Total War: Broken City OOC 2

[Zemalac]

GAMEPLAY: RULES AND REGULATIONS

Most standard Total War rules apply. Ask the GM if you need clarification on anything or if you haven’t played Total War before.


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PC FACTIONS

Spoiler

Faction	Player	MOR	ESP-D	REP	INF	Traits
Blackfist Brotherhood	Eldan	0	0	0	0	DEFEATED Symbols of Authority; Wild Magic; Prepared Defense; Electric Defense
Bloodhaven Hospital	Thelonius	6	6	7	8	Bloodhaven Hospital; Pharmacology; ???, Student Following; Friends In Low Places; Medical Certifications; Imperium of Vice; Morphine Supply; Verdan Contacts; Commerce House; The New Library; Black Powder Weapons IV; V3; Citizen's Militia; Triphage Scars
Champions of Sovereignty	razovor	5	5	3	5	Ever Hopeful; In The King's Name; Royal Spark; Symbols of Authority
Church of Neposh	HerbieRAI	9	9	3	11	Underground; Evangelizing; Fanatical; Symbols of Authority; The Honored Dead; The New Library; Black Powder Weapons II; Law Magic; Secret Ways
Esoteric Society of Gentleman Explorers	Nyrt	7	7	4	4	Realpolitick; Well-Traveled; Reckless Endangerment; Antimagic I; The New Library; Airborne; High Culture; Horn of Plenty
The Exchange	NPC	3	6	1	0	ABSORBED The Mint; Neutrality of Money; Sanctity of Money
Executive Bureaucracy of Sav Altulas	Greystone	6	9	5	2	Halls of Final Justice; Civil Authority; Thin Grey Line; The Guild Press; Rule of Law
The Gear's Chosen	puppyavenger	0	0	0	0	DEFEATED Laboratory of Enlightenment; Technoreligious; Fanatical Minority; Black Powder Weapons II; Celestial Network; Industrial Press
Heladuit Court	Copper8642	7	7	2	1	Nothing But Class; Blood and Oath; Obvious; Commerce House; "This One's For Your Face!"
House Laurier	TsukikoJ	4	10	3	4	Foreigners; Persuasive; Mundane; Waterman Contacts; Arcanan Contacts; Merdallan Contacts; The Eastern Trade
House Wallen	Ragnar Lodbroke	3	3	1	1	Gentleman Adventurer; Disgraced; The Party Line; Black Powder Weapons IV; Citizen's Militia;
Mercantile's Guild	oblivion6	3	3	2	0	Merchant Contacts; No Doors Closed; Merchant Marine; Black Powder Weapons IV; Operator Equipment III; Bombards; Verdan Munitions
Orcs of Tregon	Eldan	6	6	-2	0	Survival; Engineered Race; One Race Faction
Order of the Wren	Imperial Psycho	7	7	5	8	Castaways; The Wren; Den of Thieves; Legendary Hunt; Black Powder Weapons IV; The Bloody Art; Warlord Contacts; Trading Hub; Protectorate Contacts; Operator Equipment III; Lower City Rising
The Ram Revolution	ForzaFiori	7	7	4	0	Parliament; Servant's Ears; Uncouth; Hand Press; Quality of Life; Police Work; Citizen's Militia
Sausage Guild	ArcaneStomper	6	6	0	0	Bloody Business; The City Must Be Fed; Expanded Tunnels; Assault Tunnelers; Commerce House; Sav Altulas Metro; The New Library; The Grid
The Silversmith's Guild	ragingrage	6	6	3	6	The Beautiful Trade; Professional; Loose Association; Warded; Commerce House; Sharp Dressed Man
The Technists Guild	Grimsage Matt	5	5	3	1	Technological (10); Dug In; Steam Driven; Lighter Than Air III (Reliable); Symbols of Authority; Hand Press; Black Powder Weapons II; Flintlock Supplier; Commerce House; Gaspar Aeroyard
United Alliance of Labor	NPC	2	2	-1	0	Union Office; Dumpster Diving; Dirty Dealings
The Wardens	Murska	10	10	-5	10	Imperial Contacts; Legion Discipline; Bandit Grudges; Black Powder Weapons II; Operator Equipment; Jungle Contacts; Arun Contacts; Symbols of Authority; Verdan Contacts; Checkpoint; Dragon Guns; Vaults of Flesh; The Western Trade

RANKINGS

Spoiler

Bloodhaven has the highest Reputation, and thus gets 2 bonus Influence (Loved).

Wardens have lowest Reputation, and thus get 2 bonus Influence (Feared).

The Wardens control Traitor's Bridge, and thus get 2 Influence from Symbols of Authority.

The Technists Guild controls the Foundry, and thus gets 1 Influence from Symbols of Authority.

The Wardens control Gatehouse Prison, and thus get 1 Influence from Symbols of Authority.

The Peacocks control the Harrowing Fields, and thus Bloodhaven gets 1 Influence from Symbols of Authority.

The ESGE controls Daimot University, and thus gets 2 Influence from Symbols of Authority.

The Wardens control the Military District, and thus get 1 Influence from Symbols of Authority.

The Champions of Sovereignty control Daisong Palace, and thus get 4 Influence from Symbols of Authority.

House Laurier controls all of Lomb Circle, and thus gets 2 Influence from the District Bonus, as well as the trait: The Eastern Trade.

Bloodhaven controls all of the Triphage Untima, and thus gets 3 Influence from the District Bonus, as well as the trait: Triphage Scars.

Wardens control all of Spicer's Circle, and thus get 2 Influence from the District Bonus, as well as the trait: The Western Trade.

The Silversmith's Guild controls all of Heavensgate, and thus gets 4 Influence from the District Bonus, as well as the trait: New Coin Nobility.

