The Tabular Organisation of the Royal Basin

In the Royal Basin the people are governed by a noble house that takes on the rulership of the land through a popular vote. The head of the family becomes Monarch and they are served by a sequence of tables with the Golden Table leading the country. The Guildsfolk are monitored by the Iron Table which liaises between Gold and the Tables which serve the Iron.

Players that serve a Table are likely to have followed a course of action along the following lines: Joined the Academy at the age of four and trained in all arts until the age of twelve when they joined a guild and gathered specific training. The fluff for the guilds can be found on the system wiki and are worth reading before you continue to Table choices. Once your training is completed at the age of twenty one a guilder will generally join a Table which represents their opportunities and how they serve the Basin.

When you create your character you may choose which Table your character is based with. This will help to guide your plot and your interaction with the game world and other characters. What follows is a comprehensive Description of each of the Tables.

When creating your character you can find a plethora of background regarding how and why you were trained and a whole host of intrinsic beliefs and oaths that can guide you into the rich history of that game. This can be found in the Guilds of the Royal Basin area.

## The Steel Table

*Defence, Duty, Selflessness.*

The Steel Table who are responsible for the Defence and Expansion of the Royal Basin through military endeavour. It is a faction that controls the various battalions of the Royal Basins armies and a selection of guilds that function on a practical level away from the front lines on behalf of the Basanic Military. The guilds receive the same instruction as the Military but are expected to operate alongside civilian and noble operations to enforce the defence of Basanic people. Personnel from guilds and battalions are often switched between each other regularly to encourage unity which is something that is clear to see throughout the Royal Basin.

There is a great deal of pride and ambition among the ranks of the military that serve the Steel Table; The Royal Basin’s military has been active and engaged in battle constantly for almost eleven centuries, over those years they have become the most feared fighting units across Daer Akmir. They know that they have lost battles and they have learned from them, they know they have won hard fought victories and they have gloried in it but each victory or loss belongs to the Royal Basin and to the tables that support them as much as the Steel.

The soldiers of the Steel table are loved and respected by their people and treated with a high degree of fame and notoriety; their flagons are never empty and their plates are always full. These rights are not just won through battle though, the Steel Table is deeply loyal, supporting the other tables that stand with it alongside the nobility and the mercantile houses as much as the small folk. Everything comes before the life of the soldier, the people, the land, the monarch, all of these stands behind a member of the Steel Table, relying on them for life and land and love. That is why the soldiers of The Basin are loved, that is why they are also feared.

## What Soldiers of the Steel Table Are

* Fully trained soldiers by guilds who are regimented and follow the military chain of command

* Loyal to the Royal Basin and to the other Tables following the Steel Tables agenda closely but also sticking closely to the rest of the tables policies.
* Adventurers that are paid for their work and have a level of autonomy away from the main armed forces.
* Capable of entering any arena and doing battle be it physically or diplomatically they are free citizens of the Royal Basin and may take on any role
* Respectful and respected

## What Soldiers of the Royal Basin Are Not

* On the front line of battle: Whilst they are capable of having battles in their backstories or to state that they have been involved in downtime battle they will not die in a downtime battle.
* Civilians in uniform.
* People that blindly follow orders: The Royal Basin’s armed forces are taught to think and raise issues with those in the chain of command above them. They will, at the end of the day, however revert to following the chain of command.

## The Azure Table

*Faith, Dogma, purity*

The representatives of the Eleven Deities of the Royal Basin and their subsidiaries well here seeking to interpret the will of those Divine beings, guiding the people along the paths that will keep power flowing and political strength in the hands of the Priesthood. The Azure Table is often referred to as the Clergy, a unity of the eleven factions of faith that run through the land and influence the will and actions of the people. Priests from all of the Churches flock to the Azure Table to discuss the words of the deities, to write religious texts and to debate how best to guide their people. The Azure Table, therefore, is primarily responsible for the application of religious belief in day to day life but also the expansion of the influence of the Eleven in the Royal Basin and beyond.

The Azure Table is a faction that pulls the strings of the faithful in all walks of life: Merchants, Generals, Politicians and Shoe Makers all value the sanctity of their souls and the passing of that eternal part of themselves under the mountain (on to the afterlife). The Disciples of the Azure Tabel are those that have commodity with the Deities to make that happen. They interpret the word and will of the Divine and spread that to the people: THIS is what you should be doing to make them proud of you and to fashion the purity of your soul. This is the duty of a Disciple, to ensure that those that follow them make it safe and sound into the arms of They that they worship.

