Venara has stood for four thousand years. It has steadily grown and prospered. The city itself is a massive sprawl of stone buildings ranging in height from just a few floors in the packed slums to the towering manor-keeps of the Houses. Most of the buildings of the city are wall to wall, with a few alleys passing through the breaks in the builds. The best way to get around The Old City is to follow the main roads, packed with people and the stalls of merchants from all over Taloreign. The city itself spreads from one side of the large island the city is named after to the other, the dock districts butting up against the beaches and cliff walls that drop into the Sapphire Sea. There is an old saying in Venara, "If you ever find yourself lost, follow a stray cat and it shall show you the Old City's splendor."

Venara is a place of contradiction in many cases. It has a single inherited title that functions like a king, called the Patron of Venara, or just, The Patron. This position is subject to the will of the Golden Counsel though. The Golden Counsel is the body of the government that makes and approves laws for the City of Venara and its surrounding territories. The Counsel is made up of the Heads of the ten most powerful Noble families in the city. These powers often compete with each other for position and wealth, occasionally a Blood Feud will be declared. A Blood Feud is a legal declaration of war between two Houses. During the time the Feud is active any violence perpetuated against or by the Feuding Houses is permuted. However, any damages that are caused to Venara as a whole are still punishable. This makes the Houses walk a thin line where violence can be undertaken to seize assets or avenge a slight, but, they can not harm other Houses or citizens in the process. A Blood Feud can be requested but it must be approved by a simple majority of the Counsel and not vetoed by the Patron. Once that is done the Houses receive a Right of Vendetta. If the other House's Right is seized or terms are reached, the Feud is ended.

Humans:
The most common group in Old Venara. They are what makes up the vast majority of the population. They are the chosen people of Talos and the ones chosen to inherit the world, or so the old legends say. They have a variety of looks, builds, and levels of skill. They are seen as entirely normal and this works both for them and against them. Humans are the shortest lived all the races in Taloreign and they make up for this with their ability to learn quickly and well.

- Mechanical benefits: Humans have a +1 to any one skill they wish.

Talosian:
While humans may be the chosen people of Talos, the Talosians are those who can trace their bloodline back him directly. They are the least common race in all Taloreign. The Talosian are characterized by booming voices that match their massive size. Even the shortest Talosian stands at seven feet tall. They have extreme coloring in both eyes and hair, often having the two be opposites of each other, with completely white hair and dark black eyes being common. Talosians live naturally for around three hundred years, bearing the age like a human might transition from one phase of life to another. Talosians find breeding rather difficult. Not only does their size make breeding with a smaller race challenging but also their fertility is poor. When a Talosian becomes pregnant or impregnates another race there is also no guarantee that the child will be Talosian at all. It seems their age of power is waning.

- Mechanical benefits: +2 Athleticism. -1 to Skulduggery.

Elves:
The longest lived race on Taloreign, often living up to seven hundred years and staying rather vital throughout their entire lifespan. The elves of Taloreign are often considered almost mythical in nature. However, they once great kingdoms and powers have long since faded after Talos led the humans in the conquest six millennia ago. The elves are fair of skin and features, with thin lithe bodies. Often shorter than humans and lacking as much mass. The elves are renowned for their grace and wisdom, the later trait they have showed well by completely integrating in the human society. Maintaining only their religion as their tie to what culture they once had.

-Mechanical Benefits: +2 Grace. -1 Athleticism.

Umbrakin:
Just as the Talosians are those who can trace their bloodline to Talos himself, the Umbrakin can trace theirs to the ancient enemy that once threatened all the world. Refereed to now only as the Umbra, this force of darkness was driven from the world long ago by Talos and his armies. The Umbrakin do not revel in their heritage, at least not in public, and many are looked down on for having the touch of the Umbra on them. Umbrakin have a look like they are human's on death's door. they often have sunken features and dull eyes and hair. They also breathe very little and have very slow heartbeats. Many houses keep a group of Umbrakin spies and assassins on hand because their minimal bodily functions make them ideal for infiltration. However, this same thing often makes them slow to move and difficult to look at.

