Sick brain drippings. · 12:38am Nov 29th, 2015
The flu sucks. I should have some Horizons up tomorrow. In the meantime, some brain drippings. This is a continuation of the previous one.
Graygirder. Once it had been the pride of Antheria. Since Dyne was forbidden by ancient treaty from controlling land beyond their island in the middle of the great river, the kingdoms around it raised up their own villages to trade with the wonderous city. Greygire was second only to the capitol in terms of prosperity, with dozens of noble estates crowding the river in an attempt to be as close as possible to Dyne. But hard times befell the kingdom, with internal strife and discord ripping Antheria into bloody pieces. Renamed 'The Republic', it became a violent and destablized region where no one ruled beyond the reach of their or their followers swords. The riots that consumed the captiol spread east, until they reached Greygire. Bloody chopping blocks adorned the once glittering plazas and parks, and the aristocracy lost their heads, and limbs, and worse to the howling of the adoring mob.
The merchants realized the opportunity and swept in, claiming or buying land for the estates to put up cheap housing for the workers in Dyne's refineries. Their hope that this turmoil was temporary proved optimistic, and they soon learned that many didn't see much difference between an Aristocrat and a Merchant. Much of the territory was left to decay and squallor. Once soaring palaces and manors are now subdivided slums or the sanctuary for squatters. Many who live here simply which to amass enough money to leave and live some where else safer.
The primary employers are the transporation guild, the coal guild, and the steelworker's guild. In spite of the chaos of the Republic, The Transportation Guild still maintain a train route to the capitol and back, bringing in desperate people willing to work for a pittance. The transportation guild not just moves goods about, but also maintains numerous warehouses to store goods till they need to be transported. They pay a premium in security guards to keep the loss to a minimum. The steelworker's guild maintains three enormous blast furnaces working day in and out to produce building material for Dyne. Soot from these foundries blankets entire neighborhoods in gray snow. The Coal guild brings in coal from all over the west, storing it in colossal silos for distribution through out the city. A massive coal mine sits on the edge of Graygirder, and day and night more coal is ripped from the earth. The rate of attrition in all three is high.
Protests are a daily occurrence, with workers demanding better wages, safer conditions, and less pollution. Any day, a riot could break out as frustrated workers take on the guilds, the merchants, or each other. Work gangs doubling as criminal thugs offer muscle for hire. However, worker rights languish as the guilds simply bring in fresh laborers from the Republic to take their place. The Union is a radical new terrorist group which threaten the guilds with direct sabotage, assassination, and targeted theft of vital goods. Infiltrating the guilds has caused prices to spike as the guildmasters fear a bomb some where vital. One of the Coal guild's storage areas was blown apart in a Union attack.
The day to day for most Grays is survival: bringing in enough money to buy some terrible produce or turned meat. The once enviable streets are awash in filth and disease. Water is regularly contaminated. Rats, wild dogs, and cockroaches provide 'street meat'. It's said a pig has a lower chance of survivial in Graygirder than an aristocrat in the Republic. While humans predominate, there's a large number of dwarves living in an Enclave and working closely with the Coal guild. Hobs are encouraged to go across the river and settle in Hobtown.
One of the most widely respected eateries is "Pies- all kinds". No one knows how Granny Pie, the old Hobgoblin proprietor makes enough to keep hundreds of people fed. There's rumors the meat in the pie is 'talking pork'. Never the less, Granny will sell a pie for a pittiance, and many would have starved if not for her. There've been numerous attempts to shake down Granny, or even shut her down, but they all fail. Granny is connected with the Union, and works as a message hub for the organization.
Entertainment can be had at the "Public Stage." Once the grandest opera house in the four points, the building still puts on everything from classics to bawdy shows. Anyone who wishes to perform may, though scheduling conflicts are handled with fists, which is another kind of entertainment for the masses. Many aspiring artists actually make their break out on the Public Stage, as critics with bodyguards go to see truly new material. The Stage is managed by the Thesbianic Order, which devotes itself to keeping the opera house in working order. The elven curator Melphisica is always thankful for help with the numerous thugs and gangs that try to shake down the Stage for easy money.
The People's Park is a curiosity best avoided. Once the envy of the four points, it became the center for mass executions during the revolution. The blood stained blocks still remain, and many a grievance has been settled 'in the park'. Massive pits are full of bones, which have been picked over again and again by desperate people hoping to find an overlooked ring or other bauble. It's said that dark, supernatural things stalk the park at night, and there's been many a bone picker found with their head neatly severed from their body.