The Order of the Wren controls all of Runner's City, and thus gets 2 Influence from the District Bonus, as well as the trait: Lower City Rising.

The Church of Neposh controls all of Oldtown, and thus gets 3 Influence from the District Bonus, as well as the trait: Secret Ways.



Order of the Wren gets 1 Influence from The Legendary Hunt (killing Redeye)

ESGE gets 1 Influence from Horn of Plenty.

The Wardens have the highest Military.

The Wardens have the highest Wealth.

???? has the highest Espionage (ESP score is high enough to block Rankings).

The Church of Neposh has the highest base Magic. The ESGE has the highest total Magic.

NPC FACTIONS

Spoiler

STACKS

Drydock: Currently occupied by the Shipwright’s Guild, which refuses to acknowledge the fact that the ships they build for the River Tethyn really aren’t all that good. The Guild is currently working as a sub-faction of the Mercantile's Guild.

The Turnaround: The Blackthorne and Exodus carriage houses run things here in the name of the Mercantile's Guild.

Traveler’s Quarter: This neighborhood is controlled by the Host Watch, a group funded and equipped by the various innkeepers and long-term foreign residents that you will find here. The Host's Watch is currently backed by the Mercantile's Guild.

Stockyards North: This area is controlled by various Drover’s Associations, in the name of King James I.

LOMB CIRCLE


The Pond: There are five separate factions in the Pond, each of them now part of the House Laurier merchant structure.

The Chain Run: The Roper's Watch runs this neighborhood in the name of House Laurier.

SPICER’S CIRCLE

Gateway Milanus: The traditional Gatekeeper’s Guard polices this area in the name of the Wardens.

Pepperstoch: Sausage Guild Ansigaris patrol Pepperstoch.

Dragonhead: The Hath Poisoner's Society is rumored to still be active in the shadows here. These rumors are most likely false, but they persist no matter how many times the Wardens gesture meaningfully at the graves they put the Society in.

GILDED

Dovel: The prim and proper streets of the Dovel neighborhood are patrolled by the Ansigaris, a police force paid and equipped by certain rich residents, the Exchange and the Sausage Guild.

Embassy Row: Though no actual foreign embassies have stood in the neighborhood for a hundred years, the local police force is still proud to call itself the Ambassadorial Guard, which patrols the neighborhood alongside the Ansigaris and is widely known to be in the Sausage Guild's pocket. It is rumored that they share the neighborhood with a Merdallan knight, though it is unknown if that is true or not.

Changer’s Row: There is no one central authority in Changer’s Row, just a whole lot of moneychanger guards; recently, the Ansigaris from Dovel have begun patrolling here as well.

Allscross: The Conductor reigns supreme here, a strange wizard who taxes all who pass through the city’s largest crossroads. Many of the merchants in the Circles view him as an impediment to commerce. Under the streets are Sausage Guild tunnels, workers busy expanding the Vaults of Flesh.

BLACKSGAGE

Northside Black: Some say that the Yellow Court is running things here, though no sign of them has yet been confirmed. The Blackspell Watch patrols this neighborhood, answering to its Board of Trustees.

Southside Black: The Blackspell Watch patrols this neighborhood, answering to its Board of Trustees.

Scholar’s Compass: This is a very quiet neighborhood, except when the moon is full. Do not be in Scholar’s Compass when the moon is full. The Blackspell Watch patrols this neighborhood, answering to its Board of Trustees.

Mewlings: This neighborhood is controlled by the iron hand of the Bookbinder’s Guild. The presses roar night and day, printing a world of paper to be distributed to the rest of the city.

Dogma: This neighborhood is home to an ESGE-sponsored opera house and many housing developments owned by Lord Wallen.

Redress Street: This long and winding street is patrolled by the Blackjack Boys, men who, though having no control of magic themselves, have a knack for taking out criminal mages, which has served them well recently. The Boys are currently considered to be an arm of the Esoteric Society of Gentleman Explorers.

SKY

Dai: Shining with light even in the darkest of storms, the Dai neighborhood is home to the so-called Fisher Houses, nobles who made their fortunes from the lake and river. The three main powerhouses in the neighborhood, House Orthax, House Beteoui and the Dwimmercant Families, are all part of House Wallen's political party.

Lodstrom: The core of Wallen's Lodstrom party live here, those former members of the Lodstrom High Society Club. They are opposed in their political efforts by the smaller party of old-blood nobility formed by House Matoff.


HEAVENSGATE

Millford’s: This is a respectable neighborhood, patrolled by the respectable watchmen of the Millford Standing Guard, who are in turn funded by the Silversmith's Guild.

Hobbespot: Who controls the Games, controls Hobbespot.


TRIPHAGE UNTIMA

Painted Court: The whores are in charge here, them and their guards. It is said that the mysterious Peacocks run every vice in the city, though no one (except possibly their close ally Doctor Vassari) has ever seen them to confirm this.

The Drueger Grounds: Home to furtive, scurrying people, cults and old magic, the Drueger Grounds are being fought over by the Righteous Army of Telen Kosh, the Brotherhood of the Flowering Rose and the Defeated. All of them have decent Military, Espionage and Magic scores. Currently, the Defeated and the Righteous Army have almost been destroyed by the Brotherhood, with support from the Heladuit Court.

Old Jack’s Run: Considered unlucky by the rest of the city, this neighborhood is generally avoided, especially at night. Was until very recently run by the confederation of gangs, cults and witches known as the Worldbreakers; now, in the wake of a Gear's Chosen-backed Dreumont attack from Icy Mont, the Clockwork Swords are in charge.

Icy Mont: This neighborhood is controlled by the Dreumont, known to everyone else as “Elfbeens.” They are a gang of humans obsessed with ice elf culture, and they tend to keep the streets at a colder temperature than usual. It is known that the Gear's Chosen ice elf named Joshua lives here.

