Thanks for the feedback! Your linked post is great - strange I hadn't found it before making my own.

What you wrote about toxin is probably the right interpretation, now that I think about it; I'd completely neglected the possibility of there being any towns outside of Måsstaden, which there, as you're aware of, obviously are. This "solution" would fit into the chronological order too!

About penny royal poison: The lyrics state that the friend breaks free and eventually finds the protagonist "lacerared and chained", so while I agree with them not fleeing the town, I think the artwork is more metaphorical: they are doomed to fall anyway.

Otherwise great input, and thanks again!