Locals tell of a small guardian spirit tied to the hearth—called the Brindle Wisp—said to keep the place warm through hard winters. Old wives speak of offerings left in the fire: a lock of hair saves a child from fever, a coin for a safe return. Scholars visiting the town have sniffed at the tale as superstition, but the hearth's odd behavior and the ongoing safety of the inn's patrons keep the belief alive. The ruined watchtower to the north has its own whisper: a forgotten sigil language, similar to the charcoal marks, once used by keepers of the tower to call out to someone 'on the other side.'