The Council of Genkar

I'm late, I'm late!" - the White Rabbit

With the holiday season upon us, I spent the weekend with friends and family doing some of the great traditions that we do around here.  Because of that, my weekend was occupied and I didn't update.  

As I've mentioned before, I'm getting ready to run the adventure Evil Tide in a couple of weeks.  I have some brand new D&D players going to join in the fray, so it's been my duty to help them create characters and feel involved in the story.

I've given them the information that the adventure will start in Genkar (which is where I base most of my adventures around).  I like to ask them questions like "Why are you in Genkar?"; "What do you like about the city?", etc.  However, in order to get an idea of some of the people of Genkar, I've put together a small document that presents some of the movers and shakers.  With this, I'm hoping some players will tell me of an affiliation they would like to have with one or more of those Council members, which will give me a good way to hook them into the story.

In my experience, you can never have enough ways to hook your players.

So, I present to you my document, the Council of Genkar.  Images belong to their owners; I simply did some searching until I found pictures I liked.

Introduction

To many, the coastal city of Genkar is a great trade hub where countless merchants gather to trade and barter over items they have crafted, stolen, or traded for.   In reality, Genkar is something much greater.  Its noble history is mostly forgotten by the average commoner, despite all the reminders throughout the city.  This document gives a brief outline of the city, in hopes that this might give players ideas for their characters.

Overview

                Emblem: Gold Dragon

                Leaders: Steward (Aadris) and the Merchant Council (House Sierett, The Fabricators, Janubiz, Mixximaggi, Voenn)

House Sierett

Leader: Camilla Sierett

Sigil:

                House Sierett is responsible for the collection and manufacturing of goods in the Genkar area.  They had earlier been working to create a logging complex, bringing wood and raw materials from the forests surrounding Genkar back into the main city to use for the construction of lodgings and war machines.  However, a Cult of Orcus has ransacked the site and were performing rituals, scattering the workers.  Voenn of the Merchant Council hired a group to take care of the cultists, allowing House Sierett to continue their business plans.

                Sierett Manor lies along the northwestern end of Genkar.  It has its own private docks and an artificial harbor of sorts. 

                House Sierett has a strong affinity with Shadowborn, the name given to those who original hail from the Shadowfell.

The Fabricators

 Leader: Entaroh Gebung

Sigil:

                The Fabricators are a guild of alchemists, artificers and engineers.  They specialize in the construction of numerous magical items and machinery.  Many of the airships in the world are built and maintained by the guild, though rumors of airship piracy has led many to believe that the Fabricators cannot control their creations as well as they would like.

                It is also known that the Fabricators are expert construct makers, effectively giving themselves an army.  A high ranking warforged (magical construct) named 138 is said to be the overseer of the constructs.

                Many Fabricators products, such as alchemical items and magically produced weapons are exported from Genkar.  Crates bearing their sigil are loaded onto ships bound for far off continents, while the captains of such vessels are constantly on the lookout for mercenaries who would escort the goods to their destinations.

Janubiz the Whirlpool Rider

Sigil:

                Janubiz is an ex-pirate, or privateer as he likes to refer to himself.  It is well known that he spent much of his early life exploring various planes and places of the world seeking treasure and wealth.  As time went on, the wily githzerai realized that he could create even more profit if he was able to sell his wares and create various outposts and bases throughout the planes.  And so, on the continent of Aradove, in the city of Genkar, Janubiz has risen to prominence through his uniting of many of the ‘treasure hunters’ than have already been established through the region.  Rival gangs have been united under him, and a great decline in petty thefts was seen.

                Janubiz also commands a large fleet of ships, used, as he puts it, for trade.  In reality, some of these ships are used for various pirating excursions along Aradove’s coast, sometimes sailing to the far end to do business with Bloodsand.  Others sail farther west, only to return with exotic treasures one can only find in other lands.

                His sigil is only as a means of identification of Privateer’s Papers, documents that allow a ship to enter and leave Genkar at-will.  Visiting ships must pay a hefty fine, and those that choose not to pay suddenly find their ships confiscated.

Mixximaggi (Mixxi)

Somewhat of a commoner, the tiefling Mixximaggi (known to many as Mixxi) acts as a voice for the common people of Genkar.  From her small clothing shop in the Council District (called Mixximaggi’s Boutique), she mingles with the people, giving them a bit of her life and they give her theirs.  Because of the sheer number of citizens that admire and respect her, a few on the Council see her as somewhat of a threat.

It is unknown what Mixxi’s true motivations are, but she is not above meddling in the affairs of others.  In fact, she seems to do so quite openly, sometimes sending adventures into the affairs of others on the Council.

Voenn

                A soft spoken, quiet man, Voenn has seen many years and has studied long in the history of Genkar.  He thinks before he acts, and seems to grow impatient with many of the bickerings between members of the Council.  At times, it is by his own doing and involving others that issues become resolved. 

                Voenn is a valuable ally to any who seek to navigate their way through Genkar.  Many believe he possesses some skill in the arcane arts, as some of his abilities seem out of place for a man of his age.

Aadris

Descended from the founders of Genkar, Aadris now sits on the ruling chair of the Steward.  A man of action, he is quick to declare blame and demand retribution.  Many of the other council members see him as a pawn that they can work to get what they want.

                As Steward, Aadris controls much of the Genkarian army and guard.  Before his ascension to stewardship, he served in the army as well.

                He has no sigil, as his emblem is that of Genkar, the Gold Dragon.