Sign-up Thread: Factions of Abrana

[iisbroke]

Factions of Abrana
IRC is #Broke_games

Welcome to Factions of Abrana; a game meant to simulate internal power struggles in a fictional city-state. In this game players will work to elevate, or create their own factions so their characters can rise to power. This is a sign-up thread, which means no actual orders will be made here. The sign-up will end two to three weeks after this initial posting. The reason is because many schools are letting out, so there are plenty of deadlines. This way people can focus mainly on personal life, but be queued in for the game once summer starts.

Another thing to mention is that this sign-up is mainly to find the people who start as a faction at the game start. These will be people will be picked for a number of reasons, but there is no set amount being picked as of yet. It mainly depends on how many people want to sign-up as initially factionless of factioned.

Orders
There are two (2) orders in total for all players whether they own a faction or not. An order must be specified if it is a character order or faction order. Faction orders are more powerful and allow for more to be done, but offer less in the way of progressing character stats (see below section). Character orders are the opposite, they offer little rewards beyond progressing your character stats.

Each order involves both a primary and secondary stat to be used regardless of being a faction or character order. These stats are rolled on a 1d6; except for hindered and specialty stats which the player picks in character creation. These stats modify their rolls in orders because each order has a primary and secondary stat being used. It is preferred these are clearly stated as well. Here are some examples to give an idea of what does and doesn't make a clear order.

Bad Example: William will break into the apartment using his strength, then sneak around looting the place. After which we will talk to the owner to give more money from intimidation, and use his knowledge of fine arts to know the best things to take.

Good Example: John believes he can break into a house. This will require more strength than stealth so he will be just breaking down the door. (Primary stat martial, Secondary stealth).

As you can see short clear and concise orders are preferred over long and confusing ones. Not to mean long ones will be ignored so long as they make their intention clear and follow the rules.

Resources
There is a large amount of resources in this game. This section will just give an abridged description. First are warships, which are used for naval battles. Second, are soldiers, these are your fighters and their quality depends on your rolls. Third, agents, these are your thieves, spies, and other intrigue based employees. Fourth, workers who convert miscellaneous (other) resources into tradable items, such as turning flax into ship sails, they help with increasing income. Fifth, population, these are your taxed citizens.

The rest of the resources are just general money, which is used to buy things. Resources, whatever none food items produced which can be traded or used. For instance to expand on the city walls an amount of resources will be required, such as stone, tolls, and even workers for labor. Food, the most important. Should someone run out of food, people begin to starve and die. This goes for factions and the City as a whole.

City Politics
A fair amount of players will be members of the leading city body, the Echelon. Both storied, random, and player caused events will happen throughout the game. Some of these will put the city at risk. While the players may want to become ruler of the city, if they squabble amongst one another it may lead to the city's destruction.

This is the political aspect the game. Players will need to make alliances, and deals with one another in order to gain more power within the city together. They also will have to put their differences aside to survive. If the city falls then so to will the players, as they are part of Abrana.

IC
IC is an acronym for In Character. In this instance IC means a post made from the perspective of your character, or others involved in that character’s story. Though people will own their own faction they still are running it through a character. EVERY player will be required to make an IC every two turns, so two weeks. If a player does not they will be kicked from the game. I'm not a hard ass though, your IC can be as simple as your character sipping water while stating their thoughts on what they did (results of their orders).

Naturally there will be some conflict amongst players and their ICs. Please bring these to me and an investigation will commence. The more evidence you have on whatever claims there are will help as well. I try hard to be an objective GM.

Character Stats - these are the abilities of your character.
Martial: Rolls involving fighting, or just physical force in general.

Wisdom: Rolls that require knowledge of certain things, foreign relations, city layout, best fighting techniques, whatever.

Diplomacy: Rolls that involve diplomatic situations, treaties, election, the like.

Stealth: Rolls that involve intrigue

Administration: Rolls relating to money, trade, and the like.

