Post/Author/DateTime	Post
crashbangboom 06-18-07, 10:49 PM	I was wondering if anyone had any (constructive) input into having the LOB run his organization/followers like the Mandalorians. Have them act like a society of mercenaries for profit. They have their code of Honor, they have their own base; the Mournland, and they are amassing wealth to upgrade their arms & equipment for their periodic conflicts. The conflicts are as much for new lands as too keep their instincts sharp. They hire out to the highest bidder and have started to anger Deneith due to the competition. I dunno it just was an idea I've been bouncing around at work this week. Thanx in advance.
Rekko 06-18-07, 11:06 PM	Your idea intrigues me. First, because I don't know what are the Mandalorians. (Would you educate me please?) And second, it would be highly improbable that someone would hire a Blade'forged (TM : short for follower of the Lord of Blades, I want a penny every time soemone uses it :P ) just knowing they come from the Mournland. The Mournland is a wicked place, why put your affairs in the hands of a Mournland dweller? Would you put your affairs in the hands of a Demon Wastes dweller? However, I like your idea. It just needs a little something so everything fits. I'll rest on that for the moment and post when I come up with something. Rekko
crashbangboom 06-18-07, 11:12 PM	The mandalorians(sp) are a clan of mercs and bountyhunters from the starwars setting, the most famous of them is Boba Fett.
Rekko 06-18-07, 11:17 PM	Ok, now I see. Could you share your version of "Blade'forged (as Mandalorian) in the world" so we can see how you made them fit in your world? Rekko
crashbangboom 06-18-07, 11:34 PM	I'm planning to have them be a partially nomadic society( 25 to40 percent) out working or looking for work/contracts at any given time. they all follow the leadership of one wf until the leader in question retires, or GETS retired by force. They are made up of multiple smaller clans, each with their own specialties, from craft/artifice to scouts, or shock troops, etc... Their deeds and efficiency speak louder than any business card ever could and those who can afford their services(which don't involve kissing D'marked ass or involve any D'marked interference or appeasement) find their way of life/business to be a refreshing change of pace. Except for the displaced Cyrans no one wants anything to do with the mournland and where better to base their empire than a place of harsh unforgiving existence, also a place that most magics can't scry.
Alex_ 06-18-07, 11:37 PM	The Lord of Blade generally hates anything non-Warforged. The other races are to be subservient to Warforged or killed outright. They're not the kind to willingly work with them. Now the Valenar are more like Mandalorians. A culture that revolves around warfare, who actually go out of their way to start fights with those they consider worthy challenges for the sole purpose of testing their martial prowess and gaining glory. They're swords for hire, but really picky about it, and are trying to build up their own nation on Khorvaire, and run raids against the surrounding nations to keep themselves sharp and just because they like fighting so damn much. After playing KOTOR and KOTORII, I think Mandalorians are a fairly good match. They even rely greatly on stealth and "underhanded" tactics to succeed. Also, if you want competition for Denneith, there's house Thurrashk. They contract monsterous races from Droamm for mercenary work, as opposed to Denneith, who deal mostly with Humans and Goblinoids.
crashbangboom 06-19-07, 12:10 AM	They are collecting their fees and rewards to repair the creation forge and possibly in the future build more of them.:schemes: :plotting: :D
yrogerg 06-19-07, 12:39 AM	In particular, note that it's possible that, contrary to initial assumptions, the Lord of Blades isn't a name but a title, given to the greatest of the Warforged.
Alex_ 06-19-07, 12:59 AM	They are collecting their fees and rewards to repair the creation forge and possibly in the future build more of them.:schemes: :plotting: :D So who are they giving the money they earn to in return for creation forge parts? Wouldn't it be easier for them to just come out of the Mournlands, take what they want, and retreat? It's not like anyone's going to follow them back into that hellish place.
