[Gatejammer] Finality: Brainstorming

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Post by Username17 »

fectin wrote:Really strong xenophobic tendencies mostly come from low-skill labor (i.e. folks who actually could find their jobs going away).
I don't think that's true. At least, I don't think that's true outside of Western democracies. I like in Czech Republic, which has had very strong nativist and xenophobic tendencies through most of the 20th century. And whether you're talking about the Soviet occupation period, the Nazi occupation period, or the Austro-Hungarian Empire period, a uniting fact of those extremely anti-foreigner periods is that it was imposed from the top down by an autocracy that felt that foreign ideas and people were threatening to its power.

For a more extreme version, check out the DPRK. It's probably the most anti-foreigner state of any size in human history (competing quite strongly with various small head hunting tribes of the past), and I don't think you could convincingly claim that the North Korean people are particularly afraid that foreigners are going to take their jobs.

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Post by fectin »

Okay, that's completely fair. I don't have solid data to fall back on, so let me expand a bit, and see if it makes sense analytically, at least.

I'm ignorant with respect to the Czech Republic, but from what you described, I would taxonomize their behavior as jingoism instead of xenophobia (which are terms which make sense to me, but may not be universal). I draw a distinction between fear or loathing of outsiders (e.g. "furriners are stealing our jobs!" but also "Jews are taking all the money!") and an overinflated sense of self (e.g. Nazi Germany's view of everything 'Aryan' as superior). I think they often go together, but aren't the same.
I admit though, that comes from my own impressions in western democracies, and may not be universally true. However, even if we grant that things work completely different in DPRK, Finality as described so far seems much closer to a western democracy than to a managed dictatorship.

I'd also note that even if I'm completely wrong on the general principles, "hyper-nationalistic, violently protectionist arms-makers" can still be convincingly bad dudes.
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Post by Ancient History »

I think the Czechs may be the least jingoistic nation on earth. If you burn their current national flag, someone will probably buy you a beer. It's a piece of ground that has gone through something like four state changes within the last seventy years. People may have a Czech identity that is very strong, but they feel no particular allegiance to any Czech state because those are made up out of whole cloth and often younger than they are.

I think what you're on about is "How the English conquered Wales" as told by Warren Ellis, and the answer is "One village at a time - because while the Welsh hate the English, they hate each other more."

The idea of Finality as a democracy is missing the mark - it's an ad-hoc oligarchy, where there are enough groups/individuals with particular power and interest to claim influence on a large chunk of the place/populace, but no one group/individual can dominate the others, so they formed a coalition government. And it is ultimately a very old government, and as governments tend to do it has a degree of self-perpetuating bureaucracy that is the actual apparatus of government, specifically so you don't have, say, Interdimensional Orc Warlord #12 ("Numba Twelve! Numba Twelve!") trying to collect taxes door-to-door with his third-largest horde...especially not in the nice Elf neighborhoods.
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Post by fectin »

I agree with your assessment of Finality. My point was only that its social structure ends up much more similar to (e.g.) California than to DPRK. Korea's propaganda comes from above, and is apparently effective; Cali's comes from anyone with money, and ends up with some wildly heterogeneous belief sets. Etc.
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Post by virgil »

I get the impression that the effect would be more like one of the countries in Eastern Europe, organized crime mixed with Kafka-esque bureaucracy & corruption. California benefits from a more cohesive gov't structure that would influence social web pretty well.

As a nativist faction needs upper-end support, that will be baatezu. They aren't threatened by immigrant labour; but by tanar'ri, celestials, and adventurers. I can't think of a specific 'threat' those three groups represent without it just being a simple "they aren't from around here, look at their crazy passport!" That isn't to say this wouldn't work, because it very obviously has worked that way IRL.
I was in the middle of hammering out a rough outline for the trade mini-game in Finality, when I came upon an unfortunate realization. The economy in D&D is borked. All the Wish Economy does is create a glass ceiling for the lower level party. WBL remains necessary in a level-based game, but it is both unpolished & untested in 3.X. In addition, all of the statistics built into a 3.X character only have the murder metric in mind; making playtesting a pain. As some means of gaining levels on successful trade runs is necessary, all PCs end up like Jessica Fletcher, surrounded by bandits and cursed demon cargo on every trade run. This implies it would be better to just have trade rules be based on adventure design; shipping Lethe Ale to one of the Core Worlds is an EL 11 trade route, while hauling Halfling Potato Soup Stock to Finality is an EL 3 adventure.
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Post by virgil »

One faction I think we should include in Finality is the Society of Sensation; possibly renamed to Cabal Epicurean or something to indicate its differences from Sigil's branch. It'll still have the lavish parties, the sense stone (staffed by a sect of mind flayers) collection, even the sex prison. As Finality is home to fiends, it should have a greater emphasis on its multidimensional prostitution rings.
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Post by virgil »

So I've been thinking about layout for a Finality sourcebook.

