The Peonie flows past Wisgarrd's walls, its banks carpeted with the flowering plants that give the river its name. The blooms—pink, white, and occasionally a deep crimson—have inspired Wisgarrd's jewelers for centuries. Peonie motifs appear in the oldest and most traditional designs, and graduating students traditionally receive a brooch in the peonie pattern.
But the flowers serve another purpose. Something in their scent—or perhaps in the mineral content of the water that feeds them—seems to dampen the resonance effect. During the blooming season, incursions from below decrease noticeably. Some scholars theorize the original founders planted the peonies deliberately, knowing their properties; others think it's coincidence. Either way, Wisgarrd guards its riverbanks carefully, and damaging the peonie fields is a capital offense.