Some Cities

{(set: $cityName to (either: "Bur", "Fum", "Fro", "Gru", "Jur", "Kar", "Mur", "Pel", "Pin", "Zeph") + (either: "ble", "", "", "", "b", "g", "n", "ble", "bon", "don", "gle", "ly", "lum", "rum") + (either: "bon", "burg", "ford", "foz", "more", "perrin", "roost", "river", "sted", "ston", "stone", "wake", "well", "wend", "wood", "zurg")) (set: $word to (either: "*ebben*", "*mur*", "*fince*", "*holdharry*", "*beckonbell*", "*nown*", "*commonkey*", "*sakenpeek*", "*boneborrow*", "*unhack*", "*snooj*", "*helpkeep*", "*richwatch*", "*readyrun*", "*pook*")) }Here you are in $cityName, and it's as strange as everyone said it would be. There is no private property as such. Here in $cityName, say somebody is using a watering can. Someone else might come up to them and ask to (either: "borrow the watering can", "fill a bucket", "put out a fire"). So long as (either: "they are both greenthumbs", "the user is watering blue roses", "the eventual purpose is to grow and sell flowers at the fair"), they will (either:"be able to", "") do so (either:"right away", "immediately"). However, the procedure to (either: "successfully grow a plant", "use a watering can", "collect the watering can for scrap metal", "water daffodils", "water yellow roses", "fill a bowl of water for a pet") might be completely different. The whole thing is very baffling. These (either: "arrangements", "institutions", "laws") do seem to (either: "work", "function well enough", "suit the inhabitants more or less"), although they are far from perfect. For example, there is clearly often (either:"friction", "some trouble") associated with (either: "blue roses", "watering cans", "flower shows", "gardens", "country fairs", "growing vegetables") and with (either: "bottles", "hoses", "the passage of seasons", "carafes", "decanters", "alchemical equipment"). The people of $cityName have an untranslateable word for problems of these kind: $word. When $word problems get especially bad, it tends to trigger (either: "the death of all blue roses, and a process called the", "the running away of all watering cans, and a process called the", "the insurmountable loss of greenthumbs, and a process called the", "a quasi-automated process called the Protocol of", "an ancient resolution rite known as the Rite of") (either: "Rousseau", "Durkenheim", "Haraway", "Growing", "Watering Cans") and the (either: "Meddlesome", "Querulous", "Infinite", "Entangled", "Transcorporeal", "Solastalgiac", "Negative", "Inverted", "Distributed", "Misty", "Expert", "Dubious", "Evil") (either: "Frog", "Impala", "Water Bear", "Salamander", "Hare", "Lemur", "Pink Rose", "Chestnut", "Watercan Nymph", "Hairy Badger"), apparently after some incident now lost in the mists of time. { }(either: "You decide to sojourn here for a very long time.", "Your attempts to do trade with $cityName are quite something.", "You snap a few pics, but that's about it.", "As for their equivalent of *money*, the mind boggles.", "Perhaps understanding their history would help you to understand their present? You decide to linger a while.", "The captain of your skyship is keen to move on, but several crew members decide to settle in $cityName.", "You jot down some notes, in case it should interest the academics back home, but you doubt they'd believe you.", "You are perplexed. Are the people of $cityName comrades?", "You spend as little time as possible in the disconcerting city of $cityName. Yet the next city is really no better.") [[Visit another city->Start]]

{(set: $cityName to (either: "Bur", "Fum", "Fem", "Fro", "Gru", "Jur", "Kar", "Mur", "Pel", "Pul", "Pin", "Zeph") + (either: "", "", "", "", "b", "g", "n", "ble", "bon", "don", "gle", "ly", "lum", "rum") + (either: "bon", "burg", "ford", "foz", "more", "perrin", "roost", "river", "sted", "ston", "stone", "parrow", "pinnen", "wick", "wake", "well", "wend", "wood", "zurg")) (set: $firstWord to (either: "*eb", "*mur", "*fince", "*hold", "*beckon", "*nown", "*common", "*saken")) (set: $firstWord to it + (either: "ben*", "mur*", "kop*", "harry*", "bell*", "moon*", "key*", "peek*", "rune*", "zij*")) (set: $secondWord to (either: "*bone", "*un", "*snoo", "*help", "*rich", "*ready", "*over", "*first", "*umber", "*shadow", "*seal", "*have", "*tax", "*tidy", "*witch")) (set: $secondWord to it + (either: "borrow*", "hack*", "sneal*", "keep*", "heap*", "run*", "steal*", "raise*", "raze*", "haze*", "watch*", "match*", "hatch*", "sit*", "filch*", "fetch*", "meadow*", "batten*", "guard*", "ship*")) }Somehow you've (either: "wound up", "found yourselves", "washed up") in $cityName, where there is no concept of ownership ... or is there? The truth is, despite your well-thumbed copy of *The (either: "", "", "Very") Rough Guide to $cityName*, you still find the $cityName equivalent of property (either:"a little", "quite") (either:"baffling", "odd"). Almost every thing in $cityName seems to have not one 'owner,' but two, one called its $firstWord and one called its $secondWord. Fair enough, but then it gets complicated. In the case of (either: "a plush toy", "a teapot", "a quilt", "a pince-nez", "a pipe", "a pinned butterfly", "a map drawn by a child", "a vampire cape", "a hot water bottle"), the $firstWord has (either: "the right", "the right", "every right", "permission", "license") to use and to (either: "sell", "mortgage", "subdivide", "store") it, (either: "", "", "just for example, ") but only the $secondWord has (either: "the", "any") right to (either: "lease", "license", "destroy", "modify", "write stories about", "advertise", "tax", "control access to", "barter", "recycle", "upcycle", "distribute", "repair", "consume", "set fire to", "relocate", "boast about", "make a gift of", "let someone else borrow", "have dreams about", "tear apart", "cuddle with") it. (either: "So far so good", "Well, fair enough"). But then take the example of (either: "a book of curses", "a carpet slipper", "pizza", "a bow tie", "a puzzle piece"). In *that* case, it is only the $secondWord who can (either: "make personal use of it", "sell it", "mortgage it") or (either: "put it up for auction", "barter it", "lease it"), whereas the $firstWord ((either: "in this case usually a legal entity, not an actual individual", "and there are very strict conditions on who that may be", "who is forbidden from direct communication with the $secondWord", "in this case the $firstWord tends to be a community rather than an individual", "in this case an office with strict term limits")) retains the ability to (either: "sell it on the open market", "exchange it for favours", "give it away", "inspect it", "create derivative works", "come within ten feet of it", "use it for any secondary purpose", "have it in their home") or to (either: "earn income from it by other means", "declare it for tax purposes", "be entered as its 'owner' (no, that can't be the right word) on the official public register", "enforce sanctions against stakeholders who mis-use it", "report its theft", "insure it", "change its appearance", "wear it on formal occasions", "boast about it", "talk about it"). (either: "You decide to sojourn here for a very long time.", "Your attempts to do trade with $cityName are quite something!", "You snap a few pics, but that's about it.", "As for their equivalent of *money*, the mind boggles.", "Perhaps understanding their past would help you to understand their present? You decide to linger a while.", "The architecture is exquisite.", "The city is mostly spread throughout a forest.", "Moreover, you use the word 'city' hesitantly, for somewhat unconnected reasons.", "The captain of your skyship is keen to move on, but several crew members decide to settle in $cityName.", "You jot down some notes, in case it should interest the academics back home, but you doubt they'd believe you.", "You are perplexed. Are the people of $cityName comrades or not?", "You spend as little time as possible in the disconcerting city of $cityName. Yet the next city is really no better.") [[Visit another city->Start]]

{(set: $cityName to (either: "Bel", "Bease", "Juzzly", "Bugel", "Fresh", "Betty", "Comb", "Clover", "Green", "Amber", "Ember", "Sweet", "Nimp", "Aghar", "Moggle", "Jurz", "Javel", "Mope", "Glubber", "Glimmer", "Silver")) (set: $cityName to it + (either: "haven", "keep", "home", "stone", "gollum", "ham", "glower", "glomen", "flower", "leaf", "long", "raffin", "kern", "kessel", "castle")) (set: $firstWord to (either: "*eb", "*mur", "*fince", "*hold", "*beckon", "*nown", "*common", "*saken")) (set: $firstWord to it + (either: "ben*", "mur*", "kop*", "harry*", "bell*", "moon*", "key*", "peek*", "rune*", "zij*")) (set: $secondWord to (either: "*bone", "*un", "*snoo", "*help", "*rich", "*ready", "*over", "*first", "*umber", "*shadow", "*seal", "*have", "*tax", "*tidy", "*witch")) (set: $secondWord to it + (either: "borrow*", "hack*", "sneal*", "keep*", "heap*", "run*", "steal*", "raise*", "raze*", "haze*", "watch*", "match*", "hatch*", "sit*", "filch*", "potch*", "fetch*", "meadow*", "batten*", "guard*", "ship*")) }Some (either:"days", "weeks", "time") later you arrive at a (either: "city", "beautiful city", "town", "large town", "city in the mountains", "city in the forest", "city in a rift in the mountain", "city in a cleft in the clouds") called $cityName. Here in $cityName there is (either:"really", "") no such thing as private (either: "property", "ownership"). But nor would you say that everything (either:"is owned in common", "belongs to everyone"), exactly. Instead you (either:"confront", "encounter") (either:"arrangements", "something", "a society", "a social order") quite (either:"opaque", "alien", "thrilling") to your (either:"understanding", "faculties of comprehension", "existing conceptions"). In $cityName one can $firstWord certain things (the word has no exact translation), but not others. For example, you can $firstWord (either: "a bat", "an umbrella", "a tree", "a bush", "a hearth", "a fireplace", "a stone walkway", "a pair of stilts", "a caravan", "a stall in the bazaar", "a place to sit", "a love nest", "a bunk", "a place at one of the mess halls", "a ticket to a concert"), (either: "twelve of anything", "six of anything", "ten of anything", "a twelve", "a six", "a ten", "a pouch of seeds", "a tube of syrup", "some raw cooking ingredients", "a cooking pot", "a cast iron cauldron", "a berth on a ship", "a spot to moor a barge", "a strip of agricultural land", "a spiral of agricultural land", "a disconnected constellation of patches of land"), or (either: "an insect", "a stone", "a wall", "a pitchfork", "a spade", "a rake", "a shed filled with gardening equipment", "a very small clockwork tractor"). But on no account could anyone ever $firstWord (either: "a three", "a two", "a one", "ten of them", "eight of them", "a river", "a rill", "a gutter", "a sewer", "a pond", "a fountain") or (either: "a lake", "a bay", "an inlet", "a bridge", "a submarine", "a glass-bottomed boat", "a yacht", "a sailing ship", "a wetland", "a rainwater but", "canal", "section of watercourse", "waterfall", "a marsh", "a sea")! Let's say that someone $firstWord*s* a (either:"salt shaker", "pepper shaker", "plate of scrambled eggs", "plate of chips", "platter of carrot sticks and dips", "bowl of candied fruits"). They then seem to have the right to (either: "taste", "smell it", "devour it", "combine it with other edible elements", "photograph it", "share it"), but not to (either: "swish it around", "wait before they do", "climb anywhere with it"). (either:"True", "True", "True", "Yes", "Sure", "In such cases"), you (either:"sense", "sense", "detect") some (either:"pattern", "pattern", "regularity", "logic") there, (either:"hovering", "hovering", "gliding", "flitting", "wobbling") at the (either:"edge", "edge", "rim", "horizon", "limits") of (either:"intelligibility", "comprehensibility", "your understanding"). But when it comes to the things one can $secondWord, it's nothing but topsy-turvy chaos. In $cityName you can $secondWord (either: "a fig", "a plum", "a tamarind", "an apple", "a pear", "a greengauge", "a persimmon") (either: "", "", "tree") but not (either: "ninety of anything", "forty of anything", "seventy of anything", "ninety of them", "a ninety", "a forty", "a seventy", "a gecko", "a mastiff", "a megaphone", "a rainbow"). The notion that anyone could ever $secondWord (either: "a mop", "a broom", "a brush") is highly offensive. And while to $secondWord something seems vaguely to correlate to (either:"being responsible for it", "knowing about it", "knowing where to find it", "making sure it doesn't harm anyone", "having access to it", "being the expert on it", "knowing how to mend it", "deciding when it is time