Table of Contents
Intro Fiction
Part I: On the Streets
Portals
Precincts
Persona non Grata: City guard & random encounters
Fiction Piece
Part II: On the Podium
Factions
City History
Challenges & Hooks
Persona non Grata: Named NPCs
Fiction Piece
Part III: Behind the Doors
Other Worlds
History: Astromundi Proclomation
Persona non Grata: Crypts, Star Spawn
Ending Fiction
Index
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Post by Username17 »

Seems pretty solid. You'll want to put in a history section somewhere, and I would suggest it should go in part 2. Having the city history bit in next to the politics makes a good deal of sense.

Also remember that Table of Contents comes first and intro fiction comes second. Drives me nuts when White Wolf does it the other way.

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Post by virgil »

Revisiting the Muse of Belphegor, and renaming the Scales to the Scales of Mammon.
Muse of Belphegor

"Why work when all of our needs are met?"
He Said/She Said: "If we build it..."
In Their Own Words wrote:The production of useful things is the only reasonable objective that industry can propose to itself. The goal of any useful thing is to save labour, freeing the sapient condition from responsibilities, allowing one to indulge in the natural state. Finality must invest in this magic of production, and in such a way as to create the least collective need for labour afterward. This city has the resources now, but it is caught up in the same inefficiency that has destroyed the potential of the City of Brass, and we need to overcome this. We weigh ourselves down by tying our value to physical goods, when true efficiency is attained through resource independence and ultimately an end to labour itself.
Hedonists and Utopian idealists, they advocate advancement of public works and infrastructure, as well as economic isolationism. Their parties are indulgent to the point of excess, as their ultimate goal is to make it such that everyone can party like a wizard, which endears them to a sizable demographic of those wide-eyed from hopeful dreams or drugs, and frequently both.

Their major contributions to the city is assistance with construction and maintenance of the city's infrastructure and public works. However, they are always proposing projects of such magnitude that even if Finality's entire economy were focused, they would be bankrupt partway through. In fact, the current headquarters belongs to the Mad Wizard's Guild in what's known as The Index; an imposing 13-story tower with a substantial dungeon. The Index is an exorbitant construction project from early in the faction's history, abandoned when it was revealed that it was just the index finger for a titanic golem.

Potentially one of the wealthiest factions, they also control the Tanning Vats and Sewage Treatment Facility. Their economic theories of isolationism and wild-eyed avocation for impossible projects functionally make them one of the poorer factions. In addition, they make few friends with the slavers & unions through their use of golems and undead to replace the labour force. Politically, they maintain close ties with the Brotherhood of Blood, whose educational goals they feel would facilitate their big projects.
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Post by virgil »

I'm trying to figure out the 'rules' for planar waterways. They need to be different from just slapping a couple portals over a river. I'm thinking of requiring a traveller to be borne/supported by the river (and between its banks) for a minimum of one continuous hour (cumulative maximum of 5 minute interruptions) and be within a certain span of the river. Obviously it wouldn't supersede the Planar Standard Day restriction from planar travel.
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Post by virgil »

Elothar rides upon The Dark and Brooding Cloak of Untrammeled Destiny
The Void

What the Void is varies in theory, but the veritable facts are that the closer a world is to the Void, the less is becomes bound by the Laws of Nature. The furthest from the Void are the Core Worlds, hanging in space within the same galaxy. As one moves closer to the Void, the worlds become more isolated, with fewer and fewer worlds in the sky; some resting in different galaxies. Deeper in, and travel is better compared to dimensional shifting rather than Euclidean displacement. Even further in, and the natural properties of reality begin to differ in function from the Core Worlds.
Travel between the voidwise and the core worlds is a difficult and labyrinth affair, frequently the fruit of months with an optimized & mapped route simply to go from a Core World to another galaxy. Planar pathways and portals form the backbone of trade, bridging worlds across the spectrum of the Void.
Planar Waterways