Little Zanchar: This odd section of town is full of vendors selling what they claim is authentic Zancharian cuisine. It’s not half bad, either. It is controlled by the Market Guard, with backing from Doctor Vassari of Bloodhaven.

Elfwatch: This neighborhood once played host to watchtowers and other defenses against the Zancharian Empire. Nowadays, those same towers provide homes for opium dens and other unsavory practices that support the Everdie gang, which is known to be a front for the Peacocks.

SMOKEYARDS

Fat Tippest: Currently filled to the brim with the homeless and destitute, looking for shelter in the townhouses formerly owned and occupied by factory managers and overseers.

Little Veras: The artificers in the Foundry report to the Technists Guild now.

The Mendicant’s Field: Housing the city’s biggest graveyard, this has always been a traditionally religious neighborhood. Currently controlled by the Grave Guard, an organization of militant orders dedicated to keeping necromancers out.

OLDTOWN

Heartsblood: The Wrekan family runs this neighborhood with support from the EBSA, after driving out their hated enemies, the Hearthfeather family.

Silvathrien: A noble and elegant neighborhood, Sivathrien is home to the Silver Blood Gentleman’s Association and the Evening Games Club. They get along cordially enough with each other, and turn back any attempts by outside powers to control the neighborhood with disturbingly vicious focus.

Dozen Dancers: So named by the twelve massive sculptures constructed in its midst, the Dozen Dancers neighborhood is home to artists, unrepentant muggers and the Wool Street Gang, which currently lives in the hollowed-out head of one of the Dancers.

Annosus: The wizard Delathion, the Empty Blood Gang and the Annosus Merchant’s Society all believe they have control over Annosus. None of them seem to be aware of the others.

RUNNER’S CITY

Imperial Third: Settled by exiles from the Illarym Empire, this neighborhood retains a strong Imperial influence, which is why the local gangs all call themselves Legion. Black Legion, Hawk Legion, Fancy Legion, et cetera. There are more than any outside can keep track of, and they change every day. Currently, the Legions follow the banner of the Ram.

Deadman Hill: Overlooked by the infamous Gatehouse Prison, this neighborhood is now ruled by the Blackfist Brotherhood, who have hung their flags over its gate.

Downline: Site of the now-infamous Longspeak Tower, Downline is home to wild magic and wilder mages, each of them fighting all the others.

All Gods’ Hollow: Mist seeps up from under the streets in this neighborhood, making the entire place seem like it’s filled with ghosts—which may very well be the case. Not even the cults have found a home in All Gods’ Hollow.

GAME CONCEPTS

Spoiler

Direct Attributes (and Stat Caps): Your Military, Wealth, Espionage and Magic stats are based on solid numbers of troops, coins, spies and spells. As such, these stats must be supported by territory you control. You can have points in these stats equal to twenty plus two for every neighborhood you control, with additional bonuses granted for control of entire districts, specific locations on the map, or traits. Please note that some factions are already almost at the starting stat cap.

Derived Attributes: These attributes are based on how people feel about you, and as such are visible to all. Morale is based on how your own people feel about you; this stat affects everything that you do in small ways, and serves as your basic defensive espionage. Reputation is a bit trickier. REP ranges from -10, which is hated and feared, to 10, which is praised and loved. 0 indicates uncaring neutrality or lack of knowledge. Both high and low REP scores gain you Influence, as you exert control over the people of the city by being the most loved or the most feared.

Traits: Anything that is not covered by stats is considered a trait. Factions, locations and VIP characters can all have traits.

Reading Messages: Every faction has a Defensive Espionage (ESP-D) stat that changes each turn. Your ESP-D is equal to your Morale plus any Espionage that you have told me you are setting aside for counterintelligence during the previous EoT (so first turn it’ll just be equal to your Morale). People who have also played in Mistral’s TW 2126 will be familiar with this system. You can read any spoilered, non PM message in the thread if your Espionage is higher than the lowest Defensive Espionage of the factions involved. If the message is being sent to an NPC or character without an ESP-D stat, then you can read it if you beat the ESP-D of the faction that actually has that stat.

VIPs: Your VIP characters have stats. You do not know what those stats are, but they will provide a bonus to actions during EoT if you assign the VIP character to help with/lead an operation. When a VIP has done enough stuff in situations where they might conceivably have learned something—risky situations that provide do-or-die flashes of insight that they will carry with them for the rest of their life—they will level up, gaining new stats and possibly traits.

Private Messages: The only way to have a completely secure exchange of messages is to have two VIP characters talking face-to-face. Doing this ties up the VIP characters involved; you will not be able to use the character during EoT if instead he or she has spent the turn talking to people.

Neighborhoods and Districts: The city of Sav Altulas is split up into eleven different districts, each of which is split up into a number of different neighborhoods (anywhere from five to twelve). Control of neighborhoods is everything in this game. You start with control over one neighborhood and must expand outward from there. Control over a neighborhood also gives you control over any special buildings that are in there, only some of which are marked on the map. Controlling all neighborhoods in a district grants major bonuses.

All neighborhoods not controlled by a PC or NPC faction are assumed to have local gangs, watch associations, Guild police forces, mad cults and other assorted groups of that nature defending them. That is to say, you have to actually do something to earn control of an area, you can't just waltz in and declare ownership (unless you have a sufficiently high Military or scary Reputation, of course).

Special Locations: Some special locations are within neighborhoods, and control over them and their associated traits/stat bonuses comes with control of the neighborhood. Some of them are bigger than that. The Bleak Cathedral, for example, is not part of any neighborhood, and can in fact be controlled separately from the Oldtown district that it is in the heart of without making whoever controls the rest of Oldtown lose their district bonus. It is, in effect, a self-contained District. Same with the Harrowing Fields, Gatehouse Prison and Traitor's Bridge.

