Backstory

Lord Archibald Vane is the proprietor of The Velvet Ledger, a peculiar establishment nestled in the grime of the Vitric Ward where Spire Glass is processed. Once a minor aristocrat serving a house that collapsed during the chaos following the Dragonbone Vanguard's victory, Archibald fled the burning estates not with gold, but with a sack of rare coffee beans and a massive, blank ledger.

He views the current peace in Coia as a temporary illusion, a 'fading light' before the darkness inevitably returns. Establishing his shop amidst miners and refugees, he enforced a strict, surreal code of aristocratic etiquette within his walls. He trades in Spire Glass, rare commodities, and, most importantly, information. He records every favor and debt in his namesake Ledger. He is a man who believes in nothing but the transaction; he has seen empires fall and heroes die, leaving him with a profound sense of nihilism wrapped in the velvet trappings of a dead era. He serves the strongest coffee in Coia, accompanied by a side of crushing pessimism delivered with a polite smile.