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 Face
The public areas are respectable enough: warm pools, steam rooms, massage services, a tea house serving refreshments. Nothing to raise an eyebrow.
The Private Reality
The real purpose is the private chambers — where merchants negotiate contracts, guild representatives make arrangements, and political operators reach understandings.
Tradition holds that:
- Nothing said in the Salted Cup is ever written down
- No names are spoken aloud
- All parties depart through different exits
- The staff are famous for their discretion and their convenient inability to remember faces
The Access System
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.
Character Hooks
- Former attendant who overheard the wrong conversation
- Merchant who made their fortune through deals struck here
- Someone who violated the Cup's traditions and faced consequences
- Regular client with standing reservations in the deep pools
- Person investigating something that was decided in the steam
Connections
- The Market Tiers — Lists this location among its notable places.