Il-Heban rises like a mirage from the golden sands, a beacon of life and civilization nestled around a shimmering oasis. Once no more than a humble trading post where caravans paused to water their beasts and exchange goods, the city’s fate changed dramatically after the fall of Torrica, the former capital. Waves of refugees brought new crafts, traditions, and ambitions, and Il-Heban grew from a dusty crossroads into a vibrant, cosmopolitan jewel of the desert.

Every race contributed something to this transformation, but none more profoundly than the halflings. Masters of irrigation and terraforming, they coaxed fertility from the unforgiving sands, turning barren stretches into lush fields and blooming orchards. The crowning glory of their achievements is the Hanging Gardens of Il-Heban, a marvel of both engineering and beauty that symbolizes the city’s triumph over its harsh surroundings. In recognition of their wisdom and service, it was agreed that Il-Heban would be ruled by a halfling sultan – a tradition that continues to this day, with the halflings holding quiet but undeniable sway over the city’s heart.

Though once famed for its trade in rare and magical artifacts, Il-Heban's reputation has shifted toward a more elusive currency: information. Stories, secrets, and whispers flow as freely as coin here, a tradition born from the halflings’ love of tales and sharpened by the fortune-tellers and seers who have since made the city their home. Rumors persist that sphinxes, those ancient keepers of riddles and truth, prowl the sands nearby lending even more weight to Il-Heban's air of quiet enigma.

There's various shops, such as Pages & Potions, run by Neomagica of Lysse who uses her expertise learnt as a Feywild Librarian, along with her bardic affinity for storytelling. Stop by sometime for the odd this-and-that, or come for a story, poem or song, and you shall not be disappointed. This mystic city never disappoints.

There is a saying among travelers: Il-Heban is not a mystery to be solved, but a mystery that already holds its own answer. Beneath its sun-baked domes and within its shaded courtyards, secrets are traded, futures are glimpsed, and destinies are quietly rewritten.