Hey everyone;
I'm wondering if anyone of you guys would like to help out a fellow DM with a couple of ideas and suggestions for my campaign.
As you might have guessed, we're playing in Eberron :-)
We have recently launched the campaign, entitled "Sons of Cyre", and my players have started at 4th level.
The player's characters accompany a trail of round about 400 cyran refugees through the plains of Darguun, to Zilargo. and onwards to Breland.
Since they've managed to bargain (and fight) their way through the clan lands by various immoral and ruthless means, they'll cross the Torlaac moors in the south of Darguun next session and arrive on the border of Zilargo soon!
Well, first of all, I dunno how to describe their way to Korranberg, which is, according to the maps at least, pretty much a border town!
Do the gnomes have a standing border against the invading hordes from the east or do they rely on a loose defence line, formed by small villages and militia forces?
Is Korranberg itself an open town or can we suggest a city wall, including a town guard or even some sort of border patrol? Airships and a Golem/Warforged Army? Somehow I'm having difficulties imagining a standing army made of gnomes... Not because they're small and cuddly, but because of all the money, knowledge and blackmailing that is going on there :-)
But, most importantly, how would the gnomish councils react to a bunch of starved, broken refugees "invading" their town? Is there something like a public wellfare system in place or would they be "asked" to remain outside the city gates (given there are any :-) )?
As long as they stay in the city, the PCs will encounter a bunch of political intrigue, due to an heirloom they found and because of a group of karrnathi Ambassadors who are more than they appear to be...
Please help me out a bit, I'm having a bit of trouble imagining the Zil meeting the poor and desparte!
So long, RfT
But, most importantly, how would the gnomish councils react to a bunch of starved, broken refugees "invading" their town? Is there something like a public wellfare system in place or would they be "asked" to remain outside the city gates (given there are any :-) )?
This part reminds me of a scenario from Age of Empires 2's Barbarossa campaign. Barbi is on the Third Crusade, and arrives at Constantinople (not Istanbul) with his army. The Byzantine emperor refuses to let "that filthy army" in his city, and you have to sack the city. Now, I was never very sure about the historical accuracy of this, but you could sure use this.
I doubt the Zil authorities, no matter how good hearted they may be, would let a massive refugee "army" into the city proper. If there are city walls, they may require them to camp outside them, and only let in diplomats or escorted groups. Many of your refugees may be upset with camping outside the safety of the city walls, especially so close to Darguun. If you want to introduce a little gray into your campaign, maybe a small group of refugees, possibly ex-soldiers, execute a raid of some sorts. If you want to be welcome in Zilargo, your adventurers need to take care of them. Do your players shed Cyran blood in defense of Zilargo, or risk the shedding of more Cyran blood if they are turned back into Darguun?
Just my two cents.
To give succour to a desperate and deeply unfortunate people will earn their dying gratitude.
And gratitude is Zilargo's primary import these days.
Zilargo probably does have some kind of standing military force (Possibly with Brelanders as meat shields) but their main game is espionage.
Why fight a Darguul army on Zilargo's green fields when a goblin traitor can warn you of their approach and a little creativity and high explosive can crush them in a mountain pass?
(Also, politics. Darguun probably doesn't want to antagonise Breland, so any attack probably comes without the Lhesh's support.)
I remember reading somewhere that the only large scale engagement Zilargo was ever involved with as the sole adversary was against the Dhakaani empire when they expanded into the region. The Zil fought a guerilla war but never had a standing army. Why give the enemy some clear foe? Why not use sabotage and psychological warfare? Oh, and they have an ongoing struggle with the kobolds who dwell in the Seawall Mountains but I don't think they use rank-and-file troops even under those circumstances.
The impression I have of Zilargo is that they don't have walls around their cities and are rather inviting to guests. I think they are your best friend, openly, until they've decided you're a threat to public order or the safety to Zilargo at large. The first weapons of the Zil are intelligence and preemptive, surgical strikes (almost always assassination via the Trust).
