The Edge of Order (Inactive)

Game Master Mowque

These are some optional rules this campaign will be using! Ask if you don’t know what these are or how to use them.

Background Skills
Automatic Bonus Progression

Gesturing at the seat, the interviewer glanced over the questions as the woman sat down.

Why do you want this rather thankless job?

A polite smile spread on the woman's face. "Frankly, I made a mistake.", she said. "I joined the constabulary as soon as I can. Several decades ago.", she smiled. "And according to most I've spoken to, I've been an example constable over the course of my career, landing me as the Deputy Sergeant Constable of Westpark seven years back.", she points towards the gilded emblem on her shoulder.

"And that's my mistake.", she cusped her hands together. "Westpark is neat, clean, and calm. Practically crime-free. Except, the issues that are there, I can't do anything about. My days are standing around in parade armour, and occasionally interrogating a servant that allegedly stole the silverware." She exhales, leaning back. "That, and for personal reasons I'd rather leave Oppara.", she adds honestly.

What experience do you have with lawbreakers? Were you one in the past? Are you an unbending Javert-like figure? What is your stance on redemption and forgiveness?

Paraphrased!

The woman perks up, as if standing at attention. "I've stood in the shield wall in the riots. I've put a lot of members of the Brotherhood of Silence in the dungeons." A faint, reminiscent smile appears on the woman's face. "But exceptional times aside, it's not as simple as that. Sometimes people steal food, and your boot becomes unclasped while chasing them." She smiles. "And a particular stonemason in this part of town was a loan shark's muscle before me and him had a chat."

What is your connection and relationship with the moribund Taldor imperial bureaucracy?

A sigh leaves Lydia's mouth as she purses her lips. "Stricly professional.", she says a moment later. "Please, don't get me wrong, I've bled for Taldor, and I'll die for it. These past couple of years, though, I've felt like I'm protecting the peace a lot less, and standing around as a decorative wall against the beardless a lot more." She stares through the window. "I've spent a lot of time going in soirees and balls the past several years. Most of my career, if I'm going somewhere, I'd be looking for people who are lying or putting on a mask. Lately, I've been looking for people who are not."

Lastly, in the most broad sense, how do you plan to police the town?

The woman clears her throat. "There's a lot of ways of doing it. And a lot less ways of doing it correctly." She opens her palms.

"I was situated in Westport for the larger part of my career. Fending off Brotherhood and thieves' guild attempts at taking over is practically the main thing we used to do." Extending three fingers up, she taps on her index finger. "First thing: Establish that your authority is better than the opposing authority. Be friendly. Point out that you're there to do the job of keeping them safe. Mingle in the open and be seen." Tapping on her middle finger, she nods. "Second thing: When you bring down the hammer, make sure it's being seen. We had a charming lady who was doing her best to convince the merchants of the district to start 'fiddling' with manifests and what they store in their shops." She smiles a bit more viciously.

"My team cornered her in a tavern, and she and her men pulled out knives. Don't pull a knife against a fully armoured guard. When we dragged her out, all the merchants who may have had ideas, saw her with half her teeth missing and her soiled herself. Never had issues in that street after."

She taps her ring finger. "Third thing: Always treat people fairly, and professionally. Never hold grudges, and never bend the law yourself. Justice is stability. If people know the law and the consequences, they'll be a lot less likely to break them. If you beat the hell out of a thief, then take a bribe to look the other way from another one, you lose all credibility." Raising a finger in the air, she nods.

"To summarise: make sure people know you're better than the alternative in every single way."

He is not above turning a blind eye to victimless crimes or the breaking of some of Taldor's useless or antiquarian laws, and believes in offering every criminal a fair chance at improving their circumstances through honest work.

3. What is your connection and relationship with the moribund Taldor imperial bureaucracy?
No matter his origin, he is jaded and disillusioned with Taldor, having viewed it as a peaceful and idyllic place as a youth, but shaken by his experiences in the military and his life being fed Galtan propaganda, has no real respect for its government today.

4. Lastly, in the most broad sense, how do you plan to police the town?
Initially, he's just there as a pitstop, doing the bare minimum to keep up appearances and not get fired as he plans his escape further into Taldor, but as he ingratiates himself with the town, he falls in love with it, putting more care and effort into his job until the day comes when he has no desire to leave.

Unarmed Strike: +9, d10+6+d6 nonlethal B/S, or +7/+7, d10+6+d6, d10+4+3d6 nonlethal S.

STR 10
DEX 16
CON 16
INT 12
WIS 11
CHA 14

Feats:
1 Weapon Finesse
1H Weapon Focus (Unarmed Strike)
1B Improved Unarmed Strike
2B Enforcer
2B TWF (as brawler's flurry)
3 Combat Reflexes
5B Boar Style
5 Weapon Spec (Unarmed Strike)

Traits:
Indomitable Faith (+1 to Will)
Axe to Grind (+1 to damage if I am the only one threatening a foe)

Skills:
6/level
Dip: +5 (3 ranks)
Intimidate: +8 (3 ranks)
K. Local: +6 (2 ranks)
K. Religion: +6 (5 ranks)
Perception: +8 (5 ranks)
Ride: +10 (4 Ranks)
SM: +7 (4 ranks)
Stealth: +5 (2 ranks)
Survival: +2 (2 ranks)

Background Skills:
2/level
Appraise: +2 (1 rank)
K. History: +7 (3 ranks)
Linguistics: +3 (2 ranks)
Sleight of Hand: +8 (5 ranks)

Equipment:
Agile Amulet of Mighty Fists (4000)
Monk's Robe (6500)

ABP:
Resistance +1
Armor Attunement +1 (+1 Monk's Robe)
Weapon Attunement +1 (Fists have Merciful enchantment)
Deflection +1

He fought in few battles, mostly lingering around this or that base camp, running combat drills and boxing with other bored military men. That was where he found peace: beating in the heads of his comrades. He was quick and talented, hard to hit but not the hardest hitting; he would focus his strikes and wear his opponents out, outlasting them rather than bringing them down quickly.

Faris' unit trained with spears. He fought with them faithfully until the day he was ordered to level those spears on the family of a captured enemy officer. Instead, he pushed his spear through his commanding officer, stole a horse and ran as far south as he could go.

With no money, no hope and no friends, he finds himself in the Taldan border town of Wheldrake, a town in need of a lawman. Despite his lack of respect both for Taldor and government in general, he puts himself forward as a candidate, hoping to rake in some cash and skip town.

