Fog Beat

Deep in the fog zone, far below the never-ending day of the upper streets, Chronwhorl is very very different city. Full of humans too poor to live in the light, and myth touched too tainted to be allowed above but too valuable a tool to remove entirely. In these fog thick streets there is little trust to be had, and always ears listening for any reason to grab someone up. With the uncertainty of sound in the dense rolling fogs, the Foggers have devised anew way to communicate with no sound, and with a range only those you trust can enter.

Fog Beat is a sequence of rhythms that can be lightly tapped anywhere and with anything. A firm squeeze could be the start of a quick handshake passing on a rhythm based message. A cane pressing down on your shoe could be the opening for a series of taps against your foot warning of danger headed your way.

As a rule, Fog Beat is never used with sound unless it is an emergency. While loud clapping could easily pass along a message in Fog Beat it is also easy to notice. A rowdy song in a bar could also send unintentional messages if used in such a way. When such an emergency does occur it is usually in the form of music that will start with a quick flourish of sound followed by a long steady note. After grabbing everyone's attention the song will repeat the same Fog Beat message three times before ending.

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The one notable time this rule was broken was during the calamity of conversion. When the dragon trapped beneath the city had her soul infused with Radiance and subjugated by the Eye of Expansion, a frantic message to flee was pounded into the Radiant Spire repeatedly for hours. The sound and vibration was heard and felt in all parts of the city.

Written Form

Fog Beat is also used in patterns below the fog line. The most common use is to make the city intentionally confusing for outsiders. Rather than having any street signs, there are sequences of cobblestones at the entrance of each street marking out it's name in a rhythm of short and long cobbles. The start and end of the name are marked with a single blue cobble, to make it look like a pattern of blue cobbles at every intersection. Messages are also left throughout the city, with a start and stop marker of one color containing a message of short and long marks or items.