'Talisman' is a human settlement on Pyrrhia, located within the
mountains south of the SkyWing palace.

## Description

Talisman is located near the Diamond Spray River, south of the SkyWing
palace. It is described to be a reasonably small town, only protected by
the dragonmancers. Talisman has bell towers built a ways up the
mountain, deliberately far away so the sound would not draw dragons to
the village. Buildings in Talisman have shelters where the humans hide
from approaching dragons, and the safest shelters were built to protect
the schoolchildren. The rooms are stocked with pallets and water
barrels, in case any human was trapped underground for too long.

There are many rules in Talisman, limiting the actions of the villagers
very often. Yelling, slaying dragons, and the act of insulting the
dragonmancers are all strictly forbidden. Colors that do not stand out
against the environment are preferred in the town, with orange being
considered a dangerous color for clothing.

## Notable features

### Trout's Study

Trout's study was a lair where Master Trout kept the blueprint to the
SkyWing palace and the books to the dragonmancers' secrets. No one was
allowed inside the study except for the dragonmancers. The door was
always locked, except when Trout uses the room.

The lair was dark and shadowy. The only window was covered with a thick
curtain, and all lamps were out. The lair smelled like cinnamon-dusted
mold, one sharp, pleasant scent scattered over a deeper, wetter, more
rotten odor. A small cage with a coiled snake inside sat on a desk full
of papers.

Bookshelves lined two walls, though they were only about a quarter full
of books. The rest of the shelf space was taken up by many oversized
artifacts that previously belonged to dragons, most of them gleaming
with gems. These included a tall diamond-studded hourglass, a loop of
metal with a ruby embedded in it, a giant copper cup etched with symbols
in Languages#Dragon|Dragon, and a heavy gold paperweight shaped like an
eye.

A large, tripe-padlocked safe stood behind the desk. There is a deep
scratch arching out from the bookshelf, as though it had been dragged
back and forth several times. There were piles of paper all over the
floor.

## History

### Legends

#### Dragonslayer

Talisman was one of the main settings of Dragonslayer, and it was first
shown as the home of Leaf and Wren. Wren was taken to be sacrificed in
an area close to the Diamond Spray River, but she soon left with Sky,
never wanting to return to the village. In part one, all of the chapters
from Leaf's perspective took place in Talisman. In part three of the
book, Wren, Leaf, and Ivy traveled to the village to reveal the
dragonmancers' secrets and force them to step down from power.

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### Field Guides

#### A Guide to the Dragon World

Talisman was briefly mentioned at the end of the guide in Wren's letter
to dragons.

## Trivia

  - Talisman villagers formerly hosted Dragonmancer Appreciation Day
    celebrations, where they held feasts and talked loudly about how
    wonderful the dragonmancers are.
  - Grove speculated that Talisman begun as a treasure smuggler's den,
    built close to the SkyWing palace so that they always have access to
    their large amounts of treasure. The treasure smugglers eventually
    became the dragonmancers, who ruled the town.