In a great city-based adventure, the city (in this case an outpost) becomes a character. Too many campaigns force an exodus to another locale, usually a dungeon, before building up the village and creating a trading center. Going into the game understanding my character won't be leaving Mayberry for a long time - if ever - is ok.

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DEFENSE
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AC 22, touch 15, flat-footed 18
(+7 armor, +3 Dex, +1 Dodge, +1 Deflection)
hp 37
Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +6

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OFFENSE
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Speed 30 ft
Melee:
Starknife +12 1d6+6 x3

Ranged: 25ft
Starknife +12 1d6+6 x3
Point Blank +13 1d6+7 x3
Rapid Shot: +10/+10 1d6+6 x3
Point Blank Rapid Shot: +11/+11 1d6+7 x3

STATISTICS
Str 8, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 20
Base Atk +4; CMB +3; CMD 16

Feats:
Point Blank Shot (1st)
Rapid Shot (3rd)
Weapon Focus Starknife (B)
Quick Draw (5th)

Skills: 16ranks
Perception +9 (5ranks,3class,1wis)
Diplomacy +15 (5ranks,3class,5cha,2race)
Sense Motive +5 (1rank,3class,1wis)
Survival +5 (1rank,3class,1wis)
Intimidate +9 (1ranks,3class,5cha)
Bluff +9 (1ranks,3class,5cha)
Escape Artist +6 (1rank,3class,3dex,-1AC)
Profession Marshal +5 (1rank,3class,1wis)

Background Skills 10 Ranks
Craft Armor +10 (5ranks,3class,2item)
Handle Animal +9 (1rank,3class,5cha)
Perform Sing +11 (1rank,3class,5cha,2race)
Linguistics +3 (3rank)

Languages: Common, Celestial, Elven, Dwarven, Orc

Special Abilities:
Glitterdust 1/day DC 17
Panache 5/5 (FCB: .75)
Deeds: Subtle Throw, Derring-Do, Opportune Parry and Riposte, Disrupting Counter, Precise Throw, Precise Strike, Swashbuckler Initiative
Charmed Life 3/day
Nimble +1
Aura (CG)
Sacred Weapon 1d6
Divine Fight
Fervor 2/day 1d6

Blessings: 4/day
Way of the Shooting Star
Liberation (Swift action freedom of movement for 1 round)

Gear: 216gp

+1 Cold Iron Starknife (Free/Trait)
MW Cold Iron Starknife (back up weapon) (348gp)
+1 Mithral Breast Plate Self Crafted (1,400gp)
Blink Back Belt (5,000gp)
Muleback Cords (1,000gp)
Wand of CLW 50/50 (750gp)
Pathfinder Kit (12gp)
Potion of Fly (750gp)

Mount: Combat Trained Tiger called Ghost (500gp)
Military Saddle (20gp)
Bit and Bridle (2gp)
Harness (2gp)

Ghost
N Large animal
Init +6; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +8
DEFENSE
AC 14, touch 11, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +3 natural, –1 size)
hp 45 (6d8+18)
Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +3
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft.
Melee 2 claws +10 (1d8+6 plus grab), bite +9 (2d6+6 plus grab)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks pounce, rake (2 claws +10, 1d8+6)
STATISTICS
Str 23, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Base Atk +4; CMB +11 (+15 grapple); CMD 23 (27 vs. trip)
Feats Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Perception), Weapon Focus (claw)
Skills Acrobatics +10, Perception +8, Stealth +7 (+11 in areas of tall grass), Swim +11; Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics, +4 Stealth (+8 in tall grass)

"Six shots of whiskey," asked Vitus, sitting at the bar of the Gilded Blade in Yanmass. The bartender raises his brow at the request, he saw the short man walk in alone moments ago. "All those for you?" the bartender asks, concerned. "Yes and no," Vitus responds, adding confusion to the bartender's concern. Noticing the bartender's reservations, Vitus reaches into his pouch and drops a gold piece per shot on the table. The bartender snatches them up, lines up the shots and pours out the whiskey. Vitus grabbs the first glass and downs it, muttering "Vitoria". Then another, muttering "Ianus". Then "Menas", "Aurelia", "Icilla", and with his last shot "Sparus".

"That's quite a lot of names... and drinks," chimes a voice from a couple seats down, "New loss or old?" The speaker wore plainclothes and was well into his middle age, but his bearing and his scars are testaments to his years as an adventurer. "I think about my traveling companions a lot, I have a tattoo for every one I've lost," said the man, raising his sleeve. Beneath the sleeve are tattoos that form rings around his arm, eight in total. "How'd you lose them?"

"They're not really gone," Vitus corrects the verteran adventurer, "I carry them with me." Noticing the adventurer didn't understand what he meant, Vitus continued, "They died in Worldwound. We were in the Fifth Crusade together, we got grouped together early on at Fort Clearwater. The lot of them were old friends from Wheldrake, an adventuring party that wanted to save the world. I was just a pickpocket that signed up to save his ass when he got pinched." Vitus looked down at the empty glasses in front of him and a morose chuckle escaped his lips. "But here I am, and they're all dead... what a waste. I figured the least I could do after the Crusade was to bring them home, give them proper rest."

Vitus sits up in his stool, feeling the alcohol set it. "Fate is a funny thing, though. As I was making my to bring my companions home, I noticed a posting outside a guard precinct looking for a sheriff for Wheldrake. The coincidence was uncanny, it felt like a sign from Desna herself! The bureaucrats gave me the job straight away once they heard I was in the Crusade... Sounds like nobody else wanted it. Tomorrow I head out to Wheldrake to see what I've signed up for." Vitus's shoulders slumped at the thought, and then the rest of his body followed as the small man passed out from the alcohol setting in.

--FIVE DAYS LATER--

Vitus could make out a small town off in the distance. According to his map and a few merchant caravan's he passed, he finally made it to Wheldrake. The rugged hills made the trip from Yanmass rather long. Numerous times along the trip, Vitus reconsidered his decision to take on the post in Wheldrake. This town has nothing for me, I've never even seen it. Not to mention, I have no idea what idiot thought I would make a proper lawman, he would think repeatedly, but then his stomach would turn with guilt and his heart would ache.

While it was true Vitus had never set foot in Wheldrake, or grown up anywhere near it, it had grown near and dear to his heart. He could even make out some of the larger buildings in the frontier town. Vitus's thoughts reached out, his hands gliding over a select few of his belongings, "I finally brought you home, friends." With that thought Vitus reviewed the memories he had of the town, and though none were his, it started to feel like home.

