Part IV: Notes on the Undercity of Vivec

By Nevena Dals, Scribe Curate

Introduction

There is a great deal of misunderstanding about the Holy City of Vivec. Many gaze upon its grand cantons and upon Baar Dau and stand in awe of it, for it is a monument of Vivec’s grace, but these people who stand in awe of it are ignorant that beneath the beautiful cantons lies a hive festering with all manner of criminals, lunatics, and other outcasts. The denizens of Vivec know of it; they know that beneath the cantons blood, drugs, and profane artifacts move faster than the water itself, but they also know that is contained and generally do not speak of it, lest they give reason for the already vigilant Ordinators to give them a more watchful eye. I tell you of the Undercity.

History of the Undercity

There are few theories about how the Undercity came to be, but the most prominent one based on my research into historical archives cross-referenced with criminal records is that originally, the waterworks were predominately used by those escaping the law. The Ordinators would seldom follow them in there due to the fact that its dark and those who would flee into them would frequently become lost and usually fell into the canals themselves, typically drowning or being picked apart by the slaughterfish, but things changed in 3E 227 when a gang began using the waterworks of St. Olms Canton as their headquarters. This gang’s name has been washed away by history, but their business in the waterworks eventually expanded into the others and all manner of folk looking to escape the rest of the civilized world found solace in the disconnected nodes beneath the cantons.

By 3E 272, the original gang had been wiped out in a gang war for nearly forty years and these disconnected nodes formed a subterranean mirror of the Holy City, except there was little in the way of law or order. Would-be adventurers would set out into the “Undercity” as it had been derogatorily named by the Ordinators and most of them would never see the sun again.

By 3E 280, the Undercity had a thriving infrastructure for trade of all kinds of illicit materials and many smugglers made very handsome careers simply moving product from one canton’s waterworks to another, but things in the Undercity grew increasingly intense and the demand for fresh corpses began to outgrow the already exorbitant supply. This led to a spring of murders and kidnappings across Vivec and this resulted in Archcanon Raynil Sarethi declaring a secret crusade against the Undercity.

The Ordinators of the Order of War were sent into the Undercity in order to take control and, as the documents say, “Ensure that the Holy City is purged of the sludge beneath the cantons.” While the Ordinators did their best, they were losing a war of attrition. Hundreds of Ordinators died and in the end, they were no closer to taming the Undercity than they were when they began their crusade. The Master of War, Galos Indrano, committed suicide when Archcanon Sarethi called off the Crusade. His note was as follows:

“No amount of penance can provide atonement for all the death brought on by my failure.

I would beg forgiveness from you, Brothers, but I am not worthy.

-Galos Indrano, Master of War”

The Order of War having been thoroughly broken by the failed crusade and Indrano’s suicide demoralizing the entirety of the Ordinator Corps, Archcanon Sarethi secretly met with Orvas Dren in 3E 283 regarding the state of the Undercity and offered him amnesty for his crimes if he agreed to use the Camonna Tong’s resources to subjugate the gangs and cults below. Orvas Dren rejected the Archcanon’s offer and countered that he would do it so long as the Camonna Tong had the “good graces of the Temple”. I speculate this is the causal reason for why the Camonna Tong is able to operate as brazenly as they do, because in the event that one of the watchmen is naïve enough to arrest a member of the Camonna Tong, the Temple is quick to see to it that they are released (albeit through several degrees of separation).

Since 3E 283, the Camonna Tong has maintained a hold over most of the Undercity, but not through sheer force, but manipulation, intimidation, and bribery. Though they’ve secured the Undercity and are the de facto rulers of it, this should not be misinterpreted as to mean they are unassailable. They operate in some regards as a regulatory commission and governing body in the Undercity, but one should not mistake them as doing so out of good will—it is done by the orders of Orvas Dren and should ever anything happen to him or the deal that Sarethi made ever cease to be honored, then the Camonna Tong will pull out and the Undercity will quickly spill out into the ‘civilized’ parts of the Holy City of Vivec, but this time, there will be no one to save it.

The Undercity Canton-Nodes Foreign Quarter: The waterworks beneath the Foreign Quarter serve as one of the Canton-Nodes of the Undercity. This one is known by the denizens of the Undercity as “Haven” because it is neutral territory. The act of spilling blood in Haven is reason to be marked for death by the Camonna Tong; those who are marked for death lose the protections of Haven and are frequently accompanied by bounties.

