Spark Notes Source Material

[SB_Topsy]

Below you will find brief digested versions of the source material provided on the forums and website. Unless otherwise noted, these are all quotes directly from Sanguine publications upon which the game is based on.

Some quotes will be posted within within multiple sections to help illustrate the relationships between the houses and groups.

Hopefully the stripped down, just-the-basics formatting will be easier to read!

xoxoxo
~Tops

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RINALDI

"The Rinaldi are not without their troubles. Of late, they have become more and more consumed with infighting and have let their precious city slip away."

"What of the Rinaldi? They are far from powerless. Their might is more in the market, the Church, and their cunning than in any army."

"Over the years the Rinaldi have been more and more consumed with infighting and have left more and more of the city's administration to the Guilds and Constabulary."

"(The Avoirdupois) make little secret of what they see as their "manifest destiny" - the domination of all of Calabria. At first glance, such a goal might make people unlikely to do business with them, much less ally with them. However, the Avoirdupois are nothing if not chivalrous - they always keep their word and never stab anyone in the back."

"Since they closed their ports to foreigners, the Bisclavret enjoy improved (if somewhat strained) relations with the city of Triskellian."

"(The Doloreaux) leaders have chosen to expand their power through material wealth . . . which means dealing with the Guilds of Triskellian."

"In the past, (the doloreaux and the Rinaldi) used to be bitter enemies. Now, the foxes have fallen far from their previous glory, and are now mearly pawns of the Guild Masters. The Doloreaux hope to profit from the current Rinaldi political infighting. The southern lands need not be seized by military might, but the Rinaldi may be forced to sell their land for one reason or another."

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AVOIRDUPOIS

"The equine Avoirdupois claim that their noble line is the oldest and the proudest of all time. To back up their claim, the Avoirdupois maintain the oldest known castles and have the longest written records of anyone in Calabria. Steeped in tradition, members of this house are known for their unfailing courage, their unfaltering attention to their chivalric code, and their intolerance for everything not "Avoirdupois"."

"They make little secret of what they see as their "manifest destiny" - the domination of all of Calabria. At first glance, such a goal might make people unlikely to do business with them, much less ally with them. However, the Avoirdupois are nothing if not chivalrous - they always keep their word and never stab anyone in the back."

"Their great vineyards and sweeping manors are responsible for most of the specialized food production on the continent. They pride themselves on having the swiftest army in the land and the most rigorously trained knights."

"The Avoirdupois are outspoken foes of the Bisclavret and the Doloreaux. They do not appreciate the Doloreaux control of the River Lyore and are rankled by having to buy timber from the Bisclavret. They tolerate the presence of the Constabulary of Triskellian - as long as they "remember their place"."

"The Avoirdupois are very efficient farmers, but their lack of lumber hampers them immensely."

"All gentry are schooled in the precise laws of Avoirdupois rule, unchanged in over a hundred years."

"Since all gentry, save the infirm or young children, are combat-worthy and highly-disciplined, the Avoirdupois can field land-based forces more formidable than any on Calabria."

"Since the Avoirdupois view all other inhabitants of Calabria as "squatters," the Bisclavret do not get along with them."

" The Avoirdupois believe that all other noble houses should be evicted from Clalabria..."

"(The Avoirdupois are) Hated almost Universally by the Doloreaux. Constantly threaten Doloreaux's control of the river Lyore. Scarely a day passes without a border clash between the houses. Main trade between these two houses takes place in Triskellian. Aviordupois generally treat Doloreaux visitors to their lands with more charity than the Doloreaux do in return."

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DOLOREAUX

"Their arrival was not without violence --- the Doloreaux expansion was the first to buffet the Rinaldi, and later the Avoirdupois and Bisclavret. Young lords, eager to stake their claims to land, went to war whenever they thought they could win. After many victories and few losses, the Doloreaux have staked their claim . . . but they command no sea ports, and their farmland can only sustain their current population."

"The Doloreaux are in a stalemate. Surrounded by rival houses, and with only enough farmland for subsistence, their holdings have no room to grow. Their leaders have chosen to expand their power through material wealth . . . which means dealing with the Guilds of Triskellian."

"The Doloreaux have few friends. The Avoirdupois believe that all other noble houses should be evicted from Clalabria, and the Bisclavret have their eyes keen on expansion. The Chevernaise do not negotiate with anyone. The Rinaldi's power has all but disappeared."

"They are building their resources through the help of sympathetic Triskellians and minor houses. They hope to expand their land holdings and be strong enough to keep their new borders --- no easy feat, given the Bisclavret's mercenaries and Avoirdupois' great forces."

"The hills yield the iron, tin, and copper necessary to make cannons, which the gentry sell to buy the other goods they need. The hills are also a reasonable source of gems stones and precious metals. It is from their mountains that they extract and ship the finest ores and gems in all Calabria. Their skill in the mines is unequalled and is surpassed only by their skill in trade."

"The Doloreaux law is simple and tends to conform closely to that in Triskellian. This is fairly new and as a result has been an increase in overall trade. This combined with their acceptance of the denar as their primary currency has made the Doloreaux a mercantile power."

