Post by Helixagonal on Sept 24, 2019 21:05:25 GMT -8
SECTOR 7 : Sin City
The Forest Sector
::MAP::
::LOCATIONS::
TEMPLE - Along the northern edge of the Sector, a temple takes the place of the more traditional castle. This woodland structure has a low roof through most of it, except for the huge dome-shaped throne room made with wood, metal, and a few vines. The temple is kept under strict maintenance, and aside from the vines and the plants that the queen and king grow for alcohol, not a stone is out of place and no overgrowth ever touches the pristine floor of the palace. Gaudy gold dust sprinkles the walls of the throne room.
Only the royal wilaks, a few select guards, and wilaks with scheduled meetings with the royals are allowed inside the temple. In the trees above the temple, the Gambit family(royal family) make their home in the vines and branches with a house of the highest quality money can buy, but more often than not, the middle prince Counterfeit is away at his secondary home in the Bekaris Nets.
TERONIAN TREES - A crowded area of tall forest trees that have stood for longer than the oldest wilaks have been alive. The trees here are sturdy and resilient, and thrive with no extra care from the wilaks at all. In bloom season, the vines on these trees sprout bright flowers in many different colors.
In the center of the tallest trees, not far from Hangman's Canopy in a cleared out circular formation, Prince Jackpot runs the fighting ring for wilaks in a structure arranged like a coliseum, with the judge's podium built into the trunk of the Hangman's Canopy tree. Many wilaks get sent to fight here if their crime puts them between the level of punishment that gets you in prison and the level of punishment that gets you executed.
MARKETPLACE - This stretch of sparser woodland is filled to the brim with shops of all kinds, set up by crafter wilaks, farmers, and other sellers with no restrictions. Towards the center is a fountain with a carved stone statue of a wilak and their kit coated in jewels and jewelry, with the water from the top of the fountain flowing out from gaps under their carved bodies.
The Diamonds, or the thieves' guild, has one of their bases in this area, along with the Hearts, the merchants' guild. It's not uncommon for trade to be put on a halt for a day because of a guild war.
BEKARIS NETS - The name of a sizable area south of the marketplace that Prince Counterfeit controls. The Bekaris Nets is an all-encompassing term for several buildings there, including Counterfeit's lottery, drust cattle (toxic barf-cow) fights that get bet on, and because of its vicinity to Polo, it gives Counterfeit a prime location to help the merchants of the Hearts or even more seedy merchants deal with any troubles they encounter that he doesn't want them to.
ROOTWATER - The primary source of water for Sector 7, this winding river takes up a sizable stretch of land along the forest. Algae coats its banks and water plants are found in plentiful quantities here. During floods, it tends to break out of its banks into small deltas, leaving permanent rivulets carved into the clay there. Roots of the trees reach out along the banks almost everywhere, giving it its name, and saving many a life when a wilak gets caught in a flash flood but grabs hold of some of the tree roots.
HANGMAN'S CANOPY - A huge sequoia reaching the height of 246 feet, in the western end of the Teronian Trees. This tree in the past has been used for executing criminals, and is now known as where the judges and announcers for Jackpot's coliseum perch to watch. The tree is the longest living in the Sector, and the tallest among the forest.
::LAWS::
- Starting fires in the Sector is a fine-able offence. The fine is 50 chof baseline, but can be raised depending on the damage with no cap.
- Attacking wilaks from allied Sectors is a felony, unless the foreigner is there without the guest collar. Wilaks who attack an ally of the Sector will be fined 75 chof and serve a month in the coliseum run by Prince Jackpot.
- Wilaks who are not part of the Spades and who have no writ of approval to kill a specific wilak are subject to the punishments seen fit by the Spades' King/Queen and Jack. This punishment frequently involves getting sold as a slave to Sector 10 or death. The Spades will not be punished for how they choose to deal with the offending wilak.
- Wilaks who commit thievery and are not part of the Diamonds will be fined with 3x the chof that the stolen item was worth, and are subject to the punishment of the Diamonds' King/Queen and Jack. This punishment is often done by taking all of the offender's possessions and/or hiring one of the Clubs to maul the offending wilak. The Diamonds will not be punished for how they choose to deal with the offending wilak.
