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  1. #1
    Senior Member Dcolby's Avatar
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    Seeking Opinions..

    Well not that I have any shortage of opinions myself but I am well into the 4th month of a new camp. and the setting is about two game years in.

    Tuornen has been through some rough times but the players have seen it through rather well and are enjoying the experiance. There is however a slight problem...

    The players have thwarted two seperate assassination attempts on the Duchess (Not the problem), but owing to political ativities and goals (They are busy little scions) they have stopped short of finding the fiend behind these attempts.

    (One player has reason to suspect that a cousin of his was set up as a possible scapegoat and in order to protect the family he sort of....well he did destroyevidence, buy off witness's, and bought the cousin a fast horse to "rest" in the country until things cool off)

    Sooo.... the secret bad dooer thwarted twice but enboldened by the seeming ineptitude of the Duchess's court will try yet again...this time while her graces loyal protectors are absent.

    If the deed is accomplished I was wondering what chaos and fun the population of the forum would/could inflict. I have some Ideas of course but I would be interested in hearing from the gallery.

    In order to help I will supply the following information about the camp.

    #1. Duchess Laela has steadfastly refused to wed and no heir of the Flaertes line (known of) exists. (The players never really followed up on this either I suspect 20th century mindset, or comparing Laela to Elisabeth I was in their heads)

    #2. The Assassins appear to be from a core of Tuornen expatriots (banished Noble Families) that are extremists in regard to any hint of Elvin blood sitting on the Tuornen throne.

    #3. Tuornen has already (With player leadership) dealt Alamie a good beating and while prevented from grander ambitions by major powers stepping in. Tuornen in the settlement with Avanil, Beoruine, Alamie, and Ghoere which was brokered by Endier (Who was loosing trade monies as the war closed his trade routes down) got control of its own law and the aggresive power mad (Players opinions)Duke of Alamie was replaced (exiled) by a more moderate family member. (Long Story)

    As a side note the Alignment free roleplaying I tested last week is very popular with the party and seems to be working well.
    Good Morning Peasant!!

  2. #2
    Site Moderator kgauck's Avatar
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    Civil War!

    Two canidates emerge with popular support and growing conflict between the factions. Whatever mechanism exists to adjudicate (noble assembly, estates, parliament) is deadlocked between the factions. Very quickly evidence of the two factions are everywhere. Both sides have badges, many in the streets seem to wear one badge or another. Even the other holdings seem to favor one or the other candidate.

    One candidate is presumed pro-Avan, one pro-Boeruine. The WIT goes with the presumed Avanese candidate, the Militant Order of Cuiraécen tries to remain neutral, but can't and ends up supporting the other guy without embracing any Boeruine preference.

    The guilds pretend to take sides, and maybe Parnien Anuvier Iniere favors the pro-Avan faction, but Mheallie Bireon, whatever her representative says, just wants the law holdings in the realm and will adopt whatever position suits taking law holdings from any faction. Always ready to pick up temple holdings, the nearby Northern Reformed Church of Sarimie and her ally, the Celestial Jewel might also get involved.

    The Celestial Jewel might pretend to take the Avanese faction in order to take holdings from MOC, while the NRCS might pretend to take the other side to grab WIT holdings. In the end, the CJS and NRCS will pretend to fight over whatever gains they have made and convieniently, they will split the take between them in an orderly fashion. I presume that CJS is a patron and ally of NRCS, but that they pretend to be rivals and opponants.

    Alamie will support both sides hoping to weaken the state. No one wants to be seen as the Alamian candidate, so both sides will keep some distance from one another, but enough aid will flow to both sides to ensure that mayhem insues.

    Caine attempts to remain neutral, looking toward the end-game. He knows he must make a deal with the eventual winner, and that a weakened Tournen becomes a pawn for any number of powers, or a playground for the grave Sidhe under the Manslayer. Depending on what you have done with Caine up until now, he might try to remain aloof, play both sides without supporting either one (he wants order and stability, he fears the Manslayer moving on his sources, let alone other source holders willing to back a faction, and greater encroachment of other powers.

    Envoys of every kind will approach the PC's. Some claim to represent Avanil, some Boeruine, some Ghoere, Alamie, Endier, Mhoried, Source of the Maesil, Prince's Pride, WIT, MOC, candidate 1, candidate 2, and very probabaly other domains as well. If they are clever they will have some idea where the PC's sympathies lie (peace, the realm, this faction, that faction, whatever it is, they have done their homework) and will adopt compatiable motives. Some will claim to simply seek peace and resolution (and a few might actually mean it) others will seek only what is best for Tuornen even the expulsion of foriegn influences, others will argue that alliance with outsiders is required to guarantee peace and security in the realm.

    Any internal cleavages you have set up so far (town and country, north and south, rich and poor, star belly and plain belly) all will take sides and the country will seem to turn on itself.

