1925
Notes:
- The Crimson Barrier is a colossal city, an impenetrable wall running entirely parellel to the Riverstates, itself mounted on a long red river (The Blood Stream, a so-called "Font of Life"). It sits on the edge of the Dream, a last defense before entering the human Dreamers' world. The Barrier's people are incredibly defensive and xenophobic 90% of the time, and very protective of Dreamers. However, they DO love a good party.
They are big traders on Love & Hate, fishing it from the Blood Stream.
The Barrier is run by 8 Guilds. A Flag shows a heart shape cut into 10, with 2 pieces missing:
- Guild Vulpis enforce Homeland Security, making sure Mega-District problems disappear ASAP. (Foxes, Squirrels, Badgers, Rats)
- Guild Canae are police. They are most commonly met outside the Barrier protecting Dreamers from outside influence. (Dogs, Wolves, Bears)
- Guild Terad are renowned for being the only Singers in Barrier society. They run the Clergy, devoted to expression, and by extension the couriers. (Bats)
- Guild Orsin oversee every trade made within and between the Barrier. They are wealthy, made of "new money", hard earned. (Farm Animals)
- Guild Equae runs both the agricultural networks and the road systems between mega-districts. They are renowned for being the most hard-working, under-paid Guild. (Horses, Etc.)
- Guild Diminuta is manual Labour, and by extension the Militia. They often employ services to the other Guilds, as they easily outnumber all other members 100 to 1. (Rodents, Mescelids)
- Guild Primis run the Educational system, and by extension the Science Board and Hospital. They are famous for doing language experiments on Dreamers. (Apes)
- Guild Preyborne are the Noble Elite, often employed as overseers and political pushers. They strive on Cultural Purity. (Hunted Animals, Deer Etc.)
Intro:
- A city as far as the eyes can see, a huge thick castle wall, with a bright red mote. You rise and pass over, an endless city of spires, roads, bridges, many-layered with viaducts and aquaducts linking all. Tall, hand crafted buildings, built on top of each other, beautifully carved bridges and roads spiderwebbing over a huge, red river. Coracles and small boats dredge huge nets through the bloody water, full of glittering Love & Hate, the occasional whole building or statue hauled out of the river. Colossal walls disect the city into blocks, graffiti covered, gates manned by armoured figures regulate the passage of citizens.
- A flag flies: a Romantic Heart, divided into Ten Square Pieces: Two Pieces are visibly missing...
- At the highest level, the crown of the city, there is a private garden, more a forest, with huge mansions built onto the branches of trees, statues of Stags and Rabbits, safe behind many ivy-twined fences. Somewhat beautiful, yet chaotic and discordance singing arises from colossal cathedrals, almost entirely spires and belfries. Small figures fly and circle erratically in many directions, swooping off amongst the walls and spires and returning.
- Huge academic buildings nestle in the trees too, large gatherings of furry-faced ape scholars discussing loud, jovially and aggressively with each other from building to branch to building. Some are gesticulating toward human dreamers, or measuring them, or poking them, or generally experimenting, understanding their cousins.
- The roads carry huge caravans of mobile shops, on wheels and jaunting, insectile legs. Horses trade from the sides, leading the procession and assessing the safety of the roads. Some horses can be seen operating huge, manually-pulled steamrollers, making roads and building bridges and buildings by hand. Huge many-layered market places accept the caravans into their underbelly, flags of many houses and Guilds flying outside, beside a prominent statue of a Boar Rampant: part Bank, part House of Commons.
- Down on the streets, pubs, bordellos, restaurants and the pavements are flooded with cavorting, arguing, fighting rodents. Many are doing manual labour, aiding the equine and porcine traders, but many more are drinking, arm-wrestling and brawling. Patrols of metal-armoured guards, teeth-filled muzzles obscured by helmets and hooded cloaks walk the roads, glaring and growling at trouble-making. In their midst human dreamers walk protected and observed to their destination...
- On a street corner, the armoured hounds attempt to block the view of a violent scene. Crimson grafiti drips down a wall, cordoned off, a steadily reddening sheet draped over vsiceral remains. A 3-letter slogan “TAX”.
- Large gardens are blocked off, chained closed, marked “WARNING: STATUE GARDEN”. One is directly outside the building you approach, a many-windowed office building, somewhat mansion somewhat temple. Grotesques of Squirrels, Foxes, Badgers line the doorways and windows... and the occasional reptile...
- Below, you can see many more levels of the city descending into darkness, moss-overgrown and faded in darkness. Shadows move...
Event:
- The Winged are greeted by Lyas, head of homeland security for this Sector. He wants to show some comradeship between the Winged & the Barrier. There is gift-giving, and everyone gives and receives a gift.
- The Winged are greeted by Lyas, head of homeland security for this Sector. He wants to show some comradeship between the Winged & the Barrier. There is gift-giving, and everyone gives and receives a gift.
- Lady Cervus, a member of House Preyborne, holds a meeting discussing Barrier & Parliament relations - a plan of mutual exclusion, except on dire emergency is agreed to, with a swap in resources too.