- Wilaks selling services as a personal guard, thug, or otherwise a hired attacker who are not part of the Clubs will be fined 30 chof and are subject to the punishment of the Clubs' King/Queen and Jack. This punishment most often includes a brutal beating that lands wilaks in recovery for months on end. The Clubs will not be punished for how they choose to deal with the offending wilak.
- Wilaks trading goods between Sector 7 and outside wilaks who are not part of the Hearts will be fined 80 chof and are subject to the punishment of the Hearts' King/Queen and Jack. This punishment is almost always being sold as a slave to Sector 10.
::THE LORE OF SIN CITY::
Unlike the straight forwards monarchy of the other Sectors, Sector 7 is based more off of money and brutal enforcement. Money is everything to Sector 7. Money determines social status and privileges, and in a society where the richer get rich unless you're in a guild, everyone is fair game. Sector 7 is a Sector which relies on its market to keep running without the royals having to behave like true royalty.
The royals are rarely ever called 'king', 'queen', 'prince' or 'princess', although among other Sectors they do call themselves and each other this. Instead, the royal family is referred to collectively as "The Gambit Family", currently made up of Vigorish(queen), Martinegale(king), and the trio of princes, Jackpot, Counterfeit, and the youngest, Rollout.
Sector 7 was created a long time ago by Queen Vinya, who got other wilaks to move here with promises of cheap land and monetary opportunities. As expected, this attracted a specific sort of type of wilak.
Since then, the Sector has developed into what it is today: the royals hold ultimate power, but the four guilds of cards hold a significant amount of societal power, even if it's not much political power.
::THE FOUR GUILDS::
Throughout the Sector, there are four groups of organized wilaks. They are under the royals, but for the most part, they're given free reign. The rules of the guilds are all different, but one thing stays the same:
Guild ranks ascend much like cards in value, although the Ace is not included, and some who look for deeper meaning speculate that the Gambit family(royal family)are the Aces. As such, the ranks start without a name for those who've just joined and haven't proven themselves, and they get trained by the Deuces, then the ranks go up to Deuce(twos), Trey(threes), Fours, Fives, Sixes, all the way up to Tens. At the very top are the guild Kings/Queens(the reason why the actual king and queen don't use the label and are instead just part of the Gambit family). There is only ever one at the very top, either a king or a queen, and below them is the Jack, usually known as the "king in training". The different guilds have different methods of climbing ranks. The ranks determine who has the most influence in the guild's choices, who passes along writs and contracts to the lower ranks, and how much any given wilak gets paid(except in the Spades always, or in the Diamonds when doing a contract).
-- THE SPADES --
The spades are a guild alternatively called the "assassins guild". Anyone who wants to have a legal excuse for murder outside of self defense must be from this guild and have a writ or "contract" on whoever they were out to kill. All original contracts are kept with the guild leader, known as the King or the Queen, depending on who holds the title at the time, and a copy is re-made with a stamp from the guild leader and given to the wilak sent to kill the target in the writ. The Queen or King is given the original copy of the writ, sign it, and news eventually finds its way along, either through the original requester for an assassin finding one of the Spades and employing them, so long as they are above the rank of Deuce, or by the Deuces handing writs over to their Spades in training, the nameless rank below them. Forging a writ is punishable with death, either by execution or through fighting in Jackpot's coliseum until death.
The Spades ascend the ranks with one of two--or sometimes both--methods.
The first is a more honest method, taking on harder jobs or killing discreetly. The only way to get past the Tens rank with this method is to wait to be picked as Jack and then wait for the King or Queen to die or get killed, thus taking their place.
The other setup is less honest, more brutal, but faster. Accepting writs from wilaks to take out members of their own guild simultaniously eliminates competition and gains the wilak killer reputation to ascend further. Once at the rank of Tens, killing the Jacks is possible to attempt to get chosen for the next Jack, but once chosen as a Jack, the king or queen can be murdered and the Jack takes its place. This method is typically less effective, as a King or Queen who knows that the wilak in question is prone to killing those of their own is very unlikely to pick them as the next Jack. For this method to work best, the killing wilak has to be much more inconspicuous than any other method needs.
