Background

A Cadiz Redemption

Background

The game is set in a rural Duchy on Decados Cadiz that borders on a massive urban sprawl. It is seven years since the treaty of Tsaritsyn ended aggressions with the Hawkwoods and spelled an end to the Emperor Wars. After generations of sons claimed in an endless and pointless war and generations of each daughter bearing a harder life than her mother, it was the end of a legacy of sacrifice for the people of Cadiz and the symbol of Hope’s return. But peace didn’t lessen the burden placed on the people as Decados nobles continued to tax heavily to rebuild their infrastructure and cities flooded with unemployable soldiers made the lives of many more dangerous than war. The people of Cadiz are angry, in the cities terrorists strike boldly at nobles and deadly criminal gangs openly defy Decados rule. Vendettas soar to record numbers as oathes made in war are not kept in peace. It is a time of paranoia among the clergy as a church that was immersed in war for over a hundred years now turns it's attention to cleaning house. It is a time of great fear as the change of a new and dreaded emperor sweeps over a planet that has suffered enough

Situation

Sokol County has recently lost it’s head. Virtuous Graff Xander Romonov Decados has died from a genetic malady that has plagued him all of his life. His Heir Pitor is a boy who many believe is incapable of the task of rulership. The Irkuz Barony’s beloved Van Gelder ruler is reaching the end of her years with no clear heir to her lands, some fear that Irkuz will revert to Decados Control. The County’s new Bishop is an iconoclast with many enemies within the Church who many believe will be powerless to effect change until she is retired. Nobles and Guild grow more aggressive in the absence of a firm hand to reign them in and the peasants are beginning to lose faith in their own masters as they watch their home falling into disrepair and chaos.

Theme

The theme of the game is Hope, what it does to people when they’re deprived of it and what value people place on it. A lot of the problems in the game will be reflective of this theme. Not all of the problems and challenges in the game involve this theme, don't assume the terrorist wearing a bomb just needs a pep talk to restore his faith in his fellow man. The only dictums I’m placing on character creation is 1. You have to work together to build characters that share a history or an allegiance that prompts them to cooperate. 2. Your character has to have a personal struggle with hope. They could be a war veteran struggling to return to a life of peace, or a noble who has been disgraced by their House, or a Deacon who has lost faith in the Pancreator. If possible your stats should have some reflection of this hope you have but at the very least you must tell me what your character has lost and how they’re fighting to reclaim it.

Barony of Irkuz

The game opens in the well-developed rural Van Gelder Barony or Irkuz. Irkuz sits over the Anyes mountain range from the vast megopolus of Elibyrge. It is one of the largest fiefs of the valley County of Sokol and the largest holding of House Van Gelder on the planet but still a relatively poor Barony. While there are numerous decaying Second Republic ruins throughout the verdant tropical valleys of the Sokol County, they do not creep over every inch of the land as they do just over the mountains. Irkuz is a humble barony swathed in rainforests and verdant farmlands. Like much of the Sokol Valley, the Barony experiences long Muggy summers and stormy wet winters. Late Summer storms are extreme enough that they require some reconstruction to most coastal towns. Nearly 70% of her people are field-hands. 1-in-9 of her citizens are Hironem and most of those live in isolated communities, but other aliens are almost unknown in Irkuz. The Engineer’s Guild have major pharming operations growing exotic flora that thrive in this climate for use in the manufacture of various drugs. The Barony sits astride the regional Causeway that runs North-South across the continent and is the origin point of the Valley Highway, a partially paved main road that runs the span of Sokol Valley.

The Powers that Be

Ruling Noble - Baroness Eldanna Hapsburg Van Gelder

Baroness Eldana is the highest ranking Van Gelder on Cadiz and their de facto ambassador. She is well regarded by her peers and superiors largely due to her soft-spoken conservative manner and a sharpness of mind that belies her grey years on a planet of bombastic politics. They call her “The Wise Judgess” a poorly understood nickname from her youth. To her close vassals and house staff she is known simply as “mom”, a title as affectionate as it is respectful. The Baroness is loved by her subjects and they seem to only grow fonder of her the older she grows. The public views her as being more in-touch with the common man than other nobles. Lady Eldana loves children but never birthed an heir, and as she grows older tensions grow that her passing will destabilize House Van Gelder’s power structure on Cadiz.

Leige Lord - Graff Pitor Romonov Decados, Count of Sokol

Pitor Romonov Decados recently assumed the mantle of Graff when his father Xander Romonov died of natural causes. At 19, Pitor is widely considered too young to fill his father’s shoes, and the sentiment has backed Pitor into a position of having to be very coarse with Nobles and Guild that disrespect him. Pitor spends a lot of his energy looking after his two younger brothers Arkady and Gregor who have a reputation for excess. Graff Pitor has little interest in interfering with fief or even city matters. The Count is currently pursuing an arranged marriage with Anette Democlav Decados and has little time for other social pursuits.

