The town of Shim is far smaller, far quieter, and far less inviting than its big brother Marn. Only around 150 people have permanent residences there. Aside from the The Red Chalice Inn, a small place for travellers who want some peace and quiet, there is nothing for outsiders in Shim. Much of the town consists of farmland and small homes reserved for those who choose not to live in the neighbouring city for whatever reasons they may have. Overlooking these houses on a hill to the north is a large mansion known as Kaledin Manor, owned by the rich and well known man who calls himself Belatucadrus.
A cemetery near the heart of the town bleeds ancient magics that anyone with an affinity for such things can sense as evil. The people are quiet and wary of strangers, and seldom venture near either the cemetery or the Manor.
Situated on a hill overlooking Shim from the north is a quiet manor surrounded by many acres of natural gardens and an iron fence with a gate that is always left open. The sole permanent resident of the manor is well known to the locals as one who has lived there since the founding of the town, and perhaps longer. Calling himself only Belatucadrus, this man is seldom seen but both loved and feared by the locals for the harsh justice he is known to impose on anyone who threatens the peace of his town.
The manor itself is maintained by several servants, hand picked by Belatucadrus from various sources. Few people have seen the inside of the manor, which from outside clearly has more than a dozen rooms on each of its two stories, but it is rumored to be filled with a wealth of exotic art. It is also rumored that below the manor is a dungeon where those unfortunate enough to be taken are tortured and experimented on for purposes only known to the owner.