[READ ME FIRST] Introduction to Sunberth

[Liminal]

Welcome to Sunberth! In this thread, you will find a short description of the city, as well as a few OOC notes about playing here.

CITY DESCRIPTION

Sunberth presently has perhaps 11,000 inhabitants. It is 95% human, with a smattering of other races. It is built on the ruins of a Royal-period mining town, and abandoned mines and mining equipment still litter the landscape.

The city has no official organization of any kind. A shifting handful of loose syndicates and powerful individuals "govern," if it can be called that, through informal agreements and handshake deals, but due to the mindset prevalent among Sunberthans, few alliances last long. There is no law enforcement, and indeed, even if there were, there is nothing to enforce.

The citizens of Sunberth share a passionate hatred of governments, organization, and even of order itself. Things long forbidden in many other parts of Mizahar, including gambling, extortion, and even slavery, are practiced openly. Walking the streets is dangerous even for residents, and strangers take their lives in their own hands by doing so. Not, however, that this stops many people -- those drawn to danger, excitement, and thrills often find themselves in Sunberth...although they don't always leave intact.

For more information, check out:
Sunberth's entry in the Lore.

PLAYING IN SUNBERTH

Sunberth is a dangerous place, no two ways about it. It is quite possible for your PC to be killed here if s/he makes a wrong move. On the other hand, there are vast opportunities here, so if you've ever wanted to be a robber baron, this is your chance.

There's no official "entry" point to Sunberth -- or really, any official anything -- so after you've introduced yourself in the OOC thread, please feel free to post anywhere you'd like. Basic transactions in shops can be self-moderated; anything requiring more of a reaction from an NPC should be moderated. I'll try to keep an eye on what needs moderation, but please feel free to send me a PM if I don't pick it up right away.

Enjoy your stay...if you dare!

[Archelon]