Often, the Spades will combine these two methods. Hiring one of the Spades costs a lot of chof, ranging from 75 to well over 200 depending on the difficulty of the writ, and these writs can be taken out on anyone, regardless of what Sector they come from. This guild is the only one with permission to kill, and encroaching on their turf when it comes to that will usually get the wilak killed by the Spades themselves. This guild is very difficult to get into, and newcomers are put through vigorous training that may kill them before they're accepted as one of the ranks under Deuce. However, it is the highest paying guild to be in, because of how expensive it is to hire one of the Spades, and the fact that any Spade who gets hired gets all of the money that they and their employer agreed to.
-- THE DIAMONDS --
Pickpockets and catburglars, the Diamonds are a guild of thieves and tricky nimble wilaks. The Diamonds never attack anyone unless it's in self defense vs death, and do have strict rules on how to distribute their theft.
Only a certain percentage of money can be stolen from any given wilak and, like the Spades' killing, writs need to be taken out to steal high quality, high value things that someone else wants, and the Diamonds are usually payed at least half or more of what the stolen item is worth.
The Diamonds is easiest to get into, and, in fact, almost everyone is accepted, even if many of them often fail and have to leave.
Going up the ranks in the Diamonds is all a matter of technique. There isn't any backhanded way to go up the ranks in this guild, unlike the Spades, so the only method used is to show off your skill and technique to your fellow thieves, and rise up the ranks that way.
-- THE CLUBS --
Somewhere between knights and the Spades, the Clubs fall. Alternatively, the thugs' guild. The Clubs are essentially bruisers for hire, and although they never kill anyone, they do contain some of the strongest and toughest wilaks in the Sector, and are almost always employed by businesses or the other guilds(aside from the Spades)as kneebreakers to help get a wilak to follow up on a deal. Even the Gambit family hire wilaks from the Clubs from time to time. Getting into the Clubs requires good physical strength and control over that strength, as killing anyone will get a wilak kicked out of the Clubs. Rising in the ranks of the Clubs depends on both loyalty and ability, as nobody who's not strong enough and has enough mental power to control their strength will rise very high. Only the best of the best are at the top of the Clubs.
-- THE HEARTS --
The Hearts is a guild of merchants, but more than that, they're the guild who regulates all trade that goes through to other Sectors. One of the Gambit family, Counterfeit, overlooks this more tricksy guild as a watchful eye over the shoulders of even the king/queen and jack of the guild. This guild doesn't fight or go out of its way to steal, and instead relies on social tricks to get others to sell good quality things to them, or teams up with wilaks outside of Sector 7 who want some goods transported. The Hearts has no qualms about transporting something of any kind, including hallucinogenic plants, poisons, and even slaves to Sector 10.
Rising in the ranks here is determined by success. As a big part of business is getting things sold, wilaks who sell more things or make more good deals with others will rise in the ranks faster until eventually they can be in charge of more dangerous deals as the king/queen or jack.
::RANKS::
All ranks in Sector 7 are portrayed by a metal band around the neck with the name of the wilak carved into the inner side by Prince Jackpot or King Martinegale. Along his collar of metal, gemstones are inlaid into it depending on the wilak's rank. The exact kind of gemstone and metal is up to the wilak, but the more expensive the metal and gems in it, the more respect a wilak tends to get given on the streets by the higher class.
RANK COLLARS
Royals - Royal bands have one large gem in the center with three on each side tapering to a smaller size. The gems are in a round shape.
Sages - Sage bands have one large gem in the center with two smaller ones on either side of it. The gems are round.
Knights - Knight bands have one large gem in the center with one smaller one on either side of the big gem. The gems are round.
Guards- Guards' bands are similar to the knights, with one large gem in the middle, but instead of having a gem on either side of it, the guard necklace has a smaller gem on the top and the bottom of the big gem. The gems are round.
Farmer - Farmer collars have two medium sized gems, one above the other, and one tiny fragment of gem on either side of the top medium gem. The gems are round.
Commoner - Commoner collars have one medium round gem in the center of the collar.
Child - Child collars have two fragments of gem, one above the other. The gems are round.
GUILD RANK COLLARS
Guild rank collars are a smaller band of collar that clips on to the primary collar of the Sector. The gems do not vary in size unless the guild wilak is a King/Queen of the guild or a Jack, the former of whom has three large gems and the latter of whom has four gems arranged like the main points on a compass.
