Dark Darokin
by Not a Decepticon from Threshold Magazine issue 28
Dark
Darokin, originally drawing by Jeffrey
Kosh
(https://jeffreykosh.wixsite.com/jeffreykoshgraphics/home)
Before we start, let me preface the text with a warning. We’re going to be deconstructing a fictional society with an assumption that it is built on a utopian vision. It is inevitable that many of the points raised will be political to some extent. It's impossible to avoid when GAZ11 flat-out calls the ruling system a plutocracy. If that does upset you or you do not want that kind of topic in your game, that is fine. I understand not all ideas and not all games are for everyone. Some prefer to leave such aspects of the world outside the game. On the same note, I will be diving deep into some topics that may be uncomfortable for some. Like nationalism, xenophobia, religious zealotry, profiling, and the prison industrial complex. RPGs are for us to have fun so if any of these things would make you uncomfortable, be prepared before diving in.
Utopias are boring. It is a well-known and proven saying in the tabletop community. The truly utopian settings are few and far between. Meanwhile, every second new book is some form of dystopian scenario. Mystara's Atruaghin Clans and Kingdom of Ierendi are considered the worst offenders. And yet Darokin as described in its own Gazetteer does not come across as much better. A country where everyone is hard-working, honest, and humble. Where greed somehow elevates people’s highest virtues. The text below aims to take a look at some implications about the Kingdom of Gold. And infer from them a much darker, unseen face of the nation. For starters, riddle me this: What does no-one want to get but everyone is afraid to lose?
A lawsuit.
The United States of America, year 1941. Offices of a company that would soon come to be known as National Comics and later DC Comics. They lost customers to Marvel. Captain Marvel, to be more specific. The flagship hero of Fawcett Comics had become the most popular hero in the country. He dwarfed even the original comic book superhero, Superman. Whose publisher needed to do something to keep up. Did they try to rejuvenate the Superman books? Match the quality and mass appeal of the competition? Create new heroes to beat Fawcett in the quantity and diversity of their product? Nah, they accused Fawcett of plagiarism and sued them. While Captain Marvel was inspired by Superman, the two diverged in many ways. Moreover, The World’s Mightiest Mortal did many things associated with the Man of Steel first. Supergirl and Lex Luthor were blatant copies of Mary Marvel and Doctor Shivana, for one. Fawcett had a strong case to argue that Superman himself was copied from the likes of Tarzan and Popeye. What proceeded was a decade-long legal battle. Ending in a settlement that cost Fawcett the equivalent of 4 million in today’s dollars. National did accomplish what they were aiming for. They exhausted a poorer competitor with the financial costs of such a fight. This led to Fawcett having to undergo massive lay-offs and stop publishing superheroes. And in the end, they still went bankrupt. To add insult to the injury, National bought their intellectual property when it went on sale. A character once known as Captain Marvel is now called Shazam. And is part of the main product line of the very corporation that destroyed his original publisher.
“And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also,” we can read in Matthew 5:40 of King James Bible. Scholars believe these words refer to a practice of the rich suing the poor on frivolous claims. And demanding as compensation their coat, as an act of humiliation. It shows everyone that this person has nothing else worth taking away. In this interpretation, Jesus advocates giving the cloak as it would leave you shirtless. Which was a grave obscenity. If anyone would confront you about it, you could say that a rich person took your last shirt. Thus earning them public scrutiny. If you were in such a situation in Darokin and tried this trick, it wouldn’t work. After all, Darokin lives by the motto to not apologize if you have money and do not blame others if you don’t. If someone decided to humiliate you by taking away your last coat, too bad. You should have bought more coats.
Of course, civil lawsuits are supposed to be the last resort, when the Darokin Diplomatic Corps cannot make both sides see eye to eye. But, the criminal case is still on the table. After all, what is it for a rich noble to frame someone? If you need a rival removed, why not set it so that a poor man or woman takes the blame? Let us not forget, this is a country that conflates richness with wisdom. It may be possible a poor individual could be arrested just on the word of a wealthy accuser alone. After all, who are citizens going to believe? A good-for-nothing who cannot extricate themselves from financial rock bottom? Or an upstanding citizen? The one everyone trusts to watch over their daily lives?