Most of this is covered in the vignette, but I'm adding some details here.

Vitus himself grew up in Egorian. His youth was spent picking pockets and running small cons to make ends meet. The practice served him well as a child; he made enough coin to eat and put a roof over his head, even if he had to bounce in and out of detention repeatedly. As soon as Vitus hit adulthood at 15, he was nabbed by the dottari immediately. His past crimes were not forgotten, and his punishment as an adult would be swift and harsh. Vitus saw the Crusade as literal 'get out of jail' option and a chance to put Egorian behind him. He volunteered for the crusaders and was on the next caravan to Mendev.

The Worldwound was a strange place for Vitus. Fort Clearwater was filled with restless souls, and it was here that he discovered his psychic abilities. He would commune with spirits nobody else could notice, learning from their knowledge and bolstering the meager training he received before deploying.

It was on his first platoon that Vitus met the adventurers from Wheldrake (see Wheldrake Crusaders below). The group was rough around the edges, especially to Vitus's Egorian-tuned sense of decorum, but skilled. Their experience and friendly demeanor really brought the platoon together and raised morale. Together his platoon took on several dangerous expeditions successfully.

After numerous successful missions, the platoon began to work fluidly together. Success in the Worldwound is often fleeting, and the reality of the war against the demons first set in when Vitoria was struck dead. Seeing Vitoria struck down, Vitus suddenly understood how to call her spirit, and use it to guide him during battle, striking down the demon that felled her. Suddenly understanding the nature of his abiltiies, Vitus bound Vitoria's spirit to her axe, where he could call on her to help him fight. Then Menas fell and Vitus bound him to his bonded ring.

In one fateful battle, the team was sent to deal with a suspected demon in a small village. It was supposed to be an easy assignment; a break after their recent losses. However, but the village was a trap, already overrun with demons. It was here that most of Vitus's platoon met their end. With all his platoon dead and the battle inevitably lost, Vitus impaled himself on his blade and laid in a pool of his own blood, faking his death.

The wound was deeper than Vitus had hoped, remaining passed out on the battlefield for hours before coming to, alive, but injured. Gripping his wounds began the ritual to bind the spirits of his comrades to items of significance. The process took several days, during which Vitus recovered from his injuries.

When he finally made it back to base camp, Vitus was released from his service. Losing his entire team at once was traumatic for Vitus, he was lost, unsure what to do with himself. He decided to take his comrades home, and put them to rest there. On the long boat trip to Taldor, Vitus spent several days communing with his old brothers and sisters-in-arms.

I plan to expand on them a little more if I'm selected. These figures will be important to Vitus, as well as his primary connection to Wheldrake. He will commune with them and channel them regularly, sometimes even voluntarily surrendering himself to them.

Icilla was perhaps the least approachable of the group. She wasn't unfriendly, but rather meticulous and thoughtful. She approached problems with careful consideration and rarely took or spoke imprecisely.

Vitoria never went anywhere without her axe. She was often wary, always keeping an ear out for danger, and when it did present itself, she was always fearless. She rarely backed down from a challenge, and her strength was critical in overcoming many of the tougher demons the platoon encountered.

Menas was dubbed "The Iron Wall". He would always protect his injured allies. While Ianus might have cured the most wounds, it's undoubtedly true Menas saved the most lives. As a paladin of Sarenrae, Menas bore the weight of protecting his team on his shoulder. He and Ianus would argue passionately a lot over the finer points of morality, but the two of them were the closest of anyone in the platoon.

Ianus was a priest of Cayden Cailean, making him rather popular with the platoon. He'd keep the drink flowing when there was downtime. The brewer was affable and friendly at all times, with no deception or ulterior motive. Between alcohol, healing, and friendliness, it was no surprise Ianus was very popular among the platoon.

Aurelia was the head of the Wheldrake crusaders, and inevitably, Vitus's whole platoon. She had a way of recounting stories that would enrapture the listener. Her retelling of tales always made group sound heroic, legendary and bolstered morale. Aurelia took no nonsense during combat and commanded might and fury from her soldiers.

Sparus served as the group's tracker. He would disappear for evenings at a time, scavenging food and water in the blighted lands of the Worldwound. He would always joke that it was easier than the wilderness back home.

2) Vitus was a lawbreaker in the past, a cutpurse and small-time thief. His stint in the Crusader's army helped him gain discipline and an understanding of the value of order.

3) Vitus doesn't presently have enough experience with Taldor's bureaucracy, but I think he'll view the slow moving bureaucracy as an advantage. He is more of an "ask forgiveness" than "beg permission" type. So as long as there aren't explicit regulations to worry about, he'll happily run with his own interpretations of laws and regulations.

4) Vitus's style will vary slightly day-by-day depending on which of his allies he's channeling, each has their own feelings about the town that will subtly influence him. That said, Vitus's primary goal is to keep a low profile at first, and get the lay of the land. He has a wide array of tools, if he's able to prepare adequately. Rather than make a big scene upon getting into town, he'll want to study a few of the groups causing trouble and find the best way to dismantle them before they can respond to the new sheriff. He might not even announce himself as the new sheriff for a couple days, choosing to wait until he has a success to share.

I've found that multiplayer games put a damper on using skills or unconventional tactics to solve problems, as multiple players are sitting around waiting for the solution to get pulled off. These are some of my favorite stories, so having a game where that's not a concern seems like a blast.

Standing at just over 6 ft, Connacht Metayer, appears healthy more than anything else. His back is straight, his eyes green are attentive if not striking, his blonde hair is thick, and his skin is a healthy tan from his time spent outdoors. His hair is on the long side but not completely let go, and his respectably large beard is trimmed to avoid becoming unwieldy. At only the age of 26, he gives the impression of being in his 30’s largely in the way he carries himself and the air of authority around him. More often than not, a professional and cordial smile will be on his face, which makes him somewhat more approachable than many agents of the Crown of Taldor.

It’s not hard for folks to believe that he’s an agent of the crown. He’s formal enough, at least when he needs to be. He’s affable without losing control, he appears well kempt, and his rustic qualities can be explained away by his posting in the more rural parts of Taldor. That he retains many of these rustic trappings while in larger cities draws a bit of attention and curiosity, but to be frank it suit’s him quite well. He would look absurd in a noble courtier's outfit: scaled leather armor and a wooden walking stick suit him just fine.

