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<HTML> <HEAD><TITLE>Visitor's Guide to Verduria</TITLE></HEAD> <BODY BODY BGCOLOR="#C0FFC0" TEXT="#002200"> <!-- Map for Intro areas --> <MAP NAME="MetaTable"> <AREA COORDS="0,0,93,20" HREF="vercult.html"> <AREA COORDS="93,0,205,20" HREF="visitor.htm"> <AREA COORDS="205,0,363,20" HREF="http://www.spinnoff.com/zbb/"> <AREA COORDS="363,0,450,20" HREF="embassy.htm"> </map> <!-- VV nav bar --> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr bgcolor="#007000"><td colspan=7 height="5"> <tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><td colspan=7 height="5"> <tr bgcolor="#007000"> <td width="20"> <td width="203" height="50" valign="middle"><a href="virtuver.htm"><img src="illo/vvbase.gif" alt="Virtual Verduria" width="201" height="16"></a> <td width="77" align="center" valign="middle"><img src="illo/vvcrown.gif" width="36" height="21"> <td valign="middle" align="left"> <a href="drill0.htm"><img src="illo/vvintro.gif" title="Introductory pages" width="444" height="19" usemap="#MetaTable"></a> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><td colspan=7 height="5"> <tr bgcolor="#007000"><td colspan=7 height="5"> </table> <h2><a name="Visitor"><font color="#000060">Visitor's Guide to Verduria</a></font><IMG Align="right" SRC="verd-street.jpg" border=1 title="The Nezi district, under the shadow of Arcaln"> </h2> <a href="#Cadhinorian ">Climate</a> <br><a href="#Getting ">Getting there</a> <br><a href="#Currency">Currency</a> <br><a href="#Accommodations">Accommodations</a> <br><a href="#Meals">Meals</a> <br><a href="#Amusements">Amusements</a> <br><a href="#around">Getting around</a> <br><a href="#gouged">Getting gouged</a> <br><a href="#Real">Real trouble</a> <br><a href="#Women">Women travelers</a> <br><a href="#Gay">Gay and lesbian travelers</a> <br><a href="#around">Getting around the city</a> <hr> <h4><a name="Climate"><font color="#000060">Climate</a> <font size=-1><a href="#Visitor">[To Top]</font></font></a></h4> Verduria lies in the temperate zone of the southern hemisphere of Almea. The latitude and the climate are comparable to southern China or the southern U.S. <p>Before you go, you may wish to acquire <a href="http://www.almeopedia.com/index.php/Verdurian_clothing">Verdurian clothing</a>, or an approximation to it, so as not to stand out too much. The usual Western tourist outfit will be considered too revealing and low-class. <h4><a name="Getting"><font color="#000060">Getting there</a> <font size=-1><a href="#Visitor">[To Top]</font></font></a></h4> Your basic alternatives for visiting Almea are magic, miracle, or improbaballistics. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.<ul> <li> <b>Miracle</b>. According to Eleďe tradition, one shipload of travelers from Earth set out from Arsinoe, in Egypt, intending a trading expedition to Arabia and India, and found themselves on Almea instead, pulling into Avéla and bringing Catholicism to Almea. There have been no repeats of this "Miracle of the Translation", but the will of the Lord is of course inscrutable, and it is worth noting that this miracle involved the largest number of travelers known to have reached Verduria.<p> <li> <b>Magic</b>. More recently several travelers are reported to have arrived on Almea by magical means; but both the reports and the magic are unreliable. In one relatively certain incident, a Dhekhnami sorceror, in place of the incantation <i>Kruthen Gelalh</i> ("Come, Gelalh") mistakenly uttered <i>Krith Engel alh </i>("I want an Englishman"), and immediately one Wat Porridgeton, of Burbridge, Lancs., a hide tanner by trade, found himself standing before the necromancer, to the considerable surprise of both parties.