There is a great deal of rivalry and ambition among the different faiths of the Disciples that serve the Azure Table. The various priesthoods have been at war or loggerheads with each other for years over one matter or the other. The Clergy itself has been disbanded and reforged more times than has been recorded and its leadership has been a solo Primus or a triumvirate of Primii depending on the current mood of the faithful. Deities have come and gone whilst others have risen so high that their Disciples are favoured by those of other faiths as they attempt to gather some of that power to themselves. All in the Disciples may put on a unified
front but the meetings of the Azure table could easily lead to bloodshed.

Nonetheless the members of the Azure Table are deeply respected by the people of the Royal Basin who see them as extensions of the will of the Deities. Where they go people gather to listen to their words and receive their guidance and their blessings. Of most note to the small folk are the Divinities: Those soldiers that have joined the table on experiencing the visions of the Divine and come to take part in the anointment. These warriors are truly gifted by the Eleven and become Holy to the extent
that the power of their patron can be felt flowing through them wherever they walk. To the Disciples and the Divinities the people of the Royal Basin are their responsibility, they are relied upon to see the work of their lives rewarded in the days to come after. It is a role that they take with all seriousness and responsibility.

## What Disciples of the Azure Table Are

* Priests who command the power of the Deities that they serve and reward those deities with a strengthening of their faith among the mortal world.
* Responsible for the souls of the living and their safe passage to Under the Mountain, they actively seek for them to be pure and a living part of the deity.
* Adventurers that are paid for their work and have a level of autonomy away from the Churches when they pursue such a career.
* Capable of entering any arena and doing battle be it physically or diplomatically they are free citizens of the Royal Basin and may take on any role
* Respectful and respected

## What Disciples of the Royal Basin Are Not

* Dogmatic to the point of belligerence with regard to their own faith and others.
* Intolerant of other forms of magic.
* Likely to corrupt a soul and sell it to the highest bidder.

## The Emerald Table

*Spirit, Harmony, Community*

The people of the Tao represent here: Upholding Basanic law and integrating the Tao of the Wyld throughout the Wyld places of the land. These folk seek to keep sacred the land of the Gillieabad and expand the ritual power of the Royal Basin to contend with its neighbours. At its heart the Emerald table is built on the Tao that was taught to them by the Gillieabad in the first days of the world, the guidance of the sagacious beings that created our world. The Gillieabad laid down the perfect principle underlying the world of Vaklam, holding the balance and harmony of life and magic within the natural order. The people of  the Emerald Table understand that if this balance is ignored then the world will, as it is doing, collapse under the Rising of Chaos that has come from the civilisations of a decadent world.

The Tao is a faction that eschews political machination and instead focuses on the community and the
individual: Each individual has, at their core, a spirit which is their connection to the world, their centre, their growth and their understanding of the world given to them by the Gillieabad. A Foster of the Emerald Table seeks that Spirit and nurtures it so that a person should know their place in the infinite world and how much power that gives them; to connect to the natural spirit of the world. Together as a shared community that Spirit is stronger and more powerful and through that connection the Gillieabad can help them to shape a better world. Not through magic but through acts of togetherness, a shared community and a greater understanding of the world that is provided for them.

The Fosters are made up of Ritualists from across the Six Altars of the Royal Basin . Altars are the
remnants of places sacred to Gillieabad power where once these spirits were allowed to roam free before the coming of the other powers. Once there were thousands of such places now there are six functional although more wait dormant. Other nations still venerate these places as Groves or Gardens but the Royal Basin has forgotten them. Gilieabad now move between city spaces or dwell in pools of hatred and corruption, the abomination is strong there. The Emerald Table seek to reconnect the places of power and rebalance the power of the Basin before it the Gillieabad die and with them the world.

The Table is made up of the four core teachings of the Tao in the shape of Fosters: The Ulmagarn who are the few diplomats and politicians who extend into the ranks of the unenlightened. The Melkarr who are the Ritualists in plentitude and number who remember the old ways and teach the young. The Ele Strom who are the lawbringers and justice of the Wyld they are feared and reviled and the Vormearn who are the mystically imbued warriors of the Gillieabad that patrol the places of the Tao to keep them safe. These people are hugely loved and respected in the places of the Tao throughout the Basin but are seldom met with the same respect outside of Tao held communities. The people of the Emerald Table fight hard to enlighten and change these aspects of the world around them.

