D&D General Greyhawk: Spy v. Spy

[haakon1]

I’ve decided the inn the PC’s are going to stay at has Spy v. Spy drama for the PC’s to discover or perhaps be victims of.

The spies are operating independently and may or may not have discovered each other’s work. They may be opposite goals or just different.

The inn is in Thornward, Bissel. My Bissel is roughly closer to the 576 CY version (the original and 2024 versions) than the 2e version.

What I’m trying to figure out: who do the spies work for?

The pub/inn is old, near the market, and tends to have a quieter, richer, less adventurer-oriented clientele.

Spy #1 is a server at the pub and a maid for its 4 rooms (2 of them high end). She’s a Baklunish woman from a Baklunish country. It’s 3.5e rules and her levels are in Expert.

Spy #2 is a halfling rogue, a regular at the pub who occasionally picks pockets.

Possible employers of spies:

• Defensively, the government of Bissel or the Order of the Watch.
• Iuz. He has his reasons.
• The Horned Society. IMC, they were defeated by Iuz and went underground, and are active in the region.
• Local thieves guild or imported one (from where) competing for territory.
• Mulloqhad (sp?) Consortium. Baklunish trading company with sometimes armed trade or worse - British East India company without the protectorates and territorial claims.
• Free City of Hochoch. Thanks to PC actions, they are feeling a bit threatened and may be influenced by the HS.
• Ket. Always at Bissel’s throat. Which is boring, imho.
• Wildcard. Works for more than one of the above.
• Wildcard. Works for someone else I didn’t mention. Not the Scarlet Brotherhood/Order.

What do you think?

 

[DrunkonDuty]

I like one working as counter espionage for the Order of the Watch.

Not Ket, hey? Hmm. Tough call then.

Ok, something a bit wacky - vampires. Some more or less independent count is looking to start trouble between Ket and Bissell. More mayhem allows them more freedom to act abominable. So their agent is looking to stir up trouble.

What's important about the inn? Why are the spies here?

 

[haakon1]

I like one working as counter espionage for the Order of the Watch.

Not Ket, hey? Hmm. Tough call then.

Ok, something a bit wacky - vampires. Some more or less independent count is looking to start trouble between Ket and Bissell. More mayhem allows them more freedom to act abominable. So their agent is looking to stir up trouble.

What's important about the inn? Why are the spies here?

Ooh, yes, vampires could make sense. A future adventure (two out) I have in mind is with vampires.

So, which spy works for the Knights of the Watch versus which for the vampires? Maybe the more obvious Halfling is counterintelligence, and the server works for the vampires - and maybe also for the Mouqollad Consortium as a freelancer, so if she’s caught “oh yeah, the Baklunish sometimes sells info to the Baklunish merchant org, no worries for us PC’s”.

Why the inn is important enough to spy on? I think the Halfling Rogue spy may get around to different pubs, but yes the server spy is specifically at the Falcon and Foal.

Hmm, I have 4 pubs/inns in Thornward.

- Culthera’s Head is basically a cop bar for local town guards, national capital castle guards, and other soldiers like the Knights of the Watch and the Border Companies (standing army that recruits foreigners) in this heavily armed “Clash of Civilizations” border country. (The Culthera are an elite regiment in Ket’s army.)

- Dove and Runner is originally a hostel for messengers, but is now more general audience for lower cost travelers, including adventurers, teamsters, and river sailors. Cheap, cheerful, and large with a big common room. It’s located near the River Gate.

- Sleepy Owl (from Masterwork Maps: Inns and Taverns) serves primarily merchants and local business people. It’s a place where business is done, like early Modern coffee shops in London (one evolved into Lloyds of London the global shipping insurance company). Big common room and many inn rooms upstairs. It’s located near the Elfgate - the northern gate to the city, to the Bramblewood and Irafa Roads, towards the Bramblewood Forest and eventually Ket.

- Falcon and Foal is more posh, with dark corners and snugs (small cozy drinking rooms), and only 4 rooms. The layout is based on the Eagle and Child, the pub in Oxford when Tolkien and C.S. Lewis read their prepublished works to each other and the other Inklings. It’s located off Market Square and near the castle (which is also the seat of government). Clientele tends towards middle class or higher, including rich merchants, military officers from the castle, and adventurers working for the castle.