The size of the gems doesn't change depending on rank unless the rank is King/Queen.
Gemstones on the collars are carved into the shape of the guild. The Spades' rank collars are shaped like spades, the Clubs' like clubs, the Hearts like hearts, the Diamonds' like diamonds. None of the guild rank collars are round like the normal ranked collars. Rank is shown by the number of gems on the collar, starting at none, skipping one, and then going from two to ten.
::BOROUGHS::
Boroughs are towns build into the trees and treetops of the Sector, meaning that Sin City is built in more of a vertical manner than the horizontal axis that other Sectors are structured around. Each Borough has its own characteristic, and is shown on the map.
POLO - Polo is the biggest borough in Sin City, and many of the wilaks here are sociable and energetic. Because of its size, it has the highest population. In Polo, the guild of Diamonds, or the thieves' guild, work with their base of operations. Despite Polo's happy attitude, its streets are riddled with legal thieves.
GASTAVIAR - Wilaks in Gastaviar are often seen as loners, but in fact, this borough houses one of the most active economies in the Sector, and is the most stable borough. This is where the guild of Hearts, or the merchants guild, makes its base of operations, although they have many more tucked away along the riverway where no other wilaks live.
MILTINE - Wilaks in Miltine are quite often sharing knowledge through tongue and book. The streets are filled with rumors and talk about everyone that comes in, and many wilaks who live here are either confident in their own strength or too poor to move elsewhere, because in this city tucked near the outer area of the territory, the guild of Spades has their biggest base. Although the Spades has many more that only they know about scattered around the land, Miltine is where these legal murderers flourish.
ESTANVAL - Estanval is perhaps the most loyal of the boroughs. At least, partially. Many in this Sector are knights, guards or sages, or will grow up to be them, along with several retired guards and knights remaining here. In addition to this loyal group, the guild of Clubs, or thugs guild, operates from this borough. Unlike the honorable knights and guards, the members of the Clubs never kill unless in necessary self defense, but they are available for hire to at most nearly kill other wialks for whoever payed them.
ILLEFARIA - Located furthest away from populated areas aside from the coliseum that Jackpot hosts, this borough is where many farmers stay, along with some sages. This is the least active place to live, but no guilds have extra places to work here....at least, not that's been noticed.
::TRADITIONS::
GHOST HYMNS - During the color season for one week in the middle, stories are passed around telling the stories of scapers and other mysterious creatures said to roam the Sector. The stories are told in poems and hymns that are sung or spoken through wilaks of various ages. On this week, the Diamonds put a pause on their contracts and nobody is in danger of being stolen from legally. However, the Spades are more active on this week, as many writs are usually taken out on this week. Jackpot's coliseum is very active during this week and season.
HIBERNAL HIBERNATION - At the end of the Frost Season, a feast is held for everyone in the Sector. Leftover food from winter storage is left on huge tables at the Marketplace for anyone to take, and many wilaks will wander the woods to appreciate it. The Hearts are most active on this day and the days before it.
ORCHID PETALFALL - During the bloom season, wilaks gather in the marketplace in high spirits to throw colored streamers over the fountain and paths around the market and the cities. Flowers are the primary focus of this day, and the Spades and Diamonds put their contracts on hold for this day, making it an almost safe one. In fact, much of the point of this celebration is to enjoy the peace of the woods without the threat of the Spades or the Diamonds. Jackpot's coliseum is inactive this day.
VINYA'S DAY - A popular holiday in the fire season, this day is meant to focus on the life and death of the first Queen, Queen Vineyard, who founded the Sector. The more intelligent birds like crows and ravens--the most revered for the Sector--show up on this day to be fed by the wilaks in the Sector. This day is when many wilaks take a day away from working, including any in the guilds, to enjoy themselves and what's around them. This holiday is said to be a lucky day, and as such, the Bekaris Nets are a popular place to be since many are willing to try their coin on Counterfeit's lottery or drust cattle fighting ring.
