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Icelander
Master of Realmslore
1864 Posts |
 Posted - 28 Jan 2015 : 11:10:39
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Lord Dama's Non-Slaves, Ruduk and the Intentions of Zulkir Lauzoril in Unther
With the death of Lord Dama, Ruduk the Red Wizard spy of Lauzoril has slowly increased his sway over the surviving members of Lord Dama's Non-Slaves. Using both magical suggestion, strategic Charm spells on weak-willed members and regular political maneuvering, Ruduk has become the most powerful member of the faction, though he prefers to rule from behind the scenes.
Over the years, I imagine that the militant ad hoc organisation of former slaves and revolutionary opponents of slavery which the Non-Slaves began as has by necessity taken on a less ad hoc format. I imagine that they've formed a ruling council to control the parts of Messermprar where they hold sway (much of the docks) and that they have spokesmen whom they send to deal with the other factions in the city.
The Non-Slaves were, in my campaign, not represented on the Shibutu*, but instead have gotten a lot of informal concessions from the PCs of the Purple Reign and the Northern Wizards, who appear to be moving towards an abolition** of slavery in Free Unther. The PCs have hired Marius the Valiant*** to be their general in the field and are recruiting soldiers among the Non-slaves, paying and treating those who have the skills as any other middle-class professonals, regardless of their legal status and slave marks.
Ruduk has, in the years from 1357-1371 DR, presumably used his influence among the Non-Slaves initially to aid the cause of rebellion and seperation from Gilgeam's Unther. Once Gilgeam had fallen, anti-slavery agitation in Messemprar still served a useful purpose for Thay and Lauzoril, in that it weakened the rump-regime of former Gilgeamite nobles in Unther and reduced the chances for any unified Unther.
With the invasion of the Mulhorandi, however, destabilising Unther no longer serves the purposes of Lauzoril or Thay. Strengthening the cause of Free Unther and resistance to the invasion, however, does. So, ironically, both before and after the invasion of Unther by the Mulhorandi, the evil foreign influence of Lauzoril on the Non-Slaves had the effect of making Ruduk the foremost champion for Non-Slaves support for the Northern Wizards in Messemprar.
As a side project, I imagine that Ruduk deserves quite a bit of the credit for somehow ensuring enough tolerance among the fairly xenophobic Untheri for them to allow the large, powerful and comperatively well-regarded Thayan Enclave we see in Messemprar in The Alabaster Staff.
The most likely path for reducing Non-Slave opposition to Thay would be to focus their anti-slavery agitation on Unther. Crafting political slogans and ideals like 'Remove the Scourge of Slavery from Untheri Soil Before We Castigate Others for their Societies' would be a good use of Ruduk's influence. Even 'Let Slaver Fight Slaver and the Non-Slaves Rejoice.'
Of course, it is entirely possible that Ruduk has developed goals and desires of his own in all the long years he has been Lauzoril's spy in Messemprar. It would, if anything, be fairly implausible if he did not. Should those goals not accord completely with Lauzoril's, however, the Zulkir of Enchantment is a dangerous man to cross.
What about Lauzoril's goals now? What does he desire to do with his political influence over just one of Messemprar's political factions, neither the most influential, powerful nor dynamic?
Does he desire Ruduk and the Non-Slaves to continue helping the Northern Wizards and the Purple Reign, earning their political goodwill in hopes that he will find some use for it later?
Does he continue to do this even if there seems to be some realistic hope for a Free Unther victory which might leave the Northern Wizards and their allies ruling much of north Unther?
And that they might desire to end slavery there?
How important is it to Lauzoril that northern Unther should be a source of slaves for him and the rest of Thay, vs. any hypothetical advantages that would result if they are a neutral polity and trade partner for everything other than slaves?
On one hand, having a counterweight to the resurgent Mulhorandi Empire is important enough so that almost any economic sacrifice on the part of Thay seems justified. On the other hand, immense short-term gains might be realised through allowing Free Unther to self-destruct in a civil war between the worst factions there, all of whom would compete for Thayan aid and be willing to sell any captives into slavery at cut-rate prices.
On the third tentacle, Lauzoril is not about short-term plans.
Still, it seems somewhat unfairly serendipitious for my PCs that a political faction that they have chosen to champion should be infiltrated by an evil Red Wizard spy who more-or-less runs it behind the scenes, but through mercilessly pragmatic real-politik, actually decides that loyal and efficient service to the PCs' goals best serves the interests of his mysterious master.
*Council of Elders, more-or-less an appointed council of Northern Wizards and representatives of other powerful factions in the city who has the same authority in Messemprar as a Governor/Great Lord appointed by Gilgeam used to have.
