IMMENSELY complex plot Brelish wise (review and help?) [Archive] - Wizards Community

IMMENSELY complex plot Brelish wise (review and help?) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Charles Phipps
10-21-05, 03:10 AM The backstory for the depiction of the next plot of Breland is one that I think will work very well and I hope I can avail you guys to your skill as plotters once more...

In the words of one player at my game "Breland is a festering cesspool of corruption, crime, intrigue, and lies. The country remains the wealthiest and most powerful of the Four remaining nations but it also remains the one with the darkest heart. The bitter and deep divides between the nobility and the commoners of Breland is at it's strongest here along with the near unlimited power of the merchant guilds. It is a corruption and decadence that has only grown worse with the end of the Last War."

The storyline begins with economics, the start of everything as Marx would argue, in the fact that Breland has always been uniquely positioned to benefit from trade and Sharn as a cultural mecha. Furthermore, the heart of Breland was never particularly troubled by invasion and it was the choice of the nobility to fortify themselvs further in like Mask of the Red Death's Prince Prospero than largely expose themselves to the war. House Deneith and the warforged were used by a factor of about 3-1 by Breland for the purposes of fighting the Last War. The Brelish could afford the massive expenditure on mercenaries and it is why they remained largely intact throughout the conflict.

However, Breland's prosperity has always been a double edged sword. In Thrane, the Church has the spiritual needs of the public to calm them. In Karrnath, the powerful military and general lack of education keeps the people in line. In Aundair, the Knights Arcane and Spy network have kept a tight grip on the populous. In Breland, there remains a strong sense of upward mobility and general education that exposes the peasantry of the land quite often to the awareness that their life might improve. The principles of democracy were fathered in the streets of Sharn by philosophers who've had their work distributed far and wide. However, they never would have gained so much strength were it not for the blistering abuse and exploitation that is a day to day part of Breland's economy.

In the words of another player character "The further one is from Sharn or Wroat, the faster one's right's disappear."

The exploitation and corruption of Breland is not actually terribly bad by Medieval standards of Khovaire, which is to say it's absolutely revolting. However, it is the unusually high literacy rate that contributes to discontent and it was in the Last War that individuals began to actively desert the Brelish military or attempt to overthrow their reigning lords with the fostered abuses, famines, and plagues that were ignored to keep the luxurious lifestyles of Breland going. While very few nobles straved who weren't on the campaign trail, the excesses of Breland were infamous even then. This is the origin of the Swords of Liberty.

The movement has actually GROWN rather than diminished with the Treaty of Thronehold as the trade in crimminals, children, and women is given all too much silent consent in slavery to Dargunn. The million and more sovereign a year industry is further aided by House Orien, House Lysander, and House Tharask whom capture nonhumans in Droam, place them in cargo holds or cages as "crimminals" and then ship them to Sharn where they are sent to Dargunn for lives of ugly and painful death. Slaves from Xen'drick have also joined the trade. Zilargo is actually the party largely most responsible for this trade and it is they who sponsor the majority of expeditions as well as underwrite the guild's involvement plus aid in corruption. Given their proximity to Dargunn, the slave trade is actually their best bribe to King Haruuc to not invade them. While many humans might not object to monsters being enslaved, it the thriving trade in humans that most offends the Swords of Liberty.

(End my general summation of canon Breland and enter my Breland)

Contibuting to Breland's current situation is what has been termed "the weakening of the line" that was introduced with the first King of Breland marrying a "mystic" outside of the Ir'Wynarn bloodlines. The strangeness of his children after such has often been commented with many of them possessing huge mood swings and others still hallucinations or delusions. This affliction has by no means been complete throughout the lineage and seems only restricted to the men of it, though little has been spoken of such.

King Berax was the first sign that something was truly wrong with the Brelish branch of the Ir'Wynarn bloodlines though. King Berax's degeneration was largely merely grand excess at first but degenerated into rampant psychosis with the onset of middle age. It has been rumored that King Berax became a worshipper of the Dragon Below as well during this time but it is possible that the atavistic nature of the court with nails through the heads of diplomats, mass burnings of Blood of Vol believers, and "ironic" punishments meant to convey the gravity of his wrath have simply made commoners disbelief it.