    The civil strife itself is unavoidable. The question is, how it is resolved. The PC's might bring about a glorious revolution in a nearly bloodless success for one candidate by throwing all of their weight, effort, and skill to one side while short circuting the work of others. Or they might fight heroic battles for their side taking up key positions in the new court. Or they might live to see the realm divided in one form or another.

  3. #3
    Site Moderator AndrewTall's Avatar
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    The other question is do you have 2-3 strong candidates, or a shifting morass of weak candidates where should one rise they are swiftly cut down - with a small number of challengers to the throne your players may be able to take charge, either killing, buying off, or convincing the candidates to back them. With a seething morass of candidates and no clear pack-leaders it could get very very ugly and wind up with the outside realms looking on in horrified fascination as Tuornen tears itself apart, they are quite probably going to take extreme measures to ensure that the carnage is contained in Tuornen before considering how they can take advantage after the carnage blows itself out.

    The WIT and the MOC are likely to support candidates - possibly cutting the realm in half. Avan and Boeruine are also likely to take sides. As both Avan and the WIT and the PAI are likely to support a single candidate, whereas Boeruine and the MOC are less aligned and unlikely to settle on a single candidate (unless possibly Braedonnal). as such I would favour a pro-Avan candidate as the eventual winner- particularly if he can call on Avanese troops to maintain order.

  4. #4
    Senior Member Dcolby's Avatar
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    Oh I have a seething Morass....LOL....it makes it so much more fun for the players..even more so since some of them are likely to be in that seething morass...
    Good Morning Peasant!!

  5. #5
    Senior Member Dcolby's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AndrewTall View Post
    (unless possibly Braedonnal)
    Ah yes good ole Braedonnal...I have already removed..or rather the players removed him from the equation...In the twist I placed on the setting Braedonnal was secretly in league with...you know who...and was working to weaken Tuornen...at the moment of his triumph the players (2nd and 3rd levels) ganged up on him to take him down. Pretty close fought thing but the players were very satisfied by the difficulty of the thing.

    The sense of betrayal was fairly nice as well...no one saw the event coming but I had backfilled plenty of clues in the previous sessions. No one thought there was no way to see it coming...they all felt like they should have known.
    Good Morning Peasant!!

  6. #6
    Site Moderator AndrewTall's Avatar
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    Well, given Braedonnal's strong links to the MOC that pretty much wipes them out too as no-one will want to be associated with them...

    So I would say that Avan has a near clear path to setting up a puppet - the guilds and Boeruine may oppose but the guilds can be tamed or broken and Boeruine can't get through the mountains unless he goes through Rhoubhe - good luck with that one. Offering a few provinces to Alamie should keep Carilon happy...

    Of course being the subtle one Avan may let the chaos rein for a few months before stepping in to restore order. I expect he has a few of Gilgaed's byblows to hand as contenders as well - the WIT can certify that they are the long lost unrecognised offspring, why some may even resemble him...

    Of course if Avan waits too long, or gets distracted at the wrong moment, the PC's have a chance...

  7. #7
    Senior Member Dcolby's Avatar
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    Yes the MOC had a very rough time of it..in fact the whole affair prompted the Ghoerian split and the "Sword" (an NPC) has been trying to put things right for some time now...were it not for some difficulties between the WIT and the CJS.

    (Really bloody awful stuff when you let a player become a frothing crusading/inquisitor after being made a Lt. for a job well done. I would put it down to enthusiasm for the WIT, but boy oh boy holy wars can be ruthless. The other players were extremely "Troubled" by their childhood friends' heavy handed methods. The Player was so successful so rapidly the Arch Prelate suffered a "Heresy" event and now the Wit has major troubles internally)

    I love this game..
    Good Morning Peasant!!

  8. #8
    Site Moderator kgauck's Avatar
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    If Avanil backs a single candidate, the more alternatives there are, the easier it is for the Avanil candidate to win. If the death of Laela occurs with a tiny collection of her holdings going to each of the claimants, but one is being fed RP and GB from Avan and his allies, then one guy is slowly gobbling up all the other claimants.

  9. #9
    Senior Member Dcolby's Avatar
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    I just wanted to post an update and thank you all for your input. The vile assassin was punished for his treason and unable to gain the throne. Alas the short lived civil war taxed the military might of Tuornen to far (devastated is a good description) and the Majority of the nation now lies within the oppurtunistic grasp of the Duke of Alamie. Key sections are in the hands of Avanil as well but his land grab was not so blatent. (Local nobles with Avanist sympathies declared for the Prince).

    The players have displayed admirable pluck and are determined to "free" Tuornen. I think the campaign is entering an interesting period...
    Good Morning Peasant!!

  10. #10
    Senior Member Dcolby's Avatar
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    On a side note the rapidity of the whole national disintergration was stunning. Within four war moves the military of Tuornen had exhausted/destroyed itself and then no matter what internal claiments remained the outside vultures decended.
    Good Morning Peasant!!

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