## What Fosters of the Emerald Table Are

* Ritualists that follow the Spirits that created the world and seek desperately to realign the world to their power to prevent that world from suffering irreversible damage. The struggle is real.
* Believers in the community and the power of each individual within that community as well as the power of a community of the enlightened to work with and be enhanced by the environment and the Gillieabad that should live in it.
* Kind and respectful people: There are thousands of Gillieabad that represent many aspects of the world. Kindness, peace and happiness are among them
* Cold hearted killers and defenders of the land: There are thousands of Gillieabad that represent many aspects of the world. Vengeance, slaughter and misery are among them.
* Understanding that a balance between all things, the latter two for example, are vital to the survival of all things and that those that follow dogmatic paths of one or the other are doomed to die. Probably at the blade of a Vormearn.

## What Fosters of the Royal Basin Are Not

* Anti Civilisation Activists (see the Altar of the Twelve Trees)
* Left wing liberalists or Right Wing Fascists they do not extreme represent
* Tree worshippers

## The Crimson Table

*Guild, Learning, Integrity*

Also known as the Voice this table is a coalition of power between the guilds that train the various folk that protect and represent the realm. Each guild  strives to find representation
proper on the Golden Table as it concentrates on the Haruspexes, Doctors and Investigators across the land. The voice was formed quite late as a Table, politically, although it has existed as an entity for centuries. It came about through the lobbying of the powers of the Guilds that sought a representation in matters of the Basin and of the people that they represented. Here came the disenfranchised, the newcomers to the arena and the persecuted. Chief among
them were the Haruspexes, who had faced years of state instituted violence and death as heretics and the University  specialists who were seeking fair representation. Soon after they were joined by the Guildsfolk of those that were considered tag along’s: The Oath , The Academy and The Battered Shield to name but a few.

As the years went by it became clear that the people of the Voice had a lot to say but that their voices needed to be unified. The Crimson Table had become a guilders table, literally every member came from a guild that people considered an “adventuring” guild, although that term was banned by the Black Table in 2004. It was clear to the Voice that the politicians of the world respected two things above all others: Power and Wealth. So the Voice became led by Haruspexes of the Institute for power and Professionals of the University for Wealth. The Crimson Table became the ultimate vehicle for the concerns and needs of the Guildic community that were most active in the field and taking on the missions that came regularly through the Iron Table.

This gave them a LOT of power: Without them, without this Union of Warriors, Bards, Psionicists and Engineers the Royal Basin would lose a huge amount of its power within Daer Akmir. Which led the Golden Table to ask the newly formed Crimson: “What do you want?” After much deliberation the Crimson Table found its way. The Voice stands for the Guildsfolk of the Royal Basin and the role that they play in the grand arena of the world. When the Iron Table decides that a mission is a go it is the Crimson Table that looks at the ethics of that mission, the pay and unifies to get the right resources to the people that are undertaking it. But more than that they are bringing the new concepts of the world into the light: Psionics, long persecuted is championed here, the Weave is an ancient form of magic that is little understood but here the power of story is found and understood.

The Crimson Table is a place for the lost, a place for Priests that will not stand with a crumbling clergy or Sourcerers that cannot tolerate an oppressive College. Here the folk that stand between the people of the Royal Basin and everything and anything that will try to bring them harm find an integrity that does not exist in other places. There is pride here and love here, a feeling of family and shared suffering that is simply not replicated anywhere else. There is always a job to be done, a new form of magic to be understood, a Daemon to slay or cellar full of rats to be put down. Here is where you will be well paid, well trained and appreciated for doing so. Together. The people adore them: The Crimson Line, the Heroes Table. People weep for them, they follow their lives in the press, hang on their words and they dream of being them.

## What Guildsfolk of the Crimson Table Are

* Big, damn heroes, sir.
* Professionals
* The stuff that legends are made of
* Always willing to stand and fight them hard because they will never run. They will always be the Shining Stars and do what must be done.

## What Guildsfolk of the Royal Basin Are Not

* A Union.
* Whining Toadies
* Stereotypes. Unless they want to be. Solidarity.

## The Black Table

*Power*

There was a Black Table before there was a Monarch of the Royal Basin, in fact most people believe that there was a Black Table before there was a Royal Basin. It has been here figuratively and physically since the beginning and it is made of magic. Originally home to the Five Colleges of Power who train those that wish to represent Sourcerous or Vorokian interests. This is a highly politically and power motivated organisation whose consideration is the control of Power across Daer Akmir. In recent years, under the guidance of Archmage Jack Spears, other users of power have been allowed access to this Table in order to properly unify magics and potentially halt the damage that is being done to the Gillieabad and restore order to the world. However the table is still predominately Sourcerous and under the direct sponsorship of the Colleges of Controlling Power and the Archmages Council.

