Tier: Market Tiers | "Where deals dissolve into steam"
The hot springs beneath Venturia emerged about a century after the curse — or perhaps they were always there and simply became accessible. Either way, the Salted Cup was built around the largest of them, creating a bathhouse complex where the city's real business gets conducted.
The public areas are respectable enough: warm pools, steam rooms, massage services, a tea house serving refreshments. Nothing to raise an eyebrow.
The real purpose is the private chambers — where merchants negotiate contracts, guild representatives make arrangements, and political operators reach understandings.
Tradition holds that:
Regular clients develop elaborate codes — certain towel arrangements, specific drink orders, particular phrases to the attendants — granting access to increasingly exclusive areas.
The deepest pools, nearest the springs' source, are reserved for those whose business requires absolute privacy. The water there is said to be hot enough to be uncomfortable, which ensures conversations stay brief.