Mechanical Benefits: +2 skulduggery. -1 Grace.

Venara is a sub-tropical region set in the southern most tip of a large archipelago called His Holy Reach. The city and island that it sits on have no room for farming as the Old City has expanded from tip to tip. The surrounding small islands though grow a variety of valuable good like exotic spices and fine cottons. The climate is also a wonderful place to grow grapes for vineyards and Venaran wine is some of the finest in the world. There are only two seasons in venara, dry and wet. Often in the wet seasons the island is struck by massively powerful storms, but, the city has been guilt to withstand these storm surges and often only the dock districts and slums flood.

Venarans are a very fashion conscious people. they have often been the leaders for fashion in the rest of Taloreign. The current fashion revolves around color. Putting together outfits with as much color as possible, often using alternating panels of bright colors if the cost is bearable. The style of clothing is very distinct as well. Venara is a place of heat and moist air, therefor, many men prefer breathable garments of silk and light cottons with broad hats keep the sun out of their eyes, and all the better to put a colorful feather in. The women of Venara are often scoffed by the main-landers for their love of revealing gowns and their tendency to wear pants when not at official functions. Venarans on the other hand find that wearing stuffy gowns all the time to be stifling and highly impractical.

Melee Weapons:
Side-Sword: Sometimes just refereed to as a sword, or, the Venaran Sword. the side-sword is a combination of a blade that is effective for both cutting and thrusting with a complex hand guard. The blade is nearly always double edged and many nobles spend great deals of money ornamenting these fine swords.



Rapier: A new weapon to the world. Its place has been firmly set as a powerful hand weapon for the nobility. This long thrust focused sword sports a complex guard and greater reach than the side-word it has evolved from. These weapons are not yet seeing full adoption though due to their length and the Venarans' attachment to the side-sword.



Stiletto: The favorite fighting knife of the Venarans. A long and thin blade perfect for punching through the thick coats of nobles walking down the wrong alley. These blades are very poor at cutting but boast an immense penetration ability.



Other: Many other weapons exist in Venara, but, are less common do to their lack of portability or association with brutish behavior. Longswords, axes, halberds, and bucklers are often used by mercenaries or bodyguards not concerned with fashion though and are still effective.

Ranged Weapons:
The wheel Lock Firearm: The prized achievement of Venaran engineering. These weapons have spelled the death of the bow and hail a new age of gunpowder and lead. There are three main variants of the wheel lock; the pistol, musket, and the scattergun. The pistol is a heavy handle of wood with a short metal barrel along the top of it. The wheel lock mechanism sits just over where the shooter holds it. The musket is the main tool of the Venaran military. it is a muzzle loaded length of steel and wood that stands the height of a man. These weapons fire a large projectile that can tear limbs of foes free of their body. Often when the shooter fires the first shot they will plug the barrel with a bayonet and fight with the musket like a heavy spear. Lastly, the scattergun, favored by street gangs and marines alike. This weapon is shorter than the musket and has a much wider barrel that flares out at the end. These firearms range from simple tools for those who need them to marvelous display pieces put together by master gunsmiths.

Bows:
While not nearly as common as they once were, the bow still sees some use in Venaran society. It is often cheaper to have a bow rather than a gun, but, there are few uses for such weapons in the crowded streets of Venara unless you intend to kill someone silently. These weapons are often kept as reminders of the past and find use amoung some of the most devious killers in the Old City.

Crossbows: Even less common than the bow now that the advent of guns has taken Venara. The crossbow is still used by some who value its historical value or who just enjoy the virtues of the weapon. However, those who use them are often viewed as eccentric at best and foolish at worst.

