#wormrow

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Worm Row

Previously bordering the mineral abnormality, Worm Row has some of the cheapest housing. The neighborhood has a long, winding shape where the abnormality once abutted, lending it its name. Some of the neighborhood is dilapidated, and people have been venturing into the cavernous openings left behind by the abnormality when it dissolved to see what lurks beneath. Unfortunately, Worm Row has fallen on even harder times recently due to the loss of tourism to see the abnormality. The homes that were once built against it also needed extensive repairs. Now, the neighborhood has plenty of (mostly seedy) businesses and motels, and the places tourists once flocked feel like a ghost town. 

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While there’s no safe place in Wicked’s Rest, Worm Row tends to be more dangerous than most areas, with a greater proportion of human crime. That’s not to say some supernaturals don’t also take advantage of the fact that some people who vanish from here won’t be missed by anyone.

Those who live or spend a lot of time in Worm Row typically give directions such as “southworm” or “northworm,” using the long, squiggly shape of the neighborhood to orient themselves.

There are a lot of worms in this neighborhood. A lot. They don’t all seem to be supernatural, but some people think that sometimes those who live here turn into worms. In reality, they’re probably just crawling over from the Wormwoods.

The largest (and safest) entrance into Netherville is in the south end of Worm Row. Though they’ve lost the attraction of the abnormality, the tourism board is working hard to flip the attention over to Netherville and the fact that you will probably have to pass through Worm Row to get there. New shops are popping up along the road that leads to the Stairway to Hell, a nickname lovingly given to this steep, stone staircase that descends into the earth. 

It’s common to see old, faded tourist attraction signs still standing in Worm Row, pointing toward nothing or perhaps toward gaping holes that lead dangerous paths down into Netherville. Some have been defaced with messages like “STILL HERE” or “DON’T FOLLOW” in spray paint or scratched right into the surface of the sign. 

Most delivery services charge extra to drop things off in Worm Row these days, and some companies refuse to permit their drivers to enter the neighborhood after dark. Hopefully that burger order wasn’t a matter of life and death!