From the burning sting of the River Acheron, to the bountiful copse along the banks of Oceanus, to even the most famous River Styx. The most common form of interplanar travel, second only to portals, the river that flows through multiple worlds. The eye beholds vistas of drastic change while riding the waters of the pathway. Civilizations of great size form along the banks of such rivers, filtering the wealth that runs through. A blend occurs, where the river forges the land around it as surely as the world shapes the nature of the river, especially the source.
Unlike portals, a planar watershed is not the handiwork of mortals, but a seemingly natural manifestation of worlds connecting across unfathomable distances. Their magic is simple to master, but the rules are strict.
  • A traveller must be borne by the waters of the river
  • The traveller must remain between its banks and between two points along its course
  • The traveller must maintain this for a minimum one continuous hour
  • Interruptions can total no longer than one minute, be it leaving the river or even flying over it, without resetting the required time
  • Each end of the river's 'path' is connected to a separate world
  • Any traveller who has spent the minimum time on the river is transported when they reach the end
  • This does not supersede the Planar Standard Day waiting period for planar travel
The span of a planar river that travels upon a particular world varies in both length and speed. It is not unheard of for an uncontrolled boat moving with the river to travel from one end of the path to the other in less than an Planar Day or even an hour, missing their chance to shift from one world to the next; requiring travellers to dock their boat for a time until the boat and its passengers accrue sufficient time to travel to the river's next world. Other planar watersheds on a world, however, are sufficiently long that a boat can coast with the water for more than a full Planar Standard Day between endpoints.
Sample Waterways
  • River Acheron While most known for the city of Finality on its shores, the Acheron watershed spans a half dozen worlds on its own. The River of Pain gets its name from the fact its waters are agonizing to the touch. Even fog from it will make the skin itch. The equivalent of a flask's worth of thrown water, or a round of exposure, deals 1 nonlethal acid damage. In the case of total immersion, it will inflict 2d6 nonlethal acid damage per round.
  • Malvam River Starting in the Core Worlds and crossing one other before ending in the theocratic city-state Aaru of the afterlife world Duat, the Malvam Watershed is the most heavily guarded of planar riverways. Its waters are unique, being entirely incorporeal; permitting only the ethereal/incorporeal to cross to other worlds. There remains the Meseket, a glorious river barge coated in oils to make the ship able to be touched by the incorporeal, permitting passengers to traverse the river.
Planar Peaks & Troughs

Different from the watersheds, these are zones of travel linked to caves and mountain faces; and are rarely used or sought after by the common traveler. Because they do not transport a mass of water as the rivers do and are infrequently traveled by their nature, such features are difficult to discover.
The rules are even simpler than that of a planar waterway
  • Remain within 5' proximity to the surface for one continuous hour
  • Interruptions can total no longer than a minute without having to start over
  • Displace up or down a minimum of 100', the direction dependent on the destination
  • Does not supersede the Planar Standard Day waiting period
The span covers a minimum area and usually circumscribes the entire feature, be it the inner surface of a cavernous pit or the band around a mountain face.
Sample Planar Peaks & Troughs
  • Mount Olympus
  • Yggdrassil
  • Seven Caves of Chicomoztoc
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Post by virgil »

We shouldn't go into too much detail for watersheds and ranges besides Acheron, since this is a Finality sourcebook.

Question for the lot of ya, are the details I've given for the worlds in the Acheron Watershed sufficient for the sourcebook, a single paragraph for the world itself along with two or three places of interest each with their own paragraph? How many and what kind of worlds should we include for Portal Park? As established in the CYOA, we're going to have at least three cities of Bladereach, which I plan on incorporating.
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Post by virgil »

Portal Nexus

A vast plaza, teeming with the foot traffic of a thousand worlds. Beyond the portals that touch upon the worlds of the Acheron Cluster, there are numerous other portals that range from the Core Worlds to the Bleak Eternity of Limbo.
An important note for population ratios that is going to be assumed, due to the nature of generations of travel. Unless specified, no country or civilization is truly homogeneous. When a world is described as human, this means the population is predominantly human, but 15-35% of the population will be of other races.