**Though the Northern Wizards are not unanimous on the subject themselves and, at any rate, are far from having enough political clout to be able to enforce any such huge societal change in Messemprar, let alone anywhere outside it.
***From Gold and Glory. |
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Edited by - Icelander on 28 Jan 2015 11:11:09 |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6646 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jan 2015 : 11:53:18
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A long (but welcome) time between drinks. Nice lore.
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Icelander
Master of Realmslore
1864 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jan 2015 : 12:38:20
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
A long (but welcome) time between drinks. Nice lore.
-- George Krashos
Thank you.
Yes, I haven't exactly been updating the scholars of Candlekeep on recent events in my campaign.
Current Military Situation in Northern Unther in the spring of 1373 DR in My Campaign
Wyrm Princess Shudu-Ab, Breat of the Red Ravager, ably aided by the PCs, a large number of Northern Wizards and the Great Bone Wyrm, the Dragon King of Old Unther, won a great victory near Sadamzar, as one of the three field armies of the Mulhorandi (the Ramman division) was shattered.
The true mastermind of the strategy behind the victory is a fairly young green dracolich in the service of the Great Bone Wyrm, the short version of whose name is Chlorthanaca. She has a gift for military strategy and while dragonic cavalry is not a new idea, her use of dragons to ferry elite troops behind enemy lines and to poison water sources and attack logistics units was certainly entirely beyond the imagination of the Mulhorandi commanders.
The largest field army of the Mulhorandi, the Re division, was unable to resist the lure of a large Untheri army marching to meet them over the old Enlil road from Shussel to Messemprar. Despite concerns over the logistical situation, they marched to meet them and the day after the defeat of the Anhurites in the west in the Battle of Sadamzar, the Re division won a resounding victory over Reshbel (Lord/Count) Belsarra-usur Mar-Igmilum ('Son of Igmilum'); sa Hay-Gudea (of the House of Gudea), a young and impatient lord among the senior military men who had finally managed to get Lord Ungred to approve offensive operations.
Some six thousand Untheri fell on the battlefield, while only five hundred Mulhorandi died in the battle. Among the dead was Kamran Shaahzaadeh el-Gilgeam, one of several self-proclaimed sons and heirs of Gilgeam, as well as several hundred of his fanatical followers. Reshbel Belsarra-usur also fell in the front lines, along with all of his personal guard and the remnants of his regiments.
Three acknowledged heirs to ancient Untheri noble houses and two claimants to estates whose legal heirs profess allegiance to the Mulhorandi invaders were also killed in the disastrous battle. All of the slain noblemen were young and courageous to the point of impetuousness, which is why they were leading their men in the vanguard and why they did not fall back when the more seasoned parts of the army started to retreat in good order.
While Ba'al Ungred, Sepah-Salar and Sardar e-Azam of all the armies of Unther, lost some two thousand men who had sworn him personal allegiance, many of those were officered by nobles who chafed under his calm and reasoned approach to warfare. And while Sardar e-Methtir ('Governor-General of the Methtir') Horat contributed the same amount of soldiers to the composite army which marched against the Mulhorandi Re Division, the losses among his men were much more severe than those among Ba'al Ungred's men. All in all, while the defeat on the Methtir Imperial Road was a disaster for Untheri arms, it has left Ba'al Ungred in an even stronger political position than before.
After the Battle of the Methtir Enlil Road, the Re division attempted to pursue the defeated Untheri army. Both combatants disposed of almost 20,000 men before the battle, so the Mulhorandi had a substantial advantage in men after it. The divided loyalties of the Untheri command and elite troops meant that Jmj-r Mas ('General') Lord Nekhet Ir-en Ramathant; Lance of Victory, Conqueror of Greenfields, believed he could shatter the Untheri entirely and reduce their resistance to scattered ship-bourne task forces around the coast and the Methmere, formiddable perhaps, but unable to meet an army in the field.
As about a fifth of the Re division are native Mulhorandi, either from the Pharoah's army or temple guards of Horus-Re, and another fifth are long-serving Chessentan mercenaries who speak fluent Mulhorandi and have a vested interest in Mulhorandi culture, the Re division is even stronger than its bare numbers would indicate. The fact that the Untheri have no cavalry with their field army and the Re division is spearheaded by 500 Royal heavy cataphract lancers riding Raurin chargers and also have 300 mercenary lancers (from Durpar and Sespech) and 200 mercenary light cavalry (from the Wizard Reach), means that the retreat of the Untheri was a dicey proposition at best.
On the other hand, the Mulhorandi Re division did not have the logistical train to give extended pursuit. While there were many oxen, mules, pack horses and wagons stockpiled in Shussel for a spring campaign, the damage to the harbour there and the subsequent blockade had caused the military transport system and attendant labourers to be repurposed to help local farmers take in the harvest, which became a vital military necessity once grain, beer, legumes and rice from Mulhorand could no longer be shipped in.
