Arc:New Troubles in Old Cenril

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Cenril: a city in strife

Ever since the Preklek invasion, and the pirate raids which toppled the existing city hierarchy, Cenril has been a lawless morass of murderers, thugs, black marketeers, and people just trying to live their lives without getting shanked in the process.

After Geoff Burnham died, followed by Grot and Vaduuk's respective shuffling off of mortal coils, even the city's underworld has fallen to anarchy, despite the efforts of several powerful figures of Cenril's criminal element.

As the city continues to writhe in turmoil, various factions and groups have staked claims both small and large in scale, each with their own plans for the city.


  • The Church - The Church has always been present in Cenril as an often-unnoticed force for good: from organising programmes to get youth out of criminal enterprises to restoring city monuments and providing aid to those in need. A new Archbishop has recently been installed, albeit quietly, and the Church continues its efforts to renew the city under its guidance with the assistance of its paladins. Its efforts have been hampered by the disappearance of the Paladin Redovian, and restrictive pressures brought to bear on the church by other factions.
  • The Criminal Underworld - Cenril's underworld has an undeniable hold on the city, although it isn't always obvious. Most merchants in the city pay protection money to some ganglord or other, and as a result things run smoothly, save for the frequent bodies found in the streets each day when gangs try to expand their personal boundaries or pursue vendetta. The criminals are only loosely organised, but most share the desire to maintain the status quo which lets them operate freely.
  • The Law - Although the city's civil infrastructure remains in ruins, and lacks the influence to run the city as a dominant power, that does not mean that there are not working remnants of the old law-enforcement groups. Mostly confined to the wealthier sections of Cenril, where the old bureaucracy still shows some semblance of form, the Law falls into two main groups: the Guard, and the Police. Neither faction has much influence in the slums, keeping their efforts to the more genteel and wealthy sectors.
  • The Cult of Vakmatharas - Most typically found in Vailkrin, this offshoot of the murderous deathcult has established itself secretly in Cenril. They are a potentially powerful unknown factor within the underworld of Cenril. Not much is known about them, only that when they act, death and darkness comes. Most who hear rumours of them discount their actions as 'bogeyman tales' and drunken yarn-spinning due to the group rarely making its presence known.

OOC Information

There is a current buildup to a new RP Arc involving a city-wide conflict between two rival smuggling factions.

Players heavily active in organising the Cenril RPs are Valentin, Thistle, and Katya. Please do not hesitate to contact them with questions. The OOC RP Board north of Kelay Tavern will sometimes have useful updates.

To assist in developing the RPs, there is a non-canon forum located at http://gangsofcenril.proboards.com/index.cgi where plot ideas can be discussed prior to IC implementation.


Cenril: a city in strife

Ever since the Preklek invasion, and the pirate raids which toppled the existing city hierarchy, Cenril has been a lawless morass of murderers, thugs, black marketeers, and people just trying to live their lives without getting shanked in the process.

After Geoff Burnham died, followed by Grot and Vaduuk's respective shuffling off of mortal coils, even the city's underworld has fallen to anarchy, despite the efforts of several powerful figures of Cenril's criminal element.

As the city continues to writhe in turmoil, various factions and groups have staked claims both small and large in scale, each with their own plans for the city.

(This page forms an umbrella for those RPs and Arcs involved in the Cenril Underworld since the passing of Grot and Vaduuk.)


Factions

The Church

The Church has always been present in Cenril as an often-unnoticed force for good: from organising programmes to get youth out of criminal enterprises to restoring city monuments and providing aid to those in need.

In recent history Archbishop Compton IV, in an attempt to restore order, decreed church rule over Cenril in the month of September. However, he was removed from office after his decision lead to the deaths of clergymen in the following month by a local assassin and murderer known only as The Butcher of Cenril.

Since then, a new Archbishop has been installed, albeit quietly, and the Church continues its efforts to renew the city under its guidance with the assistance of its paladins. Its efforts have been hampered by the disappearance of the Paladin Redovian, and restrictive pressures brought to bear on the church by other factions.


The Criminal Underworld

Cenril's underworld has an undeniable hold on the city, although it isn't always obvious.

Most merchants in the city pay protection money to some ganglord or other, and as a result things run smoothly, save for the frequent bodies found in the streets each day when gangs try to expand their personal boundaries or pursue vendetta.