Layout for a character sheet.
Name:
Faction/Factionless:
Character Stats:
•Specialty- only one ex) martial (martial rolls are with a 1d10)
•Hindrance- only one ex) administration (admin rolls are with a 1d4)
Faction Traits: Optional for Facitonless. Will be rolled upon to see which are gained.
•Positive - up to three allowed, can't all have the same effect.
•Negative - up to three allowed, can't all have the same effect

 

[iisbroke]

LORE & MAPS

Abrana
Circa 1547 the City-State of Abrana still stands. It has only been in existence for five centuries, yet has gained considerable power. Controlling the Kart Bay, and the major rivers that flow in/out of it Abrana has become a trade nexus. A small collection of villages grew in size, by working together, until finally becoming one massive city. These villages were Oakville, Eastvale (now Eastbale), Waterton (now the Harbor), and Abran (where Rivergarde now stands).

Only four centuries ago did it gain enough power to separate off the Kingdom of Cynia and become an independent state. Since then it has only grown in power and influence. Spreading north into the wild frontier of the barbarian lands, and filling out the areas between the Talon Foothills and Kart Bay. While small compared to many of their neighbors Abrana is just as powerful as any of them.

The city is one of the largest in the world, and has many natural barriers. The Talon mountains to the West, Erie Marsh to the Southwest, and the vast dense Fenaria Forest to the North and East. It is also highly influential, yet highly corrupt.

Government
The government of Abrana is best described as a messy unique item. Officially it is referred to as democracy, but a limited one. Any wealthy, native born, landowner can vote freely in the lower assembly (known as the Bevy of Proprietors). Only leaders of prominent standing and factions can actually determine policy, making it more of a large oligarchy that votes who leads. These groups are powerful lords, merchants, clergy, and organizations. These make up the upper assembly (the Echelon). Many gained power by coercion, flattery, bribery, and intimidation to gain support from their constituents in the lower assembly.

Within the city itself many power struggles occur. Throughout the city state the various guilds have formed what they term, guildoms - domains solely belonging to their guilds. They often have conflicting policies with each other that can flare up in coups and event private wars in the streets. Other smaller groups push for control of the state, cults (recognized and denounced), gangs, ambitious commanders, and really anyone that can acquire the right type and number of cronies.

In times of extreme duress the Bevy of Proprietors are allowed to elect from the Echelon a tyrant. The tyrant is given full control of the government for a year. They may not revoke laws or pass new ones without the approval of the Echelon, but beyond that they have total control. They can direct the military at their leisure, make foreign policy, and decide on trade. Beyond legislature they are both the Judge and Executioner, and the Echelon the jury. The last Tyrant was fifty years ago, when barbarian raids where at their peak.

Technology
Industry is still nothing more than hand crafting items, more powerful businesses have a myriad of apprentices and journeymen assisting, yet there is no machinery to automate beyond mills turning with the power of the river or wind., nor true assembly line. In war there are new additions of handheld cannons that are progressively becoming better by the day, many crossbows have already begun to be replaced. The more trained and skilled archers of old are still in moderate demand though. Many of the old ballista's along the walls of the city are in the process of being replaced with various cannons as well. ((So roughly the same as it was between the 1400-1600's in Europe. So both Late Medieval and Early Renaissance techs are allowable)

Military
See post here.

Magic
In reality there is no such thing as magic, at least not what is said in the fairy tales. That however does not mean the belief in magic is non-existent. It is quite pervasive. Many people believe in dream interpretations, alchemy, hexs, miracles, and other such things. For what matters is not if something is real just what the consequences of that belief are.

Religion
There are a myriad of religions within the lands of Abrana. All ranging from sketchy cults, to organized hierarchies. Most players can just come up with which ever religion they desire. Here is a list though of the largest religions in Abrana, in order of greatest to smallest number of worshippers.

