The Ink Rakes
My players and I are about to embark on our first game of BitD and have so far completed a Session Zero.
From the outset, the players were keen to play a crew of shadows with journalistic ties and my imagination was fired by the different ways I could represent the media in Doskvol - perhaps making some newspaper headline handouts for the crew to read about not only their own exploits, but also the possibilities of new opportunities.
Not one of the major factions in the book, the Ink Rakes would need some fleshing out if they were going to act front stage in our campaign. Some major NPCs? What would the major newspapers of Doskvol look like? How many would there be?
Here are my musings on the subject as well as some designs for 5 notable periodicals. Iâve used free fonts and robbed reference material from various google searches, so its not all original, but feel free to DM me if youâd like any of the vector files for personal use.
The Ink Rakes are a loose conglomeration of journalists, reporters and publishers who represent the entire sphere of political opinion and encompass all political poles and cultural standpoints of the Shattered Isles.
How is this possible? Surely the rivalry that exists in a world where everyone is clamouring for the same exclusive and desperately trying to beat one another to the next scoop would preclude much cooperation, let alone the unity required to represent as an organised faction.
Perhaps there is only one periodical in Doskvol? The official mouthpiece of the City Council maybe? But that would deny ourselves all the fun that the aforementioned rivalry would produce and it seems a bit limited as a solution. Many of the powerful factions of the Haunted City would likely wish to advertise their opinions and use the media to further their own specific agendas, and they would surely have the means to manage it.
So how do all those disparate pieces fit together to form a single faction?
I decided to make the solution a simple one.
After a crescendo of violent sabotage which threatened the very existence of the publishing industry - The one thing that rival publishers could agree on is that there is safety in numbers and thereâs enough of a threat in the city without constant fighting amongst themselves.
The faction therefore exists as the embodiment of a truce forged by the Editors of the cityâs premier newspapers.
Most publishing houses affiliated to the Ink Rakes are situated in the neighbourhood of the Docks district known as âThe Tarâ, although notable exceptions include the Charterhall University Press and the Doskvol Academy Press. All (paid up) members of the Rakes therefore are solemnly sworn to treat their fellows with support and respect. The Tar is considered hallowed ground.
Newspapers
The (Whitecrown) Chronicle
Published daily. 16 page saddle stitched EST: 556 IE
Mouthpiece of the City Council, second only to the Scuttle in readership
Patron: The City Council
Publisher: Doskvol Academy Press
Readership: Distributed throughout the City - widely read by all walks of life.
Cost: Free
Editor: Professor Julius Welker, answering directly to The City Council
The Brightstone Bugle
Published daily. 32 pages saddle stitched EST: 620 IE
An ostentatious journal featuring, News, Financial reports, and reportage of Cultural and Social Events
Patron: House Clelland
Publisher: Clelland News Corp.
Readership: Conservative, upper class, aspirational White collar workers and academics.
Cost: 5 Scales
Editor: Hamish Clelland, Editor-in-Chief. A Bullish advocate of the Nobility (a Canon of the Church of Ecstacy)
The Cypher
Published monthly. 32 pages, saddle-stitched. EST: 760 IE
News and Academic features with a distinctly âOccultâ bent.
Patron: Official: The Charterhall University Students Association Top Secret: Lady Penderyn on behalf of The Circle of Flame
Publisher: Charterhall University Press
Readership: Intellectuals, Academics, Charterhall students, Artists and outsiders
Cost: 1 Scale
Editor: The Editor of The Cypher is elected yearly from and by the Charterhall alumni who have previously had work published in the periodical. Current incumbent is Ferris Latterly, an amiable aficionado of Alchemical romance. The Editorâs contact with the paperâs true patron is a physically imposing Severosi called Jonathan Owlâs Cry who also works as a doorman at the Centuralia Club and is regularly possessed by âRayosaâ , a spirit of the Reconciled.
The Daily Scuttle
Published daily. âOne-sheeterâ EST: 680 IE
A sensationalist propaganda machine which foments division, exclusion and fear and encourages bigotry. Used exclusively by House Strangford to promote their own agendas. Perhaps the success of the âScuttle - its readership overshadowing that of the Chronicle - is partly to blame for the Councilâs attempt to oust Strangford?
Patron: Lord Strangford
Publisher: Strangford Press Corp.
Readership: The highest readership of any periodical. Predominantly working and lower class, although frequently considered de rigueur by the nobility, allies and enemies of House Strangford alike.
Cost: Free
Editor: Kristof Strangford, Editor-In-Chief. A plummy moron, loathed by his noble family and grudging employees alike, ably assisted by Naula Farisan, an Irruvian former first mate on one of Strangfordâs Leviathan hunters.
The Doskvol Echo
Published daily. âOne-sheeterâ EST: 790 IE
Dedicated to representing the working classes, the Echo is the political rival of the Scuttle. A large classified section (published weekly) features advertisements for hundreds of businesses across the City.
Patron: Paid for by advertisements
Publisher: The Pitchwater Print Co.
Readership: Working Classes, Merchants and Traders
Cost: Free
Editor: Megara Finley, Editor - founding member of the Ink Rakes. Daughter of Frederica Finley - a prominent Cabbie with connections to many of the lower class Citizens groups of Doskvol.
Publishers
Charterhall University Press
NPCs: The Editor of The Cypher is elected yearly from and by the Charterhall alumni who have previously had work published in the periodical. Current incumbent is Ferris Latterly, an amiable aficionado of Alchemical romance. The Editorâs chief contact with the paperâs true patron is a physically imposing Severosi called Jonathan Owlâs Cry who also works as a doorman at the Centuralia Club and is possessed by âBruvnikâ a spirit of the Reconciled.
Clelland News Corp.
NPCs: Hamish Clelland, Editor-in-Chief. A Bullish advocate of the Nobility (a Canon of the Church of Ecstacy)
Doskvol Academy Press
NPCs: Professor Julius Welker, answering directly to The City Council, Welker is a cloistered academic with a penchant for⌠something no doubt.
Pitchwater Print Co.
NPCs: Megara Finley, Editor - founding member of the Ink Rakes. Daughter of Frederica Finley - a prominent Cabbie with connections to many of the lower class Citizens groups of Doskvol.
Strangford Press Corp.
NPCs: Kristof Strangford, Editor-In-Chief. A plummy moron, loathed by his noble family and grudging employees alike, ably assisted by Naula Farisan, an Irruvian former first mate on one of Strangfordâs Leviathan hunters.
