“The Gilded Codex sits on a crooked lane of the Arcane Quarter, its windows crammed with humming runes and stacks of annotated grimoires. Shelves rise to ceiling-beams and are connected by a narrow catwalk where enchanted candles float in glass globes. Lyranna Mirthweave, the proprietor, rides the line between avuncular scholar and sharp-eyed dealer: she greets repeat customers by the smell of their spellbooks and quietly notes any new scars. She insists on all purchased magical items being tested in the back alcove (a small safe space warded to prevent accidents) and will not sell certain items without references or an offer of service in trade. She keeps a small ledger of 'vaulted' items — particularly valuable or controversial pieces that require a character to supply a letter of introduction, proof of intent, or complete a minor favor. Expect haggling to be a mental duel; Lyranna enjoys negotiations and may throw in a vial of rarer ink, a minor charm, or an intelligence of the hour's advice if she likes the buyer.”