D&D 5E Help me populate the nobles of an imperial capital in decline

[RangerWickett]

Hi all. I've got a Pathfinder campaign and could use some help.

This coming weekend my party will likely head to Oppara, the capital of Taldor, an empire in decline. In my campaign the Grand Prince has forced the Pathfinder Society to open up all its records of possible lost treasure or ancient magic, and various nobles are sponsoring different adventurers to check out all these sites in a hurry.

The Grand Prince wants to refill his coffers because he fears a coup, and the nobles want to get his favor by sponsoring the most profitable expeditions. (And some nobles want to get valuable wealth and funnel it to the contender to the throne.)

I've got one prospective patron in mind that I'm hoping the party will want to work with, but I'd like to come up with more options. In particular, the PCs are all paladins of different gods, and they just got evidence of a band of antipaladins gathering forces in the wilderness. I suspect they'll try to get the nobles to help them out but, well, Taldor's a big country, and nobles have their own intrigues they need to fund. So if the PCs want help with their quest, the nobles will want a quid pro quo.

Any ideas for potential noble sponsors?

So far I have:

Lady Farron Eunive - married into wealth, and is trying to establish her own power base independent of her husband; jockeying to get her son betrothed to the contender to the throne, Eutropia.

Bronzeman Piccolo - did you know that canonically in Taldor, bronze dragons are allowed to run banks without paying taxes? Well, this guy is a polymorphed bronze dragon who sees money, debt, and investments as a way to keep society stable and nobles from fighting each other. He's a scholar of old dragons because he worries over the destabilizing effects of bringing in a dragon hoard.

Senator Karthis - a firebrand (and red herring) who wants war with a nation to the south and whom I want to come across as villainous though he's unrelated to the campaign's main plot. He'd primarily want people to go questing into southern lands that once belonged to Taldor.

Kul Kodranson - head of the Ulfen Guard (i.e., vikings who guard the king), he's a foreigner but loyal to the crown. He has spies watching nobles he thinks are colluding against the king, and will send adventurers to follow and disrupt other adventurers who are sent by disloyal nobles.

Lady Gloriana Morilla - new head of the Pathfinder Society lodge in Taldor, she wants to restore Taldor to its glory, and has brought in representatives from the Hellknight Order of the Gate, whose records of extraplanar portals are excellent. She'll send people scouting for potential sealed portals, most of which should be left alone, but some of which might be valuable if opened up for a short period of time.

Got any other ideas?

 

[Ancalagon]

High priest of influential religion a *little* too much concerned with temporal matter

The alchemist: Officially the head of the alchemist's guild, a small organisation *but* rumored to be the head of a cabal of the most powerful mages in the city. He is very careful to neither confirm or deny this rumor, giving him far more influence than a minor guildmaster.

A major patron of the art and wealthy widow, inheritor of her husband's fortune. In reality she is the public face of the assassin's guild, who want to influence (help, stop, steer) a potential change in power.

 

[Savage Wombat]

I think you should have that guy from the commercial with the tiny giraffe.

 

[RangerWickett]

Wow, Wombat, that's a deep cut. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkB9OT2XVvA

 

[Celebrim]

Lord Yudikel Alkeema – Lord Yudikel is patriarch of one the largest and most powerful families of the empire, with diverse holdings and scions in various high positions of power. The family is particularly prominent in shipping, and holds a great deal of influence over naval matters. Lord Yudikel wears particularly fine clothing, and a massive elaborate wig, but his bloated, swollen, carbuncle covered face is a thing of horror that only the most strong willed can easily stomach. Yudikel is a ferociously intelligent man with deep knowledge of even the smallest matter of the Empire’s workings but he keeps his own council and treats knowledge as a strategic resource. Because of his appearance and the great pain he is continually under, he refrains from appearing in public very often and interacts with others only on his own terms. For a price, Yudikel will reveal secrets, especially those others wish to keep hidden, but even when he’s paid he only reveals what will be useful for furthering the power of the Alkeema. To treat his boils and alleviate the pain thereof, he’s very fond of hot baths. Rumor says that his deformities are the result of an ancient household curse on the Alkeema family.