The table on page 19 lists “Non-Payment of Debt '' as a kind of case the criminal court is accepting. Imagine a situation with me. You are an impoverished person in Darokin. You're looking to start your own business. A “kind, generous” merchant gives you a huge loan. Makes a big show out of it, to showcase his own generosity and confidence. After all, he only gains from such acts in the public eye. People will praise him for giving you the chance to pull yourself by your bootstraps. And he isn’t handing you money for nothing. In fact, he encourages you to work hard to pay the debt. A moving display of Darokinian heart and work ethic! Even if you’re about to become his rival, what a show of confidence! Your benefactor is so rich and powerful that he doesn’t fear a rising challenger. In fact, he welcomes the opportunity with open arms, letting the best business win. This man puts the greatness of the Darokinian spirit on open display.
And then the money gets stolen. Or the person delivering the payment gets attacked by a band of orcs, robbed, and slain. Your beloved son falls in with a bad crowd and embezzles your money for nights of passion and booze. A disease strikes you, requiring expensive treatment or equally expensive magic. An employee crucial for the whole endeavor is found in the river with their throat slit. They have been killed on the way home from a night in their cups. Of course, nobody has seen anything, it was in the middle of the night. Or they just disappear one day. A ransom note may be found, if you’re lucky. If not, no one will ever hear of them again. Another victim of the vile slavers, the Iron Ring. A warehouse burns down with all the important materials. Or worse, the finished products. Things that have already been sold but not yet delivered. Now, not only do you have to give back the money, but this will likely sour your relationship with the client. A strike calculated right where it hurts the most. Must be a job of the elusive Minrothad’s Thieves’ Guild, but there is no way anyone could ever prove it. Your merchant friend will be sorry for your loss, but tragedies happen to everyone. You cannot stop your work because fate didn’t smile upon you. You should be more careful. A good businessman would be prepared for such a situation. Now pay up. You cannot? I’m sorry but you give me no choice, I’ll need to report this. We’ll see each other in court.
What’s worse, in the courts of Darokin you aren’t considered innocent until proven guilty. Sure, you aren’t considered the opposite either. It is up to both sides to lay their case and the most convincing one wins. But this system is ripe for abuse. Any charismatic individual is likely going to dominate in the court. Unless their position is absolutely ridiculous. This also means that anyone who is not very persuasive is already at a disadvantage. It is one thing when the prosecutor has to prove your guilt—if they fail, they fail. But if you both have to prove your position as well? The goal shifts from succeeding to failing less than the other one. Make a fool of yourself and you could lose even to an incompetent, unprepared prosecutor. Which of course is not what you will be going against. Not in Darokin, where people do nothing half-assed. And let us not forget you’re an impoverished person, who didn’t have formal education. You were taught your parents’ trade, maybe you were an apprentice. But you never could afford a sage to tutor you. That expensive privilege is reserved only for the rich. This means you aren’t prepared for giving speeches and debating arguments. Nor are you well-versed in the intricacies of the law, its letter, or spirit. As a poor person in this court, you are like a common man trying to test their strengths against a gorilla.
Even worse, you aren’t judged by a jury but a single judge. Better hope that person isn’t crooked or prejudiced against you. I mean why would she be? She once demanded you forbid your daughter from seeing her son. Didn’t you get all high and mighty when she said her brat was too good for a “gutter child”? She looks very eager to prove she was right about you and your family all along. Should have kept your mouth shut.
Oh, and you cannot take a lawyer to defend you. People consider it an admission of guilt. There is a popular saying among the lawyers of Earth: A man who chooses to represent himself has a fool for a client. Lawyers must control their emotions. Be able to detach and think in a cold and calculating way about the case, to spot where the story doesn’t add up. They are much harder, if not impossible, to deploy when your own life is on the line. The stress, the conflicting emotions, this all puts you at a disadvantage. But the prosecution gets to have an attorney, trained to be the best orator without any doubt. Again, people in Darokin do not acknowledge half-measures. If the lawyer is the same, they likely polished their craft to the greatest extent.
