PI - faction - the Mouthies

[Finley Ward]

The Mouthies on PI are a particularly interesting group, since they are, in general terms, very like all citizens of World's Mouth - and this can be summed up very easily. Love of money. Money is what drives a Mouthie more than anything - that and power, which in a lot of senses (particularly in a WM sense) is the same thing anyway.

But what's particularly interesting about the WM colony of Aveas is that all the Mouthies that are there probably don't want to be. It's said that there's a particular way of saying someone is an outcast; that they've disappeared, are in disgrace, or dead - and that is that they've been sent to Sabata. Now, I figure being sent to Aveas is a very similar idea. Aveas is small, new, and it's a colony in the jungle. There aren't any coffee shops or designer dress-makers and all of the luxuries a Mouthie would be accustomed to just... don't exist. There are probably a lot of mosquitos too. (Bleh!) So, the people we have there are going to fall into one of very few categories - they have to be there (ie, their boss or master told them so, so they did), they were exiled there (probably because they were annoying or difficult - think political or religious troublemakers, people it's far more convenient to send on 'important' missionary work than simply kill), or they are trying to prove something by being there.

The World's Mouth legion of Richelairre, the Ash Hounds, fall into two of these categories. They're soldiers (obviously) who once had a magnificent reputation, but fell to disgrace in unspecified terms. Now, they have been exiled (in a sense, the least popular legion got sent because they're really no great loss) to Aveas, and it's a great opportunity for them to regain some lost reputation, if they do a good job. So I figure, these guys have a lot to prove. Also, they're trained soldiers, so anyone attacking Aveas will come up against a lot of very strong, very well trained, very determined resistance. (Note, this is in general terms - I imagine not every soldier feels the same way. And also, being a place to regain your reputation doesn't negate the inbred soldierly desire to moan about it all the bloody time, either).

Besides the Ash Hounds we'll have the actual plantation workers - I suspect made up of commoners and slaves. The commoners will be there trying to earn a decent wage for their families (maybe some folks who didn't join the ULT and are now out of work!) and the slaves have no choice. So no great society here in Aveas - it's just a colony, so almost everyone there will be poor.

Aside from the legion and the workers themselves, who make up the majority of Aveas' population, we'll have a small number of other, more interesting, more powerful NPCs. Somewhere, there will be a couple of merchants - probably not the heads of merchant families themselves, but some senior and at least fairly respected individuals who are trusted to run and oversee this colony by the guys who are making all the money off it, back in World's Mouth. (Morgan - I will endeavour to find out which Magisters are making all the money - which merchant houses 'own' Aveas in the broadest sense - because it'll be one or several of their high-up lackeys running the show in Aveas itself. Lots of close communication between me and thee in the future, assuming Nico doesn't kill all the Magisters first...) So this (these?) merchant folk(s) will be the brains behind the colony.

And then, we will have a priest or two - a couple of religious folks and a small chapel dedicated to the One, just to keep everyone in order. Can't go abroad without taking your religion with you, after all.

(Of course, Aveas will also have a busy port and lots of ship activity - but I can safely assume most of these characters will fall into categories I've already listed).

So that said, how do the Mouthies feel (in very general terms) about the other factions on the island?

Mouthies and the dark adhiel
Aveas do not trust the dark adhiel, and still hold the age-old opinion that any dark adhiel should be killed on sight - they are dangerous and 'evil'. A lack of understanding coupled with hundreds of years of old wives tales. Any dark adhiel should expect a very cold, stoney, possibly violent reaction from the Mouthies if they tresspass on their land. On the other hand, the Mouthies are not particularly interested in the dark adhiel, assuming the pointy-ears keep to themselves and don't get too powerful. Oh, in the long run it's probably best to make sure the dark adhiel don't get too much power, but for the time being the Mouthies themselves are mainly concerned with Aveas - with milking the profit from it. The dark adhiel have a lot more to lose and acres to gain also - they actively want to expand their borders and political connections - whereas the Mouthies don't feel this same way. Aveas is, let's not forget, just a small colony of a much larger and much more powerful city. They don't want to lose it, of course, but it's not the end of the world if they do.

So let's just say, the Mouthies are not interested in the dark adhiel unless they A) trespass or B) become a problem. Until then, they will simply kill any one that comes too near and ignore the ones that don't.

Mouthies and the Panlings
Now, if it's possible, the Mouthies actually have a fairly similar feeling about the Panlings, with a couple of small differences. As long as the Panlings stay away and don't cause trouble, the Mouthies aren't much interested in them - let's be honest, a dark adhiel and a pagan aren't that much different to a Oneist's eyes, are they? ;)

However, and here we get to the differences: there was a big war, obviously... and the Mouthies brought a legion to Aveas with good reason. The Panlings (particularly the Bloodlings) are the biggest threat to their colony. They won, though - and the Panlings are very weakened and disorganised, with a brand new city. They are weak, and therefore not very important. If they decide to move against Aveas, the Mouth will endeavour to crush them - until then, they can be tolerated. And perhaps even... befriended?

Now, make no mistake - Aveas and the Mouthies really have zero interest in making nice with the dirty pagans in the interest of having new friends - that just isn't profitable. Besides, who would be friends with a pagan? They have no culture, no breeding, no class, and they're just not friend material. But just because you don't want to be friends with them, doesn't mean it's not useful to be friendly with them...