for recycling"), or to having it at your disposal, the people of $cityName are certainly never proud owners, nor worried owners, but rather $secondWord whatever they $secondWord with a strange mixture of (either: "delight", "joy", "sadness", "sorrow", "frenzy", "serenity") and (either: "elation", "hope", "anxiety", "schadenfreude", "euphoria"). (either: "You decide to sojourn here for a very long time.", "Your attempts to do trade with $cityName are quite something.", "You snap a few pics, but that's about it.", "As for their equivalent of *money*, the mind boggles.", "Perhaps understanding their history would help you to understand their present? You decide to linger a while.", "The captain of your skyship is keen to move on, but several crew members decide to settle in $cityName.", "You jot down some notes, in case it should interest the academics back home, but you doubt they'd believe you.", "You are perplexed. Are the people of $cityName comrades?", "You spend as little time as possible in the disconcerting city of $cityName. Yet the next city is really no better.") [[Visit a new city->Start]]

{(set: $cityName to (either: "Bur", "Fum", "Flo", "Fro", "Gru", "Jal", "Jur", "Kar", "Mur", "Pel", "Pin", "Yur", "Zyk", "Zeph") + (either: "", "", "", "", "b", "g", "n", "ble", "bon", "don", "gle", "ly", "lum", "rum") + (either: "bon", "burg", "ford", "foz", "more", "perrin", "roost", "river", "sted", "ston", "stone", "wake", "well", "wend", "wood", "zurg")) (set: $firstWord to (either: "*ebben*", "*mur*", "*fince*", "*holdharry*", "*beckonbell*", "*nown*", "*commonkey*", "*sakenpeek*")) (set: $secondWord to (either: "*boneborrow*", "*unhack*", "*snooj*", "*helpkeep*", "*richwatch*", "*readyrun*", "*pook*")) }Some days later you arrive at (either: "", "", "", "", "the outskirts of") a city called $cityName. Here in $cityName there is (either: "really", "") no such thing as private (either:"property", "ownership"). But nor (either: "would you say that", "is") everything is (either: "owned", "owned", "held") in common, (either:"exactly", "precisely"). Instead you (either:"confront", "encounter", "marvel at", "find") (either:"arrangements", "a system of life", "a way of life", "a system", "something") (either:"quite", "rather") (either: "opaque", "incomprehensible", "challenging", "bizarre", "queer", "curious", "alien") to your (either:"understanding", "conceptions", "comprehension", "sensibilities", "own customs"). In $cityName one can $firstWord certain things (the word has no exact translation), but not others. For example, you can $firstWord (either: "a bat", "an umbrella", "a boomerang", "a shattered carafe", "a dusty stamp", "a teasel", "a node", "a tree", "a tin can", "a glass jar", "a stop sign", "a lantern", "a holy relic", "a communion wafer", "a hamper of snacks", "a hand-drawn map", "an IOU", "a note that has not yet been delivered", "a street light", "a photograph", "a painting of a public place", "a recipe for a stew", "a bag of tent pegs", "an area where a barge moors", "a small wooded piece of land", "a meme", "a shop on the high street", "a stall in the bazaar"), (either: "twelve of anything", "six of anything", "ten of anything", "a twelve", "a six", "a ten", "rain as it is falling", "snow as it is falling", "ice forming on the eaves", "roof tiles", "a broken roof tile", "a footpath", "a section of footpath", "a passage on the ferry", "one use of the canal lock", "whatever falls by itself from a particular tree or plant", "the leftovers from a wedding feast", "a broken flower pot", "a stuffed toy", "a patch where the sun is shining", "an allotment", "fallen branches", "the offcuts of a manufacturing process"), or (either: "", "", "", "", "", "", "a view of", "a representation of", "the final say over") (either: "an insect", "a genetic mutation", "a stone", "an insect wing", "a scientific specimen", "an alchemical concoction while it is still reacting", "a hospital bed", "a medical stretcher", "a section of wall", "the wall of apparently somebody else's house", "a public fountain", "a seat beside a public fountain", "what's in your pocket", "what's in the pocket of a particular coat", "a coat", "a toothbrush", "a stained glass window", "a bowl of porridge", "a bowl of congee", "some chopsticks", "one of a pair of chopsticks (but not both)", "the Holy Grail", "a saddle", "a wagonwheel", "a horseshoe", "a family heirloom", "a pair of calipers", "a mangle", "a clothes horse", "a wall", "a boundary marker", "an envelope with something secret inside", "the words to a poem", "the prosody of a poem but not its words", "a blanket", "a tailored cocktail of medicine", "a powerful narcotic drug"). But on no account could anyone ever $firstWord (either: "a tractor", "a pitchfork", "a university building", "a packet of seeds", "an ear of corn", "some seasonal bunting", "a cup of tea", "a glass of water", "a marumba", "a xylophone", "a collection of polyhedral dice", "the rules to a game", "the steps of a dance", "a machine that has been imported", "a scuba diving suit", "an ancient artifact of unknown provenance") or (either: "a lake", "a marsh", "a vampire cape", "a sea", "a key", "a wrench", "a suit of armour", "a climbing frame", "a play area", "a cat or dog", "most living beings", "an automaton", "a heap of gold", "a malnourished dingo", "defunct Motorolla flip-phone", "the toothbrush of an ex-lover", "a parcel whose return date has expired", "an amount of currency", "a wax candle", "an antique clock", "a hammer", "a saw", "a set of jeweler's loupes")! Let's say that someone $firstWord*s* (either: "a salt shaker", "a pepper shaker", "a carafe of water", "a rainwater butt", "a vial of poison", "a vaccine", "a peach cobbler", "a cup of soup", "a cup of wine", "a bottle of elderflower cordial"). They then seem to have the right to (either: "taste", "smell it", "pour it", "sprinkle it"), but not to (either: "share it", "wait before they do", "shake it", "finish it", "refill it"). (either:"True", "True", "True", "Yes", "Sure", "In such cases"), you (either:"sense", "sense", "detect") some (either:"pattern", "pattern", "regularity", "logic") there, (either:"hovering", "hovering", "gliding", "flitting", "wobbling") at the (either:"edge", "edge", "cusp", "horizon", "limits") of (either:"intelligibility", "comprehensibility", "your understanding"). But when