thestewards

MAJOR NPCS
The NPCs listed below are considered major NPCs, meaning that any interaction with these NPCs should be run by the mods in advance of a thread. Players are welcome to generate rumors about major NPCs or namedrop them casually ("I heard Grand Master Niall doesn't like cucumbers") but should not include them in threads without running it by the mods first. For simple interactions, the mods will advise players of NPC behavior. For more complex interactions, the mods will drive the NPCs.

Simple: Tony Stark wants to talk to Prince Allairavar about minor alterations to the city's defenses. Tony can make all the alterations by himself and with one or two other people. Allairavar approves of anything that will strengthen the city, and gives Stark his blessing.

Complex: Tony Stark thinks Prince Allairavar's defense is too myopic and has multiple, exploitable vulnerabilities. He calls the Prince out. Allairavar invites Stark for a conversation at his office, which may go either very well for Stark or very, very poorly.

Fayura Nishell

CASTE QUEEN ◆ BIRTHRIGHT ??? ◆ JEWEL OF RANK ??? ◆ POSITION QUEEN OF HAYLL
ABOUT Quiet, eccentric, thoughtful, vicious. Territory Queen of Hayll. Believes that Blood and landen can live side by side if both parties just get over themselves. Does not suffer fools. Rumor has it she isn't entirely human. She appears to wear the Red, but it is unclear if the Jewel is her Birthright, her adult strength, or something else entirely. Many of the Blood find her unnerving and some think she's mad. Sometimes disappears for hours on end. Makes occasional references to Ebon Askavi being her true home, though it is common knowledge that she was born in Hayll.

Allairavar Ris

CASTE WARLORD PRINCE ◆ BIRTHRIGHT SAPPHIRE ◆ JEWEL OF RANK GRAY ◆ POSITION MASTER OF THE GUARD
ABOUT Methodical, stoic, kind, devoted. Fayura's Master of the Guard and absolutely devoted to her. Is not as sure that the landens and Blood can live in harmony as she is but is willing to pursue her goals. As temperamental as all his caste and inclined to snap bones or splatter someone on a wall when pressed. Incredibly competent with a sword. One of the few remaining Eyriens, and as such has massive, membranous black wings on his back.

Loren Sorey

CASTE WARLORD PRINCE ◆ BIRTHRIGHT PURPLE DUSK ◆ JEWEL OF RANK GREEN ◆ POSITION STEWARD
ABOUT Orderly, vengeful, melancholic, overworked. A generally well-ordered man with a wicked sense of humor and a vicious temper. Suffers fools even less than Fayura but with a temper a bit slower to burst than Allairavar's. While he supports Fayura's cause, he believes too strongly in the nobility of the Blood. Holds everyone to high standards, even himself. Often surprised when people don't meet those standards. Could use a vacation, probably.

Verim Bahl

CASTE WARLORD PRINCE ◆ BIRTHRIGHT RED ◆ JEWEL OF RANK GRAY ◆ POSITION CONSORT
ABOUT Seductive, passionate, predatory, generous. Often said to be the most dangerous male in Hayll but as with the Steward and Master of the Guard is devoted to Fayura. Doesn't give a damn about the difference between landen and Blood and just wants to be with his Lady. Unlike Loren, will not hold back his temper. Surprisingly generous with the downtrodden and forgotten of society. Making a pass at him (or Fayura) is a quick way to end up dead. Verim is also a Black Widow, having studied the tangled webs of dreams and visions.

Grejor Shamael

CASTE WARLORD ◆ BIRTHRIGHT TIGER EYE ◆ JEWEL OF RANK PURPLE DUSK ◆ POSITION COUNCILMAN, FIRST CHAIR
ABOUT Shrewd, petty, vindictive, power-hungry. First Chair of the Dark Council and a staunch traditionalist. Believes the landens need to be kept in their place at all costs and that only the Blood should rule. Despises Fayura and is always uncomfortable in her presence. Was once good friends with the Steward, Loren, but is now estranged from him. Hates Niall on a personal level as Niall murdered Grejor's younger (and innocent) brother.

Niall Berrenathy

GUILD HUNTER, TINKER, ELEKTRILINE GUILDS ◆ POSITION GRAND MASTER OF THE LANDEN GUILDS
ABOUT Inventive, conniving, charismatic, brilliant. Leader of the landen guilds. Absolutely brilliant and incredibly magnetic. Hates the Blood on principal, but has a personal vendetta against them because of the two young males who brutalized and killed his sister Hana for sport. Has a surprisingly congenial relationship with Fayura, but this is likely because he wants to use her. Educated by the Hunter Guild, but is competent in most mechanical and elektric pursuits.

Raya Aguine

GUILD HUNTER GUILD ◆ POSITION GUILD MASTER
ABOUT Vengeful, wary, suspicious, conniving. Raya Aguine is the blade at the throat of all the Blood. They fear her, and she revels in their fear. In her life, she has assassinated more than fifty of the Blood, from light Jeweled witches to dark Jeweled Queens, and she desires nothing more than to rip out Fayura's still-beating heart. She is perhaps a touch unstable, and so Niall guides her with a delicate hand.

