The Free Cities of the Trident Wikia



Welcome to the Trident!
The Free Cities of the Trident is an upcoming community roleplaying game.

The State of Things
The Free Cities are a constantly changing, evolving place. Anyone can make their mark on the world, or have it's mark made on them. But here are how things stand currently:

Taxes and Tariffs
Collection of Taxes and Tariffs in the Free City is currently awarded by contract to the Hikmat Sand-caste family. The Hikmats have held this contract for many years, and they have persisted in their abilities to extract large amounts of coin from families of all castes, despite making many enemies. Many Sea-caste families in particular have little regard for the Hikmat tariff-collectors.

There has always been allegations that the Hikmat family takes more than it deserves, rendering less to the Regent and the State than is their due, but these insinuations have never been proven. If they were, it would no doubt prove disastrous for the family.

The Hikmat family allies itself and works closely with the Conhaile Blood-caste household, who serve as the enforcers of the Hikmat's collections.

There have always been smugglers in the Free Cities, and none hate the Hikmat more than those of House Acharya. Magicians, outcasts, heretics who perhaps do not feel the Regent and his lackies deserve the fruits of their labor (or anyone else's, for that matter) grow emboldened as the Hikmat's reach begins to exceed their grasp. Perhaps it is time to look for allies... another house to seize the lucrative contracts... one more amenable to the rites and necessities of House Acharya.

And what of the mercenaries, those who ply their trade across the Fog-Laden Sea, to reap the harvests of the Dying Worlds? Rumors abound that the riches and coin House Brehailne brings back from their expedition do not always find their share into the Regent's coffers. But is it the Hikmat that lighten the Regent's purse, or do they simply prefer not to press the issue of "taxation and tariff" too closely with House Brehailne?

The Candle in the Dark
The main defect of the Templars is that cannot be everywhere at once. They cannot see all, they cannot hear all. In the darkness, injustice may be done.

...Until a candle is brought forth.

Who are the Candlers? A mad religious sect? Vigilantes? Heroes? Hard to tell, hard to say. What is known is their handiwork. Men and women of powerful families found maimed and beaten bloody in the town square, screeds listing hidden crimes, thought washed away by gold or blood, accusations and sentences nailed to their hands and feet.

They are calling out the Templars, some whisper.

They defy the Confessors, others gossip.

They do the Sea Mother's bidding.

They are earning powerful enemies. The Templars, for their flaws, do not enjoy being mocked. And the overzealousness of these vigilantes clearly defies the laws of proper vendetta. They must be brought to justice.

Confessors shake their head and smile at "foolish rumors", but in secret meetings debates are held. The orthodoxy is being challenged. Why has the Mother of Waves not quieted such heresy? Angry voices echo off of temple walls.

And the great families, so certain of the impunity of their deeds? They are shaken to their core. Everyone has a few skeletons in the closet, and who know's what blemish shall be revealed next?

The first daughter of the house of Niven goes missing, a few short days before her wedding day. The quiet, prosperous family of glassblowers is furious in their grief and distress, casting aside propriety as they search for what might already be lost forever. They earn enemies as they bang their fists bloody searching for their lost heiress.

Of Councils and Omens
The Byrne family, a powerful sea-caste family of ship-builders has been recently ejected from their seat on the Council. No one knows for certain why they were cast from their place of power and influence, but rumors abound, and their status and fortunes have plummeted. Many sea-caste families seem to have decided that the house is 'cursed', and refrain from buying their ships until they have set right whatever sin they have committed.

The Al-aman  Sand house of woodcutters have stuck by their off-again-on-again allies, the Byrnes, but there are rumors that this change in fortune will strain the relations between the two families to the breaking point. For now, the Byrnes rely on the Al-aman as they ferry the other family's wood to more in-fashion shipbuilders and architects.

The Kaur Sand house has seen their fortunes rise of late, as foreign demand for their trinkets and jewelry has risen greatly. Some frown at the prospect of selling gold to foreigners, but the Kaur do not seem to shy from innovation. They have also been rather generous of late, donating to charitable causes and throwing great festivals, some say in an effort to curry favor for the recently vacated council seat. Most expect that the seat vacated by the Byrne will be replaced by another Sea caste family, but who can say that the balance of power might not shift towards the Kaur?

Meanwhile, the Samara Sand house that sits atop the Mining guild has been grumbling about the Kaur, as they say the wealth of the Kaur has not been shared with those who actually draw the mineral wealth out from the depths of the earth. The conflict goes beyond simple greed, as decades of snubs has worn the Samara raw. There are negotiations to marry a daughter of the Samara to a powerful son of the Kaur, but many in the Samara are not hopeful that practicality will win out against the Kaur's snobbishness.

The great bounty of the Sea Mother has long sustained many of the smaller Sea Caste houses. However, their nets have grown lighter as of late, and things are beginning to take a turn for the desperate. As fewer and fewer fish sustain the Sea castes, many of the most vulnerable turn to piracy in order to fill their bellies.





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