Talangran Known for its vast seafaring empire, the people of the Talangran Empire have a powerful thirst for elven slaves beneath a green sun.
  • Circus Genip An evil circus troupe that travels through four major serfdoms, forcing the entire economy to revolve around 'celebrating' and sustaining the circus.
    Emerald Oracle At the base of a broad mountain are numerous squat buildings with a handful of beautiful towers. Ruled by a green hag, this is a town of Precognition; any within can, once per day, make a Survival or Knowledge (Arcana) check against a DC 20 to gain the benefits of an augury.
Sidar The least populated world beneath the three suns of the Gliese system, this world falls under the jurisdiction of the Elven Textile League. Predominantly mountainous, the surface geology is predominantly an ore that shines like polished silver, undermining visibility and causing snow blindness conditions. Gnomes have been heavily marginalized on this world.
  • Port Kazdeyn A major giff settlement and ore processing facility, smoke billows with the fire of industry to send through the portal to Korvada, the homeworld of the Elven Textile League. The Hedge Maze is a particularly notable gnomish ghetto.
    Jewel of Surrim A former illithid outpost, rocky outcrops shroud the village in perpetual shade. Imperial Drow harvest the unique fungal growths and domesticate the native, sunlight-sensitive fire slugs. Psionic energies literally drip in some places, acting as a continual animal trance effect to all animals and magical beasts of 12HD or less, a successful save (when allowed) granting immunity for 24 hours.
Mefesk Orbiting the white star Lorpul, it is a world of dire animals, its primary export through Finality being animal hides and ivory. It is a world of wolf-people under one imperial banner, but the power of the Emperor is virtually nil, uniting the various Dukes in name only.
  • Wuster's Tusks Built around several towers made from the tusks of a prehistoric beast, this town is one of the larger orc settlements on the continent, and is renowned for its cuisine culture. Numerous cartels vie for control of the chef guilds and the masters trained in the community.
    Bladereach A shining trade port with distinct bronze minarets. The wolf-people have created such an elaborate system of bribery and sub-leasing that money is constantly changing hands, making this a Haggle City. All characters in the city pay for their lifestyle by the day, modified by an Appraise check (DC 15), failure means you pay (2d6+3 times 10%) more that day. Natives enjoy a +5 to their checks.
Salzar A world of lifeless oceans and shores barren for miles into the mainland; a devastation of pollution from the illithid invasions that leave only territorial water elementals as the natives. Inland, the forests are lush and the rivers are clean from the mountain runoff. Illithid-caused culling and diaspora left this world virtually empty, and the conflict between returning refugees and new colonists over this world of sparse resources.

Nivil A ring planet orbiting a nondescript star, this is one of the larger worlds with little in the way of oceans, and is one of the more cosmopolitan worlds as a whole.
  • Anyks Capital of Alanta, the Groundling empire, less than a Planar Day's travel by horseback from the portal to Finality, and possesses its own portal to Tir (a Tolkien-esque fantasy world with a large winged tiefling population). Due to the Hundred Year Plague, all who enter or exit Anyks are required to perform ritual ablutions, decontamination, delousing, and body shaving; which grants a +5 alchemical bonus to Fortitude saving throws against disease for a week, as well as the entire time one stays in the city.
    Bladereach The city of Bladereach sits at the mouth of the Typhon River that flows from the Bane Mires into Ferrin's Bay. The elves of Celentian's caravan come every year to trade with the largely human inhabitants of Bladereach.
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Post by virgil »

A friend of mine brought up a potential issue with the Gatejammer setting: banishment effects. Without restrictions, I can easily see it as a method for traveling faster than a Planar Standard Day AND for transporting goods far faster than essentially any other form of travel. Calling magic brings in a similar workaround by calling an outsider currently waiting in Finality, handing them a bag of holding stuffed with perishables from the arse-end of the multiverse, then dismissing them.
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Post by Username17 »

virgil wrote:A friend of mine brought up a potential issue with the Gatejammer setting: banishment effects. Without restrictions, I can easily see it as a method for traveling faster than a Planar Standard Day AND for transporting goods far faster than essentially any other form of travel. Calling magic brings in a similar workaround by calling an outsider currently waiting in Finality, handing them a bag of holding stuffed with perishables from the arse-end of the multiverse, then dismissing them.
I thought we'd agreed that banishment sent you back to the last gate juncture you'd been at. So while it could move you faster than planar standard, it could only do so in reverse. But you could, I suppose, produce a banishment postal service in which people jump, get handed a bag, and then get banished. It would allow letters and packages to be sent faster than normal down established banishment post lines.

That's a lot like making a new portal, but requires a huge amount of specialist labor at every node along the route.

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Post by virgil »

/back reads; yeah, you're right on the banishment. Brain fart on me. What of calling magic, as I'm certain we haven't actually said anything on that?
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Post by virgil »

So far, we've got seven factions that don't seem to have disagreement; unless I'm wrong, then point it out.
  • Guardians of Order
    Brotherhood of Blood
    Speakers of the Dead
    Eye of Fury
    White Spider
    Scales of Mammon
    Muse of Belphegor
We should get ourselves at least two more, but five more could work as well. Currently, I'm thinking that should include
  • Cabal Epicurean - Sensate branch, controls major prostitution rings
    Nine Rubies - Nativist faction, supporting devils, orcs, & maug
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Post by virgil »