Armor:
Armor has become less and less common in the streets and militarizes of Venara. Gun have made most armors less than effective. The most common types of armor seen in Venara is by far the buff jacket. The buff jacket is a thick coat or jacket, often stylish, that is reinforced with heavy weave cloth and leather at the vital points. Breastplates are also common for soldier and guards. It makes them easily identifiable and offers protection from blades and clubs around the vitals of the wearer.

The Religions of Venara are four fold. While many people in the Old City just think of these religions as old fables designed to guide the actions mankind, there are many still who believe strongly still. The largest of the four religions is The Talosian Church. The Church, as it is normally called, teaches the tenants of social service and the preservation of laws and society. Many skeptics refer to The Church as just a simple social control system that demands people to accept their station in life and work to further the goals of the social order. The Church denies this though. Instead countering with the histories that show Talos supported their ideas and that those who serve well will be used for their skill in the Afterworld, where they will serve Talos directly and receive great rewards for deft service. The second largest religion of the four is Trearian, the faith in The Three Sisters. This faith is upheld by many elves who wish to remember their now nearly erased culture. The Trearans focus on taking steps to improve their own lives by acts of wisdom and ambition. However, the faith directly condemns the actions that many take with Trearan as their shield. the Three Sisters command not to harm others if it can be avoided, even if that means you must improve your own position in another way. To succeed in life while doing no harm is the ultimate goal of true Trearans. Those who follow The Umbra are few and far between. The Umbra does not speak to its followers and has no tenants to offer them. These cults often just seek the downfall of the current social order and it has been used a symbol by many anarchist groups. The Old Drakes also do not function as a true faith. Instead The Draconians often just hold up the power and skill of the lone dead dragons as something to emulate and seek power and wealth where they can. This faith is often favored by many mercenary groups and thieves.

Magic is something only the Gods can give. to gain their favor you must undergo and often painful and mentally damaging arcane ritual. Despite the power it provides, The Marked often hide their status to avoid being socially ostracized and retribution from rival gods' followers. Nearly all noble Houses keep one or two Marked in their employ at all times just for their usefulness. These Marked are often loyal servants or members of the main family itself to make sure they have ample reason to keep their Marked nature hidden. Most gods only offer their Marks to those of their chosen race, however humans can be Marked by any god and the spirits of the Ancient Drakes do not care what race they mark. Each god's Mark is placed on the body in a different place and is a different symbol. The Marks are described below.

-Mark of Talos: The Mark of Talos is offered to humans and Talosians. The symbol is a glowing white brand over the heart and is the symbol of the Eye, for Talos watches all.
The Mark of Talos is the Mark of vigor. All those Marked have strength beyond their normal means and heal quickly. The Marked gets +3 to Athleticism and heals all accumulated wounds in a single day.

-Mark of The Three Sisters: The Elven goddesses are the three sisters. Past, Present, and Future. They Mark elves and humans with their wisdom and insight. The Mark of The Three Sisters is centered between the shoulder blades of the Marked and is a symbol of two hands clasping the wrist of a third. The Marked seems wise to things they could not know an unnaturally skilled at decision making. The Marked has +2 to Acumen and can sense the surface thoughts of those they are conversing with.

-Mark of The Umbra: The Umbra is a force that lies in captivity by the hands of Talos. it seeks to undermine what now stands and Marks those Umbrakin and humans that seek it out. It gives its power to them in exchange for its whispers in their heads to destroy the systems of control that keep society moving. The Mark is a fanged and snarling set of teeth on the right back of the right hand of The Marked. The Marked gains the ability to push or pull objects with arcane power. this pull or push is invisible and based onThe Marked's weight. If the Marked tries to push an object that is heavier than they are, they are repulsed instead. If they pull a heavier object that is heavier they are pulled to it instead. This push or pull functions at full force at all times, it can not be reduced in force. No object that is made of organic matter can be effected, nor anything in the body of another.