As one might expect from a Marshal, he’s almost always armed. A scimitar is sheathed on his hip, a blade forged from cold iron and covered in druidic runes. The wooden walking stick itself can make for a potent weapon as well, should it have to. But what grabs the attention of anyone knowledgeable about such matters is the pistol he carries at his side. That most people are unaware of the true nature of the device has proved quite useful on more than one occasion.

The wolf at his side is covered in armor of it’s own, and remains resolute and at attention unless otherwise instructed. It seems to try and absorb as much information on its surroundings as it possibly can: a valuable trait for an animal wielded by an agent of the crown.

All of this is to say that most people are in for quite a bit of shock when they find out that Connacht is actually a druid who was raised in the middle of the Verduran forest for much of his life. He could easily pass for a ranger, but most of his enemies are taken aback when they see him summoning creatures to his aid. It’s proven useful on more than one occasion.

At first appearance, Connacht feels very much like a “good cop”. He’s down to earth and prudent, while at the same time remaining approachable and polite without being rigidly formal. While he’ll never come off as a member of high society, he can at least give the impression of a of a knowledgeable rustic. He’s not going to brush people off for coming to him with concerns, and does his best to integrate and ingratiate himself to whatever community he has.

Beneath the surface things aren’t quite as stable as they could be. His recent personal experiences have left him deeply aware of the corruptibility of other people, and the betrayal from the incident (see the backstory) still stings. As such, while he remains polite and respectful to new people, he’s slower to genuinely trust them. Beyond this, his level of deference and respect toward any individual will be based on what that individual is due, based on either their position or their actions. Anyone who manages to earn Connacht’s friendship will find a rather staunch ally, if one who will not bend his ethical code an inch for them.

While he’s glad to talk about philosophy, theology, and other less than concrete subjects (ideally with a pipe of good tobacco and some beer) with those interested in such matters, he’s fairly pragmatic. Not in the sense that he’s willing to act unethically to get results- but he is perfectly willing to prioritize the big picture over the little picture. He knows he can’t solve everything, but his goal is to remedy what he can one day at a time. From there, he hopes other problems will take care of themselves.

His biggest fear would be be an unwitting tool for promoting injustice. He cares deeply about his faith and his character, and if he was tricked into doing something that subverted either of these he would want to gut the person who put him in that situation, and he’s not the type of person to be easily angered. Suffice to say he does not view dishonesty and trickery fondly, let alone betrayal, especially when such treachery is directed against agents of order such as himself.

Connacht is a devout Erastilian, and he’s stuck to that to the point of facing exile (see backstory). While he reveers nature, he does not worship it. There’s much to admire in nature, and he enjoys spending some time alone admiring it every now and then. But humans (as with the other civilized races of Golorian) are not, by nature, meant to live in isolation with only trees for company. Societies like Taldor, Molthune, Andoran, places like those are meant for their kind. Places with fixed and ordered governments. It’s true, he prefers countryside living to life in large cities, but that’s merely a matter of preference. There is nothing unnatural for humanoids to live in cities, at least in and of itself: to do so is merely a part of their nature, not acting against it.

His faith in Erastil is strong, and he more or less thinks the ideal way of life can be summed up in Erastil’s teachings. While he’ll do what he can to encourage the worship of Erastil in his community (meta note here: I’ll be taking the Evangelist Prestige Class, hence why I took the deific obedience feat), the goal is not to produce precise religious adherence but rather to produce a healthy community For the sake of simplicity, I’m going to copy and paste the Paladin Code of Erastil here, as it’s a good guide for understanding the standards which Connacht holds himself too:

My community comes first, and I will contribute to it all that I can. If I don’t give something back, who will?
I must offer the poor in my community assistance, but I may not do the work for them—instead, I must teach them to contribute to the settlement. It is only through cooperation that a community grows strong.
When danger threatens, I am not a fool. I seek first to make sure the weak and innocent are safe, and then I quell the danger.
I keep to the old ways, the true ways. I am not seduced by the lure of money or power. I remember that true honor comes from within, not from the accolades of others.
I remember that reputation is everything. Mine is pure and upstanding, and I will repair it if it is broken or tarnished. I stand by my decisions, and live so that none shall have cause to blame me.
I show respect to my elders, for they have done much. I show respect to the young, for they have much left to do. I show respect to my peers, for they carry the load. And I shall carry it with them.
I am honest, trustworthy, and stable. If I must leave my lands and community, before I go, I ensure that they will be tended in my absence. Even when duty calls, my duties to my home come first—letting them lapse makes me a burden on my people.

While he had to leave his first community a while ago, and has to move around more than he would like, this will be the attitude that he approaches his Marshallship of Wheldrake. He’ll be contributing everything he can, and over time he expects to bring everyone (or nearly everyone over to his way of life).

He prides himself in being an upholder of law… but this is more focused on upholding natural law and true justice than it is about ensuring every little ordinance written down by bureaucrats in Oppara. Connacht wants to ensure that everyone gets their due, that the poor are being cared for, and that the citizens of Wheldrake live in a healthy community that is run smoothly (as defined by Erastil’s teachings). He’s perfectly willing to bend or ignore minor laws of Taldor, and knows full well the reason why he’s been sent to Wheldrake. He’ll deal with those bandits the nobles are concerned about. He’ll just be taking the extra steps needed to turn Wheldrake into a healthy and vibrant part of the kingdom while he’s at it.

On this note: Connacht is a conservative by disposition (as are many Erastilians) and likes the monarchy of Taldor as an institution. He’s heard far too many horror stories from Galt to have any sympathy for their way of doing things. He’ll be taking personal note of any travelers who are Galtan and heading into Taldor… he doesn’t want some radicals trying to export the Red Revolution south.

(In narrative format because why not)

”So… now it’s your turn.”

In the candle lit living room in Connaught’s apartment. Wessa Gwennou, his fiance, had just finished relaying her life’s story. Her family’s fall from grace in Oppara, her childhood, her limited arcane training, her managing to escape their (mostly) metaphorical clutches and wind up with a bureaucratic post in Yanmass.

And now it was his turn. Everything on the table.

”More alcohol is needed.” Connacht decided, after a few moments of hesitation. They had already been here for the better part of 5 hours, talking at length. It wasn’t a bad conversation… but it was a weighty one. Such matters were not meant to be talked of completely sober, in his opinion.

He returns to the room a few minutes later, small keg in hand, to find Wessa coughing. Initially alarmed, he finds her holding onto his pipe with a cloud of smoke around her. ”I’m not sure what I was expecting.” she says sheepishly as she places the piece of carved wood back on the table.