<p> <li> <b>Improbaballistics</b>. The science of travel along a secondary temporal dimension to alternative universes is not well understood—indeed, it's not understood at all by terrestrial <i>or</i> Almean physics, and the traveler's best bet is to arrange passage with beings from an intermediate universe. Be careful; there are unscrupulous operators who, rather than sending you through a wormhole, will simply send you into a black hole. </ul> <h4><a name="Currency"><font color="#000060">Currency</a> <font size=-1><a href="#Visitor">[To Top]</font></font></a></h4> <IMG Align=Right SRC="coin.gif"> The common coin of Verduria is the <b><i>fale</b></i> or large silver piece, a little more than 3 cm wide; the silver <b><i>aržentul</b></i> is a third the size (and value). There are also gold coins of the same size but twelve times the value: the large <b><i>oř</b></i> and the small <b><i>ořula</b></i>. In addition there is a small silver-tin coin, the <b><i>emura</b></i>, worth 1/4 <i>aržentul</i>; and a large tin coin, the <b><i>stana</b></i>, worth 1/6 <i>emura</i>. <p>By modern terrestrial standards Verduria is a high-price, low-wage economy. A skilled worker makes about two <i>falî</i> a day. The traveler, however, can count on spending several times this amount per day. <p>Almean kingdoms are usually very concerned to regulate the flow of money (at least, the flow outward), and most require that only their own coins be used, and that private or foreign gold be exchanged by licensed <b>moneychangers</b> (<i>celkunomî</i>) or banks (<i>kunnáî</i>), for a fee (5-20% depending on the locality; in Verduria city it is 12.5%, by law). Merchants have their own reasons for checking for the state's imprint on coins proffered: fear of forgery. However, Verdurian coins are widely accepted throughout the Plain. <p><b><i>A warning</b></i>: Prices are simply displayed as numbers; there's no indication of the type of coin. It's generally <i>falî</i>, but for small purchases it may be in <i>emurî</i> or <i>stanî</i>. You're expected to know, and some merchants will not correct you if (say) you offer <i>emurî</i> for a debt in <i>stanî</i>, thus paying 6 times the price. <p>For more on coins and prices in the Plain, including the coinage of other states, see <a href="kingdom.htm#Coinage"><i>The Kingdom of Verduria</i></a>. <p>For the necessities of daily life cash is the only legal tender. For large purchases (more than five <i>ořulî</i>) one can also pay with a <i>zetdeče</i>, a <b>bank draft</b>. It's a hassle both to get one and to redeem one— you will be treated with deference, but with the utmost of triple-checked punctiliousness. <h4><a name="Accommodations"><font color="#000060">Accommodations</a> <font size=-1><a href="#Visitor">[To Top]</font></font></a></h4> The major cities of the Plain, as well as the major roads and riverways which link them, are well provided with <b>inns</b> (<i>prusî</i>), which range in size from houses with one or two free bedrooms to an entire city block. The price of a night's lodging is almost uniformly two <i>falî</i> (or local equivalent). Meals are not included. <p>In the cities this will mean a clean, private room with a bed, fireplace, goose-down pillows and comforters, a pail of hot water, and laundry service. At a roadside inn rooms may be shared, the mattresses are straw, and the pillow is a cloth sack stuffed with wool, old rags, or shells. And in small towns, or when the inn is full, there may be nothing much more than blankets spread on a pile of straw, or simply tossed on the floor near the fire. <p>Hospitality is an old Caďinorian virtue— <i>Rhošriftul e aď kašul</i>, as the proverb has it: "A stranger is a god in disguise"— and in the countryside it is often possible to get (somewhat primitive) lodging at a <b>farmhouse</b> merely by asking. It's customary to offer one <i>fale</i> in return. On the main routes, peasants are surlier; expect to ask at three or four houses before finding a room. <p>It's never wise to seek lodging late at <b>night</b>, not only because prices are likely to be higher, but because inns (and farmhouses) are not geared to high traffic, and fill up early. <h4><a name="Meals"><font color="#000060">Meals</a> <font size=-1><a href="#Visitor">[To Top]</font></font></a></h4> <IMG Align=Left SRC="vmeal.gif"> Your best bet for meals is also the inn. Food is likely to be good quality and fairly cheap— 1/2 to 1 <i>falî</i> for a large dinner (<i>prando</i>), 1 to 2 <i>aržentulî</i> for a light lunch or supper (<i>elčena </i>or<i> zury</i>). In the city, the <i>prando</i> is likely to be taken in