Post/Author/DateTime	Post
MojoGM 10-24-03, 12:11 PM	Hi all, I've been thinking of starting a storyline in my current Cormyr campaign involving a threat to the throne and potentially a civil war breaking out as a result. What I'm considering is someone gaining support among some of the nobles and the people and a movement starting to replace the Regent. Now, who is a likely candidate for this? Perhaps an illegitimate son of Azoun and one of the other nobles? Someone who has been working on building a reputation and making connections all these years and is now ready to act. Any input would be appreciated, especially suggestions on how to forshadow this and what course the potential usurper might take. Thanks in advance. ~MojoGM
MaCa 10-24-03, 01:08 PM	Welcome... This may seem a bit offtopic but I am doing the same idea you mentioned but from the other point of view. My ultimately evil team has been involved recently with a plan to subdue Cormyr. Their concepts were great... A simple dream invasion of Alusair, Caladnei and the little Azoun, then a staged raid - a band of hired assassins tried to strangle the kid... The ":behold: noble:behold: " group was already there to save the future king. From that point forward was a reasonable course of actions - rewards and so on... The PCs are now gaining the trust of the nobles in the court...
MojoGM 10-24-03, 02:12 PM	Excellent. Can you give some details on how your group is proceeding and what kind of opposition they are meeting? I'd like to set this up slowly, have the PCs hear rumors and observe things happening, building up to the eventually coup. Also, the "removal" of some nobles who support the Regent to make way for more sympathetic supporters.
Reefy 10-24-03, 11:29 PM	The Fire Knives guild ought to be easy enough to utilise in some way.
Shar Baenre 10-25-03, 12:10 AM	obviously its yours to do with as you will, and I wish you good gaming from it, BUT... I don't think I'd go the route of a bastard son of Azoun. He was always personified as righteous as could be, or at least to me he was. For him to have children outside of the royal family kinda sully's that image.
MaCa 10-25-03, 04:04 AM	I made a council on the fly and created some counsellors of both chaotic, neutral and good characters. The chaotic ones use mind blanks/nondetections/whatever they can get to cover their agendas. The PCs are trying to get each counsellor one at a time. A chaotic one is easy to persuade - just a promise of wealth and honors will do. But a "true righteous" is a much harder opponent in the game of politics. Undermining his reputation and revealing some tainted facts from his future does wonders... If that wont help and the guy summons an adventuring group to do his dirty work and clean up the PCs - well... now it's a clear matter of some blackmail, maybe threats and an eventual silent disposal... The bastard son is NOT the way to go - historians in Cormyr possess books on biographies, what's more diviners and loremasters would in 200% discern the ruse. Ah... and one more thing - my PCs succeeded in exiling Alusair and Caladnei from Suzail... It was a simple matter of staging a scene of murdering the PCs supporters by Alusair and Caladnei (such hot tempers...:behold: ) - all covered by slick illusions. The war-wizards of Cormyr dont stand a chance against the PCs in terms of skill in Magicka :smirk:
MaCa 10-25-03, 04:07 AM	Be also wary that Caladnei will most probably inform old Vangerdahast of our group's little machination. So there will be retribution soon, that the group must overcome. If they will succeed at that - there is nothing in Cormyr that can stop them from claiming the Land for themselves. When it will be time for an election, Azoun the V will be merely a puppet dangling on the dastardly strings...
MojoGM 10-25-03, 11:36 AM	Originally posted by Shar Baenre He was always personified as righteous as could be, or at least to me he was. For him to have children outside of the royal family kinda sully's that image. I remember reading in some of the 2E stuff that his "dalliances" outside of marriage were well known, even by the queen. I don't want to sully his image, but he was not perfect. A line in one of the 2E Cormyr products stated that there may be dozens of children who look a little like Azoun.
MojoGM 10-25-03, 11:38 AM	Originally posted by MaCa The bastard son is NOT the way to go - historians in Cormyr possess books on biographies, what's more diviners and loremasters would in 200% discern the ruse. I was not intending it as a ruse, I was intending an actual illegitimate son who gains support from the nobles, mostly to be used as a puppet. But like I said, I'm still in the planning stage, and I'd like to hear other peoples suggestions.
MojoGM 10-25-03, 11:40 AM	Originally posted by Reefy The Fire Knives guild ought to be easy enough to utilise in some way. Yes, I was definately planning on using the Fire Knives to some degree.
Wooly Rupert 10-25-03, 03:38 PM	'Tis a well-known fact that Azoun IV was a randy sort. From the fiction, it seems to run in the family. In one of the books, Alusair was talking to a guy that turned out to be her half-brother. So yeah, there's plenty of illegitimate Obarskyrs out there. As for who'd want to off the Regent, there's plenty of choices. The Fire Knives were already mentioned. The Zhents have proven to not be friends of the Crown, and at least one Red Wizard has tried stuff, too. Also, some noble families were banished at the end of the Abraxus Affair, in Cormyr: The Novel (notably Bleth and Cormaeril). Any of them would be a good candidate. There's still a ghazneth out there, too... Followers of various evil deities may be interested in such a thing... Another idea is that it could be the plot of one of the many Manshoon clones (sources vary as to how many are left). It could even be some rather ambitious (and unbalanced) member of the Eldreth Veluuthra. It's gotta bug them that a formerly elven forest is not a human kingdom...