1. Overview -------- Built into a large crater in the side of one of the Eastern Mountains. The crater is the bowl of an ancient dormant volcano, which the Gnomes use as an infinite source of Geothermal power, and as a natural heating source. They also use it as a resource, occasionally tapping into a magma flow for this reason or the other. The Engineer's Guild is tasked with the sometimes interesting task of ensuring that the volcano stays dormant - and that if it doesn't, then that the city has no less than one week's advance notice to evacuate or help out. 2. People ------ The population of Breech is, for the most part - quite obviously - Gnomes. Every Gnome here, with few exceptions, is part of one of the ruling Clans that founded the city 75 years ago. Many gnomes that live here are old enough to remember escaping from the Alliance; 30% of any gnomes encountered will be more than 300 years old, and will remember escape from the Alliance. 15% will have been of adult age at the time, and will remember actively fighting the alliance during their escape. (Most of these people are currently working for the Gnomish Military, but a few are in the Engineer's Guild or the Arcanists Guild). For this reason the people of Breech take the idea of "Country", "People", etc, far more seriously than the human kingdom to the west. Most of the gnomes in the city view humans as (for the most part) well intentioned, but having excessively short life and memory spans, often leading them to make horrible choices - possibly even repeating the past. Gnomes will generally hold their tongues around humans, however, preferring to simply ignore them and hope that they go away (and "don't touch anything"). The few humans who have taken up residence in Breech are generally either political refugees from the Western Kingdom, farmers who were driven out of their holdings in the Free Frontier by advancing Alliance armies, or intelligent humans coming to study with the various guilds in Breech. Few humano-centric adventuring guilds exist here, and human thieves are generally viewed as "western barbarians" by the more sophisticated Gnomish thieves in Breech. Still, humans are welcome; gnomes aren't as aloof as the elves. Most humans coming here have brains, as there isn't much use for brawn here. So humans coming into breech will have little trouble. Elves coming into Breech are viewed with some amount of suspicion. The Gnomes have never agreed with the elitist view that the Elves take of themselves, or the elitism related to their elven arcane arts. The few elves in Breech are generally members of the Arcanist Guild, and are serving at the Academy of the Arcane Arts. Elves, however, generally don't stay long in Breech; it's simply not their kind of place. Breech has a strict ban on any residence by any monstrous humanoids; this includes Goblins, Kobolds, Orcs and Half Orcs. While the gnomish clan leaders despise the elitist attitudes of the Elves, they also distrust the collectivist immigration policy of the Western Kingdom, where anybody who "accepts the Lord" can immigrate from the frontier. If a monstrous humanoid approaches a Gnomish Holding Border outpost, as long as he's peaceful, there'll be no trouble; but he'll certainly be turned away, with instructions to head south, and look for the nearest church, at which he may seek some sort of western kingdom citizenship. If he is hostile, monstrous humanoids in and around breech are dealt with decisively. "We were enslaved for millennia; we won't have it any more. And if that means I have to blow your brains, out, well..." While certainly not common, Dwarves do live in Breech. The activities and technology of the gnomes are of great interest to the dwarves of Stonehold, and unbeknownst to those not reading over my shoulder, there are tunnels connecting the two cities. The tunnels have existed as long as Stonehold, and are old Underdark passageways. Dwarves patrol them along with Gnomish Recon agents, and Dwarves will often settle in Breech as a result. Many of the dwarves in Breech are representatives of Stonehold, or prominent Dwarvish merchants purchasing materials and technology from the Gnomes. (It is also not uncommon - again, unbeknownst to those not reading over my shoulder - for gnomes to settle in Stonehold, under a strict gag order about that fact.) For the most part, the people of Breech are, by and large, quite happy and peaceful. But as with any gathering of peoples, there are bad elements, criminal elements. Those residents of Breech fill the ranks on both sides, as well as those caught in the middle. But all said and done, the people of Breech are far more united and peaceful than those of the rest of the Western Kingdom (except for the elves, who nobody knows what the *!@#& they're doing). 3. Notable Persons ------------------ 4. Notable Locations -------------------- 4.1 [Gnomish] Academy of the Arcane Arts [at Breech] ---------------------------------------------------- A great octagonal tower complex rising out of the center of Breech, soaring to a height of almost 900 feet at its apex. The single publically advertised and attendable arcane school in the entirety of the Western Kingdoms (if the elves have such academies, they - in their elitism - are not advertising). It is also the headquarters of the Arcanist's Guild, and the school is currently ran by the heads of that Guild. 