[Askari | Bridge Guild | Castallia | Heralds | Outcasts]
Shrouded in mystery, the Askari are a secret faction whose duty is to monitor and control the mages of the world, and particularly those that gather together in groups, such as Delphi in Haven. The Castallia in Parnassus may now be under their scrutiny as well. They were formed about a century ago after the great "Mage war," wherein a group of Delphic mages attempted to undermine the leadership of the other races and seize control for themselves. A fierce battle was fought, and the leaders of the coup were captured and killed. Ever since then, unaffiliated mages have been more closely watched by the other races, both from within and without. The leadership of the Askari is ambiguous -- some speculate that the Varati control them, others think the Atlanteans are in charge, and still others believe they are a group effort by all four races to keep the powerful magic-users in line. This much is certain -- the Askari have eyes and ears everywhere; they are consummate spies and assassins, and they will use whatever means necessary to prevent another mage-war from happening.
The following news files provide information on the Bridge Guild of merchants and tradesmen who conduct their business upon Pons Pactum, the bridge linking Parnassus and Irha-Esh together. If you would like to be involved in this faction of merchants and tradesmen, please read each of these files carefully. Please contact a member of staff if you have any questions.
[History | Structure | Guards | Laws] Before the War of 3904, a simple bridge crossed the inlet to join Parnassus with the farmlands along the northern side. As a strategic maneuver just before the Battle of Parnassus, the bridge was destroyed, helping to secure the northern face of the city. Once the war ended, the treaty stipulated that the city be shared between the two fractious races. Unfortunately, it did not go as smoothly as hoped, and as a compromise, the Empyreans granted the land on the northern side of the inlet to the Varati. It was understood very quickly that the bridge would have to be rebuilt.
Bringing together the engineers of the Empyreans and the shapers of the Varati, a magnificent design was conceived to link the two cities. Built as a testament to the treaty meant to bring peace and cooperation between them, they named it Pons Pactum, 'Bridge of Peace.' An engineering marvel; it was built as a wide and solid bridge of golden yellow river stone with shaped designs worked into the stone itself. Spanning the inlet on massive supports, the center was built to rest on the western edge of Insula Garum.
Very soon upon completion, industrious and ingenious merchants and tradesmen realized the potential the bridge presented to their endeavors. Directly between Parnassus and Irha-Esh, it was an ideal *neutral* location to reach the people of both cities. Within mere months of the bridge being opened for traffic, the first stalls and booths had gone up upon the bridge itself. Some of the richer merchants attempted to build permanent storefronts upon the bridge, but construction was halted before too many eked out over its expanse. Within a year, the span was known and accepted as the region's central marketplace.
Even though it was the ideal location, the merchants and tradesmen quickly found themselves facing an unexpected issue. Neither city had even considered the possibility of merchants using the grand space, so there were many arguments between the Empyreans and Varati regarding tariffs and taxes. It essentially put the merchants and tradesmen at the center of what boiled down to a tug-of-war. Very often in those early years, merchants would end up paying double their due as both Varati and Empyreans demanded payment. So, while the perfection of the location could not be denied, the continued power plays between the two races were bleeding even successful merchants dry.
Even the most patriotic of merchants and tradesmen began to grumble about the situation, and if there is one thing that brings disparate people together, it is a common irritation. Breaking across barriers of racial prejudice, some of the more influential merchants began to work up a plan to ease the double tax and tariff burden they were all facing. It did not matter if they were Empyrean, Varati, Atlantean, or even the rare enterprising Sylvan, they were all dealing with the same dilemma and neither the Parnassus or Irha-Esh governments wanted to acknowledge the issue.
At first, the loose committee of bridge folk peacefully petitioned the two governments with a modest and reasonable proposal that would impose one tax to be divided equally between the cities. Whether the leaders of the time were unwilling to give up the juicy tax revenue, or were simply disdainful of the petition is unclear. What was clear is that neither side was willing to budge on the issue.