• Olonite - Olo is the god of trade and luck. He is quite popular among the merchant class, and ironically the thief class as well.
• Druidism - druids worship nature in general. Their chief diety is Edona. Her shrine can be found north of the city, and is a holy sight to the religion.
• Pantheonii - is a polytheistic religion native to Abrana, Cynia, and other neighboring lands. There are many deities but the main ones are: Zuno God of War, Hestia Goddess of Architecture, Desirii Goddess of Love, Jacoppo the Trickster, Aquato God of the Sea, Deaghon Lord of Order, and Isiliea Goddess of Nature. Olo used to be god of tade before his cult grew and split off from the rest of the pantheon.
• Munkaric - is worshipped throughout the Eerie Swamp. Based on the worship of an unseen force known as Munkar, it is deeply routed in the traditions of the area. It is also infamous for it's alleged human sacrifices and witchcraft. Many proper Abranans avoid the swamps.
• Hisso - this is a cult that has become rooted in the area known as Physt. Not much is known about it as they keep to themselves, though they are mistrusted due to their strange snake based rituals.
• Styxian - this is a death worship religion. It has several beings they worship. The first is the"Boatman" who ferries souls to the other side. Next are Archeron and Styx, anthropomorphic interprutations of the rivers of death and woe. Next is Tartanus, who punishes the sinners. Elysio, who rewards heros. Finally Limbius, the watcher of all those who were neither sinners nor heroes.

Races
There is one race, human. Still that doesn’t mean there is tolerance for those of different cultures or ideologies.

Diplomacy
Tyrants have to deal with their neighboring nations while avoiding the intrigues of their subjects. Factionless can attempt to form contacts or even visit these lands if they wish as well. The list shows the lands with the most contact and importance to Abrana at start. Maps of the world can be found at this link.

Thiggudor (scandinavian based culture) - land full of raiders in the far lands. It takes several months for them to reach Abrana by sea. Though Merholm has many of their kinsmen as river guards these barbarians are crafty and often find ways to still attack Abrana or its surrounding countryside every now and then.
Republic of Sikmaland (Frisian/Dutch based culture) - a rival state to Abrana these two have never fought directly against each other, but the merchant republic has often been belligerent toward the merchant guild of Abrana, often convincing other nations to embargo Abranan traders to ensure Sikmalander monopolies.
Vikas (Baltic based culture) - neutral Tribes further East. These tribes infiltrated the eastern lands almost a century and a half ago. They have since built up their own hodge podge of chiefdoms. They rarely unite and often temporarily. Some tribes freely cooperate with Abrana, some ignore, and others attack.
Brynisc (Welsh based culture) - native hostiles of the Erie Marsh and lands south of it. Friendly toward their kinsmen of Cwynburgh. Afterall Cwynburgh was promised freedom once before during a war against Cynia, but Abrana quickly invaded the settlement toward the end and enforced martial law, which remains today.
Darkurian Empire (Mesopotamian based culture) - from the far south. Have been pushing into other neighbors at a drastic speed. Expansionists but not yet a threat having no shared border with Abrana.
Kingdom of Cynia (Anglo-Saxon/English based culture) - Abrana's southern border is shared with this kingdom. Abrana centuries ago was once a part of this Cynia but broke away in revolt league uprising. Naturally relations have been mixed over the years.
Grand Chiefdom of Tirith (Gaelic based culture) - is the land just west of the Talon foothills. It is from them so many of the refugees are coming. They have always had neutral relations with Abrana, due to geographical barriers.
Urovenian Principality (German based culture) - to the far north is Urovenia. A powerful princedom that is known for its military force. With it the state has managed to hold off several Vikas and Thiggudor attacks throughout recent decades.