Rechan 06-19-07, 02:15 AM	And second, it would be highly improbable that someone would hire a Blade'forged (TM : short for follower of the Lord of Blades, I want a penny every time soemone uses it :P ) just knowing they come from the Mournland. The Mournland is a wicked place, why put your affairs in the hands of a Mournland dweller? Would you put your affairs in the hands of a Demon Wastes dweller? I sure would. Know why? Evolution. Seriously, if you have a merc organization that lives and trains in the Wastes or the Mournland, you know that these guys have the skills to bust arse because they live in the freaking Mournland. You have to be at the top of your game just to walk out side and get the mail. Anyone from there must be tough as nails just to live there in the first place. As long as they're willing to be loyal to your money, then heck yeah. And if they're not willing to be loyal for your money? That's why you use a messanger instead of yourself when you request their assistance.
ArcTan 06-19-07, 03:11 AM	I sure would. Know why? Evolution. Seriously, if you have a merc organization that lives and trains in the Wastes or the Mournland, you know that these guys have the skills to bust arse because they live in the freaking Mournland. You have to be at the top of your game just to walk out side and get the mail. Anyone from there must be tough as nails just to live there in the first place. As long as they're willing to be loyal to your money, then heck yeah. And if they're not willing to be loyal for your money? That's why you use a messanger instead of yourself when you request their assistance. Er, there are a lot of ways to be disloyal other than killing your employer outright when he comes to talk to you. I don't think anyone wants to put any information or resources in the hands of someone whose stated goal is taking over the world from all you ugly fleshies and May the Warforged Reign On High -- and hiring mercenaries for any job of importance means putting information in their hands, and paying mercenaries means giving them resources, that they can spend on weapons and tools for killing *you* when the time comes. Maybe if the LoBster were rewritten to be a far more neutral-appearing character whom people really did believe was just a blade for hire. But right now, the *point* of the LoBster is that he's *not* a blade for hire, and that, in fact, people assuming that Warforged are just tools that they can do what they want with is the thing that really, really ticks him off. As I see it, the point of the Lord of Blades is that he's sending a message to Warforged that they *don't have to fight other people's battles anymore* -- join him, and you'll be a Warforged who fights only for the Warforged. You can run him otherwise, but I think it's kind of dull to create yet another badass money-grubbing mercenary society in Eberron. We already have more than enough -- we have the goblinoids of Darguun, the monsters of Droaam, the Blademarks of Deneith -- *all* folks whose primary income comes from fighting other people's battles, and all of whom have various interesting wrinkles to them. (I also second the Valenar elves as a possible use for "Mandalorian" flavor, as Mandalorians in the KOTOR2 era who have given up the meaningless mercenary life and are trying to build their own home and their own culture.) If the LoBster represents Mandalorian life at any time, it's either the unstoppable, frightening Mandalorians of the Mandalorian Wars -- the ones who fight *everyone else* for the sake of honor and who bring the Galaxy to its knees (that's for a high-level LoBster in a high-level campaign) or the Mandalorians of KOTOR2, broken-down war vets who are steadily rediscovering the meaning of honor. The LoBster himself is probably like Canderous Ordo *after* he realizes that a life of fighting other people's battles for credits is meaningless and goes off to remake the meaning of being a Mandalorian into something higher. (I can see the speech Canderous gives at the end of KOTOR1 as something Bulwark would say before going off into the Mournland.)
Rechan 06-19-07, 04:18 AM	Er, there are a lot of ways to be disloyal other than killing your employer outright when he comes to talk to you. I don't think anyone wants to put any information or resources in the hands of someone whose stated goal is taking over the world from all you ugly fleshies and May the Warforged Reign On High -- and hiring mercenaries for any job of importance means putting information in their hands, and paying mercenaries means giving them resources, that they can spend on weapons and tools for killing *you* when the time comes. You think the Aurum cares? They have enough money and resources to crush the LoBster. They just need expendable swords to go kill or destroy, that can't be traced back to them. Let me put it to you another way, with a real world example. The United States armed Saddam with WMD in the 80s to fight Iran. The US is now arming insurgents (people fighting their troops) to fight another group of insurgents. Both of these groups were/are a danger to the US, and were/are wanting the US's destruction, but the US armed them anyhow, for a short-term goal, to take out someone the US thinks was/is a bigger threat. Just because it's stupid doesn't mean that Smart, Short-sighted and Egotistical people aren't willing to do it.
