Resting Room Location: Although he was found asleep in his dormitory room at the Tribune, Howl's body was eventually moved to a new, separate building in the Emporio District. The Resting Room rose into the air along with the rest of the Emporio District, and is now located in Skysong.
Description: Howl was a low-level Meri, and those who were first entrusted to care for him had little to no information about who this guy actually was, with him being such a recent arrival. But one thing they did notice is just how much Howl seemed to love stuff, as he had clearly done a lot of shopping in his short time in Kenos prior to the Repose. Therefore, as the years went on, he became known for his love of clothing, books, trinkets and luxury goods; the stores and brands whose products were found in his room got the most out of this factoid, advertising themselves as being "favored by the Shard-Bearers." These outlets also provide most of the funding to maintain Howl's Resting Room, which they of course advertise to their customers whenever it is convenient for them.
The only other thing that could be said for certain about Howl was the strange fire burning in a small brazier in his room. Although it appeared to be a small fire that never went out, no matter how long it burned, Kenosians were shocked to discover that the fire possessed a Shard and was actually a Bearer himself. Despite this, there was no records of who or what this person was, leading them to be the most famous and mystifying find within Howl's dorm room.
While they initially started crafting a separate Resting Room for the strange, unknown Bearer, those plans were quickly canceled, as both the fire-being and Howl would rapidly begin to grow ill and weak if the two were apart for too long. Weird!
Purpose: Although Howl became known for little more than his vanity and consumerism, the nameless fire-being slowly took on a mythology of his own, as "the living fire that never goes out." Visitors to their joint Resting Room might leave a coin or two in honor of Howl, but most are there to gaze upon the mysterious, nameless "Shard-Bearer" whose body was made of fire. Offerings of wood, coal, and other burnables are routinely made to the fire, and some even sacrifice documents and personal items with the hope that it will bring them good luck — i.e., a student might throw in a bad report card in the hopes that his grades will improve, or a recent divorcee might toss in their old wedding dress as a kind of personal and spiritual spring cleaning.
Caretaker(s): As mentioned above, Howl and Calcifer's Resting Room is maintained by several prominent businesses acting in cooperation. Rather than being cared for by any singular person, the responsibility gets rotated around to different prominent merchants of the Emporio District; sometimes an exceptional employee would be "awarded" the honor of taking care of the Resting Room for a month or two, the same way they might receive a yearly bonus or an "Employee of the Month" award. These periods of service to the Resting Room are a favored award for employees in the District, as the amount of work needed is minimal, leading it to be seen as a type of quasi-vacation from normal work duties.
Howl & Calcifer (Meridian)
Description: Howl was a low-level Meri, and those who were first entrusted to care for him had little to no information about who this guy actually was, with him being such a recent arrival. But one thing they did notice is just how much Howl seemed to love stuff, as he had clearly done a lot of shopping in his short time in Kenos prior to the Repose. Therefore, as the years went on, he became known for his love of clothing, books, trinkets and luxury goods; the stores and brands whose products were found in his room got the most out of this factoid, advertising themselves as being "favored by the Shard-Bearers." These outlets also provide most of the funding to maintain Howl's Resting Room, which they of course advertise to their customers whenever it is convenient for them.
The only other thing that could be said for certain about Howl was the strange fire burning in a small brazier in his room. Although it appeared to be a small fire that never went out, no matter how long it burned, Kenosians were shocked to discover that the fire possessed a Shard and was actually a Bearer himself. Despite this, there was no records of who or what this person was, leading them to be the most famous and mystifying find within Howl's dorm room.
While they initially started crafting a separate Resting Room for the strange, unknown Bearer, those plans were quickly canceled, as both the fire-being and Howl would rapidly begin to grow ill and weak if the two were apart for too long. Weird!
Purpose: Although Howl became known for little more than his vanity and consumerism, the nameless fire-being slowly took on a mythology of his own, as "the living fire that never goes out." Visitors to their joint Resting Room might leave a coin or two in honor of Howl, but most are there to gaze upon the mysterious, nameless "Shard-Bearer" whose body was made of fire. Offerings of wood, coal, and other burnables are routinely made to the fire, and some even sacrifice documents and personal items with the hope that it will bring them good luck — i.e., a student might throw in a bad report card in the hopes that his grades will improve, or a recent divorcee might toss in their old wedding dress as a kind of personal and spiritual spring cleaning.
Caretaker(s): As mentioned above, Howl and Calcifer's Resting Room is maintained by several prominent businesses acting in cooperation. Rather than being cared for by any singular person, the responsibility gets rotated around to different prominent merchants of the Emporio District; sometimes an exceptional employee would be "awarded" the honor of taking care of the Resting Room for a month or two, the same way they might receive a yearly bonus or an "Employee of the Month" award. These periods of service to the Resting Room are a favored award for employees in the District, as the amount of work needed is minimal, leading it to be seen as a type of quasi-vacation from normal work duties.