Gold, Slaves, and Power: A New Order

[SHARK]

Greetings!

The group--The Company of the Silver Dragon--has recently conquered the capital city of a powerful kingdom. One of the members--is the new, de-facto king of the realm. The group has agreed with the offer of a Noble Vizier to have a grand party at the palace, to give their retinues some time to socialize and have fun, as well as other officers and nobles in the army. Of course, it's also an opportunity to sort out some of the thousands of native Sharnu nobles--and their family members--who are all still involved with running the city, and seeking to ally, gain favour with, bootlick and grovel, or otherwise figure some things out about the new people in charge of things.

Some of the Sharnu nobles are of course, seeking ways to gain advantage over the invaders, to kill them, and return one of teir own to the Sharnogg throne.

Some Sharnu nobles are seeking to gain genuine alliances with members of the conquering army, forge new relationships, and embrace the new era--of course, with their own gain and security in wealth and power at stake.

Some Sharnu nobles are probably uncertain, and have a cautious approach.

What kind of nobles would be doing what? What kind of people should be at this exotic party of the rich and powerful? Think of what kind of events could take place; strange entertainments, entertainers, strange people or wondrous creatures. Plots, deceits, powerplays!

Who would be seeking to arrange important marriages? There are thousands of powerful invaders of different ranks to choose from--including some of the players, of course.

Ideas appreciated my friends!

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

 

[Khuxan]

One ambitious widow uses her beautiful virgin daughter as an excuse to flirt, banter and manipulate her own way back into married life.

Another noblewoman's husband was among those killed by the invaders. Delighted to be finally free of her brutish husband, she openly seduces a general of the invading army.

A young noblewoman, elevated through the ranks by the untimely deaths of her parents, has appropriated their "herbs" to seek vengeance on the barbaric invaders.

A civil servant, greedy for renown but not wealth, sees the invasion as an opportunity to launch a public works program - but thirty long years in a dead-end job has made him hysterical and insistent.

One of the dancers is a red-faced lieutenant disguising himself as a woman now he is a wanted man.

The self-styled Prince of Thieves of the city has chosen the party as the site of a demonstration that the city cannot run without him.

Two guards eagerly anticipate their midnight tryst, distracting them from their post at a very inopportune time.

The grand party is the first time the Noble Vizier's wife has been in public since their marriage - so it is unfortunate she is so enamoured of the king.

A servant has fallen in love with the king, and keeps laying trinkets and flowers on his plate - causing widespread panic as what appears to be an intricate assassination plot unfolds.

The dissatisfied and patriotic working classes are planning to rise up on the night of the party, overrunning their masters' properties while they are away.

A cabal of wizards, respected in the palaces but too embarassing to be invited to parties, insist that a ritual must be performed in the middle of the dance floor.

 

[JoeGKushner]

What about a new faction? The Nobles in Exile? Those who welcome a new era? Those who were outcast? Those who come under a banner of peace? Gotta have several factions vying in there after all.

 

[SHARK]

One ambitious widow uses her beautiful virgin daughter as an excuse to flirt, banter and manipulate her own way back into married life.

Another noblewoman's husband was among those killed by the invaders. Delighted to be finally free of her brutish husband, she openly seduces a general of the invading army.

A young noblewoman, elevated through the ranks by the untimely deaths of her parents, has appropriated their "herbs" to seek vengeance on the barbaric invaders.

A civil servant, greedy for renown but not wealth, sees the invasion as an opportunity to launch a public works program - but thirty long years in a dead-end job has made him hysterical and insistent.

One of the dancers is a red-faced lieutenant disguising himself as a woman now he is a wanted man.

The self-styled Prince of Thieves of the city has chosen the party as the site of a demonstration that the city cannot run without him.

Two guards eagerly anticipate their midnight tryst, distracting them from their post at a very inopportune time.

The grand party is the first time the Noble Vizier's wife has been in public since their marriage - so it is unfortunate she is so enamoured of the king.

A servant has fallen in love with the king, and keeps laying trinkets and flowers on his plate - causing widespread panic as what appears to be an intricate assassination plot unfolds.