I guess the Falcon and Foal is a spying target because the cuisine and rooms are high end, so it attracts people worth spying on?

 

[DarkCrisis]

 

[MGibster]

What do you think?

How about someone who spies on behalf of a merchant or a consortium of merchants? Powerful merchants would no doubt like to learn of what's going on in order to make the best business decisions possible.

 

[Shiroiken]

A gnome from the Valley of the Mage spreading tales about the "fabulous wealth" that can be found there, but is really looking to send more adventurers to their doom.

An agent of the Circle of Eight. They're observing the current situation between Ket and Bissel, but are also aware of other spies at the inn.

A human from the Hold of the Sea Princes. They're trying to manipulate the locals into invading Ket, in an effort to draw Keoland's forces northward.

 

[haakon1]

I haven’t done anything about the Circle of Eight, but in the background, things are happening in the Hold of Sea Princes.

My HSP is split between:

• Scarlet Brotherhood forces who hold the coast and islands - but lost the HSP colonies of Cauldron (Shackled City adventure path) and Sasserine (Savage Tides AP).
• Old HSP dead enders
• Rebelling slaves from the old HSP population and new slave soldiers the SB imported who turned on them, some intentionally becoming undead to up their power
• Berghof from the UK AD&D modules “The Sentinel” and “The Gauntlet”
• Lizardfolk
• Keoland holds, precariously, Westkeep.

Right now, Keoland and the Yeomanry have agreed an alliance against the HSP (all factions except Berghof and the Lizardfolk, which they don’t view as threats).

The “War of the Lanthorn”, where Ket invaded Bissel because of an earlier PC party doing “The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth”, was largely won by Bissel, with help from of course the Knights of the Watch but also Gran March and a little backup from Veluna (guarded central Bissel but didn’t participate in the counteroffensive), and is settled by a regional treaty - which allowed the Mouqollad Consortium into Bissel.

Keoland is shifting forces towards Saltmarsh and Westkeep, including Gran March forces (IMC, Gran March is under Keoish control, more or less).

There’s also secret negotiations between Ahlissa and Keoland to coordinate their attacks on the SB. Keoland will try to expand from Westkeep and do a sea invasion, while Ahlissa aids the Onnwelsh rebels in finally besieging and taking back Scant. But their concern is whether Greyhawk City or Turrosh Mak’s Pomarj or Nyrond might take offense and interfere or take advantage of the destruction of their offensives. Ideally, they’d like Greyhawk and Nyrond onside, but don’t feel enough trust to tell them (or the Onnwelsh rebels) before they launch their attacks.

Surely, both armies will be greeted as liberators.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Love all the ideas!

One thing I'm going to throw in is that, probably because of some formative experiences playing Paranoia, I have found that having players be double agents adds so much to a game. It's a little harder with D&D (in order to maintain party comity, I usually have to have the whole party acting as double agents) but it's an easy and fun way to generate a lot of tension.

Given your spies are NPCs, that might not be too helpful. Unless, of course, one of them is a double agent with a nominal service opposed to the PCs, and an actual service that isn't, which can make things a lot murkier. And fun. Something to think about.

Go hall of mirrors on them.

 

[Tonguez]

I like the idea that the Bakluni serving maid is working for her own Ketite family interest keeping tabs on any trade secrets, financial dealings, and personal weaknesses of the Mouqollad Consortium merchants who stay at the inn and subtly sabotaging rival operations. As such she doesnt have a formal employer and might be willing to trade secrets with anyone willing to pay - provided her own family benefits (that way you still get to use the other factions as you want to).

I'd make the Halfling a Spy for the Knights of the Watch, they suspect that the Inn is a front for foreign spies and has assigned the Halfling rogue to uncover the truth.

Twist: There is an actual spy for the Horned Society in their midst who is seeking to stir unrest among the merchants, Ketite spies, the Bissel Watch, and thieves’ guilds.

 

[haakon1]

Well, it’s an email campaign, and the PC’s are talking freely as I mention the server hanging around, bringing them stuff, etc.

Whoever is likely to get a wealth of intel, though so far it’s political rather than economic. Working for the Mouqollad Consortium who will use the info for profit or to be information brokers to interested parties feels right to me.