Krems
"What's a Krem? I heard Priscilla's dad talk about them today."
"Oh, the Krems are people who come from the north, where it's cold and snowy. Long ago the basileus built a wall to keep them out, but then they came over the wall as refugees. Now they live in the slums by the docks. They're short and pale and keep to themselves."
"What's a refugee?"
"People who run away from a war. Anyway, never go to the Kremish quarter. They're all sick as rats. Some even spit at you to try and give you the plague."
"Oh, and don't forget dear, their old women are witches. They sold their souls to the devil. All the men and women in the quarter serve their local witch."
"I heard Krems can talk to dogs."
"And some can turn into dogs too! I saw one once. In an alley by the fish market."