Ubersreik Bridge

Grodni Surehammer and his Dwarf Engineers’ Guild designed and built Ubersreik Bridge over 200 years ago. Two centuries later, and the bridge still dominates Ubersreik. It is supported by a number of great, stone pillars sunk deep into the riverbed, to a height making it visible from much of the town. The pillars, tightly grouped near the riverbank, open out in the centre, offering two broad channels through which even tall masted river barges can safely pass. The bridge is inscribed with ancient Dwarf runes, ensuring strength and stability.

Local laws prohibit building atop the bridge, meaning those traversing it are greeted with some fine views of both sides of the town and the river surging beneath. Unseen from this vantage, the homeless gather under the bridge when the river isn’t swollen. There they seek to avoid the worst the weather has to offer. Historically the Jungfreuds periodically swept this largely Human detritus away, though the poor and destitute would always return in foul weather.

Of late, the Duke's occupying forces have shown no signs of clearing these unfortunates away. As a result, a small shanty town, known locally as Dunkelfeucht, has sprung up under the bridge’s shadow. The Jungfreud supporters in Ubersreik turn their noses up at this development, citing it as yet another failing of the interlopers from the north.

Indeed, even the most loyal supporter of the Duke has to admit that any right-thinking citizen of Ubersreik should be concerned at the unchecked expansion of the Dunkelfeucht. It has not only garnered a particularly foul reputation for attracting the very worst folk Ubersreik has to offer, it is also martialling itself, meaning any future attempt to clear the folk from under the bridge will be met with significant resistance.

Because of this, only the desperate now venture there. Gangs and footpads prowl, and few mornings pass without blood being shed or a fresh body found adrift on the river’s current. Unsurprisingly, the Watch now avoids the place completely, knowing there is little to be gained by antagonising the new powers-that-be below the bridge. This freedom from law-enforcement has allowed several makeshift jetties to be built by smuggling gangs. Finding their activities unchallenged, many of these gangs have become bold, often offloading large barges in broad daylight without fear of reprise. Of course, some onlookers mutter that such brazen criminality would never have been allowed when the Jungfreuds ruled, but such talk is divisive, and likely to start arguments, brawls, and even riots.

Recent rumours suggest the gangs of the Dunkelfeucht are being bound together by a new leader known only as ‘The Baron’. Though a new arrival to Ubersreik, this criminal mastermind is already known for her ambition and utter ruthlessness. Few outside Dunkelfeucht have ever clapped eyes on her, though most Ubersreikers have heard of her and fear her. If rumours are to be believed, she already has scores of thieves, thugs, and smugglers under her control, and she intends to spread from the docklands quickly, quashing any attempts to thwart the rise of her newly forged criminal empire.

Strohmann Markt

Strohmann Markt lies at the edge of the Teubrücke, where it connects to the fortified Precinct district. A relatively small, open square, it hosts a number of stalls by day, selling a wide variety of food and clothing.

Hocheim’s Livery Stables dominates one side of the platz, where visitors to Ubersreik can stable their horses. Civilians are prohibited from riding within the Precinct, so the stables do a roaring trade as riders are turned back at the gates from the Docks. The nobility are, of course, exempt from this restriction.

Scarred and wrinkled Sabina Hocheim owns Hocheim’s Livery Stables. An enterprising war veteran, she spends her last days sitting on a cushioned chair beneath the eaves of her business. She watches while her nephews and nieces do the work, and intends for them to inherit the business.

Next door to the stables, Marlies Zeitflug recently opened a small shop selling hourglasses and timepieces. Such devices are a luxury, so business has largely collapsed in the current uncertain environment, and Zeitflug is growing more concerned every day. 

Rugger’s Boarding House

Rugger’s is Ubersreik’s cheapest inn, and for good reason: the beds are infested and the common room mouldy and damp. The lower floor has a dirty kitchen, a creaky dining hall, and the common room. The upper floor squeezes four private rooms (each with two double bunks) and the proprietor’s room into a tiny space.

