Bellum Novem

Over a thousand years ago, the Talunese Empire collapsed. Having refused to join the imperial alliance known as the White Crown Concordance, the Talunese Empire could not survive the raids by local tribes, the internal political conflicts, and the constant undercutting done by the allied empires around them. The empire dissolved and the cities that remained found themselves vulnerable. Some were absorbed by the empires, some were overrun, but some survived. After a while, some of them aligned with the White Crown Concordance, becoming imperial cities though not part of any empire. Some retained their ancient ways. And one had a small revolution and liberated itself.

In 1517 of the Standard Era (SE), in the Talunese city-states, guilds of artisans and merchants are in the process of replacing the feudal aristocracy as the ruling class. It is a time of conflict and change, and the people at the bottom are the ones suffering. The city-states are ruled by poweful noble families, but their power is being challenged by the nine guilds which have been established. On the night of the first day of summer, several guildmasters are assassinated, and a new guild announced its intention to form. Ten days later, the new Spicers Guild is voted in. A few days from now, a vote will be held to change the political hierarchy of the guilds.

The Talunese city-states are a nest of political intrigue. There are many factions within the noble houses, the guilds, and among the people. The Imperial Church is a major power. Some city-states have their own independent ways. The political factions are many. In the guilds especially, there is a group called il Nascosti, the Hidden, a loose group of people spread across the guilds, the people, and some secret groups who share the goal of making the guilds more democratic.

Players would be members of il Nascosti. Their motivations would vary; their guild affiliations would differ. One player will be a maker (an artisan or artist) who is a full guild member. The others can be more loosely connected to the guilds. They will be embroiled in the plots and trying to find out who is behind the power play to force a vote within the guilds to consolidate power.

Introduction

Characters
Setting