The assassination of him by a member of the Royal Guard unidentified (the confusion of whom killed who on "Night of bloody tears" has never been fully resolved since the King's Citadel absolutely refused to investigate the matter due to fear of it leaking out some of the more virulent excesses) was welcomed with a sigh of relief by Parliament....the organization disbanded for 10 years by not having a session called by Berax. King Boranal's crowning was accompanied further by massive signing over of appointment power, war taxes control, the royal stipend, and about eighteen other provios in addition to a reaffirmation of the Code of Gallifar for justice. Amongst other things, this has made Boranal the weakest monarch of the Four Nations since he isn't even the one who will appoint his heir (see Denmark in Hamlet for a similiar situation).

Recently though, things have become more "complex" as the Swords of Liberty have gained a full knowledge of the events of King Berax's reign and begun publishing them. A decade old crime is something that might carry less weight than it might be when fresh but the sheer volume of kidnapped and slain women amongst other horrors that many remember is enough to seriously blacken King Boranal's name. The swords are further intending to set up the assassin as a "Guy Fawkes" hero.

Lord Rucan Ir'Clarn is responsible for the leak and ironically is using his position in Parliament to reopen the case of the murder in order to discredit the monarchy. He's doggedly pursuing "corruption and incompetence" in the King's Citadel and holding up the unsolved assassination of the King as an example. He is thus forcing King Boranal to pursue the man for trial or hold off and thus help spread rumors he murdered his own father. It is his hope that such a blatant act of justice as the murder of Berax will blacken King Boranal's otherwise unsullied good name and make the assassin (Reed Hawke) into a martyr for anti-tyranny as a political movement.

The matter is also being manipulated by the Trust as well as New Cyre as the former is deeply afraid that it will come out that it was one of their agents (a trusted gnome advisor) whom used his "tinkering" to drive King Berax completely around the deep end. Zilargo's current rulers are horrified really that they'd had a rogue agent effectively gaslight an ally so that he could gain more influence with him. However, they're afraid (rightly) that relations will severely suffer and their network will be exposed if the man is uncovered (he remains a key figure in the slave trade that keeps their peace with Darguun).

New Cyre is also at the heart of it. Recently, Prince Oargev made a treaty with the Daughters of Sora Kell to build an embassy in Droam and also to recognize each of the Daughters as Duchesses of Cyre in exchange for their aid in mining, transporting, and delivering valuable materials to New Cyre. Furthermore, Cyrean merchants are selling various and sundaries in exchange for the mammoth wealth they recieve across Brelish borders. It has been a VERY profitable relationship for Prince Oargev and he's encouraged settlers to take up residence in Droam. It also INFURIATES certain members of the Brelish parliament whom may or may not necessarily care if Droam is Brelish territory but certainly don't think that Cyreans should make money from it. Further, others see them as having their 'homeland' and thus they can leave period.

Lord Rucan intends to set up Prince Oargev as formenting descent against the populous of Northern Breland (and his very presence does as many of the locals are of Cyrean descent or hate the Brelish King for taking the worst of the fighting) and effectively force King Boranal to sack and burn to the ground New Cyre (neatly arranging it so that the King thinks Parliament is hung and he must do it himself). If he can use the massacre to incite a revolt in Northern Breland, he's certain that he can have justifiable cause to cause Boranal to abdicate and effectively put a figurehead chosen by Pariament in his place...or even retire the crown for madness.

Any kinks anyone sees? I LOVE, hugely complex intrigue based plots.

(if you wonder where the PCs fit in. One *IS* the assassin of King Berax, another is a herald of Prince Oargev, and another is a victim of noble excesses during Brelish's Last War)
Thwyvylyn
10-21-05, 04:09 AM Berrax sounds very much like a combination of George III with Louis XVI's pechant for excess and Charles I's anti-parlimentary attitudes. As far as plot goes, I am not real sure why New Cyre would want to deal with Droaam since Darguun, which is a similar land in many respects was a major source of pain for the Cyrans in the last days of the war.
Charles Phipps
10-21-05, 04:15 AM Berrax sounds very much like a combination of George III with Louis XVI's pechant for excess and Charles I's anti-parlimentary attitudes. As far as plot goes, I am not real sure why New Cyre would want to deal with Droaam since Darguun, which is a similar land in many respects was a major source of pain for the Cyrans in the last days of the war.

Berax's influences are pretty much a multitude of bad monarchs. Caligula, Nero, Vlad Tepes (without the military oomph to back it up), and his handling of Parliament. George was fairly harmless in his madness.

Brelish nobility tend to have Louis the Sun King (and Chinese Emperor) like excesses though and it's a main sticking point amongst them.