4.1.1 Admission --------------- Admission is allowed twice per year, during the Spring and Fall equinoxes. The admission is done by test; specifically, anyone with an intelligence of less than 12 is denied entry, period. They will be tested out on a standardized test. After that, candidates are put through a battery of physical tests to see if their bodies will endure the rigors and dangers of magical training; the specifics of this test are up to the DM, but they generally follow the same pattern - subjecting the candidate to severe elemental stresses, endurance tests, etc. (Nobody can complete a 24 hour chant if they can't stand on watch for 8 hours and function normally the next day.) After that, they are subjected to a series of mental tests; a series of illusions and terrors meant to test their resolve. Any failed test will instantly disqualify a candidate, and not even the hand of an Arcanist Senior member can save his candidacy. Once the candidate has passed entry exams, they are allowed entry into the academy. Academy students, for their first four years, are required to live on the Academy grounds with their Arcanist mentor. They are nearly severed from contact with the outside world, steeped in study and practice, meditation and reflection. If they successfuly maintain their studies for the first four years, then they will have attained 1st level magic user, and will have placed 3d3 1st level spells into their spellbook. After the four years have passed, they are allowed limited contact with the outside world, but still must live on-site with their Arcanist mentor. In another 8 years, they will achieve 2nd level of mastery, and may begin going on expeditions with their Arcanist mentor or other Arcanists. Once they have achieved their 3rd level of mastery, they are free - if they wish - to acquire their own quarters and move out of their Mentor's quarters. They will, however, maintain the same mentor, regardless of their location. At the 3rd level, the student will be assigned a student of their own to mentor - whether they still live with their mentor or not (naturally, the student's mentor at this time will either inform his student that he needs to get his own quarters, or the mentor will leave on field studies). Admission to the academy and continued study there is dependent upon a fee paid yearly, adjusted for the level of study of the student. The fee is equal to 25 sp to the Nth power, per year, where N is the level of mastery that the student is studying. So, for 1st level, the fee is 62 gp; but 4th level will cost 39,062 gp. That fee is *per year*. Further, the student must maintain an active membership in the Arcanist's Guild, which carries its own costs on top of that. If the student is unable to pay the fees, then the student may request that their mentor - or another Guild member - sponsor them. When this happens, the sponsor will agree to take on the student's debt, in exchange for the services of the student, and forfeiture of any pay for said services, outside of that to satisfy basic needs, until such debt is repaid. If the student cannot attain sponsorship from any of his peers or guild members, he may make an appeal to the school board, consisting of the 8 school heads; if they agree with his hardship, they can form an agreement similar to that formed between mentor and student - but with the school as the benefactor. The various banks in Breech also offer loan programs for the students of the Academy, but given the nature of a bank- being more interested in finance than the furtherance of the science -the student's Mentor must submit the application to the school council, and it must be approved by the council, and the student's mentor, rather than the student itself. The bank's terms are often even worse than those of a mentor or the school, making this option the least interesting of all. 4.1.2 Levels and Advancement ---------------------------- If a student relies only on book study, then it will take 4 years (per level) to attain first level, 8 for 2nd, 16 for 3rd, 32 for 4th, 64 for 5th, 128 for 6th, 256 for 7th, 512 for 8th, and 1024 for 9th. So, to attain the 9th level of mastery through nothing but book study, the student would have to study for 4 + 8 + 16 + 32 + 64 + 128 + 256 + 512 + 1024 = 2048 YEARS. This means that nobody will ever attain the true understanding of magic necessary to use 9th level spells just from books and study at the Academy. Generally, once someone reaches the 4th level of mastery, if they aren't going on expeditions already, they will. The question of "how much XP is a year at the academy worth?" will often come up. Specifically, here is the chart: Level of Years XP Per Year Magic-User Mastery Sought To Mastery of Study Level ---------------------------------------------------------- 1st 4 625 2 2nd 8 937 4 3rd 16 1875 6 4th 32 1562 8 5th 64 2500 10 6th 128 6835 13 7th 256 4394 16 8th 512 1464 18 9th 1024 732 20 For every year spent at the academy, in pursuance of a given level of mastery, the student will be taught - in theory and practice - a number of spells of a given level which they can scribe into their spellbook, as shown in the table below: Spells Per Year Level of By Level Mastery 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 --------------------------------------------- 1 5 - - - - - - - - 2 1 3 - - - - - - - 3 - 1 1.5 - - - - - - 4 - - - .75 - - - - - 5 - - - - .33 - - - - 6 - - - - - .20 - - - 7 - - - - - - .05 - - 8 - - - - - - - .03 - 9 - - - - - - - - .01 Fractional spells per year represent that it will take more than one year to learn a given spell of that school just by book learning; for example, when pursuing the 5th level of mastery, each spell takes (1/.33 = 3.3r) 3 years to master. At the 9th level of mastery, it takes 100 years to master the magical energies required to cast the Wish spell, for example. This is another reason why most people disembark for field studies once they reach the 3rd level of mastery, because they can acquire spells far more quickly. HOWEVER, note that in order to gain the spells for a given year of study, the student must be present *for the entire year of study*. So the student does not get automatic spells from the academy while out on field studies. 