Settlements and Sites of the Four City-States #349

Settlements and Sites of the Four City-States #349 

December 16th, 2023 

• Number: 349 

• Name:  Deep Dive of Subjects of Interest: Warriors of the Wastelands – Part 6 

• Location: The Wastelands 

• Population (approx.): 3,900 (City of Stones in the Church-State of Earth and Water) 

• Brief: Distrust. Despite warming relations between the Matui Tribe and the Church-State of Earth and Water, the leadership of Taodeas, the Gotasi and Launi Tribes in particular, do not trust the “new look” theocracy to be anything less than a potential reincarnation of the Ta’arnan Empire. Memories of the years upon years of battle to win and then maintain Taodeas’ independence are still fresh in the minds of the tribal elders. In parallel, for years, the United Tribes created several government-run organizations to train young Kin in service of the people of Taodeas. One of these, the Silver Vale for Young Fighters, selects the best of the best to train to become secret agents, infiltrators, scouts and other specialized roles. With the grudging approval of the Matui Tribe, the Silver Vale has inserted a network of agents into the Church-State of Earth and Water. Their jobs are to destabilize the nation if possible or at least slow their development as well as gauge and report on the Church-State's true goals in the region. 

• Jolly Silk, 28, female Tabaxi (feline humanoid), is a Swashbuckler. She is tall for a Tabaxi and sinuous. Her tan-colored body has dark brown spots. Jolly has a long, luxurious tail and extra-sharp retractable claws. She wears leather armor that includes a cowl instead of a helm. Her primary weapon is a rapier, though she is skilled at throwing stars. She has a long scar on her right leg from a duel when she was a teenager. 

• Jolly recruited to attend the Silver Vale for Young Fighters. Her parents chose her curriculum based on the hope that she would work for the tribal government. In her late teens, the teachers of the Silver Vale shifted her skills to that of a stealth operator. Jolly works as a spy in the Church-State's militia, collecting intel and forcing duels to eliminate unwanted people.  

• Jolly lives in the militia barracks in the City of Stones and reports once a week to her handler, Cheeky Owl, 42, male Tabaxi. They use a meerkat named Poppet to exchange coded notes. Jolly has befriended Curious Quill, 25, female Tabaxi, and Cadence Grask, 42, female Human for the job. Curious works as a barmaid at the Foamy River Tavern, where all the church government types have a drink. Cadence works as a grocer and is quite a gossip. The two of them provide just the correct information that Jolly needs. Jolly has instigated and participated in twelve duels and eliminated five potential problems. She plans to retire after this assignment and find a Tabaxi to settle down with. 

• Geography: Jolly is posted to work against the Church of Earth in the City of Stones (#140) one of the two capitals of the Church-State of Earth and Water. The Silver Vale has a parallel network of agents in the City of Pools (#135) working against the Church of Water, but they are, as one might expect, unaware of each other. Both networks are run from an innocous looking riverboat that sails up and down the Matui River, staffed by River Wardens and offices of the Silver Vale.