Between the Elms is a multi party thread set in a trade city named Geltreis. After the city's peaceful integration into the neighboring country of Arcartus, secret wars have taken its streets. The merchants that ran the city always held feuds between themselves, but as merchants their methods of dealing with each other were bloodless if not always civil. Under the Arcarti government, their conduct as lawmakers has lead to violence and discrimination. Your character belongs to any of a number of blocs within the city, as even simple sentiments like pro- and anti-Arcarti have fragmented into varying levels of severity as Geltreis seethes for change. Organized crime will play a prominent role in the thread, as both sides compete through what are essentially their private armies.

The thread will always remain open for new applicants, as the nature of the plot can cope with large or small amounts of characters. I don't know if freeform is the right word for something so centralized, but you're encouraged to introduce and explore your own subplots. The thread is live and accepting at the moment, so a link will follow. If you have a question or an idea you wish to run by me, feel free to drop it here, in the OOC, or just PM me directly!



The city of Geltreis was once a nameless little settlement hidden away amidst impassable and barren mountains. It began as a wayfarer's station, sheltering those braving the pass, and slowly grew as would be travelers found themselves settling there. The people of Geltreis drew what they could from the environment, and sold mountain lumber for what they could not. With little other claim to fame or fortune, it sat along one of the only routes through the continent of Estovet's harsh central mountains. Merchants had to stop there, and so they soon began to ply their trade there. Traders from either side of the mountains came to Geltreis to exchange with their peers, saving both the time it took to cross the continent. It grew into one of the most successful city states on Estovet, lead to greatness by a council of its wealthiest families. They transformed it from a necessary stop along the way that merely happened to enjoy the benefits of its position into a grand junction between the eastern and western halves of the continent. The mountain city built high walls around it and an imposing tower at its center to ward away the bandits and nations with an untoward interest in its wealth, threats that never diminished over the hundreds of years of independence the city enjoyed. As it was nestled between two mountains, it was nestled between two growing political giants. The empire of Arcartus stood to the east, a young nation of unparalleled military might that had sought to and succeeded in uniting the eastern seaboard. To the west, the hundreds of warring kingdoms that competed and squabbled for the entirety of Estovet's northwest. Divided perpetually in their own ancient conflicts, they were at least united in warding away the influence and interest of the rest of the world. Many of Geltreis' elite came from the numberless countries in the northwest, and shared their love for independence and tradition. The rule of the merchants had become 'the old way' over the years, it was something to be preserved as the champion of past progress and the force that would guarantee prosperity in the future. Standing alone had become ponderous, tariffs and taxes caused the city to suffer as a result of the larger world's economic rivalries. Money had become the issue, and regardless of political allegiance the merchant kings of Geltreis had a very clearly defined bottom line.

The choice was made by the majority anyway. Geltreis was driven by its common folk into integration with Arcartus, with the handful of Arcarti sympathizers among the nobility leading the way as chosen envoys. The decision was prompted by a change in the Arcarti government some years before, with the resignation of the empire's royal family and the establishment of a national senate called the House of Affairs. Those who had supported the decision found themselves sent as representatives to the House of Affairs, and those who had vied for allegiance with the myriad northwest were penalized under the new rule. For hundreds of years the noble families of Geltreis had competed on a purely economic basis, their rivalries were bitter but their intensity had been constrained by the nature of their occupation. When they took their personal feuds into representative government, they were relentless, and those given the upper hand acted without mercy. Hundreds were forced from their occupations, and entire families were wiped away by poverty and repression as the new governors of Geltreis legislated against them under the guise of majority rule. It did not take long for the populace to become aware of these practices, and no sooner than the pro-Arcarti families were chosen as the people's voices they were just as resented as the westerners had been. For the actions of a few Geltreisians, Arcarti rule became synonymous with tyranny and discrimination in the city. For the part of Arcartus, little intervention ever came from the capital, and the wound upon their relationship with the city was allowed to fester.

Seventy years passed and Geltreis' position in the world remained much the same. Its value as a trade nexus only grew, but the bitterness of the dethroned only fermented into a seething hatred of Arcarti rule. By the year 1153, several incidents of violence had occurred in Geltreis, often assaults against the city's politicians and even a few altercations with members of the Arcarti military sent to garrison Castle Geltreis. A skeleton crew of a few dozen rangers allotted to mind the pass and maintain the aging castle, they lacked influence and the policing of the region was left to the locals. Owing to their policy of remaining on castle grounds and the caustic welcome Geltreis provided to the Arcarti military, the locals took to calling the castle as the Geltreis Hermitage. Geltreis, in accordance with Arcarti law, was free to establish their own militia for the defense of their city and surrounding territory. A few years prior, a man named Martin Tolbert had been sent to the House of Affairs to represent Geltreis' affairs in the empire, and it was the Tolbert family and those loyal to it that represented wealth and power in the city for the time being. As a public service, Tolbert money paid much of the city militia's expenses, and it was a public secret that many among their ranks served the private interests of the Tolberts and their allied families. Their private interests were, of course, the suppression of their competitors. The Beffelet family, among many others, had stayed to struggle through the new era, and as a collective the western families were wealthy enough to defend themselves from the underhanded methods of the new elite. With the only uninvolved Arcartis locked away in Castle Geltreis, the families' rivalry quickly escalated into clandestine warfare. No longer containable in legislature and business practices, their fighting spilled into the back alleys and empty streets. Sellswords and unscrupulous adventurers were drawn to the city by rumors of the conflict and lavish pay offered by old, wealthy families in need of hired muscle. On both sides of the law, Geltreis had become run by organized crime with any attempts at inquiry by the Arcarti government staved off by those governing the city.

The year is 1156, and the families of Geltreis are still free to rage against each other away from the public eye. With each scuffle and stabbing in the city streets they come closer to open conflict. The elite in control of the city savor the security of Arcarti rule, and use their position to remain in power and erase the influence of those who opposed them decades ago. The western families that remain seek the independence of the city, which in their eyes can only come from open rebellion against the tyrants Arcartus has allowed to befoul their once-country. The people of Geltreis, caught between, suffer the affronts of both but have come to resent Arcarti rule all the same for the harm it has done to them and their way of life. The time for an end has come to the feud, each side fears that the Arcarti government will come to dismantle the plutocracy and assume full control of what has become a problematic area, and knows that there will be little warning when it happens. There are rumors of organized rebellion brewing within the city, and those interested in supporting the cause of Geltreisian independence are seeking to band together where they may. Opposing this, the Geltreis militia has been expanded greatly in the past few months. A man named Henry Rosier, a section leader within, has sworn to stamp out organized crime within the city and developed a reputation with the populace for his heavy handed methods. With his authority and apparent backing from above, he seeks volunteers to join the militia's hunt. Those who know of the man claim he is little more than a professional soldier placed at the head of the Tolbert's attack dogs. The reclusive Beffelets have all but disappeared from the public eye, but whispers say the gangs and syndicates are beginning to gather armaments in preparation to retaliate. Both sides are searching desperately for outsiders to fill their ranks, they have become disjointed and segregated into factions even among themselves. All claim to seek justice, and all the city needs is one group bold or stupid enough to begin the end of its story.