”It’s not for everyone, I suppose.” He shrugs as he pours the two of them full mugs of the new beverage. It’s a cider, made from the fruits from an apple orchards south of the city. Connacht loved walking through the trees there when he had the time.

”Where to begin….” Connacht says as he takes his first sip of the beverage.

”At the beginning, I suppose.”, Wessa offers.

Connacht sighs and thinks for a moment before nodding. ”Fair enough, I suppose.”

” Hundreds of moons ago, I was born to a woman named Boltiarda and a man named Clovis. No surnames for us- none of us in the Verduran Forest- at least under the dominion of the wildwood lodge did.

Truth be told, I don’t know what side of the official border I was born on. Not that it makes a difference now, but it could have been in Taldor or Andoran.”

”At any rate, I had an older sister, Fordola, a younger brother, Amator, and a younger sister, Heltrada. Two years older, three years younger, seven years younger, respectively. To answer your question: I don’t know where they are now. I’ve looked. I’ll get to our separation later.”

”Both of my parents were woodshapers. They tended to regrowing the trees of the Verduran forest, interacted with some of the loggers that were traded with , created fine pieces of art from wood. Things of that sort.”

Things were fine for the first ten years of my life. Only incident I can remember this one time I stumbled into this grove, I spoke to this witch for a while. She called herself ‘ She Who Walks Without Treading”’. I hardly remember anything that was said- I don’t even think most of it was in Druidic or Taldan. I had finished talking, my parents stumbled into the groove, took one look at the situation, picked me up and ran for it. They said I had been missing for a month. I only remember being gone for a night.

”If this were a story,” Wessa chimes in, ”this would be the part where I recognize that title of hers and discover that some dark curse has been placed on you, and that we have to leave together to fight some great evil.”

”But this isn’t a story from one of those books.” Connacht continues. ”Of course, then the rebellion.

”Im not here for a summary, Connacht. I spent the past five hours going over my entire life. You can do the same.”

The druid was about to object but ther

He spoke of events through his early childhood. The time his older sister nearly drowned, the time he first had understood enough of the natural world to call upon its power, what his day to day life was like. At some point his wolf winds up curling around Wessa’s feet, apparently content to take a nap.

As time goes on, the moon finally begins to rise out of the sky. After gazing into the dusk for a few moments, he turns back to the love of his life, a sad look on his face. ”And then Walaric came. A Cleric of Erastil, on a holy mission to correct the errors of our ways. The error of the green faith was not the love of nature, but of the worship of it. For all it’s beauty, we had been fooled. Creatures of our sort aren’t meant to wander in small groups. We’re meant to live in communities, of some sort or another.

I remember the first time I met him, clear as crystal. He came across my mother as she had been stricken by some disease and managed to cure it. Walaric didn’t ask for anything in return beyond a place to lay his head and some food for the time he was with us. He spent hours talking to all of us, talking about his life, his journeys, and his faith. I was a lad of 12 at the time, questioning everything I could. I did everything I could to challenge what he said, but he seemed to have some story that fit everything [/b]

”The Parables of Erastil is a far more thorough tome than most people give it credit for. Especially the unabridged version.” Wessa remarks. She actually had a fairly exhaustive version of the tome, quite thoroughly annotated.

”At any rate, after a while, he finally convinced my parents to move to a settlement he had created in the forest. People were building a better way of life there, closer to how people were supposed to live. By the standards of Taldor high society it was a hovel, but as plain as dirt as it was I loved it. I remember the first time I carved wood with tools of metal. I remember the gatherings, the festivals we held. There were so many people there, and I couldn’t get enough of it.

[b]”At its height, how many people did Oakhaven have? Wessa asks. She already knew the basics of the story. Now was the time for details, after all.

“No more than one hundred and fifty.”

”And so much blood was split over such a small amount? From what you have already told me I would have expected thousands?”

”Aye. So much, over so little. Connacht lets out a sigh as he drinks more of his cider. ”Our cause was just. We did not wish to bring ruin and destruction upon them. But you’ve read enough to know that justice doesn’t guarantee victory. Not in this world.”

Wessa nods her head somberly as she drank more of the cider.

”All was done that men could do, and all was done in vain. Oakhaven was reduced to ash when we refused to disperse. We defend ourselves as best we could. I was 14 then, and a hothead of a lad, ” He remarks after taking a puff from his pipe. After setting his pipe down, he gets up from his seat, crossing the room and pulling a sword off the wall. The cold iron blade is sharp is curved and carved with numerous runes in Druidic.

”I killed a man with this. I had met him but a month before my family met Walaric. He was a druid- he’d taken the shape of a massive snake… as he was about to strike at my father I cut his head off. When I saw him reform into a humanoid form…. I… I don’t remember what came after that.”

There’s a long period where the druid turned investigator remains silent, unsure of how exactly to continue. He continues weaving the tale, however.

”I never saw Walaric’s body, but everyone claimed he had been killed by some armor clad fey. I never saw the man again, at least. Same goes for my parents. And for that matter, I never saw anyone in my family again. After being held in a makeshift cell, I was brought before those assembled at the Moot of Ages. That’s the name of the meeting that the Wildwood Lodge uses to discuss internal events: of course, the “Urbanite Incident” was primary among the matters discussed.“

”Incident seems a polite way to put it.”
”More like a dishonest one. St my trial, for lack of a better word, I had been told that my parents had been killed in the fighting, and that my siblings had all chosen to return to the green faith. They asked me to do the same, and that if I did I’d be allowed to see them again. If I refused, it would mean exile.”

“They asked an Erastilian to choose between his family and his faith. That was monsterous of them.”

“I wanted to believe they were lying. But I couldn’t. It seemed too easy to believe. I know Fordola had prefered the older ways of doing things, and my younger siblings could be impressionable. They were young, and loved their family- they were raised by people who became Erastilians, after all. Not knowing the consequence of their choice, it wouldn’t surprise me to learn they wanted to see their older brother and sister again.”

There’s another pause here, as Connacht looks up to the night sky. The stars were out by now, liting the earth with their radiance. Desna’s put on quite the show tonight, hasn’t she.

”I told them their Lodge could rot in the mud out of the sight of rightful gods. Not long after I found myself waking up in the middle of a field not far from the edge of the forest, with enough supplies to last for a few days. I knew enough to live off the land, and so I survived.”

