R A I L R U N N E R S
The Railrunners
Reputation: Information Brokers. Couriers. Smugglers. Black Market Dealers.
Cornerstone Magic(s): Traversion, Scrivening
Tradition: Ghostwalking
Hierarchy
The Railrunners observe a fairly straightforward hierarchy that is instituted to ensure the smooth operations of their many business enterprises.
Chairman - Leader of the Board of Directors and the Railrunners as a whole. Overseer of the Coven Market.
Director - Overseer of one of the various Railrunner Waystations and its operations.
Engineer - A chief operative of the Railrunners, typically a field commander for operations.
Conductor - A senior Railrunner.
Traveler - Midranking Railrunner, usually in charge of smaller cells of witches.
Wayfarer - A general member of the Railrunners.
The Railrunners are not the oldest coven in Zaichaer but they are certainly among the most powerful and influential. Owing their success to an individual simply referred to as The Old Man, he arrived in Zaichaer roughly two hundred years ago and assisted the community in creating more viable avenues of smuggling arcane goods and people in and out of the city. As a result of this, the Railrunners have established themselves as premiere smugglers, information brokers, and arcane merchants across the territory of Zaichaer and beyond. Their influence can be felt across nearly every city-state in the Northlands.
The Railrunners cemented their position as one of the predominant covens of Zaichaer when in the year 47 Steel, the Order of Reconciliation performed a massive raid of many places frequented by coven members. Following this event, The Old Man devised an ingenious plan between himself and the rest of the coven. In perhaps one of the most impressive displays of both magical ingenuity and collaboration, The Old Man set to work on creating the Coven Market. It was an endeavor that took over a decade but in the year 57 Steel, the Coven Market became a reality. Guided and guarded by a multitude of mysterious magics, The Old Man opened the doors of the Market to every witch in Zaichaer. In the time since then, the Market has become the central hub of magical activity in Zaichaer outside the purview of the government apparatus. And all of it is controlled by the Railrunners. They have steadily risen in influence and importance ever since.
Many efforts have been made to infiltrate and overtake the Coven Market since its inception and creation. While some raids have been successful in causing damage to the Market over the years, none of the attempts to dismantle or destroy it have succeeded. The Market has become a staple where secrets, goods, services and a multitude of other things are traded on a daily basis. It has become a place that even the Reconciliators turn to under the table from time to time.
Coven Dynamics
The Railrunners are one of the largest of the covens of Zaichaer. The overall coven is governed by the Chairman of the Board, The Old Man. He is assisted in guiding the coven and its many enterprises by the Board of Directors and so forth. As a result of this structure, much of the coven is approached like a business when it comes to day-to day operations. Railrunners have a reputation of being keen business people with a deep understanding of the value of not just goods but services as well.
It’s Good Business - Railrunners tend to be very transactional people. Everything has a price and for the right price, everything and everyone can be bought. There is value to be found in every situation, whether it’s information, a priceless object, smuggling a person, or gaining entry to an otherwise highly secure place, Railrunners can be certain to find that value.
Thick As Thieves - It is no secret that the Railrunners tend to attract a certain breed of people. Thieves, smugglers, black market dealers, etc. The Railrunners have no gumption about knocking elbows with the shadier sides of life. However, even they have a code by which they abide. While everyone outside the coven is fair game, there is a strict expectation that Railrunners will be fair and loyal to their fellow coven members. This diehard loyalty is a hallmark of their dealings and helps ensure that while competition is fierce among them, everything is done for the good of coven in the end.
Fortune Favors the Bold - While most Railrunners are not particularly spiritual, it goes without saying that the overwhelming majority of them believe in the concept of Luck. Games of chance, scenarios revolving around trying one’s luck, and gambling or considering the odds, these are all things that are hallmarks of a Railrunner. These witches believe in pushing the envelope and working toward improving their fortunes while also having a healthy respect for the idea that life is a big game of chance where you either win or you lose. Everything else? Well, it’s just good business.
The Coven Market
Since its completion, the Coven Market has become the central hub of magical activity in Zaichaer. Stores, gathering places, and spaces where the witches of Zaichaer can actively practice their craft without fear of persecution can be found across the entirety of this location. The Railrunners have established the Market within a space that is heavily guarded with various layers of Traversion magic among other things. Entry into the market can only be achieved through the opening of one of its various portals which lead to a Junction space that serves as a lobby to control the flow of traffic into the market. Only Engineer’s or above have the ability to open a portal to the Market Junction. While they do so freely for members of the Railrunner Coven, the price of passage must be negotiated for anyone else.