-The Mark of The Old Drakes: The Old Drakes are a strange thing indeed. The ancient dragons that have long since left this world still have echos in it. Their Mark is how they effect the world still. Offering their power to any who would seek them out. The symbol is different for each dragon that Marks its chosen. The Marked is blessed with the talents of the Old Drakes which can take some very odd forms, and, is never quite the same from Marked to Marked.

- Athleticism: To run, jump, lift, move, and tumble. It is how physically powerful and well trained your character is. It is used for most physical actions.

- Archery: The ancient and noble use of the bow. While these weapons have almost fallen entirely out of use in Venara, some still practice its use and prefer its silence. This covers the use of all bows from longbows to composite.

- Brawling: Fighting in its most basic form. Whether it's the use of a stiletto in an alleyway, or, the broken portion of chair leg in a ball room, Brawling is how well your character fights with their bare hands and any type of less noble weapon. Knives, rifle butts, and clubs all fall under this category.

- Grace: The controlled and intentional movements of a dance or the careful and small actions taken by the hands and fingers. Grace is how well your character can conduct themselves, and, avoid giving offense. This covers all courtly activities from dancing to pleasant conversation.

- Gunnery: The age of the bow has passed, behold the wheel lock firearm. These powerful tools come in pistols, rifles, and scatter guns. Marksmanship is your skill at caring for and using your firearms, no matter what kind. This skill also covers the use of a crossbow as the virtues of the crossbow are very similar to that of the gun.

- Dueling: The virtuous art of the sword. Rapiers and Side-swords are the fashion of the day and the use of these elegant tools in the hands of a master is nothing short of majestic. Dueling is the training and use of the swords of Venara, as well as anything that is similar enough, like canes.

- Soldiery: Not all men fight with their hands or with noble swords. there must always be those willing to fight with the weapons of war. This is the use of all things not covered by brawling and dueling. Spears, axes, crossbows, and halberds.

- Skulduggery: So many things can not be done in the light of day. Skulduggery is the art of stealth and thievery. To creep in the night around back alleys or to lift the favorite snuff box from a belt pouch, light feet and light fingers are the trademark of skulduggery.

- Acumen: Judgement and decision making. In particular the ability to administrate and select the right team for the job. Acumen comes into play when a task is delegated or when working with the finances of a business venture and crafting contracts. It can also be used to make the law work for you when it ought not.

- Reputation: The essence of all nobility and thugs alike. The ability to cultivate and use your renown to your advantage is indeed a worthy skill. Reputation is used when you want to impress, intimidate, or make an impression on someone, for good or ill.

- Awareness: You better watch out, the Old City is not a kind place to those without their wits about them. Awareness is used to see hidden foes, search a room for clues, and in general stop whatever someone using skulduggery might want to do. Failure is not noticing whatever it is you were trying to notice, partial success is getting an idea and maybe catching a hint but not knowing for sure, success is seeing or finding whatever there is to find or see.

- Craft: Not to be confused with those who work with their hands, this is the skill that represents your ability to do whatever profession you have been trained in that is not reflected in the other skills. A doctor uses craft to heal, a blacksmith uses craft to forge, and a soldier would use it to ride his mount in an interesting way. Craft is interesting the sense that it can not be a deficient skill. Craft represents your skill at doing a trained task and thus can either be rolled when it fits for the character or not at all if they would not have the know how to do such a thing.

1-5 Failure: This result is the worst case scenario.
-In combat it means that you are struck solidly and have been taken out of the fight. Not killed outright, but, without intervention can be lethal or result in capture. In ranged combat this not just a miss but something happens that renders the weapon less useful. Firearms misfire and must be reloaded, crossbows trigger mechanism fails and has to be repaired, bows may have their strings come loose and require restringing. For social situations this results in the opposite of the intended effect, or, you give them serious offense. In physical situations that do not involve combat like Athleticism and Skulduggery, failure rests in you either being caught in the action if it is stealth or a complete foul up of what you were doing, like falling climbing the rigging of a ship. Athleticism failures often result in injuries.

