ll this is reminding me - Baron von Hendriks never sat right with me. Ok, Duke Stefan is hopelessly naive, wants to give his cousin a chance to reform, doesn't realize how bad it is, yadda yadda - ********.
The Duke, while he has much power, still requires the consent of the barons to rule (as they hold the bulk of the military forces, just as in most feudal regimes). He can't risk making them annoyed... feel threatened. Nobility likes stability. If Stefan is going to remove Hendricks, he needs proof positive, or it will make barons side against him. For these reasons, Hendricks has become something of a poster-boy for those who say 'we're the legal rulers, we come bringing civilisation... who are they to complain when some eggs are broken to make the omelette?'
I really like this approach. I suppose as long as the chaos is kept within the Black Eagle Barony, Duke Stefan simply doesn't have any legal excuse to intervene.
Finally, Hendricks' crucial support comes directly from Thyatis itself. Stefan is constantly running the line between being too close to Thyatis (and thus influenced by them too greatly) and being too far away (thus prompting them to pull him closer, and enemies to begin prodding). If he acted against Hendricks, he may face reprisals from the mother country.
Von Hendriks is clearly Hattian, which most of the rest of the Karameikan rulers aren't. The Hattians are out of favour right now, aren't they? I bet they see the Black Eagle as the first step towards a new Hattian homeland independant of Thyatis - in fact, they probably see it as a military launching point towards the Five Shires. The plan is for von Hendriks to keep his Barony (possibly independant of Karameikos, and definitely with a chunk of extra Halfling land for his troubles) and the Five Shires going to other Hattian lords who want to secede from the Empire.
That means von Hendriks doesn't just have Thyatian ties, he has the direct backing of the only faction still in Thyatis who has direct military interest in the region. He's probably got enough regiments of Hattian Storm Soldiers quartered there, waiting for the word to roll out into the Five Shires, to make any move against him not just a matter of putting down one Baron but a bloody civil war. That's also why he has so many "bandits" at his disposal while still being able to account for all his regular troops.
Of course, finding out he's quartering foreign troops on his soil would be just what the Duke needs to denounce him and move against him. That would be a great adventure - going after Black Eagle bandits to discover proof that they're soldiers in disguise, or perhaps stumbling on the information during an unprovoked bandit attack and having to get the information to the Duke.
Hendricks also makes much of the halfling interference: he says that the foreign intereference in his land is what's making it so much harder for him than for others. The halflings are unapologetic; Stefan is expending much of his political capital merely avoiding having to expel the Five Shires ambassador.
And it's not just that he's using them for cover, he's waging a complete disinformation campaign against them, complete with faked pirate attacks and atrocities, to try to drum up support for the Hattian war.
Also, he probably pacifies the local population by blaming things on hin raids. The local population would have a raving hatred of halflings by now.
Still, it's only a matter of time before Stefan is forced to do something. He faces a revolt from below if he does not, and the loss of support from a few barons may be a necessity. Right now, he's busy shoring up support, getting barons in his debt. Kelvin's probably the most vulnerable to Hendricks' arguments, and there's always the risk of Thyatis sending troops (merely to protect against Halfling incursions, of course).
The Hattians back in Thyatis are maneuvering at the same time to be the front line of any troops von Hendriks can drum up, to supplement the ones they've already got quartered in the Barony (which is, after all, not that big - they can't hide TOO many troops there).
The big thing about this scenario is it would lead to a much higher level of anti-hin sentiment in the Grand Duchy as a whole than we've seen in any published product. Maybe the common people outside von Hendriks' direct serfs don't really believe the rumours, and the nobility all knows it's a strictly political fiction: pro-von Hendriks barons are anti-Halfling, and vice versa. Or maybe Halflings just aren't very welcome in the Grand Duchy, apart from some good souls who go out of their way to try to counteract the prevailing mood.
I really like this approach. I suppose as long as the chaos is kept within the Black Eagle Barony, Duke Stefan simply doesn't have any legal excuse to intervene.
Yah.
It's easy to forget that the sovereign usually doesn't have supreme power. He has to keep people happy. In my game, Stefan's gone for a variant of 'rule of law' - he has bound himself with certain laws, so that he simply can't act out of hand without good reason. A sort of updated Magna Carta, really. The forerunner of today's civil rights, without being too modern. I run Stefan as a good guy... a good guy with issues, however. He did, after all, name his whole COUNTRY after himself. He wants to make Karameikos a strong nation, both Thyatian and Traladaran, and he wants both people to be at peace... but in his own image. Karameikans.