it comes to the things one can $secondWord, it's nothing but (either:"topsy-turvy chaos", "sheer nonsense", "an affront to common sense", "some sort of communist scheme"). In $cityName you can $secondWord (either: "a fig", "a plum", "a tamarind", "a blue rose", "a severed head", "a palanquin", "a beaten-up old taxi", "a laugh track", "the layout of a publication", "a novel invention", "a principle", "a plague mask", "a vaccine", "a peg leg", "an engine part", "a painting frame", "a bucket of coal", "a peach pit", "a fork", "a hearing trumpet", "an idea", "a joke") but not (either: "ninety of anything", "forty of anything", "seventy of anything", "a map", "a song", "something you murmured in your sleep", "a knitting needle", "a coat rack", "a tin of snuff", "an obligation", "an elevator shaft", "a storage facility", "the aglet from a shoelace", "a shoelace", "a candy cane", "a top hat", "a crate of bandages and other first aid materials", "a manual about triage", "an expert system", "an android", "a Chess-playing automaton", "a clockwork dog", "a phone", "a formula", "a newspaper article", "a possum", "a quail", "a set of knives and forks", "a trumpet", "a trombone", "a length of fabric", "a luxurious gown", "part of something that was recently part of something else"). The notion that anyone could ever $secondWord (either: "a", "a", "a", "an old", "a second-hand", "a beloved", "a communal", "the neighborhood", "a technologically advanced version of a", "an antique", "a magic", "a valuable", "a golden", "a porcelain", "a clockwork", "a richly storied", "a secondhand", "a broken", "a broken old", "an ornately decorated", "a worn old", "a well-used", "a brand new", "the mended portion of a", "the scraps that result from destroying a") (either: "paintbrush", "wagon", "mop", "sweater", "pair of shoes", "whistle", "recorder", "drum kit", "set of pipes", "length of rubber tubing", "pair of opera glasses", "cement mixer", "set of scaffolding", "hairdryer", "fox", "broom", "brush", "vase", "condominium", "pencil", "keychain", "flag", "lampshade", "dog's lead", "football", "chapter", "pear", "tamarind", "cactus", "picture frame", "grimoire", "bowl", "tea tray") is (either:"highly offensive", "rather offensive", "completely baffling to them", "liable to produce peals of laughter", "a matter of abstruse legal debate"). And while to $secondWord something seems vaguely to correlate to (either:"being responsible for it", "being the expert on it", "knowing about it", "ensuring its fair use", "keeping track of who used it last", "being able to lend it to whomever you like"), or to having it at your disposal, the people of $cityName are certainly never proud owners, nor worried owners, but rather $secondWord whatever they $secondWord with a strange mixture of (either: "grief", "determination", "doggedness", "perplexity", "delight", "joy", "sadness") and (either: "elation", "hope", "anxiety", "lust", "sweetness", "cunning", "furtiveness"). (if: (random: 1, 5) is 1) [(either: "From time to time", "Every now and then", "Once a year", "Once a month", "Upon the triggering of certain abstruse conditions", "You have heard that, just occasionally", "Besides all this, there is the fact that every now and then"), (either: "the people of", "the inhabitants of", "the citizens of", "certain sections of the population of") $cityName (either:"indulge in", "carry out", "engage in", "perform") (either:"frenzies", "rituals", "processes", "solemn processes", "orgies", "paroxyms") of (either: "redistribution, destruction, and creation", "redistribution", "vandalism", "transference and transformation of all property (that is simply *not* the right word!)").] (if: (random: 1,3) is 1)[(display: "Division of Labor")](either: "You decide to sojourn here for a very long time.", "Your attempts to do trade with $cityName are quite something.", "There appear to be three separate spheres of exchange, each with it its own money.", "There seem to be myriad transactional orders, each incommensurate with the others, so that just about everyone is poor in some ways and rich in others.", "You snap a few pics, but that's about it.", "As for their equivalent of *money*, the mind boggles.", "Perhaps understanding their history would help you to understand their present? You decide to linger a while.", "The captain of your skyship is keen to move on, but several crew members decide to settle in $cityName.", "You jot down some notes, in case it should interest the academics back home, but you doubt they'd believe you.", "You are perplexed. Are the people of $cityName comrades?", "You spend as little time as possible in the disconcerting city of $cityName. Yet the next city is really no better.") [[Visit a new city->Start]]

[[Go to another city->Start]] (display: "Pick a Random City")(display: $cityNumber) (display: "Pick a Random City")(display: $cityNumber) (display: "Pick a Random City")(display: $cityNumber) (display: "Pick a Random City")(display: $cityNumber) (display: "Pick a Random City")(display: $cityNumber) (display: "Pick a Random City")(display: $cityNumber) (display: "Pick a Random City")(display: $cityNumber) (display: "Pick a Random City")(display: $cityNumber) (display: "Pick a Random City")(display: $cityNumber) (display: "Pick a Random City")(display: $cityNumber) (display: "Pick a Random City")(display: $cityNumber) (display: "Pick a Random City")(display: $cityNumber)

{(set: $cityNumber to (random:1,17)) (if: $cityNumber>12)[(set: $cityNumber to 10)] (set: $cityNumber to "City " + (text:it))}

(display: "Generate twelve") (display: "Generate twelve") (display: "Generate twelve") (display: "Generate twelve") (display: "Generate twelve") (display: "Generate twelve") (display: "Generate twelve") (display: "Generate twelve") (display: "Generate twelve") (display: "Generate twelve") (display: "Generate twelve") (display: "Generate twelve")