4.2 Breech Master Pentagonal Library ------------------------------------ The single most complete library in the Kingdom. Gnomes are known for their love of writing down whatever comes to mind, and the Breech Master Pentagonal Library is the single largest showcase of that. The library is built - if viewed from above - to resemble a sort of pentagram, with five "spokes" coming out from a central "hub". Each of the spokes houses a wing, which will cover a specific topic (or group of related topics). The wings are (at current - they may be rearranged, but have not been yet): North Wing: Agricultural and Economic texts East Wing: Engineering, General Mathematics Southeast Wing: Arcana, Arcane Mathematics Southwest Wing: History and Public Records West Wing: Fiction, Art, etc Any texts which do not fall under those topics can be found in the central "hub" of the library. The building itself is a full 9 stories tall, standing almost 100 feet. Gnomish elevators and simple staircases allow for travel between floors. Most of the books can not be checked out due to their rare nature, but there are few restrictions on what can be viewed and copied. 4.3 Council Home ---------------- The Council Home is the location of the Gnomish Clan Council, and is where they hold court. The Gnomish Clan Council holds court once per month, lasting 14 days, with each session per day lasting 9 hours (sometimes more if circumstances permit). The council then takes two weeks off to "be amongst the people, and understand their affairs far better than we possibly could, cloistered in the lavishly decorated comfort of the Council Home." (It is, in fact, a requirement that the Gnomish Clan Council members - each one the head of a prominent Gnomish Clan - hold some sort of employment outside of their council duties.) The building is made of white marble, and is in the Athenian style - an open building surrounded by columns, onto which the original Clan Law, to include the Knight's Old Code handed down by the Council of Nine, is magically carved so that it may never be eroded and forgotten. At night it glows with a faint white light, and those who cannot see need but touch one of the pillars, and they will hear the law spoken in their mind. Law and lawlessness are central issues to the Gnomish people, as they believe that only by strict adherence to the law - with the occasional slip by a well meaning engineer's device - can the society remain free of corruption and tyrrany. The Council Home is carved with various Gnomish art and sayings, but the most prominent is carved above the main entrance. With a sword and a scales flanking the phrase, carved in the stone (again magically to prevent erosion), it says: "AS ABOVE - SO BELOW" ... A reference to how the law must apply equally to all people in Breech, whether they are a Clan leader or a beggar in the street. Walking through the main doors of the Council Home, you are instantly placed in the Auditorium. Stairs lead down into an open pit in the floor, built as an Amphiteatre, where speakers present their cases to the court. The Council sits behind the amphitheater floor, in a semi-closed box, facing the pit and the rest of the seats on the other side. The people of Breech, by and large, detest the idea of secrets - secret societies, secret meetings, secret organizations. For that reason, all meetings of the Council are held open to the scrutiny of the public eye and the Breech press. In fact, one of the reasons why the clan leaders declared their independence from the Braddock line 75 years ago was the increasing talk of secret meetings and societies in the ranks. 4.4 Advanced Agricultural Growth Advancement Domes -------------------------------------------------- In the AAGDA (pronounced simply "Ag-da" by those who speak of them frequently), the Agriculturalist's Guild attempts to develop methods by which: - crops that grow well only in the foothills may be made to grow in the mountains for additional security of the crops - any crop can be made to grow faster, and produce more yield per square acre of planting The domes stretch over an area of about 20 acres at current, with 10 separate aquaducts feeding only this site. At any given time there will be from 10 to 100 different experiments taking place here, with an unknown probability of success. Most players won't go here often. 4.5 Breech Aquifer and Aquaducts -------------------------------- The Breech Aquifer itself is located deep under the mountain, above Breech proper, somewhere beneath the peak of the mountain. The various stations that make up the Gnomish Aquafier System are lined up and down the side of the mountain, sometimes above, and sometimes below, Breech proper - sometimes even outside of the walls. 