City of Heroes, City of Legends.
City of Ghosts, City of Greed.
Posta Lerona, Vannadar’Hult.
Lerona Mere has held many names over its history. Like a coin it has passed through many bloodstained hands. This Season is no different.
The Parliamentary Elections have passed and Lerona Mere welcomes a new citizens’ government to lead their people. Even the Heroes find themselves swept up in the patriotism and fervour of hope and liberty. Opportunities abound, even for those outside of the southern realm, but beware the allure of poisoned chalices.
Beneath the cover of darkness, hard work has been done both above and below the ground. While those hands above clutch cudgels and pamphlets, those below grip flesh and stars.
No Applause for Voters and Failed Ambitions
The parade that lead up to the Parliament Hall on the north side of the city was immense, with coloured ribbon from every building, bards of all kinds creating a cacophony of patriotic fervour and general noise, all of this surrounding the one-hundred-and-two elected representatives of the city and beyond. As they entered the district, they passed by cityfolk of all stripes, marines from the Liberties Fist, and onlookers from across The Concord.
At the head of the procession was, surprisingly to some, a young person. Clad in the gaudy doublets and hose of a stylish performer, with an oversized quill in one hand and a sword dyed red in the other, Tarina Van Jilentari had become one of the most powerful people in Lerona Mere. The Ratscrews, that party drawn to the joy of revelry and the peace that can be found in empty cups and late nights, had won in a landslide. They not only unseated a vast majority of the surviving old parliamentarians, but began a city-wide revel that reportedly lasted five days in some districts. The young poet passed into the new parliamentary hall under a simple quote that was attributed to them:
‘Lead in a manner worthy of followers’
Behind them were dozens of Ratscrew members: artists, philosophers, and dreamers all.
Following a short gap in the procession, the carefree joy of the Ratscrews departed quickly. With the rattle of military drums and the blast of horns, a far smaller cohort marched: uniform colours of slate-grey and silver, their shoulders adorned with the flaming torch of Lerona Mere, glittering badges of the Concordian sigil on their breasts. Professional and stern, the Steel Sigils had taken the supporting role in Parliament and many hoped that they would be able to keep the more elaborate hopes of the Ratscrews within the realm of reality.
Finally, a single individual closes out the parade, walking up the promenade with a slow gait. A simple worker in common labourers’ clothes, but in their hands they hold a fine iron banner pole, supporting a massive standard the size of a royal bedspread. Gilded cloth was embroidered with fine beading and festooned with pearls and amber. This ostentatious show of wealth bore simple words: ‘We’ve Already Begun’. The Council in Coin had barely eked their way into the parliament, with fewer seats than the average dock worker has fingers on their dominant hand, but they were present nonetheless.
As the heavy doors locked with a metallic clunk there was a pause in the street, unsure of how things were to proceed. As if hearing their cue, the well-paid bards started up the cacophony and dragged the wayward politicos back towards a carefully chosen group of Ratscrew sponsor taverns; like begets like, and patronage begets power.
This was more than two months prior, and in the interceding time the three powers of Lerona Mere’s parliament have begun to show the strength of their will and the focus of their ire.
As these things tend to do, the voting season began with purges.
The Villa Estate and a number of other failed parties attempted to expose numerous individuals within the city responsible for the ‘Second Revolution.’ With the fire of this same revolution, they attempted to stoke angry mobs and violent reprisals. But when these meagre turnouts, reflecting their electoral prowess, took to the streets, they were met by the jackboots of Sigil ‘Marchers’ and the colourful and colourfully armed Ratscrew loyalists. The Estate and these other ‘parliamentarians of old’ needed to be taught that they were no longer relevant, and that their grievances were the complaints of a gambler cleaned out by the house. In pursuing their purge, the Villa Estate was purged itself.
From there, the Ratscrews have begun their first campaign: to bring wealth and excitement to the city, while investing in the foreign service. Letters and missives fly free in all directions, inviting powerful gamblers to tournaments, requisitioning plans for cheap embassies, and demonstrating Lerona Mere’s will and courage to live on the edge. Quietly, in a small session of Parliament barely attended, they even create ‘The Office of the City’s Confidante’ a small bureaucratic group that will liaise between the city’s Parliament and the Capos of the Docklands, officially recognising the crimelords of Lerona Mere as relevant in the leading of the city.
The Steel Sigils, far lesser in-power than the Ratscrews, have pushed for strength in Lerona Mere and efforts to address their woes. They offer to pay mercenaries to defeat the Boghoffen threat, demand a continuation to the war in Mancante Terra, and send letters far and wide on the concept of a Throne. But perhaps most dramatically is ‘The Recognition’, a massive wood and chalk board on the outside of the party's Mivaran headquarters, offering pay for any Lerona Mere who can obtain certain titles, and even more money for those that make those titles Lerona Mere exclusives.
The Council in Coin, underrepresented and underpowered in their current form, moves in lockstep with the other two parties, utilising private funds to see Lerona Mere driven to popularity and power. They seek to encourage attention and investment into the realm through offers of cold hard cash. But at the same time they seek to stymie those who they see as rivals, a ire that is falling firmly to the east.
