Revision as of 20:11, 18 May 2018

The White Hand

This page is unfinished.

The White Hand is a goblin market located deep in the Hedge, beyond a particularly vile and reeking swamp with mosquitoes of a size which doesn't bear imagining. Seriously. Those things could probably carry off a cat. Its most conveniently memorable access points are the Stonecrop Drop, known for quite literally turning visitors to stone and dropping them down into unexpected caves, and the Summer Land, an area of desert trod, so it is told, transplanted by one of the Fae from sunnier climes and kept there by some uncanny bargain.

Rules

• No Stealing: You steal, the person you steal from gets part of YOU as payment. If you want it back, you have to pay them for it.
• Deals Are Final: No welching on deals. There's no such thing as take-backsies.
• No Fighting Inside: Any fighting has to be outside the Market limits.
• Don't Sass Authority: The Sniffers are the Market guards. Be polite, or you'll end up on the slave block.
• Don't Talk To The Founders: They don't like Changelings, and don't care if you want them to like you. Don't even try. As they have often proclaimed, you're all escaped slaves anyway, and that's all you're good for: lying, cheating, and running away from your Masters.

Punishments

• For minor offenses (i.e. mild brawl that doesn’t result in death), punishment may be as simple as being made to leave the market, if it’s the first offense. Repeated offenses will result in branding and banishment. The brand is similar to that given by the Hospitality's Hold goblin contract, in that anyone who sees it, no matter what it looks like, knows that it signifies you have been banned from the White Hand.
• Those failing to honor a deal either face permanent banishment from the Market, or will be enslaved, depending on the severity.
• Those who offend the Sniffers may be taken to speak with the Founders.
• Those who offend the Founders will be enslaved and sold, promptly, to the nearest buyer who promises the worst punishment.
• Those who attempt to kill a Sniffer will have their hands removed and no healing offered.
• Those who attempt to kill a Founder will be executed immediately.

FAQs

• What is a troupe? A ‘troupe’ is a term used to describe a group of merchants. It could refer to the Marketeers of the White Hand, the Wild Roses, or wandering merchants who have banded together into a traveling Market.
• My PC is a merchant at the Market - am I a White Hand? No. You are a Changeling. No Changeling will ever be accepted as a White Hand. You may receive the protection of the Market, but you are not one of the Hands. In local slang, a Changeling merchant is referred to as a Finger; attached to the Hand, sure, and useful, but losing one isn't going to kill you.
• How do I become a Merchant? OOCly you put in a +request (and +xps to take the Goblin Merchant merit will open a job as well). ICly, you must approach one of the Sniffers to receive permission to operate within the Market, and upon receiving permission, will swear a Pledge to that Sniffer (see below). For those wanting a stall, the Sniffer will discuss selling one, and price haggling begins. A Market Stall is a Value 4 item, so it won’t come cheap. After an agreement is reached, all Merchants must take a pledge to uphold the Market Laws. For more information, see: PC Merchants
• What are the benefits to having a stall? You’re allowed to sell within the Market and have a better understanding of who sells what. You can store goods there that are protected by the Market (-4 to attempts to steal while the Market is open, and impossible when it’s closed. Items on display are exempt from this however.). You can also buy/sell abstractions (skills, memories, dreams, etc) as though they were physical property.
• What are the drawbacks? You can’t access your wares when the Market is closed. It’s just impossible. Stalls are also, as mentioned, not cheap. And you are bound by the rules of the Market.
• I’m a Merchant. Can I have my hollow linked to the White Hand? No.
• I’m a Merchant. How do I handle my stall’s inventory? Does it need to be on my sheet? It doesn’t, no. Each merchant should let staff know the type of thing they plan to sell (hedgespun, tokens, hedgefruit, information, etc), but most of the physical things that can be bought/sold need to go through staff in any case, such as Hedgespun and Tokens getting approved by staff. So essentially, a merchant having these items is hand waved, within reason. If there’s ever any doubt (largely for extremely rare items such as Rare ungardenable fruits or 5-dot Tokens/Hedgespun, as the latter are supposed to be nigh-legendary) please ask staff before assuming you have something.
• Is there anything I can’t sell if I’m a Merchant? Yes/no. In theory you can sell anything. However, there are a few things that you cannot be assumed to sell without staff’s permission. When setting up your stall, you will be asked for rationale on how you get your goods, regardless; do you have suppliers? Do you craft them yourself? Et cetera. The current list of items you MUST contact staff before selling contains only two items: Hera Pear and Pedicle Velvet.
• Great! Anything else I need to know? Yep! After a scene where you’ve sold something, don’t forget to +request to get your/your customer’s +activity for this. When you do, also include anything (such as goblin fruit, Hedgespun, Tokens, etc.) that needs to be set. For Hedgespun and Tokens of any kind (other than gewgaws/trifles), the customer is required to have the item’s stats approved BEFORE THE MARKET SCENE. For trifles, staff will need to know how many to add to the customer’s +inv, as they are a disposable item and must be gotten rid of with +inv/use when used. For fruits you do not actually have, staff will need to manually add them to the player’s inventory. For fruit that you already have in your inventory, you can +fruit/give.

Merchant Pledge

This is the pledge that everyone must pledge in order to operate in the Wild Roses. There are no exceptions.

• Type: Vow
• Tasks: Medial Forbiddance (-2, Don't Break Market Laws)
• Boons: Glamour (+2)
• Sanctions: Greater Curse (-3)
• Duration: Year and a Day (+3)
• Text: For a year and a day I will be a Merchant at the White Hand Market. For this honor I promise to never break Market Laws except in self-defense, and I will receive glamour from the Lord Sniffer. But if I break these laws, in addition to my lawful punishment, the Wyrd will curse me to fail at my endeavors.