Lord Cosmas Tenjord – Lord Cosmas Tenjord is the orphan heir of the Tenjord family, wealthy vintners and equestrians of an ancient heritage, being descendants of the first rulers of the Empire through the daughter. Tenjord is an athletic twelve year old boy with wavy golden locks turning light brown, and bronze skin. He dresses as a miniature noble, but often is sticky with sweets or muddy or smeared with horse dung at inappropriate times. Tenjord comes off frequently as a spoiled brat, and has the emotional maturity seemingly of an eight year old – but he is no fool when it comes to politics, and the dangers of the court, and has a keen ear for intrigue. Tenjord is also an expert horseman, and versed in all manner of their appraisal and care. At twelves he is by necessity reliant on his seneschals and legal guardians, a weakness he is acutely aware of, but he subtly manipulates them against each other by holding out the lure of being his favorite.

Lord Silip Spillium – Lord Silip Spillium is the octogenarian head of the ancient Spillium family, and head of conservative faction of the Senate. He is a bent and stooped man with a long lined face and thin white hair that does little to hide his liver-spotted pate. He chiefly wears black, and has a cane of lacquered ebony surmounted by an ivory hornet as a handle. He is known as a skilled orator, and keeper of all traditions and propriety in the empire. In his youth, he was known as a fairly skilled swordsman and rider, but all that is now decades behind him. By all appearances, Silip prizes order and decorum, but he’s said to have a streak of cruelty he keeps buried deep and reveals only by his frequently sardonic wit. Spillium bucks the general trend in the capital by being a public ascetic, eating sparingly and drinking only tepid water.

Lord Yseult Tykard – Sir Yseult Tykard is the patriarch of the prominent military Tykard family. An unimaginative and coarse man, Yseult is nonetheless a capable soldier and is as healthy as an ox. Yseult’s face is divided by a very large and long nose that runs more than half the length of his face. His brow is overhanging and deeply furrowed and his skin deeply tanned from long periods outdoors. His neck is usually red, and his elaborate wig (or sometimes helmet) and covers a bald scalp. Tykard is an ambitious man who is angling to gain control over the military and enlarge his families holdings thereby. He has many rivals and is not well-loved by his peers, but inspires respect and loyalty among the military and the plebian class. Tykard has a great love of strong drink, which he drains in large flagons, and is notorious for being able to drink others into complete stupefaction.

Lord Pusile Sorensen – Lord Pusile “the Debauched” Sorensen is the notorious head of the Sorensen family, wealthy land owners and purveyors in stone – especially marble. Lord Pusile is a handsome lean man with bright blue eyes and dark black hair, just now gaining streaks of gray around the temples. He is called “Pusile the Debauched”, because he was beaten and very publically raped by a rival in his youth, an event that triggered one of the nastiest house feuds in recent memory that ultimately resulted in the extermination of the rival House Alserda. Although the true source of his cruel epithet is rarely discussed openly, Pusile has never been able to escape the public shame of that event or the whispers and rumors regarding it, and it haunts all his interactions. The adult Pusile is a notorious hedonist, known for frequenting harlots, the consumption of vast quantities of wine and narcotics, and his lavish decadent parties. He’s known as a dangerous man to cross with an ice cold temper and deadly fencing skills.

Lord Edolfus Favenger – Lord Edolfus Favenger is the head of the Favenger family, known chiefly for the exportation of wool and wool thread. He is a short bushy browed man with white hair and large drooping white mustache. His body is barrel-chested and his limbs thick and powerful, but this is easily mistaken for simple plumpness, especially when fully garbed and sporting the ridiculous clown like wigs he is fond of. Aside from his families obvious business, the Favenger’s are additionally a dangerous clan of assassins, and Edolfus is within their ranks the undisputed master, feared and utterly in control within his clan. This side business is an open secret within the upper ranks of the aristocracy. What is less well known is that it is tolerated owing to the usefulness of the Favenger’s to the crown – which has more enemies than anyone else and at least as much coin to buy Favenger service with. By agreement, the Favenger’s bring any contract against the interests of the crown to the attention of the Grand Prince and allow him to make a counter-offer at a suitable discount. In public, Edolfus is good humored, and even comical and self-deprecating. He is fond of making jokes about sheep stink and the difficulty has of ridding himself of it, and of his own supposedly failing hearing (which is of course, as keen as ever).

