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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Daztur" data-source="post: 5854703" data-attributes="member: 55680">The Wedding BandHex 30.15Just off the coast of the City of Shuttered Windows (29.14) a series of low-lying islands rise out of the Keening Sea. They are little more than mounds of mud, but a century ago a band of smugglers discovered an enormous ring of silvery metal buried deep the muck of one of these islands. After being excavated, the sages of the city discovered that this silver ring had powerful anti-magical properties and that it could very well be the wedding band of the Green Lady herself, the elven goddess who was once the consort of the God of the City of Shuttered Windows (Alberon). Some said that it should be chopped up and sold, but cooler heads prevailed and the wedding band was left intact.These days the band serves to mark the boundary of a gladiatorial arena, its anti-magic keeping outside wizards from cheating or any magic from the beasts and gladiators within from hurting the gathered spectators. The causeway that links the island of the band with the City itself  and the Doge is only too glad to have such dangerous sport located far away from his palace. The neighborhood surrounding the band is a deeply unpleasant mix of bars of the worst sort, brothels and the holding pens of various strange beasts. The Doge's law means little around the band and the island is dominated by an aristocracy of bosses. A rising member of this group is a halfling by the name of Bogarus Bolger. Once famous for capturing and supplying a number of strange beasts for the games, he has now settled down to run his blink dog kennel and other business interests.Bolger's manner can be disarming, for he acts much like a gentleman halfling farmer from the Freeholds and is always unfailingly polite. He often apologizes to his victims before feeding them to his henchman, a uncommonly cunning troll of great and varied hungers (Bolger generally pays him in the bodies of exotic creatures and gladiators killed in the games and he is steadfastly loyal to his employer and always hungry...). Currently Bolger is in the market for captured leucrotta (04.07) and is willing to pay handsomely for them.Hooks:-Who are the most famous gladiators and trainers of the band?-How did Bolger acquire a troll henchman? What were some of his adventures in his younger days?-Who are some of the other bosses of the band?-Has anyone brought a beast to the band that might break loose?The Factions of the ElvesNote: this is adapted from a post by "drek." Time to go to bed now, will edit it a bit more thoroughly tomorrow.The elves of the Court (Vo Tume in their own language) are all bound by the same fey contracts, and all ultimately answer to the same Bloodied King. The King is named Tuma Yedaard plus a hundred other titles and names dependent upon the situation. Tuma Yedaard is also their name for the forest itself. Elves are flighty creatures, and their whims change with seasons and sometimes day by day, and sometimes those whims put one elf at odds with another. However, on any given sunny day, an elf will fall into one of four factions.1) The Simple are akin to the Heirophant, and may cite themselves as following her path, if they do so for an appreciable amount of time. These are the elves that simply exist, enjoying the sun and the forest -- performing simple tasks to keep themselves fed and entertained. Some tend to wander, some tend to stay close to home. Those recognized to be on the path of the Heirophant's example, and keep to it for century or more, will often drop their given and family names, referring to themselves by profession or attitude instead. The Weeper, for example, would be considered one of the Simple.2) The Loyal specifically follow Tuma Yedaard and his edicts. While all elves are in theory bounded by his contracts, the Loyal make a special effort at it. These are elves that would prosecute a war or an Elf-Hunt, and guard the forest from greedy men, savage beasts from the Edge or elsewhere, or maliciously mischievous fey. They enforce contracts, and to an outsider can generally come off as cold and unyielding. The Loyal are the army of Kingswood, and are the only faction to have official titles and licenses handed down from the King. Though, it's not unheard of or considered particularly strange or bad for a titled elf to switch to a different faction -- indeed most of the long-lived elves have spent at least some time working directly for the Court, and have a title prove it.3) The Bound Bargainers largely inhabit the secret flipside of the forest, the paths that lead through the Fey-Realm. Their concerns are pleasing faeries with gifts, and often they have and hold contracts to deliver certain items in exchange for services to their family. Even the King himself has contracts with the fey that must be upheld (such as the delivery of a quantity of human infants per season), though it often falls to the Loyal to complete these contracts.The Bargainers work through the Drow of Olmsted Keep to procure trades with the outside world, but also procure material via hunts and trades within the Forest and elsewhere. The paths through the Fey-Realm allow them to travel far and wide -- though of course there is a price to pay to each resident fairy for using these roads.A sizable number of Bargainers are paying off debts incurred whilst raiding, and might well continue to pay off these debts with yet more raiding and theft. Those that are caught doing so by the Loyal tend to incur yet more debt and other punishments.4) Known as Raiders to the outside world and Disloyal to the Court, the final faction are the elves most likely to be waiting above the Welt Road and other avenues of travel to prey on outsiders (and occasionally even elves). Technically, they are bound by the King's law and forest's contracts, and some even take the contracts seriously. Being a thief is not an evil occupation, to an elf. Elves appreciate a rebel, even the King himself and the highest members of his Court enjoy a good story about a daring raid or theft.However, being caught red-handed -- without the excuse of an excellent cover story -- is a crime of incompetence. The worst offenders are bounded over to the Fey's service. Other punishments include sitting and staring at a particular patch of ground for a decade -- moving only to take in sustenance (and shelter during the night), or taking quick look into the Mirror Lake.So the raiders will take some care in disguising their identities, with enchanted masks and false names. The most successful raiders will have prearranged passage through the Fey-Realm to avoid the patrols of the Loyal. The absolute top-tier raiders also maintain positions within the Court. Rumors persist that Tuma Yedaard himself is the legendary Huu Vo Malkus, a mysterious raider who single-handily makes a big score once every decade or so, donating the entirety of his catch to the Weeper for distribution among the Simple.</blockquote>

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