Anna Rugger, known on the docks as Gram’ma, is the aging proprietor of the boarding house. She is married to the master of the Boatmen’s Guild, Karsten. Because of this, anyone causing Rugger trouble is likely to find a gang of hook-wielding men on their tail, all eager to help their Gram’ma out in any way they can. 

The Guild of Boatbuilders and Chandlers

This unassuming wooden building not far from Ubersreik’s two dry docks on the southside of the river houses the offices for the combined Guild of Boatbuilders and Chandlers. Thirty years ago, the two guilds, both of which were important to the town but only contained a handful of members each, combined forces to amplify their voices. Today, the guild is still small, but it is also undeniably powerful due to its significant impact to the local economy.

Kurt Prochnow is the current Guildmaster. A lean, muscled man in his early 30s, Prochnow is surprisingly young for such a position. He toured the continent as a young man learning his skills, securing the membership of shipwright and boat building guilds in seven different towns and cities. He is driven and intelligent with a voracious appetite for new approaches to construction. He is currently experimenting with metal and stone in his work, drawing upon Dwarf engineering as his inspiration.

Customs House

All tax collected in Ubersreik comes through Customs House, a large, sturdy building with a commanding view over the wharves and the river-traffic. All boats unloading in the town pay a tax of one gold coin plus an additional charge depending upon the cargo. Vessels potentially have docking fees to pay as well to the owners of the wharf in question, and fees to pay to the Dockers’ Guild to load and unload any vessel. Wagons of trading goods pay their taxes at the town gates. Ernst Geldfinger runs the operation.

Geldfinger is a thuggish man in his 40s who tightly controls his clerks. On an average day, one clerk is posted to each of the three gates into the city, a clerk can be found on both the north and south bank to collect from river barges, and the last works the customs house itself. He has a reputation for meticulous detail and unimpeachable honesty.

The Hog Pit

The Schwarzehalle slum’s Hog Pit is a sprawling series of open pig pens. The pigs dine on the town’s scraps and filth, which are sold to swineherds by enterprising gong farmers (excrement collectors). Citizens wishing to cross the Hog Pit use a series of elevated wooden platforms. These boards are treacherous, and more than one burgher has slipped, falling into the mud, waste, and pigs below.

Gart Fünke, an old farmer of both pigs and gong, is the Hog Pit’s most influential man. Theoretically, any Ubersreik citizen can keep pigs in the Pit, but in practice they need Fünke’s approval. He is only willing to provide this with the promise of purchasing any pig ‘feed’ directly from him. Fünke ensures his racket is unchallenged by providing the local Watch with a ready supply of pork.

Dockers’ Arms

This sprawling, timber and lathe tavern caters almost exclusively to the town’s stevedores and teamsters, who have a monopoly on the loading and unloading of all trade goods in Ubersreik. Without paying their fees, none of your cargo moves.

The Dockers’ Arms is effectively the Guildhouse for the Dockers’ Guild. It not only acts as a centre for all Docker activity, but is also owned and managed by the guildmaster: Wilhelm ‘Big Willi’ Docker. Big Willi is a giant of a man with arms bigger than most men’s thighs. The lower floor is given over to two tap rooms and a small kitchen. Upstairs is the Docker family living quarters, including a small kitchen, living space, and three bedrooms.

At any one time, several teams of Dockers will be drinking in the tavern, and many more will be working the wharves, warehouses, merchant houses, or streets, with some policing to ensure none load or unload without proper documentation.

The Crooked Hammer

The Crooked Hammer is a slightly seedy, rough-looking tavern typical of those found in the Teubrücke. It serves a variety of hard spirits and watery ales, at cheap prices. It is an open secret that the drinking house is a front for a gambling den, run by the Crosses, adherents of Eloele, the Goddess of Trickery, who view such activities as holy work. To the rear of the building, they operate a soup kitchen, using the profits of their gambling den to provide basic sustenance to the poor and needy of Ubersreik.