Alex_ 06-19-07, 01:16 PM	You think the Aurum cares? They have enough money and resources to crush the LoBster. They just need expendable swords to go kill or destroy, that can't be traced back to them. But they have house Deneith, which is headquartered right in Karnnath, next door to the Aurum's headquarters. Deneith is the -THE- premiere professional merc service with the most capable forces. And how could the Aurum crush the LoB and his followers? If it were that easy, someone else, would have done it already. Let me put it to you another way, with a real world example. The United States armed Saddam with WMD in the 80s to fight Iran. The US is now arming insurgents (people fighting their troops) to fight another group of insurgents. Both of these groups were/are a danger to the US, and were/are wanting the US's destruction, but the US armed them anyhow, for a short-term goal, to take out someone the US thinks was/is a bigger threat. This is different from your example. See, the US is arming insurgents in Iraq because they're already there. They're only getting armed because they share a common enemy with the US and already there fighting them. The US is not their boss or employer. They don't get paid. The US is their supplier. They are not Mercenaries like Blackwater and other organizations operating in Iraq right now. Members of those groups actually get a paycheck. The US is their employer and tells them generally what to do and how to do it. If the US were to need hired soldiers for a conflict in say, South America, they would not turn to Iraqi or Afghani insurgents. They would turn to Blackwater and other such organizations. If the Aurum wants someone to fight their battles in some place, they are going to turn to House Deneith, and possibly house Thurrashk. They are not going to turn to the radical fighters, located hundreds or thousands of miles south. Especially when you consider that the LoB and his forces are enemies of ANYONE that isn't a warforged. Not to mention that Karnnath and their allies have a low opinion of Warforged to begin with. I'd be hardpressed of any organization that would hire a follower of the Lord of Blades over a Merc from Deneith, Tharrashk, or even the Valenar- considering that the Elves will fight anyone simply for the challenge.
Rechan 06-19-07, 04:33 PM	But they have house Deneith, which is headquartered right in Karnnath, next door to the Aurum's headquarters. Deneith is the -THE- premiere professional merc service with the most capable forces. I reference back to the "not tracable". Also, how willing to do unspeakable things are Deneith mercenaries? "Go burn this here peaceful town in the five nations to the ground" likely isn't something that they're willing to do. Also, the Aurum are a collection of men. Just because the Aurum's headquarters is near Deneith does not mean that a member of the Gold or Platinum concord somewhere near the Mournlands does not have need of the LoB's mercenaries. And how could the Aurum crush the LoB and his followers? If it were that easy, someone else, would have done it already. If the Aurum as an organization decided to destroy the LoB, they have enough resources to do so. "Someone else" either doesn't have the resources or the inclination because the LoB is an isolated threat. Why would the Dreaming Dark care about the Mournlands? It doesn't assist their goal. The same with Erandis. The same with the Daelkyr - they might even be more fascinated by the warforged than want to destroy them. This is different from your example. See, the US is arming insurgents in Iraq because they're already there. They're only getting armed because they share a common enemy with the US and already there fighting them. The US is not their boss or employer. They don't get paid. The US is their supplier. No, the way this is an example is because the insurgents are just as likely to turn around and attack the US forces. It's not just "My enemy's enemy is my friend" because in this case, your "Friend" has been attacking you for a long time. I'm comparing this to giving money to the Lord of Blades. Yes, he may want all fleshies to die, but I doubt that very rick and murderous members who can afford him really care about his political beliefs; they likely feel safe where they are. Just because the people you're giving money/weapons to Hate You doesn't mean that You are unwilling to give them support when it suits your goals. If the Aurum wants someone to fight their battles in some place, they are going to turn to House Deneith, and possibly house Thurrashk. They are not going to turn to the radical fighters, located hundreds or thousands of miles south. Not all of the Aurum are located in one location. They are spread across the face of Khorvaire. Especially when you consider that the LoB and his forces are enemies of ANYONE that isn't a warforged. See the above. The insurgents that we are giving weapons to? Our enemy. But despite them being our enemy.