6-10 Partial Success: The result has some negative consequences but also some drawbacks.
-In combat the two of your are evenly matched. You exchange blows and both of you take fatigue or injury from the exchange. You take an injury, resulting in a cumulative -1 to all rolls. In ranged combat you fail to strike your target. They are hidden by cover or you just simply miss your mark. In social situations you do impress your targets and most will find you dismiss-able, but, you avoid giving any serious offense. In physical tests the character avoids serious consequence but does not make good progress. When using skulduggery you are not found out right away but you do alert your target that something is amiss. In Athleticism, you do not lose the target of your foot chase but they start to pull away from you and you will have to try harder to catch them.

11-25: Success!: What you intend to do, you do it!
This represents success. In combat you fell your opponent, either killing them or taking them out of the fight as you see fit. In ranged combat your target is hit true and hits the dirt. In social situations you conduct yourself in the manner you wanted, your dance is impressive, your reputation frightens or awes the target. In physical actions to make the needed progress. You sneak up to the target with them being none the wiser, you climb the rigging with a dagger in your teeth like you were born for it.

26+: Virtuoso: You are a master artist of your craft!
This represents the ultimate fulfillment of your craft. Whatever you are doing you do so to the greatest ability any of those around have seen in some time. You succeed at your action and do so with flair and style. Those around you are either in awe or terror of you. You can immediately attempt a Reputation roll after succeeding with Virtuoso results to command those who witnessed it to your will, within reason. This roll is at +X where X is the amount by which you exceeded 24 in this roll. IE: If you score a roll of 27 on a dueling roll against your foe, they are defeated like a child trying to face down their father, and, you may then try to sway the witnesses in attendance to your cause, riding the wave of style you had just displayed.

Injuries:
Injuries are a guarantee when you walk in the chaos that has taken over Venara. Injuries can come in many forms, from flesh wounds, to sprained joins, and even concussions. They are most common when fighting, but, a romp across the tightly packed roof tops of the Old City is just as likely to result in some kind of pain. Whenever you receive an injury all of your future rolls are at a -1. If you receive another injury while the other is still unhealed, you receive another -1, these are cumulative. Eventually once you have enough injuries you are playing a dangerous game and might end up dead or captured.

Healing:
Each injury heals on it's own over time and treatment. Each injury takes a single night and some treatment from the healers of the House. If you have multiple injuries, each one takes a night of rest and treatment.
QuoteEdit

Fighting Different Foes:
There are all kinds of different dangerous people in the streets and manors of Venara. They have a variety of different skill sets and equipment to contend with. Here is a quick list of people you may fight so you can properly have your rolls adjusted.
(Melee Combat)
- Your average fellow (-0): These make up the street toughs and the not terrified of combat kind of people.
- The Tougher Sort (-2): This comprises most of the people who are used to fighting or have proper training. House guards, average mercenaries, hardened gang members.
- Experts(-4): These people are rare and dangerous. They are the Captain of the Guard, Infamous Gang Leaders, and master duelists.
- Unfortunate Victims (+3): There are those who have no ability to fight and the idea of doing so terrifies them. These are courtly sycophants and entertainers, weak people on the streets, or children.

Getting Shot:
Getting Shot is never a good experience, and is best avoided. When a group or individual fires either a gun or a bow at you, you are not entirely helpless. When a foe shoots at you you make an Athletics roll, with penalties dependent on number of attackers and the available cover. Failure will result in death or injury so significant that you are out of the fight, partial success is the acquisition of an injury either from the weapon fired or from the act of diving for cover, success means you are unharmed. A virtuoso roll functions as normal and the buff can be used to try to intimidate the attackers.

Being a Cutthroat:
When you sneak up on someone they are often far easier to dispatch. The assassins and cat's paws out there know this all too well and use it to devastating effect. When you gain a success or Virtuoso roll on Skulduggery when trying to ambush a desired foe, you attack roll with either melee or ranged combat on them is rolled at a +3 on top of your other bonuses. If you achieve a Virtuoso roll on the skulduggery leading up to the attack you gain additional bonuses to this roll equal to the amount by which you exceeded the number 22 but do not get the reputation roll bonus normally given for a Virtuoso roll.

