The words that bind, the oaths that break, and the promises written in fog.
💬 "Words have weight in Venturia. Speak carefully."
Acceptable in polite company
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Fog and fire | General frustration or dismay. References the two great threats to the city. Can be shortened to just "fog" as a mild expletive — the way we might say "damn." |
| Mirrors | Muttered when something goes slightly wrong. Equivalent to "shoot" or "darn." Often drawn out: "Mirrorrrs." |
| Saints and shadows | Surprise, wonder, or exasperation. The saints refers to Saint Viro; shadows references Vallombrosa. Old-fashioned but still common among older residents. |
| What the fog? | Mild incredulity or confusion. Exactly what it sounds like. |
| Ash and oak | References the ancient trees in the Tiered Gardens that predate the city. Used like "good grief" or "for goodness sake." Considered quaint and somewhat rustic. |
Fine in casual settings — not around children or clergy
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Fog take it | Stronger frustration. Implies consigning something to Vallombrosa, which is not a kind wish. |
| Keeper's teeth | Most Venturians assume this references some old monster tale. It's actually a degraded reference to the Keeper of Faces — though no one living knows this. Equivalent to "goddammit." |
| Burnt quills | Frustration when plans go wrong or information proves unreliable. References both the newspaper and the Harbor Fire. "Well, burnt quills, there goes that idea." |
| Half a coat to you | A curse wishing someone the fate of Lucio from the fable — to be marked as an oath-breaker. Can be said jokingly between friends or seriously as an insult. |
| Drown it / Drown me | Harbor District oath. "Drown it" = frustration. "Drown me" = disbelief. "Drown me, did you see the price of salt today?" |
Crude, offensive, or genuinely hostile
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Fog-touched | Implies someone is mentally unstable, dangerous, or corrupted. Highly offensive — equivalent to calling someone crazy, but with implications of supernatural taint. |
| Walk the line | Telling someone to go to the fog boundary and keep walking. Telling them to die and disappear. Do not say this unless you mean it. |
| May your reflection forget you | A genuine curse. In a city where mirrors sometimes show wrong things, this wishes a loss of identity upon someone. Deeply hostile — the kind of thing that starts fights or ends friendships. |
| Oath-rotten | Accuses someone of being a habitual promise-breaker. A serious character attack — roughly equivalent to calling someone a lying piece of garbage, but worse, because it implies spiritual corruption. |
| Go sign with the Archive | Sarcastic dismissal: your complaint is worthless unless you're willing to make it binding. Rude but not obscene. |
| Tessaro luck | Sounds like a blessing; it's a curse. The Tessaro family is known for being drawn into the fog across generations. Wishing someone Tessaro luck is wishing them an obsessive doom. |
| Smoke and char | Strong Harbor District profanity referencing the Fire. Equivalent to "fuck" or "shit." |
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Clear mirrors | Common farewell wishing accurate reflections and clear sight. Also used as a toast. Standard response: "and to you" or simply "clear." |
| Keep your word | Both a farewell and a gentle reminder. Standard response: "and my name." Acknowledges the fey-touched tendency for Venturians to occasionally forget their own names. |
| Safe climb | Farewell used when someone is heading uphill through the tiers. |
| Smooth water | Harbor District farewell, especially to sailors or anyone heading to sea. |
| Mind the bells | Casual farewell meaning "take care." The bells could reference the Lanternwatch warning bells or the evening bells marking curfew for children. |
| What tide? | Harbor District greeting — roughly "what's up?" Responses: rising (good), falling (bad), slack (nothing much), turning (uncertain). |
| How's your reflection? | Slightly old-fashioned greeting asking about wellbeing. Responses: "True enough" (well), "A bit slow today" (tired/unwell), "Don't ask" (bad). |
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Keeps a whole coat | Honors commitments completely. High praise. |
| True mirror | Honest and reliable — what you see is what you get. |
| Good for their word | Standard trustworthiness, but in Venturia it carries extra weight because words genuinely matter here. |
| Steady as the fog | Unchanging and reliable. Uses the fog's permanence as a positive quality. |
| Harbor-solid | Dependable, trustworthy, sturdy. Refers to the rebuilt harbor infrastructure. |
| Knows which way the tiers climb | Savvy and practical; understands how things work. |
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Cracked mirror | Untrustworthy — presentation doesn't match true nature. |
| Keeps half promises | Unreliable. Self-explanatory given the fable. |
