Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Emirikol 12-18-04, 12:27 PM	Our group (cleric, paladin, fighter, psion)is thinking about going on a slaying trip into Darguun to take out some of those pesky goblins. Is this really an act of war? In any other campaign this would be a comendable act and you'd probably get a medal. How can I get this through to my players? jh
Hellcow 12-18-04, 12:47 PM	Our group (cleric, paladin, fighter, psion)is thinking about going on a slaying trip into Darguun to take out some of those pesky goblins. Is this really an act of war? In any other campaign this would be a comendable act and you'd probably get a medal. How can I get this through to my players? On a random note, the proper term for a person from Darguun is "Darguul." Do they really have no goal in this other than "We'd like to kill some goblins?" One possibility is to have them run into a goblin farming village. Here you are, goblins! At least, goblin commoners, with goblin children, tending the goblin fields. Goblins living lives like anyone else. Is killing these folks really going to make you feel good about yourself? This is actually a good way to start things out, as it establishes that Darguun is a nation of goblins, and that they aren't all savage killers. Plus, if the party does slaughter the people of the village, there can be no question that they've committed a reprehensible act that Haruuc could challenge internationally. What organizations does your group have ties to? If they have any connections to any sort of government - such as the Citadel - and if they are in any way known figures, you can absolutely bet that Lhesh Haruuc would lodge a formal complaint with the governments in question, which would obviously disavow knowledge of the action and in all liklihood break off any sort of contact with the party for being unpredictable loose cannons. If they have no contact with a government, then the nation they have the strongest tie to ethnically could employ sentinel marshals to bring them to justice, to prove to the Darguuls that it was an act of terrorism and not supported by the state. Another possibility would be to have the Darguuls launch an attack against a Brelish border village in retailiation for the party's actions. Drop that on their shoulders: Because you disrupted the balance of power, one hundred innocent Brelish peasants are dead. Nice work! If combat is the only language they understand, consider having them run into a group of the Kech Volaar, on a mission for the clan. The Heirs of Dhakaan are the PCs of the goblin world: provided that your PCs are below tenth level, you should be able to field a Dhakaani force of equal level, well equipped with magic and masterwork items, and operating with the coordinated efficiency of a military special forces unit. They'll have circles of sound and code words to set up tactics, coordinate attacks to eliminate spellcasters as quickly as possible, and so on. Show them that "killing goblins" may not be as easy as it sounds. And if they defeat the Kech Volaar but one manages to escape (or send off a message of some sort) - well, that's when the shaarat'khesh come into play!
Emirikol 12-18-04, 01:05 PM	Thanks for the great tips! jh
Gurv 12-18-04, 01:18 PM	To add my two cents to the great Hellcow, have the Kech Volaar follow the proper protocols. Have them capture the PCs, and take them in to the authorities. Use them as evidence of terrorism, and demand reparations in excessive amounts. The nation they are from pays it to avoid war, and the PCs are extradited back home. Where they now have to repay the reparation costs. Make sure to treat them like the terrorist criminals they are the whole time, and continue to do so for as long as they remain unrepentant.
Desann 12-18-04, 01:26 PM	and don't forget, the paladin would most certainly lose his powers for a slaughter as described by Mr. Baker.
Bluebrush 12-18-04, 01:56 PM	The only way I can see this being remotely non-evil is if the goblins you slay are criminals. Say, bandits or something. But even then "Just felt like killin' some goblins" is an evil motive. Some Darguuls may choose to defy the authority of Lhesh Haruuc and cause trouble for the nation. Maybe they rob foreign travellers, maybe they raid Darguun towns or maybe they harbour foreign criminals. If doing so helps out Darguun, then you may get away with it, though even then the local authorities are going to be a tad worried/annoyed that you just strolled onto their soil and slaughtered a bunch of people, just as the police would be worried if you went around whacking criminals over the head with a baseball bat. If you asked the authorities for some work, maybe even unofficial work, then things might go more smoothly. Of course, consequences follow such an action. Maybe the goblins had friends who'll exact revenge? Maybe the evil bandits were working as pawns in a vengeful villain's scheme? Maybe one of them was the legitimate bearer of an ancient Dhakaani artefact?
Hellcow 12-18-04, 02:08 PM	Some Darguuls may choose to defy the authority of Lhesh Haruuc and cause trouble for the nation... If you asked the authorities for some work, maybe even unofficial work, then things might go more smoothly. Absolutely right on both counts. Though "harboring foreign criminals" isn't really considered a crime in Darguun, provided the nation isn't actively supporting or protecting these folks. A lot of fugitives flee to Rukhaan Draal because it's outside the arm and eye of the law. The goblins don't care what crime you've committed elsewhere (unless there's some special political deal that makes it worth their time to), but they also won't lift a finger to stop the sentinel marshals from grabbing you. Human business is human business, provided no goblins are affected.