Finally, all three parties reach out to the Heroes of the realm. Gone are the days where the people’s voice and the heroic contingent are separate. Gone are the days where the parliament will be a distant concern. They offer party membership and support to Lerona Mere Heroes who would seek it and provide details for this to be done.
Only time will tell if the new Lerona Mere Parliament will once again be a thorn in The Concord’s side, or if it will draw attention to the realm most deserving of The Concord’s adoration.
Game Information
The new Lerona Mere Parliament will certainly be trying to make their will felt throughout the Summit, and numerous characters inside and outside Lerona Mere should expect contact and decisions to be made regarding these new powers in Lerona Mere.
All Lerona Mere characters are invited to join one of the three parties who will hold Parliament for the next two years. Characters who do so will be considered representatives of the party in Passage, may receive additional boons and information, but may also be asked to perform tasks for their party. As it stands, all three parties are seeking new members from the heroic contingent. To join, characters are asked to wear the party's symbol and write a letter to their respective secretaries as detailed below, using the Civil Service Post. The letter should be a convincing piece of work that details why your character should represent the party among the heroic contingent. Multiple characters are capable of becoming representatives, although each character can only represent one party.
| Party | Symbol | Secretary |
| Ratscrews | A happy rat, ideally wearing a hat | Ventatto De Hulio, The Blackguards Grieve, Lerona Mere |
| Steel Sigils | The Concordian Sigil | Oscar Grilado, The Steel Hall, Mivara. |
| Council in Coin | A Golden Coin | The Council Chambers, Gafroza. |
The next election will be in two years’ time, in Winter 226.
The election of the Ratscrews by a landslide has led to a multitude of opportunities for heroes of all stripes but also some maladies.
Firstly, the purge of the Villa Estate has disrupted the rural works of Lerona Mere. All farms and wildernesses in Lerona Mere would have produced less this past Season, as the control and unity of the Villa Estate is violently removed. The Ratscrews and the Steel Sigils once again prove that Lerona Mere’s focus is in the city of Lerona Mere, little else. However this effect has been ameliorated by the effects of The Wonderous Forests of the Night. Farms and Wildernesses will function as normal.
Secondly, all taverns present at the Summit of sufficient size (at least one large table in a lit, covered space) are invited by the Ratscrews to host a Ratscrew tournament! The fast-paced card game is a common pastime in taverns around the coasts of The Concord and the ruling party wishes to give back. Any tavern that meets this requirement that is functioning at the coming Summit may email [email protected] and request a Ratscrew tournament kit. Approved tournaments will receive a deck of cards, rules for tournament Ratscrew, a small stipend to both begin a winner’s pot and pay the tavern for its time, and some Ratscrew paraphernalia. Winners of these games should expect to win big and see their name on the Ratscrew League Rankings, to be posted between Summits, and lead to the eventual ‘Grand Ratscrew Wrangle’.
Finally, Belia De Bevolio, bursar for the Ratscrews, is expected to attend Passage briefly on the second day of the Summit, with offers for coin and opportunity for The Concordian Senate.
The election of the Steel Sigils has been far less dramatic than the election of the Ratscrews, but the Sigils are certainly direct in their offers.
Most notable is ‘The Recognition;’ for many titles available this Summit, the Steel Sigils offer two bounties; one to be paid to any Lerona Mere character who wins this title and one to be paid to the Senator or priest (of any realm) who nationalises this title to Lerona Mere. The Recognition can be found below:
| Title | Lerona Mere Bounty | Nationalisation Bounty |
|---|---|---|
| Abbot of Mivara | 3 Locks | 5 Locks |
| Burser of the Church | 5 Locks | 10 Locks |
| Captain of the Passage Watch | 5 Locks | 10 Locks |
| Concordian Throne | 3 Vaults | N/A |
| Deed Holder - Athermer’s Folly | 5 Locks | 10 Locks |
| Deed Holder - Eisen Orchard | 5 Locks | 15 Locks |
| Deed Holder - Magli’s Gift | 5 Locks | 10 Locks |
| Deed Holder - Rumwold Vastness | 5 Locks | 10 Locks |
| Field Marshal (Either or both days) | 2 Locks | N/A |
| Headmaster - De Re School of Embers | 10 Locks | 15 Locks |
| High Historian | 5 Locks | 10 Locks |
| High Priest of Anarch | 5 Locks | N/A |
| High Priest of Arcadian | 5 Locks | N/A |
| High Priest of Lumos | 5 Locks | N/A |
| High Priest of Panoply | 5 Locks | N/A |
| Voice of the Church | 5 Locks | 10 Locks |
| Warmage | 3 Locks | 5 Locks |
| Warpriest | 3 Locks | 5 Locks |
The Steel Sigils have also offered to pay two Locks to any military investment that defends Lerona Mere against the Boghoffens this Season, and will also pay any damages incurred by Lerona Mere military investments against the threat.
Both The Recognition and the Boghoffen payment are contingent on the continuation of the war in Mancante Terra. If The Concord loses in Mancante Terra or withdraws from Mancante Terra this Season, the Steel Sigils will withdraw these elements of support.