For several days, cavalry and light infantry from the Re division followed the retreating Untheri main army, cutting down stragglers and attempting to ride over the rear guard. Skilful handling by a young Untheri noble who succeeded to command of the army and his veteran advisor prevented any further disaster, however, and the skirmishing merely succeeded in exhausting both sides.
The Re division was already heading back to Shussel, to requip and rendervous with their wagon train, when their supplies were further interrupted by attacks on supply wagons by flying mages and archers. Having been on half rations for several days, this infuriated the soldiers, but high morale and good discipline prevented any riots or mutinies. Shussel is fairly bursting with supplies and while oxen are beginning to be scarce, there are plenty of horses and mules collected there.
---
In the meantime, the Rumatheb division of the coast has fortified its position just south of Ishkur Bay, where the small fishing village of Nanshe is located about two or three days march north of Shussel up the coast. They are facing an about equal number of Untheri and Purple Reign mercenaries, who have also fortified their position, a strong natural fortress of a series of caves in a mountainside by the sea. The Free Unther forces are supplied from the sea, through the natural harbour of Nanshe, but the volume of traffic is much more than just supplying them would require.
Unknown to the Mulhorandi, the Free Unther forces have been steadily reducing their garrison in Nanshe and finally leave only some 400 veteran light infantry and 400 less seasoned light troops in place, with orders to march around and give an illusion of great activity. As 800 men could never hold Iskhkur Bay against almost ten thousand, they have strict orders to fall back immediately if they face a serious attack.
---
The reduction of the garrison at Iskhkur Bay and the absence of some 5,000 of the best troops on the Free Unther side in the field battle on the Methtir Enlil Road both have the same explanation. It is no part of the strategic plan of the Free Unther forces to fight the Mulhorandi army to army on an open field. The goal is to starve the enormously powerful field armies of the Pharoah out of the Methtir by blockading their harbours, seizing their supply towns and raiding their logistics.
Just last session, in an ampibious assault where some forty ships and almost a hundred boats were used, the Purple Reign mercenary company, aided by the mercanary company Hardeth's Hammers and allied with the Untheri General Azam Bahadur Oriseus and some of his men, both Untheri and Chessentan mercenaries under a man named Commander Nikolaos Bloodmane, seized the Mulhorandi-held port of Red Haven.
This has put the Re division and the Rumatheb division of the coast in northern Unther in a very precarious supply situation. Basically, they are now entirely dependent on seaborne supply through Shussel and given the recent firebombings of the port there and the Purple Reign patrols of the sea lanes that lead there, it is doubtful that enough food can make it through.
The Mulhorandi might have to significantly reduce the food they supply to their Untheri work force and the Untheri slaves they have made temple slaves. This would probably cost them what little popular support they have among the conquered Untheri and result in terrorism and revolution spreading even in those provinces where the Mulhorandi have previously considered themselves safe. |
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Edited by - Icelander on 18 Jun 2015 17:24:40 |
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Ilmarinnen
Acolyte
Ukraine
29 Posts |
Posted - 07 Mar 2015 : 09:29:07
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Pleased to see that your campaign goes on!
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11696 Posts |
Posted - 09 Mar 2015 : 14:21:51
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quote:
Originally posted by Icelander
Lord Dama's Non-Slaves, Ruduk and the Intentions of Zulkir Lauzoril in Unther
With the death of Lord Dama, Ruduk the Red Wizard spy of Lauzoril has slowly increased his sway over the surviving members of Lord Dama's Non-Slaves. Using both magical suggestion, strategic Charm spells on weak-willed members and regular political maneuvering, Ruduk has become the most powerful member of the faction, though he prefers to rule from behind the scenes.
Over the years, I imagine that the militant ad hoc organisation of former slaves and revolutionary opponents of slavery which the Non-Slaves began as has by necessity taken on a less ad hoc format. I imagine that they've formed a ruling council to control the parts of Messermprar where they hold sway (much of the docks) and that they have spokesmen whom they send to deal with the other factions in the city.
The Non-Slaves were, in my campaign, not represented on the Shibutu*, but instead have gotten a lot of informal concessions from the PCs of the Purple Reign and the Northern Wizards, who appear to be moving towards an abolition** of slavery in Free Unther. The PCs have hired Marius the Valiant*** to be their general in the field and are recruiting soldiers among the Non-slaves, paying and treating those who have the skills as any other middle-class professonals, regardless of their legal status and slave marks.
