The Port Village of Embrasse

Embrasse is carved into the white cliff. The dwellings are dug into the rock face or perched at the top, linked by a network of ladders, walkways and suspension bridges running down to the harbour. The land route in (steep and winding, called the Lacet) is the only way for anyone arriving on foot.

The village is famous throughout the Kingdom for its lightly salted ales and lemonades, brewed thanks to the swirl of the sea inlet. Corktown is its first customer. The harbour, well kept despite the village's modest size, allows passage to the great coastal cities.

On a rocky islet offshore stands the lighthouse the Flambeau, guarded by a massive, taciturn walrus named Jacob, and linked to the harbour by a sturdy wooden jetty.

The Salt Council

Embrasse is ruled by an assembly of five notables elected every five years from among the village's traders and craftsfolk:

• Madame Gavroche, a goat, owner of the Mille Chevreaux inn
• Sardine, a dynamic young cat, warehouse owner
• Bernadette, a venerable seagull, representative of the fishers
• Augustin Philibert de l'Horizon, a haughty lobster from an old local lineage
• Chouff, a massive ox, owner of the great brewery

The Council sits in the Town Hall, a small manor at the top of the cliff.

Notable figures

The harbour's best-known figure is Captain Capucine, who hires out her services to anyone looking for a good reason to take to the sea.

For as long as anyone can remember, two old crows of a strange white colour also live in the cliff and sit on the Council: Hugo and Milo. Few people see them often. Fewer still truly know who they are.