Gert Hunder runs the bar. Hunder is a scarred, intimidating fellow whose chief responsibility is lookout for the Crosses. Silvi Kreutzhame, a formidable woman in her 50s, with a sharp eye and sharper tongue is the leader of the cult of Eloele in Ubersreik.

At any given time, gamblers of all walks of life will be found partaking in this particular brand of worship, providing they have ready coin or good credit. The authorities tolerate the gambling, in part because of the charitable work of the Crosses, and in part because so many influential citizens frequent the Hammer.

The Red Moon Inn

The two-storey Red Moon Inn primarily caters to boatmen plying their trade up and down the Teufel. It’s the cleanest of the dock-side hostels, though still somewhat shabby. The lower floor is built from solid stone and includes a large drinking hall, common room, and small kitchen. The upper floor is timber and lathe and contains the inn’s private rooms, and a room for the owner. The main drinking hall has a row of quiet booths all slung with heavy curtains and tattered linen to provide a little privacy.

Franz Lohner owns and runs the inn. A no-nonsense Mercenary-done- good, Lohner is a slightly overweight, dishevelled man in his 40s. He employs Ilse Frecht, a matronly woman in her 50s, to clean rooms and wait tables. Gunter Bisset works in the kitchens, cooking dinner, and two younger lads to help serve during busier times. All Bisset ever produces is potato and fish stew. A wholesome meal, but one that doesn’t make the best breakfast in the morning when served as cold leftovers.

The Kat House

A stylised brass cat hangs above the Kat House, a dockside brothel dedicated to Laerme, the Goddess of Disarming Beauty. The sizeable four-storey building caters to clientèle of all species and classes, and is protected by ever-present bouncers. Although most of its staff present as female, all tastes are catered for.

Frau Jalla Krump, a solidly built woman in her 50s, who rarely goes anywhere without one of her bouncers, handles all the day-to-day business of the Kat House. Krump is entirely beholden to Adelheidis ‘Alisha’ Keller, a young, blessed priestess of Laerme who is committed to converting followers sworn to a single god to a polytheistic path. 

Grail Chapel

The exterior of the Anuirean Grail Chapel is unassuming, a modest warehouse, typical of those in the district. Only the innocuous wooden inscriptions of fleur-de-lys along the eaves mark it as anything special. Within the walls, however, the building is sumptuous. Its walls and columns are intricately carved and beautifully painted, redolent with frescoes depicting legends of the Lady of the Lake (a knight  of Haelyn and saint of Anuirean tradition), and brave knights of Anuirean Lore.

The building was used as an internment camp decades ago. The Anuirean captives decorated the chapel. As a conciliatory gesture (and a long-lasting testament to the beauty and versatility of wooden buildings), the chapel has been maintained by the Carpenters’ Guild ever since.

Hugo is the only permanent resident, an ancient Anuirean with a white beard and kind eyes, whom local children are convinced was once a knight. Ex-pats and visiting Anuireans often visit, paying their respects to the Lady.

Boatmen’s Guild

The Boatmen’s Guild meets in a converted two-storey riverfront warehouse in the southside of the Teufel. The lower floor has a subsidised tavern and dormitory for its members with almost everything sold at cost, and several private rooms also available.

The food and drink is decent and plentiful. The upper floor, looking down over the drinking hall, contains the guild’s offices and the guildmaster’s quarters. The guild is affiliated with the Boatmen’s Guilds of Auerswald, Kemperbad, and Altdorf, meaning members of one guild are given all the benefits of all the other guilds, including access to the tavern and dormitories, pensions for widows and orphans, and access to guild contacts.

Guildmaster Karsten Rugger has forgotten more about the waters between Ubersreik and Altdorf than most rivermen will ever know. He’s a cantankerous old man now, though still respected. Rumours that he runs the majority of the river smuggling in Upper Teufel have never been proven. Robbo Brambledown runs the kitchens, and prides himself on being able to reproduce Dwarf and Elf cuisine, though the Halfling is rarely ever asked to do so.