”Did you ever look for your sib-

”Constantly.” Connacht interupts her, taking his fiance aback for a few moments with the sheer emphasis with which the word was said and the pain that came with it. ”In those days I would have done anything to see them again. I searched for a year, looking for any sign of them. Nothing. Was found. I don’t believe there was anything to be found.

I still haven’t given up. My knowledge with magic grows with Erastil’s Grace. Perhaps one day I’ll have the necessary divination tools to find them. Maybe one day our paths will intertwine again. But that is for the gods to decide, not I.

”Then I came here. I went and came north to get as far away from that forest, making my way from town to town, till I wound up here. Yanmass.”

”It seems to attract outcasts like a magnet, doesn’t it.”

”It attracted the two of us, if nothing else. But you know the rest by now. I was trained here as a guard, gained captain Noronard’s favor and rose through the ranks. I was his incorruptible right hand. ”

”Then those thrice damned adventurers ruined everything for you. If they had followed my instructions and deposited that cursed dagger at the temple of Abadar like I had told them to, that merchant who bought the thing wouldn’t have been corrupted, captain Noronard never would have had to investigate him. He never would have gotten the dagger and fall to it’s corruption. And then you wouldn’t

”I am not speaking of that night. Never again. You filed the debrief yourself. You know what happend.

I had to gut the man I viewed as a second father, who had found me on the streets, aimless and looking for purpose in my life. I had to drag my brothers in arms to jail in iron. I had to sign their death warrants.

Wessa looks down, ashamed of having brought the conversation this far. ”I’m sorry. I should have stopped by this point.

”No… don’t fret dear. It’s done. There’s a long pause before finally Wessa breaks it.

”Well… it’s getting late by this point. Unless you have anything to add, I’ll be going. We’ve got a lot more planning to do for the wedding next week.

Connacht nods his head. There’s not much more that can be said just yet. He’ll see her in the morning. The day hadn’t been pleasant, but it had been necessary.

Their pasts were behind them now. The future lied ahead of them.

Around five minutes after his fiance’s departure, connacht hears a letter slipped below the crack in the door, and upon inspection is surprised to find that it bears a government seal. After sitting back down, he opens the letter and, for a moment, is tempted to burn the damn thing.

”Wheldrake. They’re sending me to fix wheldrake. Wonderful.” he mutters through gritted teeth. On instinct, his wolf lounges over to now curl up at his own feet. He knew they had a bandit problem, and they were sending him, apparently allone, to fix it.

The anger is short lived, however. No… this is good. You have a chance to do something here. To follow in Walaric’s path, show these folks a better way of life. It would be difficult, without a doubt. But he had long since hoped for a way to do more than merely live a righteous life in Erastil’s service. He could have more of an impact here.

He could start a new life there. Free from the memories of old friends turned murderers in this place that haunted him.

But before all of that, he had to embark upon the greatest task of all: convincing his fiance of what he had in mind.

We both might need more alcohol for that talk.

1. Why do you want this rather thankless job?

Connacht is getting “rewarded” with this job: technically this is a promotion for him, and not an inconsiderable one… on paper. Of course, many people in Taldan politics would see this as being sent off to man an outpost in the middle of nowhere. But regardless of what anyone else might think about it, Connacht both believes in the cause and thinks this is an ideal job for him.

First there’s the obvious: he’s stopping bandits. That’s about as honest work as it gets. Sure, he doesn’t hold merchant in too high of regard, but the Kingdom as a whole needs it’s sources of revenue and there are far worse ways to get them.

Secondly, he will enjoy the locale. He prefers life in smaller towns as a healthy mean between the isolation one feels in both cities and the wilderness. He’s looking forward to joining a nice community and make a life out of this. Of course, it’s an open question if his expectation of life in the town will match reality… but if it doesn’t, he’ll find a way to reshape the town (one way or another, reference the beliefs section and his plan to govern the town below).

Third, in a broader level he views this as a chance to be a guard against the corrupting influence of an overdose of unrestricted nature (Iboria) and the worst madness urban areas have to offer (Galt). He’s no revolutionary seeking to upend the social order (though he may bend it in some areas), and his appreciation of nature does not blind him to the need to maintain political societies. He’s not going to be launching crusades into foreign countries or any nonsense like that, but if he can curtail the chaotic influences of both of those realms that would be swell.

Fourthly, and perhaps more importantly, he has always wondered what things would be like if he was in charge. He’s got plans for this little town, and when he’s done with it he wants it to look like a nice, picturesque Erastillian faithful town. To be clear, this is done out of a desire to truly benefit the people who live in Wheldrake more than a desire for things to be “just so”. He wants what is good for the people of Wheldrake, and has a very particular vision of what that looks like.

Whether the citizens of Wheldrake will see things the way he does is an open question.

2. What experience do you have with lawbreakers? Were you one in the past? Are you an unbending Javert-like figure? What is your stance on redemption and forgiveness?

Connacht has been on both sides of the law. He was a lawman and investigator in Yanmass, and was kicked out of the Verduran forest on account of being on the wrong (politically, if not theologically) side of a religious schism in the Wildwood Lodge. Following his faith and behaving justly have always held a greater importance to him than simply abiding by any particular royal decree. This is not to say that he doesn’t strive to be a loyal subject of the crown: he absolutely does, but thinks the best way to go about this is to focus on the spirit, if not the letter, of the laws.

On a scale of 1 to 10 (with a Javert being a 9.75, for he did break catastrophically in the end), Connacht would roughly be a 7.5. The goal of law is for the benefit of the people, not the other way around. He’ll make whatever sacrifices he needs to for the good of the community: and he fully expects others to do the same. He’ll buy the loaf of bread he sees an urchin steels in order to save his starving sister… but he’ll make sure the urchin faces some sort of penalty for the action. Nothing so barborus as years of hard labor or cutting off a hand- the goal will be to come up with something that ensures they never need to commit the crime again, and make them not want to commit the crime again. He always tries to forgive, and would encourage rehabilitation. But he’s also a realist about the prospects of many folks at rehabilitating is slim. That’s just how folks often are.

3. What is your connection and relationship with the moribund Taldor imperial bureaucracy?

Beyond working as an investigator for the town guard in Yanmass, he quite literally married into it (see backstory). Again, he views himself as a loyal citizen of Taldor, but the spirit of the law and justice are primary to him. Excessive bureaucratic incompetence would be off putting to him, but he’s learned to work around most of its rough edges one way or another. For now, anyways.