DistrictMain Faction(s)LandmarksNicknameNotes
1Guardians of OrderThe Castle
The Actuarials
Guardians of Order Chapterhouse
Castle PrecinctOld money
Lots of Fiends
2Nine RubiesThe Council Chambers
High Court
Petitioner's Entourage
3Planning Department
Hall of the Scribe's Guild
4Scales of MammonBank of Finality
Hall of Records
5Portal Pentagon
Inspector General's Office
Flesh Market
Mostly Warehouses
Few Residents
6The Academy
7Brotherhood of BloodThe Paper
Exhibition Hall
Blood Manse
8Eye of FuryThe Aqueduct
The Incinerator
Bridge to Scourgehold
Little NishrekMany Orcs
Kind of a Slum
9The Foundry
Metal Worker's Guild
10Cabal EpicureanIce Hall
Angel's Haven
Red Light District
11The Armory
The Temple of Silence
12
13
14White SpiderThe Tabloid
Flaxen Spire
Poise
Fashion district
15
16
17
18Speakers of the DeadThe Mausoleum
19Apostasy Prison
Lyre Building
Definitely a slum
20Muse of BelphegorMad Wizard's Guild
The Tanning Vats
Sewage Treatment
Smells extremely bad


Cabal Epicurean

"How do I know that something exists? I see it. Hear it. Smell it. Taste it. Touch it."
He Said/She Said: "Party, dance, sing, and drink! Give no thought to the (hic) morrow!"
In Their Own Words wrote:Sensation for the sake of itself is not a philosophy that many can understand. But to those of this organization, it is a doctrine suited to life itself. After all, life is a brief flicker for many, and the droll comment "What will it matter in a hundred years?" is all too true for most creatures. Thus, life is a short-lived gift. Failing to explore & maximize this gift in all its dimensions is like spurning the gift, setting it aside on a shelf where other objects of little interest accumulate. And how else can life be experienced, but through the senses? This is the secret the cabalists know: To feel is to live, and to live is to feel.
Properly speaking, the Cabal cleaves closer to hedonism than it does epicurianism, but it sounds more respectful to use the latter term and justify their policies that minimize suffering. They seek to maximize pleasure and minimize pain, and attempt to experience as much as possible to understand how to optimize this goal. There's overlap with the Muse of Belphegor, especially during happy hour, but their political motivations are dramatically more grounded and self-serving (some would say short-sighted).

Sacred prostitutes in Angel's Haven, evenly distributed across its hierarchy, are very commonly members of the Cabal and serve as the primary method of positive spin to their faction; performing community service and maintaining soup kitchens. This isn't to say all is gumdrops and blowjobs, as the faction's ties to prostitution rings and drug cartels runs deep; from the seedier districts & Angel's Haven to recruiting offices in Sigil.

The official headquarters for the Cabal Epicureans is the Ice Palace, a frozen estate layered in illusions and shadow such that it can reshape its architecture, serving the dual purpose of a civic arts plaza for the city.
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Post by Ancient History »

(2, 2) should be "Guardians"

I am keeping up with this, just FYI virgil, 'cause I do want to finish Orphanmaker! I've just been behind this week with work and other projects.
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Post by virgil »

Ancient History wrote:I am keeping up with this, just FYI virgil, 'cause I do want to finish Orphanmaker! I've just been behind this week with work and other projects.
Thanks, it's good to hear this isn't completely forgotten.

Currently juggling ideas on what the Nine Rubies will be about, especially since they need to ascribe virtue to Baatorian morality...
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Post by Username17 »

Baatorian virtues can be played positively:

Integrity, Courage, Industry, Patience, Acuity, Loyalty, and Justice.

The seven Baatorian Virtues are all virtuous, they just don't happen to include any of that compassion, humility, or tolerance crap that more liberal planets seem to care about.

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Post by virgil »

Nine Rubies

"Acheronians for Acheron."
He Said/She Said: "The moral integrity of foreigners can be described simply - insoluble."
In Their Own Words wrote:Integrity, Courage, Industry, Patience, Acuity, Loyalty, Justice. These are the virtues by which Finality were founded upon. Now, what do we find in our neighborhoods? Entire sections containing a population incapable of understanding our institutions, with no comprehension of our ideals, and for the most part incapable of projecting their thoughts or even speaking the Infernal language. Finality’s first duty is to those who have been within its walls from the very beginning and invested the sweat and blood of generations into making it great.
The Nine Rubies is a nativist faction, advocating for the social and financial dominance for those native to the Acheron watershed, with an unsubtle bias toward the maug & devil-blooded. Bladelings are also recognized and respected, but their own xenophobia tends to make them discount Finality in favour of communities where they make up the racial supermajority. While orcs and goblins are essentially a native species, and a number of them do claim membership within the Nine Rubies, their emigration is remembered by the oldest citizens and thus are viewed in a position of social subservience.
Much like the Guardians of Order, old money runs deep, but they do not and will not enjoy full support from the elite by the simple fact the aboriginal population is outnumbered in their own city. Thus they mirror the Guardians’ conservative outlook with a philosophy of envy and ambition toward greater influence to maintain political relevance.

