Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Lanodantheon 05-12-07, 02:13 PM	According to the 5 Nations book and other sourcebooks, there only 2 Intelligence Agencies of merit on Khorvaire: The King's Citadel of Breland & Aureon's Royal Eyes. However, especially in the upcoming Inquisitive campaign I am going to run/play in, I wanted to play an ex-Cyran intelligence agent. My character: Sgt. Randi "Wraith" Seranath was like a Noir James Bond during the Last War. His major defining qualities were a coldness and that he was not a social animal. If you saw him work, he wasn't doing his job right. The most social he was was when he was involved with the Cyran Army, he was skilled with impersonating enemy officers and giving out false orders and intel. When the Mourning happened, he became James Bond with an England in ruins. 4 years later when the campaign begins, he has essentially lost all inhibition because he considers his country dead and that he was powerless to stop it. But that's not my question. My question is: What was Cyre's intelligence Agency/Service or whatever like? The only thing I know about it is that the books say it's not important enough to be mentioned when compared to the sophistication of Breland's Citadel and Aureon's Royal Eyes. What was its name? How big was it? Was it more like the OSS than the CIA? What did the agency/service give it's operatives? I personally would give them hats of disguise, training and for elite operatives Ring of Invisibility. But I want to hear other people's 2cp on the subject. Help out here. You can't tell me you have't been curious.
korcheck 05-12-07, 02:51 PM	Excellent question. If he is a james bond-esque character without the social graces then I would say that the group would probably be more like the OSS hard, tough men and woman who did whatever necessary to get the job done they blurred the line between right and wrong sometimes for the cause of the greater good these people were the predecessors of most modern day covert ops groups they don't have the best equipments but what they do have is the best and nastiest training known in the arts of sabotage, anti-terrorism and land element warfare (this means they train in multiple enviroments rather than specializing in only one like the seal of today do) a good movie to watch would be The Dirty Dozen and other world war 2 movies of this venue the man who founded Delta Force learned most of his trade and training from these hardy individuals. To be sure if any survived the day of morning they would band together and continue to fight in some way shap or form bitter and jaded or not.
Euangelion 05-12-07, 04:16 PM	According to the 5 Nations book and other sourcebooks, there only 2 Intelligence Agencies of merit on Khorvaire: The King's Citadel of Breland & Aureon's Royal Eyes. While there may be a quote along those lines, if its in Five Nations itself, I'd feel free to go beyond what is written. Yes, the Citadel and the Royal Eyes have had the most written about them, but personally I see that attention serving as being representative of all of the various intelligence branches of the Five Nations. Thrane's was effective because it made use of divine magic more than the other's, which is almost as effective as arcane magic when it comes to divination. Karnnath's was effective because Rekkenmark Academy had been training military intelligence officers for centuries. Cyre's was effective because it had a particular connection to House Phiarlan, since the main house enclave was located in Cyre (though you're free to place the Serpentine Table itself anywhere you want.) Finally, certainly do not underestimate THE best national intelligence agency in Khorvaire, the Trust of Zilargo. Thus, using the Citadel and the Royal Eyes as guides, make Cyre's agency into whatever you'd like (though keep in mind that The Forge of War may have more information on it.) Your concept sounds good so far.
Rechan 05-12-07, 04:28 PM	Dangit, I remember there being discussion somewhere about a Karnathi organization for Kaius, The Black Eagles or something like that. I don't know where it was mentioned though. It's actually kind've interesting that you chose to set a really no-nonsense sort of guy in a no-nonsense agency from such a, well, Pretty place. Cyre was the land of dreams, culture and art. He's not social, but Cyrans possessed a poise and elegance to them (at least according to 5N). Very strange, yet engaging contrast your character has to his old country. I shall take this outlook and say that it represents a lot of the organization. They are solid, fierce tools that work to help their country. Like everything in Cyre, they are artists, but they are artists of brutal efficiency, stealth, and counter-intelligence. The job isn't pretty, but very masterful to witness. And if you ever witness it, the hammer's coming down on you. And according to 5N, Cyre's Heraldry was a crown and bell on a field of green, above a hammer and bellows. So I dub them The Gilded Hammer. Remember that Cyre was the home operations of Cannith, so the Hammers could afford to have a lot of small magical equipment. I would imagine that they would be outfitted with equipment that would let them get in unseen, do the job and get out as fast as possible, like Boots of Striding and Springing, some item of flight, or one-use Dimensional Door objects. Each job might have a specific magical tool, or they might carry something like a magical weapon - a blade that enhances Sneak Attacks or somesuch.
garner_adam 05-13-07, 02:04 AM	I imagine the Cyren intelligence probably consisting of tapestry of sleeper cells through out Khorvaire. Sleeper Cells make a great operatives in the field and are particularly useful for acts of terrorism. (Think about Glass Tower in Sharn) But they have difficulty relaying information amongst each other. Which might explain why they couldn't prevent the day of Mourning.
Bluebrush 05-13-07, 02:53 PM	Just for info, it's mentioned in Sharn: City of Towers that Cyre's espionage organisation was called Tyrala and Karrnath's is called Dalen Torr. Both get mentioned in a sidebar in Whispers of the Vampire's Blade too, but I think I've seen Karrnath's referred to as The Dark Cabinet, which is possibly what the name translates to in common.