Lord Damien Langlais – As head of the Langlais family, Lord Damien is one of the more powerful men in the empire. Workers of metal and miners, the Langlais control much of the trade in weapons within the empire and have many high positions within the government and the military. Lord Damien himself is a round man with the unfortunate look of a simpleton. His curly boyish locks, large eyes, and round cheeks belie a capable administrator and not incompetent soldier. Lord Damien further suffers from poor digestion, compounded by his indulgence of rich foods, which leaves him gouty and chronically flatulent. The Langlais still have a Keleshite look through common intermarriage, and the close ties of the family with Qadira are currently embarrassing at minimum. Therefore, the Langlais primarily pursue a course of reconciliation with Qadira, in hopes of easing trade and thereby increasing their own wealth and status.

Lord Oydis Dahl – Lord Oydis Dahl is a morbidly fat man weighing not less than 35 stone. Scarcely able to lift his own body, he is normally carried around by eight sturdy servants on a palanquin. Despite this handicap, Lord Dahl revels in his size and his notoriety as a gourmand. He considers himself the foremost expert on food and drink within the empire, and his chefs are legendary within the empire. A ancient patrician family, House Dahl is prominently placed within both the power structures and social life of the capital. A devoted hedonist, Lord Oydis Dahl considers nothing but his own personal pleasure as filtered through his own jaded tastes and immense appetites. He is nonetheless no fool, charismatic, far-sighted, and capable of witty banter. In particular, he has a knack of detecting whatever vice his foe is most embarrassed by, and pointing it out in the most creatively wicked manner. He also enjoys baiting people into insulting him regarding his size, for within the circles that matter, his immunity to such japes is well known, and those that attempt such ill aimed insults reveal themselves publicly as fools and inferiors to ‘His Immensity’. Although reviled by many, he is a deft politician and has a tendency to foresee which families fortunes will rise and ally the Dahl accordingly, and likewise is ruthless in maneuvering to block the rise of any household which is a threat to the Dahl.

Lord Ovidius Deschamps – Lord Ovidius Deschamps is an unfortunate hunchbacked, bow-legged and pig-faced man with the arms of a gorilla and a cleft lip poorly hidden by his beard and mustache. He is famous for is evil body odor, which smells strongly of ripe cheese and can be detected from across the room even within minutes of his bathing. It’s rumored that his parents three times tried to have him murdered as a boy out of shame and disgust with their child, but he managed – perhaps through the power of whatever curse assailed them – to survive both attempts and his parents, as well as various other rivals and assassins within his house and without. As a result of these rumors, few wish to cross the ugly man, for it is said misfortune surrounds him as strongly as his body odor, and those that wish him ill come to unexpected bad ends themselves. The Deschamps themselves are an ancient patrician family who have apparently come to terms with their current patrician, and are likely to duel anyone who speaks ill of him to their face. Lord Deschamps is himself not an ambitious man, desiring only to live quietly and pass on a strong and prosperous house to his declared heir – a nephew - but finds he cannot avoid the intrigue of the capital.

Marshall Ganet Skjaggestad – Marshall Ganet’s family is of foreign extraction, but his loyal to the empire. He is a tall, broad shouldered, square jawed man with a small mouth that seems pursed in disapproval at all times. His hair is short and blond and he forgoes the fashionable wigs of the city. A great jouster, Marshall Ganet is often found at tournament. He is also fond of gambling. Other than indulging his love of risk and sport, Ganet desires nothing but to prove his worth and obtain for his family the repect accorded to the older and more established noble houses. To this end, his in an absolutely ruthless zealot and patriot on all matters touching defending Taldor and the Grand Prince. Rumors of atrocities and cruelties perpetrated on the enemies of the Empire have reached even the capital.

