Guidebook
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Imperial Army
The Imperial Army has a hierarchical structure with the General at the top, his Colonels beneath him, and so on and so forth in descending order. If the ranks were like a ladder, then every wolf on the lowest rung answers directly to the wolf on the step above, and indirectly to the wolves above that. For example: Every soldier answers directly to a Lieutenant. Every Lieutenant answers to a Captain. A Captain can override a Lieutenant’s decision if need be and order a soldier, but this would be breaking the chain of command and should only be done during high stress situations. Members of the army swear to uphold the crown and protect the people. Whether Highlanders are included has long been up for debate—and the subject of many wars. Highlanders want to be free, Mainlanders want order. Soldiers may fall wildly upon the political spectrum, but so long as they do their best to uphold Rionnach’s laws and resolve conflict, they are appropriately serving the crown. All soldiers are expected to arrest criminals and protect every citizen regardless of their creed. Unprovoked violence against an innocent citizen leads to suspension, imprisonment, and even dishonorable discharge.
Joining: Most wolves join as apprentices after turning 1 and squire under a Soldier, Lieutenant, or Captain. Once they turn 2, they are given a final exam testing their tactical cunning and physical acumen. Those that pass are inaugurated as soldiers. Those that fail are banned from participating in the military for another year. 2 failures to pass result in permanent ban from the military, except for in times of draft.
Professions (From lowest to highest, disaggregated by likely age) : 1 Years: Apprentice ; 2 Years: Soldier, Lieutenant ; 3 Years: Captain, Major ; 4+ Years: Lieutenant Major, Colonel
Auxiliary Ranks: Medic, Jailer, Executioner, National Guardsman
Location: Yorkshire, Imperial Barracks
Combat Bonus: Well trained — Add 5 damage to any one roll that isn't a critical hit (20)
Leader: General Faust - 6 Years - Monochrome, Blue Eyes, L
A man of strict moral principles and a painstaking adherence to the law, General Faust has learned the hard way that the law is meant for all, not the few. He has seen heroes fall in battle and watched the crows feast upon their remains—literally and figuratively. His favorite saying is that “no good deed goes unpunished”, and acknowledges that no one will be pleased with every decision. As such, he puts his faith in the doctrine that countless wolves have tried to create, all philosophers of politics. He does not view his opinion as being above the law, and therefore tries to keep his personal sentiments (and admittedly his soft spot for Queen Aileen and her son) to himself.
Reputation: In the Mainland, the Imperial Army has a high reputation. Members of the Imperial Army are soldiers, yes, but help protect the peace and serve as firefighters and the front line in natural disasters.Their strict code of tolerance, intense training regimen, and required community service have helped create many safe towns. Accountability, loyalty, and integrity are the three pillars upon which the Imperial Army and its soldiers stand. That said, due to the war, many soldiers regard Highlanders with bitterness and the sentiment is often shared. Some soldiers have actively requested not to be stationed up north as a means of not having to deal with the unruly Highlanders. As such, some have turned blind eyes to Highlander beatings and crimes, though these would be in the minority. As such, their reputation is deplorable in the Highlands, and even many Lowlanders object to the tendency of Imperial soldiers to utilize excessive force. Outcries have begun for there to be more checks on the army's power and the way in which parliament wields it.
Additional Ranks: The military also has ranks outside of the standard chain of command such as medics, jailers, executioners, and national guardsmen (which help in times of natural disaster).
College of Eòlas
Historically, the college was no college at all—in fact its roots are druidic. The existing arboretum was where druids from the Lowland and Highland clans would gather to learn to read, the art of medicine, and philosophy. The druids of old served as judges, priests, and doctors. As the clans in the Lowlands began to lose power and Mainlander influences became more apparent, the college began to adopt its current structures. Wolves of any creed could go to learn medicine, a valued art given the Mainlanders’ imperialistic nature. Members of parliament would journey to the Arboretum to debate the druids on matters of governance, and soon it became common for degrees to be awarded to those that could come up with a defensible thesis. The college began to grow and attract more types—healers still, but philosophers, scientists, politicians, economists, and lawyers. As the role of the druids of old began to disappear, the college opened its doors as a welcoming sect that educated any who could attend, provided that they offered their services to the state and/or paid tuition in the form of supplies to keep the college running. Students attend lectures presided over by both junior and senior professors. Graduate students are working on becoming professors, while medical students and nursing students take classes from physicians and nurses associated with the college.
Joining: Wolves are often enrolled when they turn 1 and study a multitude of subjects. When they enter their 2nd year, they begin to specialize. Wolves graduate at the end of 1 year and are free to pursue erudite careers in the commonwealth or stay on to pursue graduate studies. Most will defend their respective theses when they turn 3 or 4 and will be offered a professorship if approved. Students must either donate time to the local clinics, government, etc. or pay tuition in the form of supplies (food, medicine, etc.). Financial aid is available for those sponsored by professors, but the spots for such a thing are few and sporadic. Some wolves that enter professions such as doctor or lawyer remain affiliated to the college but open up practices in other towns.
