Urchins

"A suspicious number of orphans call the tangled streets of the Fifth City home. The child-gangs that plague us include: the Fisher-Kings, the Naughts, the Crosses, the Regiment, and the Knotted Sock."

Urchins: the probably futureless street-roaming orphans of London. They have territory throughout London, but they're particularly noticeable around Spite and in the Flit. There are several infamous gangs, listed in the sidebar snippet above; each has its own peculiar customs and traditions, some allegedly dating back to the Second City. For example, the Naughts and Crosses seem to be playing a giant game of, well, naughts and crosses (aka tic-tac-toe), and the Fisher Kings actually fish for head adornments! The urchin gangs have an age limit and will cast out members when they grow too old. Urchins are often used as couriers and informants.

Sunless Sea

General: The zee god Storm exerts influence over those who live in or spend a lot of time in high places. The Flit, home of many urchins, is one of the highest places in the Neath. This is why the Urchin factions are associated with Wild Words items in Fallen London. Sphinxstone: Slivvy, the urchin who talks to the wind reveals that he answers to the zee god Stone and sometimes kills people at her request by dropping large rocks on them from the great heights of the Flit. Father's Bones: It is revealed that the wine-stain birthmark on Slivvy's face along with his stutter are signs of "The Lightning's Kiss" which he got during a storm. Slivvy uses mutersalt to help with his stutter.

Seeking Mr Eaten's Name (SMEN)
After Saint Beau's Candle: For the right price in Jade, Slivvy can use an Aeolian Scream to invoke the ancient stone to partially heal the ravages of Seeking Mr Eaten's Name. Slivvy's spell removes seeker candles, unaccountably peckish, and all progress in the SMEN storyline; however, it is not powerful enough to free a seeker of the name nor heal their stains, chains, and scars.

Hallowmas
Faction Card: During Hallowmas if you give the urchins a Night-Whisper, it is revealed that the Knotted Sock doesn't get its name solely from the nail and brick filled socks they wield as weapons. Their name comes from an ur-sock said to contain a star. Confessions and Trust: During Hallowmas, Slivvy will purchase secrets kept from a previous year.

Twelve Days of Mr Sacks
Faction Card: During this holiday season the urchins will gather up the best lacre available from the streets and rooftops of London and craft it into An Unusual Pail of So-Called Snow. They sell these pails for exorbitant prices for most of the holiday.

The Cave of Nadir
Faction Card: Slivvy will offer to buy the location of the nadir in exchange for a starstone demark. During this exchange he reveals that the urchin gangs may go back even further than the Second City. He hints that the urchin gangs may originate from the "other children" of the Bazaar. In the Nadir: It is revealed that the Ministry of Public Decency will pay urchins to join the Choir.

Heart's Desire

Before the Heist: The Knotted Sock urchin gang are one of the only urchin gangs that will brave venturing into the forgotten quarter. Their headquarters are a located in a building in Spite known as Old Downy which is rumored to be haunted. After the Heist: it is revealed that the building isn't haunted; rather, it is alive due to the influence of a large shard of the King with a Hundred Hearts' heart which they have stolen. This is the ur-sock mentioned in the Hallowmas content.

Conflicts

Docks: One of the Urchin gangs uses a clock-tower mounted cannon to extort protection money from dock residents.

Widow: The Widow sometimes attempts to convince an urchin girl to leave her gang and become the Widow's adopted daughter.

Hell: Devils will often try to take advantage of the impressionable urchins in order to collect their souls.

Who Works with the Urchins?

• 
  Tricksters
• 
  Conjurers
• 
  Crooked-Crosses

Orphanage
Conjurer: Convinces urchins to join up with the devils of the Brass Embassy. Correspondent: Teaches the Correspondence to urchins. Midnighter: Regales the urchins with terrifying tales from their work as a spy disguised as ghost-tales.

What do the Urchins Deal In?

The Wild Words item category is most often associated with the Urchins.

• 
  Maniac's Prayer
• 
  Correspondence Plaque
• 
  Aeolian Scream
• 
  Storm-Threnody
• Rookery Password (a mark of recognition)
  Rookery Password (a mark of recognition)
• 
  An Unusual Pail of So-Called Snow