::IMPORTANT WILAKS IN IMPORTANT RANKS::
Royal Family - [tba]
King/Queen of the Spades - [tba]
King/Queen of the Diamonds - [tba]
King/Queen of the Clubs - [tba]
King/Queen of the Hearts - [tba]
Jack of Spades - [tba]
Jack of Diamonds - [tba]
Jack of Clubs - [tba]
Jack of Hearts - [tba]
The Forest Sector
::MAP::
::LOCATIONS::
TEMPLE - Along the northern edge of the Sector, a temple takes the place of the more traditional castle. This woodland structure has a low roof through most of it, except for the huge dome-shaped throne room made with wood, metal, and a few vines. The temple is kept under strict maintenance, and aside from the vines and the plants that the queen and king grow for alcohol, not a stone is out of place and no overgrowth ever touches the pristine floor of the palace. Gaudy gold dust sprinkles the walls of the throne room.
Only the royal wilaks, a few select guards, and wilaks with scheduled meetings with the royals are allowed inside the temple. In the trees above the temple, the Gambit family(royal family) make their home in the vines and branches with a house of the highest quality money can buy, but more often than not, the middle prince Counterfeit is away at his secondary home in the Bekaris Nets.
TERONIAN TREES - A crowded area of tall forest trees that have stood for longer than the oldest wilaks have been alive. The trees here are sturdy and resilient, and thrive with no extra care from the wilaks at all. In bloom season, the vines on these trees sprout bright flowers in many different colors.
In the center of the tallest trees, not far from Hangman's Canopy in a cleared out circular formation, Prince Jackpot runs the fighting ring for wilaks in a structure arranged like a coliseum, with the judge's podium built into the trunk of the Hangman's Canopy tree. Many wilaks get sent to fight here if their crime puts them between the level of punishment that gets you in prison and the level of punishment that gets you executed.
MARKETPLACE - This stretch of sparser woodland is filled to the brim with shops of all kinds, set up by crafter wilaks, farmers, and other sellers with no restrictions. Towards the center is a fountain with a carved stone statue of a wilak and their kit coated in jewels and jewelry, with the water from the top of the fountain flowing out from gaps under their carved bodies.
The Diamonds, or the thieves' guild, has one of their bases in this area, along with the Hearts, the merchants' guild. It's not uncommon for trade to be put on a halt for a day because of a guild war.
BEKARIS NETS - The name of a sizable area south of the marketplace that Prince Counterfeit controls. The Bekaris Nets is an all-encompassing term for several buildings there, including Counterfeit's lottery, drust cattle (toxic barf-cow) fights that get bet on, and because of its vicinity to Polo, it gives Counterfeit a prime location to help the merchants of the Hearts or even more seedy merchants deal with any troubles they encounter that he doesn't want them to.
ROOTWATER - The primary source of water for Sector 7, this winding river takes up a sizable stretch of land along the forest. Algae coats its banks and water plants are found in plentiful quantities here. During floods, it tends to break out of its banks into small deltas, leaving permanent rivulets carved into the clay there. Roots of the trees reach out along the banks almost everywhere, giving it its name, and saving many a life when a wilak gets caught in a flash flood but grabs hold of some of the tree roots.
HANGMAN'S CANOPY - A huge sequoia reaching the height of 246 feet, in the western end of the Teronian Trees. This tree in the past has been used for executing criminals, and is now known as where the judges and announcers for Jackpot's coliseum perch to watch. The tree is the longest living in the Sector, and the tallest among the forest.
::LAWS::
- Starting fires in the Sector is a fine-able offence. The fine is 50 chof baseline, but can be raised depending on the damage with no cap.
- Attacking wilaks from allied Sectors is a felony, unless the foreigner is there without the guest collar. Wilaks who attack an ally of the Sector will be fined 75 chof and serve a month in the coliseum run by Prince Jackpot.
- Wilaks who are not part of the Spades and who have no writ of approval to kill a specific wilak are subject to the punishments seen fit by the Spades' King/Queen and Jack. This punishment frequently involves getting sold as a slave to Sector 10 or death. The Spades will not be punished for how they choose to deal with the offending wilak.
- Wilaks who commit thievery and are not part of the Diamonds will be fined with 3x the chof that the stolen item was worth, and are subject to the punishment of the Diamonds' King/Queen and Jack. This punishment is often done by taking all of the offender's possessions and/or hiring one of the Clubs to maul the offending wilak. The Diamonds will not be punished for how they choose to deal with the offending wilak.