Alex_ 06-19-07, 06:02 PM	I reference back to the "not tracable". Also, how willing to do unspeakable things are Deneith mercenaries? "Go burn this here peaceful town in the five nations to the ground" likely isn't something that they're willing to do. That's when you turn to House Thurrashk. Or of course, use deception, guile, or just outright bribery to get what you want. Oh, and there's also House Phialarn and Thurrani. Also, the Aurum are a collection of men. Just because the Aurum's headquarters is near Deneith does not mean that a member of the Gold or Platinum concord somewhere near the Mournlands does not have need of the LoB's mercenaries. No, but it means they are less likely to do so when they have other more reasonable options that are easier to get to and transport. If the Aurum as an organization decided to destroy the LoB, they have enough resources to do so. What is this assertion based on? "Someone else" either doesn't have the resources or the inclination because the LoB is an isolated threat. Why would the Dreaming Dark care about the Mournlands? It doesn't assist their goal. The same with Erandis. The same with the Daelkyr - they might even be more fascinated by the warforged than want to destroy them. Karrnath, Thrane, Breland, Darguun, and Valenar all border the Mournlands and would have to deal with the Lord of Blades. I would imagine he'd be especially troublesome in Thrane and Karrnath, where Warforged are generally disliked, and the followers of the LoB are bound to cause more trouble along their borders. No, the way this is an example is because the insurgents are just as likely to turn around and attack the US forces. It's not just "My enemy's enemy is my friend" because in this case, your "Friend" has been attacking you for a long time. There are several insurgent factions in Iraq right now, not all of which have been largely attacking the US. and not all of those groups are in complete agreement. The US isn't handing out weapons to any insurgent who will take them. They're working with very specific local groups on specific local operations. Many of these groups dislike the other insurgent factions even more than they hate the US. They aren't attacking US forces with the weapon they're given. Also, the goals of the insurgents the US are working with don't generally include destruction/enslavement of the US. Also, there are no "Flesh-Friendly" factions amongst the LoB, and much less dissent and fracturing amongst the ranks. The LoB is entirely idealistic, and full of Warforged- beings largely disinterested in negotiations, manipulations, and the like. They have no family, no economy, no real difference in opinion regarding government, or other things you can manipulate. They live to kill or enslave all other non-constructs. There are no real politics to play on in regards to the Lord of Blades and his followers. He is the central authority, and what he says, goes. I'm comparing this to giving money to the Lord of Blades. Yes, he may want all fleshies to die, but I doubt that very rick and murderous members who can afford him really care about his political beliefs; they likely feel safe where they are. But the LoB beliefs aren't merely political, they're an entrenched ideology. You think the LoB himself would take orders from a non-warforged or command his followers to? He'd be one huge hypocrite if he did. And again, there's the issue of location. Sure, the Aurum is scattered around, but the Lord of Blades is largely located around the Mournlands. Moving them about, let alone moving them about with a minimum of fuss is going to be more of a hassle. There's a difference between giving weapons to some LoB followers already fighting against your enemy, and paying them a bunch of gold, arming them, loading them up on a vessel or as part of a caravan, and sending them off to perform a very specific task that largely benefits you, and generally does nothing but them but give them money. Not just the question of why would someone like the Aurum do it, but why would the Lord of Blades agree to it?
