Temple of Lost Coins
Once a castle-like church dedicated to the worship of the dwarven deity Trudd, this fortified building was for many decades a center of the dwarven community within the Coins. But with the revelation that the temple’s high priest Motchen Stonechins had in fact been stealing from the church’s funds to pay for secret gambling debts, the dwarves turned their backs on the temple and moved on to other shrines to Trudd elsewhere in Absalom, other religions, or lost their faith entirely. Locals took to calling the place the Temple of Lost Coins to mock Motchen’s crimes against the faith, and Stonechins fled the city in shame, leaving the building to fall into disrepair.
It was nearly a century before the building was reclaimed by a band of honorable thieves known today as the Forthright. While the temple’s furnishings and decor had long since crumbled into ruin, the temple remained strong. The Forthright, led by a mysterious figure known as the Harlequin, decorated the building with circus banners and colorful streamers, turning it into a gaudy display that only further obscures its original purpose.
As a result of a loophole in the Coins’ law, the Forthright are a legal organization as long as they pay taxes on their profits and never deny their involvement in any crime of trespass or theft. Thus if captured and questioned, a Forthright Man admits to any stealing or spying he has done. Stolen goods must be returned, and minor damages paid for any such act they admit to, but beyond that no punishment falls on them. Since it is also a crime to falsely accuse any citizen of a crime, Forthright Men are only called to account when strong evidence ties them to a crime or a victim is certain of exactly who stole something. It’s not enough to be convinced one of a group of Forthright Men committed a crime; witnesses must be able to identify exactly who was involved, and be willing to answer to charges if their accusations don’t pan out.
It was nearly a century before the building was reclaimed by a band of honorable thieves known today as the Forthright. While the temple’s furnishings and decor had long since crumbled into ruin, the temple remained strong. The Forthright, led by a mysterious figure known as the Harlequin, decorated the building with circus banners and colorful streamers, turning it into a gaudy display that only further obscures its original purpose.
As a result of a loophole in the Coins’ law, the Forthright are a legal organization as long as they pay taxes on their profits and never deny their involvement in any crime of trespass or theft. Thus if captured and questioned, a Forthright Man admits to any stealing or spying he has done. Stolen goods must be returned, and minor damages paid for any such act they admit to, but beyond that no punishment falls on them. Since it is also a crime to falsely accuse any citizen of a crime, Forthright Men are only called to account when strong evidence ties them to a crime or a victim is certain of exactly who stole something. It’s not enough to be convinced one of a group of Forthright Men committed a crime; witnesses must be able to identify exactly who was involved, and be willing to answer to charges if their accusations don’t pan out.
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