Avodai Forward Press #

Organizational Alignments:

Innovator/Modernist

Proliferates Avodai writings of all kinds, including but not limited to the weekly Avodai newspapers published one day before Zabbah. The Press has formal connections with every social and political organization in Terida, including its Lumdai government, the University, and the Avodai-funded Public Library. The latter preserves every past publication of the Avodai Forward Press in its general collection and newspaper archives.

The Press’s mission advocates for Avodai political rights in the city of Terida and the country of Markes more generally. As such, they often cover or publish works by Haven Cafe Collective members.

Grace #

Breaking News: A reporter from the paper appears with information (read: gossip) about your case. The NPC’s infectious energy increases each player’s life energy by 2, and their next skill use has its cost reduced by 1 (that’s just the contagious confidence of a reporter).

Members #

Better Shop Bureau #

Organizational Alignments:

Agnostic Traditionalist/Innovator

Avodai shopkeepers and craftspeople of Kahal and Terida share no political leanings, beyond unquestioning support of their community. Any time the majority populations of Markes and the wider world persecute or expel the Avodai, they survive hardships by supporting and uplifting one another (within reason). However, the flip side is that shopkeepers and craftspeople tend towards long days, competitive advantages, and often surveil each other extensively.

Acknowledging that all things happen in their season, the Better Shop Bureau encourages rest by mandating the closure of all Avodai shops on Zabbah. Traditionalist Avodai also abstain from purchases on Zabbah, but the handful of open Lumdai shops prove very helpful in a pinch—especially for Rafa who are on duty during the weekly Day of Rest.

Grace #

Bread and Circuses: There are few things better than the happy attentions of a great baker. Each player may eat as many fresh baked goods from Baker Ahava as they think their Rafa would be able to stomach. Discuss what confections your Rafa request, and what Ahava does to make them so special. Each refills 3 life energy, similar to a Hand Pie.

Members #

Farmers’ Council #

Organizational Alignments:

Agnostic Traditionalist

A secular group of farmers governing the area outside Terida’s city limits, including the village of Kahal. Farmer Roi recently gained a seat as an Avodai representative amongst Lumdai representatives Jorge, Alejandro, Mateo, and Isabella. Members are all agricultural giants in the area in their own right, yet the Farmer’s Council settles water and land rights for the entire region, giving them a great deal of power over new settlements, transportation, and natural conservation.

The most direct way to the Farmer’s Council’s good Graces is to support business interests in the region. Only Mateo is actively racist against interference by Rafa. Farmer Roi’s Avodai heritage provides him the most innate respect for Spirits and their role in the surrounding ecosystems.

Grace #

Bountiful Harvest: Play out a scene where your Rafa are given a tour of a nearby farm. Each player gains a food item appropriate to the area and, the next time they eat food to regain life energy, it takes no time, removing any risk of causing symptoms to a patient in need.

Members #

Haven Cafe Collective #

Organizational Alignments:

Innovator/Rebel

A loose group of revolutionary artists has made the Cafe their second home in the Avodai Quarter. This ragtag collection of primarily young adults eat, work, and sometimes nap in the corner there. As such, whether the members are Avodai or Lumdai, they always stand up for Avodai rights and organize community events. Often, members of their contingent also write for the Avodai Forward Press and visit Kahal to spread their art, taking advantage of the House of Rest’s free board during their stays.

The New Haven Cafe is open and staffed 24 hours a day, so university Scholars are well known to migrate there when the Public Library closes. Their clockwork arrival normally stimulates the more socialist Collective into boisterous political debates as everyone enjoys a late, light meal together.

Grace #

Abstract Art: Play out a scene at an art show inside the Haven Cafe. The Storyteller will introduce an NPC that will give you any information you might need. Each player should also increase their life energy by 2 (if in Terida) or (if in Kahal) players will be sent back with gifts that reduce the cost of their next 2 skill uses that session by 1 life energy each.

Members #

House Spouses #

Organizational Alignments:

Legalist/Moralist

Shopkeepers bring financial vitality to the Avodai community, but in many ways homemakers nourish its heart and soul. By cleaning community spaces and supporting children’s independence through collective monitoring, the homemakers non-commercially enrich their community. Someone lovingly came up with the nickname “House Spouses,” but all are welcomed to meetings regardless of marital status or children.