Chopper's is an interesting shop which combines weapon sells with butchery. Most of the weapons have been 'tested' on sides, and Chopper even lets a buying customer go to town on a side of mutton or goat. If it can cut, stab, pummel, choke, gouge, or maim then Chopper sells it. Chopper's basement is headquarters for the Legbreaker gang, one of the more civilized band of thugs. They generally do shake downs and protection extortion rackets, as well as being occasional hired muscle for the guilds. Chopper doesn't claim to run the guild, but when he talks, they listen.
The Graygirder watch is the only official law enforcement in the district. Most see them as better fed thugs, but the reality is they are one of the few groups trying to keep the peace. Riots are quite commonplace, and are put down brutally once a certain level of annoyance is exceeded. Generally, that means busting up rioters with truncheons or keeping gang wars from targetting non-combatants. Cheif Constable Steelbutton isn't quite in the guild's pocket just yet. He recognizes that Graygirder could be a better and safer neighborhood if they didn't try to treat their workers like slaves. Still, the guilds provide their funding, so unless some one else offers to fund him, his hands are tied.
Once such person is Lord Pendelbrook. He has the dubious distinction of being the last Duke in the Republic. His grandfather prepared for the worst, and it spared him and his family from the mobs. Even after a five year siege, Pendelbrook Hall remains intact and an eerie echo of the time before the revolution. Pendelbrook is the wealthiest person in the district after the guilds, and has the money to restore order. However, he also sees himself as inheritor to rule all of the Duchy of Greygire, and refuses to support unwashed mobs. He does support and supply the Union, but only as a tool to tear down the guilds. He has two children, and though his son is the same as his father, his daughter is more open to a pluralistic power sharing scene.
The last power groups are, without saying, the guilds. The Transportation Guild is run by an elf named Miseratre, who lives in a solid state of denial about Graygirder and the conditions of his workers. To him, it's simple: if a worker can not work, replace them with one who will. Riots are an annoyance to be ignored, but the Union is a menace which has deliberately attempted to assassinate the elf. Miseratre has taken it upon himself to root out the Union however possible. The Steelworks guild is run by Goodman Ironsmith. Six generations has built up the guild to its current heights. Unlike Miseratre, Ironsmith sympathizes with the condition of his workers, and has even taken a few tentative steps to raise wages and improve worker safety. These efforts have been undone by the manager of the foundries, a cruel man named Hopshammer, who pockets the raises and blames the deaths on Union sabotage. The final guild boss is Clenghand Coalbeard, a dwarf who is interested only is two things: selling coal to humans and protecting dwarven interests at all costs. An enclave elder, he spends a great deal making sure his own people are safe and secure. He doesn't care one bit about the 'mayflies' as he calls humans and hobs. They only live four or five decades. Why bother caring about them? This has fueled immense resentment from the rest of the district.
So, what is the player to do there:
There's lots of simple quests. Working odd jobs for the guilds that are higher risk and higher reward. Getting supplies for the various merchants. The big one, however, is who controls Graygirder. You can back the guilds, the Union, or Lord Pendelbrook. You can also clean up the organizations or make them worse. For example, if you talk to Ironsmith and convince him to remove Hopshammer, and convince Clenghand that isolation is just deferring an attack on the enclave, and show Miseratre that investing in workers pays off then the guild helps rebuild the district into a safer and more productive neighborhood. If you work with Hopshammer to hide the truth, kill the rioters threatening the enclave, and take out the Union, then Graygirder becomes truly stark. Likewise, Pendelbrook can either be convinced to give up power to his daughter, and share the authority for restoring Graygirder, or Pendelbrook's son takes over, hiring mercenaries to put down the mob and the guilds with an iron fist. Or the Union can convince the guilds to cave to their demands, or simply kill off the heads, which makes the district a complete urban blight no one wants.
Need to lay down now. Sorry.
The flu? That accursed seasonal flu? Get well soon Somber, I hope you feel better in due time. It's no fun being sick.
Get well soon; sorry you're sick.
Just remember that Jenny McCarthy is a stupid crazy mare who is only famous for taking off her close and ponies only do what they say because she is famous; so now, get your FluShots.