I'm pushing the 'shades of grey' angle, hence the necessity for me to re-think Hendricks slightly.Von Hendriks is clearly Hattian, which most of the rest of the Karameikan rulers aren't. The Hattians are out of favour right now, aren't they? I bet they see the Black Eagle as the first step towards a new Hattian homeland independant of Thyatis - in fact, they probably see it as a military launching point towards the Five Shires. The plan is for von Hendriks to keep his Barony (possibly independant of Karameikos, and definitely with a chunk of extra Halfling land for his troubles) and the Five Shires going to other Hattian lords who want to secede from the Empire.
That means von Hendriks doesn't just have Thyatian ties, he has the direct backing of the only faction still in Thyatis who has direct military interest in the region. He's probably got enough regiments of Hattian Storm Soldiers quartered there, waiting for the word to roll out into the Five Shires, to make any move against him not just a matter of putting down one Baron but a bloody civil war. That's also why he has so many "bandits" at his disposal while still being able to account for all his regular troops.
I must admit, I'm really not up on my Thyatian knowledge. I should see to that. I did get Dawn of the Emperors in pdf format, I should go through it in more detail.
But what you say sounds great. It really does strengthen the idea as a whole. And there's a long, proud history of soldiers serving as 'bandits', in the real world.
Of course, finding out he's quartering foreign troops on his soil would be just what the Duke needs to denounce him and move against him. That would be a great adventure - going after Black Eagle bandits to discover proof that they're soldiers in disguise, or perhaps stumbling on the information during an unprovoked bandit attack and having to get the information to the Duke.
The Hattians back in Thyatis are maneuvering at the same time to be the front line of any troops von Hendriks can drum up, to supplement the ones they've already got quartered in the Barony (which is, after all, not that big - they can't hide TOO many troops there).
Yep, that definitely would lose Hendricks some support. In my game, for instance, Kelvin is a Thyatian traditionalist. He supports Hendricks... but something like this would turn him against Hendricks and have him support military action against him, if he didn't expel the troops.
It would lead to a rough few months, as the buildup came (Hendricks funnelling more troops into his land more openly, Stefan mobilising the armies), and tension as both sides demand the other step down. Gives scope for adventures: scouting out troop movements, shoring up defences in places like Luln, running messages to the Shires... Then perhaps finally Hyraksos sinks a Hattian troop ship, and then the war begins.
And it's not just that he's using them for cover, he's waging a complete disinformation campaign against them, complete with faked pirate attacks and atrocities, to try to drum up support for the Hattian war.
Also, he probably pacifies the local population by blaming things on hin raids. The local population would have a raving hatred of halflings by now.
I love it. ^_^ Yes, I can imagine that there are militantly anti-halfling factions in the Black Eagle.
The big thing about this scenario is it would lead to a much higher level of anti-hin sentiment in the Grand Duchy as a whole than we've seen in any published product. Maybe the common people outside von Hendriks' direct serfs don't really believe the rumours, and the nobility all knows it's a strictly political fiction: pro-von Hendriks barons are anti-Halfling, and vice versa. Or maybe Halflings just aren't very welcome in the Grand Duchy, apart from some good souls who go out of their way to try to counteract the prevailing mood.
I still see most of the population outside the Duchy to be disbelieving of most of the anti-Hin stories coming out of the Barony... but it would probably vary from person to person. Certainly, it does lead to enough conflicting stories that people can choose to believe what they want (and most Traladarans probably choose to believe in evil Thyatians).
It does set up a very complex political landscape, which is something I love in games. Not all GMs like it, but it need not be too difficult to run. Just make sure you know who's in which faction, how strongly they believe the rumours, and who their friends are.
Stefan almost certainly has the support of the church in this matter, which is a big plus for him. On the other hand, most of the pro-Hendricks nobles are probably Thyatian traditionalists, and thus have less regard for this 'Karameikan church' than they would a genuinely Thyatian one. Say, the one that Oderbry would create.
