Gentry

Type
Factions: Main Faction.

Description
The Gentry Elite are the quote-ruling-unquote faction of London. They are the true successors of the Parliament and advise and defend the Queen from all who oppose her rule, at home and abroad. Or that’s what they tell themselves, at least. Here are the facts: about a century and a half ago, the Queen emerged from the ruins of Buckingham Palace and called together her court. Those who responded formed the core of her new government, and her ministers and Parliament ruled within the walls of Westminster without question or dispute.

The current Gentry is a faction divided. Through their incessant and increasingly heavy-handed meddling, they have managed to bring most of London under their control--directly or indirectly--but they seem not to know what to do with it, and that grip on power is slipping. Within Westminster, politics are a game, and nothing matters except keeping a stiff upper lip, not letting the side down, and not causing a fuss. But the facade is cracking, and there are those in the Gentry who are waking up to the lies they feed themselves to keep calm and carry on. The Queen has been silent for years, the Prime Minister wields no real power, and the civil service has been quietly making changes behind the scenes while the sharks outside the walls circle, sniffing for the faintest hint of blood.

The Gentry resembles something of a mish mash of Edwardian/Interwar British style, quasi-Victorian sensibilities, and a liberal dose of war propaganda, Brazil (the film), and BBC daytime tele. Oscar Wilde would have been unable to satirize them.

Location
[Fill in Later]

History/Background
The Gentry were formed in 2100 by Victoria II, who emerged from Buckingham Palace with the ghoulified remnants of her court and palace staff and guards and declared that the monarchy was not dead, nor the British Empire. She swiftly set about re-establishing a government, and allowed her ministers leave to administer to the affairs of state, trusting them and the people to carry the nation forward to a rebirth.

The first real tests of government occurred entirely within the walls of Westminster, when the Gentry proved incapable of managing a growing population and increasing stress on food and utilities. Persistent shortages saw the return of strict rationing based on scraps of pre-war white papers recovered from gutted government buildings. It was clear that the only way forward was to expand, but London was not receptive to the Gentry. Scouting missions returned in failures, or not at all, but hope sprung from disaster when overnight Lambeth--a borough entirely hostile to the idea of Westminster rule--disappeared. Reports of fires visible from the walls and screams cut short were suppressed. The Gentry moved into the now vacant district and established the Lambeth Waterworks, alleviating some but not all of the shortages and giving the burgeoning population of Westminster more room to move about.

A few years later, the Third London Fire swept through Eastminster and beyond, destroying hundreds of homes. Due to the immense loss of life, the Gentry were able to ease the rationing temporarily. Nevertheless, hyperinflation in the wake of the disaster threatened to undo the whole project, so the government instituted a new fiat standard based on tube tickets, of which there were an abundance, abandoning the pound sterling, which was expensive to print. Prices fell with the new standard, but discontent grew.

In 2185, the Gentry finally succeeded in contacting the Isle of Dogs Syndicate and struck a deal: food for cash and trade. With a fresh supply of abundant food, brand new money, and the Lambeth Waterworks expanding, the Gentry seemed to finally be able to take steps to relax the rations. Unfortunately, greed and ambition are not so easily satisfied, and the powerful notoriously do not share.

The Sterling Wars began when a cross-party faction of the Gentry formally withdrew from Parliament and seized control of the Lambeth Waterworks. They demanded a return to the pound sterling, among other changes that ranged from ‘an extra crisp packet in every ration pack’ to ‘the dissolution of the monarchy’. Negotiations quickly broke down, and it wasn’t long before gangs affiliated with this Old Guard began harassing Gentry in the streets, seizing shops and smashing police boxes. The war dragged on for years, ending finally after pressure from the newly incorporated militia called the Tommies forced the Old Guard back to the table.

Peace was agreed: the Old Guard would formally dissolve, but the value of the tube ticket would be tied to the price of water, and a Trade Council would be formed to protect the interests of those who controlled the waterworks. The government was thrown out in the next election, and the Gentry moved on.