The prosecutor you got prides himself on never losing a case. Makes a huge deal out of how people like you are a drain on society. How you make a mockery out of everything Darokin stands for. That he believes you deserve the worst punishment as a warning for others. Of course, his enemies would say he wants to show how effective he is, to get a more prestigious position. Maybe even aiming for one of the Councils in the future. And people love an attorney or a judge who is hard on crime. After all, if they were to be a victim of a crime, they want to be sure justice is on their side. No one ever thinks what if they end up as the accused with that person against them. Why would law-abiding citizens fear that, right? It’s not like you were one before you took the loan.
But if you lose there is always an appeal, right? Yeah, about that. Higher instances do not like appeals. It is very hard to get your case approved for hearing. And if you do and the judge decides you’re wasting their time, you get a harsher sentence. Did I mention that in an appeal you are considered guilty until proven innocent? After all, the court has declared your guilt so why should the judge trust you over their fellows? Proving your case to an open-minded judge was already like picking a fight with a gorilla. This is like having to do it with a whole tribe.
The whole system is skewed towards appearing effective rather than being fair. Let me explain why this is bad, using another example from real life. One that led to the abolition of the death penalty in Great Britain. At the end of November 1949, a man named Timothy Evans turned himself in to the police. He confessed to having poisoned his wife by accident. He said he had given her medicine to cause a miscarriage. The family could not afford a second child while the first was over a year old. Once he realized that the medicine had killed her, he panicked. He hid the body in a nearby sewer shaft, sent his daughter to relatives, and tried to flee the country. But his guilty conscience forced him to turn himself in. However, the police not only didn’t find the body, but it was clear that a single person couldn’t open the shaft by themselves. Pressed on, Evans admitted it wasn’t him who did all those things, but his downstairs neighbor, John Christie, to whom Evans’s wife turned for help. Christie promised to hide the body and take care of Evans’s daughter. And convinced Evans that he needed to vanish for a while or people would pin it on him, which is why Evans covered for the man. Christie denied it but suggested that Evans might have hidden the body in the garden. They found a fresh grave with the bodies of Evans’s wife and child, both strangled. Evans admitted to both murders. But in court accused Christie. And claimed that the confession was forced from him under the threat of violence. But he was an impoverished man with a history of violence, who had already been caught lying once. His word was put against the word of Christie, a well-respected member of the local community. No one even bothered to ask how Evans had access to the garden that only Christie had keys to. Or about the human skull children had found in a nearby abandoned building. Evans was executed in March 1950. Three years later, Christie moved out from his apartment. And a new tenant discovered bodies hidden in the walls, under the floorboards and buried in the garden. It turned out that Christie was a serial killer who murdered at least eight people, and Evans was innocent.
In Darokin, this situation would play pretty much the same. One might say the British police failed to adhere to “innocent until proven guilty.” But this does not exist in Darokin. Evans wasn’t very smart, it’s why he fell for Christie’s manipulations. He didn’t realize actions like changing his testimony would work against him. A typical commoner in Darokin may fail in a similar manner, but they start from a worse position already. It may take a lot less for them to slip from “no one assumes anything” to “everyone thinks they’re guilty.” All kinds of criminals can escape justice by framing a poor person. One may argue that Darokinian guards would never ignore a clue like a human skull found near the bodies. But I would argue back that by the same logic Darokinian Christie wouldn’t be so stupid to hide it there in the first place. If a true Daro does not do anything half-way, should it apply only to the law-abiding ones? In this situation I do not think even access to magic could help much. Assume the party butts in and offers to cast a zone of truth on both Darokinian Christie and Darokinian Evans. People would react with outrage at the mere suggestion. Treating a respected, hard-working member of society like an already proven liar? Preposterous! Especially if Darokinian Christie is rich. He already proved his trustworthiness with money, why should they mistrust him now?
Can you say “Prison Industrial Complex”?
