Fellport Cleanliness Authority

The Ubiquitous FCA Logo

As Fellport grew, removing the trash and wastewater became a larger and larger problem. In Imperial times, engineers diverted Crystal Lake into a system of fresh water tunnels under each level in the city nicknamed the Raceway, but they made no provisions for waste removal since the city barely had enough residents to qualify as a city. The harbor stank for days after a hard rain washed the streets clean, especially on warm summer days. For hundreds of years the Amaryllis Estate hired gong farmers to gather human and food waste from the cesspits and streets of the city for use as fertilizer. Eventually a gnomish gong farmer named Violet Sienna-Bay-Umber hatched an elaborate scheme to make life easier for everyone.

By this time Violet hatched her scheme, the team behind the Lift project had almost completed their work. Violet talked Lord Amaryllis into providing the seed money to start what eventually became the Fellport Cleanliness Authority. Violet rediscovered the engineering map of fresh water lines under Fellport, then hired the Lift's tunneling team to dig a sewer system in parallel that diverted liquid waste toward the Amaryllis Estate for processing. Violet put all the pieces together to invent the toilet and modern sink, which she immediately installed into every building in Fellport.

Violet became insanely rich, taking over one of the larger Topside estates and renaming it Umber Manor. She negotiated contracts with the Amaryllis Estate to provide fertilizer and irrigation, and she built machines and vats underground just outside the Lakeside wall to process wastewater into fertilizer and greywater, pumping it directly to the fields. She organized a company of tinkers to install and service toilets throughout the city, though Umber Plumbing later rolled into the Fellport Cleanliness Authority (FCA). She served as the first Chief Officer of the FCA once the Council officially established it a century ago, but later retired to enjoy her wealth and raise her kids.

After nearly 100 years of steady growth, today's FCA maintains a central office against the Lakeside wall at the end of the Goldway (Level 7). It employs around 600 people across several divisions. Employees are paid well and have access to all the tools they need to do their jobs efficiently and well. The standard uniform consists of grey-stained leather armor emblazoned with the FCA's sun logo and a metal prybar/probe that functions as a metal club if needed. Many personalize their uniforms, and employees get issued three uniforms so they always have a clean outfit to wear at work. Magic Touch Cleaners handles the FCA's uniform cleaning on a daily basis.

The largest division, nicknamed the Binfolk, involves the emptying of trash bins around town, in both public spaces and private residences, each emblazoned with the eight-pointed sun logo of the FCA. They empty the bins into a cart and haul the cart down to the harbor onto a barge, which runs up the coast just north of the Amaryllis Estate for processing and reuse. If they find anything interesting, they can pocket it and decide to sell it to the FCA appraiser at the end of their shift. Both employees and the FCA have profited through this policy.

The second-largest division, nicknamed the Flowbees, involves keeping the water and sewer systems running without a hitch. Plumbers visit buildings with faulty toilets or sinks and make everything flow again. Sometimes they need to put on a ring of water breathing, cast reduce, and go spelunking to loosen a clog. Sometimes they recover jewelry lost down drains. Sometimes they quietly dispose of drugs or contraband that gum up the works when thieves try to flush them. They don't ask questions, but they will accept tips for a job well done or for forgetting exactly where they recovered this mysterious bag. Again, Flowbees can sell anything they recover back to an FCA appraiser at the end of their shift or keep it for their own use or sale.

FCA Bean Counters focus on money and the appraisal and sale of any recovered valuables. Sweepers roam the streets to pick up discarded items, roadkill, and cart apples. Carters take care of the carts and draft animals for use by any of the divisions. Runners deliver messages to teams in the field, mostly about emergency repairs or overflowing bins. Punters run the barges up the coast to the Rag Pickers in the sorting facility. The Board runs the whole operation and reports to the Fellport Council on the budget and any problems. Most people just call any FCA employee Binfolk once they see the grey leather uniform, and nobody gets in a snit about being miscategorized.

FCA employees typically feel satisfaction in providing an important service to the city, and the perks, tips, and extra income potential make every day a treasure hunt. The FCA typically runs in the black between the yearly grant from the Council, the recovered items sold off, the contract with the Amaryllis Estate, and the sale of any reclaimed materials from the sorting facility. Several solid revenue streams will easily pay a relatively small work force with some money left over.

Part of T.W.Wombat's Lore 24 project, detailing the world around Fellport.
For all city posts, see the Fellport Index. For posts about the wider world, see the Beneterra Index.