Faced with no other alternatives, the loosely-banded-together group of merchants and tradesmen decided to try a desperate measure. Through persuasive argument, bartered agreements, and even a few threats, the group gained the cooperation of all the others who sold their goods on the bridge. Abruptly, without notice to either city, all activity in the new marketplace ceased. For several weeks straight, the residents of both cities were deprived of the goods they had come to depend upon. Faced with the growing anger and complaints of their citizenry, the leaders of Parnassus and Irha-Esh finally came to an arrangement with the resourceful group of merchants and tradesmen. And so, out of opportunity and conflict, the Bridge Guild was born. Responsible for the daily upkeep of Pons Pactum, the Guild would also control who was allowed to sell or trade upon the bridge and collect dues. Dues are split three ways, with one third going to each city and the final third going to the maintenance of the bridge and the Guild itself.
Once they were formally (and reluctantly) recognized by the governments of the two cities, the newly-formed Bridge Guild had to come up with a structure of leadership that would withstand pressure from both Parnassus and Irha-Esh. Using a standard guild structure as a guideline, they quickly established a hierarchy to handle their business.
CAISSON
Essentially the Grand Master of the guild, the Caisson is elected from within the Founder's Council to serve a term of three years. The Caisson's primary duty is to serve as a representative for the guild with the governments of Parnassus and Irha-Esh, and to a lesser extent with the local Sylvans and Atlanteans. While most guild issues are decided by a vote of the Founder's Council, the Caisson has the responsibility of setting the agenda of issues brought before the council as well as serving as the guild's final arbiter. All new members to the Founder's Council are inducted in a ceremony with the Caisson presiding.FOUNDER'S COUNCIL
Originally made up of the merchants who led the strike to gain recognition from the two cities, the council is the ultimate governing force of the guild. Despite the misleading nature of the name, membership fluctuates over time. Much maneuvering and jockeying goes into maintaining a seat on the council, for if a merchant or tradesmen's business begins to lose money, they could lose their seat to an upcoming member of the guild with the money to afford a seat on the council. Within the council, members are appointed to officer positions such as Secretary, Treasurer, etc.CRAFT MASTERS
Special seats are reserved on the Founder's Council for the pre-eminent masters of the specialized crafts practiced in either city. There is some tension between the craftsmen from either city in this regard, but neither can afford to turn their back on the Bridge Guild and the benefits it offers to the crafters.MEMBERS
Any merchant or tradesman who sells regularly in the bazaar needs to have membership within the guild. No one is permitted to sell on the bridge without the permission of the guild, and subsequently the taxes and dues of membership. The profitable nature of selling there makes it worth it, so most seek permanent membership within the guild's rank. Members are permitted to attend all public meetings of the Founder's Council, and on rare occasions, a vote is presented to the entire guild. Mostly, if a member of the guild wishes to seek change within the guild, they need to gain the ear of a Founder.As a note, a temporary pass can be gained for those who do not want a permanent space upon the bridge, but still wish to sell their wares. Anyone who attempts to do business on the bridge without the guild's permission tends to find their goods tossed over the side of the bridge by a band of ruffians that look suspiciously like the bridge guards, the Trolls.
To retain their autonomy from the two cities, the Guild established a guard force to uphold their rules and keep the peace on the bridge. Primarily made up of mercenaries, the guardsmen were viewed by some as the thug force of the Guild, so they were jokingly called 'Trolls.' With a perverse sense of humor, the guardsmen took the name as their own.
The Troll ranks are made up of members of any race, and they are grouped together in mixed squads whenever possible. Though it tends to cause a bit of tension within the squads, it ensures that there is usually someone of a similar race to the upset merchants or customers they must deal with. Even though the Trolls are mostly mercenaries, it is made very clear to them that they must be mindful of diplomatic tensions between the races. This is enough to avert many problems but not quite all of them. Any purebreed arrested for a crime is taken to the Guild's main building where the Caisson or his aides deal with contacting the appropriate government.