Well, you lost your case, what now? If you’re lucky, you get to pay a fine. If you’re unlucky you go to prison, where you will be set to hard physical labor such as building roads. You will be clothed, but it does not appear you will be paid for your work. For contrast, even prisoners in the United States are paid. Even if this is a laughably small wage and the only things they can buy are overpriced. But in most cases, the Darokinian judicial system prefers to fine you. And if you cannot pay, they’ll make you indentured. Meaning you will be effectively a slave. They will pay you, yes. But not only will it be very meager pay, but also any savings you can manage to make, you must give away to pay the fine. A debtor like you is most often given to the people you are in debt with. There seem to be no guidelines on what they can do with you. It also seems your new owner will decide the kind of work you are doing. They can even sell you to a broker, who will sell you to another buyer. Which means the whole system is lucrative for certain people.
And this is ripe for abuse. Especially if the claim that an indentured person needs at worst ten years to pay their fine is true. I will challenge this later. But for now let’s assume it is true. In long-running industries, it means a high turnover rate. And if anyone has a cheap laborer, they won’t want to exchange them for someone who requires normal payment. What will a business that benefits from overworking its employees for a small amount of money do? Push for creating more indentures for them to purchase. Which means the city guard is now pressed to make more arrests. And has to justify them to not draw the attention of the council or DDC. Propaganda can make people believe their part of the country is a wretched hive of scum and villainy. Any judge, prosecutor, or captain of the guard with ambitions will jump at the opportunity. The rest will be pressured to. Lest the public opinion finds them too weak or accuses them of doing a half-assed job. People tend to sacrifice reason and compassion to save their position and reputation. This likely means some groups of people may face profiling. Treating members of that group as more likely to commit crimes. Or assuming they have committed them because of this group’s reputation. This breaks the principle of not assuming either guilt or innocence of the accused. But it is also very hard to prove that someone is doing this.
The impoverished are most likely targets of profiling. After all, their reputation is already very low. But Darokin also has a bad history with the elves. They once used the Alfheim elves as a scapegoat for all their troubles. Historical revisionism is likely to try rehabilitating rulers like Mirthas IV and V. The same rulers whose favorite tool was blaming everything on elves. There are people with visible traces of orcish blood. The book says the Republic treats them as “severely deformed.” Darokin has a long and extensive history of wars with orcs. There is going to be a lot of resentment against the Hagiarchy of Hule, if their invasion happens. There may not be many Huleans around. But they share many shallow similarities with citizens of the Emirates of Ylaruam. Citizens of eastern Darokin may have never seen a Hulean but are more likely to come in contact with Ylari. And the latter’s reclusiveness isn’t going to win them any favors in clearing the confusion. Now, one may find this idea ridiculous. That this level of similarity could lead to the Ylari being targets of prejudice? Those, I recommend researching persecution of Sikhs. It's a real-life religious group that has nothing to do with Islam, yet gets targeted by people who are too shallow to tell the difference.
There are many groups Darokin can fester resentment of for past animosities. And that’s without bringing up that Darokin once owned lands currently belonging to Glantri, Karameikos and Ethengar. That is a ripe ground for sowing animosity through misguided patriotism. A skilled manipulator could use this to turn public opinion against any of those groups. No one sane would openly persecute them. The word could get out to higher authorities. Who would stomp on such actions, hard. After all, what if the news reached any of these people’s homelands, all Darokinian clients? It could damage delicate business relationships. But, there are many ways to maintain plausible deniability. And profiling is one of them. The city guard isn’t biased against Ethengarians, the judge isn’t giving harsher fines to elves. These groups just commit more crimes. The guards have reasons to be suspicious. The judge is trying to make an example of those caught red-handed. A self-fulfilling prophecy if there was one.