Locations

City of Arbana
•Adwick Hold - On the bones of an old ruin fort Adwick was built. It is a powerful and imposing citadel whose control of the river fork has allowed Abrana to dominate trade.
•River Garde - A recently constructed fort controling the Main Street Bridge.
•Oakville - the oldest part of town. As wealthier families moved away from the docks immigrants moved into the run down structures. It has since become a confusing maze of crime ridden paths. Even proper soldiers avoid this area.
•Eastbale - the far eastern part of the city. Originally meant to be Eastvale it gained the current name from the thick accents of its residents.
•Partrician Plaza - this it the current center of Arbana. Here is where many of the more prominent merchant families and offices can be found.
•Harbor - This is the life blood of the city. Here ships from the far flung reaches of the world arrive to buy and sell.
•Fort Hull - this place is less a castle and more a prison. The old cathedral was transformed into a military structure a few centuries ago (after its religion was outlawed), and then later a prison. Its vast network of catacombs turned into a dungeon complex.
•Market Row - given the name of a large series of businesses it has expanded over time to become the whole southeastern district of the city. Here is where most goods brought in from the harbor, or outside are manufactured and sold to the citizenry.
•Fighter's Guild HQ - this is where freelance and full time sellswords come to enhance their skills, rest, and obtain new contracts. There are fighter guilds all across the world, and Abrana is no different.
•Foriegn Embassy - if you are a foriegn dignitary, than this is where you should go. Here they can provide some amnisty in case of any faux paus.
•Thieves Guild HQ - strange enough, the head quarters of Abrana's thief guild is well known. Thing is they often are employed by powerfu citizens to rob rivals, which has given them enough secret allies to stave off the guard.
•Merchant's Guild HQ - want to learn about the latest trade deals? Need to stor your money for safe keeping? Just like the smell of money? Then come here to the merchant's guild, also known as the Craft's Guild Compact.
•Broekn Bridge Tower - now you may think it is spelled odd for the same reason Eastbale is, but no it is just mispelled and no one bothered to fix it. This used to be part of a bridge that connected Oakville with the Erie Marsh, now it stands as a guard post for southern Oakville.

Fields of Scorn
•No Man's Land - just outside the bulwark is a kill zone. Here many who have sought to take Arbana lay in a scarred landscape. There are still bodies leftover from the most recent would be warlord.
•The Bulwark - this is a collection of ramparts and barricade just outside the main wall. Here is where most soldiers and militia forces congregate in times of war to defend their city.
•Physt - an old villa gifted to one of the newer religions in the region, Hissos. Physt has become a mission for this cult, which has been attempting to convert people in mass.
•Varham - during an historic siege in 1124 the attackers built this fort as a forward position. Originally made entirely of wood, recurring attackers have added on to it in various sieges creating a small castle. Currently Varham is the first line of defense for Arbana from the south.

Fenaria Forest
•Shrine of Edona - the goddess of nature her shrine was made by the original settlers of Abrana but has since fallen into disrepair. As the influence of other religions spread her secluded enclave gets more at risk.
•Olo Monastery - Olo is the god of trade/luck and thus he is quite popular. He the second oldest religion in the city.
•Melbarrow - a large collection of farms and a major supply of food for the city.
•Lanberg - Abrana has a curfew so people attempting to enter the city at night must wait. On the northern side is small congregation of fishers and trappers who live in a tiny palisade. In it is a large bustling tavern for travelers.
•Furrier Post - off in the woods is a common stopping ground for fur traders coming from the dense north forest.
•Birchwood - a woodcutter's camp.
•Trade Post - not everyone wants to or can make the full trip into the City of Abrana, especially if you are of the barbarian tribes. Entrepeuners have set up a trade post on the fringes of Abranan and savage border in order to open up new trade lanes.
•Merholm - is a war camp filled with mercenaries. Once raiders these people have simply been hired to hold back their kinsmen in exchange for some land, food, and most importantly gold. Yet, what will happen when Arbana can no longer pay them?

Erie Marsh
•Cwynburgh - slightly isolated the hamlet of is situated in the Eerie Marsh. They are often left to their own devices so long as they pay taxes. Whenever they enter the city proper they come into conflict due to their radically different culture.
•Disj Hall - the estate of a powerful yet somewhat reclusive baroness. She only makes appearances in her annual celebrations, her source of income is unknown.
•Drydock - the original owner of Disj Hall made his fortune with shipping. As such he built a large drydock in between his mansion and Cwynburgh. While it is no longer owned by anyone individual it is still in heavy use, producing ships for various buyers in Abrana.
•Swamp Castle - they said it couldn't be done, but they built a castle on a swamp. Then it sank into the swamp. . . So, they built a second castle, that sank into the swamp. Then they built a thrid castle on top of the last two. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp. But, the fourth castle stayed up. Now it is the strongest castle in the land with a deep underground network through the older castles.
•Witch's Hut - witches of the Munkaric faith are said to reside in this swamp. Be careful or else they'll turn you into a newt.
•Odd House - no one really knows who built it, or why.
•Ruined Tower - this tower used to be part of a bridge between the Erie Marsh and Oakville. That bridge was burned a long time ago, but the dilapidated tower still stands in contrast to it's still in use sister structure across the way.
•Wraithrest - often called death home, this fortress is more like an elaborate mausaleum. It has sprawling catacombs and the landscape is blanketed with graves. It is believed to be haunted.