As for Cyrans and Droam, it's a previous plot point where Cyre was deeded Droam in hopes they'd get themselves into a war with the inhabitants to kill two birds with one stone. Instead, the PCs negotiated a mutually benficial economic treaty (and getting Boranal's enmity)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Charles Phipps 10-21-05, 03:10 AM	The backstory for the depiction of the next plot of Breland is one that I think will work very well and I hope I can avail you guys to your skill as plotters once more... In the words of one player at my game "Breland is a festering cesspool of corruption, crime, intrigue, and lies. The country remains the wealthiest and most powerful of the Four remaining nations but it also remains the one with the darkest heart. The bitter and deep divides between the nobility and the commoners of Breland is at it's strongest here along with the near unlimited power of the merchant guilds. It is a corruption and decadence that has only grown worse with the end of the Last War." The storyline begins with economics, the start of everything as Marx would argue, in the fact that Breland has always been uniquely positioned to benefit from trade and Sharn as a cultural mecha. Furthermore, the heart of Breland was never particularly troubled by invasion and it was the choice of the nobility to fortify themselvs further in like Mask of the Red Death's Prince Prospero than largely expose themselves to the war. House Deneith and the warforged were used by a factor of about 3-1 by Breland for the purposes of fighting the Last War. The Brelish could afford the massive expenditure on mercenaries and it is why they remained largely intact throughout the conflict. However, Breland's prosperity has always been a double edged sword. In Thrane, the Church has the spiritual needs of the public to calm them. In Karrnath, the powerful military and general lack of education keeps the people in line. In Aundair, the Knights Arcane and Spy network have kept a tight grip on the populous. In Breland, there remains a strong sense of upward mobility and general education that exposes the peasantry of the land quite often to the awareness that their life might improve. The principles of democracy were fathered in the streets of Sharn by philosophers who've had their work distributed far and wide. However, they never would have gained so much strength were it not for the blistering abuse and exploitation that is a day to day part of Breland's economy. In the words of another player character "The further one is from Sharn or Wroat, the faster one's right's disappear." The exploitation and corruption of Breland is not actually terribly bad by Medieval standards of Khovaire, which is to say it's absolutely revolting. However, it is the unusually high literacy rate that contributes to discontent and it was in the Last War that individuals began to actively desert the Brelish military or attempt to overthrow their reigning lords with the fostered abuses, famines, and plagues that were ignored to keep the luxurious lifestyles of Breland going. While very few nobles straved who weren't on the campaign trail, the excesses of Breland were infamous even then. This is the origin of the Swords of Liberty. The movement has actually GROWN rather than diminished with the Treaty of Thronehold as the trade in crimminals, children, and women is given all too much silent consent in slavery to Dargunn. The million and more sovereign a year industry is further aided by House Orien, House Lysander, and House Tharask whom capture nonhumans in Droam, place them in cargo holds or cages as "crimminals" and then ship them to Sharn where they are sent to Dargunn for lives of ugly and painful death. Slaves from Xen'drick have also joined the trade. Zilargo is actually the party largely most responsible for this trade and it is they who sponsor the majority of expeditions as well as underwrite the guild's involvement plus aid in corruption. Given their proximity to Dargunn, the slave trade is actually their best bribe to King Haruuc to not invade them. While many humans might not object to monsters being enslaved, it the thriving trade in humans that most offends the Swords of Liberty. (End my general summation of canon Breland and enter my Breland) Contibuting to Breland's current situation is what has been termed "the weakening of the line" that was introduced with the first King of Breland marrying a "mystic" outside of the Ir'Wynarn bloodlines. The strangeness of his children after such has often been commented with many of them possessing huge mood swings and others still hallucinations or delusions. This affliction has by no means been complete throughout the lineage and seems only restricted to the men of it, though little has been spoken of such. King Berax was the first sign that something was truly wrong with the Brelish branch of the Ir'Wynarn bloodlines though. King Berax's degeneration was largely merely grand excess at first but degenerated into rampant psychosis with the onset of middle age. It has been rumored that King Berax became a worshipper of the Dragon Below as well during this time but it is possible that the atavistic nature of the court with nails through the heads of diplomats, mass burnings of Blood of Vol believers, and "ironic" punishments meant to convey the gravity of his wrath have simply made commoners disbelief it. The assassination of him by a member of the Royal Guard unidentified (the confusion of whom killed who on "Night of bloody tears" has never been fully