Having settled their problems at home, the Gentry turned their gaze abroad. Parliament passed the Trade & Settlement Act, and forced the neighboring boroughs of London to apply for official settlement status. Those who refused became targets of the Tommies, bloody examples of what it meant to refuse Gentry control. Still, things might have had a chance to turn around had it not been for Lord Gideon Southgate.

Lord Southgate was appointed Lord Chancellor in 2200. He was a man with a vision of the future where the Gentry were the unquestioned rulers of London, and the center of an ever-expanding New British Empire. After spending years on the back benches of the Lords, he finally had the chance to make his vision a reality, and a grim reality it became for many.

Settlements were forced to pay heavy tithes for Gentry protection from the dangers of the wastes; bureaucrats began to interfere with more and more aspects of daily life; indentured servitude and debtors prisons were introduced to turn the poorest members of society into chattel; the Tommies were dispatched with increasing frequency to the settlements. And all of this nevertheless failed to maintain order--gang violence erupted in the Tower Hamlets, and the City of London fractured into violent ghettos. In 2230, enough was enough.

Some call the events of that day Bleeding Nelson. The papers referred to them as the Eastminster Riots. Workers, populists, and supporters of Camelot gathered in Trafalgar Square to demonstrate for reform. They sought relief from the tithes and the Tommies; they called for the abolishment of the debtors’ jails; and they demanded equality with the Gentry. They were met with guns, batons, and jackboots. Dozens died in the square, and hundreds were arrested and summarily convicted of rioting and sedition. Camelot was scattered, and retreated underground.

Then, suddenly and without warning, Buckingham Palace closed. The Queen was unwell, it was announced, and she would not hold audiences, trusting her ministers to see to the affairs of government in her stead. Shortly after, Lord Southgate died under mysterious circumstances. Without access to the Queen, laws could no longer be passed, and the Lord Chancellor could not be replaced. Parliament and the government carried on as best they could, holding increasingly meaningless elections and tinkering with bits of policy here and there, but automatically, like a machine left to continue until the battery runs out.

The Gentry persist now in many ways as they always have: going through the motions, waiting for someone with vision to tell them what to do. Propaganda and mass media keep the rank and file occupied while the rich and powerful stay in their little fiefdoms and watch each other with jealous eyes. It’s a state of affairs that cannot continue; it’s a state of affairs that cannot be altered. The Gentry’s salad days are numbered, and it’s anyone’s guess what will happen when that number finally runs out.

Of Importance, Act I:
Sir Branston Crowley

Kingsley Baxter

Phillipa Ida

Victor Manpreet

Arthur Mountbatten

Members of the Royal House:
Victoria II, Queen of England

Charles, Prince of Wales

Her Majesty’s Privy Council:
Baroness Brenda Beaumont, Lord Chamberlain

Baron Earle Winthrop, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal

Baron Nigel Honeysett, Lord Chief Justice of England

Vernon Ackerman, Master of the Rolls

In Her Majesty’s Government:
Freddie Newell, Prime Minister

Melanie Quick, Chancellor of the Exchequer

Cuthbert Hargrave, Foreign Secretary

Lorraine Knaggs, Home Secretary

Mr. Smythe, Head of the Civil Service

Members of Parliament:
Lynne Moors, Leader of (Her Majesty’s Loyal) Opposition

James North, Labour Leader

Erskine May, Speaker of the House of Commons (Robot)

Baroness Simone Blackbourne, Lord Speaker

Upper Class Twits:
An Appalling Baroness


 * Runs a social club, is appalling

An Irrational Earl


 * Runs a rival social club, is irrational

A Malodorous Madame


 * Lives in Mayfair, smells bad

A Preposterous Parishioner


 * Excruciatingly Anglican

A Nitwitted Investor


 * Claims to have stock in everything, doesn’t

Amongst The Rabble:

A Rapt Reporter


 * Probably the only one here actually interested in the truth

A Tory Voter


 * Very loudly Tory

A Liberal Constituent


 * Very loudly liberal

A Bleeding Socialist


 * Not literally

A Keen Campaigner


 * Perhaps a bit too keen

Thamesfolk Suffragist


 * Wants to be taken seriously. Isn’t.