Talon Foothills
•Ruins of Falco - once home to a powerful family they were driven out by a bloody coup which forced them to leave behind their fortified manor in the mountains.
•Silverton - buttressed against the mountains and thinly spread out. It is a collection of mining communities and quarrys. As the name suggests the major export is silver, followed in quantity by tin, marble, and copper.
•Tula - is a minor barony which was gifted to the Knights of Zuna, God of War.

Kart Dale
•Blackborough - small village along the western Kart Bay.
•Poorton - Recent wars have caused many refugees to slowly trickle into the countryside. They have formed a hodge podge of tents along the Fenier River on the outskirts of the city.
•Tolly Manor - the home of a powerful landowner in the western region.
•Hunter's Hut - one of many hidden lodges in the wilderness for hunters to squat in.

District Maps

City Map

State Map

 

[iisbroke]

Players
Stats​

Aedan - Faction/ Echelon
Alexander23 - Faction/ Echelon
Arrowfiend - Faction
Barkades - Faction/ Echelon
BlackBishop - Faction
Corman50 - Faction/ Echelon
Dadarian - Faction
Deghaidh - Faction/ Echelon
Duke Dan "the Man" - Faction
Galren - Faction/ Echelon
Gerhard Lindt - Factionless
Gorganslayer - Faction/ Echelon
IronhideG1 - Faction/ Echelon
Iisbroke - Factionless
Korona - Faction
Luftwafer - Faction
Mikkel Glahder - Faction
Oxfordroyale - Faction
Plutonium95 - Factionless
Rovsea - Faction
Sneakyflaps - Faction
Teep - Faction
Terraferma - Factionless
Victor Darksee - Faction/ Echelon


NPC Faction Slots - Players may take these spots if they wish.
Merchant's Guild - Deghaidh
Thieves Guild - Arrowfiend
Fighter's Guild - an assortment of individual sellswords, mercenaries, and thugs. Together they form a hodge podge organization of hired muscle where people congregate at their guild halls in order to find contracts in need to be picked up, or place help wanted adds.
Apothecary Guild - Victor Darksee
Mages Guild - at odds with the apothecary guild, who split off, the mages employ all sorts of mystical services to their patrons. Scrying, hexes, charms, et cetera.
Assassin's Guild - Gorganslayer

Acknowledgment:
I would like to thank @Gen. Marshall for the maps he helped create. I also thank @Luftwafer, @Gorganslayer, @Tristanxh, and @Mikkel Glahder for their help in the beta testing. Also thank you to everyone who supported the game in the Game Concept thread.

​

 

[Rabbit Burgher]

Which period will the game be set in?

 

[iisbroke]

Which period will the game be set in?

Good timing I just made a lore&map post detailing that better :-D

Edit: Also my internet is being a butt at the moment so I can't tell if the maps are showing. Let me know if they are or are not so I can fix them for you.

 

[Gen. Marshall]

No maps yet.

In, should we post our characters here? And can we create our own factions right away?

 

[Ironhide G1]

Good timing I just made a lore&map post detailing that better :-D

Edit: Also my internet is being a butt at the moment so I can't tell if the maps are showing. Let me know if they are or are not so I can fix them for you.

Can't see them either. I'm interested in making a faction as well.

 

[Arrowfiend]

I'll tentatively sign up for this. Currently already in several games and have exams coming up, so won't be able to do much (if anything) for several weeks.

 

[iisbroke]

Post your factions and character ideas in here yes. This is all about you all getting that stuff banged out ahead of time after all.