Their first chapterhouse is in Precinct 2, and enjoy substantial control over the Petitioner’s Entourage and the civil courts surrounding it. Thus they can direct the legislative flow surrounding the High Court in a sargasso of bureaucratic paperwork and suppress knowledge of the legal rights for the citizens of Finality. As directed obstructionism has been an ongoing policy for generations (by mortal reckoning), it has intersected with the lower precinct courts to create a kafkaesque legal landscape. It is said by outsiders that breaking an inscrutable law becomes a statistical certainty in less than a week, and that the paperwork itself will remember you with a grudge for at least a month after you leave.

Gangs friendly to the Nine Rubies can be found throughout Finality, the most famous include the Iron Dukes, the Bael Boys, & the Red Death. Membership within these gangs predominantly recruit from the native orcs & goblinkin, as well as a number of economically disadvantaged tieflings. While they espouse the rhetoric, they are disenfranchised by their own faction and thus their behavior is not officially condoned by the Nine Rubies. Behind closed doors, the elite of the faction will grudgingly admit that while the nativist gangs promote their agenda, they are too disjointed and numerous and self-serving for them to hope to control.
Last edited by virgil on Mon Jul 20, 2015 3:08 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by virgil »

Timeline of Finality In the real world, a year is measured by its revolution around its sun and a day is reckoned by its rotation about its axis. In the Gatejammer setting, ordinary assumptions of a consistent day length or even presence of a sun to measure days & years, will vary from world to world. Not even the Planar Standard Day (17 hours) matches the inherent temporal standards that magic spell durations operate under. Simply put, tracking the passage of time in a precise manner requires specialized technology or magic, and converting this information in a manner for ready communication is a real logistical concern. Keeping track of such detail is sufficiently onerous to warrant a hand-wave in both setting and rules. For the reader's convenience, references to years and months will be made assuming Earth standard, with the understanding that the characters will be using appropriate units. If a prophecy says the vampire will rise in two years, it will be understood that this means two years as reckoned on Earth, regardless of the fact that the planet will have revolved around its sun five and quarter times.
On a more social level, calendars are going to vary. Among historians, years are commonly reckoned by some socially significant event in their community. Earth has the Common Era in much of the world, but other cultures set their Year Zero for some other event. As Finality is an infernal city, dates will be given in A.A. (Anno Asmodeus), the legal standard. Two other common dates used include Astromundi Proclamation (A.P.) & Pax Armistice (P.A.); the Core World freedom from mind flayer dominance and Finality's non-interference pact with the gods respectively.

