Wednesday 2 May 2012

Peakvale Wednesday: Crimes


There is a seedy side to any city and Thornguard is no exception. Glint smugglers, Kremm-thieves, organ wizzers and necrothugs make their homes in the underbelly of the slum district, hiding away in abandoned warehouses and boarded up shops. If you're going to venture into this filthy part of town then you need to have your wits about you and a good lock on your purse.


Thornguard is strict against crime, with even small offences such as littering carrying hefty fines. This is all part of King Hobbletoe's vision of a perfect kingdom, but even he can't keep everyone in check. Here are some of the more serious crimes that are outlawed in Peakvale:

Glint Smuggling: Imported from the hills of Shamundia, glint is a shimmering dust that people sprinkle on themselves to achieve a magical high. On the street it's also known as 'Fairy Dust' and it's outlawed across Trollworld but goes for a pretty penny in the larger cities. Dens of glint smugglers hide out in Copper Street in the slum district and can be caught selling their wares in the early hours of the morning.

Organ Wizzing: This is the act of enchanting ones organs in order to make them superhuman. This is strictly illegal because the king deems it "unnatural". Some people have their eyes enhanced to see further or through walls, their skin turned impenetrable, and their adrenaline glands more active as to slow the world around them down. The Raven Squad is a gang of organ-enhanced criminals who are always causing chaos in Thornguard, robbing banks and holding up merchants.

Necrothugs: Some of the more wealthy criminals know that the undead are much more powerful than regular folk, so they hire a necromancer to kill them and bring them back from the dead. Of course, to guarantee the necromancer will fulfil her side of the bargain, she signs a binding magical contract so if she doesn't bring the thug back from the dead in 10 minutes she will explode. Necromancers are paid handsomely for this.

Kremm-thievery: Some wizard criminals have managed to get their hands on Abatraxi, artefacts that syphon kremm from other magic-users and feed it into themselves.

2 comments:

  1. I was trying to think how these laws are enforced. The Glint Smuggling would probably be enforced like the DEA. The Organ Wizzing & Necrothugs would be like black market body parts. Kremm-thievery is like pick-pocketing. I would imagine one way to catch them is to use lookout points. Inspiring stuff.

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    1. Absolutely! My next write up will be all about the city guard and punishments. Want to give it a dredd-esque feel.

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