Ward pins

Table of Contents

Classroom help—Topic: Ward pins

In most story, the gifting of a ward pin to a lover marks the most significant moment of a courtship. This has trained us all to see this as a highly romantic moment—and indeed, who can pretend this has never figured in their dreams? And yet, do not let flights of fancy blind you to the dangers...

What are Ward Pins?

A pin that you attach to the top of your jacket.

The pin is pinned / linked directly to the wards of a fief.

The fief lord cannot use the wards against you anymore.

You can even use the wards in small ways to defend yourself.

Warning

Pins have a limited lifespan before they will break under the strain of the warding magic. Always watch their state carefully and never hesitate to make your exit from the fief before it becomes too late...

To whom are they given?

To other lords and ladies, during negotiations, so that they can be conducted privately in one of the fiefs rather than in the neutral centre of the city.

To travelling healers, to convince them to come to a fief by proving that they will both be safe and free to leave whenever they want.

To a lover, to show they are held in high esteem and are trusted and respected, and to make them into more of an equal by giving them some protection.

Warning

Always remember that the usefulness of pins is limited by the fact that lords are extremely powerful—they are perfectly capable of killing you even without the help of their wards.
Unless you have yourself a power to rival theirs, the gift of a pin is little more than a symbolic gesture.

Most well-known example from stories: The war-torn lovers Jeanne and Lucien, who courted each other from the balconies of towers standing opposite each other on the border of their respective fiefs, and who were finally able to demonstrate their trust and join each other after the gift of a pin stolen from one of their lords.

Little-known real life example: The Red Lady who courted a lady who insulted her and offered her a pin, only to trap her in her fief for the months it took for the pin to break, finally allowing her to kill the offender.

Upcoming events...

Could the gift of a ward pin convince Lady Olénie of Glass to trust the would-be emperor Lord Adélème of Spinner enough to open negotiation with him?

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Related articles

The City of the Hundred Fiefs

Territories The City of the Hundred Fiefs · Geography (The world's strongest magic hotspot, The cave system under the city) · Fiefs (The Fief of Glass, The Diviner Fief) · Neutral areas (The Council's Palace) Politics Government system (Lords and Ladies of the Fiefs, The Council) · Conflict (The ongoing Elantian civil war, Lord Adélème's fanclub, The Resistance against the New Empire, Water sickness, Previous inhabitants of the Fief of Perfumes) · Lords & ladies (Lord Adélème of Spinner, Lady Olénie) Magic Dangers (Seasonal magic flood, Magical corrosion, Are the magic currents under the city expanding?, Basement kraken) · Technologies (Tower wards, Ward pins, Tasty Treat) · Magic system (Runes, Glass and Magic Lenses) Culture History (The Return of the Empire, Dragonic magic manifestations, The Last Emperor's Experimental Notes, The Ruins of the Ancient city of Elante, Anti-imperial sigil) · Travellers (Trading caravans, Travelling healers, Divination Sessions) · Others (Lord Adélème's Tower, Tower cats, The Worship of the Imperial Family, Election of a Tower Leader, Spying Devices)