The Wards

An essay trying to capture the nature of the ward.

The Wards

Wards are mortal denizens of the world of Canon. They come in so many shapes and sizes, so many races, that just compiling an atlas of sentient beings would be an awesome scholarly task. Some have already embarked upon it and have yet to truly hold a codex worth the title of compendium.

For the purpose of this treatise on wards let us talk about who they are. Wards are mortals beneath the patronage of a single Clocklord. This patronage is something both parties have agreed to according to a contract. The specifications of these contracts are distinct from each other on a case to case. Some are based on money, others are based on objectives that have to be met, and sometimes some wards just want to be with the Clocklord. The consequences of breaching these contracts are laid out on the contracts themselves for either party. A Clocklord may have as many contracts as he could, provided that he is powerful enough to keep them. This is judged by the Influence form of power by the Clocklord.

Contracts cost Influence to maintain and a Clocklord who is unable to maintain the contract is a Clocklord who has breached that contract and must bear the consequence. This could range from losing a card or losing point from the three forms of power. All of which must be clearly defined upon the contract. This contract is not just a piece of paper though. It is a binding agreement which cannot be bent, circumvented, or even bamboozled. All tries to do so from either party automatically equates a breach in contract.

As for the wards, who are they? They are as I have said for multiple times already, sentient beings. They could be made of flesh, metal, stone, or even wood. Point is, they exist with free will.

There are only three things you would really need to know about a ward though. That is the ward's name, the ward's profession, and the ward's place on the twelve hours of power.

Yes, even mere mortals hold a connection to the twelve powers which the Clocklord personifies. This is where relationships are measured. An example of which include how Clocklords of a certain hour receive a bonus when bending reality in favor of a ward who shares the same hour. They also receive a bonus to chances of wards accepting a contract with them if they even share the same concept beneath the broad definitions of a certain hour.

Aside from that, the ward's predilection to a certain hour also helps with the ward's professional competency if the profession being used in a certain activity is in congruence with the ward's appointed hour. An example would be a gunslinger whose connection is with the Expertise hour. Every time the gunslinger fights with his guns he gains a bonus because gunfighting is within the sphere of Expertise; but if circumstance forces him to venture into uncharted territory, like say the Knowledge hour, he gains a penalty in that action.

It all depends upon the clockwork measurements of the ward. There are twelve hours upon a clock and thus there are twelve numbers which are available to a ward to assign to a certain hour. They range from -6 to +5. These are the twelve ranges and when assigned to the hours they show which hours penalize the ward and which hours benefit the ward.

Thus a basic sheet for a ward should look like this.

Name: Aldous Huxley
Profession: Explorer

Authority -5
Charisma -4
Force -3
Expertise +3
Persuasion -2
Fame +5
Ascribed Power -6
Ideology -1
Knowledge +4
Wealth +2
Domination 0
Fate +1

The only thing left to examine then would be which profession actually does what jobs, but that would be saved for a later treatise.

And so, if Aldous's Clocklord were to bend reality in his favor, and the card's inherent power is in favor of his predilection, then he would gain the benefits of it working better than usual. Had the fates been cross however, it would not be so swell. It may even be a fatal error.