Posted on by Magnus Seter

The Marble Baths

Altdorf is a grimy city, filled with waste and filth. But even so many of its inhabitants take great care to stay clean and bathe once every week. The manner in which they do so varies with social stature and income, but there is a sizeable portion that go to the public bathing houses that exist in the various Bezirks of our capital. Of course som baths are more splendid than others. Most common folk, the poor and the workers, simply use a barrel to scope cold water from, apply soap to strategic bodily locations, wash it off and rub themselves with rough towels to get dry. Not something you do every day, mind you.

For the upper class or for those of means, there are bath-houses where you get heated water in tubs or in pools. Some have rooms filled with heated rocks which you throw water on, creating steam to clean your body. Some rooms have cold pools of water so that you can alternate between hot and cool baths. There are also lounges where you can rest, eat a sausage or pie and drink a glass of wine or a flagon of cold beer.

For clients who can afford it, herbs or oils produced locally or imported from Estalia, Tilea or even Araby are added to the water to release a pleasing fragrance and promote good health and cleansing of the skin and lungs. Among the herbs commonly used are camomile, lavender, lemon balm, mint, rosemary and thyme. Oils are often scented with sap from birch or pine, or from the skins or peels from oranges, lemons, apples and pears.

Of all the bathing houses in the Empire, The Marble Baths in the Reikhoch Bezirk is probably the most well-known. The interiors are constructed from exquisite marble in Arabyan style, with beautiful mosaics depicting flowers, planets and stars. There are two sections, one for the men and one for the women. The bathers dress in simple linen trunks or dresses for the women. Curiosly both sexes often dress in something known as an Altdorf Wig, a kind of bathing hat of varying lavishness. Female bath-house keepers, often devout Shallyans in sleeveless dresses serve the bathers with buckets of hot or cold water and scrubs or lashes in the case of the more devout attendees.

Adolphus Altdorfer

Backertag, Sigmarzeit 24, 2522 IC

Posted on by Magnus Seter

Sayings, words and expressions (1)

The language of the Altdorf population is colourful, and often refers to commonly known events in the capital. Some of them bewilder me, some are quite simple to understand. I have come across quite a number of these sayings and have compiled a short list of some of them, and their meanings as far as I have divined them.

“Up the Reik without a barge” – In deep trouble, often abbreviated “Up the Reik.”

“Short crowd” – A gathering of angry people with no power. They don’t pose a threat, much like a bunch of halflings wouldn’t (they would make up a short crowd, hence the expression).

“Carstein Cattle” – inhabitants of Sylvania.

“Drunk as a map-maker” – derived from the fact that many maps of the Empire often are faulty and inconsistent, hence they are probable made by drunken map-makers.

“Moose-head” – norse raider. Refers to the helmets often worn by the Norscan warriors.

“Tybalt handshake” – a weak handshake, derived from the fact that chancellor Mornan Tybalt had his thumb clipped by rioters during a riot some years ago, in protest of his proposed labour tax.

“Altdorf party” – a riot.

“He’s riding the griffon” – someone is boasting, greatly exaggerating his prowess (often “romantic” prowess or combat skills). Could also mean that a person is mad, or hallucinating. Derived from the legends about The Emperor riding a griffon.

“Mad as Alfred” – Describes a person out of his mind, insane or just very, very different. Derived from Altdorf’s most famous and loved madman, called Mad Alfred. I’ll give you more details on this fascinating person in later writings.

“There’s no such thing as a free pie” – nothing in the Old World is free, everything has its price. You’ll never get anything for nothing. Also “a deal to good to be true”.

“A private war” – someone’s own personal business. “Well, it’s his private war, there’s nothing we can do to help”.

“Airhead” or “Cloudhead” – derisive term for Wizard, implying that they have their heads stuck in the clouds and consider themselves above mere mortals. Not used when a wizard is around, I gather.

“A Bergsburg deal” – a deal or offering that is on and off, depending on the whims of the people making the offering. Refers to the disputed status of the town of Bergsburg among the Imperial cartographers.

There are many more sayings like this, and I hope to document more as I spend more time talking to the people of Altdorf.

Adolphus Altdorfer
Konistag, Sigmarzeit 18, 2522 IC

Check out this link to the Black Industries forums, where Happy Gibbon started a fantastic thread about the sayings of the people of the Empire. The above list is my contribution, and you’ll find many more from Happy Gibbon as well as other contributors.

Magnus

Posted on by Magnus Seter

Gossip (5)

“Haven’t you heard? The Emperor is going to Middenheim to fight the Storm of Chaos! Only he can stem the tide of evil, they say! But you know what that means, don’t you? Yeah … that’ll leave Altdorf wide open to people like Fengsel and Waffenkammer!”

– Two soldiers sharing a flagon of Altdorfer Weisse at The Breasts of Myrmidia tavern, in the Niederhafen Bezirk

Few things have as much potential for trouble and therefore adventure as a sudden power vacuum. If for example the Emperor would leave Altdorf there would be many nobles and influential people trying to profit from his absence. Given the fact that communications are fairly slow and unreliable in the Old World, many plots can be hatched based on wild rumours as to the health of the Emperor as he campaigns against the Storm of Chaos.

But not every power vacuum needs to involve the Emperor or nobles and generals. Crime lords are notorious for warring amongst themselves when their … betters … are laid to rest or, erm … disappears. There are always room for backstabbing in the Guilds, the Merchant Guild being a prime candidate. But don’t underestimate the petty power-hungry fishmonger, rat catcher, City Watchman or lowly stable boy. Even the worst tyrant has to start somewhere after all …

Currrently in my own campaign, there is a riot running through Altdorf after news that the Emperor has been slain by traitorous generals allied with the forces of Chaos. This has provided some interesting twists to the lives of the characters, as well as given one of them an opportunity to prove his loyalty to the Emperor.

Whether this is a good idea remains to be seen.

Magnus