Presiding Clergy - Bishop Asha D’arch , Orthodox

Bishop D’arch is an attractive woman in her early 40’s with a reputation for her sharp political acumen and clever wit. Also not a secret is that the Bishop came to her office through a very unusual route. Originally born to minor house Keddah, she served with the Knights of Lexitus with distinction during the Emperor Wars and was advanced to the position of Bishop over priests of equivalent rank by numerous recommendations from the Bishophoric Council of the Universal Church. Most believe that she’s well favored by several powerful Orthodoxy leaders. The order is still very fond of Asha and while her station doesn’t allow for an honor guard there are always Knights of Lexitus around her socially. Bishop D’arch is more accomplished than any previous predecessors to take responsibility for the Sokol Valley largely due to her singular drive and her willingness to work outside of the church to accomplish goals. The Bishop isn’t popular with everyone. Many clergy who have worked under her don’t appreciate her pragmatic approach to challenges facing the diocese. Some have gone so far as to call her soulless.

Lord of Trade - Lord Lucaas Hendle Van Gelder, The Market Wolf.

Lucaas is a good-natured man in his autumn years with a taste for the finest things in life. He is credited with saving Irkuz from it’s late-war economic crash by convincing the Baroness to open the Barony to League enterprises. He is also a patron of the arts and noted philanthropist. However, there are rumors of his less savory enterprises as well.

Sherriff - Boyar Dmitri Democlav Decados

Dmitri is an unexceptional Decados. He is a bit smarmy and unsympathetic. He‘s indiscrete with his vices and vendettas. He is however adept at his profession. He was “provided” to the Baroness to assist with her crime woes and since his arrival crime has become much better organized, which sounds terrible but crime in the hands of the Scraver and Muster Gangs doesn’t interrupt food production, results in less street violence and doesn’t typically target prominent people in the Barony. Dmitri makes no bones about his loyalties. He serves the Court of Sokol and his outspoken attitudes often put him at odds with the Baroness.

Lord Justice of Sokol - Lady Bren Hapsburg Van Gelder

The known worlds seems to have only two kinds of judges, diligent ethical professionals dedicated to the aims of justice and crooked jaded autocrats who use their position for personal gain. Lady Bren is sadly the latter, but admittedly one of the better crooked judges in the known worlds. Lady Bren was educated at a Reeve’s University and is well regarded for her ability to read people and her grasp of the law but she has a reputation for corruption and most believe that nepotism is the only thing that keeps her on the bench, but in reality her unpopular decisions have put her at odds with her aunt Eldana.

Lady of Public Affairs - Lady Gretchen Hendle Van Gelder

Lady Gretchen was appointed to her position by virtue of being the Trade Minister’s daughter and very little has been expected of her but she has shown herself to be a remarkably strong influence on the Barony. She is a powerful ambassador to the Count and has led several successful public works campaigns to strengthen community ties and raise awareness for the unfortunate. Gretchen is easy to underestimate. She has typically lush Van Gelder tastes but her cultured vision for the rural Barony has been very well received. Some whisper that this unlanded lady of court could be in line for succession after the death of the Baroness.

Lord Chamberlain - Christian Lindscroft Van Gelder

Christian is an elderly lord with a razor sharp mind. He’s always impeccably polite and never forgets a name, or a date, or location. Christian serves the court of Baroness Eldana but furthermore he sees to her affairs, arranging travel, planning events in the city and even running errands.

Port Boss-Muster Lieutenant Leonard Bossman

Leo Bossman is the ranking muster at the port, a wiry wrinkled graying bastard with little patience and a sick sense of humor. Most people suspect that Bossman served as a merc because of his bad temper and reputation for sadism but his service with the roustabouts is long and filled with noted distinctions. Lieutenant Bossman replaced a prior Lieutenant who was unable to deliver cargo on time. The port runs much more smoothly but at a cost. Bossman’s sense of discipline ends on the pier. His men get drunk and start fights and sometimes more serious offenses but Bossman is able to use the leverage of his position to get charges swept under the rug.

Project Manager - Engineer Fellow Heinricht Salt

Heiricht is the project leader for the Engineer Pharming contract outside of Sokol. In addition to being a man fortified in the secrecy of an Engineer’s patent project he is a very private man. Periodically people will see him in the city with his lovely but eerily cyberneticly enhanced wife having a quiet dinner or visiting the baronial castle.

Capitol city - Sokol

Regional Population 9,724 (Nobles 90, Guild 212, Church 205, Freemen 544)

Primary Exports - Agriculture, Pharmaceuticals, preserved foods.

