In Need of the Rules of the Companion

POSTED BY: JoBoy
UPDATED: Friday, May 27, 2005 05:18
VIEWED: 6553
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JOBOY

Wednesday, May 25, 2005 2:31 PM

I plan to play a companion in a friends campaign. What I need to know are the rules/laws/etc that a Companion must follow. Also any insight into Companion history would be useful as well.

Thank you in advance.

EMMA

Wednesday, May 25, 2005 3:14 PM

Hi Joboy

I would consider adding RPG in your thread title, you might get some of the specialists reading your thread then. I would love to help but I can't.

Why don't you make some up for yourself and share them with others? I am sure people would be grateful

extremely dimensionally transcendental

JOBOY

Wednesday, May 25, 2005 3:39 PM

Okay, added RPG: to the title. Thanks for the suggestion.

And I have been thinking of some rules that seem appropriate. I will draft them down and subject them to the scrutiny of the members here.

JOBOY

Wednesday, May 25, 2005 4:28 PM

Okay, here's 7 so far. I'm really going to need help with some of the wording, though. Any and all feedback/suggestions would be greatly appreciated, too.

1. Do not fall in love. Though the companion may find him or herself wanting for the love of another the potential for it to affect their commitment to the job and guild can be great.

2. Do not interfere with a relationship. If it is found that the client is calling a Companion out of infidelity the client must be denied service and reported to the guild. Only if both the client and spouse are in agreement to the call for a Companions services may the Companion accept.

3. If a client cannot pay for the services of the Companion they are obligated to the Companion until such a time as the debt is settled.

4. The Companion may refuse service to a client for any reason, at any time; even if service was previously agreed upon. If services have been payed then the payment must be returned. A report must be filed with the guild with the reason the service was denied.

5. Anyone wishing to petition for a Companions services must be registered with the Guild as a client. Once accepted, the client must then submit a request each time service is desired from a Companion.

6. A Companion chooses his or her clients. A client may request a Companion, but there is no guarantee that the Companion will choose the client.

7. Anything shared with a Companion is priveledged information. A Companion may not be asked to divulge any information shared while with a client.

BLEYDDYN

Wednesday, May 25, 2005 6:11 PM

Very good list, I'd say.

Those rules seem to be mostly companion<>client rules, but you might also want to think about companion<>guild rules. From the series we know companions are required by the guild to have yearly medical exams.

What about fees? How much goes to the companion how much to the guild? What about legal support? If a companion gets in trouble for a guild related matter will the guild provide aid? What about the whole 'House Priestess' thing? Is that official guild structure, or just the house Inara was in?

Sorry, all I have is questions

--Bleyddyn

JOBOY

Wednesday, May 25, 2005 6:34 PM

Actually, those are very good questions, Bleyddyn. Ones I didn't really think about.

Companion<>Guild rules will take me some time to sort out.

Fees: This really should be determined by the game. The Companions fees are high and should be reflected as such in the game. Better yet, there should be a recommended fee and the client can offer more.

And off the top of my head I think maybe 20 to 25 percent of the fee should go to the guild.

Legal Support: Since being a Companion is a legal profession, the legal support should likely be backed by the planets government. Considering the nature of the Guild more support is likely.

Guild Provided Aid: Of course it's provided, this is one of the benefits for being in the Guild. Now, what happens after aid is provided should be determined by the game master.

House Priestess: Structure is a must. And I feel using such titles would be perfect(I think my character will be labelled "Cleric" or something). Without a basis for house names I will assume that there are multiple houses in the planetary cities, with the potential that houses also exist elsewhere in space.(this should be determined per game as well)