The Black Table is a faction that is directly responsible for the control and flow of magical power across the lands. The world is littered with Ley Lines and nodal points that carry the core elements of power that spring from the Source of the Nexus. Originally this power was pure Source and solely the playground of the Sourcerers but over the years it has been harnessed and altered by various other powers: Priests focussed it into the power of Faith, Psionicists draw on it to direct the power of the Astral and in distant lands the Dahinnists of Egharia channel pure Source as though it were faith. These are only a handful of examples. Sourcerers have understood for long years that the power of the Nexus is finite and only sustained by proper regulation of that power. They have also come to understand what terrible corruption the misuse of that power has one the body and essence of a person.

From the a lack of control came Daemons which led to the creation of the Shadowed Lands and countless wars and battles between mortals and the monsters that they had created, hungry for their power. Sourcerers had fought those battles and many of them were lost, still, taken by the corruption and now Daemons all of their own. But the lessons were not learned. Heretical Deities were risen, the power of the White summoned and the Strange of other worlds called out of the Weave. Control of Power was not maintained and the Black Table acted. They operate with aggression both magically and politically to maintain a control of the world and keep the magic of the Source pure and replenished. The Black Table wants control, its voice is ancient and carries with it not only the years of experience but also the shadow of the mistakes that it has made that it lives with
without shame but with regret.

Members of the Black Table take their job very seriously which is one of vigilance, control and cleansing. They are willing to make the difficult choices and roll the hard six when needs be without reservation and regardless of conscience. The burdens of these responsibilities make these people hard and brusque, the need to distance themselves from friendships and perceived kindness is vital if they want to establish power in the magical and political circles that they work in. To the general populace the Black Table are terrifying figures: They have burnt entire villages to the ground to destroy Daemonic corruption without explanation to the common folk. They do not interact with the people but they seemingly murder local Disciples or Haruspexes who the people do not suspect are possessed of Heresy or the White. Yet behind the scenes they are constantly developing the
magical world and protecting the people from the horrors that exist beyond its boundaries. Fearlessly and often at the cost of their own lives.

## What Members of the Black Table Are

* Brave
* Tragic figures
* Deeply serious about what they do
* Unbending in the face of any form of corruption
* Practiced politicians.

## What Guildsfolk of the Royal Basin Are Not

* Beardy Wizards.
* Mass murderers
* Cruel

## The Velvet Table

*Diplomacy, Intrigue, Politics*

Sometimes referred to as the Veiled Consulate this powerhouse of politics and nobility represents the upper
echelons of Basanic society and their interests abroad through both open and covert means or so people whisper in darkened corridors. The corridors of these buildings are full of diplomats and ambassadors and some say, in whispers….spies. Daer Akmir supports a number of nations; some ancient and decadent, some new and burgeoning others strong and settled. At the edge of their borders great armies jostle and maneuver providing a deterrent to war, through the roads and waterways trade flows like water bringing food and wealth to the cities that are the beating heart of the great peoples of the world. Wheels turn, Kings and Emperors come and go and wars take the lives of millions but still the civilisations of this continent survive. Why? There are folk out there that dedicate their lives to the politics of their people and to the politics of their opposites.

These people form the diplomatic wing of the Royal Basin comprised of Diplomats, Ambassadors, Envoys, Emissaries and Heralds. Their duties take them far and wide across Daer Akmir and it is vital that they have received the training that the Guilds bring regarding not only culture but also the political aspects of the lands that they will be travelling to. Alongside that some magical training coupled with some skill at arms is never a bad thing have at your disposal in hostile territory, diplomatic immunity or not. A diplomat bears the diploma of their nation allowing them to speak on the behalf of their nation allowing them to speak on behalf of their sovereign to the heads of other states and similarly important individuals.

All of the great nations have diplomats in one
form or another and have had since wars were considered not the best way of getting things done. Diplomats travel across the open world to speak politically and carry with them the word of the leaders of their land. They are able to discuss, debate and suggest and eventually return with proposals for their leaders to be ratified and returned to those that they deal with. Few are skilled enough to begin this path and fewer still to see it through to the end but those that do are forged in The Veiled Consulate an organisation funded by the Golden Table but supported by the guilds for the purposes of training of diplomats and Ambassadors. An ambassador is an official envoy, essentially the highest ranking diplomat who represents a state of the Royal Basin and is also accredited to another sovereign state, or to an international organisation as the resident representative of their own government or sovereign or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment.