4.5.1 Boiling Station --------------------- Water collects here from the aquifer, and is brought to a boil by a combination of copper heating elements and magical heating effects. The Boiling Station is large enough to hold approximately 5,000 gallons of water, and will not release to the pumping station unless the water has reached boiling temperatures. This is both a general sanitation concern, as well as a security concern- Slaadi hate hot water, and they're renown for their love of underground, cool fresh waters, like the Aquifer below breech. The Gnomish Defense Force and Engineer's Guild would rather not deal with the consequences if a Slaad somehow found its way out into the Aquaduct. Grills above the boiling station open into a network of massive iron pipes, which open out into natural steam vents from the underground volcanic flows. While the steam pipes are theoretically large enough for a full sized Orc - or even a Troll - to fit inside of and infiltrate the Boiling Station, the intense heat of the Boiling Station's own steam, combined with the constant - and occasionally violent - steam release of the underground magma flows, it is doubtful that any creature would be able to survive the trip. 4.5.2 Pumping Station --------------------- Water is pumped here from the boiling station, into the aquaducts, out into the city and out to the outlying foothills. It consists of no less than ten (and they are often constructing more) huge pumps the size of the average human house (each pump is approximately 60,000 cubic feet in size, or about 100 x 50 x 10 feet tall). The pumps are capable of moving up to 10,000 gallons of water per hour, though they are hardly ever used to capacity. The extra capacity was built into the pumps so that, if Breech ever experienced flooding, the polarity on the pumps could be reversed, and the city's excess water level emptied out into surrounding ravines. Here, much like the Boiling Station, there are massive iron pipes leading out to the city and the aquaducts. It is an extremely dangerous place, access is highly restricted, even amongst the Engineer's Guild members who operate the location. (For example, just because you work for the Engineer's Guild at the Aquifer, if you work at the Boiling Station, or the Recovery Station, you won't be granted access to the Pumping Station). 4.5.3 Recovery Station ---------------------- Water is collected here from both rainwater sources, street runoff, sewer return, and aquaduct return flows. The recovery station measures the volume of water coming in - of each variety - and ensures that contaminated ground water (e.g. street run off and sewage) do not mix with fresh rain water and aquaduct return flows. Contaminated water is sent out to the Sewage Treatment Station, and the fresh (or mostly fresh) water is sent to the Boiling Station. The Recovery Station is also a magical detection point; water is taken in from the various sources and held for five minutes in large 500 gallon storage tanks, where Detect Magic spells are cast upon it. Any water showing traces of magical tampering is sent to the Sewage Treatment Station instead of the Boiling Station, regardless of its type. 4.5.4 Sewage Treatment Station ------------------------------ Contaminated water is sent here after being separated out from fresh water at the Recovery Station. Here it goes through a number of cleansing and preparation steps, to include mechanical separation of waste matter, sediment removal, chemical antibacterial and antiviral treatments, etc. The final step of the sewage treatment station is to undergo a final separation; non-magical water elements get delivered directly back into the boiling station, but any water showing magical enchantments is separated off into a separate holding tank where the nature of the dweomer is determined, and Dispel Magic spells used upon it if necessary. Any water showing magical enchantments that cannot be dispelled, is immediately dumped into one of the various underground magma flows under the treatment station, thus ending any threat it may pose. 4.5.5 Secondary Pumping Station ------------------------------- Located in the foothills at the base of the mountain, it is the job of the Secondary Pumping Station to ensure that any and all water coming in from the aquaducts in the foothills, and any captured mountain rainwater, is pumped positively back up the mountain, back to the Recovery Station. This station is almost identical to the Pumping Station, except that its pumps are smaller and it has less of them. Each pump here is capable of moving only about 2,000 gallons per hour, but with more force, to propel the water back up the mountain. There are currently five pumps at the facility, each measuring about 30x30x10 feet. 4.6 Gnomish Military Headquarters and Command Center ---------------------------------------------------- Built in the same area of the city as the Academy of the Arcane Arts, the compound is walled and rises approximately 120 feet above the streets (the single tallest structure in the city next to the Academy itself). It consists of two main structures, one for the Headquarters and another for the Command Center. Headquarters houses the administrative and financial branches of the Gnomish Military and Gnomish Defense Force. Its 10 story building is full, for the most part, of offices, and the type of people who spend their day in an office. The second building in the pair is the Command Center, which also houses the Gnomish Defense Force Command Center. Few know what goes on in this 12 story building - or in its 5 level basement. 