the evening; in the country, at noontime. <p>In the cities you can also find <b>restaurants</b> (<i>lesteoi</i>). These are establishments aimed at the well off; you can expect excellent food and service, at five to ten times the price of an inn. Eight <i>falî</i> for a steak dinner, and 3 for a bottle of the best Célenorian red, are not untypical prices. <p>For a <b>light meal</b>, try taverns (<i>vifmitáî</i>), coffeehouses (<i>caunáî</i>), or tea houses (<i>čaináî</i>). In Verduria city, these abound in the university quarter, the <i>Biško</i>. These are geared toward a lower class of clientele— students, artists, traders, sailors. The food will not be rich or varied, and the wine is watered, but it'll be abundant. <p>There's no Starbucks in Verduria, but it should be any day now. <p>Verduria itself is a port city, whose ships ply almost the entire southern hemisphere; you can find just about anything in its streets, especially the docks area (the Scafiora). The foundation of Verdurian <b>cooking</b>, however, is the <i>zer</i> or flatbread, spread with a savory sauce, and laid with vegetables, potatoes, cheese, and whatever meat is available— chicken, pork, beef, shellfish. Don't take one if it's made of <i>betra</i>. The <i>zer</i> may be rolled or flat, thick or thin, and crisp or soft. (Curiously, fish, abundant in this coastal town, are never served inside <i>zerî</i>.) <p>For a list of Verdurian foods, see the <a href="thematic.htm#24">Thematic Dictionary</a>. <p>You'd better be a drinker, not only because <b>alcoholic beverages</b> are often all that's available, but because they'll be a good deal safer than the local water. Verdurian wines aren't categorized into red/white/rosé like ours, but into five categories: <ul> <li><b>uzina</b>, sweet white wines <li><b>ořpitë</b>, strong white wines <li><b>řasia</b>, rosé to light red wines <li><b>cleir</b>, medium red wines <li><b>luyšor</b>, heavy red wines</ul> Beer (<i>šerë</i>; 3 <i>stanî</i> (=1/2 <i>emura</i>) gets you a mug) and mead (<i>žöh</i>; 1 <i>emura</i> a mug) are almost as common. Distilled liquors (<i>kopurulî</i>) are available, but expensive. In coastal areas (and up the Svetla) coffee (<i>caua</i>; 1 <i>emura</i> for a (strong) cup) and tea (<i>čai</i>) are very popular. <p>If you don't like any of that, ask for juice (<i>suco</i>) or milk (<i>leme</i>). If you've never drunk raw milk you may be rather surprised at the taste. <h4><a name="Amusements"><font color="#000060">Amusements</a> <font size=-1><a href="#Visitor">[To Top]</font></font></a></h4> For the tourist, entertainments in Verduria divide into two kinds: those that require a knowledge of <a href="verdurian.htm">the language</a>, and those that don't. <p>Foremost among the former is <b>drama</b> (<i>ralinë</i>). There are several kinds: <ul> <li> Caďinorian (<i>caďina</i>)— epic events in high verse. Generally impenetrable to those without a thorough knowledge of Verdurian verse forms and the history of the Plain. The National Theater does all too many of these; but they're done best and most often in Žésifo. <li> Cuêzi (<i>cuzëa</i>)— plays from or in the style of ancient Cuzei. Rather more accessible— they're in prose, mostly self-explanatory, and more naturalistic. It helps if you're familiar with <a href="cuzeian.htm">Cuzeian religion</a>. <li> Popular (<i>ženei</i>)— stuff designed to appeal to the playgoing masses, and there <i>are</i> playgoing masses in a country without television or Web access. These plays have something for everyone— melodrama, slapstick, piety, satire, music and dancing— often in the same play. <li> Avélan (<i>avéle</i>)— stories set in modern times, ranging from moral tales to farce, but without the histrionics or mannerisms of the ancient models, or the vulgarity of the popular school.