Sokol City is a coastal city of just under 10,000 souls lined with crumbling maxcrete walls. It was a Second republic Naval Base in another life and still retains many of the high-tech comforts salvaged from its past. Those that live outside of the city walls enjoys few if any of the same utilities. Sokol lays beside the central North-South elevated highway that spans most of the continent. It is a vast crumbling Second-Republic superhighway simply referred to as “The Causeway”, and it is the city’s onramp and off ramp to this vital trade road that make it so prosperous. Muster Roustabouts have a large transportation hub between the two ramps for the transfer of cargo between Haulers and cargo ships. Their fenced port yards are stacked with cargo containers and huge cargo transport haulers. The different neighborhoods of the city are divided by deep trenches in the maxcrete that served some forgotten purpose. At high tide the 10 foot deep trenches fill with sea water and at low tide they stink of garbage. There are many footbridges across the trenches but few vehicle crossings. Sokol’s City’s equatorial longitude combined with the shelter of The Dirges Inlet make it one of the continent’s largest sea ports.

Sokol’s County Castle District is in the Northern edge of the city, an austere maxcrete dome surrounded by stonework walls and banners flying the Democlav Sokol livery. This district is technically not part of the Barony and is under the authority of the Count and his council but there is very little division between the forces of the Decados Count who rules the region and the Van Gelder Baroness controlling the city. The castle district is also home to the County Legislative offices and the offices of the County tax collector. The count does not have any Royal Guardsmen assigned to his service but many of the knights he employs keep residence in the castle and are often seen around the castle district along with house soldiers and militia.

-The Mantis League – The League keeps a small administrative office in the Legislative Hall hosted by Lady Silvia Romonov Decados. Despite their humble operation the Mantis League is capable of filing any formal Vendetta as well as reviewing and investigating any Vendetta in the County it presides over. While the League doesn't advertise for operators, it's widely rumored that assassins, antagonists and thieves are routinely referred to register with their offices.

-The Dungeons – Many levels under the massive dome castle of the Count is the County Lock-up. The Dungeon houses criminals deemed too dangerous to be held in rural jails or those that have committed crimes against the County Throne. It is also the holding facility of Sokol City's watch. The security of the high-tech domicile is no joke, but in contrast to the stereotypical Decados gulag the Dungeons are rumored to be almost luxurious, clean, and quiet.

The Northeastern corner of the city is The Bazaar. It is an agricultural and simple crafts market that is the center of the barony’s economy. While it bears no comparison to the planetary Agora in Elibyrge, many rare and high tech goods can be found among the pedlar stalls here. Most of the city’s bars and restaurants are in this part of town and it’s a vibrant area later at night. The Bazaar is patrolled regularly by militia and while almost anyone can gain access to the Bazaar from outside of the city walls entrances further into the city are guarded and people with no valid business in the city are often turned back. The Bazaar is also where you most commonly see Hironem in the city, buying or selling in the market or conducting other business.

-St. Catherine’s The Light of Hope – The small Cathedral of Saint Catherine’s dominates the northern end of the Bazaar, settled astride a large walled compound that serves as the Orthodoxy headquarters for the diocese. The doors are open to the market over a white marble bridge that leads up to the main floor of the temple. There is also a covered walkway that leads from The Hub up into the temple balconies for more prosperous attendees. By comparison, the Cathedral is unimpressive with simple wood decoration and very little art and the efforts to get the community to donate to beautifying the massive structure seems to never end. Surrounding the Temple itself are the residences of the dozens of clergy needed to keep the temple running a large guest wing and the walled home of the Bishop.

-Humpalot - Humpalot is a Skraver bar in the South Market. Despite the name Humpalot isn’t a brothel, but just barely. The servers are seductive, the music is loud and the rooms down below the bar have good locks.

-Punch Drunk – Punch Drunk is a Muster bar in the South Market. It is a dive bar with a bare-knuckle fighting ring. While gambling is illegal in the city this bar seems to get away with doing it openly.

-Soly’s Gently Used Wares – Soly’s is a pawn shop in the South Market rumored to sell illegal and stolen goods.

-The Crossed Keys – The Crossed Keys pub is probably the nicest dining establishment in The Bazaar, so much so that customers are unlikely to get seated without a reservation. The pub is owned and operated by lady Madalona Matchteld Van Gelder. The decor is lush and comfortable. The food is remarkable and the drinks are largely imported.

-Sokol Engineer’s Guild – Sokol’s Engineer’s Guild is less of an administrative center and more of a redemption shop and barracks. The hall front is little more than a service desk for the public wanting to contract high tech repairs or hire guild services, the back is simple high tech redemption shop run by Engineer Entered Ellis. Ellis keeps bunks and essential guild function facilities as part of his contract with The Guild. Given how little representation the Engineers have on Cadiz the shop is a bit of a scandal but it doesn't stop customers from lining up at the counter.

The Eastern edge of the city is an urban fishing village, simply called The Waterfront, speckled with sail boats on wooden docks that are lashed to the old maxcrete waterfront. The waterfront is famous for it’s brightly colored houses and relaxed living. Many of Sokol’s more wealthy citizens have large city homes here for the view and the local color but the neighborhood isn’t wealthy. In fact the waterfront area has a fairly serious crime issue that the Sherriff has struggled to control.