Hidden Foes: If you fail to detect a hidden foe and they strike at you from the shadows you are in extreme peril. When this happens you must immediately roll either brawling if you have no weapon or s brawling weapon, or, your given weapon skill if you happen to have it out and ready. This roll is subject to a -3 penalty on top of any other modifiers you may have, using the normal results for the roll aside from success only meaning that you avoid harm in any way. If you do manage to get a Virtuoso roll on this you do not gain the normal reputation benefit but you do turn the attacker aside and manage to deliver a felling blow yourself. If the attacker is using a ranged weapon, you are in more trouble. When this happens you make an Athleticism roll with no modifiers at all, a slave to fate. Success indicates a lucky missed shot but anything below ten is a wound that will either leave you injured and unable to fight or outright dead.

Marks in Combat: Most Marks provide an edge when you are in combat. This came be the odd magical powers from the Dragon Mark or the raw power of the Talos Mark. When you use a Mark in combat though, it becomes very obvious that you are using it and those who witness it and live to tell the tale may very well just do that.
-Mark of Talos: If you use the Mark of Talos you receive a +3 to all melee combat rolls due to your increased speed and strength.
-Mark of The Three Sisters: Gives you no bonus in melee combat but when defending against ranged combat you can use it to give you a +3 for the Athleticism roll.
-Mark of The Umbra: the increased mobility and ability to push objects with The Umbra Mark makes those who bear it very dangerous indeed. When using the Umbra Mark in ranged combat you can use gunnery or archery to attack people with objects you can push, as well as getting a +5 when defending against ranged attacks.
- Dragon Mark: The Marks of the Dragon are difficult to pin down as they vary so much from individual to individual. Some provide a substantial benefit to The Marked and others do not help them in combat at all.

House Gatterro:
Head of House: Olivia Gatterro, Leader of Gold Counsel Age: 50 - Spouse: Guillermo Gravian, Grand Admiral of Venara Age: 58
Heir: Marcus Gatterro, Admiral of House Gatterro Age: 32 - Spouse: Ariel Dolona, Spymaster, Age: 29
2nd Child: Raffiella, No Known House position, Age: 23, Unmarried
Captain of Guard: Elend Verroso, Age: 35

House Gravian:
Head of House: Eduardo Gravian, Member of Gold Counsel Age: 30 - Spouse: Maria Lethelloro, Known Marked, Elf, Age:271
Heir: Dario Gravian, Child of former wife, Age: 8
2nd Child: Francesca Gravian, Elf, Age: 1
Spymaster: Maryanne Lethelloro, Elf, Age: 201, Unmarried

House Dolona:
Head of House: Brastian Dolona, Talosian, Member of Gold Counsel, Age: 189 - Spouse: Gizelle Saffiro, High Priestess of Talos for House
Heir: Lianne Dolona, Talosian, Age: 92, Unmarried
2nd Child: Justian Dolona, Captain of the Guard, Age: 48 - Spouse: Kelianne Gravian, Head Librarian, Age: 22

House Zelkiel:
Head of House: Raphael Zelkiel, Member of Gold Counsel, Known Marked, Age: 25, Unmarried
Sister: Auriella Zelkiel, Master Merchant of House, Age: 24. - Spouse: Ven Hienderro, Admiral of House, Age: 37
Uncle: Alexander Zelkiel, Master Servant, Age: 36, Unmarried

Notable Venarans:
High Priest of Talos: Leonardo Ueriel, Talosian, Age: 245
General of Venaran Security: Timo Lorenzo, Know Marked, Age: 46
Pirate: Calico Reemes, Most wanted man in all Venara, Elf, Age: 634

Will continue to be updated as additional information is gained and people met.