The Council in Coin lacks the power to offer any meaningful rewards or power this Summit. But they will still attempt to pressure the Summit in other, less obvious ways, particularly in support of Lerona Mere economic growth, and damaging the growth of rival realms within that sphere of influence.
Shallow Waters, Matching Morals
I hear the beating at my door and the shouts to open it, but I won’t. I see the swirling remains of the maelstrom, but I cannot focus on it. I wish to stand on my own two feet, but they buckle beneath me. I wish to know the warmth of a fire, but I cannot withstand its blaze. I am stuck here within a prison of my own making, with no company save for the ones in my mind.
Spheres, I am a broken one.
Left to rot here in what passes for a home in Shagston, abandoned by all but the lost and even they have stopped coming since I ran out of coin. So much for that wealth I worked so hard to earn, what little it did me. I deserve better than this. Or maybe deserved? I guess now it doesn't really matter. I am here, unable to move my body while what little I had left is taken from me.
Go on then. Break down the barrier between us. My final fortress, my simple door. Hah. If I could say it aloud I am sure they would without hesitation, whoever they are. But no, my mouth feels filled with nothing but hard salt and cracked reef after all this time alone. I have been deprived of even the dignity of shouting away these intruders. What a cruel fate.
There they go, beating on the door again. Under orders, huh? Oh how official of you. Come right in then. Help yourselves to a meal and a drink, if you can even find them in this cesspit disguised as a home. Hah. I wonder if any of my ‘lucky neighbours’ had the chance to shout such things before being beat out of home? I doubt it.
I wonder if any of our lives down here ever mattered.
—---------
“Open this door!”
“Come on Jean, this shack is dark and looks worse than the ragged tent next to it. Surely we can move on?” A marine holding a sack over her shoulder looks quizzically at her rather serious companion. The pair had been tasked with clearing what passes for a street in Shagston, this one rather short and not nearly as winding as some of the others.
“That’s yah’ problem, Celine, yah’ too easy going. We were given orders to clear this place out, so that's what we do. Yah’ never know what you’ll find hidden ‘round here. The Shags manage to scrounge all sorts of things, least of all these new Sewerslangs that I heard ‘bout.” The man named Jean raised his fist and banged on the rickety door in front of him, harder this time. “Open this door! We are under orders by the Admiral!”
“Bugger it, I’m goin’ in.” A curt statement leaving no time for retort.
“Wait, shouldn—” The cautious words of Celine were promptly cut off mid-sentence as Jean’s boot cleanly bashed through what was once considered a door. The rest was cleanly removed at the same time as the offending boot, revealing a dark and musty single-room shack. The marines entered, staring down at the emaciated figure of what appeared to be a person.
“Spheres, are they dead?” A question asked and answered near immediately as the form began to grasp at its chest with a hand more bone than flesh. Blinded grey eyes stared in the direction of the marines, an open mouth filled with rotted teeth unable to give word to whatever was going on within its owner’s mind.
“Seems not. Close to, but. Not the first we seen today, but not one of them Slangs. Get taking and let’s get gone.”
—---------
Marines of the Liberties Fist sweep through the crooked streets and broken homes of Shagston in search of the cause of the ‘Shagston Murders’. With such a large force bringing their efforts and skills to the fore, it does not take long for the first of the culprits to appear, covered in blood and quickly slain. Stark white, with fingernails so long they may as well be claws and teeth so long they may as well belong to a beast. This description best fits what soon came to be dubbed as ‘Sewerslangs’ by the marines, an ode to the creature dealt with across the bay in Jaalstead.
Once the first was found, it did not take long for more to be flushed from their hiding spots across Shagston. While only a handful, it helped to guide the hard workers of the Liberties First in getting to the root of the cause, identifying where they are coming from. As expected, they appeared to be coming from the sewer systems that open out into Shagston and the Bay. This made it easy for the marines to post up watches, but a reminder of the far-past rang true for many present and stopped exploratory crews from cutting off the problem at its source. A question flooded through Shagston with the same intensity of the people trying to solve the problem.
“Don’t these things remind us of that big old plug?”
Game Information
Liberties Fist takes action to resolve the murders within Shagston, taking an iron-fisted approach to the problem. Many of the residents of Shagston are displaced from their makeshift homes and of their makeshift belongings, but the problem is indeed solved. This home of the city’s lowest has been turned into a playground for the Liberties Fist. Characters who frequent the Docklands would have seen far more houseless people walking the streets where they didn’t before, with far fewer belongings. But, a checkpoint has been created at the entrance to the sewers leading back into Lerona Mere, and the culprits of the murders have been primarily routed. Rumours spread of gangling-limbed creatures, blood-drinkers, and skin-takers. Some say they are ten feet tall and hunt children, others say they are retribution from The Star Serpent. Lerona Mere characters should attempt to come up with the wildest descriptions and motivations possible.
There will be a conflux led by the Admiral of the Liberties First at this coming Summit to see the Sewerslangs within the sewers discovered and killed. More information will be presented to the Admiral at Summit, however this conflux will occur on the first night.