The dissatisfied and patriotic working classes are planning to rise up on the night of the party, overrunning their masters' properties while they are away.

A cabal of wizards, respected in the palaces but too embarassing to be invited to parties, insist that a ritual must be performed in the middle of the dance floor.

Greetings!

Very, very good! I love these ideas!

WOOT!

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

 

[SHARK]

What about a new faction? The Nobles in Exile? Those who welcome a new era? Those who were outcast? Those who come under a banner of peace? Gotta have several factions vying in there after all.

Greetings!

Indeed, my friend. You're quite right. The factionalism is a certain reality. The grand party could prove to be very interesting, with many different NPC's, several factions represented, and always new opportunities!

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

 

[Ydars]

Hi Shark,

How about using Iraq to teach some lessons about invasion.

What if the Sharnu are not quite so homogenous as they first appeared and in fact are composed of three original ethnic tribes that were welded together by the oppressive power of the Sharnu royal house, who all hailed from one of these three peoples.

Let's call the three the Khosti, the Agari and the Magwesh, all of whom share many cultural similarities but disagree on the exact nature of worship, though their gods are the same. The Magwesh are the ruling house and were originally nomads and it is from their beliefs that the former state religion was derived. They suppressed the related religious beliefs of the other two castes and held most major positions of power.

The Khostians are the one group who are now mainly merchants since their religious beliefs allow them to charge interest and since they were barred from all noble ranks and from the army.

The Agari form the most populous caste and are the lower class workers, artisans, and soldiers. They were always forbidden to inherit wealth and hence were deliberately kept poor. Yet the Magwesh Sharnu nobles have traditionally had to appeal to these masses in some way to avoid revolt and this was usually via bread and circus type tactics that keep the Agari fed and entertained but powerless and quiescient.

With this social order over-turned, the Magwesh will be opposed to the new eliet whilst trying to engage with some of it, to control its worst effects. They will be afraid of the other two castes being raised up because of the conflicts and disagreements; the Agari and Khosti will be trying to get noble titles and their religion recognised, and to settle old scores with the Magwesh.

Just a few ideas.

 

[Hella_Tellah]

Don't forget the bourgeoisie! Monarchs of times past disregarded the merchant class to their great peril.

The moneychanger who has the sole authority in the realm to mint coinage got that privilege by giving out loans to the crown. Will the conquering heroes honor those debts, now that they hold the crown, or will they risk the ill will of the most affluent banker in all of Sharnu?

An inn at the south gates of town sees all manner of adventurers coming through--some heroic, some mercenary, some woefully disloyal. He could be persuaded to keep an eye out for suspicious activity from travelers, but the previous, iron-fisted monarchy left a bad taste in his mouth. Can the players convince the innkeeper that their new reign will be better for business?

Every noblewoman in Sharnu must visit the Furrier in the colder seasons to keep up with the fashions. As such, the Furrier has absolutely the best gossip in all of Sharnu--and he's not sharing unless he gets tariff-free access to owlbear hides from the west.

 

[SHARK]

Don't forget the bourgeoisie! Monarchs of times past disregarded the merchant class to their great peril.

The moneychanger who has the sole authority in the realm to mint coinage got that privilege by giving out loans to the crown. Will the conquering heroes honor those debts, now that they hold the crown, or will they risk the ill will of the most affluent banker in all of Sharnu?

An inn at the south gates of town sees all manner of adventurers coming through--some heroic, some mercenary, some woefully disloyal. He could be persuaded to keep an eye out for suspicious activity from travelers, but the previous, iron-fisted monarchy left a bad taste in his mouth. Can the players convince the innkeeper that their new reign will be better for business?

Every noblewoman in Sharnu must visit the Furrier in the colder seasons to keep up with the fashions. As such, the Furrier has absolutely the best gossip in all of Sharnu--and he's not sharing unless he gets tariff-free access to owlbear hides from the west.

Greetings!

Excellent! Definitely, the party will have to pay off various Royal debts. Gotta keep the Moneychangers and Minters happy!