-Angels on the Waterfront - Angels is less a restaurant and more of a district unto itself. The establishment sits on the north most point of The Waterfront separated from the rest of the district by the trenches that surround it and high latticework walls. Within are the restaurant’s lush gardens and members only pier. Seating is engineered with little grottos to give the feel of intimacy in the open air, as if diners were alone in the establishment.

-Sokol Fish Market - The fish market on the waterfront gives the illusion of being chaotic but it runs with a ruthless efficiency. Fish caught fresh and still breathing are arrayed in boxes of ice, sold to locals or packed and sent uptown to the cannery. Over a ton of fish move through the market every day and very little is wasted.

-The Big One- The Big One is a deceptively small bar built into the wharf of the fishing marina. It is a working man’s watering hole with watery beer and terrible food. The place is empty most of the afternoon but it’s hard to find standing room in the tiny bar at night.

-The Irkuz Cannery - A large industrial campus on the Southernmost tip of the waterfront. The cannery is a Skraver food preserving enterprise that struggled through horrible misfortunes during the war and was even temporarily taken over by House Decados until they realized they didn’t have the temperament to make it run correctly and begged the Skravers to take control once more. The cannery is currently run by Skraver Boss Simone Calder. The cannery floors and tables are slick with fish guts and the place stinks of rotting fish but the product they can is sold all over the planet and in some cases exported. Industrial accidents aren’t uncommon in the cannery and a serious accident has recently caused the closure of the cannery, leaving many of it's workers desperate for money.

The central city is known as The Hub. It is a mish mash of residential buildings and small industrial concerns, mostly cottage craftsmanship and simple machining. The Hub represents the bulk of Sokol City’s homes and is heavily patrolled by the city militia. The major Guilds of the League keep small guildhalls here that are little more than shop fronts. The streets have electric light and are kept clean by civic volunteers.

-Sokol Charioteer’s guild – Behind the fabulous gilded sign of the Charioreer’s guild is a simply single-clerk counter that never seems to have a line. The Charioteer guildhall is little more than a closet with a tiny bunk room in the back. It’s unclear how the “guildhall” communicates with the rest of the planet. However the Charioreer’s Guild hall does manage to function, scheduling infrequent commercial flitter and shuttle service to the town.

-Chiseled Brewery – The Hub is home to the Chiseled brewery, a local brewer that is known across Cadiz and even off world. Chiseled is a major employer in the city as well as an economic bulwark.

-Van Gelder family’s weapons shop – More than anything Sokol city is famous for being the site of the factory where the house’s infamous quality firearms are made. The Shop isn’t a retail location, they keep several of those on planet, but it is the original workshop and the location where most of the advanced design work is done. However, the Van Gelder family often permits private showings of their wares in the Shop to VIPs and major customers.

-Odd Books – A crowded old book store tucked away in an alley off of the market street. Odd Books is run by a bright young noblewoman named Amanda Radir Decados. Much broken from the mold she is a friendly and excitable lover of books and a collector and transcriber of some of the most rare tomes on the continent.

-Proper Tea – Proper Tea is quaint white-gable-windowed tea shop that looks strangely at home among the Dutch Baroque architecture of the Van Gelders, however the shop is anything but at home. The shop is run by expatriot Baroness Adele Mountbatten Hawkwood, a charming matron and a stickler for manners. The shop is closed every few weeks from one vandalism or another but Lady Adele stubbornly persists serving Hawkwood fashioned tea and cakes deep in Decados Space.

-The Reeve’s Bank - Sokol’s Reeve’s Bank is little more than a highly guarded clerk’s counter with adjoining advocate offices, smaller than many of the shop fronts in town but much much busier

-Redemption - Redemption is the unofficial Skraver’s Guild of Sokol County, located in the South end of The Hub. The repair shop is a fenced lot scattered with stripped vehicles and machinery wreathed around a simple two bay garage. The business is steadfastly honest but the deals that are done in it’s yard are less so. Redemption is owned by Scraver Boss Wade Roelof, a low level manager in regular communication with the Guild in Elibyrge.

The South of the city is dominated by The Port. Stretching from the Causeway ramps to the massive maxcrete pier that runs a kilometer out into the bay, the port stakes out the largest portion of Sokol City. It is lined with livestock pens, warehouses and barracks houses. It is the largest but also the least densely populated area of the city. Most of it’s activity is muscle powered using beast-drawn rail cars and winch-powered loading cranes. The only automation is a pair of loading cranes that roll along the pier and a few guild trucks that transport small goods and personnel. The Port is Muster dominated and it’s security is handled by the guild.