Any witch with the coin and ability is able to establish a business within the Coven Market. However, every business must pay a tax to the Witch’s Council in order to continue to operate their business within the market space. The tax is negotiated based on the performance and potential profits of the business and it tends to fluctuate based on the earnings of the establishment.
Junction Square
Standing at the center of a large square is a column of white marble stone with four archways carved into it. Swirling within each archway is a portal that is perpetually in motion. Each portal leads to the Market Junction, the first stop that travelers make upon being allowed entry into the Coven Market by one of the various Railrunner Engineers. This vestibule serves as a traffic control point and can be closed by the authorities of the market at any time, ejecting those within the Junction itself back to where they came from and preventing entry into the market. This safeguard was instituted after several raids by the Order of Reconciliation and while it is not foolproof, it has served as a great mechanism by which the market’s security has increased considerably.
Upon exiting one of the portals in this column, visitors will be greeted to the sight of Junction Square, the central hub of activity within the Coven Market. The bustling activity is often a relief for many witches who make it to the market as it is one of the few places where magic in Zaichaer can be practiced openly and freely.
- The Sapphire Dragon Inn - One of the more reputable places of rest within the Coven Market, the Sapphire Dragon Inn always seems to have a room available for those looking for a place to stay.
- The Green Fairy - An alchemy parlor and bar that serves aether drinks and is also the main potion procurement shop.
- The Menagerie- The ultimate pleasure den, run by the Myshalarai Coven. A palatial structure wherein all manner of delights can be indulged. From gambling, to drugs, sex, alcohol, or even other services, the Myshalarai carefully manicure the experience of their guests to be as pleasurable and satisfactory as possible.
- Madam’s - Run by the eponymous Madam, this jewelry shop provides magical bits of jewelry to all who can afford the prices. The quality of her work is unquestionable. More than once, a jewel from Madam’s has proved the difference between life or death for those fortunate enough to carry one of her wares.
- The Clinic - Established by the Grymalka Coven, the Clinic is a medical treatment, surgery, and necromancy services shop.
- Haversham’s Outfitters - Run by the Kindred Coven, Haversham’s deals primarily in cloth and leather apparel. Many of which have received a touch of magical enhancement through the aid of nature and elemental spirits.
- Bedknobs and Bon Bon’s - A bakery and coffee shop that is a favorite for those simply looking for a quiet place to read, reflect and perhaps even enjoy a bit of music.
- The Trader’s House - Overseen by the Railrunners, the Trader’s House is a large warehouse inside of which a multitude of stalls, auction stages, food kiosks and other sellers set up temporary stands to sell wares or engage in business.
Coven Way
Just down the street from Junction Square stand various buildings, all of whom display banners professing the colors of a given Coven, whether major or minor. While there are only a handful of Major Covens, there are various Minor Covens that dot the territory of Zaichaer and across the city-states that fall in line with Zaichaer’s way of thinking. Many of them are represented in Coven Way by means of a Coven Hall. To be granted a Coven Hall by the Witch’s Council is to be recognized as the coven with both authority and jurisdiction over a particular area.
- Council House - A well-tended manor inside of which the Witch’s Council of Zaichaer gathers. The Cardinal Witches of the North, South, West and East as well as the reigning Witch-King or Queen, routinely gather here to decide matters of magical law for the Covens. The current Witch-King is of the Myshalarai Coven.
- North House - Residence of the Witch of the North. It is currently occupied by the Grymalka Coven.
- South House - Residence of the Witch of the South. It is currently occupied by the Kindred Coven.
- East House - Residence of the Witch of the East. It is currently occupied by the Sunsinger Coven.
- West House - Residence of the Witch of the West. It is currently occupied by the Railrunner Coven.
Tradition of the Railrunners: Ghostwalking
Zaichaer’s authorities rely heavily upon the abjinurium mineral in order to counteract the powers of renegade mages that disobey its laws. There are none more poignantly aware of the effects of abjinurium than the Railrunners. From an early point at their induction into the coven, the Railrunners are taught how to bypass the effects of the magebane stone and its effects. They are made aware of the fact that abjinurium operates on the concept of distorting the various aetheric pathways in a specific radius making it difficult for mages to manifest their powers in the world around them. To that end, Railrunners train themselves in the use of Traversion by utilizing their own internal aethereal pathways in order to manifest a portal inside themselves that they then pull themselves through. Essentially, the Railrunner creates a portal within the expanse of their own aura and through it, they invoke the power of the Slipspace.