Hidden Locations: Every turn you control a neighborhood, there is a small chance that you will find any hidden locations in it. There is a larger chance that you will find something when you first take control of a neighborhood, as your people are crawling all over the place looking for the best location to set up shop, and an even higher chance if you actually devote resources to the task of ferreting out rumors.

Contacts and Foreign Factions: The world outside of Sav Altulas is strange and far away. The city is situated in the middle of the warlord-filled Shattered Lands (main exports: refugees, plagues and counterfeit coinage), and as such the maneuverings of the great powers elsewhere on the continent bear little meaning to its citizens. The net result of this is that contacting anyone outside of the city takes time. Messages sent to factions outside of the city will be replied to the following turn. The only way of getting around this is by having the relevant Contacts trait. Controlling the neighborhood with the Illarym Contacts trait, for example, lets you negotiate with the Illarym Empire and its various subfactions as though they were a city faction, without the message travel delay.

Using Enemy Contacts: You can spend ESP mid-turn in order to use Contacts traits that you do not own. This costs 2 ESP per neighborhood that you are away from the Contact's location, and the owner of the Contact can spend half that in order to listen in, but this allows you the same benefit of having that trait for the duration of the turn. If the neighborhood with the Contact in it is not controlled by anyone, then it costs 1 ESP per 'hood away, but anyone else can pay the same cost to read your messages. If you do not have the Contacts trait yourself, there is no way of making messages to that faction private.

Locations of Contacts: It is known that the following contacts may be found somewhere in the Circles. You do not know what neighborhood particularly, but if you put some effort into digging you could probably find out.

Lomb Circle: Merdallan, Waterman, Arcanan, and Elsinian Contacts.
Spicer's Circle: Illarym, Arunian, Verdan and Jungle Contacts.

It is also known that the Warlord and Protectorate Contacts can be found somewhere in Stacks, and that the Laheim Contact may be found somewhere in the Triphage Untima.

Influence: When it seems like an appropriate time for the game to be ending and a new ruler of Sav Altulas to be crowned, the person with the highest Influence wins. The following things give you Influence points in varying amounts:

-Controlling an entire District.
-Controlling Daisong Palace, the Bleak Cathedral, Traitor's Bridge, or other specific locations with the Symbols of Authority trait.
-Every third neighborhood gives you 1. This is on top of whatever the District bonus is.
-Person with the highest REP gets bonus Influence. So does the person with the lowest.
-Achieving specific goals or doing awesome things may grant bonus Influence, depending on the mood of the GM.

[Zemalac]

FLUFF: WELCOME TO THE CITY

The Districts

Spoiler

Sky: The noble district. Everyone here pretends that they can trace their lineage back to old Talidor. Very, very rich, very, very powerful. Has the fewest neighborhoods and grants the most Influence out of any district.

Heavensgate: The quarter of those who like to pretend that they are nobility. Wealthy merchants, high-end artists and craftsmen…this is the middle-class district, though they would very much like to pretend that it is higher.

Triphage Untima: No one remembers what the name of this district means. Rumor has it that it was one of the major staging grounds for the Zancharian invaders after they took the city (back when that Empire was in its prime and not a smoking wasteland), and that the remains of their ancient war machines can still be found here, their frames turned into houses or buried deep beneath the earth. Currently home to whorehouses, dubious apothecaries and more dubious doctors.

The Smokeyards: Home of the city's factories, its artificers and its laboring masses. Rumors of mad alchemists, unwholesome experiments and labor disputes resolved through use of assassins have plagued this district for as long as it has been around.

Oldtown: The ancient city is full of secret ways and passages, streets that run beneath other streets and hidden neighborhoods where demons dwell, far from the light. Oldtown is where the mysteries of Sav Altulas go to die.

Runner’s City: Originally home to bitter, terrified refugees fleeing from the worst of the warlords after the collapse of the Zancharian Empire, Runner’s City hasn’t gotten much better in the intervening centuries. The housing is still temporary, the despair is still palpable and the lives are still cheap.

Stacks: Most foreign visitors never get further into the city than this. Caravans unload, trains of cattle are herded into the stocks and far-off wars replay themselves in miniature every night in the back alleys and taverns.

Lomb Circle: Occasionally called the "Lower Circle" by people who are pretentious wiseasses, the Lomb Markets play host to most of the trade from across the mountains. This is the older of the two Circles, and the less well-regarded; a thousand years ago, all of the city's trade came from the east, but after the Zancharian Empire collapsed Sav Altulas wanted nothing to do with the lands that the elves came from.

Spicer's Circle: The newer of the two great Circles, and the more prestigious, Spicer's Circle stands as a testament to almost a thousand years of gradual Illarym influence in the city. The faint presence of the Empire can be found everywhere here, from the prevalence of machinery to the current fashions.

Gilded: They say the streets are paved with gold in the quarter where the moneychangers and the Guilds live. They say if you pick any stretch of cobbles and dig down far enough you'll strike someone's vault eventually, and if you bump an unassuming accountant on the street they'll have their bodyguards kill you on the spot.

Blacksgage: Haunted and mysterious, a small city in itself built up around the Orn University Daimot that lies abandoned in its midst, Blacksgage has always felt like part of a different town that somehow got stuck in Sav Altulas. The people who live there are furtive and wear too many robes to be considered entirely sane. This is the home of magic in Sav Altulas, but unlike the bright promises offered by the University Arcana and the mage-tinkers of Veras, this magic is dark and bloody indeed.

Locations:

Spoiler

Daisong Palace: Such a large complex that it could be considered a small city in itself, the Palace has been home to the sorceress Desoui for the last hundred years or so. She is dead now, having been assassinated by mysterious persons, and in the wake of her demise the wards and other carefully-maintained enchantments are beginning to behave strangely. Doors open onto rooms that have never before existed, stairways lead up to basement dungeons in tall towers, and the gardens rearrange themselves at night. Nevertheless, the Daisong Palace remains a powerful symbol of rulership to the people of the city, and its importance should not be underestimated.