Rechan 06-19-07, 06:46 PM	That's when you turn to House Thurrashk. Or of course, use deception, guile, or just outright bribery to get what you want. Oh, and there's also House Phialarn and Thurrani. I don't recall the elven houses supplying muscle. I thought they were intelligence and espionage, not "Commit Atrocities R Us". No, but it means they are less likely to do so when they have other more reasonable options that are easier to get to and transport. "Less likely" is not "They won't do it". What is this assertion based on? On the fact that the Aurum is stinking rich and has vast resources. Karrnath, Thrane, Breland, Darguun, and Valenar all border the Mournlands and would have to deal with the Lord of Blades. I would imagine he'd be especially troublesome in Thrane and Karrnath, where Warforged are generally disliked, and the followers of the LoB are bound to cause more trouble along their borders. Great, a tool for further destablization. That's very useful if you're trying to restart the war, or cause other problems. There are several insurgent factions in Iraq right now, not all of which have been largely attacking the US. and not all of those groups are in complete agreement. The US isn't handing out weapons to any insurgent who will take them. They're working with very specific local groups on specific local operations. Many of these groups dislike the other insurgent factions even more than they hate the US. They aren't attacking US forces with the weapon they're given.[/quote] So you have proof that they have not and will not ever use those weapons against the US forces in the future? Because I seem to recall the US training and equipping the mujahideen against the Russians, and look how the mujahideen turned out (Hint: the most famous mujahideen has the initials OBL). Also, the goals of the insurgents the US are working with don't generally include destruction/enslavement of the US. Destruction or total and complete evacuation from the country. Along the same lines. Also, there are no "Flesh-Friendly" factions amongst the LoB, and much less dissent and fracturing amongst the ranks. The LoB is entirely idealistic, and full of Warforged- beings largely disinterested in negotiations, manipulations, and the like. They have no family, no economy, no real difference in opinion regarding government, or other things you can manipulate. They live to kill or enslave all other non-constructs. There are no real politics to play on in regards to the Lord of Blades and his followers. Except that the LoB wants power and to destroy the fleshies. He can easily see potential in getting return support from the Aurum. Parts for his creation forges, or future assistance in his takeover of Khorvaire. And if the Aurum can turn a buck doing so, they will, and then likely betray the LoB. But the LoB beliefs aren't merely political, they're an entrenched ideology. You think the LoB himself would take orders from a non-warforged or command his followers to? He'd be one huge hypocrite if he did. And you don't think that hypocrits exist? Even in power? Even among ideological demagoges? And again, there's the issue of location. Sure, the Aurum is scattered around, but the Lord of Blades is largely located around the Mournlands. Moving them about, let alone moving them about with a minimum of fuss is going to be more of a hassle. And here I thought the LoB had agents all across Khorvaire and could move his people to his liking. How IS he going to take over Khorvaire given that he can't move his people around? There's a difference between giving weapons to some LoB followers already fighting against your enemy, and paying them a bunch of gold, arming them, loading them up on a vessel or as part of a caravan, and sending them off to perform a very specific task that largely benefits you, and generally does nothing but them but give them money. Not just the question of why would someone like the Aurum do it, but why would the Lord of Blades agree to it? Why would the Aurum do it"? Well what the hell do you think the Aurum want? And the LoB would agree to it if it would suit his goals.
Alex_ 06-19-07, 08:52 PM	I don't recall the elven houses supplying muscle. I thought they were intelligence and espionage, not "Commit Atrocities R Us". And intelligence and espionage in some cases also includes sabotage or discreet assassinations. "Less likely" is not "They won't do it". No it's not. I don't think I implied otherwise. On the fact that the Aurum is stinking rich and has vast resources. But what KIND of resources. Just being rich and knowing a bunch of famous people doesn't make necessarily mean one can claim to be easily be able to take out militant factions living in magical wastelands. So you have proof that they have not and will not ever use those weapons against the US forces in the future? No. However, I also couldn't provide you with "proof" that the rest of NATO wouldn't suddenly turn on the US, or that the US isn't planning an attack on Canada right now. Because I seem to recall the US training and equipping the mujahideen against the Russians, and look how the mujahideen turned out (Hint: the most famous mujahideen has the initials OBL). That wasn't the Afghani Mujahadeen firing Stingers at US aircraft, it was the Taliban. After the Soviets left, the US backed Mujahadeen factions couldn't reach a consensus regarding rule, and it eventually fell into the hands of the Taliban- a different organization. The Taliban took in some members of the Mujahadeen, including the infamous "OBL", but also took lots of their equipment and weapons, and basically started fighting with them. The Taliban would eventually gain rule of Afghanistan, while the former Mujahadeen fighters would retreat to the northern areas of the country. Neither the Mujahadeen or Taliban had much interest in the US. The Taliban (while no fans of America) were really mostly interested in running Afghanistan according to their interpretation of Islamic law, while the Mujahadeen wanted to remove the Taliban from power. Al Queda, a totally different organization, was the one interested in launching international terrorist attacks and supporting the formation of governments following Islamic laws. The majority of the Mujahadeen formed another group, which became largely known as the Northern Alliance and continued resiting Taliban rule for decades. This group was instrumental in helping the US-led forces during their conflict with the Taliban. The US-led forces lacked significant ground forces, and the Northern Gaurd filled in for the lack of infantry and mechanized forces, with the western forces mostly providing intelligence and air support. Destruction or total and complete evacuation from the country. Along the same lines. What? That's not what most of the insurgents in Iraq are even fighting for. Stuff about killing Americans and destroying them all is largely AL Queda and extremist rhetoric. The majority of insurgency groups are not tied to Al-Queda, and in fact, a great many are fighting against them. They want everyone else out of their country, and themselves in charge (no secular western democracies, and no radical theocracies amongst others). And the situation in Eberron is in many ways different than historical ones. For one thing, Warforged are in many ways different from real Humans. Not only physically, but in their perceptions, behaviors, and thought patterns. They are much more "robotic". Except that the LoB wants power and to destroy the fleshies. He can easily see potential in getting return support from the Aurum. Parts for his creation forges, or future assistance in his takeover of Khorvaire. And if the Aurum can turn a buck doing so, they will, and then likely betray the LoB. But he hates fleshies period. If he could peacefully cooperate with them, he would have tried doing so already. And you don't think that hypocrits exist? Even in power? Even among ideological demagoges? If he's doing it, he had better not let his followers find out. If his followers find out that in spite of preaching to his people that all fleshies need to be destroyed or subjugated, that their leader is actually taking orders from them, or decides he wants them to, there is going to be some noticable conflict. This is tantamount to the Silver Flame declaring that it wishes to make an alliance with the Blood of Vol, for whatever reasons. And here I thought the LoB had agents all across Khorvaire and could move his people to his liking. How IS he going to take over Khorvaire given that he can't move his people around? He's gathering forces in the Mournlands. He's not an international terrorist with spies and informants all across the land. He's more of a regional warlord with prophets and recruiters in central Khorvaire.
ArcTan 06-20-07, 02:21 AM	You think the Aurum cares? They have enough money and resources to crush the LoBster. They just need expendable swords to go kill or destroy, that can't be traced back to them. Let me put it to you another way, with a real world example. The United States armed Saddam with WMD in the 80s to fight Iran. The US is now arming insurgents (people fighting their troops) to fight another group of insurgents. Both of these groups were/are a danger to the US, and were/are wanting the US's destruction, but the US armed them anyhow, for a short-term goal, to take out someone the US thinks was/is a bigger threat. Just because it's stupid doesn't mean that Smart, Short-sighted and Egotistical people aren't willing to do it. The situation wouldn't be the Warforged acting as *mercenaries*, then. It'd be the Aurum funding the Lord of Blades' war effort against, say, Karrnath. No Iraqi troops ever signed a contract with the USA saying "We are now under your command; deploy us where you may". That would be totally out of character (for both Iraq and for the Lord of Blades) and be an unacceptable risk. If the LoBster ever does get tied down in a bloody back-and-forth war with Karrnath where it seems one side must win, the Aurum, say, might find it worthwhile to try to tip the balance one way or the other. That's miles and miles of difference from "hiring" the LoBster. (We never "hired" Saddam to do anything. He got in a war with Iran all by himself. The CIA just wanted to make sure he'd win.)