These assignments are occasionally in the interests of peace, sometimes in the interest of war but always in the interest of the Royal Basin. The term, in its most common use, usually applies to the ranking government representative stationed in a foreign capital. The host country typically allows the ambassador control of specific territory called an embassy, whose territory, staff, and equipment are generally afforded diplomatic immunity in the host country. Like diplomats Ambassadors share a level of the same diplomatic immunity in the areas of travel and immunity however they also find themselves safe from prosecution according to the laws of the area that they stationed in. Instead they are extradited to home soil for any criminal proceedings; failure to do so usually precipitates a war, a war that was, in most cases, on the cards and in which the ambassador has been an unwitting pawn.

The role of the ambassador expands on the diplomat into very clear areas that move away from just speaking on behalf of the nation but more into a representative role. Each nations citizens move from country to country, crossing borders, settling in new lands but keeping the credential of their birth land. An Ambassador shoulders the burden of protecting those citizens; coming to their aid and looking after their interests, interpreting and negotiating for them where necessary. As a nation expands so too does the opportunity for trade and prosperity, this is often one sided unless there is an ambassador present to act as an intermediary between foreign business and their own. Finally and most importantly an Ambassador's position away from home is one that is designed to promote peace between peoples. Fostering trust and global laws that prevent the abuse of human rights, crushing slavery, criminal activity and also disseminating foreign cultures into friendly and new environments. Ambassadors are a rare breed, each and everyone as ready to lay down their life like the heroic warriors who breach the frontlines on a daily basis. Just as brave, just as bold, often unsung.

## What Members of the Velvet Table Are

* Skilled Politicians
* Spies
* Hard bargainers
* Heroes and Patriots
* Peacemakers

## What Ambassadors and Diplomats of the Royal Basin Are Not

* James Bond
* Quislings
* Simpering, self serving politicians

## The Copper Table

*Trade, Quality, Contracts*

The wealth of the Royal Basin
is controlled by the copper table and it takes those of natural nous and competence to keep that wealth flowing well. Caravans, fleets and huge stores of goods are under their jurisdiction and that kind of power needs guarding. *"The art of trading isn't a skill that can be easily learnt, sure you can pick up numbers, arithmetic, learn trade routes, the names of decent dealers and the cost of a good in one harbour and its value in another. But does that make you a good trader? Does that mean that you have the nuance to make the deal or understand the trade? Do you have the gut, the instinct? Is the level of ability at your disposal from learning or from the very core of a Merchants Ken. It's in the blood my boy, what we earn, the bread and butter of our meals; all of it is in our heart and soul. Spend a little and earn a lot, invest the cash in the right kind and quality of Merchandise, recognise a good deal, wheel and deal and keep your head above water. This time next year we'll be millionaires!"* - Derryck Bhouy to Roderik Knee one drunken night down the Complaining Bonce.

Our society is one built of trade and commerce, relying heavily on uncharted routes across the wastes that are known only to the traders that have passed such paths down from parent to progeny. The Dukes and Duchesses who rule have patronised Basanic merchants for hundreds of years and many are the young and new traders who seek similar arrangements. Often a trader is from a family and already has some level of interaction with the wealthier and more influential but equally they may come from more humble beginnings. Each struggles to build a reputation or name for themselves, trading cargo, hauling goods or dealing in illicit goods behind closed doors. Trading licences and the like, along with the training of domestic merchants, the rules and implementations of that law are all under auspice of the Copper Table, the governmental table responsible for all things merchant orientated in the Royal Basin.

Merchants make a living by trading in goods. Unlike Traders, they do not often deal directly with the public; they are generally wholesalers rather than retailers. Dealing in anything that will show a profit, Merchants travel widely to acquire and transport goods and attend all the great urban markets. Trading at the lesser country markets and fairs is usually left to underlings. Merchants will often be powerful and respected members of local councils and other governing bodies and the Merchants' Guild is a powerful organisation in its own right. Merchants are invariably wealthy and maintain at least one town house and several warehouses as well. They will have or are part of one or several of the major trading cartels of the Royal Basin: The Nine Stars, The Eagles Wing Trading Coster, Scourge Bourne Trading, Nightstar Trading and the trading families of Phyphor, Sung, Garalanis, Fat and Dumor. They have a responsibility not only to themselves but also to the guilds folk whom they heavily sponsor and ensure a good equilibrium and parity between. On top of that they are usually responsible for the resource hubs of the Royal Basin, maintaining the trade routes and leading debate and discussion with Copper Table and the Golden.

