On the Burning Hearts Social Club
The Burning Hearts Social Club is a wide-ranging collective of adventurers and braggarts, explorers and womanizers, scientists and storytellers, scoundrels and heroes - and, as one might expect, exceedingly dear to my heart. A member myself of some seniority and renown, I have had the pleasure of knowing this stalwart collection of wandersome souls for the better half of my adult life. Aside from a chance encounter with the infamous Charred Chard Killer, most of my brushes with death alongside members of that august organization have led to excitement, fond memories, and, sometimes, even the data I was sent to collect in my capacity as an academic... ...The Burnhearts provide a service in most cultures under the Manifold Sky beyond the provision of booze, yarns, and camaraderie, however. A pub is a clubhouse where the men of a region can gather and connect socially with other men in the absence of the usual social influences exerted by the presence of women. The structure of the organization, loose as it is, is a much-needed balm for the chaos in the lives of many members, some of which would have turned to less salubrious pursuits in the absence of that structure. For still others, the presence of authoritative senior members fills the role of a father figure who might be absent from the members life - a sad reality of living in the time of the War of Reunification, which has piled the bodies of fathers and sons alike high in recent years with the advancement of warfighting technology. Most importantly, a Burnheart pub is a place away from the grind and hubbub of a world increasingly at odds with the natural state of man, providing the succor and relaxation important for the stability of a thinking mind... ...Some of our shared stories are so wildly out of the ordinary that we can't speak of them, or, even if we could, you would not believe them - and odd state of affairs for an organization based on spinning tales of adventure as one would imagine. Still, should you find your way to the Koseti Square Inn or The Last Taps Chapterhouse and catch sight of a dashing verdial with fire-red fronds, don't be shy to sit down and share a pint. Who knows? If you speak my language and contribute to the tab, maybe I'll share...
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