ArcTan 06-20-07, 02:30 AM	Because I seem to recall the US training and equipping the mujahideen against the Russians, and look how the mujahideen turned out (Hint: the most famous mujahideen has the initials OBL). Leaving the real world out of it as much as possible, the mujahedeen still didn't see themselves as "mercenaries" fighting for the United States, and the United States never saw them as such. Declaring them as such would've been political suicide for the US *and* political suicide for the mujahedeen themselves. Both sides openly sold this scenario as an "enemy of my enemy is my friend" scenario. The Lord of Blades *might* end up in this scenario in the future. If he openly declares war on Karrnath, then the Aurum giving him weapons to make sure Kaius falls might happen. But he *can't* sign a paper that says "I am now a tributary to the Aurum and must take orders from the Aurum's Inner Circle". That would be an outright betrayal of *his own* principles -- the religious principles that made him a leader in the first place -- and be something dangerous and embarrassing that the Aurum could be blackmailed with. (They're a shadowy conspiracy, but not *that* shadowy -- they have an open face they need to show to people like House Kundarak.) And that's nowhere near the situation they currently have. The LoBster is *not*, repeat, *not* in open war with *anybody* right now, and for him to tip his hand to declare war on any single person seems out of character. Thus, there's no obvious conflict where someone like the Aurum would want to tip things in one direction or the other. And outright paying the LoBster and saying "You need to start a war with *this* guy *here*" is something that's way too imperious for a self-proclaimed freedom fighter to ever accept. And you don't think that hypocrits exist? Even in power? Even among ideological demagoges? I think it's way too soon to decide the Lord of Blades is a hypocrite who's just in it for the galifars. I think that ruins the character, actually. I also think it's totally inappropriate given the OP's whole comparison with the Mandalorians from Star Wars. *Some* of the Mandalorians were money-grubbing hypocrites. But never the Mandalore himself. And here I thought the LoB had agents all across Khorvaire and could move his people to his liking. How IS he going to take over Khorvaire given that he can't move his people around? Dude, he absolutely does not have that degree of mobility yet. That's why he hasn't taken over Khorvaire yet. His plan doesn't seem to be "infiltrate everything everywhere and then blow it up" (though if you want to write it that way, that's cool). Everything we know of him shows his plan to be more "Consolidate power within the Mournland, then build an army and launch a conventional ground war". Espionage and subtlety may play a role in that, but there are plenty of dudes in Khorvaire already who are masters of that game -- the Dreaming Dark, the Cabinet of Faces -- and Warforged have a natural disadvantage at it. The one thing we keep hearing is that the Lord of Blades is formidable but his army *isn't big enough yet*, and that's why he constantly needs to keep feeding his army with new recruits. Why would the Aurum do it"? Well what the hell do you think the Aurum want? And the LoB would agree to it if it would suit his goals. The Aurum want stability and wealth. The LoB wants chaos and revolution. The two goals are rarely compatible at all in the long term. (Especially since the Aurum's upper echelons are composed entirely of fleshies, many of whom are deeply invested in organizations the LoBster has a reason to hate with a very deep personal passion -- like House Cannith.)
Archangel62 06-21-07, 06:24 AM	Well, what about doing this with a twist, the LoB has a few of his trusted followers working among the other nations forming all-warforged mercenary groups. The idea being that they can help provide a purpose to the disaffected ones and also get a lot of data. They can be hired to do any sort of guard work, scouting, pretty much all over Khorvaire, gleaning data for their master as well as recruiting new warforged. They might even stage raids into Karrnath, Thrane, and Aundair to free their kin. Now, during this whole setup they get information and resources to finance themselves. More importantly, assuming the LoB managed to get a creation forge up and running he can actually use the merc work to place his soldiers in areas so that they are in key locations so if and when his uprising occurs his men are right at the locations to cause the civilizations of flesh to come crashing down around their ears. Remember that in history there were cases of ethnicities who served mostly as mercenaries and then an intelligent leader took over, kept hiring men out and waited until his soldiers outnumbered that of the various factions and began his own war of conquest. Just a thought.
ArcTan 06-21-07, 11:53 PM	Well, what about doing this with a twist, the LoB has a few of his trusted followers working among the other nations forming all-warforged mercenary groups. The idea being that they can help provide a purpose to the disaffected ones and also get a lot of data. They can be hired to do any sort of guard work, scouting, pretty much all over Khorvaire, gleaning data for their master as well as recruiting new warforged. They might even stage raids into Karrnath, Thrane, and Aundair to free their kin. Now, during this whole setup they get information and resources to finance themselves. Yes -- LoBster having *clandestine* operatives *pretending* to be neutral mercenaries makes a whole lot of sense. Particularly since it's how a lot of Warforged are employed anyway. More importantly, assuming the LoB managed to get a creation forge up and running he can actually use the merc work to place his soldiers in areas so that they are in key locations so if and when his uprising occurs his men are right at the locations to cause the civilizations of flesh to come crashing down around their ears. Remember that in history there were cases of ethnicities who served mostly as mercenaries and then an intelligent leader took over, kept hiring men out and waited until his soldiers outnumbered that of the various factions and began his own war of conquest. Just a thought. Yeah, that works pretty well, in my eyes. It also fits pretty well a lot of the flavor for the Mandalorians in KotOR 2 and the post-KotOR era.