The Bleak Cathedral: A church dedicated to gods long-forgotten, now home to a multitude of orders following traditions set down by masters long-dead for reasons that no one knows.

Traitor’s Bridge: The main route for merchants and refugees both, control over the guardhouses, tariff booths and waystations along Traitor’s Bridge would give its owner considerable economic clout.

The Harrowing Field: The grand arena of the city, where the condemned from the nearby Gatehouse Prison are forced to fight for the amusement of the citizenry.

Gatehouse Prison: It is said that all the scum of the Shattered Lands come to die in Gatehouse Prison.

Orn University Daimot: The old and ancient Talidor university, abandoned now to machine cults and hoarders of ancient wisdom. Recently occupied by the Librarian of the Elements and her followers; as such, the historical linguists in the city are considering changing the name to Sav University Daimot, or just dropping the prefix entirely.

Orn Gaspar: Partially-constructed field for airships and other skycraft, this now abandoned structure gives the Gaspar’s Folly neighborhood its name.

The Foundry: The workshops in the middle of Little Veras go by the collective name of the Foundry. They are occupied by rogue Monks from the Ascension Monastery on Verdan and mage-tinkers that even the Veras City Council has deemed too dangerous to stay in that city of madmen.

The World in Brief

Spoiler

Some notes on the world.

History

A very, very long time ago, the world was ruled by gods who walked the earth and used the realms of mortals as playthings. These were ancient and unfathomable divinities, worshiped by fools who did not know better. They were beings called Earthquake and Storm, and they did not think as mortals do.

And then seven swords were crafted by the Forge God's hand, and seven swords rose up to slay the gods. Thus came the Godswar, man against his own faith, and a new pantheon. The new gods were more mortal than their predecessors, more quarrelsome and emotional, and mortals, seeing themselves reflected in their gods, accepted and worshiped them.

During the period after the Godswar, when the new gods were still rising and the shape of the world had not yet been set, there arose in the land of elves a great conqueror. He gathered his people together and laid waste to his enemies and, when he had forged an empire, he called it Zanchar. It took many years for the Zancharian Empire to cross the sea to the continent of Lorin, where our story takes place, but when they came they came with a vengeance. Their original mission, that of educating and uplifting those they saw as lesser races, was forgotten in the wake of the conquest. They burned through what is now the Merchant's Water and the lands that would become the Kingdom of Merdallan and built palaces of white marble on the bones of the slain. Out of all the races living on Lorin, only the original desert tribes that would become the Illarym were not at any point ruled by the elves of Zanchar, a fact that they remain proud of to this day. Zanchar itself became fat with the loot of an empire that stretched across the known world, an entire continent living high off the riches of entire races. it was during this time period that the kingdoms of Talidor, Desperante and Old Maltin were conquered and ruled by the elves. Sav Altulas, former capitol of Talidor, lay in ruins for the better part of a century. During that time the locals called it Orn Altulas, that being the title given to a place that is dead. Also during this time the race of the orc was created by the elves, for use as manual labor.

And then the mad archmage stepped out of a crater, and Old Jack's War began. It was started by that one insane wizard, the man who dropped the city of Zan through the very crust of the earth, but it was ended by the slaves of the Empire who seized their chance to rise up. Those races who had been subjugated on Lorin threw off their chains and waited with fearful eagerness and bloody steel for the elves to return from across the sea to punish their subjects.

The winter that year was terrible, and the one after that as well. The temperature of the entire world dropped several degrees as ash blotted out the sun. When explorers from the former slave races finally reached the coast of old Zanchar, they found a blasted wasteland, an entire continent cracked in two by the enraged hand of Old Jack or by the desperate, final efforts of the Imperial Elves. Zanchar had been destroyed, and over time the name itself fell into disuse. Most people these days call it the Dead Continent, and steer well-clear, for it is known by all that necromancers fight bitter and strange wars on the plains of ash, attracted to the place by all the death that occurred there. They say that Old Jack lives there still, trapped beneath a mountain dredged up from the bottom of the ocean, still plotting his final revenge.

After Zanchar the elves faded from the historical scene. These past thousand years have seen the rise of human empires and human kingdoms. Those elves that remain live in far-off places where there were no slaves to rebel, far beyond the touch of Old Jack.

Present Day

Sav Altulas is in the middle of the Shattered Lands. The Shattered Lands are heavily forested, somewhat mountainous and full of warlords. Every village bully-boy thinks he's the rightful King of Talidor, Desperante or Maltin, or possibly all three. In these lands you are either a cowering villager just trying to make a living or you are the strongman extorting the livelihood of those weaker than yourself. There is no middle ground. Those who live under the rule of one of the larger warlords might have a better time of it, but barely. It is a common joke in the south that the main exports of the Shattered Lands are "Refugees, plagues and counterfeit coins," and it cannot be said that there isn't some truth to that.

The Shattered Lands are full of horrors, most of them human

Spoiler

Important locations in the Shattered Lands include: the city of Sav Altulas, the city of Burnelli, the mercenary houses of Laheim, and the ruined cities Orn Demati and Orn Telengrad. Burnelli is far away enough that it probably won't affect Sav Altulas very much, but Laheim is within easy caravan distance, and the famous mercenaries of the City of Bells are always looking for work.

To the north of the Shattered Lands is the Protectorate of the Blood. This land is isolationist in the extreme: all that you will have heard of them is that their elite troops, the Heartless, actually have their hearts torn out of them in some sort of vile ritual. Whether this is true or not you do not know.