I would wager, under the given circumstances, that the Zil and the Trust would be aware of the refugees path weeks before they arrived (either by divination or good ol' fashion scouting). They would have already have a cursory understanding of their intentions and would attempt to either guide the refugees away, or invite them in and attempt to use this to their advantage either to get something from the Cyran government or use the refugees presence as leverage for other foreign powers (possibly to illicit aid from foreign bodies for help with humanitarian aid). Now, possibly the Zil as a whole wouldn't welcome or refuse the refugees, but you can wager one clan would ingratiate their way into the hearts of the refugees in a farsighted attempt to gain the favor of future Cyran power and at least one clan would try and drive them away or use the refugees' welfare as leverage against the first clan for competing interests. (I dunno, I'm rattling these off the top of my head)
As for a description of Korranberg, all I know for sure is that its skyline and culture are dominated by the Library. It's the central repository of knowledge in Khorvaire and every citizen has access to its education system in return for four years mandatory service dedicated to the Library.
Although I'm still a bit uncertain about the all-knowing 007-Gnomes and the "We Know Everything" approach to portraying them as the ultimate in national security, I guess, I'll combine a couple of your ideas. Still, when they've left the mangrove swamp of Torlaac, they'll be noticed by the Zil.
To be honest, I didn't like the idea of a city wall from the get-go, so I'll ditch it in favour of a far more subtle approach. I'll try and give you a brief summary of the plot up to this point, so you know where I am (and my players are) coming from:
(This is supposed to be in one of these lovely "Spoiler" Tags to click open, but I have no idea how to do that; feel welcomed to enlighten me!)
I've decided to use the "chosen of the prophecy" plot hook and make the characters the Pulp Heroes of this story. The Party is consists of a Changeling Rogue (posing as a Phiarlan Elf), a Human Fighter (and 14th cousin to the recent regent), a Dwarf Fighter (son of Kundarak), a Gnome Bard (Chronicles writer with some connections in Zil) and a Kalashtar Psion (who's the helpful buddy against the forces of Dal Quor and the guy to study to prophecy).
They're on an exodus from the remains of Cyre and try to reach Breland because they've heard of Breland's "invitation" to the lost sons of Cyre.
During the war, the heroes were all part of a campaign against the Emerald Claw during the war and since none of them have read Keith's original novells, they're experiencing this, seemingly forgotten, mission once again in dreams while figuring out the larger picture.
But primarily they are travelling across the plains of Darguun and try to get the sick, young and old to savety. In reference to "_Dru" the adventure has already taken a rather grim turn, as they've already accepted to escort a "payload" of slaves to pay for their passage, got rid of a group of kobold unionists causing trouble for the Hogobs and assured themselfs of the allegiance of the Kech Volaar by recovering an ancient skull mask by eradicating a whole Clan in the moors of Torlaac. There, they've also discoverd the sword, ring and skull of Boranel's son "whatshisname" (the dude that died in one of the flying fortresses during the war) and want to use this heirloom to bargain their way to Breland.
On to the structure of Korranberg: I'll plan for the city to be of open design and rather divided on how to treat the refugees. Thanks to "HannibalRex". One fraction within the Council of Nine would like to support them with food and shelter and get on the good side of them (by inviting them to a meeting) and, upon discovering that they have an piece of equipment of high idea idealistic value to the King of Breland in their possession, try to get ahold of them for diplomatic benefits of family and country. The other fraction is openly against sheltering the refugees and (due to the involvement of a merchant house) refuse to supply them sustension. To create insurgencies they try and fake assaults on gnomes by paying of of the refugees for it or fakeing it altogether. <- Thanks to "_Dru" once again.
Entrance, the former karrnathi adversaries as ambassadors and the Emerald Claw operating out of the shadows, plus the James-Ninja-Assassin-Bond-Gnomes of the Trust - It seems to be a rather nice stew.
It's the player's job to figure out the situation and use their bargain to best advantage! If they manage to get word out to the brelish government, they could very well push for a sea voyage for all the refugees to Sharn or just leave the poor homeless to their fate and enrich themself in the process 
Any more suggestions are welcome as always!
It does not matter if the gnomes can control the refugees but can they afford to feed them all? If not then they will give them the boot but at least ask nicely (at first). Perhaps they may let some of the folk stick around, those that can be useful to their nation but they would firmly tell the rest to find another location to live.
They're just staying for as long as it takes to re-provision and repair wagons and equipment. The ultimate goal of the trek is, of course, New Cyre.
Zilargo prefers negotiation, misdirection, and assassination to direct military conflict. However, it is worth remembering that they are the preeminent designers of elemental and alchemical items, including weaponry; in fact, elemental weapons are supposed to have been one of their primary exports to Breland during the war.