Edit:

No maps yet.

In, should we post our characters here? And can we create our own factions right away?

Maps are fixed. Thanks for letting me know. Also create your stuff right way. The possibility of not getting in as a faction is almost none. It is just a hypothetical thing. I may ask you to change something if it is a too far out there.

Can't see them either. I'm interested in making a faction as well.

Make away!

I'll tentatively sign up for this. Currently already in several games and have exams coming up, so won't be able to do much (if anything) for several weeks.

So do I XD Which is why this thread will be open for a few weeks anyway. You will also be able to join the game after it starts, but as a factionless character. That just means you'll have to work your way up to havin your own faction is all.

 

[iisbroke]

Let me start the signup process with my own mock character sheets. (I'll probably make jokes about them and stuff in updates.)

Factionless

Sergeant J. Wulf
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Factionless
Character Stats:

• Specialty- Martial
• Hindrance- Wisdom

Wulf is a member of the city guard. He likes booze, gambling, ladies of the night, and long walks on the beach. Currently he is stationed at Broekn Bridge Tower in Oakville. His duties often involve waiting in vain for the funds to fix the bridge to the Erie Marsh, staring blankly at that swamp for signs of a Brynisc attack, doing paper work, and keeping subordinates in line. Whenever off duty he often prowls the nearby taverns for strong ale and women who can at least pretend to like him better than his wife can. He has sent in a request for a new position at Varham, where there are more opportunities to advance in rank -- and avoid his wife.

Faction

Name: Grand Wizard Pa'ul Mae'ghan
Faction: Cult of the not quite so Damned
Character Stats:

• Specialty- Diplomacy
• Hindrance- Martial

Faction Traits:
Positive(s) -

• Charismatic - being a cult there is a high demand for aspiring disciples who are skilled at suckering bringing in new FOOLS members. (bonus to diplomacy)
• Castle - the cult is stationed in Swamp Castle and as such has the advantage of being hidden away. (Bonus to defense)

Negative(s) -

• Swamp - they live in a swamp, enough said. (higher risk to disease)
• Location location location - the fact that they live in a swamp, and are far from the rest of Abrana also means it is harder to manage their sleeper cells, and satellite shrines in the area. (hindrance to administration).

 

[Duke Dan `the Man`]

I think I'll be signing up

 

[Corman50]

Sooooo...In

 

[Teep]

I'll be getting a proper signup in within the next week.

 

[Rovsea]

In. May the light of Blackborough shine always.

 

[Ironhide G1]

House Tolly

Possession: Tolly Manor

Spoiler: Faction Traits

Strength: Landed, wealthy
Weakness: Distance

Lord Wallace Tolly, age 46

Spoiler: Character Traits

Strength: Cautious and wise
Weakness:too Cautious
(The trait works as a two way street)

House Tolly is an ancient house. It was one of the original families on the city, even before its independence. A noble and proud house, it remained in the city until during a revolt an equally old house was hunted and murdered. Thus they moved out of the city several hundred years prior and by the citadel, which they claim to have built, which contains some element of truth. Ever since the withdrawal from the city they have lost the protection of the city walls, and the citadel was helped to be built, or at least partially funded, by them so that they may have protection. Throughout the generations the manor itself has grown into a defensible self sustaining community. The manor itself is situated on a hill overlooking Kart Bay. The fastest acess to the city is by a ship from Black borough. Recently refugees have come to the manor, and Lord Wallace, a extremely cautious man(which naturaly has both benefits and drawbacks), is growing concerned. The manor itself is a large protected building, but he doubts it could hold if the refugees all attacked. Of course the family had generally always been defensive, and while very few of the ancient houses are left, Lord Wallace is determined to keep the family alive.
​

 

[iisbroke]

Correct me if I'm wrong here.

Strength: Cautious and wise
Weakness:too Cautious

Character Traits:
Specialty = Stealth (stealth rolls for character with 1d10)
Hindrance = Diplomacy (diplomatic rolls for character with 1d4)

Strength: Landed, wealthy
Weakness: Distance

Faction Traits:
Positive = (Bonus to administration for Faction rolls)
Negative = Not sure how to incorporate distance. . . Maybe some of your orders take longer to come to fruition. Like a plot that would take 2 rolls to set-up, takes 3 for you.