4. Lastly, in the most broad sense, how do you plan to police the town?

To fully answer this, of course, I’d have to know the situation on the ground at the town. What infrastructure do I have? What is the layout of the town? How big of a “small town” is it? What authority figures already have influence? Beyond bandits sacking merchant caravans, what else is wrong? Etc.

While the specifics will have to wait, Connacht does have a very broad overview of how he’ll govern the town:

In the broadest sense, he’ll set himself up as the noble protector of the people, sent here to govern the citizens by the grace of his Majesty the King (may the Gods save him) and do what he can to ingratiate himself to the populace. He’s got healing magic (up to cure disease), and given the rough nature of frontier life providing that for free (or at least cheaply) will probably do a lot of good. The feasibility of this might depend on the town’s size though.

Connacht will strive to make himself be an approachable member of the community. People can come to him and he’ll arbitrate issues squarely. He does not accept bribes, and can be trusted not to show favorites or be needlessly harsh. More than that, he’ll appear at all the local functions of the town (if there are any), and duly take part in them. The goal is to ditch the label of outsider as quickly as possible. The fact that he is naturally affable should help with this.

He’ll definitely want to have at least a deputy, possibly more. The goal will be to hire trustworthy locals and get them loyal to him personally. They’ll be the ones primarily vouching for him, and he’ll try to rely on their knowledge of local sensitivities where possible/prudent/ compatible with his own ethics. The goal here will be to focus on quality of deputies as opposed to quantity, baring something like an imminent bandit raid or (gods forbid) an invasion from Galt.

When dealing with pre-existing authorities, he’s got a main plan and a backup plan:

First, he’ll try to work with them and grant them nearly as much autonomy as he wants. He’s not here to crack skulls, and far prefers collaboration to coercion. If that means stomaching a small amount of “patriotic graft” then so be it, although he’ll try to keep this to a minimum.

If local authorities prove too incompetent, he’ll just try to ignore them as much as possible, and deal with them at a bare minimum. If they prove too corrupt, his goal will be to very publically catch them in middle of an act that will cause the populous to turn on them en masse. To be abundantly clear: this is a matter of prudence, not one of philosophy. He does not believe that his authority stems from the consent of those he governs. He doesn't care one whit about what they want, except in so far as it makes his job more difficult than it needs to be. He just doesn’t want to be killed in his sleep by an angry mob for arresting the seemingly righteous leaders of the town when they’re really corrupt.

Perhaps most crucially, he’ll be keeping his specifically druid talents on the down low. Oh people will know he’s got magic: there’ll be no way to avoid that. But there’s no need for people to know that many of his “anonymous tips” are obtained by talking to the towns pidgins. Who’s going to watch their tongue around animals? The fact that he’s got a wide range of options to control animals gives him a massive amount of power that he plans to leverage as excessively as he has to. He will have eyes and ears everywhere: the druid spell list is filled with spells that can be used to extract information from the natural world.. Sure, some folks might eventually catch on, but that’ll take time. It’s not like the average commoner has ranks in spellcraft, and he presents himself as an agent of the Crown, not some tree hugger.

Beyond that: Invisibility and Charm person from Fey Spell Lore are both good for sleuthing about and extracting info from people. He’ll use the latter liberally and the former cautiously, but he has no compunctions against either. The more he knows about the situation the town is in, the more he can adapt his plans to fit them.

Overall, he wants to forge this place into a community from the top down. He plans on ruling these people with as gentle a hand as possible. There will be no impailings, mass paranoia, torture in dark dungeons, or such unsavory things. But order will be imposed, Erastil’s teachings on community will be promoted ( both from personal piety and because he thinks these are incredibly conducive to stability), and justice will be done. Hunting down the bandit’s will only be the beginning.

But long term plans aside…. about those bandits. He’s got a wolf with the scent ability, and enough nature magic to ask the local wildlife for a general location of a hideout, or at least some lead to go on. He will track them down, and drag them back to town in irons. He would greatly prefer to bring his quarry in alive so they can stand proper trial.

Human Nature Fang Druid
LG Medium Humanoid (Human)
Init +1; Senses: Perception +12

---------------------------
DEFENSE:
---------------------------

AC:18 Touch:12 Flat Footed: 17
HP 36
Fort: +7
Ref: +3
Will: +8

---------------------------
OFFENSE:
---------------------------

Speed: 30 ft.

Melee:

-Masterwork Cold Iron Scimitar [Attuned] +6 (1d6+3, 18-20 x20

-Darkwood Masterwork Quarterstaff +6 (1d6+2, x2)

Ranged:

- Masterwork Shocking Dragon Pistol +5 (1d6+ 1d6 electric, x4) {20ft range}

---------------------------
STATISTICS
---------------------------

Str: 14, Dex: 12, Con: 14, Int: 10, Wis 17, Cha 13

Base Atk: +3; CMB: +5; CMD: 17

---------------------------
FEATS:
---------------------------

- Point Blank Shot

- Fey Spell Lore

- Exotic Weapon Proficiency (From Nature Fang Slayer Talent, choose Rogue Talent, chose Firearm Training)

- Deific Obedience (Erastil)

Traits:

- Influence

- Omen

---------------------------
Skills:
---------------------------

30 total (20 druid, 5 preferred class, 5 human)

Climb: 5 (+1 rank, +3 class-1 ACP +2 str)

Diplomacy: 6 (+5 ranks, +1 Cha, +1 trait)

Heal : 7 (+1 rank, +3 skill, +3 class)

Intimidate +7 (+2 rank, +1 cha +3 class, +1 trait)

Knowledge (Nature): +4 (+1 rank, +3 class)

Knowledge (Planes): +1 (+1 rank)

Knowledge (Religion): +3 (+3 ranks)

Perception: 10 (+2 rank +4 wis +3 class +2 from domain )

Sense Motive: 13 (+5 rank +4 wis +3 class, +2 from eye for talent)

Spellcraft: 4 (+3 rank, +1 rank)

Stealth: 3 (+3 rank, +1 dex, -1 ACP )

Swim: 5 (+2 str, +1 rank, +3 class, -1 ACP)

Use Magic Device: 2 (+1 rank, +1 cha)

Background Skills: (10 total, 2 per level)

Craft (Alchemy): 7 (+3 rank, +3 class, +1 tool)

Knowledge (Geography): +4 (+1 rank, +3 class)

Knowledge (History): +1 (+1 rank)

Handle Animal : 9 (+ 5 rank, +1 CHA, +3 class)

Human Nature Fang Druid
N Medium Wolf (Animal)
Senses: Perception +5, Scent, Low Light Vision

---------------------------
DEFENSE:
---------------------------

AC:18 Touch:12 Flat Footed: 16
HP 20
Fort: 5
Ref: 5
Will: 2

---------------------------
OFFENSE:
---------------------------

Speed: 45 ft.