Hello, and may I say: Welcome to Sunberth ^-^. I present to you: Societal Views of Sunberth Residents A look at the many societal views of Sunberth Residents regarding: magic; those in authority, and a brief explanation of other vital things like "intelligence' in Sunberth's society. This thread is to help correct, and answer many of the current PC's questions regarding the society of Sunberth, its views on magic, its views against people attempting to gain an authority to rule them; and the current setup of the Sunberthan population. I'm going to start by describing the three main syndicates comparative to minor gangs of sunberth. The three main syndicates have a lot of power, and pull, and influence. They are constantly warring against each other, and when they don't care to have their own losses incite many of the smaller gangst through Dastanna to help achiever their needs, besides using their other tools of bribery, extortion, and assassination. The above includes direct hiring some smaller gangs for jobs they don't want to be connected with. A few may even attempt to feed information on promising targets in other group's camps to help set up assassinations by the vigilantes, etc while attempting to constantly maintain their powers. However, there is always the fourth major player that often goes unnoticed. A fourth player that is the mobs of Sunberth themselves. The Mobs of Sunberth is the masses, the common population, ones that can tilt the scales in any direction for any which way at a moment's notice. You may have noticed that there's some territory owned by factions on the linkmap, but why do you think there's 'neutral' territory as well? It's because of the mobs. These areas are simply too volatile for a single entity or group to control for long periods of time as they are always in a state of flux. Sailors and populations coming to visit Sunberth tend to not want their regular dive off the seas invaded by metal armored brutes that show any form of affiliation with a syndicate or gang. Almost any 'minor' gang that sits at a tavern tends to keep themselves apart and sneer as they attempt to maintain their image. Now... in taverns: no one really cares if you get into a fight or a brawl. The society as a whole would love to cheer on a good fight, maybe throw a coin or two the the victor and pat them on the back as the combatants part ways. Only a sailor's buddy might step in to help them if there's anything less then a mortal blow. No one in the streets would care if you slice down a thief yelling "Give me back my cutpurse and I'll take yours as well." No one would really care (if they weren't connected in some way to another person) if you took a lady of the night into an alley and stabbed her to death , took her coinpurse, and ran. No one would care if you got into the most humongous brawl ever that spilled out into the streets, caused a riot and some rampant drinking stories the next week after things calmed down. But where's the tipping point where the mob comes in? When do the lynchings start, and crowds begin to swarm like rabid insects searching for those to sting?? Where's the line drawn? It's rather simple: hapless slaughter. Hapless slaughter is one thing that might prompt a mob to form. Another is rooted in the Sunberth's populations, supersticion's and Urban legends that have been handed down, and reinforced over the ages from pre-valterrian times. The ones in authority then were Overseers, (if you read Tarot's writeup of the Alahean Empire in the lore), and overseers of Alahean lands tended to be very powerful practicioners of magic. You'll find we've only just begun introducing the history of the family of Overseers that once ruled sunberth long ago. The connections are faint, but they are still there. The Mob remembers this. They remember the persecution, the holocausts, and as such: they hate, authority, and enforced slavery upon the entire city and have battled several times against groups who, at least temporarily, partially succeeded. To the populations of sunberth: those that might wish to rise above them are dangerous enough to tear down at all costs and preferrably before they get too much power where it might be troublesome to send them to Dira. Thus, even the smallest gangs walk a tightrope and seek aid or support from a higher faction if they ever wish to rise. It is because the Mob remembers.Old wives tales make each generation relive the past, horrendous atrocities that were practiced upon the populace's amcestors, and they viewed the valterrian as the righteous come-uppance of those who tormented them. Even if they decided to forgo their pasts and make themselves slavery, and debauched as they thrived in the chaos of total freedom. While they live in that freedom: that doesn't mean there's not consequences. The mob is always present, simmering in the background of Sunberth's society. Waiting, watching, ready to break and roll over like a tidal wave. They watch everyone, from the major syndicates to the smallest, to their neighbor, to their husband and their children. This is especially true of mages, and those that practice magic today are viewed with an almost societal paranoia which may spawn Witch Hunts from time to time. Almost after every single major disaster, those in any position of power have always seemed to deflect the Mob's attention from them by saying things like, "If only there was not a mage somewhere within our midst then ____ would not have happened. We can rebuild and could have done so under our own power, with our own hands, not with any 'fey'help from an unnatural spawn of a monster." Etc, etc, etc. So where does this leave mages? Is there any way that magic is practiced 'underground' amongst the population? The answer is : Yes and No. It depends on the type of magic being used or available. To the leaders of Sunberth's main syndicates: Magic practicioners are like a cancer that can never be truly stamped out; a source of danger to their operations. Yet potentially valuable so long as they can be controlled, utilized, and harnessed as a tool to spread their fear and influence... so long as they are apart enough to give the Mobs a scapegoat, and turn these practicioners into piles of meat for them to pull apart when they have a rainy day. Thus: any mage playing in Sunberth must be triply aprehensive in keeping their identities secure; even to the point of paranoia. As such: finding a practicioner of magic in an npc (that is not named) willing to take the risk to teach you is a very, very, rare occurence. Magic practicioners are here: But not anywhere in plain site. To Elaborate upon what magic users you might find in Sunberth's non named npc's and why they are present: Remember: 1. To learn magic within a city you must contact an ST first for approval and discussion of what they would require in a thread, even if its self modded. 2. There are no magic books in the [url]Library[/url]. This means any magic you could possibly learn would have to be after some effort to gain the trust of a non-named npc in some way. shape. or form if they were to take the risk to: A: confirm they could teach you and B: let you live after you knew they could teach you. C: Still require a payment of some sort for their service. D: Not even the gods may help you if you don't follow the above: if they're caught they can turn you in as well. 3. Any mage amongst the populace of Sunberth is highly circumspect in their actions Reimancy;Auristics; Flux, Projection; Voiding; Not really available amongst the unamed npc's of Sunberth. It is highly unlikely anyone but Players, and named NPC's would have these. Reimancers are terrifying to the Mob's of sunberth after the last group of wizards had gained hold of the populace. Auristics is considered dangerous for the people who wish to conduct sordid business, and those who practice it are at risk. Flux users tend to be noticed early and sited for their feats of superiority over their fellows and then cut down for it, Projectionists and Voiders are considered dangerous enough to kill on sight. Who wouldn't want to Off someone who could rip out your soul deader then a doornail? or shank someone who could send you into an eternity of nothingness in the void? Auristics may have only one exceptionSomething that is hinted in the rumors link below. though... Familiary: Exceedingly rare, to nonexistant. Morphing: To be known as a morpher is to court disaster, and death in the night. Though it is rarely practiced amongst the slaves kept to battle in the blood pits, or the casino; most morphers will be hunted down and slaughtered by the populace if they are found out. This is due to the many tales of 'monsters' preying on the population that have become the stuff of Sunberth's Urban legends. Hypnotism: An exceedingly rare talent amongst the npc populace of sunberth; those with hypnotism should be aware that since the masses hate anyone who might control them; they are often targeted should they be known. However, a few of the powerful groups in sunberth may employ them in secret to assist in interrogating their prisoners. But beware: at times, the highest syndicates have tossed these at the mobs as scapegoats for their own failures. Leeching: Rare beyond Rare. Mobs of Sunberth view leechers as people who need to die, and will go to great lengths to organize ways to kill them if they become known. However, it is rumored that a particular slaving group or two may have employed a few before; no less then four nor greater then ten. Three of these were strung up in the last witch hunt a few years back. No one knows if the others are still around... Alchemy, Animation, Magecraft, Summoning, and Webbing: Not really available amongst the unamed npc's of Sunberth. It is highly unlikely anyone but Players, and named NPC's would have these. Glyphing: Rarer then rare amongst non named npc's. There may be one exceptionSee rumors thread link below... though. Malediction/Legacy: A minority of the outgoing farm families may practice a small bit of malediction in their families to keep 'mementos' of their dead. However, these will never ever say they are doing malediction, and will not discuss it with any 'outsider'; or even their spouse if they do not trust that person. The mob has persecuted several of them over the years of witch hunts to death or leaving them to die of starvation in hanging cages. It still might be possible for a pc over the course of a long time to be taught this, however certain IC factors would have to be discussed via pm. Spiritism: Lets face it: In sunberth ghosts are a renewable resource. There's plenty of murder (The murder rate is rather high, but much less then the birthrates though most children not in the orphanage and thrown out by families that can't support them tend to die [only one percent really make it to live in the orphanage]) Only the really wealthy or connected might afford birth control amongst the populace; tumble a random tavern wench and you might sire a child or not. However, the mobs of sunberth wouldn't really care if she tosses it in the bay and goes back to work the next morning to sleep with the next tavern goer. These practices lead to a lot of ghosts... and where there's a lot of ghosts there's usually trouble. When ghosts are the problem, spiritists may actually be lauded for their assistance... but only briefly. Soon enough the mob's mentality will come around and blame mysterious deaths upon them if any massive amount of ghosts is involved that shouldn't be. After all: they hate authority and those that could control them; and those that could control them after they are dead might outright mortify them. Especially if they command a ghost to kill others. If there's sudden slough of unexplained deaths: Expect spiritists to be the first on the chopping block. This is why spiritists in the sunberth setting must take care to hide their identities, even when trying to do good... or evil... each person is different after all. Thanks for your time reading this though Please see the rumors section which will be updated somewhat from time to time for all our players who are wannabe sleuths and intelligence brokers. Many 'rumors' may pertain to hidden magic users after all...