Minorities could of course vote their members on to the city council. If a community is large enough, they may hold enough voting power to get an official from their district. But there seems to be no information on who is responsible for devising the district borders, and how these are split. Only that each district is the same in population size. What if the council or the mayor themselves are doing it? What's stopping them from redrawing the map, as long as they adhere to that one principle? From dividing a large Ylari community between the three new districts? So that Ylari population is a minority in each? Divide each district in such a way that Darokinians are the majority among mixes of other groups. Who are now competing to get a foot in the council. If they want to ensure their needs are being heard, that is. This is bound to cause tensions and conflicts between the groups. People in charge may even play them against one another. In the best-case scenario for the authorities, this leads to violence. Or even the creation of gangs that fight one another. Which gives more reasons for law enforcement to profile these groups. Especially if said violence spills over on the “law-abiding” Darokinian citizens. Keep it up for long enough? Soon no one in the system remembers or is aware of the external pressure to increase the number of arrests. It’s how things have always been.
Now, to be clear. I am NOT saying there would be some large conspiracy to put these kinds of laws in place. That’s the worst part of this scenario—there isn’t a single bad guy controlling it all and pulling the strings. A situation like the above arises slowly. It's a domino effect of individual decisions that ripple through society. A rich man who pushes for a “harder on crime” judicial system isn’t thinking of dividing communities. Neither is the one appealing to old prejudices to justify profiling one of said groups. The official dividing new districts does not deliberate how to cause gang wars. But this scenario shows how fast things spiral out of control. We simply remove the crucial assumption about Darokin made by the Gazetteer: That everyone is content playing fair. One person takes a step and it forces everyone to take a step in response. Which causes more people to take their steps. And the whole group slowly dances towards the edge of a cliff.
As such it may be much harder to uproot this system, once it has managed to flourish for too long. It is likely there will be attempts by more idealistic Darokinian citizens. People wishing to clear their cities from this level of corruption. Likely rich citizens who can hold the position themselves. And who may need the help of adventurers to succeed and not be removed by the ones profiting from this setup. Assuming they can withstand the pressure from lobbyists, often their colleagues. Who will want them to keep up the profitable situation.
Rich brokers may lobby for laws to become stricter and harsher. Or manipulate public opinion. Drugs, prostitution, and gambling are all legal in Darokin. For now. Because what’s stopping influential brokers from paying off certain people? So they start spreading rumors and propaganda about such endeavors? A bribe to a respected cleric so that he condemns drug use, for example. Or even better, capitalize on any more uptight person making noise. The party paladin goes on a furious rant about how evil the sex work is? Some influential vultures should immediately jump at the opportunity. And demand to outlaw it within the city limits. And once the city council agrees? The people involved in prostitution at any level get arrested. Those who cannot pay fines are indentured and sold to the broker. Which likely will be anyone below the top of that industry. The prick who pushed for the law, of course, gets a cut of money under the table, and is perhaps the broker’s best client. How will the paladin react seeing the prostitutes now forced to work the fields? In terrible conditions, let us further add.
Most indentured people need around ten years to pay off the fine. I find it to be another claim that works in theory. But in practice this relies too much on the good hearts of people who see maximizing profits as a virtue. It does not appear to me that anything prevents those you're indentured to from screwing you over. Firstly, if you are assigned to work in a remote location such as a mine or farm, you will have to move there and do your job. Which means that likely all necessities will be handled by your “employer.” Sure, you may have a set wage. But it’s only “fair” that some of it is subtracted for the purpose of maintaining your living quarters, right? Not to mention washing your clothes and putting food on your table. The nearest stores are likely owned by your employer as well. So you effectively give them back what little you earn from them. And hey, if you come up short but need something, they may be generous enough to give it to you. They’ll just add the costs to your tab and subtract from your next payment. Meaning that next month, the situation is likely to happen again. A downward spiral that may lead to all your wages being used to cover last month’s credit. All while you request more and more to have basic necessities. Immortals save you if you ever give in to temptation and try to buy a book or any form of entertainment. Every such purchase will be held against you as an extravagance that keeps you from paying off the fine. If a competition opens in the area, the employer may start paying you in the “company coins,” that you can only spend at the company store. Maybe not all your payment, but perhaps at least a part of it. Of course, this money is worthless outside the work environment. Chances are you will never pay off what you owe. And if you do, you may not be able to find any financial stability or perspectives. And after a decade of doing dead-end labor and having no money or chance to find a job as an ex-convict? Many people may not have a future in Darokin. Some may take up an adventuring life. But many will end up homeless. Some will take another loan to be able to live, likely from a loan shark. Some will turn to crime. You may have no other choice than to return to the same slave-driver you were released from. Why would you do that? Because no one else will take you.