Phantasm - This is the method by which the Railrunner turns their body into a living portal through which objects and other magic phase through. This is how the Railrunner is able to pass through wards and barriers as though they are a phantom. While they are in this state they are incapable of using other magic and must devote their energy and concentration to maintaining the portal that their body has been turned into. While they are in this state, objects directed at them or that which they interact with phase through them, allowing them to pass through things both physical and aethereal provided that which they are passing through is of equal or lesser power than themselves.
Specter - This method is the means by which the Railrunner projects a portal into their own aura and pulls themselves into the Slipspace. While they are in this state, they are able to perceive the astral form of the area where they are at for a distance of up to 30 ft. As they walk through the Slipspace, they are able to perceive the flow of aetheric pathways in the world around them and thus find the fault lines in wards, barriers or distortion fields in their area. Once they are able to discern this weak point, they are then able to teleport through this weak point and reappear back in the physical world or step into an area beyond the influence of such things.
Old Man
The Old Man
DoB: ???
Race: Clockwork Lich
Title: Chairman of the Board, Witch of the West
The Old Man is a figure of intense mystery for the majority of witches in Zaichaer. Arriving in Zaichaer roughly two hundred years ago, he made a name for himself as a dealer of information and favors. When he became reputable enough to garner the favor of several leaders of much smaller covens, he quickly rose to power under questionable circumstances. The shadow of his influence can be felt in all manner of places across not just Zaichaer, but in all of the city-states that institute the policies of the Reconciliators. He is a vicious opponent of the ideology of the Reconciliators and goes to great lengths to undermine them whenever the opportunity presents itself. He is the mind behind the creation and institution of the Coven Market, perhaps one of the only places under Zaichaer’s control where magic can be practiced freely without fear of reprisal. During his time he has served as the reigning Witch-King from time to time but has stepped back from that role when he feels his guidance is no longer needed. As a leader, he runs a very efficient and well resourced coven, having been the individual responsible for teaching the ancestral Railrunners the techniques behind the Ghostwalking tradition. He is a noted alchemist and undisputed master of Necromancy, with some saying he may have also been a hand in teaching the Grymalka the secrets behind their venerable ancestor spirit guardians. When it comes to leading the Railrunners, he inserts himself only when he feels the need, leaving the majority of day to day operations to the Board of Directors. So long as his commands are followed when he issues them, he leaves most of them to their own devices. And he has never issued a command that didn’t turn out profitable for the coven in the end.
Madam
Madam Delilah Reyvange
DoB: 8 Ash 44 Steel
Race: Human
Title: Director
The eponymous Madam of the jewelry store located in the Coven Market, Madam Reyvange is a fixture among the witches of Zaichaer. For years she has employed both her magic as a Traverser and her skills as a noted Runesmith to craft jewelry that has proved invaluable to the witches of the various territories controlled by the Reconciliators. Her genius rests in her subtlety, as she crafts devices that are both equally aesthetic but also useful. She is one of the few people outside the government who controls the dragonshard trade in the territory of Zaichaer, having contracts with the Novalys Mining Company to have a sizeable amount of dragonshard materials shipped discreetly to her facilities. As a result of this, she is a figure of immense influence among the mages of the city and even greater wealth. The Madam runs several other establishments, though most of them do not sell magical wares, and several of them are brothels with whom she has partnered with the Myshalarai for a cut of the profits. Overall, she is a formidable woman who knows the art of making a deal that works out in her favor.
Yosho
Yosho
DoB: 71 Frost 92 Steel
Race: Human
Title: Conductor
Originally born in Kalzasi, his family migrated to Zaichaer when his grandfather fell ill. That same man passed away shortly thereafter and in that time, his mother and father took over the family business of smuggling between the various city-states of Karnor. He has become a rather decent smuggler in that time but where his true talents rest is as one of the Railrunner’s most frequently used hitmen. When a problem arises and the Board of Directors needs it solved quickly, quietly, they call upon Yosho and his team. It is not uncommon for his skills to be utilized alongside the Myshalarai as well, with whom he has fostered a good reputation. Yosho tends not to be much a business dealer himself so much as a man who can get things done. If one gives him a job, they can rest assured that there is a high likelihood that it will be done with great efficacy.