| All mask | Completely fake and performative — public face bears no relationship to private self. |
| Fog-curious | Asks dangerous questions or takes foolish risks. Can be said with grudging admiration or genuine concern. |
| Tide-turner | Loyalties shift with advantage. Unreliable, opportunistic. |
| Climbs but won't carry | A social climber who abandons old friends. |
| Wouldn't sign it | The ultimate expression of untrustworthiness. If someone wouldn't put their promise in the Covenant Archive, they don't really mean it. |
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| The fog's thick today | Things are confusing, unclear, difficult to understand. |
| Waiting for the other mask | Waiting for someone's true intentions to be revealed. Assumes people are hiding something. |
| That's a Masquerade promise | A promise made without real intention of keeping it — the kind of thing you might say while drunk at a festival. |
| Third act trouble | Serious problems — the kind that come at the climax of a story. References theatrical structure. |
| The tide's going out | A situation is deteriorating; opportunity is passing; time is running short. |
| The tide's coming in | Opportunity approaching; situation improving; good times ahead. |
| Smoke on the water | Warning of danger or trouble. References the Harbor Fire. |
| That dog won't hunt in the High Quarter | That excuse or explanation won't work with sophisticated people. |
| Archive it | Make it official; commit to it seriously. |
| Below the fog line | Safe, normal, mundane. |
| Above the fog line | Dangerous, supernatural, or best avoided. |
| Reading from the wrong script | Someone is misunderstanding a situation badly, operating on false assumptions. |
| Playing to the balcony | Being dramatic and performative — playing for an audience rather than being genuine. |
| Empty stage | Nothing is happening; everyone is waiting for someone else to act. |
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| That's in the restricted stacks | Information that is secret, forbidden, or dangerous to know. Can be said seriously or sarcastically. |
| Ask the Archive | Sarcastic suggestion to verify something everyone already knows is true. |
| Corvier report | Something everyone knows exists but no one is allowed to discuss officially. A public secret. |
| Vellani's last act | Something true but forbidden to acknowledge. References the suppressed production. |
| Fog knowledge | Information that might be true but is impossible to verify and possibly dangerous to pursue. |
| Kessler's logs | Detailed information that has conveniently disappeared. |
| The mirror knows | Acknowledgment that the truth exists even if it's being hidden or denied. |
| That's a Burnt Quill story | Something technically true but sensationalized. |
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Words have weight | The fundamental Venturian acknowledgment that promises matter. Often said as a warning before making an agreement. |
| I'd sign that | Strong agreement or endorsement. |
| Unsigned and unbound | Temporary, unofficial, not to be relied upon. |
| That's written in fog | A promise or claim that will change or disappear — cannot be relied upon. |
| Sealed and witnessed | Definite, certain, unchangeable. |
| Breaking ink | Violating a written agreement. A serious accusation. |
| The ink's still wet | A new agreement or arrangement, not yet tested. |
| Read the small lines | Be careful — watch for tricks and loopholes. |
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Saltblood | A native of the Harbor District, especially from a multi-generational family. A point of pride. |
| Topside | Anywhere in the upper tiers. Used with varying degrees of resentment. |
| Pier rat | A child of the docks. Usually affectionate. |
| Barnacled | Stuck, unable to move forward. |
| Bilge | Nonsense, garbage. |
| Fish story | An exaggerated tale — something too convenient to be true. |
| Caught the current | Got lucky; benefited from good timing. |
| Anchor | Someone or something holding you back. |
| Swimming | Doing well; managing successfully despite difficulties. |
| Taking water | In trouble, failing. |
| Tidekeeper's word | A promise that will be kept absolutely. |
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Rather Amaranth | Dramatic, theatrical, perhaps excessively so. Can be complimentary or dismissive. |
| Veiled | Hidden, subtle, requiring interpretation. References VAVA's full name. |
| That won't bind | That argument is weak; that contract has loopholes; that logic doesn't hold. |
| Common staging | A vulgar or unsophisticated approach to something. |
| Gallery opinion | What ordinary people think, as opposed to expert judgment. |
| Restricted | Forbidden, secret, or taboo. |
| Academy answer | Technically correct but misses the point or avoids the real question. |
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Fog-bound | Trapped, unable to escape a situation. Also describes people obsessed with Vallombrosa. |
| Feeding the fog | Wasting time, effort, or resources on something futile. Also used darkly to reference disappearances. |