There is very little subtlety in the methods of the Trolls. When a new merchant tries to set up shop on the bridge without permission, they often find their wares tossed over the side of the bridge if they are uncooperative. The Trolls also ensure that membership and taxes make their way into the guild coffers. Most do their job well enough, but they are considered by many to be the Caisson's brutish lackeys.
The benefits of being a Troll include a decent wage and a bunk in the barracks. Some of the local members of the Trolls choose to live elsewhere, but they are welcome to sleep in the barracks. In addition to this, they are provided with a basic uniform and weapon. These are expected to be surrendered if their service to the guild ends, but until that time, they are kept well equipped.
The laws governing Pons Pactum are essentially the same as the basic laws one would find in either Parnassus and Irha-Esh. In some ways, they are a bit more relaxed than either city, avoiding some of the strict prejudices both have. Despite this, enforcement is handled with a very firm hand. While the Guild seeks to maintain a diplomatic balance between the two cities, they do not suffer the disruption of the bridge's peace.
Those who break the law are taken into custody by the Trolls and brought to the guild headquarters, at which time the Caisson's staff will determine if any of the local governments need to be contacted. First-time offenders are generally handed directly over to their respective governments who are expected to mete out an appropriate punishment. Those who the governments refuse to claim, or the poor, are judged and fined by the Caisson based on the severity of the crime. All criminals judged by the Guild are permanently branded by a Healer with a mark in an obvious place (hand or face) to indicate their offense in addition to whatever fine or time of service they are judged to owe.
Second-time offenders are not afforded the same leniency. Those who were previously given over to the local governments now find themselves judged by the Guild. Regardless of station, they are branded with a mark of their crime, and most are given over to the slavers to be sold. As a caveat to the local governments, they are allowed the opportunity to buy their citizens back before they go to the auction block.
While the more violent crimes, including rape and murder, are rare on the bridge, when they occur, they are treated with ruthless efficiency. The governments of both the victim and the accused are brought in, but the Guild is usually adamant about carrying out the investigation and punishment with their own people. Public punishments and executions are extremely rare for the bridge, but in the case of a few dramatic crimes, they have been carried out.
Members of the Guild are provided a good number of benefits, including a guard force that seeks to protect their interests for the most part. Conversely, though, when a merchant or tradesmen is discovered to be working with dishonest practices, the Guild can be fairly ruthless in dealing with them. It is rumored that the Guild overlooks those devious enough to not be discovered, but to maintain a reputation as a fair marketplace, they do deal harshly with anyone found guilty of such dishonest business.
It is made very clear to all that anyone who sells on the bridge must have permission of the Guild. Permission is marked by a token from the guild that is generally worn on a chain around the neck. Each metal token is Shaped with magic while the value and quality of the metal indicates the member's rank in the guild. The senior members of the Founder's Council, including the Caisson, are given gold tokens with the rest of the Council bearing silver tokens. Guild members are given copper tokens. Those granted temporary permission to sell are given simple and fragile tokens made of ceramic that are expected to break in short order.
Those found to be selling on the bridge without permission are quickly dealt with, usually with their wares going over the side of the bridge. Members who do not pay their dues and taxes often find themselves facing this treatment as well. Members who are found to be deliberately attempting to cheat the guild by shorting their dues or misrepresenting their goods are dealt with harshly.
[History | Structure | Laws] Parnassus did not always have its Castallia. Of all the races, Empyreans show the least affinity for magic. Perhaps this is due to their mastery of the skies, or perhaps what magic they have is drained into keeping the citadel of Civitas Dei afloat in the heavens. For whatever reason, there is a distinct dearth of mages in the Empyrean people.