I know almost nothing about the setting, so adjust titles and positions to suit your needs. More if you want them.

 

[Celebrim]

Or even if you don't...

Lord Utykius Delacrone – The Delacrone family are known for their work in pewter, tin and other white metals, as well as their orchards of fruit trees. Lord Utykius Delacrone suffered in youth from a hideous wasting disease that could ultimately be cured only by his castration, leaving him with a high castrato voice that is disturbing to those unprepared for it. He’s face is slightly boyish, but pockmarked as from the pox. His hair is bright blond, and he’s given to plumpness, and the public shame of his condition is magnified by his hairless chin. Lord Delacrone has devoted himself to the study of the arcane arts, and became a wizard of some note. Between his condition and his reputation as a wizard given to dark magic, Delacrone has a poor reputation amongst noble and commoner alike. Lord Delcrone is particularly fond of the nieces and nephews which are his younger two sisters’ children, and will do anything to protect his family.

Lord Kirken Losnedahl – Lord Kirken is a broad shouldered bear of a man with a short cropped curly brown beard and small deepset eyes on an otherwise flat pan like face. His skin is bronze color. Lord Kirken is a terrifyingly strong man, much given to violent tempers and displays of strength. He is an able soldier and combatant, but little liked by the troops he commands. He prefers to intimidate rather than inspire or lead, and he holds his grip over the Losnedahl house with a fist of iron. The Losnedahl have many fine estates, and a trade in coal. Despite his short-temper, Lord Kirken is surprisingly gentle and capable with beasts, particular hounds and his pet griffin Maximian.

Lord Totila Hummel – Lord Totila is a handsome man, tall and lithe, with golden locks and a face considered perfect save for the slight protuberance of his overlarge blue eyes. He is a notorious rake and fob, openly bisexual, with numerous lovers of both sexes and largely neglected wife and family. He is, unlike most of his peers, scandalously clean shaven. Lord Totila can be charming, if you can tolerate his jaded affectations and scandalous behavior. He is rumored to have mastery of some amount of arcane power. Lord Totila is a moody man, given at times to depression and mania, and said at times to fits of piety where he rues his life and seeks to remake himself as an ascetic – although others say this rumor is just to cover up some of his even darker moods. House Hummel is a large family with many well placed members, and much control over the glass trade – both its production and the manufacturing of objects thereof. The observant will note that Lord Totila has six fingers on each of his hands.

Lady Filimena Labelle – Lady Filimena Labelle was married at 14 to a man eight years her senior in an arranged marriage it is said she did not want. The marriage lasted less than four months and produced no offspring, for the older man died in battle that autumn. Labelle inherited his estate. In the twenty years since, she has become one of the most notorious courtesans in the empire, and is said to have seduced half the nobles in the capital. Although middle aged, she is still a very attractive woman, and has grown quite wealthy between her husband’s estates and the gifts of many admirers. She is a fixture in the capitals many balls, banquets, fetes, and parties and despite her reputation – or maybe because if it – few would think of holding a major social affair without inviting Lady Filimena. For her part, the Lady Labelle is a cunning player of politics, a matchmaker of considerable skill, and a shrewd investor with a nose for money with flawless skill at appraising valuable objects. She is very fond of ostentatious jewelry, especially the magical sort, as well as cats and small exotic furred creatures. She is terrified of dead things, to the point of being unable to eat even meat unless it is removed from the bone.

Lady Agnetha Rasmussen – Lady Agnetha Rasmussen is known to be at least 90 years old but has the look of a lady in her early twenties. She is an alchemist of the most puissant sort and is said to maintain her youthful appears by regularly imbibing a potion of her own devising that reverses aging. Naturally, most of the nobles of the land attempt to ingratiate themselves to the Lady Rasmussen in hopes of obtaining a sample of this exotic elixir, but if any have yet done so, they are keeping their success to themselves. The Lady Rasmussen is tall and as slender as a lily stem. Her eyes are blue and her skin very pale. She wears at all times a brown holocaust cloak as an outer garment and symbol of her profession. Her arms and the bald pate beneath her wig are covered in delicate tattoos of many colors, and so it is rumored is the whole of her body. Although the Rasmussen under her guidance are the most celebrated alchemists of the land, it is said that the family is not very wealthy, for all their profits are spent on Lady Agnetha’s research and the procuring of rare reagents.