{(set: $cityName to (either: "Bur", "Fum", "Fro", "Gru", "Jur", "Kar", "Mur", "Pel", "Pin", "Zeph") + (either: "", "", "", "", "b", "g", "n", "ble", "bon", "don", "gle", "ly", "lum", "rum") + (either: "bon", "burg", "ford", "foz", "more", "perrin", "roost", "river", "sted", "ston", "stone", "wake", "well", "wend", "wood", "zurg")) (set: $localWord to (either: "*yebben*", "*murr*", "*fince*", "*holdharry*", "*beckonbell*", "*nown*", "*klommonkey*", "*sakenpeek*", "*boneborrow*", "*unhack*", "*snooj*", "*helpkeep*", "*richwatch*", "*readyrule*", "*pooz*")) }Here you are in $cityName, and it's (either: "filled with", "bursting with") (either:"occupations", "vocations") that are new to you. (if: (random: 1,2) is 1) [The truth is, despite your (either: "well-thumbed", "volumnious", "much-annotated", "dogeared") copy of *The (either:"Rough", "Lonely Planet") Guide to $cityName*, you still find the $cityName (either:"division of labor", "attitude toward work", "system of work and ownership", "system of production and distribution") (either: "a little baffling", "completely bizarre", "somewhat strange").] For instance, there is such a thing as a (either: "*kurzah*", "*caidove*", "*illianaros*"), who is in some ways a (either: "baker", "blacksmith", "bookbinder", "cleaner", "cleaner", "cook", "coachman", "colporteur", "coppersmith", "corset-maker", "falconer", "fan-maker", "farmer", "fisher", "fishmonger", "forester", "gardener", "gardener", "glassblower", "glazier", "gold miner", "gooseherd", "greengrocer", "groom", "guinea pig", "jester", "laborer", "merchant", "monk", "pauper", "playwright", "poet", "poet", "ratcatcher", "scrivener", "spice merchant", "tailor") but in other respects (either: "an artist", "an athlete", "a banker", "a banker", "a caregiver", "a caregiver", "a carer", "a civil servant", "a civil servant", "a consultant on matters you can't quite fathom", "a detective", "a diplomat", "a designer", "a delegate", "a dreamcatcher", "a dream interpreter", "a facilitator", "an economist", "an engraver", "an energy engineer", "an ecologist", "a gaffer", "a gladiator", "a goldsmith", "a golem-maker", "a golem-master", "a geologist", "a governor of municipal utilities", "a geomancer", "a governor", "a grave watcher", "a gravity-worker", "a grimbibber", "a guardian", "a gem-cutter", "a gallows keeper", "a governess", "a geneticist", "a genomicist", "a gunsmith", "a godbotherer", "a goof, plain and simple", "a grammarian", "a grammaticaster", "an infantryman", "just someone to talk to", "just someone who sort of helps with things", "just someone who's there if you need them", "a justice of the peace", "a justice of the peace", "a knight", "a lawyer", "a lawyer", "a linguist", "a legislator", "a mourner or carouser", "a nurse", "a nanny", "obviously on standby for something obscure", "provides sanctuary and succor to runaways", "a philologist", "a police officer", "a police officer", "a police officer", "a police officer, despite the people professing to have no police", "a persuasion architect", "a painter", "a poisoner", "a pandar", "a restorer", "someone who just remembers things", "someone whose job is simply to play games", "a social worker", "a spokesperson", "a soldier", "a sex worker", "a tax collector", "a sort of vandal"). Then there are the (either: "*yelwraeks*", "*volodars*", "*ievises*"), who appear to be a bit like (either:"accountants", "arbiters", "architects", "assassins", "auditors", "affect callibrators", "auditors of some sort", "advocates", "advocates for animals and even plants", "bankers", "beacon-tenders", "blacksmiths", "bonesetters", "botanists", "caregivers", "courtiers", "criminals", "dispute mediators", "dispute mediators", "dog trainers", "dog walkers", "eel-jugglers", "engineers", "entrepreneurs", "fitness instructors", "gaolors", "gravediggers", "guild administrators", "idle pleasure-seekers", "idlers and wastrels", "idling paupers", "interpreters", "inquisitors", "inspectors of some kind", "inventors", "inventors", "investigating censors", "investors", "invigilators of some kind", "*kurzahs*, whatever those are", "landlords", "lawyers", "lighthouse operators", "machinists", "machinists", "muscle-for-hire", "mercenaries", "morticians", "neighborhood administrators", "nobles", "nobles", "police officers", "private detectives", "property managers", "real estate agents", "revolutionaries", "schoolmasters", "soldiers", "spokespersons for weather systems", "syndicate administrators", "tax collectors", "teachers", "technicians", "terrorists", "town guards", "watchkeepers", "zookeepers"), (either: "but also quite a lot like", "but also do the duties of", "while also acting as the city's") (either: "advocates for children", "alchemists", "alewives", "anchoresses", "anger-reframers", "actuaries", "apothecaries", "arendators", "anthropologists", "armorers", "asylum-keepers", "asylum workers", "auctioneers", "aurifabers", "angels", "astrologers", "bonelace-makers", "bookkeepers", "bounty hunters", "brewers", "builders", "court advisors", "carpenters", "cleaners", "couriers", "couriers", "courtesans", "chroniclers", "crossing sweepers", "diabolists", "environmental modellers", "epidemiologists", "exorcists", "epistemologists", "edict writers", "farmers", "hairdressers", "healers", "hygiene inspectors", "ironmongers", "lamplighters", "locksmiths", "mechanics", "merchants", "messengers", "natural philosophers", "news reporters", "oracles", "outlaws", "plague doctors", "psychologists", "roofers", "sanitary workers", "scientists", "spies", "sewer workers", "shem-scribes", "shepherds", "statisticians", "tavernkeepers", "therapists", "thatchers", "troubadors", "wastewater engineers", "wastewater workers", "witches", "white hat warriors"). Not to mention the (either: "*norlee*", "*themyar*", "*moogoot*"), who is not quite a (either: "baker", "beadmaker", "beard-trimmer", "beekeeper", "beggar", "bricklayer", "burler", "bushelmaker", "barrel-maker", "candlemaker", "canoe pilot", "chandler", "confectioner", "cook", "cobbler", "concierge", "cabbage-farmer", "cotton-picker", "carer", "council member", "counsellor", "crimper", "currier", "farmer", "fruitier", "fire-fighter", "fruit-picker", "glimmerman", "gardener", "gong farmer", "governess", "grave digger", "general laborer", "handyman", "haberdasher", "hermit", "launderer", "leaf dealer", "miller", "mudlark", "mummer", "nanny", "nurse", "rag and bone man", "seamstress", "streetsweeper", "sanitation worker", "plumber", "tragedian", "vintner", "winemaker", "well digger"), and not quite a (either: "bailiff", "barber-surgeon", "bard", "barder", "barkeeper", "bodyguard", "boonmaster", "brewer", "brewster","brightsmith", "brogger", "bursar", "butcher", "censor", "cheesemaker", "claims assessor", "clerk", "clockmaker", "coalhiggler", "coin-minter", "collier", "complicator", "cop", "devil's