-Sokol Muster’s Guildhall - The Muster’s Guildhall is proper Guild bunker made of maxcrete and under guard day and night. The Hall offers full guild services and comfortable dormitory room as well as a shooting range, classroom, and exercise facilities. The Guild even has a company store open only the Muster where the roustabouts secure exotic imports from around the planet at fair prices.

Other Locations of Note

Castle Hapsburg - Nearly a mile to the South of the city residing high up on the bluffs above the Dirges Straights resides the ancestral home of the Van Gelder line on Cadiz. The old castle shows strong Decados influence in high forbidding spires and high austere walls. The Baronial home is open to the people of the Barony whenever possible and most persons of any status have attended a party or feast in the massive estate. Rumors about the ancient castle are never-ending, recently a more popular one is that her dungeons are being used to house war criminals that the Van Gelders are reluctant to put in the custody of the Decados.

Radio Lake - In the foothills of the Anyes, nearly a mile from any serviceable road is a two-mile-wide lake that is nearly perfectly circular. Long ago the site was an ancient FTL Radio facility that broadcast transmissions through the jump gate. Now the technology has been lost to flooding and neglect and it is a dark green pool banked by a vast ring of maxcrete. The local monastery keeps the lake thriving with fish, and rumored a sea monster.

Greenspire Monastery - Greenspire is an isolated monastery built upon the dish of an ancient FTL radio transmission station. From afar it looks like a small walled town with a massive green tower suspended over Radio Lake by huge and ancient suspension stantions. The monastery is only accessible by walking out over the ancient and rickety scaffolding that runs along the stantions or by a system of winches and pulleys used to lift boats up off the lake. The surrounding villages treat the monks of Greenspire like mystics for their encyclopedic knowledge of agriculture and animal husbandry. It is rumored that their Hescient faith requires a vow of silence of all of their clergy.

Rukovich Manor, The Engineer Pharm - Rukovich is a storied estate deep in the valley not far off of the valley highway. It is the secretive site of the Engineer pharming project. It’s rugged wrought-iron gates barring any visitors. Originally built by Baron Triston Rukovich Decados, it was the site of his insane vengeance on his family line, gathering them to celebrate the birth of his daughter and having his soldiers murder each and every noble of the Rukovich line. Rukovich himself committed suicide to avoid trial for regicide. Many claim that his ghost still haunts the halls. The Manor was infrequently owned by lesser lords who struggled with one misfortune or another before it was donated to the military as a hospital for returning veterans, earning it the nickname Shellshock Keep. In the final years of the Emperor wars casualties had mounted to the point that the hospital couldn’t keep it’s doors open and the Engineer’s Guild, looking for an olive branch to offer the Van Gelder, offered to lease the lands for their experimentation. Now the aged and crumbling manor is surrounded with strange semi-opaque plastic tents and queer high-tech machinery as a handful of Engineer workers conduct their works in secrecy.

Chapman Keep - Chapman Keep is a redeemed second republic industrial tower, a mighty white spire of maxcrete that pushes out of the canopy of the thick jungles of the valley. The Keep is the militia training grounds where most of the County sends volunteers and conscripts to learn soldiering and law enforcement. The Keep is run by Lord Gayre Polson Van Gelder, a house military captain who is struggling to leave the war behind him.

Lawton - Lawton is a quiet freeman village in the Anyes foothills. It was founded by the first veterans to return from the Emperor Wars and has since become a haven for soldiers looking for a quieter life. The population is mostly prosperous and elderly, many drawing stipend from House Decados for honors or patents. Many Guild members choose Lawton to retire to because of it’s amenities and relaxed pace of life. More so than other small villages Lawton does not care for those that do not belong there and will take great aims to encourage them to move along.

Powerful Factions

House Decados

Naturally the planetary House has a great deal of influence even in a fief ruled by another Noble House. But as Irkuz is the County seat the Decados have a lot of privileges within the fief. The Decados also hold of lot of business interests withing Sokol City and the surrounding fief, giving them reason to be concerned with anything that seems overly disruptive to Irkuz. The Mantis League keeps an administrative office in the city and both the Alchemists Cartel and Tutor's Cartel maintain shops in the Hub. While it's not so easily confirmed, rumors of Jakovian spies infiltrating the port or the Baronial Castle are not in short supply.

Knights of the Blue Glove

The Barony of Irkuz and the string of lesser fiefs that string along the base of the Anyes mountains are under the protection of an order of knights sponsored by Lord Henning Van Gelder. They are few in number and they are not wealthy but even a few dozen of mounted soldiers skilled with high tech weaponry makes a formidable force to support the local militias. The knights are a polarizing force in the region. The Van Gelder lords are very generous in their support and political defense of the order but the Decados are on the verge of issuing warrants for their arrest because of their brash actions through the valley. They don’t have a very positive reputation among commoners as they are largely unchecked by any ruling authority and can be insistent. It is rumored that the order keeps caches of war weaponry to defend the House in the should war come to the valley.