Prehistory
  • A small camp for pilgrims from Ocanthus on their way to Erebus.
Early Years
  • 6500 AA - Princess of the Bladeling Prophet-King, Anantosa, builds castle Finality
  • 6503 AA - The Prophecy of Anantosa
    • There shall come a time when Finality will see hundreds of its people die each day, every day, year after year. The wealth of kingdoms will flee its borders. People of countless worlds shall breach its boundaries seeking to enrich themselves and their homelands. Whomsoever rules shall witness this and be so broken they shall welcome such loss.
  • 6802 AA - Baatorian forces declare war against Finality
  • 6803 AA - Anantosa the 7th falls
Royal Years
  • 6806 AA - Backed by the Pact Primeval’s psychopomp clause, Finality’s Treaty of Pax Armistice is signed & enacted. Gods are forbidden from directly interfering in the affairs of Finality
  • 6806 AA - Ducal Scepter of Finality is forged, the Duchy is founded
  • 6917 AA - Maugs immigrate and erect a factory/quarry
  • 6937 AA - The Iron Nettles is annexed
  • 7245 AA - Wogar, son of Maglubiyet is slain and interred
  • 7246 AA - First occupation of Grashmog
  • 7434 AA - The March of Open Sores, the three orc tribes of Yurtrus taken as refugees
  • 7506 AA - Hopeglimmer is founded
  • 7509 AA - Dwarves of Hammergrim begin supporting anti-Finality forces
  • 7511 AA - Duke of Finality is assassinated twice in succession
  • 7512 AA - War of Three Dukes begins
  • 7685 AA - War of Three Dukes ends, one Duke remains standing
  • 7688 AA - The Duke survives the First Conflagration
Burning Years
  • 7689 AA - Sanction of Thin Blood signed, forming the Council
  • 7731 AA - Wogar is exhumed and reanimated to lead the Aldermen
  • 7865 AA - Warlock Eraea forges the first direct gate to Baator
  • 7871 AA - Eraea and her forces are slain
  • 8264 AA - Third Conflagration is declared, the Alliance of Combustion begins
  • 8269 AA - The Duke withstands the Third Conflagration & the Alliance collapses
  • 8311 AA - The Thrice-Repeated Year, Possum is created
  • 8538 AA - Wulgreth forges a gate to a Core World in exchange for troops
  • 8598 AA - Demons overrun the Core World side of Wulgreth’s Gate
  • 8604 AA - A secretive order of mortals brokers peace between the Duke & Wulgreth’s demons
  • 8661 AA - Grashmog is reconquered by the last son of Maglubiyet
Portal Years
  • 8865 AA - Portal construction begins
  • 8866 AA - Iron Nettles, heavily clearcut, voluntarily leaves rule under Finality
  • 8871 AA - The beast of Splinterbriar attacks & is slain
  • 9000 AA - Labyrinth construction begins
  • 9102 AA - Mind flayer conquest hits peak in the Core Worlds, Finality enters depression
  • 9103 AA - Last known portal is constructed
  • 9178 AA - Mineral rights disputes resolved by the titan Pinthernell
Modern Years
  • 9210 AA - Astromundi Proclamation
  • 9211 AA - Far Realm Gate closed and dismantled
  • 9223 AA - Pinthernell’s alliance dissolves, twin cloud giants purchase her estate
  • 9250 AA - Fifth Conflagration declared, sitting Duke is executed
  • 9291 AA - Bank of Finality founded by the Black Great Wyrm
  • 9405 AA - Known factions form
  • 9500 AA - Present day
Last edited by virgil on Thu Jul 30, 2015 2:45 pm, edited 5 times in total.
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Post by virgil »

The timeline can undoubtedly stand to see editing; entries removed, events added, names redacted, etc.
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Post by Prak »

Took another pass at the Hungry, this should work at least a little better. It's less focused on the organized crime nature of it, though that's still there, and more focused on the mercantile nature. It's more of a "We'll sell you anything you want. ...and anything we want you to want... ...and protection of your business that sells things people want..." organization that a gang with delusions of grandeur.

Could probably use another pass for refinement or two, but should at least function better as a faction now.
The Hungry

"This whole town's a pussy, just waiting to be fucked."
He said/she said: "Greed is the natural order of every creature. We simply fill that order."

The Hungry were originally a set of four rival gangs. A few centuries ago, however, Atonya Agathion, half-pit fiend leader of the Castle Precinct Pits, approached the leaders of the Little Nishrek Eyez, The Buzzerds (of District 4), and Merry Men (District 18), asking for a meeting in Finality's most contested, and most valuable, neighbourhood- Portal Pentagon. There, Atonya made the case that while they certainly could continue fighting off other gangs, each other, the law, and whatever gloryseekers took on a gig to bust up one of their operations... or they could merge, and move from being petty ethnic gangs and into a more legitimate front that happened to take advantage of less than legal methods. The four generals called out their lieutenants (Atonya had told them to come alone, but all four knew none of them were stupid enough to actually do that), and moved from the momentarily empty warehouse into a nearby tavern to discuss the matter.

In the backroom of the Anvil, a cheap tavern that mostly catered to natives and visiting craftsmen, they drew up a new organization, giving each former gang control of a different part of the new business- Procurement. The members formerly known as the Eyez would run arms, those who came from the Pit, formerly the Merry Men, would handle all manners of intoxicants, those who had operated under the name of the Buzzerds would reintegrate into their low stations of birth in the Hive and handle counterfeiting, and Atonya's gang, the Castle Precinct Pits, used that greatest gift of devils and said they would handle "Procurement." The other gangs took this to mean that they would handle brothels, pimping and other sex-related matters, but in the weeks that followed, they learned that what Atonya had really meant was "our business of acquiring and supplying goods as a whole," as more and more Pits members were placed in administrative roles that ultimately gave Atonya and his lieutenants control over the Hungry. They tried to back out, but Atonya merely gestured to the framed contract, witnessed by an Infernal Broker and backed by magic, which signified they had all consented to Atonya and all Pits members handling Procurement. That the word had an official definition that differed from it's common use by criminals and law enforcement was not Atonya's fault. As Eyez, Buzzerds and Merry Men passed through their natural lifespans (albeit, typically shortened due to violence) and Atonya's fiendish and fiend-blooded lieutenants lived on with immortality or near immortality and the comparatively safer job of running numbers, grudges also died off. Various orcs, insectoid races and fungi found that such long-lived administrators gave the organization a certain perspective and stability. What began as a grudging obeisance to contract became envious thanks.