The city of Parnassus has the dubious honor of having been the only city in the recent Empyrean-Varati war to successfully defend itself against Varati attacks. Unfortunately, that defense nearly leveled the city. A provision of the treaty written at the end of the war required Parnassus be rebuilt with a mix of Empyrean and Varati people; the failure of that provision giving rise to the twin cities of Parnassus and Irha-Esh, bridged by the Pons Pactum.
It also gave rise to the Castallia.
Where the Varati rebuilt easily, calling upon their Shapers to delve into the bluffs to the north across the river, the Empyreans struggled to clear the rubble from their streets and return buildings to their former glory. Unable to draw upon a large pool of mages of their own kind, they turned to other sources, specifically appealing to Haven and Delphi.
Unfortunately, in the years following the war of 3904, Haven was having its own troubles and was unable to lend aid to a foreign nation. This did not deter the Empyrean people. Contacts were made with the Haven underground, and mages recruited from the "Castallia," a group of outcasts that in the recent years had begun schooling their own beneath the streets of Haven.
Given the opportunity to live above ground in honor, rather than in constant fear of Delphic recruitment, many leapt at the chance to move to Edessa and begin anew.
The Castallia in Parnassus began primarily with these mages, recruited first from Haven, and then from any source that might yield trained, useful mages. Varati that were unable to learn from an accepted source (such as their female mages), Sylvans with a tendency towards city-life, and even Atlanteans brought by their own curiosity swelled the ranks of the Castallia.
Part of the lure was the land. The Empyreans offered the growing group of mages a small part of their own city. Over time, it has become a fortress within the city itself, grown into and out of the side of a bluff. As their numbers grew, they began to feel a need for some internal governance. Rather than submit entirely to Empyrean law, the mages developed a council to see to administrative matters. Made up of eleven members, the council does not primarily dictate to the members of the Castallia. Rather membership is an acknowledgment of their own natural leadership, and an indication of trust that these people will represent the guild of Mages in Parnassus. Mages that live and subscribe membership to the Castallia follow many creeds and hail from all races, but they all agree to live by Empyrean law, and the tenets of their growing guild.
The Castallia now provides a unique opportunity for mages that simply do not fit within the strictures of their own race, and find the confines of the school of Delphi in Haven to be far too restrictive. The Castallia is an asylum for outcasts, giving home to any mage that wishes to stay within its walls. All they ask is that its members respect the laws of the Empyreans, and maintain control of their own magic. Members are also asked, but not required, to contribute to the livelyhood of the commune. Most share a tithe of their earnings, or support the community through the use of their magic by assisting in the growing of crops for food, and maintaining the Domus Caelitus.
The one tenet that the Castallia hold to above all others is control. While the Empyreans gifted the grounds of the Domus Caelitus to the Castallia, they survive in Parnassus upon the sufferance of the Empyrean government. The gift could be revoked. Because of this, the mages police their own kind, extracting an exacting punishment for those that wreck havoc with their gifts, intentionally other otherwise. Their methods are so effective that the Empyrean government often turns over law-breaking mages they capture for punishment by the Council of Ductors in the rare circumstances where the Castallia does not reach them first.
The Castallia is run by a small council of mages. The head of the council, or Auctor, may come from any discipline. He, or she, is considered the ultimate authority on all matters within the Castallia. There are ten other members of the council, known as Ductors. Each is a representative of their branch of magic.
Each member of the council is there as a popular representative of their branch. The Castallia as a whole requires very little governance. With such an abundance of mages, money is of very little issue. The council assists in helping mages find employment if they so desire. They also direct the informal education within the Castallia's halls.
Unlike Delphi, the Castallia does not exist to train mages. While education does happen within its walls, the Castallia's primary purpose is to organize and protect its members, and its position. They are constantly on the look-out for rogue mages, as such could considerably hurt their standing in the Empyrean community.
The Castallia have very few laws. In fact, the whole operates more as a commune for mages than anything else. It is shelter and home for the magical outcasts of society.