So, to begin with, I agree with HannibalRex overall. National security and information gathering are central pillars of Zil society. The Trust is not omniscient. They don't know about every pickpocket... but they're good enough that they can make many people believe that they do. Remember that this is NOT a medieval society, for all that it has some of the trappings. The Trust has spent centuries developing its tools and methods. It's a combination of scrying, magic, illusion, and a vast network of informants... with spells like Rary's telepathic bonds linking key figures to relay information from outer regions (as seen in the Zil section of the Sharn sourcebook). You can certainly choose not to use it, but as is, Zilargo is one of the most dangerous countries in Khorvaire, and that's including Droaam and Darguun... because they are utter ruthless in maintaining security and have honed their methods for centuries.
So as written, the Trust would likely already be aware of the force by the time it reaches the border, let alone the first significant city. And they'd have a plan in place. So the question is whether they consider the refugees a threat or an opportunity. The common stereotype of the Zil gnome is extremely empathetic and altruistic, always looking for ways to help strangers, and they do - because they see these strangers as possible sources of information, tools to be used against enemies, or sources of future favors.
If, evaluating the whole, they see the group as nothing but a threat, there are many ways to dispose of them without using a standing army. It wouldn't surprise me if they have lovely supplies of water in various places that can be poisoned on short notice... so what appears to be an oasis proves to be deadly. But hey, can you prove the gnomes were responsible? The poison is a natural one. A skilled elementalist could trigger an avalanche in a mountain pass. And so on. Isolated farms on the outer edges will certainly have Trust spies, even if the farmhouse as a whole is exactly what it appears.
It's quite possible the gnomes would actually infiltrate the group to be able to evaluate them better. This could involve disguise, or it could involve an invisible observer, like Madra Sil Sarin from Sharn - they don't have many agents of that level, but again, if this is truly seen as a serious threat or opportunity, they could call her in using an Orien teleporter.
So, PERSONALLY, I'd have them pass a farmhouse, have the farmers be overwhelmed and shocked, and then at some point have one of the famers approach the leaders of the group (the REAL leaders, whoever they might be, not necessarily the people with the title) and say, quite calmly, "Here's how this is going to be. You can agree to (whatever deal you want to propose for interests of the story) and we'll see to it that you get a guide and safe passage through our land, albeit on unusual roads. Or, if you don't agree... good luck to you in your travels."
But that's me. I'd like to highlight the fact that Zil culture is very different from the rest of Khorvaire, that they are truly scary little bastards, and that again this is NOT a medieval society - and that in Zilargo, magic and illusion are potent tools woven into society.
Hey everyone
sorry, wasn't able to access the internet for a couple of days, hence the late reply.
Thanks for the insight, Keith!
I always pictured the Gnomes as rather secluded and minding their own manners in Zilargo while being at large in the rest of the world. From this point of view, a protective behavior does make some sense.
So, hosting the refugees just by sheer kindness is out of the question.
But how the Trust will react to my players and the refugee army will depend on a couple of factors:
I figured that Boranel would be interested in getting the remains of his son back to give him a proper burial, so they'll have some sort of political leverage in negotiations for a save trip to Breland for the refugees. Depending on how open they'll discuss their findings with the caravan leaders, the Trust might get wind of these artifacts and develop an interest in them, too.
They might arrange save travel through Zilargo in exchange for sword and ring; this offer will be presented in a manner similar to Keith's example.
(I'm thinking about the first night in Zilargo borderland camping in the fields of a farmer and getting something to eat from a nearby village and a visit from the local smith tending to their horses [Do Gnomes use ponies as beasts of burden?] while receiving the friendly message.
Should they choose not to reveal their findings (or not know anything about the significance of said) it'll be a bit less friendly, but I'll see how it'll work out.
Breland might be ready to arrange transport for the Cyrans to Sharn "in exchange" for the heirloom of Boranel's son, but the tricky part will be, informing them about the presence of said equipment.
The idea of Zilargo as a hostile, deadly place to be never really crossed my mind before. My understanding was that the gnomes are nice and friendly and >react< rather than >act< when things happen. I.e. take in the refugees and take it from there.
I guess I'm just too nice :-) A political career isn't for me, I guess.