The NLO

The Natas Lakoto Orta are a militant Hironem organization dedicated to the safety of Hironem communes. Outwardly they are just a community militia but there are rumors of the NLO engaging in insurgent actions or even plotting terrorist attacks. The NLO’s only goal is to prevent harm to Hironen communities and defend it’s cultural practices from outsiders but to this end there are many differing opinions of how this goal should be attained. Most NLO members are retired Hironem soldiers or hunters armed with legal hunting and melee weapons but within the group are radicals armed with less legal weaponry and even explosives. The NLO often has confrontations with militias or even the Count’s soldiers but these are almost always stand-offs that result in peaceful resolutions.

The Goquaine Cartel

Sokol has a fairly serious narcotics problem for a small city. It’s humid hot environment paired with a transportation hub make it an ideal space to distill Erythroxyline. Soldiers and militia routinely hunt down Demigoqua fields and burn them or seize very large shipments of Goquaine at the port and the Sheriff is sure there is more than one production lab in the city. Most suspect that one of the major Skraver families is in charge of Goquaine smuggling in the region, but others suspect the Engineers and their secretive pharming operations. Few are eager to tangle with whoever is behind the operation as those that poke their noses into the wrong business often vanish or worse they’re made an example of.

Posjednik

The Posjednik are much like many crime families that have carved out a section of Outer Elibyrge. However, they have business interests in Irkuz and are often seen there on business or vacation. The Posjednik make their money mostly in human trafficking, gambling, and extortion. They are professional criminals, loyal unto death and discrete in their trade. They are also completely obedient to the Decados, trading their services to be permitted to conduct their enterprise without interference so long as it doesn’t cross interests with the House.

Goings on

The Winter Tournament Tour & The Peasant Triathlon

Sokol County’s Tournament schedule is in late winter while the fields are idle and before the planetary circuit begins for the year. Cadiz Tournaments typically features events popular with knights like singles fencing, the joust, mounted pistol marksmanship and team skirmishing. The rural tournaments often feature crowd pleaser events like archery and wrestling. The Tournament in Sokol city has many of these events as well as a large peasant triathlon that attracts competitors from across the county. The Triathlon is a 10 mile run from the Causeway exit at Loskov Pass into the city, then a swim in rough water out to a barge 200 meters from the shore, then lastly down a grueling obstacle course meant to crush the hoard of exhausted competitors. Every year there are handful of deaths in the 200-odd competitors. The winner brings home accolades and a trophy for his lord and the top 33 finishers win the right to compete in The Running of the Deer and the Wolves.

The Running of the Deer and Wolves

The County of Sokol on Cadiz holds a fairly unique race every spring following the winter Tourneys and the Peasant's Triathalon. It is a race where nobles hunt serfs for sport. The original Wolves Tourney was a tradition started near the beginning of the Emperor wars by Count Gregor where a lottery of peasants were hunted through the Count's hunting lands to bolster the skills of knights in tracking infiltrators in the region. When the church caught wind of the practice they quickly brought the tradition to an end in an unpopular blockade of the County. Over time Gregor's heir Xander came to see that not only had his knights become unruly but his Serfs had been robbed of the their more robust stock by his father's tradition. He approached the Archbishop of Sabtah and proposed that it would be for the betterment of all if the hunts could continue but with more restraint. What came to follow was known as the Running of the Deer and the Wolves.

The contest is simple. The top 33 runners of the Peasant's Triathalon are purchased from their lords at a fair premium by the Count and allowed to run. Their journey begins in Sokol City on the Western shores of Sabtah and ends 3500 Miles of coastal jungle away at Fort Volchav, across the Vernes straits from the Baria Peninsula. Serf's that Arrive at Fort Volchav are given their freedom and a 100 FB prize. Serf's that are caught become the property of the lord who's hunters bring them in, who in turn win a Serf of remarkable stock. Hunters must purchase a limited number of Wolve's licences from the Count at 50 FB, licences are limited to 3 per fiefdom which with the small agricultural fiefs of the County puts up to 51 hunters in the run. Hunters are not permitted to break the law in the hunt but serfs may do what they must to survive and often local lords will permit their own serf's to lend support to the runners as a populist gesture. Hunters who kill a Serf in the run must pay the count steep fines for the loss of his serf, hunters that wound a serf often find themselves facing charges from a newly emancipated Freeman. So hunters are very cautious and often employ high tech non-lethal weaponry. Serf's are given motivation to pursue physical excellence, local knights and games keepers develop legendary skills, County businesses have the boon of a popular tourney event and it generates taxes, Serf's that win their freedom go on to become celebrated citizens from the Barony.