</ul> Other options to give your Verdurian a workout include <b>song</b> (<i>šant</i>) and spoken <b>poetry</b> (<i>cevai</i>). On a more popular level, look for <b>storytellers</b> (<i>racontecî</i>) and <b>puppet</b> shows (<i>sëvo</i>). Or pop in the Esčambra or the Mažtan-Kal and take in an afternoon of speechifying. Verdurians, like the ancient Romans, consider <b>oratory</b> an art (<i>kallogi</i>), and some of the speakers are masterful. <p>Eleďe <b>church</b> services are not very different from the Catholic mass (although they're in Verdurian, of course). More interesting for the visitor would be a visit to a <b>temple</b>— Caďinorian pagan, Irrean, or Endajué. <p>The pagans tend to put on the best show. A white bull is still sacrificed at the <b>Investiture of Spring</b> (<i>Imameto demeče</i>, 1 olašu). The first week of Cuéndimar is the <b>Grand Festival</b> honoring Enäron, filled with rites and playlets celebrating Caďinorian history. The <b>Solemn March</b> (<i>Išet Cumproseo</i>, 1st ceďnare in Želea), in origin a self-abasing plea to the gods to skip winter— it never works, but a good repentance may get you an Indian summer— is a spectacular sight, with its hordes of penitents chanting in the streets. <IMG Align=Right SRC="dancer.jpg"> <p><i>Sam nuržan er lavisian, řo e ceďue,</i> runs the proverb: without food or dance it isn't a festival. Caďinorian holidays always include plenty of eating and drinking (in rural areas, at the expense of the local lord). <p>And<b> dance</b> is indeed ubiquitous in Verduria: as a popular diversion; as skilled performance; as a religious celebration. In the latter category the most developed are those of the Xurnese religion Endajué (which indeed takes dance as the central metaphor for the life of the cosmos). However, you might scan advertisements for the word <i>cuzëece</i>, which indicates that the dance is to be peformed in the ancient Cuzeian fashion— that is, in the nude. <p>There is much, much more: casinos; athletic competitions; dogfights; street performers (thankfully, not including mimes); lectures; eating out; walking. (The <b><i>proseo</b></i> or noontime promenade is an unshakeable Verdurian tradition.) <p>Look for specific events in the <i>tutanél</i> or <b>newspaper</b>. Verdurian newspapers are usually small eight-pagers, cheap and hastily printed, and without graphics. They run heavily to announcements, anecdotes, society gossip, government news, and news from abroad, plus some opinion pieces and poetry. <h4><a name="around"><font color="#000060">Getting around</a> <font size=-1><a href="#Visitor">[To Top]</font></font></a></h4> <h5><a name="In"><font color="#000060">In the city</font></a></h5> In town, you basically have two choices: by foot or by <b>carriage</b> (<i>šadoš</i>). You hire these in the same way as you would taxis. Expect to pay about 2 <i>emurî</i> (1/2 <i>aržentul</i>) for a half-hour ride. Negotiate the price in advance. <p>There are <b>maps</b> of Verduria-city (also Žésifo and Avéla) available; check any bookseller. The best maps are those intended for pilgrims, since they give street names and indicate the location of inns. <p>In smaller towns (to say nothing of the lower-class parts of Verduria, which maps tend to skimp on, when they don't just draw the legend on top of them) it's easy to get disoriented: the streets are a warren, and aren't always named. If you get lost, offer a child a few coins to lead you back to your inn or to a local landmark, such as the main temple. <h5><a name="Between"><font color="#000060">Between towns</font></a></h5> If you're going long distances, go by <b>boat</b>; it's not all that fast, but it's cheap. If you're in more of a hurry, take a carriage, but share the costs with a few fellow travellers, or your purse will soon be empty. A day's ride, with no other passengers, will cost 3 <i>falî</i>. <p>A farmer going back to his land will often be willing to carry a passenger in his <b>wagon</b>. This is a cheap way to travel, and may even be free if you do some work for the farmer. On the other hand a farm somewhere in the Verdurian countryside two days' ride from anywhere is not, generally speaking, a happening scene. <p>You may save in the long run by buying your own <b>horse</b> (and of course it's the only way to get anywhere off the beaten trail). You can get a decent one for 60 <i>falî</i>, or a donkey for half that; and unless you abuse the poor thing terribly you can sell it once you're at your destination. But expect to pay a few <i>ořulî</i> to