Ruduk has, in the years from 1357-1371 DR, presumably used his influence among the Non-Slaves initially to aid the cause of rebellion and seperation from Gilgeam's Unther. Once Gilgeam had fallen, anti-slavery agitation in Messemprar still served a useful purpose for Thay and Lauzoril, in that it weakened the rump-regime of former Gilgeamite nobles in Unther and reduced the chances for any unified Unther.
With the invasion of the Mulhorandi, however, destabilising Unther no longer serves the purposes of Lauzoril or Thay. Strengthening the cause of Free Unther and resistance to the invasion, however, does. So, ironically, both before and after the invasion of Unther by the Mulhorandi, the evil foreign influence of Lauzoril on the Non-Slaves had the effect of making Ruduk the foremost champion for Non-Slaves support for the Northern Wizards in Messemprar.
As a side project, I imagine that Ruduk deserves quite a bit of the credit for somehow ensuring enough tolerance among the fairly xenophobic Untheri for them to allow the large, powerful and comperatively well-regarded Thayan Enclave we see in Messemprar in The Alabaster Staff.
The most likely path for reducing Non-Slave opposition to Thay would be to focus their anti-slavery agitation on Unther. Crafting political slogans and ideals like 'Remove the Scourge of Slavery from Untheri Soil Before We Castigate Others for their Societies' would be a good use of Ruduk's influence. Even 'Let Slaver Fight Slaver and the Non-Slaves Rejoice.'
Of course, it is entirely possible that Ruduk has developed goals and desires of his own in all the long years he has been Lauzoril's spy in Messemprar. It would, if anything, be fairly implausible if he did not. Should those goals not accord completely with Lauzoril's, however, the Zulkir of Enchantment is a dangerous man to cross.
What about Lauzoril's goals now? What does he desire to do with his political influence over just one of Messemprar's political factions, neither the most influential, powerful nor dynamic?
Does he desire Ruduk and the Non-Slaves to continue helping the Northern Wizards and the Purple Reign, earning their political goodwill in hopes that he will find some use for it later?
Does he continue to do this even if there seems to be some realistic hope for a Free Unther victory which might leave the Northern Wizards and their allies ruling much of north Unther?
And that they might desire to end slavery there?
How important is it to Lauzoril that northern Unther should be a source of slaves for him and the rest of Thay, vs. any hypothetical advantages that would result if they are a neutral polity and trade partner for everything other than slaves?
On one hand, having a counterweight to the resurgent Mulhorandi Empire is important enough so that almost any economic sacrifice on the part of Thay seems justified. On the other hand, immense short-term gains might be realised through allowing Free Unther to self-destruct in a civil war between the worst factions there, all of whom would compete for Thayan aid and be willing to sell any captives into slavery at cut-rate prices.
On the third tentacle, Lauzoril is not about short-term plans.
Still, it seems somewhat unfairly serendipitious for my PCs that a political faction that they have chosen to champion should be infiltrated by an evil Red Wizard spy who more-or-less runs it behind the scenes, but through mercilessly pragmatic real-politik, actually decides that loyal and efficient service to the PCs' goals best serves the interests of his mysterious master.
*Council of Elders, more-or-less an appointed council of Northern Wizards and representatives of other powerful factions in the city who has the same authority in Messemprar as a Governor/Great Lord appointed by Gilgeam used to have.
**Though the Northern Wizards are not unanimous on the subject themselves and, at any rate, are far from having enough political clout to be able to enforce any such huge societal change in Messemprar, let alone anywhere outside it.
***From Gold and Glory.
Like this. I especially like the one piece you mention near the end, because that's EXACTLY where my mind went.
"all of whom would compete for Thayan aid and be willing to sell any captives into slavery at cut-rate prices"
Yes, this "reformed" country may abhor its own people being turned into slaves and/or having their enemies as slaves within their own borders. However, they are corrupt enough that I could see them quietly turning over captives to Thayans for the purposes of mind-reaming them for secrets (and letting the Thayans keep them as payment). The question is, what would the Thayans do with these essentially useful soldiers? I don't see Lauzoril taking perfectly useful warriors and turning them into slaves that you grind to nothing in mines. Especially not the leaders. Might they be enchanted with powerful mind controls in place, then turned back over to their homeland, to serve as spies within the ranks of the Mulhorandi. Maybe they are imbued with powerful magics (and the spells to hide such) and sent back as living bombs to explode within the Mulhorandi houses of worship? Maybe they are sent back to assassinate and/or kidnap key members of the royal families (maybe the children who are not old enough to have developed any combat skills)? Maybe they are simply sent back to gather information and leave it in notes at specified collection points? What are some other uses that Lauzoril might find for such individuals beyond simply using them as soldiers? |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Icelander
Master of Realmslore
1864 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jun 2015 : 18:05:37
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quote:
Originally posted by Ilmarinnen
Pleased to see that your campaign goes on!
