Puddles

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The Puddles

(City district)

Nation

Absalom

Government

Conventional (district council)

Images of the Puddles

Source: Guide to Absalom, pg(s). 40–42 (1E)
Absalom, City of Lost Omens, pg(s). 203–211 (2E)

The massive earthquake of 4698 AR affected much of Absalom, but it transformed what is now known as the Puddles district by dropping it below sea level at high tide, causing extensive and persistent flooding and erosion. The center of the district is now a festering lake known as the Little Inner Sea, and most businesses are calf-deep in water even at low tide.

Inhabitants

Unsurprisingly, most of the district's inhabitants who could leave the area have done so, leaving behind addicts, criminals, and the poor to fend for themselves in an environment as derelict as their squalid lives. The inhospitable environment and lack of public funds means less attention from the district watch, known here as the Muckruckers, making the district perfect hunting ground for those who prey on the weak and an ideal breeding ground for thieves' guilds, more than a handful of which operate out of the waterlogged quarter.

The Puddles is home to a small cambion ghetto, and despite living in the worst part of Absalom cambions still find more acceptance here than in most parts of Avistan. Goblins of the Crookedtoe tribe also recently settled in the Puddles at an abandoned playhouse on the district's western edge.

Skyways

The few hardy folk who remain in the Puddles have transformed the district by building countless small bridges and ramps between its closely packed buildings to avoid the flooded roads below. These platforms form a network of rickety skyways that allow travelers to crisscross the district without ever touching the ground, providing they have a good sense of balance.

Places of interest

• The Brine: This prison is located in the Puddles.
• Greater Absalom Performing Arts Guild Playhouse: The abandoned headquarters of the actors' guild is now home to the Crookedtoes goblin tribe.
• Metro-Cathedral: A largely abandoned temple of Abadar that is known for its truly enormous pipe organ.
• Siphons: A series of dangerously flooded tunnels run below this district.
• The Soggy Piper: This bar is somewhat disreputable even by Puddles standards.
• Stilt House: A city-owned building that serves as the Muckruckers' headquarters.
• Torsen's Maw: A short cliff overlooks the Inner Sea.

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.