MINOR NPCS
Players can include minor NPCs in their threads with impunity, though the mods expect that these characters will behave according to their traits. Prince Zaym should not be saccharine, and Councilwoman Rheea should not tell a PC all her secrets. If you want to use a minor NPC in a thread or as an impetus for action but are unsure how they would behave, always feel free to ask.

Fayura's First Circle and Court

As with all First Circles, Fayura's is filled by Blood males. They all serve Fayura without question or hesitation and are fiercely loyal to her. All of them have mixed feelings about a world where the landens and the Blood can live as equals but all of them are willing to work for it.

ZAYM
Prince ▪ Purple Dusk ▪ Opal
Sarcastic ▪ Independent ▪ Proud

GEHT
Warlord ▪ Summer-sky ▪ Green
Artistic ▪ Judgemental ▪ Helpful

DURNEM
Warlord ▪ Rose ▪ Purple Dusk
Easy-going ▪ Quiet ▪ Charming

LACHLAN
Prince ▪ Summer-sky ▪ Opal
Anxious ▪ Cynical ▪ Secretive

NOLAN
Warlord Prince ▪ Rose ▪ Opal
Talkative ▪ Gossipy ▪ Sly

YARL
Warlord ▪ Tiger Eye ▪ Purple Dusk
Bashful ▪ Honest ▪ Solemn

AUGUST
Warlord ▪ Opal ▪ Red
Brusque ▪ Athletic ▪ Creative

JARED
Warlord ▪ Purple Dusk ▪ Sapphire
Energetic ▪ Naive ▪ Optimistic

BARRET
Prince ▪ Yellow ▪ Tiger Eye
Scholarly ▪ Studious ▪ Thoughtful

JESIREE
Healer ▪ n/a ▪ Yellow
Sarcastic ▪ Determined ▪ Sassy

The Ebon Council

Each member of the Ebon Council believes in the superiority of the Blood or just hates landens for the devastation they wrought on the Blood in the Great War. Some are simply traditionalists, but some are vindictive and cruel.

ABIGAIL
Healer/Black Widow ▪ Opal ▪ Green
Irritable ▪ Charitable ▪ Jealous

DANEEL
Warlord Prince ▪ Yellow ▪ Rose
Respectful ▪ Reserved ▪ Elegant

VERA (deceased)
Witch ▪ Rose ▪ Purple Dusk
Loud ▪ Intense ▪ Angry

Sharr
Warlord ▪ Opal ▪ Sapphire
Teasing ▪ Warm ▪ Pessimistic

Rheea
Black Widow ▪ Rose ▪ Opal
Gloomy ▪ Petty ▪ Withdrawn

Perik
Prince ▪ Summer-sky ▪ Opal
Smart ▪ Awkward ▪ Quiet

The Landen Guild Masters

Of the Landen Guilds, only the Hunter's Guild has any great influence. The rest of the Guild Masters, though highly skilled, have little social pull within Draega. The Masters and those who work and study under them have mixed feelings about the Blood, but rather uniformly dislike the Ebon Council.

Doriah
Master Elektric, female
Bitter ▪ Intense ▪ Cunning

Sorrel
Master Transporter, male
Cheerful ▪ Thrill-seeker ▪ Impulsive

Mari
Master Tinker, female
Clever ▪ Bombastic ▪ Willful

Kasik
Master Crafter, male
Twitchy ▪ Energetic ▪ Cruel

Lam
Master Medico, male
Severe ▪ Sarcastic ▪ Tired

REQUEST AN NPC
Any general questions about NPC behavior can be asked in response to the General Questions top-level below. Remember: you're welcome to make up unconfirmed rumors about the NPCs as much as you like and do not need mod permission for that.

To request an interaction with an NPC, reply to the appropriate NPC's top-level with the form below. You should have a reply to your comment within 24 hours, whether in the form of clarifying questions or actual NPC engagement.

Character Name Your character's name
Request type Is this a simple or complex interaction?
Request What your character wants the interaction for, what information they hope to gain.
Influence If you have influence, you may choose to use it. NPCs who don't view your character highly may turn down face to face interactions without influence (but the mods will always give you something for your trouble, whether through a note from that NPC or a snippet of gossip from someone else in town). If the mods believe your interaction will be more profitable with influence and you have not elected to use it, they will ask if you want to use influence when they reply.
Thread If you have an open thread with a suitable prompt, you may link it here. If a back and forth is necessary to set up the circumstance for the thread, you may delete this section or leave it blank. Once you and the mod in question work out your thread, it will be your responsibility to post it.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Can Loren be requested to give me a hand with a network sample here?

Alice would like to talk to Loren here please.