The competition is several weeks of unpredictable fun through the County and tends to punctuate the end of the doldrums of winter for the rural fiefs with a bit of excitement. Recent years of seen the Running of the Deer and Wolves become popular outside of Sabtah, attracting spectators from across the planet and hunters from other worlds. The last 5 competitions have seen an increasing number of hunters wired with remote cameras so that fans can watch the action from the comfort of luxurious lodges. Hunting is not restricted to Nobles but generally only Knights have a reason to compete. It is not unheard of for a local lord to hire an Ashtati as a ringer to prove a point in the competition. Of course the competition attracts a lot of gambling and often that outside pressure can influence hunters to break the rules or intentionally fail their pursuit. Every year has problems with Serf's or Hunters that damage property or injure themselves or others but it doesn't overshadow the popularity of the event.

Candlemas

Once per year at the zenith of summer the city of Sokol engages in an ages tradition that was practiced throughout the Van Gelder cities but now is observed in a handful of corners of the known worlds. The celebration of Candlemas is a gift-giving celebration meant to sponsor goodwill and closeness within the community. Celebrants take to the streets at sundown and walk through the city carrying paper lanterns joining in groups to sing and drink. On their trek through the city celebrants leave a few small gifts at the doors of strangers, usually food or drink or tokens of good cheer. The holiday is celebrated with lush dinners before friends go out in groups. Often the poor will leave notes of thanks in place of gifts. The Orthodox Church celebrates this holiday as if it were one of their own because of it’s fortuitous iconography and celebration of community. The darker side is that like many events where workers are expected to sleep in the next day the revelry can be excessive. With so many people out of their house for the evening Candlemas is a ripe opportunity for burglary. Perhaps saddest is that a celebration of community often results in elitist groups finding ways to disenfranchise others. Still the warmth of the summer night celebration endears the city to it in spite of the unpleasantries that seem to be unavoidable in it’s celebration.

Bier Veiring

In Late-October The Hub of Sokol City comes alive with a celebration of beer and it’s many virtues. The streets are lined with little market stands and the parks are filled with tent taverns where brewers from all over the planet come to promote their brews to connoisseurs and businessmen that flock to the festival of beers. In addition to alcohol the festival shows off amazing foods cooked with beer and products made with brewers materials, bards and other entertainers flood into the city for a long day and night of celebration in honor of the simple beverage.

Allies for Sale

Bar Owner - Scraver Genin Ivanna Pukev - Ivanna is the owner of Humpalot, a loud bawdy bar and inn in Sokol’s Bazaar. She is generous with friends who help her business. In addition to free drinks and access to her considerable arsenal of gossip, Ivanna is happy to provide a place to stay and meetings with those that sell illegal goods. Ivanna will quickly lose patience with anyone that draws too much attention into her illegal dealings. 5pts, Status 2 Skraver, Carousing-18, Streetwise-16, Current Affairs-15.

Cab Driver – Freemen Jenny Sparks - Jenny runs one of a very few independent autowagon taxi’s in Sokol. She hears and sees a lot of what happens around the city. Jenny isn’t above giving friends a free ride if it’s on her way and she’ll cut her better customers a deal for trips out along The Causeway or along the valley roads. Jenny won’t do anything that might jeopardize her business. 3pts, Streetwise-13, Current Affairs-14, Driving-15.

Militia Investigator - Ivan Krakow - Krakow is one of two militia investigators in a sleepy seaside town with a lot of crime and he’s not the crooked one. He will pay for tips about criminal activity and is willing to share a lot of the politics of the sheriff’s offices. If his friends are accused of a crime and he doesn’t believe they are guilty he would be willing to stymie the investigation to buy them time. However, Ivan will not be party to criminal activity or disloyal to the Sherriff. 3pts, Rank 1 Decados, Streetwise-12, Criminology-15 Interrogation-13.

Hescient Monk - Brother Barthus - Barthus is a warm-hearted man with a chummy heart. Barthus is one of two monks from the Greenspire monastery who haven’t taken vows of silence. He works as the face of the monastery, traveling to Irkuz to sell and buy wares. He is not wealthy or politically connected but he and his brotherhood have a collection of useful skills and a remote abbey to shelter friends of the order. Barthus will not support actions that oppose the teachings of Zebulon or that threaten the monastery. 5pts, Status 1 Hescient, Physic-14, Surgery-14, Alchemy-13, Theology-12.

Local Fence – Charioteer Soly Barrelhead - Soly is a greasy pawn broker in Sokol’s Bazaar. Most people know he’s less than diligent in asking about where his merchandise comes from. Those he trusts know that he can occasionally sells black market goods out of the back of his shop. Soly knows a good deal about what goes on the street and when he’s your friend not much will threaten that. 3pts, Status 0 Freeman, Merchant-17, Streetwise-15.

Thug – Freeman Iron Miko - Miko is a freeman prize fighter renown for her easily underestimated build but Miko can take a brutal pounding and can kick like a mule. She often rents herself out as an enforcer or petty bodyguard for people she trusts and would be willing to teach unarmed combat for a reasonable price. Miko doesn’t like questions about her past and doesn’t like hurting innocent people. 5pts, Status 0 Freeman, Karate-16, Judo-12, Intimidation-11.