Lady Lana Leclair-Aroy – Lady Lana is the sole heir of the Leclair plantations, her parents having died both without other children and without siblings. She is a noted beauty in her mid-twenties with widely admired curly light brown locks that she arranges in massive coifs. She is in theory married to a man more than thirty years her senior, but it is well known that this is a marriage of mere political convenience with prior agreement that they would not share each other’s bed nor interfere with the other’s lovers. Lady Lana Leclair-Aroy currently is the mistress of one of the most powerful men in the empire and is said to hold a great deal of sway over his opinions and councils. As such, many hope to curry favor with her. A rumor has arisen that Lady Lana is high in the councils of the Brotherhood of Silence as well.

Lady Bekka Haybair – Lady Bekka Haybair is a still stately woman of sixty years, who dresses in the height of fashion and the best of wigs. Her bearing is imperious and aloof, as befitting the matriarch of House Haybair, one of the wealthiest families of Oparra. The Haybair deal in horses and cartage, and hold great influence over the teamsters’ guild, giving them unusual influence among both the Senatorial class and the unbearded. Haybair officers serve in the armies of the Prince, and Haybair toughs maintain respect for the house in the streets. Lady Bekka, widowed now for nearly twenty years, and mother of twelve sons and daughters, ruthlessly protects Haybair interests against all enemies. Long a supporter of the crown, Lady Bekka secretly despises Stavian as weak and lacking noble bearing, and would happily see the upstart Eutropia dead.

 

[Ancalagon]

Wow, Wombat, that's a deep cut. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkB9OT2XVvA

Well... a noble obsessed with collecting very rare animals could be an interesting character, and there could be layers - a family member wishes to depose him as the animal collector has no ambitions beyond increasing his collection and will ruin the house. Or maybe those animals are key to an ancient ritual?

 

[Celebrim]

[MENTION=63]RangerWickett[/MENTION]: Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.

You are probably experiencing the same sort of problem I have when I ask for help brainstorming on EnWorld: either crickets, or the 'help' you get is of absolutely no use to you.

I could probably help more if you talked more about exactly what you needed. If you want decadent twisted nobles for the court of Stavian III, I could probably go along in the above vein for another 40 or so entries. But what do you really need? Patrons who paladins can follow with little moral qualms? Inspiring mentors or leiges with a cause for the party to champion? Nobles foils and patrons whose decadence is perhaps dialed down a bit, or should I go further over the top and create some snarling puppy chewing villains? More ties to canonical issues or less ties?

 

[RangerWickett]

Celebrim, no, this was helpful. I was laughing at the "even if you don't" line.

Mostly I'm looking for a bench of NPCs I can mention if the party decides to really dive into the politics. I don't know if they will. They might just take my 'quest giver' NPC at face value, spend a session in the city, and then go out questing like folks expect paladins should. But there should be an option for 'shopping around' for a sponsor, or trying to scheme to help someone they like get in power.

 

[Celebrim]

Celebrim, no, this was helpful. I was laughing at the "even if you don't" line.

Mostly I'm looking for a bench of NPCs I can mention if the party decides to really dive into the politics. I don't know if they will.

Well, as long as you don't put a gold '!' hovering over the head of your quest giver, you have some control of that if you wish to. Simply throw them into a room with a large crowd, and have them figure out who to accept as the quest giver amongst the competing offers. If you did that to me, I'd honestly be suspicious of anyone too perfect seeming, imagining that you were trying to trick me into judging people by their appearances. I'd be forced to do research to see who people really were under the surface, and then you'd have me into politics.

Of course, this doesn't work if good really always and only looks like good, and people accept that at first blush, but then such a group probably isn't interested in murky political problems anyway.

Presumably, in the scenario you describe, all the houses will be desperately trying to get a share of the wealth, so they'll either want to hire the PC's or failing that, hire rivals of the PC's, or assassins to stop them.