Tonoe Settlements 1: Varuskias

[Burg-Avalas]

CharacterFemales truly are the stronger sex in this burg, because they rule over all. The women hold all the positions of power here, while the men serve as slaves and breeders. If you are a female, you will be welcomed here, but if you are a male, look out, because the women here may start acting a bit too friendly...

RulerThe beautiful Queen Kujaku (Pl/female tonoe/Ftr24/LN[E]) is the ruler of Varuskias and the Tonoe. She is friendly towards those without hostile intentions who request an audience, but occasionally she may start taking an unusual interest in certain men and start asking them strange questions. These men often wake up the next day as part of her harem, or as a breeder for a noble.

Behind the ThroneNo one has contested Kujaku's rule so far, and the next in line is Princess Mana (Pl/female tonoe/Ftr15,Sor14/LN), who has functional bat-like wings as a result of Kujaku mating with an incubus she defeated and enslaved.

DescriptionVaruskias looks like a huge spiked ball from a distance. The spikes protect the city within from invaders and crashing cubes. A heavily-guarded main entrance is located near the bottom, and small concealed tunnels for the soldiers can be found between spikes. The true city is located inside, consisting of several iron corridors where the inhabitants live and work, and a gigantic spiraling stairway that leads to the different sections of the city. There are four sections in all.

Section 1 is the main entrance, and is almost always busy with both travellers and natives coming and going. This section is patrolled by 4 shifts of 10 guards each. The guards change every six hours, as one shift retires for the day and another comes to take its place. Merchants and planewalkers are allowed to camp out on the iron floor here, although more than one good-looking male has fallen asleep here and woken up as a slave.

Section 2 is where all the non-Tonoe residents live. Not surprisingly, most of the beings living here are female. Quite a few of them are women of male-dominated races who were fed up with being treated poorly and came here so they could run their own lives. This section is the safest area in Varuskias, if a bit dark. Many inns and taverns of varying quality can be found here (see Services for the best recommendations).

The Tonoe live in Section 3, which also has taverns, a medical center and a training camp. Visitors are welcome here, but are not allowed into private homes without permission (One Tonoe gave a pretty good reason: "How would you like it if we came into your kip, stared at you like some planar oddity, and went through your stuff unannounced?") Also, all male humanoids are advised to watch their backs here, since common Tonoe aren't that choosey.

Finally, Section 4 contains the residences of Queen Kujaku and various nobles, along with barracks for the elite guard, housing for guests of royalty, and simple yet comfortable quarters for the slaves. Visitors must have permission before coming here, and are always escorted by a member of the elite guard.

MilitiaThere are two militias in charge of keeping Varuskias safe. The city defenders patrol the first three sections and wear slate-gray plate armor with a colored sash to denote rank. The elite guard are clad in black and gold armor and gold half-masks. They patrol Section 4 diligently.

ServicesShamil Garrick (Pl/female khaasta/Exp7/CN{G}) is a khaasta who was raised by gnomes, and as a result, is much friendlier than most other members of her race. She runs a forge in Section 2, and is known for making plain yet sturdy weapons.

The Hopping Modron is a nice tavern and inn located in Section 2. It is run by Volen (Pr/female half-orc/Com5/N), who came to Varuskias after being cast out of her village on Toril for refusing to act like a traditional orcish female. Volen is friendly, if slightly bitter, and has a lot of information on legends concerning the orcish deities. The tavern itself is clean and well-run, and the prices are quite cheap. The only problem is that the place is rather hard to find if you don't know the city. Various shrines and small temples can be found in Section 2.

In Section 3, there are medium-sized temples of the four gods worshipped by the Tonoe, which are Red Knight, Tempus, Hoar, and Wee Jas. The head clerics of the temples are below:

Red Knight: Firia Al'Machea (Pl/female tonoe/Clr15/LN) Tempus: Lia Al'Neris (Pl/female half-elf/Clr10,Ftr9/CN) Hoar: Pajae Al'Shiama (Pl/female tiefling/Clr13/LN[E]) Wee Jas: Saruqu Al'Mazzi (Pl/female tonoe/Clr16/LN)

Current ChantA group of female Mercykillers calling themselves the 'Daughters of Justice' have recently set up shop in Section 3. They will only go after those who have hurt women and children and are currently trying to recruit some of the Tonoe. A few of the amazons have already joined, and more are likely to do so in the future.