Professions (From lowest to highest, disaggregated by likely age) : Student [1 years] (Specialized: Medical [1-2 years] or Graduate [2-3]), Professor [3+], Physician/Doctor [3+], Nurse [3+] — Professors may also identify as their area of study: “scientist”, “biologist”, “physicist”, “philosopher” etc. if their primary focus is not teaching but elevating intellectual discovery.
Location: Melrose, Arboretum
Combat Bonus: Healers — +5 HP at the start of battle
Leader: Provost Anola - 5 Years - Earthen, Violet Eyes, M
A creative and eclectic genius, Provost Anola has the reputation of being a bit of a manic scientist: capable of great discoveries but not known for order. As such, the fundamental workings of the college are largely maintained by the provost’s secretaries. Nonetheless, Anola is loved for her creative discoveries and her strong dislike of censorship. A political vocalist, Anola has been speculated to be Voice (or to know her). Anola does not bother entertaining these accusations because she rarely wastes time on anything not furthering her experiments. She appreciates King Adamh’s recent lifting of censorship laws but entertains a more democratic political view.
Reputation: Overall very good—members of the college are considered pacifists in general and are known to be intelligent in their area of study. Those with degrees are afforded respect and revered with a pinch of awe. That said, members of the college are known for being vocal about their opinions and occasionally challenging royal authority. As such, the college’s reputation has fluctuated in line with past royal censorship laws. Currently, the overall reputation of the college is quite positive, though some dislike that tuition and/or acts of service are required to attend.
Commonwealth
One of the most diverse guilds, the Commonwealth harbors everyone from the poorest urchin to the wealthiest aristocrat. Wealth is measured by land and hunting rights. Those without the means to trade food or capture it are forced to beg (or steal). Those of the middle class get by with what little they own. Some sell a variety of teas or stories or songs or dances. Others work, providing manual labor by digging dens our chasing out common pests. Occasionally the Imperial Army will call on local militias to perform minor services, or the College will seek help tending the meadows. All in all, for possessing no singular function, the members of the Commonwealth are vital for the survival of Rionnach. Wealth disparity is a problem in Rionnach and Mainlanders predominantly occupy all levels of wealth while Lowlanders are often in the middle and Highlanders often wobble between the bottom and the middle socioeconomic classes (depending on how much they engage in the economy).
Joining: All wolves default into the Commonwealth and are expected to participate in Rionnach’s economy in order to earn hunting rights on the land. Children are all born into the Commonwealth and anyone excommunicated from their guild joins the Commonwealth by default.
Professions: Anything, genuinely. Be a fisherman, a hunter, a child, a loner, a wayward soul, a merchant, a noble, an urchin, apothecary, a bird keeper in Ayr, etc. etc. Feel free to adopt any trade that a wolf could justifiably offer. The Commonwealth is the most flexible of the guilds.
Location: Everywhere
Combat Bonus: Lucky — Can't take extra damage from critical hits or critical failures
Leader: Clan chiefs (Highlands & Lowlands), Mayors (Mainlands)
The Commonwealth effectively refers to all wolves that otherwise live within Rionnach and hold any job outside of the other three guilds. As such, their leaders are many and are often tied to the land. Both the Highlands and Lowlands still have clans and chiefs though their power is essentially ornamental in the Lowlands. Highlander clans still have sway and tend to struggle over land and power. In the mainland, land boundaries have long been drawn and are no longer fought over. Mayors are appointed by the parliament and are responsible for collecting taxes and funneling them up to the King’s coffers (to be redistributed as necessary).
Reputation: Varied - Individual cities have different characteristics, which you can read about HERE
Thieves' Guild
Membership in the Thieves’ Guild is concealedand many adopt aliases in the Commonwealth in order to pass as upstanding citizens in order to avoid being thrown into jail on sight. Those that are drawn to the Thieves’ Guild either have nowhere else to go, no means to make an honest living, the desire to earn more wealth than one can by working an honest job, or the need for raw, unbridled freedom. The Thieves’ Guild offers the most extensive black market, drug trade, mercenary regiments, assassins, brothels, etc. If it’s illegal, the Thieves’ Guild deals in it—and has enough connections to get any sordid soul off of the ground. While there is no established hierarchy, there can be in-fighting between competing businesses. So long as crime runs smoothly, however, Rook doesn’t much care who wins and who gets assassinated in the middle of the night.
Joining: By invitation. Meeting someone that brings you in to their grift (or forces you into it) is often the number one way that wolves get trapped in the Thieves’ Guild. Once you join, however, death is often the only way out. It’s difficult to get clean with so much dirt on you.