ASTRAGYNIA

Wednesday, May 25, 2005 8:02 PM

According to my Religions of the East textbook, Hinduism has an ancient tradition of legal courtesans - it seems to me this tradition quite likely influenced Joss in making up Companions. Therefore, research that and you may be on the right track. Among the regulations my book mentions from ancient Indian texts (Arthasastra, Kama Sutra, the Mahabharata and some Purana stories) that seem like they might be relevant to Companions: (quotes are from World Religions: Eastern Traditions, Editor: William J. Oxtoby)
- "Among the sixty-four listed arts of a refined prostitute are art, arithmetic, carpentry, logic, magic, mimicry, music, poetry, and swordplay." That one sound familiar?
- "The texts mention various ways, like spying and extracting information from other spies, in which a king could use a prostitute."
- "If a court prostitute receives the money and then defaults, the fine is eight times the amount paid by her client."
- "Courtesans often came from certain castes and families."
- "In some communities, women are ritually dedicated to a temple or a god and married to that deity. Such a woman is known as a devadasi ('servant of the god')."
- "The texts list these womens' duties to a king, his guests, and retinue...Her taxes (to the king) are two days wages per month."
- "A king must pay a monthly maintenance stipend to retired court prostitutes. Eligibility for a government stipend includes several categories, such as those who train the prostitutes in their art." Presumably the Companion Guild takes care of retired Companions in some way.
- "...prostitutes had their own dharma..." (duty). "...one who performed her dharma scrupulously was thought to aquire great powers. In one story, ...(a king challenges his court to make a river flow backwards)... a courtesan meets the challenge and succeeds. The king asks how she could accomplish this miracle. The prostitute says that she treats all her clients equally, regardless of caste. To serve them is her act of dharma, and she is powerful because of that."
- "...courtesans were considered auspicious and some of them had ritual functions in the Hindu temples."
- "women from the so-called higher classes were told never to go near them."

Quote:

And off the top of my head I think maybe 20 to 25 percent of the fee should go to the guild.

I'd always assumed that the Guild doesn't get a percentage, but rather individual companions pay a yearly fee to be Registered. That way the Guild has no interest in keping track of exactly what arrangements individual companions make and everything stays confidential. After all, when whatsisname - the jerk in Shindig - wants Inara to be his personal companion exclusive to him, it seems both treat it as though this is an established practice.

JOBOY

Wednesday, May 25, 2005 8:47 PM

This is very helpful, Astragynia. Thank you.

Do you think the Guild would just take a bit from Hinduism and embrace just the courtesan aspect? Or perhaps would it follow it's own "version" of Hinduism?

- - - - -
"I will not fly into a rage and kill a messenger who brings me bad news just to illustrate how evil I really am. Good messengers are hard to come by." - #32 in The Top 100 Things I'd Do If I Ever Became An Evil Overlord

PERIDIDDLE

Wednesday, May 25, 2005 9:10 PM

There's actually a good-sized article on the influences of past cultures and religions on the Companions in Firefly, in the essay book 'Finding Serenity'. It's well put together, and explains how the Companion is similar (or in many cases, different) to the legal courtesans of the older religions. I don't have it with me right now, but it seems you have a lot of it covered. If you don't have the book, you might find interest in at least this article...and the starter of the thread might also find some good information in it. ^_^

"Bwaa...it's kind of a warrior...strikes fear into the hearts of..."

EMMA

Thursday, May 26, 2005 6:44 AM

Quote:
3. If a client cannot pay for the services of the Companion they are obligated to the Companion until such a time as the debt is settled.

The rules all sounds fabby but I think this one could prove ambiguous - if you want that cool, but some people like rigid rules so those games players may like to change 'obligated' to 'indentured' or something else if that is too strict?

I really like the idea about rules with the guild - what happens if people break these rules and you get kicked out? How do you leave? Also what are the rules between the Guild and the Alliance, why are they tolerated (or supported)?

Oooh, questions, this is a minefield of exciting stuff!

Here is a link to the Kama Sutra online - don't worry it is the book not some kinky site. Chapter 6 is about courtesans and explains the type of men they are allowed to go with, how to get money and how to get rid of a lover amongst other things. http://www.bibliomania.com/2/1/76/123/frameset.html

Hope that helps

Keep up the good work

extremely dimensionally transcendental

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