I'll read up on how Sinti, Roma and other homeless were treated after the war in european countries to plot out the rest of the campaign, should they choose to travel along with the trek.
Thinking about Zilargo a bit more, Kusama's "Æon Flux" came to mind.
Even though the movie was a wreck, the basic idea of perfect paradise, ruled by the calculating overseers seems like a rather nice inspiration; combined with FBI/CIA spy stories, "Danger Girl" and James Bond-ish casino nights this'll make for a great pulp story ^^
Oh, one more thing:
One player's a gnome bard and reporter of the Korranberg Chronicle (which I just reimagined as the most perfect propaganda writ ever seen). I agreed on allowing her a bunch of contacts and connections in Zilargo as it's common for gnomes and even more so of said standing.
Would she know about the power and influence of the Trust or even know someone indirectly involved?
Could she predict the reaction of her homeland, being raised in such conditions?
The idea of Zilargo as a hostile, deadly place to be never really crossed my mind before. My understanding was that the gnomes are nice and friendly...
And that's exactly how it appears, and what they want you to believe. In one of my novels, a character describes Zilargo as "a poisonous flower". It seems lovely - but there's hidden danger beneath that pleasant exterior.
Just curious... have you read the Zilargo Dragonshards?
www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebds/2...
www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebds/2...
One player's a gnome bard and reporter of the Korranberg Chronicle (which I just reimagined as the most perfect propaganda writ ever seen). I agreed on allowing her a bunch of contacts and connections in Zilargo as it's common for gnomes and even more so of said standing.
Just so. Bear in mind, however, that this works both ways. She knows people she can ask for favors... and she has others who may ASK her for favors, or whom she may already owe favors to.
Would she know about the power and influence of the Trust or even know someone indirectly involved?
She'd certainly know about it. It's a defining element of Zil society, and has been for many centuries. It's the reason there's virtually no crime in Zilargo... because people know (or believe) they can't get away with it. As for if she knows someone, no one knows who's in the Trust - part of its illusion of omniscience is the fact that people believe that ANYONE around them could be in it. In point of fact, she sounds like an excellent candidate to be recruited BY the Trust, as one of their roving eyes; they don't have a strong presence beyond Zilargo, but someone capable with such interesting connections is exactly the type of agent they want. She wouldn't need to do anything dramatic; they'd just want to be informed about interesting events. But even there, she'd essentially only know her handler (who might contact her via sending or telepathic bond so that even her partners wouldn't have any visible cue as to what was going on). Again, it's all about that illusion of omniscience and omnipresence. It could be that everyone in the farmhouse works for the Trust; it could be that no one does. Do you take that chance?
One possibility would be that her working for the Trust in the future is a condition of safe travel for your friends. Though you are certainly correct - if there's a way to turn this into political favor with Boranel, they'd want to take advantage of that.
Could she predict the reaction of her homeland, being raised in such conditions?
Absolutely.
Thanks for pointing out the Zilargo Dragonshards; I've read them when my player decided to play a gnome for the campaign and I browsed the web to find something to read for her, aside from the obvious parts in the Player's Guide, Campaign Setting (3.5 & 4th) and the Player's Handbook for Eberron.
Her homework for tomorrow's session is to flesh out a couple of NPCs she knows (2 allies, 2 enemies, 2 family members); should it fit in into dinner break, I'll tell her a bit more about the Trust and figure out the relations of her connections by myself.
Since they probably won't make it to the Zilargo Borders tomorrow, I have a bit more time for that :-)
I guess it'll be rather interesting to see which option they'll choose; trade in the sword, keep it and try to reach the embassay of Breland, let the gnome player agree to join the Trust, avoid the Zil' towns altogether after receiving a friendly recommendation or somehow find a way to pay for passage of the refugees to New Cyre or somewhere else 
.
It'll definatly make for a nice change of pace - choosing the Torlaac route (mangrove swamps instead of regular moors in my Darguun) instead of the mountain pass seems interesting after all!
Oh, one more thing regarding the climate in Zilargo; I pretty much imagined Zilargo to have a climate similar to southern Italy or Malta, reflected in architecture and clothing.
Is that about right, following your idea of the country or would a tropical weather suit the mood better?
Sorry about giving you european countries, but living in the Old World I can't give you any american comparison :-)