Assorted Information

 * -Regency Act of 1937 provides that a Regent shall be appointed if three of five counselors declare in writing, with evidence from a physician, that the Sovereign is physically or mentally unfit to discharge their duties. Currently, that Regent would be Charles. -Currently there is no Lord Chancellor, the last one having died under mysterious circumstances and the position operating by royal appointment only means that their responsibilities have had to be reassigned on a temporary basis -SUB-FACTIONS: The Gentry Elite spend a lot of time bickering amongst themselves. ALL members of the Gentry Elite can be sorted into these factions
 * Victorian: those loyal to the Queen who are fine with things as they are. Status-quo defenders
 * Charlists: those loyal to Prince Charles who would like to see some reform--for the worse.
 * Angel: Angel has infiltrated the Gentry in order to keep them in line.  -POLITICAL PARTIES: the Gentry elite spend a *lot* of time bickering amongst themselves. The parties are fairly meaningless, but everyone has one
 * Conservative (Tory): they wear blue ties to Parliament and hate immigrants
 * Most Tories are Charlists, but not all
 * Liberal: they wear yellow ties to Parliament and like government pensions
 * Most Liberals are Victorians, but not all
 * Labour: they wear red ties to Parliament and want to abolish the monarchy
 * Labour has been co-opted by Smythe and votes strategically -HOUSE OF COMMONS: The Gentry, in addition to having silly parties and silly sub-factional loyalties, essentially draw straws amongst themselves to ‘represent’ the different boroughs in the London area. When a borough is given a charter, they have the right to send MP’s to stand for election, but it’s the Gentry who are voting and most places don’t bother. In absence of a charter, people can band together to form their own Popular Constituencies, and vote for MP’s amongst themselves. Politics is a game to the Gentry. Currently, the Commons is capped at 79 MP’s, more than half of whom come from Pop Cons.  -HOUSE OF LORDS: The upper house is composed of those members of the peerage who either returned to London when Victoria reconstituted the government, or who were so appointed by Victoria on the advice of the Prime Minister or Lord Chancellor when it was politically convenient.

Soldier Types

 * [Fill this in later]

Smaller Quests
A Grand Day Out


 * A robot groundskeeper wants to take a day off, but needs a replacement?
 * Nascent Gentry rocketry program?
 * One of the Gentry has run out of cheese and needs more.

The Wrong Trousers


 * An experimental power armor model is on the fritz and going on a rampage. Decommission it.

A Close Shave


 * A robot and a ghoul have been rustling sheep, selling the wool and meat at exorbitant prices in the settlements

A Matter of Loaf and Death


 * Someone keeps killing off patissiers, and the debs are getting upset that their favorite cakes are becoming more expensive

Election Night Special


 * Summary: the Gentry are having an election, and everyone’s invited (except for you)
 * Action: Player can campaign for any of the parties by putting up posters around Westminster (and taking down the competition’s). Gentry are susceptible to trends, and will vote for whichever party has the most posters
 * Outcomes:
 * A Fresh Mandate - the Tories keep control, Newell gives a speech, and then he is locked in a cabinet until Act 3
 * A New Mandate - the Liberals take control, power is handed over peacefully, Moors gives a speech, and then she is locked in a cabinet until Act 3
 * A Stunning Upset - Labour takes control, briefly. They are ousted immediately by a No Confidence motion, half of Labour’s MP’s defect to the Conservatives, and Newell becomes the PM. He gives a speech, and then is locked in a cabinet until Act 3
 * Long term effects:
 * If the Liberals win the election, the Gentry Reforms ending is unlocked. Lynne Moors will work closely with the Lord Speaker to implement more humane policies in the pursuit of a new British Empire. It won’t be good, but it will be less bad. This ending is replaced if Smythe is still alive at the end of Act 3.
 * If the Tories win the election, the Gentry Persists ending is unlocked. Freddie Newell stays the course long enough to step down as Tory Leader, and his replacement sets about rebuilding the British Empire, warts and all. If Smythe is still alive at the end of Act 3, this ending remains.

