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The City of Grantabrugge
CUTT is set in the city of Grantabrugge. Grantabrugge is a large walled city with a river running through it, notable for containing the illustrious Brotherhood of Magic - a national centre for magical teaching and research - as well as having a functional trading docks, a full set of temples for each of the extant religions, a busy set of civic guilds and many other amenities suitable for a city of its size.
Grantabrugge prints its own money, backed by the city treasury. It is a net importer of food due to the large 'middle class' population of mages and craftspeople who do not farm, however these skilled inhabitants contribute to its wealth.
The Wessex Arms
CUTT Interactives are set inside the Wessex Arms, a pub conveniently located five minutes' brisk walk from all major city institutions. The drinks are free, the company is interesting, but the location is dangerous - people talk of it being attacked by all manner of monsters and demons and even occasionally exploding. Two of the major draws are the ritual circle (there are three magical ritual sites in the city, but the other two are much harder for a student mage to get permission to use) and the holy nature of the ground, said to be sacred to all of the gods simultaneously. Certainly the otherwise seedy pub has had a remarkable number of supernatural visitations, giving it a social status which it might otherwise be lacking.
Local Places of Interest
A full description of temples, colleges and guilds of Grantabrugge can be found by looking through the Player Guides section of the website, which is full of specific information about each organisation. The places described below do not have their own player guide, but are nonetheless noteworthy.The Gossip Offices - Grantabrugge operates a free press, and the weekly tabloid "The Grantabrugge Gossip" is distributed in most public areas. A popular newspaper, printed in what used to be the Temple of the Great Seeker, it is said that it has sadly gone downhill since the death of the god and subsequent loss of his strictural obligation for accuracy and truth.
Sir Peter's House of Learning - The rest of the large Seeker Temple was appropriated by the then mayor (Sir Peter) immediately after the god died and was converted into a very expensive school for the tuition of noble boys. During the Changing of the Races the Peter's House building hosted a stable connection to a demon plane which was to be used as an escape route should the disturbing situation suddenly get worse. The Seekers very reassuringly state that this is long since closed.
The Poorhouse - A new project in Year 7 of CUTT (1292/2009), the "Lady Darcy End To Hunger Programme" (known as the Poorhouse after the first week) offers very basic shelter and food to any individual prepared to do manual work to earn it. Largely populated by refugees, recent immigrants to the city and the very poor, the labour contributes to various civic projects (such as rebuilding after whatever disaster created the latest refugees) or can be hired for similar private work, such as temple improvements.
The Marketplace - At the centre of the city stands the marketplace and Town Hall. The market is a good place to find most necessities and basic supplies, the stalls varying day-by-day and selling a huge range of products, from magical trinkets to biscuits.
The Docks - Although inland, Grantabrugge has a trading port of sorts, with many large ships able to travel up the especially-dredged river to the city. The docks are a seedy and eclectic place, where both rent and information is cheap to the right face. It is also a good place to hire casual labour off-guild, although it may be best to arrange payment to take place elsewhere unless you wish to lose your purse. One famous trader is "Bob the One-Man Mob", who will publically complain for your cause at a very reasonable rate.
Other Pubs - There are many pubs in Grantabrugge apart from the Wessex Arms. Some are very civilised, with clean floors and skittles teams. Most are not. Noteable pubs include: The Drow's Head (a High Elf pub), The Whirlpool Inn (adjacent to the College of Water) and the Dirty Goblin (a local rival to the Wessex Arms). It should also be noted that the Temple of Sordan runs a high-class Gentleman's Club, performing a similar social function for the nobility and nouveau-riche.
The Fens - The city is surrounded by fenland, varying from 'a bit boggy' to 'this is a swamp' in most areas. It is rich agricultural land and provides good fishing, however it is best to stay in pairs if travelling at night - as well as occasional problems with undead or demons the fens are home to the native swog, a large and mildly venomous type of fish-eating creature known to sometimes attack passers-by.
Norscan Occupation
In Year 2 of CUTT (1286/2003), Grantabrugge was over-run by Norscan armies, who had been steadily working their way inland from the East under cover of distraction caused by a dispute about the King's heir. King Edward granted the Norscan warleader, Eric Gundersson, permanent Mayorship of the city in return for an end to the encroachment and Grantabrugge entered a year of Norscan rule. The Norscans imposed a curfew and banned the carrying of weapons without a purchased 'sword licence', they also made both light and dark magic illegal. Their rule was eagerly enforced by the Teutonian religious order Children of the Light, whose influence was much increased by this alliance and allowed them to better carry out their own campaign of increasingly 'purifying' the city alongside. After a mysterious plague arose in the new Norscan quarter and crippled the occupying forces, Mayor Gundersson decreed that the city was cursed and the Norscans abruptly abandoned it. The resulting backlash against the Children of the Light saw the foundation of the Unified City Milita, initally run by an elemental elf, and the creation of an Elven Unity alliance to protect elven interests in the face of persecution.
The Free City of Grantabrugge
Grantabrugge lies entirely contained within the Kingdom of Wessex, which forms a part of the landmass known as Albion (roughly corresponding to Great Britain). Until Year 4 of CUTT (1289/2006) Grantabrugge was originally merely a large population centre in Wessex, however in that year the Mayor Peter Snipe raised enough money to buy the Freedom of the City from the then King, King Edward of Wessex - who was able to find use for the money funding his perpetual military campaigns to expand and maintain the borders of Wessex. This built on the previous status of the city as a largely self-governing protectorate within the kingdom, under the Norscans. Whilst the freedom is technically bounded by the city walls, both Wessex and Grantabrugge generally treat the immediate fenland surrounding the city as also included - the peasants in the nearby villages largely raise crops for the city and get paid for it in Grantabruggan shillings. The Free City of Grantabrugge continues to uphold King's Law (in line with the rest of Wessex) in deference to the ease with which the Freedom could be revoked by force should the King decide to invade, however it also upholds specific City Law in addition to this.Free Grantabrugge is run by the Lord Protector, Peter Snipe, who is known to be engaged on a long "factfinding" mission to sunny Andalucia, and a council representing the parties who initially paid for the city in the ratio in which they contributed. Day to day, the city is run by the Mayor's Office - the current elected Mayor is Lady Darcy Nottingham.
City Awakening
During Year 6 of CUTT (1291/2008), Earth Magic was used in a mysterious process to cause the City of Grantabrugge to Awaken and gain sentience, in a manner slightly similar to the sentience of the demon plane Hob and even the gods and elemental lords. The city is usually untroubled by everyday activity and remains uncommunicative, however in Year 7 of CUTT (1292/2009) it began to cause earthquakes and demanded a friend - various options were presented but public news on the matter went abruptly quiet at around the time it looked as if it might choose Hob to be friends with.