| Fog weather | A mood of heaviness, melancholy, or unease that settles over someone. |
| Clear of the line | Safe, not in danger, not involved in something risky. |
| Walking the boundary | Taking risks, pushing limits, going close to danger without crossing over. |
| Warden's eye | A long, suspicious stare. |
| That's a fog question | A question that shouldn't be asked — or one that has no safe answer. |
| Vallombrosa luck | The bad kind of luck that comes from curiosity. |
| Fog story | An explanation that sounds reasonable but conceals something darker. |
| Overlook weather | When the fog seems closer or thicker than usual. Also describes an oppressive atmosphere. |
| The manor's lit tonight | Something strange is happening; something supernatural is active. |
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Masquerade rules | A temporary state where normal expectations are suspended. |
| Wearing the mask | Playing a role, being performative — not showing one's true self. |
| Unmasked | Honest, revealed, genuine. Also vulnerable. |
| Tragedy timing | The worst possible moment for something to happen, when drama is highest. |
| Between seasons | A time of uncertainty and waiting — when the normal patterns don't apply. |
| First frost promises | Commitments made in autumn that may not survive winter. |
| Summer contract | An agreement made when times are good that may not hold when times get hard. |
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Liar, liar, half a coat | What children say to accuse each other of lying. |
| The fog sees, the fog knows | Said while playing hide and seek, usually by the seeker. |
| Mirror, mirror, run away, or your reflection's here to stay | Said when passing mirrors after dark — half-joking protection. |
| Promise keeper, promise breaker, fog will find you, fog will take her | Jump rope rhyme about keeping promises. |
| Touch the line, you'll be fine. Cross the line, lost like wine | Playground chant about the fog boundary. |
| What's the Keeper got? Nothing you ain't bought | Nonsense rhyme children say without knowing its origin. Makes parents uncomfortable. |
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Clear mirrors and whole coats | Standard toast wishing truth and integrity. |
| To the fog — may it stay where it is | Dark humor toast. Usually gets nervous laughter. |
| Smooth water and rising tides | Prosperity toast, especially common in the Harbor District. |
| To absent friends | Standard memorial toast, but carries extra weight given the disappearances. |
| One for the fire, one for the fog | Said when pouring out a small libation before drinking. |
| May your enemies keep half their promises | Vindictive toast. Usually humorous. |
| Here's to what we don't ask about | Darkly humorous toast acknowledging the city's culture of willful ignorance. |
| Drink it before it ages wrong | Reference to the Winecradle. Means act now before opportunity passes. |
| Expression | Guild / Origin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| True mirror | Mirrorwrights | Honest, reliable. |
| Sealed and witnessed | Archive | Certain, official. |
| Good binding | VAVA contract magic | A solid agreement or arrangement. |
| Slack water | Tidekeepers | A pause — a moment of calm before change. |
| Reading the fog | Fog Wardens | Trying to understand something unclear or ominous. |
| House odds | The Undertow | The likely outcome if you do nothing. |
| Settling accounts | The Undertow | Resolving debts or grievances. |
| In the wings | Amaranth | Waiting, prepared, ready to enter a situation. |
| Playing understage | Amaranth | Downplaying, being subtle, not drawing attention. |
| Headline or morgue | Burnt Quill | Either something becomes important news or it gets filed away. |
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Since the fire | A long time. Used even by people too young to remember the actual Harbor Fire. |
| Before the fog | An impossibly long time ago — something so old its origins are lost. |
| Bell to bell | All day, from morning bells to evening bells. |
| Third bell | Late afternoon, when things get serious. |
| Fog hours | Late night — the small hours when strange things might happen. |
| Masquerade distant | Far in the future; something you'll have to wait for. |
| Expression | Severity | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Slow mirror | Mild | Dim, stupid. |
| Unsigned | Mild | Unreliable, not worth trusting. |
| Topside fool | Moderate | Sheltered, naive — doesn't understand real life. |
| Pier trash | Moderate | Low class, crude. Offensive and classist. |
| All mask, no face | Moderate | Completely fake — no genuine self. |
| Half-coat | Strong | Promise-breaker. |
| Fog-touched | Strong | Mentally unstable, corrupted. |
| Oath-rotten | Severe | Fundamentally untrustworthy, morally corrupt. |
| Tessaro-cursed | Severe | Doomed — obsessed with something that will destroy you. |
| Walk the line | ⚠️ Extreme | Go die and disappear. Do not say casually. |
Clear mirrors and whole coats.