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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nyeshet" data-source="post: 4415613" data-attributes="member: 18363">Now, what are the power sources at present?There are a few nobles amongst these people. These are not descendants of former nobles, but instead descendants of leaders who rose to the occasion a few centuries back when the time came to reorganized and try to survive. Some were appointed, and after a few generations the fact that they were appointed was forgotten, others might be from foreign lands - via bay or river - and settled after having fled their own lands during dark and difficult times. The nobles have power, true, but there is also a village council that acts as an advisory board. While a town guard exists to aid the nobles, many have relatives on the village council (even if distant), so they cannot be counted upon should an attempt at coup occur. Some nobles feel this is how it should be. Others chafe at what they believe to be limits upon their inherent rights. Some missionary priests of other deities now live amongst the village - indeed, some are descendants of those that first came preaching of their deity. The people look upon them with mixed emotions. Some treat all deities with respect but prefer that such keep their distance from the mortal world, mistrustful due to what happened in the past when a religion gained sway. Others look to these deities with great devotion, seeing in them a means of preventing the dark deity from ever again gaining control over them or their community. Also, the priesthood of the dark god still exists, but they work in the shadows. Several are members - even amongst the nobles, but they do little to suggest they are members to such a terrible cult. And the cult is often a watered down version of the former religion, as most tomes and scrolls were burned or otherwise lost, and word of mouth loses much when only part of it is gained before the mentor is slain by villagers or undead or accident. They do many terrible things, but little of it approaches the horrors that existed when the city was powerful. Some half mad priests or their descendants / converts still exist in the eastern lands, taking some few every year who dare to explore those lands. Lastly, as trade has revived, merchants and craftsmen have formed guilds and set up shop - in village or in the ruins of the southern isle of the city. They are still gaining power, but none are in and of themselves powerful - especially as, without regular trade, there is little need to craft more than what the society needs. Most merchants utilize caravans - via ship - to towns further up stream or just across the bay. Such trips are difficult, and for every twenty that leave two or three never returns. Rarely do more than five or ten such voyages occur per year, and most of those lead up river rather than across the bay. When such voyages succeed they bring great wealth to the merchants and craftsmen involved, but when they fail they reduce those involved to near poverty for a year or more - before they are ready again to risk much to perhaps gain even more. There is semi-regular trade with a small town several days journey up the river (a month or more by foot, presuming none of the swamps that awash both sides of the river for a week or more by ship). Perhaps half of the ships that leave seek this town, but there is little wealth to be gained from it, as it is little bigger than this town and produces many of the same things. Medicinal plants from the marsh and some gems and ores mined south of the southern village are most commonly traded to them.Crime was not as much of an issue in the past, but in the ruins and barely restored regions of the city now in use there are several buildings - seemingly empty, but in truth holding in their cellar or well enclosed room meeting places for pick pockets, scavengers, and the occasional robber. As the city / village is small - barely more than a thousand - such criminals are hunted down regularly, at least in the village. In the city such criminals are considered a danger one must be ready and willing to deal with if one intends to live and do business there. The guard have more important matters to deal with - keeping an eye out for undead, crazed priests, aberrations, and so forth that might attempt to cross the sluggish canals from time to time. Thus, crime is only just starting to become organized - and that more in the sense of gangs than mafia. But from these seeds might, a hundred years hence, the start of a mafia style crime family arise. In any case, I need to get some rest before my midnight shift, so I'll sign off here and check back in the morning, or perhaps around noon. I hope this has been of use to you.</blockquote>

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