"(The Avoirdupois are) Hated almost Universally by the Doloreaux. Constantly threaten Doloreaux's control of the river Lyore. Scarely a day passes without a border clash between the houses. Main trade between these two houses takes place in Triskellian."

"There are the Occasional skirmish between the two(Bisclavret and Doloreaux), but the Doloreaux do not want to risk anything, in an assult, for they would lose other land (to the Avoirdupois for instance). Around River Granvert is where the most serious disputes occur. If the Doloreaux could claim even a small portion of those forests, their situation would be greatly improved. Locals will often sneak across this river and poach timber."

"In the past, (the Rinaldi and the Doloreaux) used to be bitter enemies. Now, the foxes have fallen far from their previous glory, and are now mearly pawns of the Guild Masters. The Doloreaux hope to profit from the current Rinaldi political infighting. The southern lands need not be seized by military might, but the Rinaldi may be forced to sell their land for one reason or another."

"The Guilds of Triskellian may well hold the future prosperity of the Doloreaux in their hands. This realization has led the Doloreaux to curry favor from the various Guild masters whenever possible. The reasons are two-fold: 1) The guilds have access to the best weapons and armor in Calabria. The Doloreaux can pay in gold, while the other noble houses must pay in wood or grain. The friendlier the guilds are to the Doloreaux, the cheaper the goods. 2) The guilds are a power in thier own right. The Doloreaux are not a House that believes in "Divine Right", and the practice of selling titles of nobility is envied by the commoners of Triskellian."

"The Doloreaux tend to prop up a minor house, then use the nobles of that house to sow discord in the Triskellian courts, or even play two of their own allies against each other."

"(The Avoirdupois) do not appreciate the Doloreaux control of the River Lyore..."

"The Doloreaux are envious of the Bisclavret seaports, but neither is willing to risk a land conflict."

"Thus the Bisclavret need the Doloreaux metal as much as the Avoirdupois need Bisclavret wood."

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BISCLAVRET

"Their control over the northwestern forests of Calabria has given them the economic power to build an army second only to the Avoirdupois."

"The Bisclavret make the other noble houses nervous.... Their control over most of the lumber in Calabria places them in a fine position to control ship construction. To further their own power, the only ships allowed to dock at their ports are either owned outright by the Bisclavret or have purchased expensive "letters of marque."

"Since they closed their ports to foreigners, the Bisclavret enjoy improved (if somewhat strained) relations with the city of Triskellian. Since the Avoirdupois view all other inhabitants of Calabria as "squatters," the Bisclavret do not get along with them. The Doloreaux are envious of the Bisclavret seaports, but neither is willing to risk a land conflict."

"Wood is constantly in demand, and no one on Calabria has more wood than the Bisclavret. In return, they often trade for metals that they lack. Thus the Bisclavret need the Doloreaux metal as much as the Avoirdupois need Bisclavret wood."

"Unlike Triskellian, the Bisclavret tax codes are confusing. They tend to vary greatly from region to region and city to city."

"The Bisclavret royal family is smaller than either the Avoirdupois or Doloreaux - but they employ large numbers of fairly loyal mercenaries of both their own race and many others."

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GUILD COUNCIL AND CONSTABULARY

"Triskellian is an unusual city; it alone on Calabria has guilds independent of the noble houses. They have the House Rinaldi to thank for their freedom. Over the years the Rinaldi have been more and more consumed with infighting and have left more and more of the city's administration to the Guilds and Constabulary."

"Don Auvrich II appointed a Council of the then largest Guilds in the city with the mayor of the Constabulary to oversee the city's governance. The guilds which comprise the Council are: Merchants, Ironsmiths, Navigators, Shipwrights, Millers & Weavers."

"Today, the Guild Council controls the police, the dockyards, the gates, the libraries - everything within the city save the deed itself. Their power is economic in nature. Triskellian is far too valuable as a free trading port for the Great Houses. Thus its very prosperity is its mightiest shield."

"However, the charter of the city still acknowledges the Guild Council and the Mayor to be commoners, and not of noble birth - and as such, the magistrates and constables of Triskellian can only mete out "low justice," the law of common folk."

"The commoner police, known as the Constabulary, can only hold gentry in custody, later handing them over to one of the three noble families for trial."

"The Constabulary is composed of about three hundred regulars called "Captains", and six hundred or so "Deputies". The Guildsmen pay for their arms, armor, and wages from the excise taxes they collect. Constables are also entitled to shares of loot from arrested criminals. On the whole, the Constables are well paid, have high morale, and are seasoned combatants. They are also the best-equipped force in the known world, having all of the best arms and armor. The Constables drill for both skirmishes and for sieges, usually in plain view of noble house emissaries to "keep them guessing". The Constabulary of Triskellian claims to remain neutral in the conflict between the Houses of Avoirdupois, Bisclavret, and Doloreaux. The constables tend to err on the side of the High Court in matter of the nobles."

[Fips]

Can this be made a sticky thread?

[SB_Iset]

Hey All!

Isn't Topsy just too nice to us?

To add to her thread I am going to attach a link to a thread that I think will re-affirm the theme of the game. Most, if not all, of this information can be found on the ICO homepage, but since that is being a little wonky... It's a little lengthy, but I hope this helps!

XO
Iset