the city of KOSSUM

KOSSUM is  a city from out of space and from out of time

CITY FROM OUT OF SPACE (and out of time)
noun
a large town or village that happens to be in an extradimensional space or pocket dimension, which follows its own strange rules of reality and politics.

KOSSUM is a large city. it is always warm here, and the air is always damp with humidity. if it weren't for the town guards, everything would be covered with layer upon layer of mold. the sky in Kossum is always the color that the sky is at twilight, but the sun still moves through the sky. the sun has a huge black spot on it from where the ruler of Kossum, the Possum Queen, can watch the goings-on in her principality

in KOSSUM it is illegal to kill any marsupials and any rodents. because of this rat populations have skyrocketed, but it's okay, for they work as spies for the Possum Queen. this also means that if You happen to be carrying the mainstays of the lizard person's diet, the fried mouse and rat-on-a-stick, you will be arrested and probably executed.

in KOSSUM it is illegal to talk about midday. some even go so far as to avoid doing anything when the sun is at the top of the sky for fear of arrest. however, discussion of midnight is encouraged and rewarded, even though there is no easy way to determine whether it is midnight or not (there is no moon in Kossum)

in KOSSUM, all books must be written in the nigh incomprehensible scratches and stains of the opossum tongue. if any book written in any other language is found, it is promptly snatched up and burned.

in KOSSUM, a parent must have at least 10 children. until you have 10 children, realistic doll replacements will suffice, for a time. all children must be with one of their parents at all times, and this includes the doll-children. being a parent means carrying with you a lot of children.

in KOSSUM, there are no farms. all food is gotten from scavenging, hunting, and gathering. however, this still produces enough food for everybody somehow.

in KOSSUM, all news is spoken word only, and you will usually have it whispered into your ear by a mouse or lesser possum, so that you dream of the happenings in your sleep.

in KOSSUM, all laws are enforced by the Town Guard, a battalion of militiamen who wear armor of furred skins and metal nails. they are usually busy with combating mold, however, and so most of the laws are actually enforced by the rat spies, rather than the bumbling town guard

in KOSSUM, all art is required to have no deeper meaning beyond what is clearly visible. for this reason, political cartoon has become like it is today, with literally every single part of the image explained clearly. poetry is possibly the only offence punishable by fine.

in KOSSUM, speaking lies about the Possum Queen is the worst felony. however, most positive statements regarding the Possum Queen are complete falsehood. because of this, all citizens are constantly berating the Queen and talking about her obsession with worms and dirt and shiny objects.

in KOSSUM, there is no sewer system. the roads do not have paving. the roads are made from waste that has turned into dirt, and slightly more recent waste on top of it. plant life flourishes in the roads. only the road up to the Possum Queen's hideyhole is paved, and it is paved with asphalt. the plants of the waste-roads are nurtured, but sometimes there is collateral damage to combat the Mold

in KOSSUM, the Possum Queen holds an annual competition for a breeder, where she selects the best of her (mostly) human citizens to assist in her creation of a marsupial heir to her throne.

in KOSSUM, it is illegal to own a weapon smaller than a butcher's knife. butter knives count as weapons, and so they are very large in this town.

in KOSSUM, the economy is stimulated by an ever-growing trade in Teeth, mostly human and rodent teeth, especially between the city and the Realm of the Tooth Fairy. the Tooth Fairy is on good terms with the Possum Queen, and some even say that they are lovers

in KOSSUM, any kind of hound, no matter the species, is illegal. the Possum Queen fears them, and no matter if your hound is a reptile, a man, a canine, a predatory avian, or a huge amphibian. if a hound is captured, it will be put down by the Possum Queen or by the Town Guard

in KOSSUM, the Possum Queen will deem it illegal to touch the ground for one full day. the citizens must then crawl through the trees and on the rooftops. this day is determined seemingly at random.

in KOSSUM, the buildings are made from soft wood and rope-like vines, sometimes with the skins or corpses of animals incorporated into them. some of the richer houses are made from living trees, grown into a house-like shape.

YOU CAN GET TO KOSSUM IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS

1. eat a possum. in your dreams, you will be jailed in the city. you will not wake up until you leave the city, and no time will have passed outside of your mind.
2. crawl into the tree that a possum happens to be living in. you will crawl out of a similar tree in Kossum
3. get lost in a city following a possum or some rats. you will walk out of an alleyway in Kossum once you get sufficiently off track.
4. get ferried there by The Tooth Fairy, for a price.