- Wilaks selling services as a personal guard, thug, or otherwise a hired attacker who are not part of the Clubs will be fined 30 chof and are subject to the punishment of the Clubs' King/Queen and Jack. This punishment most often includes a brutal beating that lands wilaks in recovery for months on end. The Clubs will not be punished for how they choose to deal with the offending wilak.
- Wilaks trading goods between Sector 7 and outside wilaks who are not part of the Hearts will be fined 80 chof and are subject to the punishment of the Hearts' King/Queen and Jack. This punishment is almost always being sold as a slave to Sector 10.
::THE LORE OF SIN CITY::
Unlike the straight forwards monarchy of the other Sectors, Sector 7 is based more off of money and brutal enforcement. Money is everything to Sector 7. Money determines social status and privileges, and in a society where the richer get rich unless you're in a guild, everyone is fair game. Sector 7 is a Sector which relies on its market to keep running without the royals having to behave like true royalty.
The royals are rarely ever called 'king', 'queen', 'prince' or 'princess', although among other Sectors they do call themselves and each other this. Instead, the royal family is referred to collectively as "The Gambit Family", currently made up of Vigorish(queen), Martinegale(king), and the trio of princes, Jackpot, Counterfeit, and the youngest, Rollout.
Sector 7 was created a long time ago by Queen Vinya, who got other wilaks to move here with promises of cheap land and monetary opportunities. As expected, this attracted a specific sort of type of wilak.
Since then, the Sector has developed into what it is today: the royals hold ultimate power, but the four guilds of cards hold a significant amount of societal power, even if it's not much political power.
::THE FOUR GUILDS::
Throughout the Sector, there are four groups of organized wilaks. They are under the royals, but for the most part, they're given free reign. The rules of the guilds are all different, but one thing stays the same:
Guild ranks ascend much like cards in value, although the Ace is not included, and some who look for deeper meaning speculate that the Gambit family(royal family)are the Aces. As such, the ranks start without a name for those who've just joined and haven't proven themselves, and they get trained by the Deuces, then the ranks go up to Deuce(twos), Trey(threes), Fours, Fives, Sixes, all the way up to Tens. At the very top are the guild Kings/Queens(the reason why the actual king and queen don't use the label and are instead just part of the Gambit family). There is only ever one at the very top, either a king or a queen, and below them is the Jack, usually known as the "king in training". The different guilds have different methods of climbing ranks. The ranks determine who has the most influence in the guild's choices, who passes along writs and contracts to the lower ranks, and how much any given wilak gets paid(except in the Spades always, or in the Diamonds when doing a contract).
-- THE SPADES --
The spades are a guild alternatively called the "assassins guild". Anyone who wants to have a legal excuse for murder outside of self defense must be from this guild and have a writ or "contract" on whoever they were out to kill. All original contracts are kept with the guild leader, known as the King or the Queen, depending on who holds the title at the time, and a copy is re-made with a stamp from the guild leader and given to the wilak sent to kill the target in the writ. The Queen or King is given the original copy of the writ, sign it, and news eventually finds its way along, either through the original requester for an assassin finding one of the Spades and employing them, so long as they are above the rank of Deuce, or by the Deuces handing writs over to their Spades in training, the nameless rank below them. Forging a writ is punishable with death, either by execution or through fighting in Jackpot's coliseum until death.
The Spades ascend the ranks with one of two--or sometimes both--methods.
The first is a more honest method, taking on harder jobs or killing discreetly. The only way to get past the Tens rank with this method is to wait to be picked as Jack and then wait for the King or Queen to die or get killed, thus taking their place.
The other setup is less honest, more brutal, but faster. Accepting writs from wilaks to take out members of their own guild simultaniously eliminates competition and gains the wilak killer reputation to ascend further. Once at the rank of Tens, killing the Jacks is possible to attempt to get chosen for the next Jack, but once chosen as a Jack, the king or queen can be murdered and the Jack takes its place. This method is typically less effective, as a King or Queen who knows that the wilak in question is prone to killing those of their own is very unlikely to pick them as the next Jack. For this method to work best, the killing wilak has to be much more inconspicuous than any other method needs.