So it does. There is even more Realms-shattering news:
Further update of military situation in Unther in the spring of 1373 DR in my personal campaign:
The capture of Red Haven was such a tremendous blow to the logistical chain of the Mulhorandi armies in the Methtir (north of Unther) that Jmj-r Mas Lord Nekhet Ir-en Ramathant felt justified in bypassing Shussel with his tired Re division and taking them on an immediate forced march to Red Haven, sending orders that the supplies were to follow them. Lord Nekhet is certain that his cavalry can reach Red Haven in a day and a half and if they alone cannot take it, the rest of the army will catch up before three days are up.
The supreme commander of the war in Unther, Jmj-r Mse Wr
('General of all the Armies') Lord Khemenhet Mese-en Helcaliant; Sword of the King, Torchbearer of the Eternal, Beloved of the King, Sole Companion, was concerned that the Re division had been sustaining a fairly high operating tempo for the past tenday on half rations, and its horses were worked to the bone, but as is his practice, he defered to the general on the scene. Lord Khemenhet contended himself with organising and leading a strong relief column from Unthalass to Red Haven, bringing plenty of food, feed for the horses, remounts and siege equipment.
While exhausted men and horses of the Re division rested over the darkest period of night, after some sixteen hours of hard marching on very little food, their commander got shattering news. Shussel, less than 20 miles behind the rearmost elements of the Re division, had been invaded from the sea. The garrison proved unable to hold the walls and retreated into an inner keep. The walls of Shussel and most of the city therefore belongs to Free Unther and Purple Reign.
The Rumatheb division is 46 miles away from Shussel by coastal road. While light units without supply wagons could easily make that march in two days, the deliberate Jmj-r Mas ('General') Lord High Priest Rakhnan Ir-en Ramathant; Defender of the Faithful, Hammer of the Sky, Third Prophet of Anhur, is much more likely to take his time and arrive with his entire command in good order in the evening of the fourth day.
That is, if Lord High Priest Rakhnan decides to march at all. The Re division is closer to Shussel and the general in charge of it, Lord Nekhet, has greatly downplayed his supply difficulties and the exhaustion of his men and horses in reports to the high command and his fellow generals. Unless Lord High Priest Rakhnan has privileged information from the headquarters of his fellow Anhur-worshipper at the head of the Re division, he may not realise that the most powerful field army of Mulhorand is on its last legs.
On the other hand, last legs or not, the army outnumbers the invaders of Shussel by almost five to one. Where we last broke off the session, it was early morning and the PCs could already see the clouds of dust as the vanguard of the Re division rushed back to Shussel. The cavalry will be there before noon and the least-exhausted infantry will start arriving a couple of hours after that.
Purple Reign now has a significant cavalry force of their own, which was dispatched from the Methwood a few days ago to take up a waiting position and graze on the Methtir, near the Enlil Road between Shussel and Red Haven. Assuming that the officers left in charge were competent, the horses were as healthy as they seemed and no unforseen problems with remounting the volunteers and forming them into units have arisen, the PCs should dispose of some 3,000-4,000 more-or-less fresh cavalry to match against the 1,000 exhausted cavalry of the Re division.
If the cavalry officers chosen by the PCs are exceptional in iniative and ability, the cavalry of the Re division will arrive even more exhausted, due to having to cover the flanks of the marching army from cavalry raids. The foremost of these officers, Amir naib Saleh ben Rana, is a veteran career soldier in the service of the Emir of Zindalankh and has a formidable reputation as commander of the guard cavalry of his master and pitiless hunters of rebels and bandits. It will be interesting to see how he does playing raider, rather than hunting them.
The Free Unther/Purple Reign cavalry, as well as a force of hobgoblin mercenaries hired by Purple Reign, will link up with Shagina ('General') Azam Bahadur Oriseus and some 3,000 of his men to the north of Shussel. They will hopefully be in position to attack the Re division on the dawn of the next day. Of course, even linked up with the cavalry, Shagina Oriseus' army is far too weak to break the Re division in a proper field battle. Shagina Oriseus' hope is that the Re division will be strung out, tired to death and impossible to rally into any semblence of a battle formation.
Until then, some 3,000 men of Purple Reign or Free Unther will have to prevent more than 5,000 prisoners and more than 15,000 civilians from making trouble inside Shussel, keep a lid on the inner keep where some 500 Mulhorandi still reside and defend the southern gate and wall from assaults. That promises to be a lively time. |
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Forgotten Realms fans, please sign a petition to re-release the FR Interactive Atlas
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Edited by - Icelander on 21 Jun 2015 03:05:00 |
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TBeholder
Great Reader
2384 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jun 2015 : 04:43:42
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quote:
Originally posted by Icelander
Crafting political slogans and ideals like 'Remove the Scourge of Slavery from Untheri Soil Before We Castigate Others for their Societies' would be a good use of Ruduk's influence. Even 'Let Slaver Fight Slaver and the Non-Slaves Rejoice.'