With its emphasis on enriching the commons, the House Spouses also make no formal distinction between Lumdai and Avodai. Fundraising for projects generally comes from charity drives and food sales on individual levels, so (while Avodai tend to contribute a lot) it doesn’t come from explicitly religious or ethnic organizations.

Grace #

Honor Thy Parents: House Spouses have some level of authority over all children, regardless of lineage. Rafa may call upon the House Spouses to compel cooperation from a particular child, with the Storyteller describing how this “negotiation” occurs. This Grace is available once for each session after you’ve earned it, only becoming unusable if the Rafa reduce their relationship with the House Spouses to a negative.

Members #

Kahal Council #

Organizational Alignments:

Legalist/Modernist

The governing Avodai body of Avodai in Kahal and Terida. Its five voting members bring a wide range of beliefs to the table.

Many Separatists champion a clean break into two governing bodies: the original body for the village of Kahal and another for the Avodai Quarter in the city of Terida. To counteract this, Councilors Rakel and Boaz have both spent more time in Terida lately, which discontents some Kahal constituents accustomed to reaching them easily during the week.

Grace #

Carte Blanche: Councilors keep Kahal moving smoothly, and their connections ensure that actions Rafa take during the current Scenario are thoroughly contextualized, avoiding any negative marks the Storyteller would have doled out for any Faction related to the events of this Scenario. Also, each player may pitch a small measure or reform to the entire Council, with the Storyteller negotiating whether the proposals pass or fail.

Members #

Loving Kindness Committee #

Organizational Alignments:

Moralist/Modernist

These parallel Committees, one in Kahal and another in Terida, provide for Avodai residents in need and collect money for community projects. Loving Kindness members are involved in a bit of everything: showing up for the sick with veggie noodle soup, helping out after disasters strike families, and organizing fundraisers for community improvement projects. As a rule, the Loving Kindness Committee commits to being above gossip, but some confidential information shared by homemakers at the Communal Oven could only source from this Committee.

By tradition, Rebzis–the Rebas’ spouses–are often highly involved in the Loving Kindness Committees. It was scandalous when the Terida Rebzi Mazal declined involvement altogether, being too busy with his position at the Terida Public Library. Consequently, less control by a Rebzi had positive benefits: the Terida Loving Kindness Committee enjoys a slightly better reputation for anonymity and equity than its Kahal counterpart.

Grace #

Community Support: Your group is given the honor of leading outreach for a portion of the day, in whichever location corresponds to the committee your group pleased (Kahal or Terida). Each player increases their life energy by 2 as they are invigorated by the glorifying nature of service, and the Storyteller gives the Rafa access to people who need simple healing and fellowship.

Members #

Mourning Committee #

Organizational Alignments:

Legalist/Moralist

Working closely with Shepherds of Souls, this organization handles funeral rites. Avodai often join the Mourning Committee after retirement to continue service to their community, using their schedule’s flexibility to respond to last minute requests. Avodai funeral services occur within days of death, and a Mourning Committee member attends the deceased’s body until burial or sings at the interment.

Many Mourning Committee members find that their involvement helps them cope with expectations and realities of death. The members are anonymous from the community, as it is the ultimate good deed to care for the dead with no acknowledgment.

Grace #

Silent Union: The Shepherds of Souls move about the region purposefully unseen. One of them shows up to offer you gossip and hearsay about a topic you’re interested in. Their Messenger of Death speaks up to offer the group even more info, gleaned from stray ghosts.

Members #

New Avodai Society #

Organizational Alignments:

Innovator/Rebel

The New Avodai Society is a movement that desires to modernize Avodai practices and integrate energy bending with engineering to improve lives. The New Avodai Society arose after the Fjord business, a Lumdai business, stole Rafa secrets, and created walking carts for transportation and business.

A few Rafas partner with New Avodai Society engineers to work on next-generation prosthetic devices and inventions to industrialize and make work more efficient. Yet the technological aspects are only one front, as the Society also has a large public relations arm that holds talks and advocates publicly.

Of course, some Avodai distrust democratizing energy bending to non-Avodai, for fear that profit motives might lead to abusing the Light’s gifts. However, when aids were only available to Avodai, the Lumdai majority in Terida harbored great suspicion for the devices and nearly banned them altogether as witchcraft. The New Avodai Society’s public relations, especially Scholar Ketura, worked with the Terida government to avoid this setback in autonomy and human rights.