Desire and Desperation
All in all, this is a lot of effort to put the impoverished down. It may not be worth it, right? There cannot be that much money in setting this all up, not to mention money spent on it, right? No hard-working person would ever want to waste their time. Not when they can make money the old-fashioned way. Maybe in a different country. But in Darokin money isn’t just money. Money equals power and prestige. Even more than anywhere else. Money opens doors without even having to be spent. Rich enough people can make things happen without spending a dime. They simply command that much authority. In Darokin if you can afford it, you do not need to pay for it.
But that also means the rich aren’t trying to get richer for its own sake. Greed becomes less of a sin and more a stepping stone for other sins. Pride that comes with your position and ability to look down on your lessers. Lust for more beautiful lovers. Jealousy of your better-off neighbor. Gluttony for the rarest and drugs. Wrath against your low position. Even sloth, upon realizing how the high-ranking position means much less work. The person in Darokin doesn’t try to embezzle money simply to have money. But to be respected and listened to for the fact of having it.
With the meticulous way the taxes are checked we are meant to believe no one is cheating on them. But I find it hard to believe. What it appears to me is that no one finds the cheating because people cheat to pay HIGHER taxes. They bloat their profits, claim to own larger sums than they actually do. If they’re going to get caught, no one is going to accuse them of cheating. Who in their right mind would cheat to pay more taxes? Clearly, this was only an honest mistake.
A lot of people would want to make themselves appear richer, even if they have to pay taxes they cannot afford. They would also try to live above their station to keep up this charade. Projecting the image of wealth would be as important as actually having it. Yes, Darokinian culture scorns any display of wealth that isn’t practical, but that in itself can be exploited. Because for one, it means one moves these displays right into your work, where every potential client can see it. As a result, employers will focus on improvements that make good optics. Not the ones people actually need. Especially if the owner cannot actually afford both but wants to pretend otherwise. And standards of your own living are going to improve as you gain more wealth. It’s not wasteful to move to a bigger house where the kids can play, or hire a butler and a nanny to help with daily chores. I suspect most of Darokin actually try to appear a little bit wasteful. Enough that it is not seen as wasting huge sums on frivolities, which would be in poor taste. But enough to imply they do not see this expense as an actually serious one. That they can afford it. It would be common for the rich Darokinian to be patrons of arts. Not only does it let them show they can afford such expenses, but also would be acceptable by society. Sponsoring a play or commissioning a painting increases the happiness of everyone. And the patron is helping the artists to reach the fame they deserve. Never mind if the patron can actually afford it. And isn't trying to trick everyone into thinking so.
This would be how organized crime gains a foothold in Darokin. After all, as long as there exists any form of inequality to exploit, there will be people profiting from it. Those who prey in equal parts on the desperation of have nots as they do on the greed of haves. Smugglers and thieves operating black markets for expensive goods at cheap prices. Counterfeit money to bloat your worth would be popular. Money laundering goes hand in hand with these things. And gives people who bloat their profits an explanation where this money comes from. Of course, loan sharks are flourishing in these waters. As we have established, they do not need to actually get their hands dirty. With some patience, they can do horrible things to their debtors in the majesty of the law. Worse than they ever could by threatening to break their limbs. And that’s not even with getting into what some people may agree to do under the table to have their debts cleared. I suspect a lot of espionage against any business in Darokin is done by those who took their loans from the wrong person.
Fists in the open, daggers in the dark.
The fact is that the richer you are the more influence you hold is problematic. The more power a rich person has, the more they will abuse it to maximize their own profits. In Darokin, where maximizing profits is a goal in itself and power comes to those who fulfill it? It encourages people to push for reforms that benefit them first. The book claims that people realize it benefits them to also take care of those poorer than them. Who become their subjects in this situation. But that feels naive. What if the good of the people comes in conflict with maximizing profits? Wouldn’t Darokinian logic dictate that a wise person sides with money, even if a kind person would choose the people? Kind people don’t make money. You cannot eat compassion, nor can you pay with it in a store. If someone complains, they should have been richer. It’s their own fault this happened to them. A real Darokinian does not apologize for having money and they shouldn’t blame others for lacking it.
