Due to events in Eaglesreach, five dwarven matriarchs paid a visit to Mariam to size her up as a potential bride for Keri Indrafang, high priest of Clanggoddin and the oldest male of Clan Indrafang. Dave cast Simon, Sean, Edward, Jeff, and himself as the matriarchs, and they all went at me [Diane] with a will. Dave unexpectedly had to leave for about half an hour during this, but the game continued on merrily without him. By the time he returned, several new dwarven customs had been improvised on the spur of the moment and speculation on Keri Indrafang's motives had generated a handful of new plot elements. It was quite glorious.Here are condensed character sketches of the old battle-axes ... er, the esteemed Matrons.
Chatty inquisitive type with an excellent memory. One never knows when a casual remark will become important someday.Shrayla is a mid-level partner in a Pool. She is one of three people who do background checks, so she has a lot of inside information on the financial situations of many dwarves in Eaglesreach.
A sweet-natured Madam who always sees a compromise. Everyone, everything has a price. Business IS pleasure, got it?Dayona is the Madam in charge of The Gilded Hearth, which is a fine bawdy house set up for the hard-drinking two-fisted array of brawlers in E'reach that also manage to extract a tidy sum from the mines now and then. She took over management and 51% ownership after the last Madam got into too much debt over some gambling problems. There was a shareholders meeting (all the girls -- human, dwarf, hobbit, or other -- are allowed to buy as many shares as they can) and Dayona and her supporters forced the old Madam out. She is working for Dayona now, starting over again as a one-percenter.
Dayona is a shrewd investor and very tight-fisted. Business has never been better, and share value has nearly doubled since she took over six years ago. She is seeking to sell out and get into a good partnership with one of the town's wealthier sons of a small house, maybe wait ten years or so and go back north as a minor matriarch.
Calm, careful speaker, broad-minded. Thinks marriage is an albatross.For over thirty five years Katha has been afield. Her family did not want her to go abroad, they needed her for yet another internecine marriage arrangement. Bite that. She left and never looked back.
Katha learned the rougher side of life from her numerous brothers and foster-brothers. She has gone from being a sell sword on the river docks to owning a small mercenary company which hires out of Tellek. After some serious reverses (i.e. barely escaping a disastrous adventure by her last employer) she took the few companions left and would up here in Eaglereach. She has been getting accustomed to the economic scene here, and has finally been able to buy into a few trade-houses. Katha hires out bodyguards and mercs to those who have real money (she tests them herself, since she is a damned good fighter). She also funds/buys shares in "expeditions".
Katha's family is frickin' rich, but she is too proud of her own abilities to even make any formal contact with them. She manages to be elsewhere if anyone comes looking.
Thinks first, pauses, then speaks. Terse. To the point.Arnay took a small holding in Bangall and turned it into an interest in a mule train. After a few trips into Landsrue, it became some hold space on some river boats and now it is a major interest in a dry goods conglomerate that supplies all of those hungry mines. Work is business and she is always looking for an angle AND keeping those two crazy husbands of hers busy in the trade. She has married twice, and each time it has increased her status and wealth. Her three sons (Arn, Arnoin, and Arnhim) have grown up and moved on.
Easy-going and friendly. Looks at everything as a metaphor for smithing.Bethen took the long road, arriving in Eaglesreach as a bellows operator and moving all the way through the forge until she was ordained a master smith 12 years ago. She specializes in armor, and likes to experiment with exotic metals, which Eaglesreach has in spades.
Bethen owns two forges. She only takes custom armor business in one, the other is weapons work. One day she plans on making a grandmaster piece that will really show off her skills. Then she can add to her name.