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Stain'd-by-the-Sea

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“ The ink has begun to fade from the sea,
The coffee is starting to sour;
But the question that troubles all business in town is
Who Could That Be at This Hour? 		”
 
— attn VFD: stanza 1/7

Stain'd-by-the-Sea is a poor city that serves as the main setting for the book series All the Wrong Questions and first appears in Who Could That Be at This Hour? where Lemony Snicket's first mission as a neophyte for V.F.D. takes place.

Location[]

It is about a half day's drive from the city.

It was once located by the sea, but all the water was pumped away into Killdeer Fields,[3] to save the town from its ongoing economic recession, however, the act delayed its seemingly inevitable "fading" because its major export, ink, was quickly running out. As a result, its economy has been declining little by little. The Clusterous Forest was formed on the edge of the town, next to the lighthouse.

History[]

The region where Stain'd-by-the-Sea would be located was once populated by the Yamgraz people, but ever since colonists discovered ink in the water, they began to populate the town, causing the indigenous people to eventually fade away.[4] According to legend, Lady Mallahan slew the Bombinating Beast at the town's edge at one point in time. There was also another legend about the Stain'd Witches, who had ink in their veins as opposed to blood.[1]

Ingrid Knight established Ink Inc. in the town, causing the Knight family to become rich and bring business to Stain'd-by-the-Sea. As it was near the sea, the town used to have a fishing business,[5], a theater,[4] and a City Hall.[1] In front of the city hall, a statue was built to honor Colonel Colophon's victories in a recent war, but the statue was blown up, injuring the Colonel. The explosion was blamed on the Inhumane Society, an organization that had been making trouble due to the statue's planning. The remains of the statue still stand.[2]

After the explosion and death of Ingrid, her son Ignatius Knight took over her company. When the town's ink supply started to run out from the octopi, he ordered the sea to be drained in order to find more inkwells. This was opposed by environmentalists[3] and businesses in town that relied on the water to operate,[5], but the sea was drained nevertheless. The consequences were disastrous; all businesses in town halted, and the hunt for more octopi only delayed the inevitable collapse of Ink Inc.!

Stain'd also once had a prolific newspaper, The Stain'd Lighthouse, but ever since the ink supply began to shrink, it was unable to publish any articles. Much of Stain'd is unpopulated, but some businesses are still operational, including The Lost Arms, Mallahan Lighthouse, the Public Library, the Police Station, Handkerchief Heights, the Sallis Mansion, and Black Cat Coffee, among others. The city was located on what used to be an island and the buildings were once elegant, but they have been broken and battered since. There also used to be a sports team called The Stain'd-by-the-Sea Sea Stains.

Most citizens left the town either due to the economic crash or to flee from the Inhumane Society.[3] Cleo Knight had high hopes to save the town by finishing a formula for invisible ink to bring Ink Inc. back to prominence and restore the economy, but it is unknown if she had succeeded for the current state of this town after Lemony Snicket's departure largely remains a mystery. It's possible, however, that the town may have declined to the point that it is mostly if not entirely abandoned.

Description[]

Three pages

Near the outskirts of the town are sloping hills covered in trees. Most of the buildings are uninhabited. The sidewalks are cracked, and most businesses are abandoned. Whole neighborhoods are vacant, the most vacant being Blotted Boulevard; some have been knocked down completely. The buildings are boarded up on most streets. Old bottles and cans litter the streets, and the Sallis Mansion is smack in the middle of the town. There is also a huge giant pen-shaped headquarters for Ink Inc. at the far edge of the town, where the Knight Family lived and operated the inking industry. There is only one open restaurant, a small diner called Hungry's, which is operated by Hungry Hix and her nephew Jake Hix.

What used to be city hall now doubles as a police station, run by Harvey and Mimi Mitchum, and a library, run by sub-librarian Dashiell Qwerty, as the town cannot afford a permanent librarian.[1] There used to be a number of schools near the town that are now closed; Stain'd Secondary School was the last remaining one before it was burnt down.[5]

The oldest neighborhood in town holds the stores Boards, owned by Bob Old, Swords, owned by Muriel Distinguished, Cords, Gourds, and Chrysanthemums, owned by Delphinium Smith. There is also a veterinary office belonging to the Sobol family, a car garage operated by Jackie, and a rocking chair store called Cozy's, owned by Thomasina Cozy.

Empty piers still remain over where the sea used to be. Though there is no water, the town still fogs up.[4]

Stain'd Station operates the only train that goes in and out of town, which arrives once a month.

Offshore Island[]

Offshore Island is just a little ways from Stain'd-by-the-Sea, near Handkerchief Heights, and it holds Wade Academy. It used to be an island, but since the draining of the sea, it is "now just a mountain of stones rising out of the drained valley."[1] A rickety platform, which serves as an unexpected train stop, and an "eerie" bridge hang over the missing water. It has an uneven surface.[5]

The island holds several ingredients that are useful to Cleo Knight's invisible ink experiments.[2] It also served as a headquarters for the Inhumane Society after they took over Wade Academy.[5]

There is known to be a Coast Guard and Octopus Council.[1]

Exports[]

Wctbathheader2

Ink is Stain'd-by-the-Sea's most famous export. Needles took it out of wells and into barrels. The ink is made by octopi, distributed when they are frightened. The ink industry is not as relevant anymore, with the octopi diminishing in numbers. There are still barrels of ink and ink producing machines lining the edge of the town. And although there isn't much ink left, few workers still produce ink. The ink produced by Stain'd-by-the-Sea was said to make the darkest, most permanent stains.

The town also used to produce roe at the Roe House[5] and gold from the Gracq family mine.[4]

Residents[]

JakeDiner

Former residents are noted with italics.

Locales[]

Known Streets and Neighborhoods[]

Blotted
  • Anchovy District (out of business)[4]
  • Ballpoint Avenue[5]
  • Blotted Boulevard[1]
  • Business District[4]
  • Caravan - connected to Parfait via Black Cat Coffee; described as being a wide, empty street that "wandered its way around town like it didn't know where it was going either."[1]
  • Flounder Ponds, which includes Yamgraz Drive[4]
  • Homily Hill[4]
  • Nib Court[4]
  • Parfait - connected to Caravan via Black Cat Coffee; described as a narrow lane with a cold wind[1]
  • Wayward Way[5]

Stalls and Shops[]

Services and Council Buildings[]

Other[]

Appearances[]



Gallery[]

Illustrations[]

Promotional Merchandise[]

Official Site[]

Sources[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 PROSE: Who Could That Be at This Hour?
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 PROSE: When Did You See Her Last?
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 PROSE: Why Is This Night Different from All Other Nights?
  4. ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 4.20 PROSE: File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 PROSE: Shouldn't You Be in School?
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