To the south of the Shattered Lands is the Illarym Empire, a vast imperial state that grew out of the unconquered desert tribes after the fall of the Zancharian Empire. The Emperor's will is enforced by ordered ranks of fanatically loyal soldiers, as well as the Soulless Legions (also known as the Groundnaught Mechanical), automatons brought to life by the secrets of magic and the cunning of artificers.

Imperial Authorities

Spoiler

If you are an enemy of the Empire, beware the black-marked men. These agents of the Imperial Chancery do not have to follow the laws of the Empire, so long as they act in the Chancellor's name.

Off the southwest coast of the Empire is the island of Verdan, home to Science and Magic in equal measure. Here is the monastery of the Monks of the Ascension, that science-cult devoted to becoming gods through alchemy and mechanical works. They are very willing to sell you their weapons--for a modest fee, of course. On the opposite side of the island is the city of Veras, where mage-tinkers of questionable sanity take the Monks' inventions and add liberal doses of enchantment before selling them for a huge profit. This is, naturally, viewed as the basest sort of heresy by the Monks, who have a habit of shelling the city whenever they think they can slip a mortar team through the City Guard's perimeter. The city endures, though, feeding off of and being slowly killed by the Order of Ascension.

To the south of Verdan, and a little further west, is the small continent of Arun, a land of masks and poison and men who bend time around themselves. It is a strange place.

To the east of the Illarym Empire, across the mountains, is the land of their hated enemies, the Kingdom of Merdallan. Seventeen major (declared) wars have been fought between the Empire and the Kingdom, each one eventually resulting in a stalemate--Imperial Legions overrunning Kingdom militias, only to be mowed down in turn by Merdallan knights. The one usable pass through the mountains, Riven Pass, is the single most heavily-guarded location in the world. Merdallan is a feudal society without a king, the royal family having been assassinated almost a century ago. No one in the Chamber of Nobles trusts anyone else on the throne, and no one has yet been able to take it for themselves, so things have settled into a delicate and watchful balance.

The Chamber of Nobles trusts no one.

Spoiler

When talking about Merdallan, a word or two must be spent on the knights. Simply put, don't **** with them. They have magical armor and magical swords and horses that are the result of a thousand years of breeding for strength and rage, and they hit like a runaway train.

To the south of both the Empire and the Kingdom are the Sunset Jungles, home of the Painted Elves. It is theorized that these elves started off as a deviant cult in the Zancharian Empire, living in the wilderness and altering their bodies with magic; whatever the reason, the fact that they were living in an inhospitable jungle saved them when Old Jack's War came around. Their skin and hair come in a psychedelic rainbow of shades, their tribal tattoos cover every inch of skin, and their "ancient and honored traditions" change every day. Painted elves view the world as a joke, and they're the only ones who get it.

Welcome to the Jungle

Spoiler

To the east of Merdallan is the collection of islands, waterways and city-states called the Merchant's Water. Here, Gold is king. The four major city-states are Arypso, the Gateway to the Continent; Buron-on-the-Water, where all adventures start; Lomar, home of the infamous Craftsmen's Guild and the world's sharpest knives; and Tyb, where the wealth of all the far isles is gathered.

Waterman assassins are the best in the world, and none are better than the Craftsmen.

Spoiler

To the north of Merdallan is wilderness, with one bright spot of civilization in the middle of it: Ver Arcana. This is a city of impossible architecture, built around the campus of the University Arcana, where every day unsettlingly-focused men and woman pick apart the secrets of reality.

The society of criminal wizards known as the Mages Ubiquitous is one of the less wholesome things to emerge from Ver Arcana in recent decades.

Spoiler

The Mages Ubiquitous: Added after turn 5

Spoiler

The Mages Ubiquitous are a near-mythical, terrifying force to the common man. Originating in Ver Arcana but having spread outward since then, the MU has a seemingly infinite reach and a seemingly infinite hunger for magical knowledge and artifacts. They are led by a figure known only as the Standing Mage, a cunning man said to be an archmage in his own right.

The MU can generally be split into two different subcategories:

Shaker Magi are the ones who break things, the archetypical men in black cloaks with black staffs who walk in throwing fireballs and lightning and simply take what they want. They are most commonly seen in the mountains between Merdallan and Illarym, in the Shattered Lands and in the wilderness north of Merdallan, where there is no central authority that can be galvanized to stand against them. Practically every tribe out there has a story about shaker magi walking into the village and taking one or more of their ancestral relics, slaying any who stand in their way. These mages are infamous for how destructive they are, and more often than not their reputation serves as enough of a weapon to keep people from fighting against them.

Sifter Magi are the mages who are dressed as laborers, or shopkeepers, or that guy walking past you on the street. They take advantage of the fact that no one expects a dockhand to secretly be a powerful wizard to steal things, to plant rumors and assassinate rivals. Sifters are the reason that the best half of your treasure is gone when you open the vault door in the morning. Half the time, you don't even realize you've been stolen from. No one ever remembers a sifter's face.

To the north of the Merchant's Water and Ver Arcana is Elsinier, where the Ice Elves dwell. These are the old stock, the elves who believe they are the heirs of Zanchar and thus rightful rulers of the world. No matter that their bodies have been changed so much by the environment that they cannot stand to go too far south any more: they are convinced that one day they will conquer the world again, and rebuild the Dead Continent. They are, for the most part, overconfident in their own abilities. The rest of the world moved on without them, and found gunpowder and newer, more dangerous magics, while they slowly crystallized at the top of the world.

Across the sea to the east is the Dead Continent, how home to necromancers. Corpse-smugglers in the Merchant's Water do a unwholesome but brisk business with them, bringing fresh bodies to feed into the ever-churning undead wars.