With new might of arms, a combined coffer, and mingled debts called in, the Hungry established their headquarters in Portal Pentagon, the neighbourhood where they began, and the most profitable neighbourhood for a business centered on supplying all needs. The large warehouse facing the actual city square was not cheap, but the Inspector General, as is the way of powerful men with much money, had his appetites. He could pay for anything he wanted, but the new Hungry were far more interested in favors than gold or souls. In exchange for providing him with whores (and keeping quiet about those more harmful to reputation), drugs (including a steady stream of Royal Blood Jelly) and keeping him abreast of any of the more collectible items which came their way, the Hungry were able to set up shop in prime real estate. As a bit of insurance in their investment, however, The Hungry also gave him a cursed Thinuan ring, as a gift, which will trap his soul and teleport back to Atonya in the event of the Inspector General's death. The general's lifespan would have ended long ago if not for his Royal Blood Jelly habit, and so he is easily controlled.

The upper offices (mostly a handful of extra dimensional spaces) of their Portal Pentagon offices serve as the Hungry's main chapter house, though they also maintain several brothels, inns and coffee houses throughout the district. The Hungry Chapter House also serves as their primary warehouse, mainly using a magic similar to that employed in Handy Haversacks and Bags of Holding but on a grander scale, turning already cavernous warehouses into truly immense spaces each capable of holding fifty times what spaces not so enchanted could.

A member of the Hungry has access to any world they might care to go, to any good or service they might have need of, either through their own faction, or through providing others with their needs. Being a member of the Hungry can be rather like taking on a convoluted fetch chain from a Zelda game, where in order to get what you really need or want, you have to provide half a dozen or more people with things they want first.

The Hungry oppose all attempts to outlaw goods or services of any sort, and constantly advocate for the legalization of more and more things. There is an interior debate over this, as some members who have not yet entirely left behind their criminal origins argue that the illicit is more profitable. It often is, but it also incurs more business expenses as one must plan for security of covertly procuring and providing the illicit, and the legal consequences of inevitably being caught. While the legal may not command the same prices as the illegal, the illegal requires bribes and lawyers in addition to tariffs. However, just because the Hungry want all goods and services to be legal does not mean they want all things to be equally approved of. Just because prostitution may be legal, that doesn't mean that high society will not scoff at the purchase of a woman's services. And so the Hungry quietly works to arrange for certain things to be shameful, that they may charge for their silence in addition to their procuring. The Hungry also advocate the lowering of taxes, as is the way of so many business men. Whenever it appears taxes will be raised no matter what they say, they will advocate social programs, supposedly out of concern for the people of the city, but truly so that more people have more money for more vices.

The faction grew out of a loose amalgam of fiends, fiend-blooded, goblinoids (particularly orcs), creatures of darkness (particularly myconids), and dissatisfied Hive dwellers. The most powerful members often are from one of these origins, and creatures which hail from more than one, mostly fiend-blooded myconids, orcs and Hive dwellers, are also common. Aside from these, the faction recruits heavily from those who are dissatisfied with their birth stations and willing to defy the law to improve it. Many members started as street urchins who were given the task of bringing customers to the Hungry or delivering goods to same, bought with a meal and a bit of coin and the promise of more.

Apart from their more innocuous activities of introducing buyer to good, criminal to weapon, john to prostitute and addict to drug, the Hungry also aggressively push for control of all sales of goods and services in Finality--as well as elsewhere in the multiverse--through a barely obfuscated protection racket they refer to as insurance. As there are always bigger fish, a member of the faction of any level of power might be sent to acquire such control, even the powerful Atonya occasionally makes such "pitches" against powerful archmages who create magic items and efreet merchants.
Cuz apparently I gotta break this down for you dense motherfuckers- I'm trans feminine nonbinary. My pronouns are they/them.
Winnah wrote:No, No. 'Prak' is actually a Thri Kreen impersonating a human and roleplaying himself as a D&D character. All hail our hidden insect overlords.
FrankTrollman wrote:In Soviet Russia, cosmic horror is the default state.

You should gain sanity for finding out that the problems of a region are because there are fucking monsters there.
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