Even the famous attitude of never accepting half-measures can be exploited. It must be often weaponized to convince employees to work unpaid overtime. People may work for days without rest in a sense of professional pride in the work they’re doing. Someone who works themselves to death in Darokin would be seen as an example to follow.
Rich individuals, Merchant Houses and Guilds are supposed to keep each other in check. But this invites them to spy, sabotage and manipulate one another for influence. In this constant ‘rat’ race’ every side wants to be above the others. As this automatically gives you more authority over them. Everyone races to the top and once you’re there you spend every possible resource to stay there. And often the most effective, fastest, cheapest ways are not to increase your own profits. But make sure the other guy loses theirs. The Gazetteer itself gives an example of how keeping power balance looks. And boils down to blackmail. The game played here is a game of intrigue and backstabbing. Where both sides use both their legal and secret powers to get over one another. And as long as this remains secret, kept from the public eye, who is going to complain?
I was thinking of what happens when this game spills into the public view. And then I realized I know a manga whose main premise was exactly that—Kengan Ashura. In it, during the Tokugawa Shogunate, merchants of Japan engaged in a similar conflict. To the point they became a public menace and the Shogun had to step in. Merchants were forced to find a safe, proper alternative to their underhanded rivalries. From now on, whenever two of them come into conflict, they’d call a secret match. Each side would put forward a warrior who would fight for their interests. The loser would have to step back from whatever the initial conflict had been about. Soon people started charging to let other merchants in the know watch the fights. With time, membership in the association became a sign of prestige and power. And that made it a very profitable venue in its own way. Employing a top tier fighter became another symbol of wealth.
Any GM could adapt this for Darokin. Maybe not on the same, often ridiculous, scale. But it could be used for solving inner conflicts between members of the same Merchant House or Guild. It could be localized, for example among merchants of a single region or city. Or deployed as a way of resolving a conflict between two people of equal wealth and influence. Even DDC would approve. Because in the long run? An arena fight is a more civilized resolution. At least compared to assassinations, sabotages, kidnappings and similar “unsavory” means. Some fighters would be hired as workers or bodyguards. Thus giving them a "practical" role outside secret matches. Most likely quite a few even started this way before the boss asked them a favor. This way, one can display their champion to any potential challenger. If I think this human-killing machine from Alfheim should be my new accountant, who is going to argue? Members of powerful Houses could bring all kinds of fighters to represent them. That's obvious. Imagine this. Ethengarian wrestler facing a Ylari dervish. A disgraced Heldannic Knight, challenged by an adventurous Hin youngster. A Thyatian gladiator crossing blades with a Makai. And an Ochalean monk squaring with an ogre captured in the Broken Lands. These are all possible in this kind of scenario. Maybe it is not an individual fighter, but a whole party? This way it is possible to have combat-heavy games while still including all kinds of intrigues. Imagine a Merchant House promising to forget someone’s debt. If the debtor’s fighter beats a representative of another house she is in conflict with, that is. If she does, she no longer has to fear the debt and the rival house is humiliated and loses a lucrative deal. She may fear payback but that may be seen as a poor form. Being a sore loser doesn’t seem as much in line with Darokinian principles.
Moreover, if these types of associations are localized, it opens an option of two or more coming to blows. If a Merchant House is doing something inconvenient for the local business, how do they resolve it? Maybe each side sends their best fighters to fight as a team or in a series of individual matches? A GM could rope their party into such a battle.
There is a place in hell for debtors, and a hole just your size.
