Help taking over Calimport

[fl8m]

I've kinda stumped myself. I've had a beholder cult, under the guise of an assasins guild and corrupt guards take over a portion of Calimport. I judged the area to be sufficiently riddled with corruption and the local guids to be weak enough for such a takeover. However the Beholder (behind the cult duh.. ) of course wants ALL of calimport not just some small sliver.
My problem arises here, I'm assuming a city with the vast population and power of calimport is not going to be easy to take over, and that not every section of the city is so incompetently run, and no single cult is going to be big enough and/or powerfull enough to take over much less control 6,000,000 people.

Open warfare seems to be to much for a cult to initiate, and i'd prefer the pc's infultrate and defeate the cult not try to fight in a war.

ah well any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[arwink]

I know little about Calimport, but anyway...

A beholder is going to be smart enough to start an open war in the midst of a sizable city with multiple power factions. In fact, it is probably going to be content with a small chunk at the beginning, carefully putting plots into place to consolidate its power. Beholders, like dragons, can be perfectly at home with long term plans.

An assasins guild is probably not going to be the best resource for out and out war on the streets. You're looking at plots, intrigue, small scuffles in back-streets and out of the way places. AGain, this is a time thing - PC's wander around a lot, and slowly they'll get irritated enough at all the small hapening that they'll go looking for the cause.

Leverage PC contacts and favors for all they'er worth. If someone knows there's something mysterious and corrupt in charge of the assasins guild, and the PC's owe them a favor or fealty of some kind, let them suggest the PC's go infiltrating the cult.

If you do use some backstreet wars because the situation is unavoidable, use it to your advantage. Are there any other big-bads in the city that the PC's aren't aware of yet? If so, they suddenly stumble on a tussle between the beholders minions and the creatures serving some unknown faction...

 

[dagger]

The common people: Most of them dont care who really rules because thats just the way of it in thier culture.


Also, many factions can simply be bought off. They dont care who rules as long as they continue to make money and trade like they have been.


One way too look at it.

Also if the cult has some resources maybe they can get assistantace in the effort, like drow?

 

[Wolfwood]

I think the use of an assasins guild is a fine idea. It could start a war between different groups by doing in certain members and leaving hints of the other group doing it.

Eventually the PC's may see one of these murders and get hounded by the group of the person killed, the group thought to have been the culprit to clear their name, and the assasins for trying to tie up loose ends.

 

[dema]

What aspect of the city do you want to take over?

You ever read the Whos in Charge?

And how is really in charge sections in the FRA book?

Let the beholder use the cities official leaders to do what he wants.

Unless the beholder wants to be an "open" ruler.

It might be better to rule and infiltrate everything and everyone then open warfare. If the beholder wants open warfare, get some orc hordes and giants, perhaps dragons to attack the city.

-warning these are unthought thoughts

-dem

 

[James McMurray]

Controlling the undercity in Calimport will be a major key in controlling the city itself. Also, you have to grab the richest districts first, as those can then fund your efforts in other areas.

A few ideas:

• Don't take overt control, instead use magic or leverage to control from behind the scenes
• Misdirection of your next target's resources will be key. Of you are going after the jeweler's district next, be sure to make it look like you are going after the arena district. Also make sure that the jewelers think a major heist is being planned, as they will pour their resources into security of vaults rather the real power centers.
• Simulacrum of officials can make a takeover a painless and unnoticed affair. Just be sure to have a massive disguise skill and up their security to prevent people getting close with divination magics.
• Stage asssaults on other districts while working behind the scenes in the real target areas. This will keep your foes busy with the obvious threat when you are really just kidnapping and replacing a few people elsewhere.

 

[fl8m]

wow, all great ideas, thank you. Your ideas have stirred up my imagination already, power struggles between the cult and other underground powers in the city and well placed assassinations made to look like rival agencies will make the PC's efforts more confusing by the second muahahahaha. and when the time is right the sudden appearance of drow mercenaries will confuse matters further while pointing to something far more sinister going on. he he thanks again.

 

[James McMurray]

Of course, if you want to confuse things even further, use Drow mercenaries that are polymorphed to look like deep gnomes, or mind flayers, or even a humanoid race that is normally good (can't think of one right off-hand).

 

[Happiest_Sadist]

You mean like surface elves (requiring no polymorph)?

The beholder might want to start wars between other factions, so he can sieze power once they ruin eachother. A few assasinations of high level members of guild A leaving calling cards of guild B and vice versa would make moving in easier. He could even provide the aid that is needed to barely win and set up the survivors as puppets.

 

[James McMurray]

I thought about surface elves, but getting drow to polymorph into them may not work too well. Some of them would want to do it to frame elves, but others may refuse to be made to look like their mortal enemies, especially given that the spell is permanent and could (at the very least) be hard to remove if something goes wrong.

Then again, do polymorphed creatures change shape when killed? If so, the ruse would be ended as soon as one of them gets dropped in combat.