Indeed, that Innkeeper will be an important source to ally with, and keep their confidence. Definitely have to have merchant-friendly policies in place.

Oh yes! Make those *Owlbear Hides* come in by the bushel! Of course, gotta cut him a good deal there. That kind of aristocratic gossip going on with all the elite noblewomen is a PRIME source of intelligence information! Very crucial for the new ruling regime!

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

 

[SHARK]

Hi Shark,

How about using Iraq to teach some lessons about invasion.

What if the Sharnu are not quite so homogenous as they first appeared and in fact are composed of three original ethnic tribes that were welded together by the oppressive power of the Sharnu royal house, who all hailed from one of these three peoples.

Let's call the three the Khosti, the Agari and the Magwesh, all of whom share many cultural similarities but disagree on the exact nature of worship, though their gods are the same. The Magwesh are the ruling house and were originally nomads and it is from their beliefs that the former state religion was derived. They suppressed the related religious beliefs of the other two castes and held most major positions of power.

The Khostians are the one group who are now mainly merchants since their religious beliefs allow them to charge interest and since they were barred from all noble ranks and from the army.

The Agari form the most populous caste and are the lower class workers, artisans, and soldiers. They were always forbidden to inherit wealth and hence were deliberately kept poor. Yet the Magwesh Sharnu nobles have traditionally had to appeal to these masses in some way to avoid revolt and this was usually via bread and circus type tactics that keep the Agari fed and entertained but powerless and quiescient.

With this social order over-turned, the Magwesh will be opposed to the new eliet whilst trying to engage with some of it, to control its worst effects. They will be afraid of the other two castes being raised up because of the conflicts and disagreements; the Agari and Khosti will be trying to get noble titles and their religion recognised, and to settle old scores with the Magwesh.

Just a few ideas.

Greetings!

Brilliant minds think alike, heh?

Three culturally and religiously related factions, but with strained relations along political and religious lines? Oh yeah. *Chomp* Done. I love that idea my friend! (Scribbling notes for these ideas now!) Just beautiful! I was thinking I wanted some kind of factionalism, to keep the players on their toes...and yes! Thank you Ydars! Just brilliant!

Oh, yes, and the deliciousness of it is that the players can't just...lump all of the Sharnu as enemies! *LOL*--clearly some of them are willing to ally with the Valloreans...and the benefits could be vast, so the players can't simply say,

"Eff 'em. Kill em all. Let the Gods sort them out!"

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

It sounds a lot like you could use scenarios from the Latin Kingdom in Byzantium.

The old kingdom had two distinct groups within the Aristorcracy. Provincial nobility consisting of the minor administrations and courts that ran the vast outer provinces and minor trade ports. And the Capital aristocracy who were plugged into the central administration and negotiated the relationships between other classes, the government, and the trading hub that was the capital city. Coincedentally, the Capital crats also controlled the coinage, the courts, and much of the church.

If it seems to foriegn to think of Byzantium, you could try thinking about Illinois/Chicago politics.

One of the reasons the fall of the capital seems to equate to the fall of the kingdom is that the Provincial Aristocracy feels that they have been freed from the tyranny of the Capital.

For the moment, they appear to be quiet, but what is actually happening is that the Provincial Courts are slowly consolidating power. The five generals of the Western Border are in meetings to become the Thema of the Western March. The House of Etraea is buying judges and transforming itself into the Syndic of Hierous and the Isles. The Monastary of El-Hym has openned its doors to fleeing scholars and sent forth its pupils to manage vacant posts in the hierarchy. The Fleets of neighboring Venitaza have added protection clauses to the many ports they trade with within the empire, and are seeking to negotiate fortress concessions for their mercenaries. The Nomads of Autonon are seen in more high mountain valleys and their chiefs are seeking posts in the town councils of the south.

The Civil aristocracy is aware of these changes but is torn between involving the invaders and loosing their position as negotiators or allowing these changes to continue and loosing all position to negotiate from. Some younger sons, however, have begun to appear in these new provincial courts or have bought commissions in the new units. Their slightest ambition is to negotiate for position in the capital from the outside, their grandest is to retake the crown.