Scratch

"Within the depths of poverty, crime can be most prevalent. Within the depths of the Cracks, crime is a reality."

-Phorsedes of the Updraft

On the sundered canyons and deep crevices that break up the plateaus upon which the city of Teimor sits, a wider percentage of the population squats below the poverty line and the surface of those plateaus. The precarious hanging slums of the Cracks resting along the carved sides of the yawning chasms are a difficult place to live.
The city watch of Teimor seems to have an affiliation for singling out denizens of the Cracks, especially when they are in the city proper. Numerous criminal gangs and other unsavory types will find refuge in the Cracks or make the dangerous slums even more dangerous by erecting a base of operations among the unfortunates. Because of this, raids by the city watch and the occasional contracted cloudcatcher are somewhat frequent. The city watch cares not for innocence or guilt. Those caught in the crossfire are simply unfortunate collateral and no other thought is given to them. The city does its best to wear a shining, brilliant mask to hide the ugliness that arises from underneath. With the ire of the city watch and the ignorance of the rest of the city folk, those of the Cracks have taken it upon themselves to look out for their own. And so Scratch was born.
Existing in written form only, there are two forms of Scratch: chalk and etched. Chalk Scratch is done in limestone or sometimes even another normal rock used to make white scrapings. This form of Scratch is used for conversation or the passing of information. It is temporary and can be raised with scraping or a good rain shower. If something is going down, such as a city watch raid, those in the know will often leave signs in Scratch near places known for their foot traffic so that the average Cracks inhabitant may get out of dodge before swords swing and arrows fly.
The second form is etched. Etched Scratch is mostly permanent, especially if done deep enough. Though conversations have been found to exist written in etched, they are highly uncommon and rarely seen in places of hustle and bustle. Etched Scratch exists primarily as a means of navigation among the Cracks. Those who might be community leaders or upper thugs of a crime gang will use etched Scratch on certain walls or corners of plateau canyons that also see much foot traffic to be used as street signs. These can range from actual "street" names to place names or territorial markings.