I see what you did here. 
quote:
On one hand, having a counterweight to the resurgent Mulhorandi Empire is important enough so that almost any economic sacrifice on the part of Thay seems justified. On the other hand, immense short-term gains might be realised through allowing Free Unther to self-destruct in a civil war between the worst factions there, all of whom would compete for Thayan aid and be willing to sell any captives into slavery at cut-rate prices.
On the third tentacle, Lauzoril is not about short-term plans.
Thay is not desperate on either account, but strategically, Unther is not the only source of slaves, while it obviously is their best shot at keeping Mulhorand busy with its flanks - and perhaps making their other enemies (like Harpers) split the efforts.
Some parties will want short-term gain for themselves, of course but there are others with different motivations. Skimming the cream off burning Unther would indeed bring in lots of slaves too easily... but do Thayan high-ups in general really want this?
It would have the same effect as sudden influx of any other goods: dropping prices, big splash in closely connected parts of economy, maybe even all-out crash of the market. And quite likely end up upsetting status quo among both the slave traders and major consumers (land owners). Does the big fish in either group want this, and do Zulkirs and Tharchions really want an extra upheaval?
Thus, "strategical interests of Thay!" is a great pretext to push for preservation of status quo. |
People never wonder How the world goes round -Helloween
And even I make no pretense Of having more than common sense -R.W.Wood
It's not good, Eric. It's a gazebo. -Ed Whitchurch |
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Icelander
Master of Realmslore
1864 Posts |
Posted - 30 Oct 2015 : 21:08:18
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Do the scribes of Candlekeep have any thoughts on women in Unther who might have prestige and appeal for conservative Untheri?
I'm searching for candidates for a dynastic marriage which would benefit someone seeking power in a post-war Unther.
Gilgeam could have had any number of female children from concubines in his royal harem, but I'm not sure whether they would have prestigious status or not in the Unther of DR 1373. In my opinion, it would take more than merely their divine blood; presumably shared by many in Unther. They'd need to be from ancient lineages and they would have to have retained at least some wealth, allies, contacts and position after the fall of Gilgeam. It would help if they had living relatives of political power and wealth.
The alternative would be a scion from one of the old families of Unther. Someone who can trace her lineage back to the neight of the Empire under Enlil and whose house is still respected and rich.
Any suggestions? Thoughts? |
Za uspiekh nashevo beznadiozhnovo diela!
Forgotten Realms fans, please sign a petition to re-release the FR Interactive Atlas
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Icelander
Master of Realmslore
1864 Posts |
Posted - 04 Nov 2015 : 10:01:45
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I've been thinking about Ruduk, the Red Wizard servant of Lauzoril, the Zulkir of Enchantment, who was sent to manipulate the 'Non-Slaves' of 'Lord' Dama, the former gladiator. Canonically, we know that he established great influence over Dama himself and consequently, the Non-Slaves. On the other hand, that influence might have waned after Dama himself was slain by Shurupakk.
Clearly, Ruduk did something for the fifteen years after the Time of Troubles until the current era in my campaign. Now, dazzlerdal,in his thread on the Old Empires and Unther, has him infiltrate the Northern Wizards.
While I don't doubt that this would be a worthy goal for him, I always saw his influence on the Non-Slaves being predicated on no one realising that he was a spellcaster. People would be a lot more suspicious of a mysterious mage who hung around a lot of people whose views slowly changed to match Thayvian interests than they would be of a powerless 'non-slave' scribe without any magical abilities in the same situation. So I always assumed Ruduk avoided having people know that he was a wizard.
That would prevent Ruduk from infiltrating the Northern Wizards, at least personally. On the other hand, nothing prevents Ruduk from having a cat's paw to expose himself on his behalf. It is much more suitable for a servant of the Zulkir of Enchantment to raise and train a devoted ally for a given purpose than it is to risk himself doing something directly.
So, in my campaign, I'm leaning toward Ruduk having picked out an orphan with magical potential among the 'Non-Slaves' of DR 1357-1358 and raising him/her to be his loyal apprentice and spy. It would be almost impossible to keep it a secret that he has a relationship with the young 'non-slave', but he'd pretend that it was a quasi-parental one, with a broken-down ex-slave scribe teaching a bright street kid to read and write, instead of a master-apprentice one of two wizards.
Ruduk would then arrange for the magical potential of his secret apprentice to be noticed by some Northern Wizards, preferably ones without much class prejudice and ideally someone who might have an emotional response to an orphaned former slave child with a desire to better himself and learn the mysteries of magic. Thus, the secret apprentice of Ruduk would become an apprentice and initiate of the Northern Wizards.
