PREVIOUS	Ans - Az	NEXT
	PAGE		PAGE

= Unconfirmed information

Anspach, Jules Victor.   [1829-1879 AD]  Burgermeister of BRUSSELS as of 1863.  He was the main drive behind the covering up of the SENNE river.   He died a few weeks before Joseph POELAERT (B2).  See also SPANACH and STREETS OF BRUSSELS.

Antinea. A near planet, perhaps purely imaginary, in the Obscure World universe. A model of it can be found in the STAR EXPRESS attraction, and the name was given to the hypothetical invisible planet that the MOUNT MICHELSON scientists believed responsible for the mysterious ECLIPSE of September 2, 747 AT (EP). Its orbit may bring it close to planet PHŒBUS (GC).

Anton. A co-worker of young FRIEDRICH. He knew by rote all of the slogans of MYLOS, and followed them blindly (RA).

Aquatic Tripod. A kind of marine tricycle invented by Axel WAPPENDORF. Mostly used on the GREEN LAKE to hunt SPONGIAS (ETPV, GC).

Architecture.   It will come as a surprise to no-one that, in the world of the Obscure Cities, architecture is considered the Supreme Art.  To such a point that purists are pushing for the elimination of other forms.  Painting and sculpture, they say, only distract from the important stuff (GC).  See STREETS OF BRUSSELS.

ARCHIVISTE (L'). [The Archivist]  Third volume of the CHRONICLES of the Obscure Cities, published in 1987 AT. An album of unusually large size, that does justice to the excellent plates telling the story. See LIBRARIES and Isidore LOUIS.

Ard. [1] Name of the northern half of an island in the SEA OF SILENCES. On it can be found the city of PORT-DES-SINGES and the MOUNT ANALOGUE (GC). [2] A fabulous city described in the novel Ardistan, by Karl FRIEDRICH MAY. See also ITHY.

Ardan, Michel. A photograph and explorer born in 708 AT, famous in the World of the Cities. He met Jules VERNE, who turned him into a major character for one of his novels, was for a while director of the GENOVA Observatory, and contributed several scoops to l'ECHO DES CITÉS before creating his own newspaper, La LUMIÈRE, in 762. His career is very similar to that of French journalist Félix TOURNACHON, a.k.a. NADAR, in our own world (EC, EP, GC).  Given his character, the rumors about him being a lover of DURAINE DE MONTIGNAC are probably true (INT).

Arkhalsky. Governor of ALTA-PLANA during the SPITFIRE incident (EC).

Armilia. A mysterious underground city located at the North Obscure Pole. The only part of it ever seen looks like a cross between an armiliar sphere and a complicated clock. It appears that it can be used to manipulate both TIME and WEATHER. The serious breakdown of 746 AT may have been caused by Bronislaw KUNKELY (RA, GC). F.SCHUITEN and B.PEETERS are the ASSESSEURS of Armilia. See FRIEDRICH, ORRERY and PYM.

Art Deco. The term is derived from the International Exhibition of Modern Industries and Decorative Arts, held in Paris in 1925 AD. It is a broad style, difficult to describe in a few words, but is generally characterised by geometric and idealised forms. The architecture of URBICANDE can be considered to be a very severe form of Art Deco.

Art Nouveau. A flamboyant style that became popular around 1890 AD and ruled for about twenty years. The name comes from "La Maison de l'Art Nouveau", a Parisian boutique specialising in furniture of that genre, opened by Siegfried Bing in 1895 AD. Also called MODERN STYLE, that mode, heavy on curves and volutes, took inspiration from the plant world. Its detractors called it "The Noodle Style". See HORTA, HUYSMANS and STORK CLUB. 

Arts et Métiers [Arts and Trades]. A subway station in Paris, and one of the most impressive of the PASSAGES to the Obscure Cities (GC). It has been scenographied by F.SCHUITEN, with portholes decorated by BLEU MÉTHYLÈNE. Described in a handsome booklet published in 1994 AD, with a print limited to one thousand. Text by B.PEETERS. See FOUCAULT.

Artracer. In the HOLLOW EARTHS, an artist that freezes human motion in solidified rock vapours. They generally consider themselves superior to FOG CUTTERS. See NATAN.