To the north of the Dead Continent and a ways further east is Deslocke, a continent named after the only explorer who came back from it alive. Not much is known about it, though it is said that the False King Eric the Blue fled there from Merdallan after it was discovered that he had forged the crown jewels he was wearing (the jewels being magical, and only fit to be worn by the True King, etc).

Races

Human: You know what these guys are. General population of Sav Altulas.

Ice Elf: Live in Elsinier. Humorless. Most common elf variant in Sav Altulas.

Painted Elf: Bat**** insane. From jungles far to the south, and as such rare in Sav Altulas. They can be found here, though, as they travel all over.

Dwarf: Short, hairy, love to fight, drunk, etc. Most of the world's airships are owned and operated by dwarves--the usual joke is that they like being higher than everyone else, which has some truth to it, though in more practical terms their shorter stature means that they can make ships that fit them cheaper than anyone else can. These days, the dwarf airman is more of a stereotype than the dwarf miner. You can find a few of them in Sav Altulas; behind humans, they're probably the most common.

Gnome: Mysterious. They run the Church in the Illarym Empire, thanks to a long-ago alliance between them and the desert tribes, and do not take kindly to others prying into their secrets. There might be one or two gnomes in Sav Altulas, but they are probably in hiding, scared that every footfall beyond their door is the step of a red-robed Emperitor backed by a squad of Inquisitorial Guard.

Orc: Created as slave labor by the Zancharian Empire, orcs have never really been able to get over the "brute strength, low brains" stigma of having been designed as ditchdiggers. Most of them live in the mountains, which are near enough to Sav Altulas that you can find a lot of them in the city. No one has done an official census, but a rough estimate of the diversity in the average street would probably put them tied with dwarves for runner-up minority.

MAP OF THE WORLD:
Here.

Warning: file size is enormous.

[ArcaneStomper]

Ahem, according to Zemalac I was not supposed to receive the really incriminating portion of that EoT. So I don't know exactly who attacked me. And so I have agreed to pretend that I do not know that the Ram Revolution and Order of the Wren were involved. So I won't attack you. And Zemalac knows I agreed not to so you can feel relatively confident that if I do my army is going to get smacked with a god hammer. Unless of course you involve yourselves IC with the Blackfist.

Which leads me to my next point. That I do have fairly solid proof that the Blackfist were behind the Pepperstoch riots. And so have a legitimate reason to accuse them IC.

[puppyavenger]

Originally Posted by ArcaneStomper

Ahem, according to Zemalac I was not supposed to receive the really incriminating portion of that EoT. So I don't know exactly who attacked me. And so I have agreed to pretend that I do not know that the Ram Revolution and Order of the Wren were involved. So I won't attack you. And Zemalac knows I agreed not to so you can feel relatively confident that if I do my army is going to get smacked with a god hammer. Unless of course you involve yourselves IC with the Blackfist.

Which leads me to my next point. That I do have fairly solid proof that the Blackfist were behind the Pepperstoch riots. And so have a legitimate reason to accuse them IC.

Ah, slightly awkward, that.

Anyway, posting mainly to subscribe.

[Imperial Psycho]

Indeed. The entire thing has been a bit of a farce of miscommunication. I also made a mistake in that EoT.

[Thelonius]

This thing is really awkward for me, because Blackfists have been supporting Bloodhaven. Now, everyone thinks Sausage Guild are creepy, but just attacking them out of the blue? Apparently Democracy = Communism, and merchants & craftsmen would be put to the wall. Heck, I find that it's odd how Shipwrights got hit the same turn, though it could be a coincidence.

Also, I say Zemalac got 10 PMs after this turn. Am I right?

King James requests assistance from any factions with military forces to spare, in clearing the bandits and other dangers from the shattered lands.

Really? Because last time I checked, you wanted no help from anybody. I thought Wardens & Champions would have enough firepower to handle the Shattered Lands. What sort of game ye be playing?

[oblivion6]

Originally Posted by Thelonius

I find that it's odd how Shipwrights got hit the same turn, though it could be a coincidence.

yeah i find that odd as well...i hope it is a coincidence.

Really? Because last time I checked, you wanted no help from anybody. I thought Wardens & Champions would have enough firepower to handle the Shattered Lands. What sort of game ye be playing?

apparently its a little too much for them out there.

[Thelonius]

Well, the IC indicated their conquest proceed well. So it could be something else. Blackfists + Champions/King working together? That's one alliance nobody would suspect.

And Zemalac... Every turn you bring more and more woe to me. Maybe this time you've finally broke me.

The Sav Altlus saw Shattered Lands. They saw squalor and hate and death, and did not think to compare it to what had come before, only to what they themselves had and knew was right. They came to conquer and enslave in the name of helping those less fortunate than themselves. Poor Warlords, all incapable of achieving the greatness of the Talidor! Let us take them under our wing, give them work, give them purpose, and wipe out this blot upon the world. And so they came to Shattered Lands...

[Murska]

Advancing with our militaries only is too slow. We can only take over about 20% of the map per turn.

The right way to approach Shattered Lands is not as a pitiable dump of poverty and starvation. The Shattered Lands are a treacherous, poisonous viper, an eternal enemy. The corruption and decay within are like a force of nature. The only way to cleanse the land is by blood and iron and fire.

[Thelonius]

I must say, Urso Bloodhand is quite a character.

[Zemalac]

Originally Posted by ArcaneStomper

Ahem, according to Zemalac I was not supposed to receive the really incriminating portion of that EoT. So I don't know exactly who attacked me. And so I have agreed to pretend that I do not know that the Ram Revolution and Order of the Wren were involved. So I won't attack you. And Zemalac knows I agreed not to so you can feel relatively confident that if I do my army is going to get smacked with a god hammer. Unless of course you involve yourselves IC with the Blackfist.

Which leads me to my next point. That I do have fairly solid proof that the Blackfist were behind the Pepperstoch riots. And so have a legitimate reason to accuse them IC.