4.6.1 Jail ---------- Also on this site is the Gnomish Clan Holdings Center for Administrative and Military Judicial Punishment and Executions, or "the jail" for short. The jail here is more technological, and much more comfortable, than the one in Throne, which is the only known jail to which it may be readily compared. The building itself is a 4 story building with concertina wire surrounding it, in addition to the stone wall already surrounding the HQ/ Command Center site. Guards patrol the wire, and are stationed on the roof, all equipped with Gnomish Light Rifles and short swords. Escape is difficult if not impossible. The entire site is built on top of the mountain's own stone floor, making tunneling - again - difficult if not impossible. The cells are generally 10x10, have a commode which may be flushed (rather than the simple watered channel the ones in Throne are equipped with), a mattress on a stone slab, a foot locker for the holding of personal effects, a writing desk - "so that one might study and better one's self whilst in prison, to be a useful member of society upon one's release, rather than yet another criminal awaiting re-entry into a criminal world" - and, in the cases where the prisoner is lucky enough, a reinforced glass window looking out over various portions of the prison/city (which may or may not be green). The rooms are also equipped with "less-than- lethal prisoner compliance systems", which amount to a hole in the wall through which water can be blasted at high pressure, targeted at a troublesome prisoner, "inducing compliance rapidly". Those criminals unlucky enough to be assigned to a "high risk" cell will find their stay far less enjoyable. These prisoners are generally kept under chemical sedation while in prison, inside their 8x8 cells with simple stone beds - to which they may be electronically shackled. The flushing commode has been replaced in these cells by the simpler watered channel, "to reduce the amount of frangible material available to a prisoner, which may be reduced to weapon-like shards to be used against themselves, other prisoners, or their guards". Closed- circuit electronic/magical hybrid cameras monitor the cells 24/7, giving the prisoners not one minute of privacy. And if that wasn't enough, the room is equipped with not one, but two, means of automatically doing away with a troublesome prisoner. Inside of an armored hemisphere in one corner of the roof rests a gnomish machine pistol on an automated turret with a 1,000 round magical magazine which may be controlled from the same room as the cameras. This should be scary enough. The rooms also have the same "less-than-lethel prisoner compliance systems" of the simpler cells, with a rather nasty twist; not only can they direct water into the room, but they can also fill the room with knockout or poison gas. Gnomish prison is not a place that anyone wants to find themselves. The only thing that is worse than being in a Gnomish jail, is being in Throne, with the Church being out for your blood. 4.7 Power Generating and Recyling Station ----------------------------------------- The PGRS is the station at which all the electrical power is generated in Breech. The power is generated through a collection of geothermal and biological generation methods, to include the standard geothermal generation from magma flows, to the production of electricity using Methane gas from decomposing garbage as it sits in the Recycling Station, awaiting incineration. (Sitting atop a dormant volcano, with access to its magma flows, Breech has no problem disposing of its garbage.) The site is a sprawling location, covering almost 150 acres of property, much of which is bare for the purpose of separating the station from the rest of the city in case of some sort of disaster. The power generation site is located on the southern edge of the city just behind the walls (in case a disaster does ever happen and a magma flow erupts from the site, it will flow down the mountain, and not out into the rest of the city). The plant is currently operating near capacity, and plans are being made to expand it further, outside the city walls, with a second site closer down towards the foothills. The plant provides power to the entire city, as well as the pumping station down in the foothills, and select outposts along the mountains. Much expense is spent policing the miles of electrical power lines stretching out into the mountains and the foothills, against monstrous interference. As for the location itself, it is, as has been said, ~150 acres square. The entire site is fenced off with a stone wall and concertina wire, much as the Jail. Entry is allowed through only one narrow gate on the eastern edge of the facility, which is under armed guard at all times. (Guards generally carry Short Swords and Gnomish Light Rifles with 20 rounds of ammunition). 4.7.1 Power Generating Station ------------------------------ The facility itself is located in the center of the 150 acres, with the ground level building being only a few thousand square feet, consisting mainly of administrative offices. All engineering levels are below ground, closer to the magma. The facility holds 20 geothermal power generators, each capable of generating 120,000 killowatts of electricity continuously. Each generator sits directly atop a shaft that goes between 200 and 500 feet straight down into a magma flow. There is one generator per level, given their massive size (each generator shaft is approximately 40 feet wide, and the generators themselves are about 200x200x30 feet, *massive* machines). The area around the generators is excessively hot, and excessively tangled with a maze and mess of thick electrical wires, carrying current out to distribution sites across the mountains, and ultimately into gnomish holding buildings. The entire area is plastered, quite obviously, with signs simply illustrated. The illustration is generally of a stick figure touching something, and exploding, or vaporizing, or melting, or having some other similar horrific fate visited upon them. Warnings in common, gnomish, elven, and even in Goblin and Orcish, read: "DANGER! EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS! INSTANT DEATH GUARANTEED! (or your money back)" The only other location of note on the surface here is the Recycling