Thoughts?

 

[Gerhard Lindt]

When I get back to my computer , ill be singing up.

 

[aedan777]

Name: Stipendiat Laes Jun Nemate
Faction: Cognition Consortium
Character Stats:
•Specialty- Wisdom
•Hindrance- Martial
Faction Traits:
•Positive - Eyes and ears everywhere: Agents of the Consortium are expected to be able to infiltrate any part of the city of Abrana and its environs. (Bonus to Stealth)
Knowledge is power: The Consortium is uninterested in blunt expressions of power, preferring to deal in information and knowledge. (Bonus to Wisdom)
•Negative - Mind over matter: Members of the Consortium are not expected to engage in combat, and are thus untrained and prepared for such actions. (Hindrance to Martial)
Everyone has an Agenda: Nearly all members of the Consortium seek their individual interests, having few compunctions against skimming off funds and resources for their own plans. (Hindrance to Administration)​

Faction Bio: The origins of the Cognition Consortium are shrouded in mysteries and legends. Though no one is sure exactly when and why it began, it is an old organization, predating with certainty the independence of Arbana. Though the organization has continued, its form and structure has shifted greatly over the course of its existence. At times it has been led by cabals of intellectuals, other times controlled by singular figures of absolute power, and still other times it was run as a quasi-feudal spy service. In its present iteration, Stipendiat Laes Jun Nemate rules the Consortium individually, though not absolutely. Though all in the Consortium claim to follow his orders without question, most pursue independent objectives anyways. Due to the nature of the Consortium, it is impossible for Nemate to prevent these independent actions, so he turns a blind eye to them, provided his orders are not ignored or opposed.

The Cognition Consortium is an organisation dedicated to the accumulation of knowledge. All knowledge is considered valuable, but their main interest is in political and scientific knowledge. However, the Consortium does not merely horde its knowledge, instead it is willing to trade information for more information, or failing that for currency. Effectively the Consortium functions as a guild of knowledge brokers for the city of Arbana, though they are not afraid to gather their own knowledge. A significant number of the Consortium's members have training more in line with thieves or assassins, for the Consortium considers all paths to knowledge to be worthy of pursuit. Despite this the Consortium's operatives are only interested in gathering knowledge, not stealing material possessions or committing murder. Due to this specialization, and utility offered to the factions of the city, the Consortium is a legal, and grudgingly respected organization, with Stipendiat Laes Jun Nemate even being a member of the Echelon currently.

Character Bio: Much like the organization he leads, like is know of Laes Jun Nemate's origins. He appears to be in his late 40s, and has never clarified his exact age. Some say he was born in the slums of Oakville and lost his family to an attack by petty thieves. Others say he came from a foreign land after being thrown out by his family for an unspeakable crime, and he sought refuge in Arbana. A small minority insist he is a demon given human form by insidious witchcraft, who seeks to use the accumulated knowledge of the Consortium to enact a ritual to destroy Arbana and open the gates of the underworld. While the last group is clearly insane, most stories of Nemate's origins seem to agree that he faced great isolation and tragedy before joining the Cognition Consortium, roughly 20 years ago. His join was most opportune, for at the time, the consortium was ruled by a cabal, who grew less interested in the political affairs of the city, and sought to redirect the Consortium's focus to understanding science, in particular the astounding invention of gunpowder. While this was not an overall unpopular decision, certain elements of the Consortium objected. Violently.

Chief among the opposition was one Penely Resitross, the most senior member of the Consortium not a part of the ruling cabal. Nemate quickly fell under her influence after he joined. What followed might be called a civil war, though the Consortium's members would never be so crass as to enact brutish fights with one another. The ensuing struggle was carried out through careful poisonings, kidnappings, and framing operations. The cabal practically doomed itself from the start by attempting to withdraw from the political sphere, allowing Resitross' faction a monopoly regarding information trades, which secure valuable support from other factions. During this time, Nemate earned Resitross' attention with his skilled work and careful planning, particularly regarding poisons. Most of the Consortium remained neutral in the power struggle, ensuring a relatively swift end for the cabal. Resitross raised her supports high once she had achieved victory, making Nemate one of the most powerful members of the Consortium within a couple years of joining it.