Again, my deepest apologies to everyone involved in that little screw-up.

Originally Posted by Thelonius

Also, I say Zemalac got 10 PMs after this turn. Am I right?

Actually, I got one. It was last turn that I got a round dozen overnight.

[razovor]

Originally Posted by Thelonius

Really? Because last time I checked, you wanted no help from anybody. I thought Wardens & Champions would have enough firepower to handle the Shattered Lands. What sort of game ye be playing?

I lost my first point of military this game.

[puppyavenger]

Zemalac, any response to my question?

[Zemalac]

Originally Posted by puppyavenger

Zemalac, any response to my question?

Must have missed that one--I think it appeared as I was writing my post. I'll write up a reply now.

[puppyavenger]

Originally Posted by Zemalac

Must have missed that one--I think it appeared as I was writing my post. I'll write up a reply now.

No problem at all.

Also, could someone from the SGA please tell me whether Ill have to keep half my army guarding against whatever Guild troops aren't busy fighting trained urban guerrilla's on their home turf?

[ArcaneStomper]

Originally Posted by puppyavenger

No problem at all.

Also, could someone from the SGA please tell me whether Ill have to keep half my army guarding against whatever Guild troops aren't busy fighting trained urban guerrilla's on their home turf?

You can. But then they'd be overrun since we aren't planning to send anyone at the trained guerillas. Why would we when you make a much softer target.

[Thelonius]

I'm working on the most efficient way to break your power and destroy those presses. Please wait, as it may take more time for me to arrange appropriate alliances and gather data.

[puppyavenger]

Originally Posted by ArcaneStomper

You can. But then they'd be overrun since we aren't planning to send anyone at the trained guerillas. Why would we when you make a much softer target.

..totally a softer target. Lets go with that.

and hey! What have I done to deserve massive retaliation? I couldn't have even been in the riots if I wanted to!

[ArcaneStomper]

Originally Posted by puppyavenger

..totally a softer target. Lets go with that.

and hey! What have I done to deserve massive retaliation? I couldn't have even been in the riots if I wanted to!

You built the presses and infringed a monopoly. That is actually a worse crime than merely inciting riots.

[puppyavenger]

Originally Posted by ArcaneStomper

You built the presses and infringed a monopoly. That is actually a worse crime than merely inciting riots.

I restate the point that my faction necessarily infringes rather heavily on the Technist's monopoly. So in for a penny, in for a pound.

Besides, I offered a compromise! which I have yet to get any response to.

[ArcaneStomper]

Originally Posted by puppyavenger

I restate the point that my faction necessarily infringes rather heavily on the Technist's monopoly. So in for a penny, in for a pound.

Besides, I offered a compromise! which I have yet to get any response to.

You don't build airships or blackpowder weapons do you. If not then you're not really infringing on them. Plus they aren't really complaining about it.

[Thelonius]

The compromise you've offered is unacceptable. I haven't answered to it, because I was considering using it as part of the strategy, but I think that way wouldn't work. And Technist Guild doesn't mind (plus for the rest SGA, what you do is pretty much magic, so who knows if you are infringing on any monopoly or doing something entirely else). Bookbinders do mind. If we don't protect them, then why is SGA even there?

[puppyavenger]

Well, thanks for the warning then?

[Grimsage Matt]

We aren't keeping monoplys on science. Heck, we even see you as unoffical partners in the quest for understanding.

But a giant electric printing press, seriously At least my handpresses could be explained as a way to do some internal paperwork and memos

Anyway, before we have the war, lets have a nice, freindly, heavily biased investigation on both sides.

[ForzaFiori]

Champions, Blackfist, and EBSA: Did you miss the joint message from to the three of you? It's back on page 5 of the new IC. It'd be nice to get this prison business sorted out before James uses it as a reason to start a civil war.

[Thelonius]

Checks the OOC thread for PCs and spots the Printing Presses Trait next to Chosen. I think investigation is over.

[puppyavenger]

Originally Posted by Grimsage Matt

We aren't keeping monoplys on science. Heck, we even see you as unoffical partners in the quest for understanding.

But a giant electric printing press, seriously At least my handpresses could be explained as a way to do some internal paperwork and memos

Anyway, before we have the war, lets have a nice, freindly, heavily biased investigation on both sides.

Honestly, I just felt that reacting to being told "no" by investing almost half his resources into a project of dubious utility guarantee to handicap relations with a good chunk of the city was something van Ryan would do. I mean he's kinda nut.

Although once I print off some things to pay back funders, I have no real problem with the Bookbinders taking the Press, as long as they use it. It's a holy object and as long as its respected I can stand it being used by another faction.

[Thelonius]

Ah, but you commit a crime, by printing stuff with those printers. I don't know how Bookbinders would react.

Besides, I think it's natural to be concerned, considering your backers. Chances are, you'll be printing something to the effect of ''Let's Burn this City Down!'' or ''Party Like Pepperstoch!''. Sausage Guild lost one territory to a riot. Another one, but with mass produced leaflets calling for their destruction would be worse.

[puppyavenger]

Originally Posted by Thelonius

Ah, but you commit a crime, by printing stuff with those printers. I don't know how Bookbinders would react.

Besides, I think it's natural to be concerned, considering your backers. Chances are, you'll be printing something to the effect of ''Let's Burn this City Down!'' or ''Party Like Pepperstoch!''. Sausage Guild lost one territory to a riot. Another one, but with mass produced leaflets calling for their destruction would be worse.

Would some sort of binding agreement that it wouldn't be anything publicly distributed be enough? I mean, I keep my bargains. Ask the Exchange or the City of Bells.

[Thelonius]

I notice, you didn't say - it wouldn't be ''Burn This City Down!'' If you get Bookbinders to withdraw their grievance, SGA is cool.