Station and the Methane Power Generation Station, located adjacent to it. 4.7.1 Recycling Station ----------------------- A smaller facility added on to the side of the generating facility at a later date, this facility is located just by the gate on the inside of the walls. It houses various holding tanks/rooms for garbage and various substances. Once the room or tank is filled, it is sealed, and a large rubber tube - measuring about 3 feet in diameter - is attached to the room, and to an outlet in the wall next to it. The tube leads to a great iron pipe that leads back to the Methane power generation site. The garbage substances are allowed to generate the gas for some time before being released to the recycling center proper. Some materials are reclaimed and used again; such as precious metals (copper, aluminum, etc). Some are milled up and used to produce other materials (such as paper). Some are unusable and, once they stop generating methane, are taken to the "Dump Chute" - a 100 foot wide chute, leading straight down into a series of magma flows. 4.7.2 Methane Power Generation Station -------------------------------------- This is where the methane gas produced by trash waiting recycling in the Recycling Station is pumped to generate additional electricity. The Methane Power Generation Station is responsible for only about 8% of the power generated and used in the kingdom, but it is an essential part of the equation nonetheless. It consists of 2 large generators that burn the gas to spin large motors which generate electricity, which is fed back into the master grid at the Power Generating Station (proper), to which the MPGS is adjacently located. 5. Government and Politics ----------------------- 5.1 Ruling Body - Gnomish Clan Council -------------------------------------- The Gnomish Clan Council consists of the family head of each large gnomish clan. The "large" gnomish clans are the ones that : - Originally escaped Alliance enslavement - Have ammassed considerable wealth, and therefore are in a position to help (or hurt) the gnomish holdings with their actions - Have ammassed a large extended family size (500+) but are not extremely wealthy In this way, almost every segment of the population of Breech is represented - with the notable exception of those *who are not gnomish*. Non-gnomes can *not* sit on the council, by its very design. This issue has only been briefly discussed by councilmen, outside the Council Home, before. It cannot currently be concieved why a non-gnome would want to sit on the council; outside of influence from the Western Kingdom's Royal Trading Company, that is. And the fairly simple tactic of refusing non-gnomes on the council makes that easy (as the Royal Trading Company's distrust of gnomes is well known). Currently, there are 7 clan leaders sitting on the Council. Presence on the Council is not voluntary; if a clan falls within the designations above, their leaders are required by law to be present at all council hearings to speak for their people. It is also Gnomish law that presence on the council will provide the person with no special powers or priveleges beyond their normal status as clan leaders; by law, no single member of the council has legal power. Rather, the council - acting in majority - have the power to create, repeal, modify laws, and manage the finances of the Gnomish Holdings at large. This policy was created to help curb additional abuses of power seen in the Western Kingdom at the time of the Clan Leaders' separation. 5.2 Police and Military ----------------------- The Gnomish Military is designed around the essential feudal system with some differences. Each Clan maintains its own fighting force, much the way British lords did in the olden days. Each clan is required to outfit its army on its own, but they can petition the Council for additional funding from the nation's coffers if necessary. When operating, each clan's unit is under the specific command of that clan. Therefore, unity of purpose in the Gnomish Holdings is of ultimate importance; if they saw fit, a clan could take its army and go home, since they do not take orders from some detached government entity, but rather from senior clan members to whom they are directly related. 5.2.1 Gnomish Defense Force --------------------------- The Gnomish Defense Force is the domestic branch of the Gnomish Military, tasked with defending Breech and the outlying foothills. The GDF does not - in general - have the advanced weaponry, training, and support networks that the Gnomish Military proper does. The GDF generally operates in pairs of 2, patrolling the streets. GDF agents are, in general, armed with short sword and billy club, short spear and billy club, or light crossbow and billy club. It is not common to see GDF members operating in teams of more than 4, and that is only in high crime areas. The GDF does, however, have a few big guns - specifically, they have the Machiners. (See new monster, "The Machiner".) The GDF has a force of 10 Machiners in reserve. They rarely operate at all, and when they do, it's generally a terrifying thing to watch. The Gnomihs Defense Force is the only branch of the Gnomish Military that breaks free from the clan system; the Council agreed early on that, in order to provide for efficient security at home, the safety of the city at large must take precedence over individual clan interests. Therefore, a separate command was created - the GDF - and troops are donated to the GDF in equal number by all clans (to prevent one clan having an excess of troops in the GDF, and attempting to stage a coup). The troops in the GDF are commanded by GDF leaders, and