Firstly, there's no profit in killing them. They are not worth any more dead than alive, and probably a few Mouthie soldiers would die in the expedition, and there's really no point. (Remember why WM got involved in the war here in the first place? Same reason). Secondly, there is an uneasy peace - the Panlings have been allowed to set up their own city, and that's fine - as long as they stay away. There's nothing to be gained by stirring up that hornet's nest again, and much more to lose - it is better to have peace, for the moment. Thirdly, most importantly, the Mouthies aren't above slavery. This will impact on the dark adhiel and the Panlings (though perhaps not the centaur so much). Slavery is technically illegal in WM, but this isn't WM, this is Aveas. A little Panling colony might provide a great number of slaves in the future.

Of course, taking slaves would be an... interesting thing for the Mouthies to do - they'd need serious military advantages, and the sort of stability that couldn't be rocked by an attack by Bloodlings post-pillage. So it's probably not something they're going to do right away - but I can see it on the horizon. Perhaps the Mouthies might even take steps to befriend the Panlings, in future...? A docile colony of cattle makes better slaves than a mistrustful and weak colony of enemies. Perhaps some trading can occur here, perhaps some help given.

Mouthies and the centaurs
As far as the Mouthies are concerned, the centaurs are just... not important. They don't make good slaves, and they aren't very interesting, and let's be honest - they're not just pagans, they're freaks! Anything not human is automatically considered inferior by good Oneists - and you can't get much more sub-human than a centaur.

Besides, the centaurs are (in the opinion of the Mouthies) a weak and small society who seem far more interested in the dark adhiel than they do in anything important. The Mouthies might try to keep the little war going between the dark adhiel and the centaurs - have them fight each other, so neither becomes powerful enough to fight Aveas - but apart from that, they are quite prepared to let them fight amongst themselves. So long as it happens, y'know, over there where nothing we own is going to get broken.




The rest of this thread left open for additional dev work, and listing of important NPCs from this faction, including off-screen NPCs.

[Adriano Marinetti]

Some random thoughts by Snooky:

Seeing as Aveas is a colonial society, I think we should work on giving it precisely that sort of vibe - sort of a frontier, seedy, dangerous place, yet full of opportunities if one is willing to take the risks. I imagine it something like colonial South America/Carribean, populated by rich plantation owners, assorted rabble, and all sorts of religious nuts looking for freedom. It's a place where people go if they're having troubles back home.

Societally, I think it should be as seedy as the Mouth, if not moreso. The law is still in its embryonic phases, government is disorganised and corrupt, so people have to rely on other sources of protection - or on their own strengths. There should be massive stratification, with nearly all land being owned by the merchant houses of the Mouth and used as coffee plantations. New settlers could get just enough to eke out a meager subsistence. The plantation owners would exert tremendous local influence, and be able to get away with a lot - perhaps have private armies or bribe Richelairre troops. The others would be low-paid farm hands, possibly displaced by adhiel slaves (which would lead to racial strife). It would not be a glamorous place, as you said, and no self-respecting upper class merchant family would actually move there. However, the middle class - scions of poorer, but still respectable families, would very much relish the economic and social opportunities offered by the new colonial lands.

We could have Purificatio presence, sort of an analogy to Puritans. They'd thunder out fire 'n' brimstone sermons about the sinful and savage town of Aveas, built on the blood of Oneist martyrs and such, and see the colonial conquest as a gift of Dominicus, who wants them to wipe out the pagans or convert them at swordpoint. They shouldn't have too much influence, and the Powers That Be would likely keep any radicalism in check.

We could conceivably toss in pirates. All that shipping activity would be bound to attract people looking to plunder some booty. Not in the first months, perhaps, but later on.

As for relations to the others, there would be several main currents of thought - "Enslave 'em all!", "Convert the pagans!", "Kill the pagans!". Actual policy would be a mix between the three, depending on the shifting political situation and orders from home.

I imagine Aveas would quickly become a very cosmopolitan place, as traders from the Empire would flock to supply the vulnerable new colony with basic amenities. The Mouth would likely enforce a monopoly on trade, but that doesn't mean smuggling would be nonexistent.

Anyways, just a few offhand comments. More in-depth development of NPCs is forthcoming.

[Tristam]

Just a few more points: Based on the way things turned out in the war, the people of Aveas should be far more worried about the military strength of the dark adhiel than that of the Panlings. On the other hand, the Panlings, at least some of them, have been making raids on outlying farms and such so those resistance fighters are the clearer threat to root out.

Oh and on the high NPC front Enas Maglio, son of Magister Maglio, is governor of the island colony. He is not well detailed aside from being the youngest son. He fits nicely into your description of someone that doesn't want to be there and someone that has something to prove. Anyway, the Maglio's have the edge over the others in where much of the wealth gets distributed. Carloni gets a hefty share due to his ability to bring in the airships for trade while the Constanza house, Tristam's house, has substantial holdings and uses the Madrigal to undercut the others with speed of travel.

[Morg]

More specifically, on the Mouthie front:

The majority of operations in Aveas ultimately feed back to the Aveas Exports Company, the all-new legit formulation of the Espresso Syndicate. Four of the nine Magisters are a part of this Syndicate: Simon Maglio (the Chancellor/head of government), Tai Carloni (Foreign Affairs, also has the Condotierre under his belt), Esteban Saphio (Lord Mercantiler, a young, rich, rash man with many shipping interests) and Arlis Amadici (Grand Marshal, who has little personal power and is likely being controlled by the other three). Other investors also own shares in the company, for example High Inquisitor Ottavio of the Purificatio (NOT to be confused with Magister Octavio). This company would be the likely owner and operator or most of the plantations, at the top level.

The Constanza operation is separate, and as such it is likely extremely unpopular with the Company - and therefore with the colonial administration, assuming that it's still headed up by Enea Maglio. Likely the only thing preventing them from moving against their rival is the number of unknowns that Aveas still offers and the fact that local forces are too spooked by random Bloodling attacks to be marshalled for a big operation... but that's your department, o co-ord.