Character Name Zita Harrington.
Request type Simple.
Request Zita would like to discuss with Sir Sorey about the possibility of taking up a crash course, of sorts, on how to become a Healer in Hyall, especially on conduct and etiquette. This is because while she's within the Queen's Residence, she'll like to offer the use of healing magic as payment of sorts for being allowed to stay there. That, and wanting to chip in to help the already established Healers there.
Influence N/A.
Thread N/A.

Loren is thrilled to be interrupted as he organizes what looks like a decade's worth of paperwork. He doesn't set it aside, but he folds his hands over the top of the pile he's currently working on and listens to Zita's request with a great deal of interest.

Healers, he explains, are witches born into a specific caste, which she was not. However, she can still learn healing Craft from a Healer. He suggests Lady Jesiree, the Yellow Jeweled Healer from the night of the Hunter attack, as a resource. After a moment's thought, he calls in two books: Healing, Herbalism, and Good Health and Great Brews. These, he passes to her as places to start, adding that if some of the basic Craft concepts are too vague or foreign to her, she should find Lady Alice (by which he means Alice Liddell). She has a few of his basic primers.

Healing itself, when practiced by a Healer, revolves around vaguely described "healing brews" that are infused with a witch's power. Often, these are herbal remedies with a bit of a Craft kick. There is also Craft for knitting flesh and bone together, and purifying the body of disease. Craft, at its heart, is the application of one's will on the world around oneself, and the power to enforce that application comes from the Jewel one wears.

As for etiquette, he explains that most of the time, people will come to her wherever she decides to practice her Craft, be it in the Queen's Residence or in Draega itself. It's proper to have a male chaperon with her. He pauses for a moment and clarifies that this is less because anyone is worried she'll get up to something inappropriate but rather so that she is protected against idiots. The Queen's First Circle will be happy to stand guard for her—and the tone in his voice says that someone will show up, even if she tries to avoid them.

He thanks her for considering the needs of the residence, assures her she needn't feel as though she must pay any of them back, and returns to his papers.

After a moment's pause, he looks up and adds, "The proper way to address a Warlord Prince is Prince, not sir." And after another pause, he explains to her how to identify a Warlord Prince by his psychic scent. "Most won't care, and most won't expect you to know, but there's always a chance you'll catch an angry male at the wrong moment. Be polite, be firm, and use his title. He probably won't kill you. If he tries, your Green should hold out until Allairavar or one of the other First Circle can get to you."

Zita sincerely thanks the Prince for his help and advice. She will do her best to remember all of these in the future.

And I thank you, mods, for the timely response and the fascinating tidbits of information here. These will be fun things to play out in the upcoming month, so thank you again!

Absolutely! We look forward to seeing where this leads Zita.

Character Name Piper
Request type Simple
Request Piper would like some books/the ability to research the history of the Blood and the landen in Draega and just... how the laws here work. If she's going to try to be a go between and be putting out literal and metaphorical fires between people, she'd like to get a better grip on the problem and know what she can say that won't just get her laughed out of town.
Influence N/A
Thread N/A

As Piper asks around for information, she is directed to Prince Loren who, in turn, directs her to the library in River East. (He's also quite pleased by her interest. +1 reputation with Loren.)

There, she'll be able to find a few books on the history of the Blood. Which is at once very ancient and very abbreviated. In Draega, it appears as though much of the history has been lost. Books have been destroyed or hidden or forgotten, and the librarians are deeply apologetic. The Cataclysm destroyed the Blood, and wars after destroyed their history. What the librarians and the books can tell her is that the Blood have probably been around for some 80,000 years, perhaps more, and that Draega has been the capital of Hayll for almost all of that time. Personal histories, from the few journals they've been able to find in the rubble of the city, reveal that prior to the Cataclysm, Hayll may not have been ruled by a Queen at all, but a cruel woman with a thirst for torture and conquest. Writers talked around the subject out of fear.

Following the Cataclysm, wars with the landens ensued, including the Great War. The Great War is the source of much of the tension between the Blood and the landens, considering that the landens killed many of the remaining Blood and used the Blood's own less than savory tactics to break young Queens and Warlord Princes, stripping them of their ability to wear the Jewels.

As for laws, the librarians say that the Queens have always set the laws, though they're fairly certain law once existed in a written form. From observation and what little Piper can find, it seems that the laws governing society loosely resemble those of Edwardian England. Social etiquette greatly resembles the same period, and there's also an implication that etiquette is also law. The librarians are happy to explain that the most important law is that the weak yield to the strong, be that in terms of Jewel strength, caste, or social class. They readily admit that when all three are combined, everything gets murky. As they are Blood, however, this doesn't seem to bother them in the least.

This info is amazing and really helpful. Piper especially appreciates the origins of the current tensions in the Great War and side-eyes the 'weak yield to the strong' aspect of society - all of that will be a really good starting place for her. Thank you so much, mods!

hello!! i was wondering if loren could possibly step in here before lalli and haein continue the stupidest food fight of all time? food is scarce and these two idiots are still doing the most... please put the fear of god into them...

or please let me know if i need to put this somewhere else/you'd prefer for us to handle it differently! thanks!

npcs

LOREN SOREY

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