from the council - in majority - above them. 5.2.2 Gnomish Military Proper ----------------------------- Generally speaking, the gnomish military is too busy on the frontier - and other places - to be bothered with policing Breech itself, and prefer to leave that to the Gnomish Defense Force. That, however, shouldn't be taken to believe that the gnomish military never operates domestically - just that it's extremely rare. The Gnomish Military headquarters, however, is here in Breech, as well as the Gnomish Command Center. (Head- quarters is the administrative branch of command, while the GCC is the active branch that actually controls troops in the field). For this reason, there is - in reserve and on standby - one company of Gnomish Reconnaisance operatives in Breech (about 200 men), under the direct command of the GCC. They are only given out to the GDF in *extremely* dire circumstances; they generally are kept to protect the Military HQ and the GCC itself in case of attack. The only activity that the gnomish recon here in Breech actively engage in on a routine basis is the patrol and policing of the magma flows (yes, magma flows) beneath the city to ensure that they are not somehow being magically penetrated by denizens of the underdark. The same applies to the various caverns underneath and around Breech. Naturally, "GCC Duty" for gnomish recon is not sneezed at - not just anybody has the big iron balls to go patrolling a magma flow. 6. Economy ---------- Breech has an economy that could be labeled as "sufficient". There are a few wealthy people in Breech, but for the most part, everyone is "comfortable". There are various programs ran by the Clan Council to provide low cost health care, copyright and trademark protection of valuable assets and products, and all the economic trappings expected of a high technology / high magic society; yes, including crooked banks. 6.1 Agriculture in Breech ------------------------- Little Agricultural activities are performed in Breech proper outside of the Domes. The city has no soil to speak of, making agriculture mostly impossible. What little agriculture is done in breech revolves around research and the herding of mountain goats/sheep for food stuffs, wool, horn, etc. 6.2 Imports and Exports ----------------------- The single biggest export of Breech is gnomish weaponry and engineering devices to Stonehold. They trade with Stonehold far more than they do with any other nation, and are the only nation with which Stonehold will trade. Medicines and various technology are exported to wealthy people and governments in the Western Kingdom, mostly King Braddock in Throne, and those in Mast. Beyond that, information and personnel are the largest export from Breech. Many troops leave from here to join up, under Clan leadership, with various Western Kingdom armies on the Frontier. Gnomish Engineers often leave and hire out in the larger cities of the Western Kingdom, and sometimes work pro-bono in smaller villages throughout the Kingdom. Gnomish Arcanists will sometimes - though rarely - be invited to come and visit with the Elven Archmages in the Elven Protectorate. The other lesser known exports of Breech are the precious stones and metals turned up by Dwarves using Gnomish mining techniques. The dwarves are able to mine so quickly using gnomish engineering, that the Gnomes worked out an agreement; the Dwarves purchase gnomish mining equipment at a reduced price in return for a small cut of whatever is produced from the mines. (This allows dwarven miners who are down on their luck to purchase equipment, get back on their feet, and provide additional continuing revenue to Breech all at the same time. It's a win-win situation.) Most of the results of this agreement are used here by the various Guilds, but many of them are exported down towards Mast and Throne for a hefty profit. 6.3 Domestic Markets in Breech ------------------------------ Breech doesn't have markets like most people think of them; gone is the Bazaar of Mast. Most needs are filled by a few large "shopping centers" where a single merchant guild member will contract the service of various artisans to work and stock the various "departments" of their stores with the goods they need. Food is bought in bulk from the farmers in the foothills, and some in the free frontier, and presented in the "grocery" department of these stores. Some food is even magically preserved and smuggled through customs in the Western Kingdom to provide fresh seafood in Breech, to those willing to pay for it. Many of these "shopping centers" are open 24 hours per day, seven days per week, providing a continuously operating economy. 6.4 Currency and Banking in Breech ---------------------------------- The standard currency of Breech, and the entire Gnomish Holdings, is the standard Gold Piece. On one side, it is graven with the seal of the Western Kingdom; on the other, the seal of the Clan Council. "Thus shall it always be recognised, by all who do business with us, that we are eternally connected to, and hold respect for, our brethren in the West; while also displaying obviously and proudly that the Gnomish Holdings are a free and sovereign entity." The currency of the Western Kingdom proper is also accepted, but the use of Breech currency is encouraged by those who intend to reside here long. The Banking system in breech is above and beyond anything in the Western Kingdom, and would make the bankers in Throne and Mast wet their pants. There are 2 or 3 large banks in Breech, each having large gnomish safes inside. All the banks in the city are electronically connected, and many of the "shopping centers" are electronically