NOBLE ESTATES

Social Class: Upper.

Power Center: Often—conventional (noble).

Buildings: Estates (100%).

Description: Noble estates are places of green lawns, well-tended gardens, and sprawling manor houses that feature every luxury imaginable. Statues and ornate fountains adorn street corners or private yards. Servants or slaves fi ll the streets, running errands for their masters. Wide roads allow carriages to pass easily through the district. Many of the estates are fenced, their entrances patrolled by private guards. In cities with insuffi cient space for sprawling grounds, noble estates might instead be luxurious townhouses or apartments, or could occupy wings of the same castle, keep, or palace in which the local lord resides. The sights and sounds of the district are much like those of the lord’s keep, except that the ensigns of many different noble houses are displayed.

Plot Hook: Two members of rival noble houses have fallen in love. They have decided to wed despite the objections of their relatives, and they have just enough support in their respective families to make the marriage happen. The PCs have been hired as private security for preparations and for the wedding itself. They must deal with mean-spirited but nonlethal interference by the two houses, harassment by the guard and other city offi cials, and much more dangerous attempts at sabotage and murder. A mysterious fi gure seems to have a personal stake in the matter.