For the next decade Nemate remained a loyal lieutenant of Resitross, rising steadily as her more experienced and highly placed lackeys one by one displeased or attempted to betray her. These betrayals were not baseless, as Resitross became increasingly obsessed with increasing the Consortium's political power, pushing it closer and closer to obviously illegal activities such as assassinations. Many felt she was going too far and would ruin the Consortium after centuries of careful balance from shadowy work within allegedly legal bounds. Nemate remained loyal to Resitross throughout however, and would become her right hand man, as well as expected successor. Entirely coincidentally she very shortly afterwards was poisoned to death. Nemate took up the mantel of Stipendiat, and quietly reversed several of Resitross' more extreme measures, and returned the Consortium to a middle ground of safe political involvement. For the past 7 years this has remained the case, and Nemate has little desire to change the status quo at the time. Merely the further accumulation of knowledge is enough he claims.

Of course, is it not said that knowledge is power?

 

[Ironhide G1]

Correct me if I'm wrong here.

Character Traits:
Specialty = Stealth (stealth rolls for character with 1d10)
Hindrance = Diplomacy (diplomatic rolls for character with 1d4)

Faction Traits:
Positive = (Bonus to administration for Faction rolls)
Negative = Not sure how to incorporate distance. . . Maybe some of your orders take longer to come to fruition. Like a plot that would take 2 rolls to set-up, takes 3 for you.

Thoughts?

Sounds fine to me. Also being farther could make me more susceptible to attacks, especially from the refugee camp.

 

[Victor Darkstee]

Spoiler: Valthurion

Name: Valthurion

Character bio:
One hundred dead men and what do you have? A battlefield full of corpses and a soldier's meagre wage. A single dead mark and what do you have? A permanent solution to someone's problem and a hefty coin pouch. This became Valthurion's outlook on life for quite some time, why work hard for little reward when you get work less for greater reward?
As his career continued, Valthurion thought it best to diversify his murderous art by expanding into poisons. It was convenient that the local apothecary guild of Abrana was looking for a new aprentice as this would of course allow Valthurion to both study and have a legitimate daytime profession.

It was not long after that an event that was the very epitomization of Valthurion occurred. A knight had become burdensome to the good image of his order. Raping and pillaging after his battles, this knight was a savage brute but still remained part of this order and had to be dealt with very carefully. It was decided that a duel was the best way to bring about the legitimate death of the errant knight. Now Valthurion was a master of arms of course however the prospect of fighting toe to toe in a duel against a hulking knight in plate armour seemed far too tiresome. Instead Valthurion simply brought a heavy crossbow to the duel and fired an armour piercing bolt, coated in a potent poison, into the knights chest and then calmly turned and walked away. The brute charged forward yet was unable to reach his goal before succumbing to the poison coursing through his veins.

Eventually Valthurion's skill grew so much that he was appointed the new guild master of the Apothecary guild. It was in this position of power that Valthurion extended the guilds activities to more profitable ventures...

Character Stats:
•Specialty- Martial
•Hindrance- Administration

Spoiler: Boatmen of Styx

Faction: Boatmen of Styx

The Boatmen are experts in infiltration and assassination and have found that many are willing to offer them good coin to ply their trade. Essentially an assassin's guild the Boatmen operate on the edge of the law. While the Boatmen have killed many people, they have always maintained strict confidentially to protect both themselves and their clients, making it difficult to tie individual deaths to them.

Faction Traits:
•Positive - Masters of Shadow - Bonus to Stealth
Bringers of Death - Bonus to Martial
•Negative - Lost in the Shadows - Administration (Coordinating a guild is hard if you can barely find any of your guildsmen)
Edge of the law - Some kind of relation penalty when dealing with the city guard/law enforcement

More to come later.