Rechan 05-13-07, 03:53 PM	Just for info, it's mentioned in Sharn: City of Towers that Cyre's espionage organisation was called Tyrala and Karrnath's is called Dalen Torr. Both get mentioned in a sidebar in Whispers of the Vampire's Blade too, but I think I've seen Karrnath's referred to as The Dark Cabinet, which is possibly what the name translates to in common. The Dark Cabinet. THANK YOU. I knew it was something that was dark or black or not very well lit.
Nuclear_Buddha 05-14-07, 09:29 AM	And according to 5N, Cyre's Heraldry was a crown and bell on a field of green, above a hammer and bellows. So I dub them The Gilded Hammer. I picked another element from the heraldry and called them the "Silent Bells" in my campaign. It could just be me, but something with "Hammer" in the title doesn't sound too secretive.
Tzarevitch 05-14-07, 10:25 AM	While we are on the subject. Anyone know what Thrane's intelligence service is called? That is the only one missing. Tzarevitch
korcheck 05-14-07, 10:45 AM	While we are on the subject. Anyone know what Thrane's intelligence service is called? That is the only one missing. Tzarevitch call them the light in the darkness or some such nonsense that sound sufficiently corny for that group.
grifo 05-14-07, 12:25 PM	how about "the silver shadows", an elite group of assasins devoted to thrane and the silver flame. i can just imagine them jumping from the corner in a silvery blur, sliping someones throat and disappearing into the night. :schemes:
snakebliskan 05-14-07, 01:41 PM	how about "the silver shadows", an elite group of assasins devoted to thrane and the silver flame. i can just imagine them jumping from the corner in a silvery blur, sliping someones throat and disappearing into the night. :schemes: I use the Prc Avenger for Cyran intel agents. I called them simply the Cell. I put a lvl 17 paladin in charge of it and I put there headquarters in thronehold and its still there! He's now working for the deposed cyran prince trying to collect cyrans to make a new cyre although the prince hasnt found where he wants this to be yet.
gaerfindel 05-14-07, 01:58 PM	Just for info, it's mentioned in Sharn: City of Towers that Cyre's espionage organisation was called Tyrala and Karrnath's is called Dalen Torr. Both get mentioned in a sidebar in Whispers of the Vampire's Blade too, but I think I've seen Karrnath's referred to as The Dark Cabinet, which is possibly what the name translates to in common. Are these names mentioned in the rulebook or the novel?
Lanodantheon 05-14-07, 02:17 PM	Just for info, it's mentioned in Sharn: City of Towers that Cyre's espionage organisation was called Tyrala and Karrnath's is called Dalen Torr. I found that sidebar: "I, SPY" on page 118. In the description of the Cyran Embassy that precedes the sidebar, it says that Tyrala is the name of the Spymaster of Cyre, not its sevice. According to page 117 at the bottom it reads, "The Cyran spymaster Tyrala)NE female human rogue 8) is Jairlan's mirror image. She is obsessed with the survival of Cyre and will use any means necessary to achieve that goal." That quote means 2 things: 1. The name of the organiztion is still open for interpretation (but gives me more work to do) 2. If Tyrala represents even just the vocal Minority of Cyre's Agency and is the M that nobody liked during the war or whatever, then my character Wraith fits right into the mold of things. I personally kinda like the name, The Gilded Hammer. Thanks Rechan. Bouncing off the idea of the Cyran cultural identity as a nation of Avant-Garde Artists, I thought about my own question some more and have a new take on this organization. This take is based on what has been proposed previously and specifically as seeing Cyre Intelligence as Avant-Garde Artists in the art of espionage or more specifically the skill sets that the real life Intelligence community collectively calls "Tradecraft" (Or at least that's what the movies and the net tells me): The Cryran Intelligence Agency was based primarily off of the Royal Eyes or at least what the old Spymasters could make of them, the Valenar system of intelligence honed by War with giants (learned when Cyre employed the elves as mercenaries) and the Dragonmarked Houses of Medani and Phiarlin. Name: No Name. To give something a Name is have power over it. When you know your enemy's name, you know your enemy. Cyre didn't give their enemies that luxury. Without a name they are unstoppable, they are everlasting and they are not a tangible idea, but a nightmare (or at least that's Cyran Logic). However, it would really make it hard for the organization to be organized when they have no idea how to refer to it. THe best they could use would be personal pronouns, "Them" "Us" "You know who" would be a stretch. The only namers they have are codenames, meant to confuse most people, but guide the lowest peons of the organization. The central Training center/command center is called "The Forge" The Cyran Military from which they recruit is called, "The Fire". Recruits are called, "Coals" or "Tinder" To turn someone against their own people is to "Brand" them. Their Q branch equivalent is made of people from House Cannith and is called, "The Anvil". From the Forge come 2 flavors of agents: Bellows and Smokes. Bellows gather intelligence and turn assets against their own, they fuel the Fire. They are mostly Bards that specialize in Oratory and a few Rogues. They also call them that because their handlers generally think they're full of hot air. Smokes are guys like my character, invisible, deadly and once you realize they got you, it's too late. They don't interact with anyone unless absolutely necessary. They are not necessarily assassins, though. Smokes are merely agents that don't interact, they observe only. Agents get codenames like Wraith to describe them the way Fighter pilots get call signs. This may seem counterintuitive given that the orgaization has no name, but there is a logic to it. The Code names are the most common street nicknames a person can think of. There are probably 2 dozen 2 bit thugs from the South side of Metrol and Tavick's Landing in Sharn that call themselves Wraith because they think it sounds cool. THey use common names to confuse the enemy. It's hard to keep track of enemy communications when all their agents use relatively the same names. That's all I got for right now.