If the prospect of going into debt is so terrifying, why not weaponize that itself? Imagine the party coming back to the town from a weeks-long quest, only to find tragedy has struck. One of the richest people in town went mad. In the span of a few weeks, he has taken all kinds of loans for ridiculous amounts of money. He sold all his possessions. Finally one day he murdered his whole family and committed suicide. In a goodbye letter, he begs forgiveness not for the murder, but for the terrible debt, he found himself in. His strange actions were desperate attempts at paying up. Once he realized that it still wasn’t enough, he took his own life. Even the murder, he tried to justify as saving his family from being stuck with this debt.
If the party tries to investigate, they may go through his documents. And find that all the money has been funneled to another of the local rich. A merchant woman, very shrewd and strict, known to be unforgiving to her debtors. The rogue even finds a parchment saying that the deceased took a loan from her. Of such a humongous amount, that it would bankrupt even the Governor. Not only could he never pay it, but she also could never have lent him so much in the first place. Moreover, the rogue’s keen eye spots the obvious forgery almost immediately. The party may report this or decide to confront the merchant tomorrow. But in the middle of the night the druid wakes to strange noises. And finds the rogue loading all their goods and gear onto a cart. When pressed, she confesses to having taken out a huge loan that she needs to pay back as fast as possible. Of course, she has taken it from the same woman as the tragically departed man. Any party worth their salt will realize the parchment is cursed. Anyone who sees it becomes convinced they owe money to this person and will do anything to pay it back.
Depending on how many people have been exposed to it, the chaos it could cause may be severe. Big enough to call for a serious investigation. And the merchant is the prime suspect, as the one this benefits the most. Maybe she is put on trial and found guilty. Maybe she can talk her way out of it. But her reputation is still going to suffer. Her finances are going to be thoroughly investigated. And every mistake or uncertainty seen will be held against her. People will fear doing business with her, she will likely lose many clients and friends. Not just people who believe her guilt. But also those who have to avoid ruining their own reputation by association. After all, in Darokin the peers of a thief are other thieves, as the saying goes. The money funneled to her by victims of the curse will likely be confiscated and returned. She may even find it a matter of honor to return it, as she did not earn it. It would look bad if she tried to keep gains she did not deserve. Worse, any loans taken to pay the nonexistent debt will be redirected to her. Meaning she now has to pay real debts that she didn’t even take out. The court may order the initial sum to be returned immediately. But any interest levied, she may have to cover from her own pocket. And a person under such a curse as this may have taken loans with as much interest as possible. Even if she can pay, it may damage her finances. Of course, no one even thinks back to a week ago, before it all started. When the original victim of the curse had been celebrating a lucrative deal at the inn. The same inn where one of the merchant’s rivals was staying. He recently returned from an unsuccessful business trip in Glantri.
The above idea isn’t original (it is, in fact, strongly inspired by SCP-2271 of the SCP Foundation1). But it explores well how the use of magic may further make a merchant’s life much more dangerous. Being so close to Glantri may over time result in many more ways for the rich to get even richer in a never-ending rat race. As you can see, Darokin can become a place ripe for abuse and full of adventure hooks as a result. I thought I may be lacking the means to fill the word count for this text. I considered using the anthology Eat the Rich to explore the darker side of Darokin. Meanwhile, the things already in GAZ11 spiraled into a dark, brutal world. I do not think I even scratched the surface either. Is this how Darokin would be? The truth lies likely somewhere between my take and the gazetteer. Each GM should decide where they place the slider between idealism and cynicism. But I do suspect my Darokin is going to lean more towards the cynical than most.
Don’t think I’m done with you, my dear unfortunate debtor. You have lost everything. Your money, your future, your freedom. You overworked yourself to death. But the fine is still not paid. I guess your remaining family will have to cover the rest of it, with interest. I can see the fear in your eyes. You would do anything to spare them the cruel fate that you had to endure for so long. Too bad you’re now old, bedridden, too weak to do anything. Except for signing this document. What is it? Oh right, your old eyes no longer can read fine print. In exchange for freeing your family from your debt, you give permission to raise you as an undead. So that you can continue the service until your work will be deemed profitable enough to pay what you owe. I mean, why should something as trivial as death stand in the way of fulfilling your obligations? That would be against the famous Darokinian work ethic, don’t you agree?
1https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-2271