alas, that hope proved false.

A sudden lightning storm set fire to the distant hills around Crenny Knock. Many villagers fled at the sight, counting their homes as lost. Ninny (the original Ninny to hold the title of being the Ninny of Ninny's Nook... or maybe the same one...) dutifully emptied the bookshop, one armful of books at a time. “We can't lose our history,” she would say to anyone who urged her to abandon the task.

Day by day, the fires crept nearer, until they caught the first home on the furthest edge of the village. The other houses quickly fell prey to the flames that leapfrogged from rooftop to rooftop in a blossom of destruction. Accepting that it was time to leave with her life intact, Ninny abandoned her task with one final armful of books, mourning the hundreds of shelves filled to the brim of tomes that she couldn't save. Retreating a safe distance down the coast, she kept an eye on the amber glow of the village, praying, praying, praying.

Don't let us lose those stories. Don't let us lose our homes. Aippaq, remember us.

History will argue that an earthquake a thousand miles away triggered the events that happened next, but the villagers know better. Ninny especially knows that Aippaq heard her.

Turning to see the cause of why so many would cry out to him, Aippaq surveyed the village. The fire had eaten most of the homes, with nothing more than crumbling shadows of the outer shells remaining.The village green had turned black, a lick of fire plummeting into the well like a flare for help, eating the rope that had been used to draw water. Some of the town centre still stood; the white of the church reflected the red flames that danced from the windows, the stone of the city hall burned. The last building yet to be touched by the fire was the bookshop.

Compelling the spirits of the water, the ocean roared up in response to Aippaq. A tsunami climbed from the ocean, tossing itself on the village in a blanket that encompassed the entirety of the village, every parcel of farmland, and a good bit of the forest as well, until water lapped at the crowns of hills that had been left blackened and dead by the fire several days before. Winds swept like a vicious scythe, casting smoke and soot from the air. Thunder rumbled into being, heralded by bullets of rain drumming a tattoo on the ground, lightning-less clouds dark with fury.

Down on the beach, safe in a distant cove, the villagers watched the elements battle. Afterwards, many would swear to see this spirit or that spirit clear as day within the fray. But only Ninny saw Aippaq.

Clutching a few books to her chest, she stared, never taking her eyes of Aippaq. Only as the clouds peeled away to reveal blue skies did Aippaq return her gaze. Immortal meeting mortal, he acknowledged her, and left.

Returning to the village, there was little more than charred remains left for them. Inexplicably though, amidst the dripping, sooty skeletal remains, the bookshop stood pristine. Not a splash of water, or singed paint tainted the structure. Inside, the books slept undisturbed.

As is the course of nature, Crenny Knock took time to rebuild. Following the drought and wildfires, the next few years were not easy ones, but the village pulled itself together and survived.

Long before the village had been restored and found its feet again, Ninny had placed this sign outside the bookshop.

Ninny's Nook The oldest secondhand bookshop in Narnvak with an exceptional Bed & Breakfast and Cafe for any wandering soul needing comfort. As visited by Aippaq.

Original location inspiration by LeDbrite
Location art by USERNAME