Often, the Spades will combine these two methods. Hiring one of the Spades costs a lot of chof, ranging from 75 to well over 200 depending on the difficulty of the writ, and these writs can be taken out on anyone, regardless of what Sector they come from. This guild is the only one with permission to kill, and encroaching on their turf when it comes to that will usually get the wilak killed by the Spades themselves. This guild is very difficult to get into, and newcomers are put through vigorous training that may kill them before they're accepted as one of the ranks under Deuce. However, it is the highest paying guild to be in, because of how expensive it is to hire one of the Spades, and the fact that any Spade who gets hired gets all of the money that they and their employer agreed to.
-- THE DIAMONDS --
Pickpockets and catburglars, the Diamonds are a guild of thieves and tricky nimble wilaks. The Diamonds never attack anyone unless it's in self defense vs death, and do have strict rules on how to distribute their theft.
Only a certain percentage of money can be stolen from any given wilak and, like the Spades' killing, writs need to be taken out to steal high quality, high value things that someone else wants, and the Diamonds are usually payed at least half or more of what the stolen item is worth.
The Diamonds is easiest to get into, and, in fact, almost everyone is accepted, even if many of them often fail and have to leave.
Going up the ranks in the Diamonds is all a matter of technique. There isn't any backhanded way to go up the ranks in this guild, unlike the Spades, so the only method used is to show off your skill and technique to your fellow thieves, and rise up the ranks that way.
-- THE CLUBS --
Somewhere between knights and the Spades, the Clubs fall. Alternatively, the thugs' guild. The Clubs are essentially bruisers for hire, and although they never kill anyone, they do contain some of the strongest and toughest wilaks in the Sector, and are almost always employed by businesses or the other guilds(aside from the Spades)as kneebreakers to help get a wilak to follow up on a deal. Even the Gambit family hire wilaks from the Clubs from time to time. Getting into the Clubs requires good physical strength and control over that strength, as killing anyone will get a wilak kicked out of the Clubs. Rising in the ranks of the Clubs depends on both loyalty and ability, as nobody who's not strong enough and has enough mental power to control their strength will rise very high. Only the best of the best are at the top of the Clubs.
-- THE HEARTS --
The Hearts is a guild of merchants, but more than that, they're the guild who regulates all trade that goes through to other Sectors. One of the Gambit family, Counterfeit, overlooks this more tricksy guild as a watchful eye over the shoulders of even the king/queen and jack of the guild. This guild doesn't fight or go out of its way to steal, and instead relies on social tricks to get others to sell good quality things to them, or teams up with wilaks outside of Sector 7 who want some goods transported. The Hearts has no qualms about transporting something of any kind, including hallucinogenic plants, poisons, and even slaves to Sector 10.
Rising in the ranks here is determined by success. As a big part of business is getting things sold, wilaks who sell more things or make more good deals with others will rise in the ranks faster until eventually they can be in charge of more dangerous deals as the king/queen or jack.
::RANKS::
All ranks in Sector 7 are portrayed by a metal band around the neck with the name of the wilak carved into the inner side by Prince Jackpot or King Martinegale. Along his collar of metal, gemstones are inlaid into it depending on the wilak's rank. The exact kind of gemstone and metal is up to the wilak, but the more expensive the metal and gems in it, the more respect a wilak tends to get given on the streets by the higher class.
RANK COLLARS
Royals - Royal bands have one large gem in the center with three on each side tapering to a smaller size. The gems are in a round shape.
Sages - Sage bands have one large gem in the center with two smaller ones on either side of it. The gems are round.
Knights - Knight bands have one large gem in the center with one smaller one on either side of the big gem. The gems are round.
Guards- Guards' bands are similar to the knights, with one large gem in the middle, but instead of having a gem on either side of it, the guard necklace has a smaller gem on the top and the bottom of the big gem. The gems are round.
Farmer - Farmer collars have two medium sized gems, one above the other, and one tiny fragment of gem on either side of the top medium gem. The gems are round.
Commoner - Commoner collars have one medium round gem in the center of the collar.
Child - Child collars have two fragments of gem, one above the other. The gems are round.
GUILD RANK COLLARS
Guild rank collars are a smaller band of collar that clips on to the primary collar of the Sector. The gems do not vary in size unless the guild wilak is a King/Queen of the guild or a Jack, the former of whom has three large gems and the latter of whom has four gems arranged like the main points on a compass.
The size of the gems doesn't change depending on rank unless the rank is King/Queen.