advocate", "diplomat", "druid", "drag queen", "facilitator", "financier", "foreman", "game designer", "ghostwriter", "ghost", "gamesmith", "gamifier", "glassblower", "glazier", "guesthouse keeper", "hair weaver", "hayward", "historian", "insurer", "jeweller", "keeper of forbidden knowledge", "knocker-upper", "lantern-maker", "lark inspector", "lattener", "lattice-fearer", "law clerk", "leaf-lover", "leech", "lent inspector", "lepidopterist", "leveller", "lexicographer", "librarian", "limits-mender", "lizard-herder", "loan shark", "masseuse", "model", "master of ceremonies", "magistrate", "mathematician", "merchant adventurer", "midwife", "military official", "mortgage inspector", "musician", "neighborhood watch officer", "pickler and jam-maker", "priest-hunter", "psychic", "rhapsode", "rhetorician", "rigger", "risk-assessor", "rivetter", "roofer", "runemaster", "scullery maid", "solar energy collector", "shipwright", "smearmonger", "sociologist", "sorcerer", "student", "surgeon", "syndicate liaison", "theologian", "watchmaker"). And of course the (either: "*ryo*", "*taenran*", "*flintcoat*"), (either: "*oppalman*", "*swaller*", "*grorlim*"), and (either: "*bolgror*", "*grar*", "*rurn*"), whom you would say are three different kinds of (either: "advertiser", "legal advisor", "apothecary", "book-gilder", "brewer", "busker", "butler", "carpenter", "char", "charman", "charwoman", "chimneysweep", "city watchman", "civil servant", "cleaner", "clown", "concierge", "coneycatcher", "counsellor", "crockery dealer", "dancer", "dishwasher", "domestic servant", "farrier", "fewterer", "florist", "furnisher", "gardener", "garlic-seller", "gas stoker", "gendermonger", "gatekeeper", "glazier", "goldsmith", "gambler", "horse-leech", "horseleech, given their undeniable affinities with both leeches and horses", "hospital porter", "hostler", "innkeeper", "juggler", "knocker-upper", "lamplighter, since you have seen persons answering to all three descriptions wandering the streets at dusk with wicks affixed to long staffs, illuminating the city", "launderer", "life coach", "locksmith", "mangle-keeper", "miner", "nurse", "parlormaid", "plumber", "poet", "porter", "psychologist", "shipwright", "spice-seller", "spicer", "stevedore", "stone cutter", "stone mason", "stone mason, given that their work seems to focus on the cutting, preparation, and manipulation of stone", "streetsweeper", "sweeper", "sword-maker, given that they spend all their time making swords", "teacher", "thatcher", "tour guide", "tourism officer", "town crier", "tutor", "veterinarian", "weaver", "well-sinker", "window-cleaner, given their unmistakable tendency to go from window to window removing dirt and grime", "yoga instructor"), except everyone meets that suggestion with puzzlement or peals of laughter. (either: "", "", "The city's corresponding system of 'ownership,' if you can call it such, is correspondingly curious.", "As for 'property' in $cityName, it is even stranger than work!", "You dimly recognize that the curiosities of work are part of a mesh of strangeness, encompassing the $cityName equivalents of government, the family, leisure and play, love, religion, and many other matters.") (if: (random: 1,2) is 1) [You find yourself in a tavern with a (either: "*bolgror*", "*grar*", "*rurn*", "*ryo*", "*yelwraek*", "*volodar*") and a (either: "*taenran*", "*flintcoat*", "*norlee*", "*themyar*", "*moogoot*", "*kurzah*", "*caidove*"). (either:"Try to explain to them what *you* do.", "They are as baffled by your words as you are by theirs. Eventually you understand each other. What is it you understand?", "One of them is considering a career change. What's your advice?", "They've both come straight from work and are still in work clothes. You point to a tool and smile politely. 'What's that do?'")] (else:) [You find yourself in a tavern with a *bolgror* and a (either: "*taenran*", "*flintcoat*", "*norlee*", "*themyar*", "*moogoot*", "*kurzah*", "*caidove*"). (either: "You think you are almost getting it, till the bolgror says, 'Can we not talk about work?'", "The *bolgror* is considering her career options. What's your advice?", "You learn a lot, but then the *bolgror* starts buying shots, and in the morning it's not so clear.", "The *bolgror* is very old, and remembers the time before the revolution, and how it all changed. How did it all change?", "That's when you learn about some of the special properties of the city's system of government, which explain a lot. What do the *bolgror* and her friend teach you?", "Over a couple of flagons of honey mead (the *bolgror* drinks water) and a relaxed game of *dobble*, you learn much about the history of the city. What do you learn?", "You try not to pry, but before long you have learned a lot about the distinctive qualities of the people here, and it all starts making sense. What sense does it make?")] [[Visit another city->Start]]

(either: "To make matters worse", "Moreover", "Connected with this pattern of owership", "Connected with this way of governing", "In some way connected to all this"), $cityName is (either: "filled with", "bursting with") (either:"occupations", "vocations") that are (either:"new", "unfamiliar", "baffling") to you. For instance, there is such a thing as a (either: "*kur*", "*blis*", "*cai*", "*illia*", "*yellen*", "*myrtle*", "*yegger*")(either: "*zah*", "*dove*", "*naros*", "*fellyn*", "*fang*", "*grubber*", "*sheng*"), who is in some ways a (either: "baker", "blacksmith", "bookbinder", "cleaner", "cleaner", "cook", "coachman", "colporteur", "coppersmith", "corset-maker", "falconer", "fan-maker", "farmer", "fisher", "fishmonger", "forester", "gardener", "gardener", "glassblower", "glazier", "gold miner", "gooseherd", "greengrocer", "groom", "guinea pig", "jester", "laborer", "merchant", "monk", "pauper", "playwright", "poet", "poet", "ratcatcher", "scrivener", "spice merchant", "tailor") but in other respects (either: "an artist", "an athlete", "a banker", "a banker", "a caregiver", "a caregiver", "a carer", "a civil servant", "a civil servant", "a consultant on matters you can't quite fathom", "a detective", "a diplomat", "a designer", "a delegate", "a dreamcatcher", "a dream interpreter", "a facilitator", "an economist", "an engraver", "an energy engineer", "an ecologist", "a gaffer", "a