0208 — The Thicket Collaboration

An ancient but sturdy stone wall surrounds what was long ago a small city. Moss grows profusely on the building exteriors, and some wild creatures have made homes and nests within, but any structure made of stone has stayed intact and sound for seemingly centuries. No trace of original woodwork remains, though old rusted nails can be found among stone foundations. When exiles from Catage found this place they eagerly took to the stone shelters and began making them again livable. The reclaimed buildings that constitute a town are mostly clustered around the front gate. Banners of wildly varying colors and shapes coat the walls, shows of allegiance to a huge variety of revolutionary movements and ideals.

The Thicket Collaboration (so called because of its place in the dense and bramble-laden woods that dominate the landscape to the west of the river) is currently controlled by a coalition of militant anarchists of varying stripes and the Stokers of the Hearth-Firmament cult, largest of the cults to be expelled by the Merchant-Industrialists. Both groups were instrumental in ousting a belligerent royalist faction that had attempted to seize the entire settlement. Royalists still covet access to the supply lines from the smuggler’s camp at 0213 and plot to sow discord between the anarchists and Stokers.

The anarchists of the collaboration are interested in reformulating the social ills of Catage, and in lieu of a traditional governing body have assembled a volunteer body of “coordinators” who attempt to direct the city dwellers to where they can most comfortably live, undertake projects, and meet others who will help them in these undertakings. The idea of someone going hungry or unclothed is anathema to them — people staying here are not charged for living poorly (as detailed in the TNU 2e rulebook) in this settlement, though they might suffer other consequences. By the same token, ostentatious displays of wealth are considered a social ill. Living like the Rich will always generate 1 resentment in addition to any other results or consequences, and flaunting of wealth outside of downtime or failure to provide agreed upon compensation to a hired helper will be similarly punished.

The settlement can provide most services of a town as detailed in The Nightmares Underneath, due to smuggler connections. It is particularly known for being one of the only sources of horses and their husbandry in the wilds, for its hunters and foragers, and for having the only working printing press at the start of a campaign.

The population is around 400.

Some notable denizens and locations:

Coordinator Amaya (she/they) is a woman in her 70s who has dedicated her remaining years to seeing the collaboration succeed. She is likely to take interest in new arrivals to the town, particularly to ensure they are housed. Her deceased partner, Serafina (they/she), is buried here and was once a treacherous guard in Catage who was responsible for secretly releasing many rebels from prison, under the assumed identity of Cyrus Fayette (he/him).

The collaboration is the site of the only known printing press for miles, acquired from the Salvager’s Guild at 0708. They mostly produce agitprop against the royalists and merchant-industrialists, and reproduce revolutionary texts popular within the settlement. The press itself is a coveted object by many, as the tools to make another are not currently available in the wilds. Ensi (they/them) is an anarchist and a student of printing history who is dedicated to the upkeep of the machine.

A chaotic teahouse simply referred to as “the Teahouse” (Rules as detailed in TNU 2E, page 156) serves as the social center of the Collaboration. New arrivals in town are typically brought here by a coordinator as a show of friendship and camaraderie.

Vashti (she/her) and Farina (she/her) are a couple who run The Sandstone Stair, a combination of stable and meadery. Vashti (a level 4 Ghazi fighter) is a communist guerrilla specializing in mounted combat from a rebel enclave in the Kingdoms of Law, who was part of a detachment sent to Catage to recover prisoners of war. There she met Farina, inheritor of a family meadery which was funding anti-Merchant-Industrialist activity, and the two quickly struck up a friendship and then romantic relationship. When Farina was exiled, Vashti immediately found passage outside the wall with a smuggling crew and tracked down her partner. The “Sandstone Stair” itself that gives the institution its name is an actual set of steps carried from Vashti’s commune by her and her fellow guerillas, decorated with vulture iconography that also appears on Vashti’s shield and axe.

The Stokers of the Hearth-Firmament maintain a temple here. They believe in an all-encompassing hospitality, and a joy in decorating the world such that it is more aesthetically welcoming. They ornament themselves and their surroundings in metal ornaments, with an especial emphasis on brass and sun iconography. Their adherents tend to a great brass bowl with a fire burning in it at all times, to symbolize a dedication to warmth and welcoming. They will purchase jewelry and ornamentation made of or heavily featuring metalwork.

A man who only calls himself “The Servant” (he/him) lives in a nondescript house. He is an agent of Mylan Carre (he/him), a rich merchant-industrialist who fancies himself a “preserver of history.” Mylan is interested in artifacts and iconography of the anarchists, royalists, and ancient forces of chaos that are considered a faux-pas to display by other Merchant-Industrialists. The Servant will buy items that suit his tastes, and offer financial assistance to those likely to acquire more (with strings attached). Mylan is particularly interested in Nightmare Anchors and has instructed the servant to pay even for the opportunity to let him examine them in person. To do this, Mylan will have himself smuggled into the wild dressed in ominous robes that do conceal his identity but invite a lot of other questions.