C10: Bridge of Entwined Hearts

Tradition holds that this bridge is the finest setting for romance in all the reaches of the Free City. During all hours of day and night, in weather fair and foul, one can always find a couple, or two, or occasionally three couples, engaged in quiet and romantic conversation.

Of course the bridge serves as a thoroughfare and carries a fairly significant amount of traffic each day. The Mill stream separates Clerkburg into two parts, and the bridge is the only one in the district. Each of the mills has a dam, with a walkway across it, but this bridge is the only crossing that can carry a horse or coach across the Millstream during its entire course from Temple Row to the Processional.

But travelers use the roadway, and lovers use the balconies set off the road at the highest point of the bridge. One of these balconies overlooks each side, and each has a small bench in it, large enough to hold only two. lf a couple comes along, but there is already a pair on each balcony, it is considered poor form to loiter about the bridge, waiting for space. Perhaps, if the time is right, the space will be there-or so go the stories.

Rumors state that a marriage proposal made and accepted upon the bridge will lead to a life-long union. The theory has been tested thousands of times, but no one has compiled the results. There are no magical effects present on this bridge, but the view is lovely, the passers-by friendly, and who knows what a rising moon might foreshadow ....

---

C10: Bridge of Entwined Hearts. This bridge is rumored to be a highly romantic setting, perhaps because the Bardschool is immediately next to it. Students at Grey College are the main users of the bridge, and a few seem to be on or around the bridge every warm night, enjoying themselves as best they can. Many marriage proposals are made here every year; someone who suggests a “walk in Clerkburg” to a partner is usually dropping a hint that a proposal is in the works. Some believe the bridge is magical, though no evidence of this exists.

DM's Notes: The Bardschool deliberately contributes to the suggestion that the Bridge of Entwined Hearts has a magical effect on romance. The bridge was called College Span a century ago, until the Bardschool’s staff began holding outdoor music practice that could be heard from the bridge. Music students now secretly have competitions to see who can play the most romantic (yet subtle) music, basing their evaluations on the effects their music has on people visiting the bridge. Bardschool students even have a tating system, with points awarded for hand-holding, kissing, embracing, and so on that take place on the bridge while a student plays music. Magical influences are not allowed, and a half-hour playing time per student is the standard.