Lauzoril (and presumably many of his servants) is all about emotional manipulation. From a practical standpoint, magical control, financial inducements or threats could hardly be relied upon to ensure loyalty of a deep-cover agent for many years. For these reasons, Ruduk took care that not only would his secret apprentice regard him as a familial substitute, but also seduced his prospective agent physically and emotionally.
Using subtle magical manipulation when the child was young enough not to resist or notice, Ruduk aimed to establish such utter dominance over his young charge that by the time s/he had learnt enough magic to make it unsafe to use any form of magical manipulation on him/her, his secret apprentice would be bound to him by silken ties of love. Their relationship will be deeply dysfunctional, of course, with Ruduk being abusive, controlling and insanely manipulative, but after fifteen years, it's implausible that the emotional attachment is exclusively one-sided.
Rolling randomly for gender, I come up with a male apprentice, whom we will name Belzarbi. Belzarbi was raised on an outlying noble farm estate close to Messemprar, the child of a female house slave and a male field hand. After running away* shortly before the riots of DR 1357 in Messemprar, Belzarbi gravitated toward the 'Non-slaves' primarily to avoid being returned to his owner. He'd have been somewhere between eight and eleven when he escaped. Let's say that he was born in DR 1348.
I imagine Belzarbi became an apprentice to the Northern Wizards sometime after the many upheavals of DR 1357-1359, when the wizards had been thrust into a role as a part of a de facto civic government and defenders of their home city, at a time when their numbers had been depleted by civil war with Gilgeam's supporters, Assuran's invasion from Chessenta, dragonic attacks and a war with the sahuagin. So, he'd have been made an apprentice around DR 1360. This means he was an adult with almost a decade of magical education behind him when he fought in the sahuagin war of DR 1369. That war or the year after it is probably a good time for him to become a journeyman mage.
Rolling randomly for it, I discover that Belzarbi was apprenticed to a Mystra-worshipping Northern Wizard. He was not taught exclusively by one master, but Enheduana of Mystra and mages taught by her were his primary instructors. At age 25, he's no longer an apprentice (in D&D terms, he is an 8th level mage) and, in fact, has two junior apprentices of his own; children of the 'Non-Slaves' who have demonstrated magical aptitute.
Belzarbi is a sincere worshipper of Mystra, a proud citizen of an independent Messemprar and a passionate opponent of slavery, oppression, famine and poverty. He has a natural sympathy for the weak and disenfranchised, especially children. Belzarbi has great magical gifts and a quick mind. No one who has been through what he has been through could ever be naive and in many ways, Belzarbi is cynical about the world. He does, however, genuinely believe in the ability of Mystra and the Northern Wizards to improve the position of common people.
Unfortunately, Belzarbi trusts Ruduk implicitly and by playing skillfully on Belzarbi's cynicism and fears, Ruduk has caused Belzarbi to see threats and conspiracies among the Northern Wizards, even where none exist. Belzarbi constantly seeks the help of his secret master to navigate what he thinks are troubled waters of political intrigue and conspiracy among the Northern Wizards, with ruthless and wordly infiltrators using factions among them to work against the true purpose of that wonderful brotherhood.
*As those who are born slaves, to parents who were born slaves, are actually not all that likely to run away, it is likely that a said tale of abuse lies behind Belzarbi's decision to escape. Such a past might have predisposed Ruduk to pick him, in fact, as early psychological scarring might have provided him with levers that made manipulation easier, especially for someone who could use magic to explore the psychological trauma and even replicate certain trigger events. |
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Gary Dallison
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Icelander
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Posted - 05 Nov 2015 : 21:41:26
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quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal
The way I figured it was Ruduk's association with the Red Wizards was secret,
Of course it is secret.
But you can't exactly pretend to be just a random, average 9th level wizard with no particular background. Nor can you expect that no one should ever worry about whether you could be casting spells to influence them if you reveal that you could, theoretically, do this.
The moment Ruduk reveals that he can cast spells, it's incredibly suspicious that he happened to be involved in a slave rebellion. Mages are not generally slaves and if they are, they are kept rather more secure than field hands or house slaves with no combat training.
Not to mention that Ruduk will always be a stranger to the Northern Wizards. Unlike the vast majority of the others in the Northern Wizards, he did not grow up in the city with everyone else, learn from the same masters and probably have a lot of ancestors and history in common. A 9th level mage has a lot of magical education behind him. The Northern Wizards know where each of their fellows received their education, and, in most cases, probably can tell funny stories about their first failed cantrips.