outfit the horse, and 1 <i>aržentul</i> a day to feed and stable it. <p><b>Magicians</b> (<i>alcedlomî</i>) offer supernatural means of travel through the air; but magicians are a surly lot who don't consider themselves to be in the travel business. Expect long negotiations and bring gifts— food, fine wine, alchemical equipment, obscure books and scrolls. <h4><a name="gouged"><font color="#000060">Getting gouged</a> <font size=-1><a href="#Visitor">[To Top]</font></font></a></h4> Almeans travel, but rarely for tourism alone. They have a purpose in mind— study, work, trade, pilgrimage, diplomacy. In general, facilities are geared for the upper bourgeoisie and the nobility. As a traveller, you are assumed to have a sign on your front saying <i>Tene kuna</i> (Has Dough), and one on your back saying <i>Et ktüeco</i> (Cheat Me). <p>The best defense is a little street smarts:<ul> <li> Know the typical prices in the region. As a traveler, you can expect to spend 8 to 10 <i>falî</i> a day, but not more. When buying from a craftsman, remember the daily wage— 2 <i>falî</i>. So something that takes a day to make should cost about that amount. <li> Keep your coin purse under your cloak, and let your hand pay it a visit, not the other way around. <li> Buy nothing sight unseen. (In inns, you pay when you receive the service, not before or after; but in restaurants you pay afterward.) <li> Don't pay anyone to <i>lead</i> you anywhere, especially late at night (any more than you'd pay someone to give you directions at home). <li> If a <i>šadošom</i> (carriage driver) suggests an alternative destination, his motivation is not likely to be benevolence; rather, he has an arrangement with the innkeeper or restaurant he's shilling. <li> Beware of anyone asking for fees, taxes, or contributions— they're probably pure inventions. Unless you're buying luxury trade goods, you as a traveler have only one tax to worry about, the moneychanging tax. <li> Don't bar-hop— drunken revellers are criminals' number one target. Pick your inn, lock up your valuables, and drink there. <li> It's not always a good idea to announce your real destination. Ask how to get to a church or temple that's near it, instead. Pilgrims are usually treated with respect. <li> Don't dress like a noble, unless you have a noble's private carriage and servants. And note that nobles generally do their travelling in the daytime. A foppishly dressed gentleman out late at night, perhaps wobbling from drink, is asking for trouble. <li> If anyone tries to peddle magic or magic items to you, send them packing. True magicians don't hawk their craft on the street. </ul> Don't let these rules overintimidate you. Verdurians are on the whole friendly to strangers, and if you simply exercise care, you will be surprised by generosity more often than by fraud or criminality. <p>(Should you go <b>armed</b>? Only if you can handle a sword— it doesn't impress anyone merely hanging at your side. They don't call guns equalizers for nothing; it takes a good deal of training to be able to defend yourself with a sword.) <h4><a name="Real"><font color="#000060">Real trouble</a> <font size=-1><a href="#Visitor">[To Top]</font></font></a></h4> In the cities and towns, a <i>cilu</i> or town guardsman will never be too far away. If you're in deep trouble, call out for one or send a child to fetch one. Look for their copper regalia; in particular, the medallion on their belt with the city seal. <p>The purpose of the <i>cilî</i> is not law enforcement or detective work, as in terrestrial countries, but keeping the peace. The questions on a <i>cilu</i>'s mind are <ul> <li>Is something bad going on here, right now? Is someone brawling, swordfighting, robbing, burglarizing, raping, murdering, vandalizing, or generally causing a ruckus? <li>Where can I get some fried dough treats? </ul> His attitude toward a crime that's already committed is remarkably fatalistic. Unless you can produce a dead body, or the perp is still visible high-tailing it away, don't expect much besides sympathy and stern advice. <p>In brief, it's not considered the state's job to pursue criminals— or even to punish them, in the