"*As a merchant I command a lot of respect and you might say to me that this comes from my money and the holdings that I own and to an extent that is true. Power flows to the one that knows how and wealth is no different; people recognise this, they recognise what I have and how I control it and they want a slice of that pie, they want to taste it, in fact they want the Gods damn recipe for that pie. You probably think that I and others like me, spend our time feet up, chewing expensive cigars and living a life beyond compare? Sure I dress well and don't eat the filfth you find in 'restaurants' but I work day and night for that. The responsibilities of leadership that come with sensible distribution of wealth are immense, everyone wants a piece of you and what you own and no-one believes that you* deserve *that wealth, you're a cheat, a liar and you never, ever feel llike you earned respect, only enmity. The road to wealth is paved with loneliness but the road can take you and those you have chosen to sponsor to truly wondrous places." -* Stoford Dumar of house Dumar.

## What Members of the Copper Table Are

* Involved mercantile development on a local and Duchy area
* Capable of owning holdings and producing goods for sale
* Valuable parts of the guildic community
* Capable of using magics and a sword as well as having good business sense.
* Economic heroes in their own right

## What Merchants of the Royal Basin Are Not

* Penny grubbing filth merchants
* Abusers of human rights
* All rich and affluent

## The Bright Table

*Law, Civics, Justice.*

Dealing with the internal security and the protection of the common people of the basin this table is the will of the low folk and deals with problems that they face. From Militia to Monster Hunters this table is both loved and respected by the townsfolk across the land. The Bright Table was formed by Guilds Folk that largely came from the ranks of the common folk of the larger and most corrupt cities in the Royal Basin. They had seen the poorly trained and underfunded militia struggling with the likes of the Who Chow, the VGC and the Millers and were appalled. They took their Guildic training to the streets and sought out the worm of crime that had burrowed its way into the succulent fruit of the Great Basin. This was the birth of the Bright Table and whilst it has moved on the core of its being revolves heavily around Law, Justice and keeping the streets safe.

Bright Table reps come in many forms and flavours: Militia or The Watch are very common with Guildsfolk often holding the coveted position of Detective among their ranks but it does not end there. Whilst the Crimson Table looks outward to the dangers of Rhygahrea or the Frozen North the Bright Table looks inward for internal threats: If the dead are razed or a beast unleashed from the hells in the sewers of Rendrith it will be the Bright Table that responds. Unofficially Urban Hunters , Sawbones and even Night Cloaks report to the Bright Table who use every resource at their disposal  to keep their cities safe and protected. These worthies are found in almost every civic organisation with those that cannot contribute in any purely physical means working to provide education or acting as scribes for research and other endeavour.

The Bright Table springs from a huge number of guilds, the training is irrelevant but the shared sense of care of the people and of equality throughout Basanic Society. Where one would expect a significant number of people from the Oath you will find Cavaliers of Ekimelahw, Vormearn of the Tao, cocksure wizards, Priests of Naed, the list is endless. There is no rivalry between members of the Bright Table just a shared responsibility and duty to succeed against the odds. Their expected duties range from fighting crime to battling beasts but also to offer emotional support to the world at large, befriending huge portions of a neglected society and offering their time to them. Whether they are suffering bereavement or the damaging effects of regional poverty a Bright Table Warden will always come when called to offer what they can and share in these difficulties.

There can be no doubt of the role and appreciation for that role that the Bright Table has in the day to day society of the City folk of the Royal Basin. This may not extend as far up the ranks as the richer merchant types or perhaps the nobility but it is felt throughout the ranks of the citizens. They Bright Table are loved but are also often mourned and their loss is felt heavily. Bright Table Wardens care too much and often leave themselves exposed. They make enemies quickly, powerful enemies who have great wealth and power. Coupled with the fact that this is the smallest of the Tables they are often forced to work alone or in pairs with a partner. They make easy targets for upper echelon criminals who wish to make examples of them to the Small Folk. Too many Wardens are found bloodied in death and displayed with words to weaken the resolve of the common people. Yet they always return, they never give up and they never ask to be thanked.

## What Members of the Copper Table Are

* Investigators of mysteries that pose threats to the people of the Royal Basin and a little bit Sam Vimes
* Heroes
* Monster Hunters
* Urban Legends and sometimes Batman
* Moral compasses

## What Merchants of the Royal Basin Are Not

* Anti Heroes like the Punisher
* Martyrs
* Civil Servants