Thug – Freeman Enola “Catsnake” Tomochen - Enola is a mean-spirited underfed freeman teen with an illegal pistol and few prospects. In addition to being a cheap gun-for-hire she has some decent street smarts. She’ll do nearly anything for better prospects in her life but she isn’t blindly trusting and doesn’t want to end up in the Count’s dungeons or dead. 5pts, Status 0 Freeman, Streetwise-14, Guns (Pistol)-12, Pickpocket-15.

Lord Chamberlain - Christian Lindscroft Van Gelder - Christian is an understatedly powerful figure in the fief. He’s well connected to society and business as well as the Baroness. He has no problem getting friends tickets to events in Elibyrge or reservations to the best restaurant in town. If he feels it’s in the best interest of the barony he would help a friend get an appointment with anyone in court. Christian won’t take an action that would offend any of the lords in the city. 10pts, Status 3 Van Gelder, Savior Faire-21, Current Affairs-18, Diplomacy-15.

Neighboring Baron - Andre Democlav Decados - Andre rules the Harden Peak Barony to the North of Irkuz. He is wealthy, old, and a bit reckless. He has a strained political relationship with Baroness Eldana and takes some pride in being a thorn in her side. He is game for anything that provokes the Baroness and her court without backlash. He will provide shelter from Irkuz Militia and Van Gelder forces but he will not cross Count Pitor or back any action that could spoil his relationships with other Decados. 10pts, Status 4 Decados, Politics-17, Current Affairs- 14, Savior Faire-14.

Weaponsmith - Lady Hildi Sanderson Van Gelder - Hildi is an accomplished artist working in the House’s weapon shop in Sokol. She is able to repair and modify weapons quickly and with nearly peerless skill. She also has the connections needed to obtain firearm licenses up to LC 3 despite her low social rank and can arrange the sale of any weapon made by the Van Gelder family. Larger favors require a bit of flattery. She will keep away from anything she feels will anger the Decados. 5pts, Status 2 Van Gelder, Artist (Metalwork)-18, Armory (Small Arms)-17, Current Affairs - 13.

Enemies for sale

The Demons – Lords Arkady and Gregor Romonov Decados - Ullustrious Brothers of young Count Pitor and party demons who are largely above the law. The ways to end up on their bad side are legion but the quickest way is to embarrass either of the publicly. The duo are very dangerous if only for the bodyguards they travel with but neither is brave enough to get hurt, more than likely they will seek to embarrass their enemies or cause them legal troubles. -20pts, Two more-powerful enemies, rivals.

Knight Marshal Gunther Henning Van Gelder- Younger brother of Banner Henning, the Master of the Knights of the Blue Glove. Gunther is a militant and the hardliner of the order, both deadly and politically savy. Gunther is not above killing his enemies if he believes he can get away with it. Becoming Gunther’s enemy is not hard holds a strong hatred for anyone who he perceives as an obstacle for the success of the order and prone to Decados-like retribution against those that harm his knights. -10pts, One more-powerful enemy, rival.

Boyar Kryden Democlav Decados - Kryden is a loose cannon that the Decodos claim they have no control over, a knight too accustomed to war, unhappy in peace, a drug addict, madman, and a sadist. It’s actually more difficult not to have a reason to have Kryden as an enemy. He could fear the PC is making advances on his wife, or undermining his reputation or the could have simply angered one of the many Decados that push Kryden’s buttons. Kryden isn’t a fool but he would prefer his enemies dead or crippled and humiliated. He’s not a brilliant tactician, but a PC with Kryden will have to be careful about behaving in a way that would open them up to a duel or even advertising plans to be alone. -10pts, One powerful enemy, hunter.

Muster Sergeant Sean Sullivan - Sully is a big bastard of a man with a short temper and a long memory for grudges. Sullivan is one of Irkuz’s few Mercs, managing security for the Port. He has a handful of his boys who are loyal to a fault who will back him up. Sullivan has little political power, even at the Port, but he can obstruct traffic through the city or draw down the attention of the Sheriff on his enemies or simply pound your face like a tough steak. Sullivan isn’t a genius but nor is he a killer. He’s happy to be a thorn in the side of his enemies or cause them some bruises but he’s seen enough killing in the war. -10pts, Medium-Sized Group, Rival.

Militia Investigator Ivan Krakow - Ivan is the closest thing to a good cop that the city has and he’s as tenacious as he is honorable. Ivan makes a good enemy of anyone who gives him reason to be suspicious of them, whether then are unsavory criminal types or just people who are overly suspicious. Ivan is very careful not to exceed his preview as investigator but feels completely within his right to surveil and dig into the affairs of anyone he doesn’t like. -3pts, One person of equal power, watcher.