Typically, the criminals are only loosely organised, but most share the desire to maintain the status quo which lets them operate freely. In recent times, though, their has been a growing tension brought about by the shadowy conflict between two powerful smuggling factions.


The Cult of Vakmatharas

Most typically found in Vailkrin, this offshoot of the murderous deathcult has established itself secretly in Cenril. They are a potentially powerful unknown factor within the underworld of Cenril.

Not much is known about them, only that when they act, death and darkness comes. Most who hear rumours of them discount their actions as 'bogeyman tales' and drunken yarn-spinning due to the group rarely making its presence known. (The Cenrilli branch of the cult is currently a mostly inactive NPC group, until such time as a PC character becomes involved with them)


The Law

Although the city's civil infrastructure remains in ruins, and lacks the influence to run the city as a dominant power, that does not mean that there are not working remnants of the old law-enforcement groups.

Mostly confined to the wealthier sections of Cenril, where the old bureaucracy still shows some semblance of form, the Law falls into two main groups:


The Cenrilli Guard

Led by Edgar Malanx, the Guard reformed after the pirate raids. All of them are veterans of the Preklek War, with newer recruits recently being brought in. They're decently armed, though lacking in funds. Typically hired by those who have the gold, they are essentially a rented city militia to help keep the more genteel northern parts of Cenril as free as possible of the southern slum-dwellers and their strife.


The Cenrilli Police

Led by Head Sheriff Thalan Yurx, the Cenrilli Police are not particularly numerous, and their efforts at maintaining order are often hampered by the criminal elements of the city. As a result, they tend to focus their attention on the primary business district of Cenril. They tend to prioritise maintaining order over other tasks, breaking up fights and any other overt activities which affect the ability of merchants to ply their trade. (Merchants however, knowing the police cannot be present at all hours, invariably continue to pay protection monies to whichever gang holds dominance in their area.)

The Police are at present largely resigned to being glorified security staff, as it is often more than their lives are worth to go poking too deeply in the slums without enough force of arms to back their efforts.


Arcs and RPs of the Cenril Underworld

Nemo and Craven's Crew

(August 2011)


Nemo - A shadow in Cenril

Fleeing Vailkrin, having found himself in something of a precarious situation there, Cornelius assumed the persona of the assassin 'Nemo' and entered Cenril in secret to take up his old profession.

Out of expedience, opportunity, and slight ennui, the assassin enmeshed himself in some of the gang troubles in Cenril.


  1. Fire in Cenril's Warehouse District - Saboteurs hit Sawtooth and frame Craven


A Touch of Religion

Compton's Fatal Decree

(September and October 2011)


  1. The Butcher of Cenril - a carcass for the cathedral
  2. A second priest disappears


(January - June 2012)

Paladins Rising

Too long have the undead within the lands of Hollow gone unchecked. Too long has evil become the norm for society, and for too long has a hand of true justice grasped to rid the world of this darkness. Through the Cathedral of the Divine Three and the Church of Cenril, a group of Paladin's start to remold the world the ways they can, so that their interpretation of good can be lived.

Chapters:


  1. The Beginning of the Rise
  2. Two Necros in Cenril
  3. The beginning of the End


Ripples at the edges of the Criminal Underworld

(January 2013 - ongoing)


Questionable Honor

Thistle's search for her family sees the nomadic woman drawn deeper and deeper into the tangled world of Cenril's Underworld.

Pieces of a larger puzzle start to fall into Thistle's unwilling hands with each step taken in her quest as tendrils of the city's hidden power struggles slowly intertwine with Thistle's fate as well as that of her family.


The Smuggler War

Coming soon!


OOC Information

There is a current buildup to a new RP Arc involving a city-wide conflict between two rival smuggling factions.


Players heavily active in organising the Cenril RPs are Valentin, Thistle, and Katya. Please do not hesitate to contact them with questions.

The OOC RP Board north of Kelay Tavern will sometimes have useful updates.

Valentin can be contacted via AIM with username corneliusvonpenzance


To assist in developing and co-ordinating the RPs, there is also a non-canon forum located at http://gangsofcenril.proboards.com/index.cgi where plot ideas can be discussed prior to IC implementation.