Setting the stage
Ridgeshire.
It stands as a monument to excess and a home to the wealthiest citizens that Galen Tur has to offer. Don't get me wrong, there are less than wealthy folks and less than savory parts of town... but these are mostly ignored by the upper crust (ie, the folks that matter) just like any other garbage along the street.
Yes, there is a Governor in Ridgeshire, but he seems to spend most of his time catering to the wishes of the wealthy and the whims of the nobility. From time to time the town will get swept away by the "next big thing." And this happens to be one of those times...
Recently, new laws have been passed that have shut down all active guilds in the town, uniting them under the common banner of the Ridgeshire Adventurer's Guild. Why did this happen? Well, you're really not entitled to an explanation. Just ask one of the nobles, they'll be sure to get right to ignoring you. The best anyone can figure is that it has something to do with the Governor consolidating his power... perhaps related to rumblings of trouble in the monarchy coming from Greyfold... All the common rabble of the town were told was that this change was taking place immediately, and that all "Adventurers" were forced to join the guild, or join a second competing group... the Ridgeshire Prisoners Association.
Now, this may not sound so bad... Members of the Warriors guild, the mages guild, or the thieves guild would probably just transfer to the new group and everything would be okay, right? Well, that's not how corrupt government works!
The problems are numerous... not the least of which is the ambiguity in the term "Adventurer." It seems the guild has been given carte blanche to determine the meaning of the word, with occasionally strange results. You've heard tell of a man and his child returning to town when attacked by a rogue owlbear. Thinking quickly, the man managed to use a torch to drive the beast away. Upon returning to town and relating his story, he was taken away to prison on the charges of being an unregistered adventurer.
And it's been no easier on those passing through town... Any adventurer passing through Ridgeshire is subject to the law of the land... and as such is required to register or face the Governor's dungeon. Ignorance to the law is not an excuse.
So the solution here is simply to register and be done with it, right? There's always a catch... This is Ridgeshire, remember? The problem with this guild is of course the exorbitant dues they require. It's not really a problem for the wealthy citizens, joining to sit around the lodge and bask in their newly purchased status symbol. But for the rank and file it's a bit more of a problem. It's difficult to say what's filling up faster between the guild and the prisons, but in any case it has clearly had a huge effect on the town of late. Bands of guildees patrol the streets looking for new recruits/offenders, and pretty much do as they please.
It stands as a monument to excess and a home to the wealthiest citizens that Galen Tur has to offer. Don't get me wrong, there are less than wealthy folks and less than savory parts of town... but these are mostly ignored by the upper crust (ie, the folks that matter) just like any other garbage along the street.
Yes, there is a Governor in Ridgeshire, but he seems to spend most of his time catering to the wishes of the wealthy and the whims of the nobility. From time to time the town will get swept away by the "next big thing." And this happens to be one of those times...
Recently, new laws have been passed that have shut down all active guilds in the town, uniting them under the common banner of the Ridgeshire Adventurer's Guild. Why did this happen? Well, you're really not entitled to an explanation. Just ask one of the nobles, they'll be sure to get right to ignoring you. The best anyone can figure is that it has something to do with the Governor consolidating his power... perhaps related to rumblings of trouble in the monarchy coming from Greyfold... All the common rabble of the town were told was that this change was taking place immediately, and that all "Adventurers" were forced to join the guild, or join a second competing group... the Ridgeshire Prisoners Association.
Now, this may not sound so bad... Members of the Warriors guild, the mages guild, or the thieves guild would probably just transfer to the new group and everything would be okay, right? Well, that's not how corrupt government works!
The problems are numerous... not the least of which is the ambiguity in the term "Adventurer." It seems the guild has been given carte blanche to determine the meaning of the word, with occasionally strange results. You've heard tell of a man and his child returning to town when attacked by a rogue owlbear. Thinking quickly, the man managed to use a torch to drive the beast away. Upon returning to town and relating his story, he was taken away to prison on the charges of being an unregistered adventurer.
And it's been no easier on those passing through town... Any adventurer passing through Ridgeshire is subject to the law of the land... and as such is required to register or face the Governor's dungeon. Ignorance to the law is not an excuse.
So the solution here is simply to register and be done with it, right? There's always a catch... This is Ridgeshire, remember? The problem with this guild is of course the exorbitant dues they require. It's not really a problem for the wealthy citizens, joining to sit around the lodge and bask in their newly purchased status symbol. But for the rank and file it's a bit more of a problem. It's difficult to say what's filling up faster between the guild and the prisons, but in any case it has clearly had a huge effect on the town of late. Bands of guildees patrol the streets looking for new recruits/offenders, and pretty much do as they please.
posted by Ryan Vaughn | 12:12 PM
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