The neutral status of Haven has made it a prime location for trade and one can hardly traverse the walkways without being hassled by a dozen merchants peddling all manner of wares. Drugs, bodies, daedric artifacts, Sixth House paraphernalia, it’s all there and more—but the most valuable things sold are food, clean water, and weapons.

Haven is the most densely populated canton-node due to its neutral status and though the Camonna Tong provide security and maintain governing oversight, Haven is largely controlled by the “Free Trade Association”, a guild of thieves, smugglers, and merchants who have banded together to form cartels and engage in racketeering. The leader of the Free Trade Association is an Imperial named Matthias Savon,

Hlaalu Canton: The waterworks beneath Hlaalu Canton are another of the Canton-Nodes of the Undercity. This one is known as “Tong Town”. This is where the Camonna Tong headquarters their Undercity operations and where those who violate the Camonna Tong’s rulings and laws are brought to stand trial before the “Governor of the Undercity”.

The denizens of the Undercity have a saying about Tong Town: “Two types of people step foot into Tong Town: The Tong and the people who wish they were the Tong.”

Telvanni Canton: The waterworks beneath Telvanni Canton used to be one of the Canton-Nodes of the Undercity and were quite popular amongst the magically-apt of the Undercity’s denizens, but the Telvanni Wizard-Lord presiding over the canton has repurposed the waterworks as a place for his ‘experiments’. The denizens who refused to leave were added to his collection of experiments.

It was formerly known as “New Uvirith” in reference to the lost tower of Tel Uvirith.

It is now known as “Old Uvirith” due to the fact that it was lost.

Redoran Canton: The waterworks beneath Redoran Canton are another of the Canton-Nodes of the Undercity. This one is known as “New Uvirith”. When the denizens of Old Uvirith were displaced by Mavon Drenim, they immigrated to the waterworks beneath the Redoran Canton which were at the time known as “Temple Street”.

Temple Street was once a place for the religious of all persuasions to practice freely, but the influx of Telvanni aspirants from Old Uvirith created a great deal of strain as the Old Uvirithans and the Temple Street denizens competed for valuable resources like space. This ultimately led to a short, but bloody, gang war where the Temple Street denizens were largely massacred in a few short hours and those who survived the initial onslaught have been enslaved and subjected to the alchemical and magical research of their new masters.

There are reports that the Temple Street slaves have attempted revolts in the past, but such activities have only resulted in the conspirators and rebels being subjected to the worst experiments.

NOTE: Though Temple Street was open for all religions, it was remained largely unpopular with cults of the more sinister persuasions.

Delyn Canton: The waterworks beneath St. Delyn Canton are another of the Canton-Nodes of the Undercity and are avoided by all except for the insane and the stupid due to the many cults that operate within this area. It is best known as “The Fifth Corner” in reference to the Four Corners of the House of Troubles.

This is the one area of the Undercity that the Camonna Tong does not have control over and it is the area that we have the least information about in the Archives.

Olms Canton: The waterworks beneath St. Olms Canton are the original Canton-Node of the Undercity and is known as “Beggar’s Hall”. Beggar’s Hall is the unofficial ‘entrance’ to the Undercity proper, as traversing the Undercity without being authorized by the Camonna Tong is the fastest way to end up in Tong Town—and not in a good way.

Here is where people looking to start a new life in the Undercity begin, because whoever you were before you came to Beggar’s Hall doesn’t matter—it’s all about who you become.

Beggar’s Hall is the second most densely populated Canton-Node of the Undercity and is filled with the dregs of society with no other options.

Closing Notes

This is my final report.

As of today, 13 Second Seed 3E 426, I resign my positions as both a Priestess of the Tribunal Temple and a Scribe Curate of the Order of Lore.

I understand that this is atypical behavior and is not permissible under any circumstances and I have weighed the consequences which I am invoking upon myself by renouncing the Temple after having sworn my vows, but I have been called to a higher purpose and duty, and as such, have no choice but to break my vows.

I also am aware that this decision carries with it the weight of being branded not only Apostate, but Heretic, and I accept this judgment without plea of innocence or request for clemency.

May ALMSIVI be with you.

-Nevena Dals