case of fraud, hooliganism, or petty theft. If you were an ordinary Verdurian citizen, you would have a network of friends and family to do that for you. The Verdurian serious crime rate is actually fairly low, for this reason. If a Verdurian girl is attacked, her brothers, cousins, father and uncles will be out for revenge, and not a very pretty one. <p>Your problem, as a traveler, is that you've left your network at home. You are not without recourse, however. If you have money left, you can buy vengeance, in the form of a mercenary, soldier, barbarian, or <i>cilu</i> with nothing else to do. (A fair price for such services is 1 <i>fale</i> a day; but retain half till vengeance is accomplished.) Ask the innkeeper for help finding such men. <p>If you're broke, you may still be able to interest one of these in your case by promising part of the booty to be recovered. Otherwise your best bet is one of the monastic military orders, such as the <i>Clek Enäronei</i> (Fist of Enäron) or the all-female <a href="http://www.almeopedia.com/index.php/Knights_of_D%C3%A9vora">Knights of Dévora</a>. <p>If the crime happened in your <b>inn</b>, your innkeeper is required to keep and feed you for a week (longer, if you're wounded), at his expense. This law of course encourages innkeepers to keep their premises safe, and it works— you don't have to worry about being robbed or worse in your bed. <p>If you're <b>wounded or sick</b>, what you want is a <i>lekaro</i>, a physician. If what you need is surgery, expect rough but effective treatment, with alcohol or hallucinogens as anaesthetic. If you have something else, expect painful, expensive, and ineffectual treatment. Just wait out the illness, if you can— your chances are better. See a <i>zeřašom</i> (herbalist) for pain relief and some chance of a working folk remedy. If you get worse, try to get home, or at least find a good undertaker, rather than put yourself under the care of a <i>lekaro</i>. <p>If an <a href="verbio.htm#Lutinids "><i>iliu</i></a> offers to treat you, however, accept without hesitation. <h4><a name="Women"><font color="#000060">Women travelers</a> <font size=-1><a href="#Visitor">[To Top]</font></font></a></h4> Verdurians are sexist, but they are not Victorian. The overwhelming reality is that both women and men work hard, both have rights and obligations, and if anybody oppresses anybody else the reason is likely to be money, not sex. <p>Follow the street-smart rules above, with one addition: Act like a lady. In a class-conscious society like Verduria's, well-off women will generally be treated with deference. <p>By American standards, Verdurians are conventional but quite open about sex. There is no feeling that language must be moderated in front of— or in the mouths of— women, for instance. <p>It's best to be cautious about dress; again, the reason is related more to class than to sex. The lower and upper classes can be quite casual about nudity, but the middle class is not. If you dress revealingly, you'll be taken— and treated— as lower class. <h4><a name="Gay"><font color="#000060">Gay and lesbian travelers</a> <font size=-1><a href="#Visitor">[To Top]</font></font></a></h4> Gays can expect regressive attitudes, but need not fear violence. Only the very largest cities will have any sort of gay (<i>deníe</i>) culture. In Verduria, head for the Biško and look for coffeehouses (<i>caunáî</i>) with poetic or floral names; or check out the red light district (actually the black-window district) off Prosia Hovard. In Žésifo, gays congregate in certain rooms in the public baths; in Avéla, in waterfront bars on Prosia Crne. <p>Lesbians have an easier time of it; in fact, if you go for femmes, Verduria may seem a paradise. Verdurian culture does not condemn lesbian affairs; indeed, they're considered normal in girlhood (and even salutary, since they're seen as diverting attention from boys). Middle and upper class girls attend (segregated) schools, where they form attachments that often last for life. <p>But note that most of these girls get married, anyway. These affairs, though very important to the women of course, are simply ignored as unimportant by