Professions: All varieties of criminals. Whores in the brothel, the pimps that run it, thieves, criminals, mercenaries unafraid of getting their hands dirty, blackmarket traders, smugglers, drug dealers, assassins, etc.
Location: Sussex, Drunken Seagull
Combat Bonus: Crafty — Roll advantage once (roll twice and take the highest)
Leader: Rook - Unknown, rumored to be melanistic
It has been years since anyone has seen Rook. He keeps a tight inner circle that is kept hidden, and these wolves are known as the Six Apostles. Each apostle is equally secretive and corresponds with the Thieves’ Guild primarily through ravens. The secretive layers of the Thieves’ Guilds’ leadership can be off-putting to some, but others take comfort in the anonymity. In general, Rook does not pull the strings of the Thieves’ Guild too terribly much and tends to leave well enough alone. That said, every member knows the one rule of the Thieves’ Guild by heart: follow Rook’s orders, no matter what they are, whenever they come. Refusal ends in death. Such is the price of having access to the largest black market circuit in Rionnach and beyond.
Reputation: Horrible. It’s the dirty secret that everyone knows about yet no one wants to risk addressing. Everyone knows the Thieves’ Guild exists, most everyone knows the name “Rook” but is fearful of mentioning it. Even members of the Thieves’ Guild are wary to use the leaders name in vain. By being under the Thieves’ Guild’s umbrella, wolves agree to enter a lawless version of Rionnach—one with ultimate rewards and ultimate risk.
Jacobian Army
Coded messages delivered by corvids in the night; secret gatherings in the caves of Tir Na Nog; generational promises binding the clans of the Highlands by blood—these are the ways the Jacobian Army roused support. Since Jacob’s return to Rionnach in the Winter of 1708, whispers stirred about rebels forming new alliances to fight under the exiled prince’s banner. Only too late would King Adamh and his Mainlander parliament discover the truth behind those rumors. This is not a conventional military, but they are a force to be reckoned with: troops are primarily built from Highlander militia volunteers, along with the occasional Lowlander tired of Imperial control. These wolves are not soldiers, but rebel warriors sick of the pretenders in court, worn down by the injustices against their former monarchy and unimpressed by House Herondale’s lavish lifestyle. Instead of following a chain of command, each militia group answers to one of Jacob’s “Chiefs”; instead of training in barracks, wolves learn the art of guerilla warfare amongst the dark, dense boughs of Perth. Ultimately, all Chiefs report to the Rebel King, or the “True King” as he’s known in the Jacobian Army. The singular goal of this newest guild is to destroy King Adamh’s parliament and place Jacob on the throne.
Joining: Wolves are subjected to rigorous questioning and must have an “undecided” or “Jacobite” political affiliation to join.
Professions (from lowest to highest, disaggregated by nationality/loyalty): Mainlanders: Spies [Cannot hold any other rank; must be Jacobite]. Outlanders: Informant, Warrior. Lowlanders: Informant, Proponent [spreads awareness of Jacobite meetings, converts outlanders and guild wolves to Jacobitism], Warrior [must be Jacobite]. Highlanders: Proponent, Warrior, Chief. Auxiliary Ranks: Medic, Cook, Executioner, Assassin
Location: Inverness, Freeman's Fortress
Combat Bonus: Loyal— Can halve the rolled damage taken once per combat
Leader: Prince Jacob - 4 Years - Sandstone, Yellow Eyes, XL
It’s no secret that the leader of the rebellion is a volatile and bitter man. Having spent the majority of his life amidst political chaos and exile, Jacob learned the art of secrecy as a matter of survival. His mother was treated unjustly by a parliament that belittled their heritage, and his throne was stolen by petty backstabbers hungry for power. Now he’s tired of hiding and ready to reveal the strength he’s cultivated on the outskirts of society. Jacob’s charisma is as powerful a weapon as his physical prowess; he’s made friends from far and wide, learned unusual trades, and stoked the fire for justice in many wolves through his impassioned speeches. He believes a fight to the death is the only way to secure true freedom for his people.
Reputation: Overall the Jacobian Army has a risky reputation. Jacobite Highlanders are certain that they are justified in going to war—after all, the unification of 1707 did not lead to equitable governance. Highlander culture was never acknowledged by parliament—nor have Highlanders ever been able to serve in the majority of parliamentary seats. As such, Jacob has promised the Highlander clans equal participation in the government that he will build. However, this is not the first rebellion that the Stuart family has started. Queen Aileen's failed rebellion makes Jacob’s fight look like a selfish ploy for power to some, especially given the recent drought, unexplained sickness, and recent plague. Some see war as inexcusable bloodshed, and in the short time of peace, many wolves made friends with other nationalities and even opposing guild members. But in the end, the promises of freedom, local government and marriage equality are well worth the sacrifice—to the Highlanders at least.