connected to the banks (which often own the centers...) in turn. Often money changes hands in Breech without any coin or chits being present; many locations have small plates on which a customer can reference their bank account and transfer money into the account of the shopping center, thus reducing the amount of cash actually carried on a person. Most residents of Breech - specifically the more wealthy ones - have welcomed this system, while many others - Dwarves and low income gnomish clans specifically - have rejected the system and refuse to work within it, instead opening traditional banks and spending money in traditional ways. Even in Breech, and even in the financial sector, there is still often a divide drawn - when everyone begins to ponder just how much technology is too much. 7. Notable Non-Government Bodies -------------------------------- 7.1 Thieve's Guilds ------------------- 7.1.1 Gnomish Guild ----------------- The Gnomish Guild in Breech is part thieves guild, part separatist organization. They maintain a firm stance that non-gnomish thieves should not be allowed to operate inside of Breech, and that when caught they should be dealt with swiftly - before the law has a chance to swoop in and save their sorry hides. Non-gnomish thieves don't have the finesse of a gnomish thief, they don't understand the technology, and they don't understand the risks inherent in the city's operations. They just wind up using the same tactics that work back home where torches and swords are your biggest problems, and most locks can be defeated with simple picks, or a prybar. All they do is bring down the heat on the Gnomish thieves when their idiocy gets them caught. When the Gnomish Guild catches a non-gnomish thief operating in the city, they send a simple warning - a rat skewered on a long knife, delivered in a black box. "Get out" is the meaning of the warning. If they don't clear out within a week, the Guild will generally eliminate them by whatever means are expedient. Aside from their separatist leanings, the Gnomish Guild is extremely efficient and is highly wanted by the Gnomish Defense Force. They live amongst and apart from the people, using the shadows of the city, the technology and the magic, to make off with the most choice valuables. Purses of coin and a rare vase are above the Gnomish Guild thief; magic items, engineering plans, equipment, all these are their aims. They will use their catch for their own ends, or sell it to the highest bidder on open markets. But even the Gnomish Guild, consisting of some very old Gnomish Thieves, understands the nature of the situation at large; anyone caught dealing with monstrous races is dealt with decisively. Stealing from your neighbors is one thing, but giving your neighbor's enemy a weapon against them, is entirely another. The Gnomish Guild has a strict honor code to which they adhere, despite their roguish appearance outside. In fact, many Gnomish Thieve's Guild members are ex-gnomish Recon operatives who decided this life was much more exciting than going straight. Much to the surprise of most players, the alignment of the average thief in the Gnomish Guild is Lawful Neutral. 7.1.2 Other Guilds ------------------ Other guilds will pop up from time to time, consisting mostly of non-gnomish thieves, due to the Gnomish guild's separatist leanings. Occasionally there will be a gnome amongst them; sometimes they are genuinely interested in working with the others, often times they are a plant sent there by the Gnomish Guild to bring this new upstart "mongreloid" guild down from the inside. Non- gnomish guilds don't generally last more than a year, and even then they generally aren't all that successful. 7.2 Arcanist Guild ------------------ Not much is known about the Arcanist Guild, other than that they run the Academy of the Arcane Arts. They're not a secret society per-se, but most people simply don't have an interest in what they do. And besides, most of what they do pertains to arcane research, which is - by necessity - secret. For the most part, the hierarchy and operations of the Arcanist Guild is the hierarchy and operations of the Academy. 7.3 Engineering Guild --------------------- The Engineering Guild serves an obvious purpose; it provides support to engineering workers in Breech, as well as providing uniform testing and certification criteria for various occupations. It also provides legal support to any engineer whose trademark gnomish careless zeal has resulted in some form of accident or other legal liability. The Engineering Guild is a perfectly respectable organization, whose headquarters are located just outside the Aquifer Pumping Station. 7.4 Merchant's Guild -------------------- The Merchant's Guild is actually populated, mostly, by bankers. It is not so much a guild, as a lobbying entity; those in it have money, and firmly believe that the council should be doing more for them, to ensure that they get more money. 7.5 Argicultural Guild ------------------------- The Agricultural Guild is composed entirely of agriculturalists from the surrounding foothills and countryside, and is both a lobbying entity and a guild. The agricultural guild runs its own bank, the First Farmer's Bank of Breech, with offices scattered across the countryside to assist village farmers who are having difficulties. It also works to ensure that those members of the Council who are not actively engaged in agriculture, are certain of how important agriculture is, and that they do not rule against agriculture in their court proceedings. The Agricultural Guild also runs experiments at the Domes with the cooperation of the Engineers Guild.