resolved since the King's Citadel absolutely refused to investigate the matter due to fear of it leaking out some of the more virulent excesses) was welcomed with a sigh of relief by Parliament....the organization disbanded for 10 years by not having a session called by Berax. King Boranal's crowning was accompanied further by massive signing over of appointment power, war taxes control, the royal stipend, and about eighteen other provios in addition to a reaffirmation of the Code of Gallifar for justice. Amongst other things, this has made Boranal the weakest monarch of the Four Nations since he isn't even the one who will appoint his heir (see Denmark in Hamlet for a similiar situation). Recently though, things have become more "complex" as the Swords of Liberty have gained a full knowledge of the events of King Berax's reign and begun publishing them. A decade old crime is something that might carry less weight than it might be when fresh but the sheer volume of kidnapped and slain women amongst other horrors that many remember is enough to seriously blacken King Boranal's name. The swords are further intending to set up the assassin as a "Guy Fawkes" hero. Lord Rucan Ir'Clarn is responsible for the leak and ironically is using his position in Parliament to reopen the case of the murder in order to discredit the monarchy. He's doggedly pursuing "corruption and incompetence" in the King's Citadel and holding up the unsolved assassination of the King as an example. He is thus forcing King Boranal to pursue the man for trial or hold off and thus help spread rumors he murdered his own father. It is his hope that such a blatant act of justice as the murder of Berax will blacken King Boranal's otherwise unsullied good name and make the assassin (Reed Hawke) into a martyr for anti-tyranny as a political movement. The matter is also being manipulated by the Trust as well as New Cyre as the former is deeply afraid that it will come out that it was one of their agents (a trusted gnome advisor) whom used his "tinkering" to drive King Berax completely around the deep end. Zilargo's current rulers are horrified really that they'd had a rogue agent effectively gaslight an ally so that he could gain more influence with him. However, they're afraid (rightly) that relations will severely suffer and their network will be exposed if the man is uncovered (he remains a key figure in the slave trade that keeps their peace with Darguun). New Cyre is also at the heart of it. Recently, Prince Oargev made a treaty with the Daughters of Sora Kell to build an embassy in Droam and also to recognize each of the Daughters as Duchesses of Cyre in exchange for their aid in mining, transporting, and delivering valuable materials to New Cyre. Furthermore, Cyrean merchants are selling various and sundaries in exchange for the mammoth wealth they recieve across Brelish borders. It has been a VERY profitable relationship for Prince Oargev and he's encouraged settlers to take up residence in Droam. It also INFURIATES certain members of the Brelish parliament whom may or may not necessarily care if Droam is Brelish territory but certainly don't think that Cyreans should make money from it. Further, others see them as having their 'homeland' and thus they can leave period. Lord Rucan intends to set up Prince Oargev as formenting descent against the populous of Northern Breland (and his very presence does as many of the locals are of Cyrean descent or hate the Brelish King for taking the worst of the fighting) and effectively force King Boranal to sack and burn to the ground New Cyre (neatly arranging it so that the King thinks Parliament is hung and he must do it himself). If he can use the massacre to incite a revolt in Northern Breland, he's certain that he can have justifiable cause to cause Boranal to abdicate and effectively put a figurehead chosen by Pariament in his place...or even retire the crown for madness. Any kinks anyone sees? I LOVE, hugely complex intrigue based plots. (if you wonder where the PCs fit in. One IS the assassin of King Berax, another is a herald of Prince Oargev, and another is a victim of noble excesses during Brelish's Last War)
Thwyvylyn 10-21-05, 04:09 AM	Berrax sounds very much like a combination of George III with Louis XVI's pechant for excess and Charles I's anti-parlimentary attitudes. As far as plot goes, I am not real sure why New Cyre would want to deal with Droaam since Darguun, which is a similar land in many respects was a major source of pain for the Cyrans in the last days of the war.
Charles Phipps 10-21-05, 04:15 AM	Berrax sounds very much like a combination of George III with Louis XVI's pechant for excess and Charles I's anti-parlimentary attitudes. As far as plot goes, I am not real sure why New Cyre would want to deal with Droaam since Darguun, which is a similar land in many respects was a major source of pain for the Cyrans in the last days of the war. Berax's influences are pretty much a multitude of bad monarchs. Caligula, Nero, Vlad Tepes (without the military oomph to back it up), and his handling of Parliament. George was fairly harmless in his madness. Brelish nobility tend to have Louis the Sun King (and Chinese Emperor) like excesses though and it's a main sticking point amongst them. As for Cyrans and Droam, it's a previous plot point where Cyre was deeded Droam in hopes they'd get themselves into a war with the inhabitants to kill two birds with one stone. Instead, the PCs negotiated a mutually benficial economic treaty (and getting Boranal's enmity)