Gemstones on the collars are carved into the shape of the guild. The Spades' rank collars are shaped like spades, the Clubs' like clubs, the Hearts like hearts, the Diamonds' like diamonds. None of the guild rank collars are round like the normal ranked collars. Rank is shown by the number of gems on the collar, starting at none, skipping one, and then going from two to ten.
::BOROUGHS::
Boroughs are towns build into the trees and treetops of the Sector, meaning that Sin City is built in more of a vertical manner than the horizontal axis that other Sectors are structured around. Each Borough has its own characteristic, and is shown on the map.
POLO - Polo is the biggest borough in Sin City, and many of the wilaks here are sociable and energetic. Because of its size, it has the highest population. In Polo, the guild of Diamonds, or the thieves' guild, work with their base of operations. Despite Polo's happy attitude, its streets are riddled with legal thieves.
GASTAVIAR - Wilaks in Gastaviar are often seen as loners, but in fact, this borough houses one of the most active economies in the Sector, and is the most stable borough. This is where the guild of Hearts, or the merchants guild, makes its base of operations, although they have many more tucked away along the riverway where no other wilaks live.
MILTINE - Wilaks in Miltine are quite often sharing knowledge through tongue and book. The streets are filled with rumors and talk about everyone that comes in, and many wilaks who live here are either confident in their own strength or too poor to move elsewhere, because in this city tucked near the outer area of the territory, the guild of Spades has their biggest base. Although the Spades has many more that only they know about scattered around the land, Miltine is where these legal murderers flourish.
ESTANVAL - Estanval is perhaps the most loyal of the boroughs. At least, partially. Many in this Sector are knights, guards or sages, or will grow up to be them, along with several retired guards and knights remaining here. In addition to this loyal group, the guild of Clubs, or thugs guild, operates from this borough. Unlike the honorable knights and guards, the members of the Clubs never kill unless in necessary self defense, but they are available for hire to at most nearly kill other wialks for whoever payed them.
ILLEFARIA - Located furthest away from populated areas aside from the coliseum that Jackpot hosts, this borough is where many farmers stay, along with some sages. This is the least active place to live, but no guilds have extra places to work here....at least, not that's been noticed.
::TRADITIONS::
GHOST HYMNS - During the color season for one week in the middle, stories are passed around telling the stories of scapers and other mysterious creatures said to roam the Sector. The stories are told in poems and hymns that are sung or spoken through wilaks of various ages. On this week, the Diamonds put a pause on their contracts and nobody is in danger of being stolen from legally. However, the Spades are more active on this week, as many writs are usually taken out on this week. Jackpot's coliseum is very active during this week and season.
HIBERNAL HIBERNATION - At the end of the Frost Season, a feast is held for everyone in the Sector. Leftover food from winter storage is left on huge tables at the Marketplace for anyone to take, and many wilaks will wander the woods to appreciate it. The Hearts are most active on this day and the days before it.
ORCHID PETALFALL - During the bloom season, wilaks gather in the marketplace in high spirits to throw colored streamers over the fountain and paths around the market and the cities. Flowers are the primary focus of this day, and the Spades and Diamonds put their contracts on hold for this day, making it an almost safe one. In fact, much of the point of this celebration is to enjoy the peace of the woods without the threat of the Spades or the Diamonds. Jackpot's coliseum is inactive this day.
VINYA'S DAY - A popular holiday in the fire season, this day is meant to focus on the life and death of the first Queen, Queen Vineyard, who founded the Sector. The more intelligent birds like crows and ravens--the most revered for the Sector--show up on this day to be fed by the wilaks in the Sector. This day is when many wilaks take a day away from working, including any in the guilds, to enjoy themselves and what's around them. This holiday is said to be a lucky day, and as such, the Bekaris Nets are a popular place to be since many are willing to try their coin on Counterfeit's lottery or drust cattle fighting ring.
::IMPORTANT WILAKS IN IMPORTANT RANKS::
Royal Family - [tba]
King/Queen of the Spades - [tba]
King/Queen of the Diamonds - [tba]
King/Queen of the Clubs - [tba]
King/Queen of the Hearts - [tba]
Jack of Spades - [tba]
Jack of Diamonds - [tba]
Jack of Clubs - [tba]
Jack of Hearts - [tba]
