The Golden Man

The Golden Man is something of a myth and mystery the only interactions that anyone has with them are via letter delivered by a golden Artifex. In fact even their presence at the The Silver Council is done by this same Artifex that never speaks but always seems to know just want to write when the situations requires it. The person behind the Artifex is a mystery and some believe that they do not exist that there is some powerful cabal of merchants behind the Golden Man however their power is not to be trifled with. The Golden Man commandes all of the merchants that move in and out of the city along with the markets in both The Long Aisle and The Grand Arcade. No single person manages to control more and it is only through their anonymity that they remain in the safe seat of power they occupy. Through this anonymity comes trust as well though and many in both high and low society come to the Golden Man's agents to broker deals and thus far they have remained neutral in all interactions. As the employees of the Golden Man can be trusted implicitly many are doubly employed to act as courtiers and hostesses with a direct line to many of the Golden Mans services should the need arise in a remote location.

"I heard the Golden man is really a woman" "I heard that they aren't a person at all but some kind of dragon or ghost" "I heard that they are some kind of eldritch horror from beyond the stars"

Public Agenda:

Publicly no one has any direct contact with the Golden Man only their proxy the Golden Artifex. No one in all of the city has ever seen or heard the true Golden Man if there even is one. However there is a mountain of evidence of the presence of his power and reach and from that one can determine their public agenda. In all manners of trade the Golden Man seems to seek out ways to better the lives of those who live in the city walls, be that new medicines for the poor or some new exotic fruit for the ludicrously wealthy. Nothing is ever done maliciously. One might say though that deals which hold the promise of the new or the strange seem to hold some favour with the Golden Man so perhaps their agenda is the ever changing search for the new.

History:

Initial records of the Golden Man are sketchy at best a letter delivered by the Artifex or slid under a doorway, always with large sums of money to cover costs of any business ventures. These started around the same time the first true markets opened up in Arbor. It took some time before people started listening though and doing what the letters and correspondence said and not just pocketing the money. As the letters began to be answered though wealth and prosperity began to flow towards those that answered and so slowly an empire of people began. One that never knew their boss or where their money was coming from but was intensely loyal to them due to the great amount of change and upward mobility they had brought them. Officially no one is in the Golden Man's organization none have ever been asked to join but those that work for him continue to do so, there is no fear of failure or any such things just a constant stream of letters asking for trades, deals, acquisitions and other things to be done. The pay is good and it often results in better things for all so most are all to happy to oblige the requests.
It is such an odd thing in a city ruled by greed to find an altruistic soul but the Golden Man is just that a shining beacon in a sea of corruption perhaps, or perhaps their motives are too complex for us to understand until it is too late.

Attire / Common Garb / Quirks:

Those that work for the Golden Man mark themselves with a gold gear shaped pin that matches one that the Golden Artifex has in it's right eye. They feel this is the only thing they can do to show their loyalty to their boss as otherwise the Golden Man does not give any other identifying marks out.

The Golden Artifex

A technological wonder the Artifex is already a true sight to behold, gilding the automaton just makes it that much more special. In the early days some made attempts to steal the item to take it away and in some cases scrap it for it's parts. It always managed to escape and continue with its mission. Those that have seen it say it looks nothing like the rest of the Artifex, and it's not just its gold colouring there is something strange about the configuration of gears, the way it moves, the way it regards people and its eyes. Though it's the eyes that people notice the most something strange about them like looking into something old, ancient even.

Written Description:

Every step is calculated every sway of the arms purposeful. The being moving towards you is unusual to say the least, dressed in a fine tailored black suit is an Artifex, but unlike any Artifex you have seen before, it's outer casing is covered in scroll work and intricate arcane patterns. The entire outer shell is comprised of gilded Great Tree Wood and plated gold giving this being an heir of regality in the otherwise mundane market streets. In its hand is a sealed letter

Notable People:

As the Golden Man's influence has grown and people are needed some have become agents carrying out letters and orders on their behalf. Two have risen above this and been given a special earring that allows them to transmit their thoughts to the Golden Man directly wherever they are in the city.

Jandar Stayonda

Of the two Jandar is the more visible they rose up from abject poverty and used to be a pickpocket and a thief, in fact running one of the many child gangs that use the markets as their territory. For his role he takes care of things that need removing or threats to the Golden Man's empire, he is fiercely loyal like many who serve owing the Golden Man his life many times over.

Naran

Naran is far more reserved than her counterpart like many Tieflings stories of abuse and broken homes abound and sadly she is no different. Her role in the company is to provide an arcane insight into the goings on and provide information to The Golden Man.

Golden Man

As the progenitor of the myth of the Golden Man they exist as it's most notable face though much of what and who they are remains a mystery so thus does not warrant their own entry at this time.

Origins

Some attempts have been made to ascertain where the Golden Man came from even to the point of soliciting The Iron Hands to ask where this creation was destined for and who might have coughed up the money for such a creation. However the Iron Hands have never divulged this information and any attempts at bribery or otherwise have failed to yield any results. The Iron Hands do take credit for it's construction of course but as to who owns the creature they are keeping a tight lip.

Territory:

The Markets are the Golden Man's territory and would be trouble makers are encouraged to stay out though there is almost never a direct display of force the people who run the markets are very keep to see that the Golden Man's policies and letters continue so strongly encourage with baseball bats anyone who tries to make a mess in their area. To note this is without any direct orders from the Golden man or the Artifex themselves.

Notable Structures:

As the Golden Man operates exclusively through letters delivered they have no need of a domicile or a base however those who have most benefited from the instructions of the Golden Man have created a few throughout the markets for it to operate from.

The Golden Pavilion

A truly magnificent structure in the heart of The Grand Arcade It is where the Golden Man can be found when they are not delivering letters.