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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MummyKitty" data-source="post: 2809435" data-attributes="member: 36179">Sanctuary is a seaport, and its name goes back to a time when it provided the only armed haven along an important caravan route.  But the long war ended, the caravans abandoned that route for a shorter one, and Sanctuary declined in status—but not in population, because for every honest person who left to pursue a normal life elsewhere, a rogue drifted in to pursue his normal life. Now, Sanctuary is still appropriately named, but as a haven for the lawless.  Most of them, and the worst of them, are concentrated in that section of town known as the Maze, a labyrinth of streets and nameless alleys and no churches….  “Blood Brothers” by Joe HaldemanLike many unfortunate men who are down on their luck, or are fleeing some dark past, or with simply no where else to go, you have found yourself in Sanctuary.  Or, maybe you were cursed to be born there.  You’ve been luckier than most, however, and have even made something of a name for yourself among the city’s population, enough so that your average thug will leave you unmolested, and common people may cross to the other side of the street as you approach.  Either because you’ve been careful not to attract too much attention, or you are luckier than you have a right to be, you haven’t yet caught the notice of the city’s different factions—from the many criminal gangs (prime among them Jubal’s organization) to Prince Kadakithis’s guard and watch. You have not pledged your loyalty to any of these rival groups…yet.Whatever your situation, tonight you have seen fit to relax at The Golden Lion, an inn at the edge of the bazaar frequented by sell swords and the rougher type of traveler.  Despite the rough nature of its clientele, the Golden Lion is comparatively upscale and clean.  The food is substantial if of only passable quality and features mutton and vegetables.  Such accommodations are welcome to the tired traveler, and caravan masters often reward their drivers after a long trek with room and board at the Golden Lion.This evening, the Golden Lion is not crowded as no caravans have recently arrived in Sanctuary.  Judging from the message board where notices are posted seeking caravan guards, bodyguards and other “men of skill”, it will be some days before another arrives or departs. The relative quiet suits you just fine.In addition to the typical long wooden bar, well-worn by countless patrons, there are four sturdy tables with stools in the tavern’s main room.  The main chamber (about 20’ x 20’) is lit by a large fireplace and a couple of lanterns, in the night it is gloomy with plenty of shadows, which is just the way most patrons like it.  In a nook off the main room is a more private table which has a curtain that can be drawn for privacy.  A large tip is expected of those who would use this table.  The floor of the main chamber is covered by a finely woven rug, intricately crafted of wool with many mysterious symbols on it.One table is occupied by a group of five men; judging from their dusty apparel, they are caravan guards or drivers.  They engage in quiet conversation, occasionally broken by laughter, but they are cautious to not disturb others.  Behind the bar, a large woman pours drinks and brings out orders from the kitchen, where the innkeeper does the cooking in a small room behind the bar.  In addition to the kitchen door, which swings open and shut as the innkeeper brings out food, there is a stairway going down and another door that is usually kept closed.  Another stairway leads to the upper floor where the inn has several rooms for rent.For your first post, set up your character in The Golden Lion.  You have all at least heard of each other by now, though your degree of friendship is up to you.  Give some brief background on your character, in particular anything that you would want people to know that you have done recently.  If you just want to be a man of mystery, that’s fine too.  At the least, describe where your character would be sitting in the tavern, and how he would appear to others.  After everyone's initial set-up post, the adventure will begin!Some Campaign Notes:[sblock]Timeline.  This game is set in the classic era, also known as the Rankene era.  The Rankene Empire is in control of Sanctuary, and the city is governed by Prince Kadikithis, also known as “Kittycat”.  He enforces his laws through his soldiery, led by the highly skilled and loyal Hell Hounds.  Since the timeline in the Thieves’ World stories is somewhat fluid, don’t assume that any events in the stories have occurred yet unless you hear it has in the forum.  We’re basically around the beginning of the story timeline from the original series, with a few exceptions.  You’ll find out what those exceptions are as the adventure progresses.One thing you do know—Tempus has not yet arrived at Sanctuary (not that your characters have ever heard of him), and Jubal is the top crime lord in the city.  His Hawkmasks can generally act on his commands, enforcing his illicit dealings with impunity.Glossary:Bazaar: A large open air market where one can buy anything from food to weapons to livestock to other services.  There are permanent buildings lining the wall which surrounds the bazaar (the Golden Lion is one of these), these are used by successful merchants, and a few by S’Danzo fortune tellers.  Before dawn each day, sellers arrive and set up their booths and tents, do their business during the day, and retreat to their homes at night. During the day the city guard patrols the area, but with the crowds, pickpockets are a problem and the guard can’t see everything.  At night, though the place empties out, some businesses stay open, and other illicit sellers take advantage of booths that are empty to sell their less savory wares.  From the bazaar, one can go north through the Common Gate to the Street of Red Lanterns, south to the Caravan ground or the Shambles, and east from there to the Maze.The Maze: The most infamous neighborhood in Sanctuary, the Maze is run-down and shoddy.  The streets and buildings are constantly changing, but not due to any magical effect, the area simply rebuilds over buildings that crumble with age or are destroyed by natural (or unnatural) disasters.  Its streets are dark, narrow and cold and the area is desperately poor.  The city guards never enter the Maze unless they absolutely have to, and then do so in force only during the day.  Desperation of its inhabitants makes them willing to do almost anything for money, either loathsome jobs or even murder.  Outsiders are quickly marked, robbed and roughed up as a warning to not enter again.Prince Kadakithis: The Rankan governor of Sanctuary.  He honestly wants to clean up the city, but does not understand the realities of survival there, so he has tried to pass many unpopular laws.  Dispite his misguided legal efforts, his law enforcement has resulted in lower crime in the nicer areas of the city, but areas like the Maze are still as lawless as ever.  In addition to his standing city guard, he also has a handful of regular Rankan Legionnaires at his disposal, as well as his elite guard who lead all of his forces, the fiercely loyal Hell Hounds.Hawkmasks: Hawkmasks work for Sanctuary’s crime lord, Jubal.  They are mercenaries and all wear blue leather hawkmasks.  Hawkmasks are known as excellent fighters though they rarely have to prove it.  Opposing the Hawkmasks means opposing Jubal himself.  Kill one, and ten more will come to avenge him.  People generally avoid them whenever possible, except for the city guard, who often taunt them and try to provoke them to fight.  Both sides have generally avoided any open confrontation so far.NOTE: I believe there is some variability in the descriptions of the Hawkmasks.  I'm inclined to think of them as something like wrestler's masks, but not quite as ornate.  They might have symbols on them, with some winglike designs, but would be dyed dark blue.  Here's a picture of one that I found that might work, only envision it as dark blue and the highlights of slightly lighter blue (but still dark enough to allow Hawkmasks to hide in shadows, etc.  The Hawkmasks also typically wear clothes and even armor, of course <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> ):<img src="http://www.wrestlingmuseum.com/images/photos/reyjr832.gif" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> For more reference on Thieves' World, check out this site:<a href="http://www.thievesworld.info/" target="_blank">http://www.thievesworld.info/</a>[/sblock]</blockquote>

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