Puddles

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Hellknights raid a tavern in the Puddles of Absalom.

The Puddles
(City district)

Nation
Government
Conventional (district council)
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.12 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.3

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.4

The Puddles is home to a small cambion5 ghetto, and despite living in the worst part of Absalom cambions still find more acceptance here than in most parts of Avistan.6 Goblins of the Crookedtoe tribe also recently settled in the Puddles at an abandoned playhouse on the district's western edge.7

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.8

Places of interest

References

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

  1. Owen K.C. Stephens. “Places” in Guide to Absalom, 39–40. Paizo Inc., 2008
  2. James Jacobs, et al. Absalom” in The Inner Sea World Guide, 40. Paizo Inc., 2011
  3. Owen K.C. Stephens. “Places” in Guide to Absalom, 40. Paizo Inc., 2008
  4. Erik Mona, et al. “Chapter 2: The Inner Sea” in Campaign Setting, 55. Paizo Inc., 2008
  5. Paizo referred to cambion planar scions as tieflings until the publication of Player Core. These cambions are unrelated to the type of demon with the same name.
  6. Colin McComb & Hal Maclean. “Blood of Fiends” in Blood of Fiends, 8. Paizo Inc., 2012
  7. Brian Duckwitz. Flooded King's Court, 3. Paizo Inc., 2019
  8. Erik Mona, et al. Absalom and Starstone Isle” in World Guide, 18. Paizo Inc., 2019
  9. Owen K.C. Stephens. “Places” in Guide to Absalom, 41. Paizo Inc., 2008
  10. Brian Duckwitz. Flooded King's Court, 5. Paizo Inc., 2019
  11. Michael Kortes. Silent Tide, 9. Paizo Inc., 2008
  12. Michael Kortes. Silent Tide, 7. Paizo Inc., 2008
  13. Michael Kortes. Silent Tide, 4. Paizo Inc., 2008
  14. Owen K.C. Stephens. “Places” in Guide to Absalom, 41–42. Paizo Inc., 2008
  15. Michael Kortes. Silent Tide, 5. Paizo Inc., 2008