gladiator", "a goldsmith", "a golem-maker", "a golem-master", "a geologist", "a governor of municipal utilities", "a geomancer", "a governor", "a grave watcher", "a gravity-worker", "a grimbibber", "a guardian", "a gem-cutter", "a gallows keeper", "a governess", "a geneticist", "a genomicist", "a gunsmith", "a godbotherer", "a goof, plain and simple", "a grammarian", "a grammaticaster", "an infantryman", "just someone to talk to", "just someone who sort of helps with things", "just someone who's there if you need them", "a justice of the peace", "a justice of the peace", "a knight", "a lawyer", "a lawyer", "a linguist", "a legislator", "a mourner or carouser", "a nurse", "a nanny", "obviously on standby for something obscure", "provides sanctuary and succor to runaways", "a philologist", "a police officer", "a police officer", "a police officer", "a police officer, despite the people professing to have no police", "a persuasion architect", "a painter", "a poisoner", "a pandar", "a restorer", "someone who just remembers things", "someone whose job is simply to play games", "a social worker", "a spokesperson", "a soldier", "a sex worker", "a tax collector", "a sort of vandal"). Then there are the (either: "*yel*", "*vol*", "*ivy*", "*iev*", "*um*", "*em*", "*never*", "*river*", "*zys*", "*zysy*", "*pell*")(either: "*wraeks*", "*odars*", "*ises*", "*hoods*", "*boots*", "*mals*", "*ffbs*", "*fyx*", "*choops*"), who appear to be a bit like (either:"accountants", "arbiters", "architects", "assassins", "auditors", "affect callibrators", "auditors of some sort", "advocates", "advocates for animals and even plants", "bankers", "beacon-tenders", "blacksmiths", "bonesetters", "botanists", "caregivers", "courtiers", "criminals", "dispute mediators", "dispute mediators", "dog trainers", "dog walkers", "eel-jugglers", "engineers", "entrepreneurs", "fitness instructors", "gaolors", "gravediggers", "guild administrators", "idle pleasure-seekers", "idlers and wastrels", "idling paupers", "interpreters", "inquisitors", "inspectors of some kind", "inventors", "inventors", "investigating censors", "investors", "invigilators of some kind", "*kurzahs*, whatever those are", "landlords", "lawyers", "lighthouse operators", "machinists", "machinists", "muscle-for-hire", "mercenaries", "morticians", "neighborhood administrators", "nobles", "nobles", "police officers", "private detectives", "property managers", "real estate agents", "revolutionaries", "schoolmasters", "soldiers", "spokespersons for weather systems", "syndicate administrators", "tax collectors", "teachers", "technicians", "terrorists", "town guards", "watchkeepers", "zookeepers"), (if: (random: 1,3) is 1) [(either: "but also quite a lot like", "but also do the duties of", "while also acting as the city's") (either: "advocates for children", "alchemists", "alewives", "anchoresses", "anger-reframers", "actuaries", "apothecaries", "arendators", "anthropologists", "armorers", "asylum-keepers", "asylum workers", "auctioneers", "aurifabers", "angels", "astrologers", "bonelace-makers", "bookkeepers", "bounty hunters", "brewers", "builders", "court advisors", "carpenters", "cleaners", "couriers", "couriers", "courtesans", "chroniclers", "crossing sweepers", "diabolists", "environmental modellers", "epidemiologists", "exorcists", "epistemologists", "edict writers", "farmers", "hairdressers", "healers", "hygiene inspectors", "ironmongers", "lamplighters", "locksmiths", "mechanics", "merchants", "messengers", "natural philosophers", "news reporters", "oracles", "outlaws", "plague doctors", "psychologists", "roofers", "sanitary workers", "scientists", "spies", "sewer workers", "shem-scribes", "shepherds", "statisticians", "tavernkeepers", "therapists", "thatchers", "troubadors", "wastewater engineers", "wastewater workers", "witches", "white hat warriors").](else:) [but who also often seem to (either: "$firstWord", "$secondWord") the city's (either: "stray cats and dogs", "rooftop gardens", "perimeter defences", "tall crenelled walls", "imported textiles", "spinning jennies", "mules", "more splendid ballgowns", "crystals", "art supplies", "fruits and vegetables", "exhibitions of children's art", "sacred shrines", "shrines", "various scattered temples", "rainwater butts", "bridges", "kerbs", "drains", "sewers", "onion-domed universities", "rugs and carpets", "gutters and rills", "canal locks", "bicycle lanes").] Not to mention the (either: "*reddy*", "*nor*", "*them*", "*fluewer*", "*bloom*", "*roo*", "*troo*", "*moo*")(either: "*lee*", "*moo*", "*yar*", "*goot*", "*hand*", "*thum*", "*ror*", "*rurn*", "*man*", "*coat*"), who is not quite a (either: "baker", "beadmaker", "beard-trimmer", "beekeeper", "beggar", "bricklayer", "burler", "bushelmaker", "barrel-maker", "candlemaker", "canoe pilot", "chandler", "confectioner", "cook", "cobbler", "concierge", "cabbage-farmer", "cotton-picker", "carer", "council member", "counsellor", "crimper", "currier", "farmer", "fruitier", "fire-fighter", "fruit-picker", "glimmerman", "gardener", "gong farmer", "governess", "grave digger", "general laborer", "handyman", "haberdasher", "hermit", "launderer", "leaf dealer", "miller", "mudlark", "mummer", "nanny", "nurse", "rag and bone man", "seamstress", "streetsweeper", "sanitation worker", "plumber", "tragedian", "vintner", "winemaker", "well digger"), and not quite a (either: "bailiff", "barber-surgeon", "bard", "barder", "barkeeper", "bodyguard", "boonmaster", "brewer", "brewster","brightsmith", "brogger", "bursar", "butcher", "censor", "cheesemaker", "claims assessor", "clerk", "clockmaker", "coalhiggler", "coin-minter", "collier", "complicator", "cop", "devil's advocate", "diplomat", "druid", "drag queen", "facilitator", "financier", "foreman", "game designer", "ghostwriter", "ghost", "gamesmith", "gamifier", "glassblower", "glazier", "guesthouse keeper", "hair weaver", "hayward", "historian", "insurer", "jeweller", "keeper of forbidden knowledge", "knocker-upper", "lantern-maker", "lark inspector", "lattener", "lattice-fearer", "law clerk", "leaf-lover", "leech", "lent inspector", "lepidopterist", "leveller", "lexicographer", "librarian", "limits-mender", "lizard-herder", "loan shark", "masseuse", "model", "master of ceremonies", "magistrate", "mathematician", "merchant adventurer", "midwife", "military official", "mortgage