The important thing for me is not to have either side (apart from Hendricks himself) be actually evil. Kelvin supports Hendricks because he's a traditionalist. He doesn't like seeing long-cherished institutions thrown aside. He does care about the Traladarans, but he's capable of abstracting people into notions that are less important than his grand traditions. I see him as representative of the pro-Hendricks faction. Few, if any, would support Hendricks because they WANT to oppress the Traladarans. And most of them are already in the Barony, causing trouble right now.
Another possible cause for conflict would be finding out exactly what Bargle is up to. In my game, he's not influencing Hendricks, just using him. He's conducting his own research, the exact nature of which I haven't quite decided, but it involves lycanthropes... perhaps, trying to re-create the process by which lycanthropes first appeared? Crossing humans and animals to create a more pliable race of were-creatures? In any case, something horrible enough that even the most ultra-traditionalist baron would just have to support an invasion to stop his actions.
Not an option for a lower-level game, given Bargle's status as the highest-level wizard in Karameikos, but one to keep in mind as an alternate.
This gives three possible ways for the Barony to go down, only one of which directly conflicts with Kingdom of Adventure.Not an option for a lower-level game, given Bargle's status as the highest-level wizard in Karameikos, but one to keep in mind as an alternate.
I've never considered Bargle to be a high-level wizard, due to his seeming to be only a couple levels higher than the unnamed fighter in the starter adventure (and also likely the characters many people brought into Gygar's castle).
I've never considered Bargle to be a high-level wizard, due to his seeming to be only a couple levels higher than the unnamed fighter in the starter adventure (and also likely the characters many people brought into Gygar's castle).
Yah, but in Gaz1, he's higher-level than the head of the magician's guild, making him tied for third place in the 'highest level in Karameikos' race (behind Oliver Jowett and Flameflicker, tied with Stefan). Tied fourth if you include Dona Marianata. Aleena's also 12th level there. I guess the warrior was stronger than he appeared.
I just looked over the levels in Gaz1 again, to make sure I got them right. I had completely forgotten just how powerful Jowett was - he'd probably be able to contain Bargle. Of course, one reason Bargle is behind in levels could be that he's been spending a lot of XP in creating constructs, magic items, things like that... ^_^
Of course, one reason Bargle is behind in levels could be that he's been spending a lot of XP in creating constructs, magic items, things like that... ^_^
That assumes 3E rules... a pure look at Gaz1 would have _given_ Bargle XP for creating magic items (I always prefered to think he was stealing them from adventurers).
That assumes 3E rules... a pure look at Gaz1 would have _given_ Bargle XP for creating magic items (I always prefered to think he was stealing them from adventurers).
Probably a bit of both. He did manage to steal the Eye of Traldar from the Seer; I still haven't figured out how he might have managed that. Ofcourse then Sverdlov managed to lose it so it found its way back to its master eventually (all in DDA3).
Håvard
I've had Stefan down as a man of action, always rushing to resolve problems, whether polictically or military. As Olivia gathers most of the intelligence for Stefan, this gives her control of what to 'present'.
For the length of time that he's been in charge of the Grand Duchy, there are precious few baronies or proto baronies.
Of course this could be down to Olivia always presenting the 'negatives' to Stefan about his military commanders etc, whilst saying to them 'If I were in charge, you would be a Baron, but you know the Duke, he always sees the negatives'
IMC, this means that Olivia is building a power base for Herself, in case anything happens to the Duke, she would have the full suppport of the military.
Now for Bargle, I gave him the polymorph other spell, which when he's in the Black Eagle he uses it daily, to create beatiful looking slaves for the delight of Ludwig, if no slaves in that day then any old orc female will do. This of course is a long term plan for when succession to the Barony becomes an issue, then the sons of the Black Eagle will each want it and so constant civil war in the area.
Of course escaped female slaves in Luln (well some will do it on their own, others are allowed to escape), give birth to children, but don't tell them who the father is. currently IMC, twin brothers - a Paladin and and a scout (thief/rogue whatever) have been cursed to wear their fathers symbol on their face.
The Iron Ring is seperate to Bargle, but he has many people infiltrated into that organisation who look out for known sons.
For the Iron Ring modules A1-A4 are being converted, with the Island being 40 miles due south of Fort Doom (where the shipping lane - gaz 1 does an odd kink).