Visiting the hot baths

A tradition going back as far as the first written down histories, visiting the hot baths is a common pastime for all those who can afford it. 
There are of course different types of baths and most of those that are found along the river road are barely worth being called such. But every decent town that holds something on itself owns at least one large hot bath with multiple pools and varying temperatures.

History

by Careen Ligh

The tradition of hot baths has its origin far back in the old world. In those ancient times natural hot wells where discovered in many places and used for bathing. The warm waters offered relaxation for wary travellers and tired farmers and workers alike.
While the natural hot springs where limited to the regions around the Fire Mountains, grey mountains and the north-western outcrops of the encircling mountains artificial hot baths where soon built by migrating peoples. These where at first no more than large basins made of clay and straw under which a fire was lit. But with time passing on, the baths grew greater and better.
With the rising of the Godking and the end of the old world, this tradition quickly saw a new height, especially in the riverlands . Newborn nobility there spent its wealth on many things, ever attempting to surpass their fellow nobles. They built hot large hot baths in immitation of the first one in Kalormenos in the Godking´s palace.

These new hot baths where built from stone and brick with clever venting and heating systems. This development was benefited by the growing slave trade. Slaves were cheap enough to have them crawl around in the small heating tunnels under the pools to keep the fires burning. Whenever one died or got sick from the smoke he could simply be replaced.


With the fall of the Godking and the end of he Second Order, many lords began to call themselves kings and lords now and their competition grew. Many arose to might and wealth now and the long tradition of hot baths remained one of the status symbols of the riverlands in these days.

These baths became so common, that many small villages - especially those frequented by trade and travel - built their own hot baths, if smaller in size and less pompous. It thus became affordable even for merchants and the class of craftsmen to visit the smaller hot baths at times.

Execution

While one might assume that a visit to the hot baths has the background of getting oneself clean is greatly mistaken. Altough that might be a reason for lower folk such as merchands and craftsmen, high lords visit the baths for reasons of state and court. It is a place of publicity, to see and to be seen. Besides there is much talk to be learned in the thick mists of the baths and many secrets are traded and pacts are made.