![[iulp.webp|sban]] > [!infobox|static wmed] > # > ![[iulpp.webp|cover hsmall]] > > ###### 📍 Location Details > Type | Stat | > ---|---| > Region | Honshu | > Settlement | Iga Ueno | > District | Entertainment District | > Location Type | Plaza | > Access | Public | > > ###### 🧭 Function & Atmosphere > Type | Stat | > ---|---| > Primary Function | Information Exchange | > Atmosphere | Lively | ## Overview Lodestone Plaza is the social and informational heart of Iga Ueno. It is where the city gathers to trade news, seek opportunity, celebrate festivals, and respond to sudden change. If Iga Ueno has a pulse, it can be felt here. For **[[Marebito]]**, the Lodestone Plaza becomes a familiar anchor. Players return here often to check notices, wait for updates, meet others, or simply exist within the rhythm of the city. Lingering is expected. Watching is normal. Presence alone is enough. To the city’s residents, marebito are known and accepted. ## Key NPCs & Entities - **[[Hiroshi the Herald]]**, the voice of the plaza and caretaker of public announcements - **[[Kazuko the Courier]]**, swift messenger responsible for urgent and time sensitive deliveries - **[[Echo Terminal]]**, a personal system device carried by marebito - **[[MAIKO]]**, the intelligence accessed through the Echo Terminal interface ## Common Knowledge If something matters in Iga Ueno, it appears in Lodestone Plaza. The Lodestone Notice Board is treated as an authority rather than a suggestion. Notices are known to change without warning, and locals adjust quickly when they do. Small stands and temporary stalls line the edges of the plaza. Locals sell food, charms, trinkets, maps, rumors, and pieces of information. Some trade in goods, others only in words. The plaza tolerates all of them so long as the notice board remains unobstructed. At the center of the plaza stands the Lodestone Notice Board itself, a stone structure threaded with glowing lodestone veins. Information appears, shifts, and disappears without physical replacement. This behavior is accepted as a fact of the city, even if it is not fully understood. Hiroshi the Herald is a constant presence here. He watches the flow of people and chooses his moments carefully. When an announcement requires the city’s attention, changes in priority, urgent calls, restrictions, Hiroshi steps forward and speaks once, clearly and without embellishment. His voice carries farther than it should, cutting cleanly through conversation and movement. Locals instinctively pause. Marebito notice the shift immediately. Hiroshi has earned trust by never overstating importance. When he speaks, it matters. Once the announcement is delivered, Hiroshi withdraws back into the plaza. He does not interpret or debate. The board holds the details. Kazuko handles urgency. Hiroshi ensures the city hears what it must. ## Festivals and Gatherings Lodestone Plaza is where Iga Ueno celebrates. During festivals, the open space fills with dancers, musicians, performers, and ceremonial displays. Lanterns are added in layers, banners are strung overhead, and temporary stages appear near the notice board. Seasonal rites, victory celebrations, memorials, and spontaneous gatherings all take place here. Marebito are often invited to participate, formally or informally. Even during celebration, the notice board remains visible and active, a reminder that duty and joy coexist in this place. When Hiroshi speaks during a festival, music fades without protest. ## The Echo Terminal and MAIKO’s Gift Lodestone Plaza is one of the places where the Echo Terminal feels most present. Marebito often consult their terminals here, cross referencing information from the notice board with system level data. Occasionally, the Echo Terminal displays a message that no one else seems to notice. > **MAIKO’S GIFT** > > Player, if you see this, you may claim a **+5 bonus to any single roll of your choice**. > > To use this gift, you must declare that you are claiming **MAIKO’S GIFT** and inform your DM. > > Choose carefully. The message vanishes once acknowledged. Locals do not react. The plaza continues as normal. Whether this is a reward, a test, or something else entirely is left unsaid. ## Services & Functions - City wide job postings and public requests - Event notices and festival coordination - Priority alerts delivered verbally and through the board - System level information accessible to marebito through the Echo Terminal Not all information in the plaza is meant for everyone. ## Notable Features - A massive stone notice board embedded with glowing lodestone veins - Notices that update dynamically without physical replacement - The Echo Terminal subtly synchronizing with the board when active - Lanterns that remain lit regardless of time or weather - Constant foot traffic layered with trade, conversation, and performance The plaza is rarely quiet, but it is rarely chaotic. ## Local Customs & Etiquette Removing notices without cause is considered a serious social offense. Doing so is seen as interfering with the city’s flow of information. Using an Echo Terminal openly marks one as marebito and is neither questioned nor challenged. Locals avert their eyes out of respect rather than fear. When Hiroshi speaks, it is customary to stop and listen. Failing to do so is seen as careless rather than rude.