History of the Wayfarers
The Age of Strife
The history of the Wayfarers is long and poorly documented. Bygone Wayfarer leaders have been known to make claims of glory or heroism with nary a shred of evidence. These claims would stand on force of personality as often as not, as great hordes were formed through sheer charisma. There was a time when the whole of them had devolved into barbarism and routinely raided one another, burning anything that wasn’t valuable. When there were few warlords left, with little to call their own, they broke bread and established a few simple accords. Society progressed from open war into uneasy truce as people struggled to rebuild. Many lands were despoiled such that the only solution was to move on.
The resulting nomads found that no matter how they wandered, they would encounter again and again the victors of those old struggles, the forests winding them back along seemingly-familiar paths and somehow confusing their best ability to navigate. During their wild wanderings however, they came to find “treasures” of older times and materials that would serve as goods for trade. Soon all were yearning to explore and lay claim to this wealth.
Though the situation grew tense, the Wayfarers held to their accords and averted open war. Land was parceled out, and came to be ruled over by those who could sustain their own cults of personality, known as “Trade Princes”. These Trade Princes would continue to drive expansion, spreading resources to avoid accumulating enough Potentia to attract deadly monsters. An individual Trade Prince may direct hundreds of individuals, with the most influential overseeing over one thousand individuals across several outposts. All told, the Wayfarers and their affiliates number between six and eight thousand. Trade Princes often bicker and seek advantage against one another, but those who declare open war would be struck down by a united front.
The truth beyond these tales is shrouded in the politicking and machinations of countless ambitious Trade Princes in a constant struggle for recognition. Whatever the objective truth is, it holds little value to the enigmatic Princes.
Age of Discovery
Recent advances in the use of Potentia enabled the Wayfarers to explore further, and in time they discovered other people. Rather than wild tribes, these groups would sometimes constitute entire developed societies. Over the past two years, Trade Princes have seized on this opportunity to establish further trade and expand their current influence.
Expansion entails that a Trade Prince must relinquish some control; they can’t administrate everything at once. When an Outpost grows too large, the materials there are portioned out, with some quantity taken by a declared Second who will either take over the existing Outpost or be responsible for establishing the next. This relationship of partnering and apprenticeships is also utilized in lower stratas of Wayfarer society, with businessmen and artisans similarly declaring ‘Seconds’ for their trade or craft.
Prominent Trade Princes
Brennus Boru - disciplined and ruthless. Taxes pattern use outside of his armed forces. Brennus recently instituted a registration on Wild patterns, making unregistered use a punishable offense. Although his outposts are ruled with an iron fist, his dedication to the defense of his citizens is second to none. As long as you follow the rules, there is no safer place to be.
Cynwrig - reckless and optimistic. Cynwrig believes that everyone can become better than who they are. Abhors stagnation and wasted potential beyond all else. Unlike other Trade Princes, Cyrnwrig leaves his Seconds behind to run his successful outposts while he explores, seeking out new ventures. Cynwrig can frequently be found in the company of his several advisors.
Catríona Sionann - calm and patient. Appears as a champion to the impoverished and downtrodden, but rumors suggest Catríona has an extensive network of telepathically linked spies and assassins at her beck and call. Rumors also circulate that she has an inordinate collection of pets each with the mind of human, so who’s to say what could be true? She refers to herself as a Prince - the Wayfarers accept the term as gender neutral.
Elidor Emrys - mischievous and clever. Determined to prove superiority through adaptation, many of Elidor’s outposts lack defensive structures of any kind. Instead, his people and structures blend into their surroundings and environments. He holds to the following motto: “Do not change nature when you can change yourself. Observe your surroundings and emulate their design, for in this way you can learn from countless trials.” Elidor has a greater number of outposts than other Trade Princes, but keeps them smaller in size and scope.
Phillip Deferrels - boisterous and wasteful. Phillip has no qualms about aggressive logging or strip mining. He would often say that “Man will get back to glory when all these damn wilds are gone.” Phillip’s associates are often like-minded and rowdy, with morale upkept by a steady supply of alcohol and regular carousing.
Alek Venner - mousy and envious. Alek is a petty sort of cunning. Once a successful Trade Prince, he suffered great losses as a result of revolts among his governed people. He has little land left, but still holds a collection of potent treasures and enough dedicated men to get by. Nowadays few Wayfarers will trust him as a trade partner, but he is rumored to have made new connections with newly discovered factions.