inspector", "musician", "neighborhood watch officer", "pickler and jam-maker", "priest-hunter", "psychic", "rhapsode", "rhetorician", "rigger", "risk-assessor", "rivetter", "roofer", "runemaster", "scullery maid", "solar energy collector", "shipwright", "smearmonger", "sociologist", "sorcerer", "student", "surgeon", "syndicate liaison", "theologian", "watchmaker"). And of course the (either: "*ryo*", "*taenran*", "*flintcoat*"), (either: "*oppalman*", "*swaller*", "*grorlim*"), and (either: "*bolgror*", "*grar*", "*rurn*"), whom you would say are three different kinds of (either: "advertiser", "legal advisor", "apothecary", "book-gilder", "brewer", "busker", "butler", "carpenter", "char", "charman", "charwoman", "chimneysweep", "city watchman", "civil servant", "cleaner", "clown", "concierge", "coneycatcher", "counsellor", "crockery dealer", "dancer", "dishwasher", "domestic servant", "farrier", "fewterer", "florist", "furnisher", "gardener", "garlic-seller", "gas stoker", "gendermonger", "gatekeeper", "glazier", "goldsmith", "gambler", "horse-leech", "horseleech, given their undeniable affinities with both leeches and horses", "hospital porter", "hostler", "innkeeper", "juggler", "knocker-upper", "lamplighter, since you have seen persons answering to all three descriptions wandering the streets at dusk with wicks affixed to long staffs, illuminating the city", "launderer", "life coach", "locksmith", "mangle-keeper", "miner", "nurse", "parlormaid", "plumber", "poet", "porter", "psychologist", "shipwright", "spice-seller", "spicer", "stevedore", "stone cutter", "stone mason", "stone mason, given that their work seems to focus on the cutting, preparation, and manipulation of stone", "streetsweeper", "sweeper", "sword-maker, given that they spend all their time making swords", "teacher", "thatcher", "tour guide", "tourism officer", "town crier", "tutor", "veterinarian", "weaver", "well-sinker", "window-cleaner, given their unmistakable tendency to go from window to window removing dirt and grime", "yoga instructor"), except everyone meets that suggestion with puzzlement or peals of laughter.

(either:"One day", "One day", "Soon after your arrival", "Not long into your stay", "Accompanied by your guide, ") you (either:"attend", "visit", "find yourself at") what you understand to be (either: "", "", "", "the equivalent of ", "their version of ") (either: "a market day", "a market day", "a market day", "an auction", "a meeting of a board of governors", "a fire sale", "a workhouse", "an ombudsman's hearing", "a trade union meeting", "an industrial action", "a picket line", "a job center", "an unemployment office", "a stock market", "a trading floor", "a trading center", "a shopping center", "a mall", "a trade expo", "an industry networking event", "a guild leaders' meeting", "an Annual General Meeting", "a daily scrum")(either: "", "", " in $cityName,") and (either: "soon", "seem to", "quickly", "strangely", "", "", "") find yourself (either: "playing hide and seek", "playing some curious game", "conducting a ritual", "playing children's games", "wandering endlessly", "completely lost", "jostled by seething crowds", "jostled by revellers", "crawling through mud", "sampling soup", "flirting coquettishly", "speed dating, apparently, ", "painting pictures", "doodling", "at a masked ball", "recreating mythical stories", "recreating historical events") (either: "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "and pursued by wind-up toys", "and pursued by swarms of moths", "and surrounded by fireflies", "and rolling dice", "and promulgating laws", "and inventing rules", "and trying to interpret complex instructions", "and being laughed at frequently", "and being gently mocked", "and brandishing a lantern", "and brandishing a golden-glowing lantern", "and brandishing a lantern shedding rainbow lights", "and singing songs", "and trying to master some strange clockwork contraption", "while robed auditors make extensive notes, ", "and trying to collect a certain type of token") (either: "in a flagged courtyard", "in a cobbled piazza", "around the town fountain", "in a ruined castle", "in a vast labyrinth of mirrors", "in a vaguely asylum-like setting", "in what appears to be a hospital", "in what appears to be a scientific laboratory", "in a sort of playground or prison", "on a large stage surrounded by tiered seating", "in a kind of arena", "on a network of gently rocking rafts, sailboats, and walkways on the vast, glittering lake", "in a vast garden", "in a vast forest", "among moss-grown ruins", "in shadowy and moss-filled ruins", "up and down a series of leafy lanes lined with trellis tables", "in an absurd dungeon cut from very fine, dark marble", "in a vast and shadowy garden", "in a deep forest", "in a vast wetland of canebrakes and catwalks", "in a crumbling arcology", "in the imperial complex", "along a mossy path in a dark forest", "in a set of formal gardens", "in the Old Town, where the architecture is most curious").

(set: $cityName to (either: "Grunzurg", "Lalage", "this city")) (display: "Institutional Flavor Sentence"){ }(set: $cityName to (either: "Zyklumbon", "Mogglehaven", "this city")) (display: "Institutional Flavor Sentence"){ }(set: $cityName to (either: "Pelsted", "Isaura", "these parts")) (display: "Institutional Flavor Sentence"){ }(set: $cityName to (either: "Fumlumsted", "Fumstone", "this city")) (display: "Institutional Flavor Sentence"){ }(set: $cityName to (either: "Jurbonston", "Kargparrow", "this city")) (display: "Institutional Flavor Sentence"){ }(set: $cityName to (either: "Jurbonston", "Kargparrow", "this city")) (display: "Institutional Flavor Sentence"){ }(set: $cityName to (either: "Grunzurg", "Lalage", "this city")) (display: "Institutional Flavor Sentence"){ }(set: $cityName to (either: "Zyklumbon", "Mogglehaven", "this city")) (display: "Institutional Flavor Sentence"){ }(set: $cityName to (either: "Pelsted", "Isaura", "these parts")) (display: "Institutional Flavor Sentence"){ }(set: $cityName to (either: "Fumlumsted", "Fumstone", "this city")) (display: "Institutional Flavor Sentence"){ }(set: $cityName to (either: "Jurbonston", "Kargparrow", "this city")) (display: "Institutional Flavor Sentence"){ }(set: $cityName to (either: "Jurbonston", "Kargparrow", "this city")) (display: "Institutional Flavor Sentence") [[Flavor Sample]]