Sir Branston’s Quests:


 * Enforce tithe collection in Camden
 * Enforce tithe collection in Islington
 * Enforce tithe collection in City of London
 * IF IODS: set up tithe operations in Bromley

Mr Baxter’s Quests:


 * Sort out the hooligans harassing merchants in Tower Hamlets
 * Break up the cult before it becomes too big to fail
 * IF VAGABONDS: give Baxter intelligence on Gaunt
 * Dealing with the Jack Tars
 * Idk, wasteland robot uprising?

Ms Ida’s Quests:


 * Shoot the trouble in City of London
 * Shoot the trouble in Hackney
 * Shoot the trouble in Islington
 * Shoot the trouble in Camden

Mr Manpreet’s Quests:


 * Escort to the Thames Barrier
 * Escort to Car Stonehenge
 * Help him find the Crystal Palace ruins
 * Help him take photos of the Shard ruins

GENTRY BIG QUEST:
The quest breaks down as follows:


 * BECOMING RESPECTABLE: if the player elects to side with the Gentry, they will need to become Respectable, or else no one will take them seriously. All Respectable members of the Gentry Elite have a House, are part of a Club, and support a Cause. The player will need to get all of those things.
 * For the House, there is I think an existing mechanic for this that can be used.
 * For the Clubs, there are three: belonging to the Appalling Baroness, the Irrational Earl, and the Malodorous Madame. Each has a side quest to obtain membership
 * For the Cause, there are three: one to add more tea cakes to the ration cards, one to reduce the maximum period of indenture from one hundred years to ninety nine years, and one to grant suffrage to the Thamesfolk. Each has a side quest to drum up support (yes, it is possible to get people to begin to think about maybe changing their minds about the Thamesfolk).
 * ELECTION NIGHT SPECIAL: the player campaigns on behalf of one of Westminster’s parties, to a largely superficial result.
 * LOYALTIES: Following the election, or if the player has otherwise made a name for themselves in Westminster, the player will be approached by someone on behalf of Charles and given a quest. Charles wants to see how useful the player is. Charles wants the Lord Speaker out of the way, and if she can be disgraced she will be forced to resign.
 * LOYALTIES: The player goes to Lady Blackbourne’s house--either invited or otherwise--to snoop. The player may also tell Lady Blackbourne what their objective is, and she will conspire to make a fool out of Charles. Either way, the player leaves the residence with something.
 * LOYALTIES: The player delivers their finding to Charles’ agent. If the player chose to humiliate Lady Blackbourne, the papers the next day will post a scandalous story about her (almost entirely fictitious, but using the player’s information as a base), and the Lord Speaker will resign. Charles will formally invite the player to his residence to thank them, and unlock the CHARLIST quest line. If the player chose to conspire with Lady Blackbourne, instead the papers will print a scandalous story about Charles (again, almost entirely fictitious). Lady Blackbourne will provide the player with an introduction to Brenda Beaumont.
 * CHARLIST: Persuade Erskine May to accept evidence of Victoria’s unfitness to rule. This quest is locked if the player has begun the Victorian quest line.
 * CHARLIST: Enter Buckingham Palace with a physician/medical diagnostic tool. Subdue the Queen long enough for the physician/tool to do its job.
 * CHARLIST: Show evidence to Erskine May. A meeting of the Privy Council will be called, and Victoria will be declared unfit to rule. Charles will be declared Regent.
 * CHARLIST: Charles will call the player to bestow an appointment on them (a fancy title and a seat on the Lords but nothing more), but Mr Smythe will arrive and force Charles to appoint him the new Lord Chancellor. Smythe will then dissolve the Lords and take control of the Government.
 * VICTORIAN: Persuade Brenda Beaumont of your trustworthiness enough that she confides the Queen’s condition in the player. This quest is locked if the player has begun the Charlist quest line.
 * VICTORIAN: Approach Mr Smythe about Angel’s work on ghouls. He will provide the player with a serum that temporarily reverts feral ghouls to a state of lucidity.
 * VICTORIAN: Deliver the serum to Brenda, who in turn will deliver it to the Queen.
 * VICTORIAN: The Queen will personally invite the player into her residence to thank them for their service, and call together the Privy Council for the first time in seven years. At the council meeting, she will appoint ‘her trusted friend’ Mr Smythe as the new Lord Chancellor. Smythe will then dissolve the Lords and take control of the Government.