Urbs+Umida+and+Surrounding+Areas

The Black Book of Secrets The Bone Magician The Eyeball Collector

The city of Urbs Umida (sometimes simply "The City") lies on the River Foedus, known for its toxicity and stench. Along its northern banks lie the houses of the (upwind) rich, while the southern half of the city lies in poverty, filth, and despair.

There are some noteworthy places, however, in the southern part of the city. Stop by The Nimble Fingers (Betty Peggotty, proprietor), located on the exact middle of the bridge stretching over the river and linking the two halves of the city. There you can view curiosities and wonders to delight (and sometimes disgust) you! Currently, you can ask a question of Madame de Bona, the late, once-famous seer now raised periodically by Mr. Pantagus, the Bone Magician, for your amusement and astonishment, or see the Gluttonous Beast, a creature so hideous and repulsive, capable of eating the most rancid and rotting of meat, that you'll wonder how nature could have allowed it to exist. Careful--some say its stench is almost as vile as that of the river! Of course, bring your money with you; like everything else in the city, these aren't free exhibits....

Caution should be exercised when out on the streets, particularly at night or in bad, foggy weather. The Silver Apple Killer is at large, and no one knows who will be his next target!

Looking for lodgings before night falls? If your looking for somewhere "inexpensive", try Barton Gumbroot's. Try to ignore the screams at night coming from the basement; Gumbroot practices "dentistry" on the side for a bit of extra money. After all, northerners tend to lose their teeth through their rich, extravagant lifestyles of candied this and that, and they will pay well for dentures made with real teeth. Of course, if you're short on coins but not on teeth, you could always pay for your lodging with a few teeth instead.

Mrs. Hoadswood's Lodging House may not be a five star hotel--but then again, compared to other lodgings on the south side of the river, it's as close as you can get. Her cooking is renowned, and you don't have to worry about selling your teeth, either!

On the north side of the city, you can keep up with all the aristocratic gossip with the //Northside Diurnal Journal//. It can be fun reading about the lastest soiree or fashion--but be careful not to make its pages! People's reputations (and, by default in the north, their lives) have been ruined by their sharpened quills!

Beyond Urbs Umida lies the Moiraean Mountains, where the little village of Pagus Parvus is located, clinging precariously to its craggy side. Pagus Parvus is full of everyday, average citizens except, perhaps, for Jeremiah Ratchet, whom people say secretly controls the villagers with his power, influence, and money--and perhaps more. Everyone is in debt to him, but he also knows their secrets, too.