Melee:

- Bite (1d6+3, 20 x2, trip)

---------------------------
STATISTICS
---------------------------

Str: 15, Dex: 15, Con: 15, Int: 2, Wis 12, Cha 6

Base Atk: +2; CMB: +4; CMD: 16

---------------------------
FEATS:
---------------------------

- Weapon Focus (Bite)

- Light Armor Proficiency

---------------------------
Skills:
---------------------------

3 total

Perception +5 ( 1 rank, 3 class, 1 wis )

Stealth: +5 (1 rank, 3 class, 2 dex, -1 ACP)

Survival: +2 (1 rank, 1 wis)

Wolf Masterwork Leather Lamellar Armor with Deflecting Mod (1,420 GP)

Masterwork Double Plated Spell Storing Leather Lamellar Armor (2,210 GP)

Masterwork Cold Iron Scimitar (330 GP)

Masterwork Black Wood Quarterstaff (380 gp)

Masterwork Shocking Dragon Pistol (2,300 gp)

Beneficial Bandoleer (1000 gp)

Masterwork Composite Longbow (+2) (600 GP)

Bullseye lantern of hidden sight (1000 GP)

Wand of Cure Light Wounds (750 GP) [50/50]

Wooden Holy Symbol of Erastil (1 GP)

Portable Alchemist's Kit (75 gp)

TOTAL GOLD SPENT: 10,066

Remaining purchases will all be relatively minor things, like ammo and whatnot.

Female Empiricist Investigator  
NG
Init +2; Perception +4
--------------------
Defense
--------------------
AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 15
hp 43
Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +5;
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 30 ft.
Melee Rapier +7 (1d6+3)
Ranged Shortbow +5(1d6)
Extracts (CL 5th)
. . At will—Detect Magic, Acid Splash, Message, Light
Lv 1 extracts prepared (5/day): 2x Ant haul, CLW, Heightened Awareness, 1 empty slot
Lv2 extracts prepared (2/day): Barkskin (x2)

Extracts known:
CLW, Ant Haul, Long Arm, Enlarge Person, Heightened Awareness, Shield, Monkey Fish
Barkskin, Lesser Restoration
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 17, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 10
Base Atk +3; CMB +6; CMD 13
Feats Iron Will, Familiar bond, Undersized Mount, Improved Familiar Bond
Discoveries
Mutagen, Infusion,
Traits Milita Veteran, Clever Wordplay
Skills Diplomacy +10, Sense Motive+7, Knowledge Local +8, Knowledge Dungeoneering +6, Knowledge Nature +7, Knowledge Planes +7, Knowledge Religion +7, Perception+8, Disable Device+10, Ride+3, Survival +7, Spellcraft +6
Background skills Knowledge history +7, Knowledge Geography +6, Appriase +6 , Craft Alchemy +7, Knowledge Nobility +6, Knowledge Engineering +6, Linguistics +7
Equipment
Racial trait: Dimdweller

Cold Iron Morningstar, Silver Mace, Sap, Alchemist crafting kit, Trail rations (5), Wand of CLW,
MW Backpack, MW Chain shirt, MW Thieves tools, 50 ft silk rope, chalk, hammer, pitons(2), Dagger, Shortbow, 40 arrows, 20 cold iron arrows, journal, ink, ink pen, gp tbd

N Medium Magical beast (Mauler Familiar)
Init +2; Senses: +14 Perception
DEFENSE
AC: 21
hp:21
Fort: +2, Ref: +6, Will: +4
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft., Fly 60 ft.
Melee Claw +6 (1d4+2), Claw +6(1d4+2)
STATISTICS
Str 14, Dex 15, Con 11, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 7
BAB +3; CMB +5; CMD 28
Feats: Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills: Diplomacy +4, Sense Motive+5, Knowledge Local +0, Knowledge Dungeoneering -1, Knowledge Nature -1, Knowledge Planes -1, Knowledge Religion -1, Disable Device+10, Ride+5, Survival +5, Perception +14, Knowledge history +0, Knowledge Geography -1, Appriase -1, Craft Alchemy +0, Knowledge Nobility -1, Knowledge Engineering -1, Linguistics +0
Feats: Skill Focus Perception
SQ: Improved Evasion, Share Spells, Empathic Link

Alanna was born of a family of bankers that bought their way into Taldan nobility. She had a life of wealth and comfort ahead of her, if she would have taken up the family business. But she wanted none of it – since she knew that it was all dirty money. Her family was ruthless when it came to repossessing properties of those who could not afford to repay, leaving them poor and destitute. It was even rumored they had hired enforcers to have people pay up. She felt that her family was one of those decadent nobles that were leading to Taldor's gradual decline and so she left her family, taking her pet falcon with her. She joined the Oppara Constabulary, wanting to do something good for the common people, to help even up what her family had done wrong. She distinguished herself in dealing with a fey threat in the Veduran forest with some pathfinders, and rose in the ranks of the Constabulary.

The recent incidents in Wheldrake has been causing the nobility to complain about their lost investments, and the Taldan Burecracy has finally decided to make a show of doing something, sending a marshal down to clean up the mess..

1) Because whenever there is anarchy – it is the common people that suffer. Sure it's a thankless task, but it needs to be done.
2) Alanna's family could be considered lawbreakers...that is if anyone managed to catch them breaing the law, the sneaky buggers. Aurelia believes that the spirit of the law should be followed rather then the letter – since in a far-off town – any allies she can get in cleaning up the town would be welcome, even if they aren't squeaky clean. And you can't run a town if you've executed everyone.
3) Alanna thinks that the Taldan imperial bureaucracy is just trying to keep up appearances of doing something, and does not expect much support from them despite being sent down by them.
4) Step 1: Find out what are the problems in the town.
Step 2: See who can be trusted (if the current government can be trusted, work with it)
Step 3: Recruit potential allies to the ruling party and form a town watch(if there isn't one there)

I've run solo (GM side) – but not freeform – it's all Pathfinder Society scenarios. I'm curious on what it's like on player side. Activity wise – well I have a ton of it - you may vet my GM games if you wish. LN player also. I know my character is not exactly very optimized on the combat side but I was trying to cover more grounds, skills wise.