As such, they inhabit a precarious position. Magic is inherently dangerous. The paramount concern of the Castallia is not the advancement of magic, but rather its rigid control. The mages within rarely care if its members progress (although many master/apprentice relationships spring up on a personal level). However, any mage exhibiting a loss of control will find themselves saddled with a plethora of teachers, each one with their own methods for finding complete control of their magic. The rogue mage is a major danger, and will not be tolerated.
Because of its tenuous position, the Castallia requires that all mages within the commune swear to its limited tenets. The first understanding in these rules is that any mage must always adhere to the laws of the nation in which they are operating. The Castallia will watch out for its mages, providing support in the form of telepaths and clairvoyants to find the truth in any incident. However, any mage found to have broken laws of another nation will be turned over for justice in that nation.
The second major agreement of the members of the Castallia is to maintain control of their own magic, and to report its loss in others. Mages that do not strive for proper control of their magic are punished harshly. Depending on the severity of the incident, a mage may be blocked from their magic for days, or weeks, or even subjected to tapping. This last punishment requires a unanimous vote of the Council, and is performed in public by the community as a whole. (see "news tapping")
Heralds act as the "media" of Aether--they collect and relay information among the different kingdoms or territories, and enjoy an informal diplomatic "immunity" which allows them to travel freely from place to place. This immunity is a courtesy, however, and Heralds are expected to abide by the traditions and laws of whatever territory they are in, and to respect the governing bodies of those territories.
Their symbol is a compass rose, meant to represent the unification of the four different races and cultures. Perhaps it is this ideal that draws so many Halfbreeds, Mongrels, and other outcasts into that faction, for as Heralds, they may gain some status and prestige, and might finally be accepted into the societies that had once shunned them.
An outcast is anyone who has been exiled from another kingdom or domain. They have a limited number of options -- some choose to survive deep in the forests beyond Sylvan territory, a "no man's land" where few dare tread; others opt to live in slums, for they are one of the few places that accept anyone, regardless of race or affiliation. However, while there may be shelter and welcome among the mongrels there, pureblood citizens do not always grant the same welcome and outcasts often have to deal with fear, suspicion, or dislike should the reasons for their banishment be apparent.
There are three basic categories of outcasts. The first is anyone who has broken some law or rule of society and was then exiled as punishment. It could be temporary or permanent, depending on the crime, and the rules are different for each society. The Empyreans are usually more rigid in their traditions and doctrines than, say, the Sylvans. The news files regarding each race will provide more details about their laws and customs.
The second type of outcast is one who has been banished because their magical powers were a threat to both themselves and others. These include feral graisha, untrained elementals, branded healers, or other "rogue" mages, along with anyone who has been consumed by their gifts. Please read the news files on graisha and magic for more information.
Some forms of magic are more "benevolent" than others, such as healing and clairvoyance, for example. But other kinds can wreak havoc and maim or kill both the wielder and anyone in his or her vicinity. Therefore, "rogues" are often hunted by local law enforcement, Askari, or even usually-benevolent mages in order to protect their personal positions. If the rogue-mage resists, or is seen as too great a threat, the Askari are known to use lethal force. Fortunately, most "rogues" never develop their powers to that point, and are merely tolerated as an aggravating presence, along with Mongrels, Halfbreeds, and other outcasts.
The third kind of outcast is a Halfbreed (the product of two pure-blooded parents). Because of their mixed parentage and dangerous magical abilities, they cannot fit in with any of the races, and are therefore often doomed to a life of solitude or prejudice should they try to mix with the pure races. Keep in mind, though, that they are of a different class from the "Mongrels," the products of generations of mixed breeding. Mongrels are typically the lowest class of society and possess no magical powers. Please read "news halfbreeds" and "news mongrels" for more information.
If you wish to play a character that fits into any of these three categories, remember that he or she may be exposed to prejudice and dislike. Please accept these consequences.