- Captain Revere, a police commander, is upset with Lyas not ensuring the safety of his people, with both rogue ideas and a known murderer walking the streets. Wnged volunteer to help, and venture into the city with Lyas - Revere on the other hand, takes on all comers in a series of brief fights.
- Lyas tries to find his contact, Timothy, but can't find amidst the chaos of a number of rogue vehicle Ideas running rampant in the nearby area. They are all dealt with by teamwork, but the final one is some sort of war machine, touched by the Red. Titus, Illario & Tucker deal with it and the Gremlins piloting it, while Skreech destroys a Red growth, and Carla chases after a shadowy cloaked figure watching. Carla deals with a particularly nasty Gremlin that wounds her quarry, but eventually tracks her to a huge, closed Statue Garden. Lyas admits it's gone serious, especially with Timothy missing, and another "TAX" murder. He leaves to pull some strings, and try and get the Winged access...
- Lyas tries to find his contact, Timothy, but can't find amidst the chaos of a number of rogue vehicle Ideas running rampant in the nearby area. They are all dealt with by teamwork, but the final one is some sort of war machine, touched by the Red. Titus, Illario & Tucker deal with it and the Gremlins piloting it, while Skreech destroys a Red growth, and Carla chases after a shadowy cloaked figure watching. Carla deals with a particularly nasty Gremlin that wounds her quarry, but eventually tracks her to a huge, closed Statue Garden. Lyas admits it's gone serious, especially with Timothy missing, and another "TAX" murder. He leaves to pull some strings, and try and get the Winged access...
- Crowley attends, and manages to find some sort of truce with the Winged, especially the Raptors. Over teh evening, he acquires a large amount of Emotion...
- Ingrid, a Diminuta sellsword, attends and gets drunk, gushing all sorts of strange rumours. Attempts to take her in a fight are incredibly misjudged.
- Jaehn, a Primis Scientist hosts a storytelling competition for the title of poet laureatte.
- Brother Piscus staggers in, carrying a tiny Penguin - he claims the Piscans and Penguins are at war, but something else has attacked both sides. An investigation commences, and the group succeed in rescuing many captured Unnameable and even a Sphinx, but fail to rescue the Penguin Empress. They discover the attackers are "Guild Ceta", led by the charismatic yet powerful shaman Nook. No attempt is made to heal the rift between the Penguins and Piscans.
- Brother Piscus staggers in, carrying a tiny Penguin - he claims the Piscans and Penguins are at war, but something else has attacked both sides. An investigation commences, and the group succeed in rescuing many captured Unnameable and even a Sphinx, but fail to rescue the Penguin Empress. They discover the attackers are "Guild Ceta", led by the charismatic yet powerful shaman Nook. No attempt is made to heal the rift between the Penguins and Piscans.
- Charlotta, an Orsin Instor, and Strell, a bat Priest host a singing competition, alongside the brash Gargoyle, Madame Lodestone. Ezra Lovelorn is named Singer laureatte. Ofelia Lovelorn is gifted the care of Lodestone's baby brother... who appears to be nothing more than a brick. Strell hands an artefact over to Ischarrion, while Charlotta starts banking agreements with MINITru.
- Lyas comes through, and Carla leads an expedition into the Statue Garden. Despite the efforts of Lisabet Delacey to turn every moment into possible suicide, they succeed navigation, and discover something beneath the Barrier. Content, they return, now with a lead on the murderer, who has been observed by their new, mysterious allies.
- Old Bert hosts a highly successful Carousing song - pumped on Adventure, half the party leave with Bert, all wearing their Bounty-brand Battle Moustaches, and beat up an entire Trade Union Public House of Guild Diminuta representatives. Both sides thoroughly enjoy it.
- Empress Articana attends, and manages to be civil, discussing much with many Winged.
- Following their lead to an old food facility, Carla's team discovers the murder - a twisted abomination of a dead Dreamer's soul still obsessed with it's past occupation - taxidermy. The Soul is destroyed, and the souls of those murdered released too.
- Lyas returns, to thank everyone for their company and their efforts. Awards from the Barrier are given to the Winged:
- Hot Blooded Champion, for the Winged who beat Revere, went to Rico the duck.
- Delver of Secrets, for the most curious Winged, also went to Rico.
- Friend Of The Barrier, for the Winged who did the most for the Barrier, went to Carla the goose.
- Cold Blooded Ally, for the Winged who went below the Barrier, also went to Carla.
- Singer Laureate, for the Winged who sang the best, went to rook Ezra Lovelorn.
- Mr Dream 1925, for the best dressed male Winged, also went to Ezra.
- Ms Dream 1925, for the best dressed female Winged, went to pigeon Lisabet deLacey
- Friend of Dreamers, for the Winged who risked the most for the Dreamers, went to Vincenzo the Duck.
- Friend of the Bright, for the Winged who helped the Xenos, went to pelican Ol' Bert
- Friend of the Infernal, for the Winged who helped the Piscine, went to the owl Grand Duchess Titus
- Poet Laureatte, for the Winged who told the best story, went to the penguin Neg.
- Friend of the Lost, for the Winged who aided their own dead relatives, went to owl Isolde Alvitdottir
- Then everyone hugged Lyas. It was awfully awkward.