A.S.B.L. Urbicande.   (Association Sans But Lucratif  = Non Profit Organisation)  An association devoted to bring knowledge of the Obscure Universe to the inhabitants of our world.   Administered by Florence MAINGUET.  The club LUMIÈRE SUR LES CITÉS was one of its earlier aspects.  The association is currently much in need of working space, but there is a very high probability that it will be able to move to the MAISON IMAGINAIRE (FM).

Assesseurs of Armilia. See ARMILIA. An assesseur is a person acting as assistant to a high-level functionary (PLI).

Assurances Générales [General Insurances]  In Italian:  Assicurazioni Generali. An important Obscure World insurance company. Its HEAD OFFICE is located a little outside BLOSSFELDTSTAD, but the company also has offices in the center of town (GC, ODH). Management does not seem to tolerate the slightest excentricity - even an involuntary one - from its employees (ODH).  See Albert CHAMISSO, Max NEWMAN and PALAIS DES MILLE FEUX.

A.T. After the Tower (EC), meaning the number of Obscure years after the supposed starting date of The TOWER's construction. The reference for one of the major Obscure calendars, used from MUKHA to CALVANI (GC). See A.D.

Au doux pays [At the Sweet Country]. A restaurant in Obscure PORRENTRUY. In April 719 AT, it was run by Mrs Jacquart (EC).

Aubrac (High Plateau of). A plateau in Middle Auvergne, France, between the valleys of Lot and Truyère. Mostly devoted to pastures (PLI, EP). See LAGUIOLE.

Augustins (Church of the).  A baroque style worship house located in BRUSSELS, designed by architect Franquart in 1620 AD and that stood on Place de Brouckère until 1895, at which time it was demolished.  Only the front was saved; transported stone by stone, it was rebuilt in front of the Church of Sainte-Trinité.  TRAMWAY 81 line winds its way in front of the building.  See FACADISM.

Augustins (Temple of).  A quaint historical building in BRÜSEL. Freddy DE VROUW wanted to "FACADISE" the place, while échevin SPEECKAERT was trying to save it (B).  See STREETS OF BRUSSELS.

Auguy, Honoré.   French citizen from the region of Aurillac, and who may have perhaps escaped the 1870 AD conscription by taking refuge in the Obscure World.  A poster from the C.COQ & CIE has apparently been found in his belongings (L).

Automatical Brain. Obscure equivalent of our computers. Tina TONERO liked to pour coffee in the machine belonging to BRÜSEL's Administration (B). See also INTERNET.

Autoportrait au musée vide [Self Portrait in the Empty Museum]. A work by Augustin DESOMBRES. There are two different versions: a preparatory painting [1898 AD] and a fresco [1899 AD] (MAD).

Autour des Cités Obscures [Around the Obscure Cities]. An excellent reference book published in 1994 AD, with texts by Michel Jans, Jean-François Douvry, Claude-Françoise BRUNON, Mony ELKAÏM, Thierry Groensteen and Gilles Ratier (ACO).

Autrique. See MAISON AUTRIQUE.

A.W. [1] Initials of Axel WAPPENDORF, used in an ad published in the April 719 AT issue of l'ÉCHO DES CITÉS, when he was trying to sell an important stock of saccharose oil (EC, GC). See MONOTRACE. [2] Strangely, the machine invented by Wappendorf to allow Mary VON RATHEN to communicate with our world has a bug that prints "W" instead of "A" (INT). See also LWETITIW and Alex WILLEM.

Axel. A young "leaning" boy from the MARY LA PENCHÉE storytale. Most probably inspired by Axel WAPPENDORF (MLP).

Axysms. Symmetrical events in the lives of the inhabitants of NOGEGON, who are required to report them in detail to their neighbourhood's Collector (N).

Axysms Collectors. On NOGEGON, public servants in charge of collecting and filing the SCROLLBOOKS in which AXYSMS are recorded. They work at many levels, from neighbourhoods to whole towns (N).

Aymé, Nasstasja. An Obscure World mathematician. She developed the "cabri" method of calculating the growth of the NETWORK (GC).

	PREVIOUS	Ans - Az	NEXT
	PAGE		PAGE