their husbands. <p>If you want a more separatist atmosphere, you want to hang with the <i>ponî</i> (butches), who are, like gays, marginalized. <i>Pona</i> hangouts are more scattered, though again the Biško is a good place to start; try the <i>čaináî</i>. In Žésifo try the game courts at the Imperial Gardens; in Avéla look for certain clothing stores— the ones that serve <i>caua</i>. <h4><a name="around"><font color="#000060">Getting around the city</a> <font size=-1><a href="#Visitor">[To Top]</font></font></a></h4> <img src="mazhtana.gif"></a> <ul> <li><a href="drill7.htm"> <b>Touristic highlights</b> </a> </ul> <h4><a name="orientatio"><font color="#000060">Getting oriented</font></a> <font size=-1><a href="#Visitor">[To Top]</font></font></a></h4> It's always easy to orient yourself in Verduria: the city slopes upward from the sea. If you can't see the sea directly, follow the streets downward and you'll eventually come to the sea (or to the river; but you can see across the river). <p>If you're on Soa Nezi (its name is actually Arin, but everyone calls it just The Island), the towers of the University are generally visible; and in the northern part of the island, the battlements of Arcaln loom to the north. <p>Much of Verduria is laid out in a grid pattern; these are new areas of the city, laid out during the Eleďe dynasty. The older areas of the city are in the north and on Soa Nezi. The enormous <i>Niëma Mažtanlagane</i> (City Plaza Park) indeed occupies the site of ancient Arénica; the wizard Utu cleared it out to create parkland around his palace (now the Mažtansäte). The Scafiora and Petrei areas date to the Dark Years and its streets show the characteristic medieval formlessness. <p>The many wide boulevards connecting the city's monuments (such as <i>prosiî</i> Rafát, Enäron, Vlaran, and Mëranac 1e) are the work of the vainglorious Mëranac 1e of the <a href="http://www.almeopedia.com/index.php/Abolineron">Abolinerons</a> (note that many of the focal points are Caďinorian pagan temples). The boulevards also make it easy to navigate the city; the general rule is to find the nearest big street and look for the landmark at one end or the other. <h5><a name="Addresses "><font color="#000060">Street addresses </font></a></h5> In larger towns houses are numbered sequentially, from one end of the street to another, from west to east or from south to north. Numbers skip back and forth across the street. The numbering was done only about a century ago, so there are not many skipped or doubly-used numbers. (If two new houses replace one old house, the newer house will have an address such as "58 ftore", the second 58.) <p>Addresses are written 'backwards', from the general to the particular. A full address in Verduria-city would look like this: <br>Verdúria-mažtana <br>Išira <br>37, Prosia Fleot <br>Prusi Frédrotei [Fred's Bar] <br>Frédrot Sevney <p>For a smaller town, the neighborhood is not given: <br>Pelym, Verdúria-fetöra <br>8, Prosia Ružkunnaomië <br>Šualnáe Imloëca Uem [Hertz Rent-a-Horse] <p>Villages and rural areas do not have addresses per se. Mail can be sent care of the local lord or <i>alďoro</i> (village head). Visitors should arrange for someone to meet them at the nearest village, or ask at a temple or church, or the <i>alďoro</i>'s house, for someone to show the way. <hr> <center><i>© 1997 by Mark Rosenfelder</i><br> </center> <!— VV nav bar —> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr bgcolor="#007000"><td colspan=7 height="5"> <tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><td colspan=7 height="5"> <tr bgcolor="#007000"> <td width="20"> <td width="203" height="50" valign="middle"><a href="virtuver.htm"><img src="illo/vvbase.gif" alt="Virtual Verduria" width="201" height="16"></a> <td width="77" align="center" valign="middle"><img src="illo/vvcrown.gif" width="36" height="21"> <td valign="middle" align="left"> <a href="drill0.htm"><img src="illo/vvintro.gif" title="Introductory pages" width="444" height="19" usemap="#MetaTable"></a> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><td colspan=7 height="5"> <tr bgcolor="#007000"><td colspan=7 height="5"> </BODY></HTML>