Grace #

Information Exchange: A philosopher scientist from the NAS delivers/delivered you a pamphlet [earlier] on energy bending to proofread/enjoy, and they’re really on to something. Bring them into the scene or play out that earlier moment. Each player picks any skill which they do not currently know, gaining the ability to use it one time this session as though they had learned it.

Members #

Old Guard #

Organizational Alignments:

Legalist/Moralist

The Old Guard conservatively believe in maintaining Avodai traditions in Kahal, including maintaining the institutional connection between Kahal and Terida. (Terida Separatists are diametrically opposed politically to this sustained connection, although the Old Guard rarely acknowledges the opposition to delegitimize them. Similarly, they are satisfied enough with self-governance to amicably support the Lumdai powers in Terida, including its Governor.)

Instead of progressivism, the Old Guard focus their extant power on behalf of improving their communities. They know everyone, especially constituents, and control a lot of financial resources, which they use shrewdly and carefully. Having lived through an Avodai history that is much leaner and meaner than current times, members of the Old Guard are ever vigilant against becoming too complacent or too shocked by cruel turns of fate. They will weather their communities through any storms to come.

Grace #

A Thousand Threads: The Rosh Reba knows everyone, including old timers who know or possess what you need. Play out a scene where, at your Rafa’s request, Nakum guides the Rafa to an elder that’s been around the block and can help players with something specific. The Storyteller should give the players a resource or point of leverage which can solve a small problem that is keeping them from resolving the Scenario. The stalwart support of these community pillars cancels out the next 3 Side Effects that are incurred from using a Healing Skill or the passage of time.

Members #

Terida Public Library #

Organizational Alignments:

Modernist/Agnostic Traditionalist

The Terida Public Library is open to Avodai and Lumdai alike, and it is often cited as one of the biggest draws for Lumdai into the Avodai Quarter. It is staunchly protected as a harbor for Lumdai-Avodai relations, from its book collections to its many intercultural events, including Forward Avodai Press or interfaith events. Head Librarian Mazal was key to the Library’s construction, soliciting unprecedented financial support from nouveau riche merchants to elevate the Avodai Quarter’s esteem in the broader Terida community.

Terida University has its own library, but students have often used the Public Library since elementary schooling and come to the Public Library for books not available there. The New Haven’s owner, Dov, approaches Librarian Mazal about opening a new coffee shop within the Library itself.

Grace #

No Late Fees: On the library’s shelves, there is no shortage of writings that are some combination of interesting, half-forgotten, or brilliant. Each player should tell the table what topic a librarian was recently helping them dig into, and decide on a particularly interesting book they were allowed to tuck into their Rafa’s bag for a “long term loan”. Each player chooses one skill that they know but do not have Expertise in. For the rest of the session, use it as if you have Expertise.

Members #

Terida Separatists #

Organizational Alignments:

Modernist/Agnostic Traditionalist

Terida Separatists are an informal Faction whose members believe that the Terida Avodai community should have their own political institutions, separate from and peer to the village of Kahal. Separatist benefactors originally hired Rosh Reba Eliab to oversee Terida House of Prayer instead of the shared Reba from Kahal. As the new Reba’s popularity cemented the appointment’s legitimacy, the community’s tithes formally shifted away from Kahal into a Terida community trust.

Now, the Terida Separatists have set their political ambitions on establishing a Terida Counsel, allying with the Avodai Quarter’s Rosh Terida Gil. As the size and complexity of the Avodai Quarter grows year after year, Separatists similarly claim it makes no sense to be fully reliant on the Kahal Council for governance. Many prominent Separatists’ ambitions go higher than merely self-governance, as they soon want to earn a seat on the Terida city’s Council amongst the Lumdai majority.

Grace #

Tour the Streets: Escort Terida’s Reba through Kahal or be escorted through the Terida streets, improving individuals’ dispositions toward you on said tour.

If in Terida: Rosh Reba Eliab is well regarded in the Avodai Quarter of Terida, and his presence positively impacts how friendly strangers are to you there. Get the full info on one Terida resident or topic players are collectively interested in.

If in Kahal: Players escort Rosh Reba Eliab around Kahal, where villagers pull out the stops to make Eliab feel welcome in their community. People are more inclined to agree with you, and each player can take an extra food item (equivalent to Hand Pie) as the bounty of Kahal is laid out.

Members #