A stranger, not from Messemprar and not vouched for by any mage that the Northern Wizards know, is by default someone to distrust. It's paranoid to assume that he's a Red Wizard. It's perfectly reasonable to assume that he's a rogue magic-user of some sort who has fled or been exiled from his home and master.
Much safer to pretend be a former slave without any magical abilities. A scribe, to account for the fact that he can read and write and also to explain why he'd spend time closeted with Lord Dama and the other leaders of the Non-Slaves. But certainly not a threat or someone mysterious.
quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal
and in fact Ruduk was not particularly happy with his Red Wizard masters.
It's important to keep in mind that Thay has no unified foreign policy and can hardly be said to have a domestic one either. The Red Wizards are the nobility of that realm and in practice, it's best to imagine them as being the nobility of a balkanised feudal polity where there is no king and little law, just compacts and agreements between the most powerful nobles that constantly change and shift.
While Zulkirs can theoretically command other Red Wizards that fall under them, in practice Zulkirs who rule by decree instead of warily avoiding offending anyone too powerful are usually removed by their ostensible underlings when these have amassed enough power or managed to plot in unison for a while.
So Ruduk doesn't answer to the Red Wizards. He answers to Zulkir Lauzoril and is presumably meant to be working toward the private goals of Zulkir Lauzoril. The other Zulkirs are not informed or consulted about these goals. Lesser Red Wizards will only happen to know about what the Zulkir of Enchantment does in Unther if they are themselves involved in some scheme with Lauzoril that Ruduk is working toward and it is absolutely vital that they know the identity of Lauzoril's agent.
quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal
So gradually during the course of Messemprar's rebellion he insinuated himself with the Northern Wizards (who were helping run the show with Dama) and who would probably be glad of another powerful wizard to help them out (in earlier editions 9th level was considered really rather powerful).
There's no question that he'd have been accepted as an ally if he revealed himself as a 9th level mage interested in helping them fight off Gilgeam's forces, the invading Chessentans and the sahuagin. But there's a wide gap between accepting someone fighting mutual enemies with you and trusting him in the same way that you trust people from your home, whose families you know and whose histories and background are familiar to you.
Most people will always distrust magic-users to some degree. They could be messing with your perceptions, your mind, at any given moment and you have no way of knowing. Just revealing that you are a magic-user capable of Charm Person, Suggestion, ESP/Mind-Reading, Illusion spells, etc. will cause a lot of people to distrust you from that moment on and expect that all you do and say is part of some devious scheme.
quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal
So Ruduk was gaining himself additional allies in case the Red Wizards decided to throw him to the wolves.
Now that's a really interesting spin on Ruduk. If he's been thinking about throwing his lot in with the Northern Wizards and Free Unther for real... there's a lot of interesting possibilities there.
quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal
The Northern Wizards gained a bit of extra firepower in a difficult time. And everyone overlooked his tendencies to turn attackers into ashes at every opportunity because war is hell and does strange things to people. Plus nothing builds trust like being comrades in battle.
The Northern Wizards have been a paramilitary organisation, by necessity if not choice, for 16 years. For most of those years, they've been at war and people have been trying to assassinate their leaders.
It's very probable that Ruduk is less ruthless in battle than many of the battlemages among the Northern Wizards. He's a specialist Enchanter, a spy and a manipulator. As the secret advisor and manipulator of Dama and his successors, there is no reason that he'd have inflicted direct violence on anyone within the past two decades.
Being able to deceive, betray or harm people you've grown close to and trust you demands an entirely different set of mental adaptations than being able to rain carnage on strangers. Plenty of callous and abusive parents or vindictive and manipulative lovers would not be able to kill a bunch of strangers with a flamethrower, even to save their lives. Certainly most real-world spies couldn't.
quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal
I do like your way though, Belzarbi would be Ruduk's entry into the Northern Wizards during the rebellion for me, Ruduk then builds upon that entrance to become a fully fledge member and starts making himself useful while manipulating Belzarbi into creating a group of wizards within the Northern Wizards that are more militant and follow more of the Red Wizard philosophy that Ruduk secretly controls (through Belzarbi) and keeps as an ace under his sleeve in case his affiliation to the Red Wizards is discovered (and to try and mould the Northern Wizards towards his vision).
The way I see it, the moment Ruduk reveals his powers, he pretty much admits to having been a plant inside the Non-Slaves from the start. Because no 8th-9th level mage would have been a part of an ordinary slave population and since Ruduk was working secretly behind the scenes at influencing political events on behalf of Zulkir Lauzoril, using Charm spells on the leaders of the slave rebellion, he certainly did not tell those leaders from the start that he was a mage.
So he'd only do this if he was really breaking with Lauzoril and was prepared to prove his new allegiance. |
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Profiteering in Unther
