Updated Vulpus, to throw his hat in the ring again! Excited to try my hand at this type of game.
Vulpus is a Kitsune Bard aimed at infiltration and maintaining a low profile. His preferred MO is to find weak-willed individuals and play at their weaknesses (without magic) to win them over to his ends. Changing someone's mind is often harder, but longer lasting than magic. If the target is not easily corruptible my subtle seduction, there remains the option to compromise the target and coerce them into compliance.
Failing these options, magic remains an option, but its detection and short-lived influence makes it a secondary plan for Vulpus. Here are some of Vulpus's plans with regards to local targets. (These are somewhat reposted, but updated).
Sargava: While formerly a Chelish holding, the distance and protection from the Shackles makes it a difficult target. It would likely be better to target parts of the Shackles first and weaken the protections surrounding Sargava. Once the Free Captains' hold is weakened, it sounds like the people can easily be incited to revolt as there is little wealth to be had in the area. If we come with the promise of gold and investment, it's likely Her Majestrix's influence would be welcomed back.
The Shackles: While undoing the entirety of The Shackles would be difficult work, the fractured nature of the Free Captains could make it possible to sow mistrust and instability. Some options include converting current Free Captains to privateers for Cheliax, likely an expensive exercise. Alternatively, we could try to establish our own puppet Free Captains to sow distrust. A little discord can go a long way in a group so loosely held together. If we have a Free Captain or plants we could likely regain a foothold in The Shackles. Regaining control here would also reduce piracy targeting our vessels.
Diobel: A promising target to increase Cheliax's influence on Absalom. Having a rocky relationship with the Pathfinders, having more leverage over the city will certainly prove useful. There appear to be a few avenues to gain influence. With the government rarely changing, it seems like it would be easier to gain influence with the current Teriarch than try to install new governance. There are a few possible angles of attack from my initial assessment. The current Teriarch has a tense relationship with the Primarch, so we could spread rumors that would strain the relationship even more, leading the Teriarch seek powerful allies. A second option would be to target the Kortos Consortium. They have a fair amount of influence in the city and seek to reduce smuggling. As an expert infiltrator, I would be more than happy to set up some new smuggling supply routes to and from Absalom. This increased smuggling activity is sure to cause panic among the Consortium. This will allow us to either degrade their influence until Diobel's stability wavers, or we could offer them assistance in tracking down and eliminating those supply lines. Certainly, a prestigious Chelish Inquisitor like Magnius would have the pedigree for such an operation. Both methods are orthogonal, and can be pursued concurrently.
Escadar: Escadar is likely a poor target. They help suppress piracy for us. At least until we've made some dent in the Shackles it seems foolhardy to try and bring Escadar low. However, Escadar must be dealt with before any large naval operations across the Inner Sea can take place. There are not many obvious opportunities for sowing dissent. They openly invite dens of vice in the city, but at a steep price. Those are likely our best angle for gathering leads on vulnerable targets. That aside, formal diplomatic efforts seem likely to yield better results.
Augustana: An ambitious target, certainly. While this is likely not a city we can significantly corrupt due to its strategic importance, it does seem like a valuable strategic target for infiltration. It's one of the largest sources of naval vessels in all of the Inner Sea, as well as a naval base of great significance. Being so close to our borders, diminishing the city's might would certainly serve our navy well, leaving it with little contest in the Inner Sea. Damaging their shipyards or munitions in any significant capacity would definitely give Her Majestrix's navy a large advantage were Andoran to consider any hostilities against the crown.
Since some of these were explicitly mentioned, I'll add some new entries
Rahadoum: This is an interesting target. Though my methods normally favor finding and compromising powerful individuals, Rahadoum in particular, seems susceptible to unrest from the people. Rahadoum has prohibited the worship of all gods. While this First Law still holds, there is unrest over the idea. There remain secret practitioners of religions, and ills befalling the nation are often attributed to gods angry with the First Law. The most prudent plan of action seems to be targeting the populace, destroying their crops and poisoning their wells, all the while playing up rumors of the anger of the gods. This should be done in concert with stoking the zeal of some of our more amenable faiths’ most passionate missionaries, convincing them that bringing faith back to Rahadoum is the only way to prevent these ills, and it is their divine mission to do so. As all this unrest picks up, Cheliax may decide whether to step in with food aid to gain a softer influence, or if our efforts are particularly successful at destabilizing the region, it may make it susceptible to conquest.
Isger: Already a vassal state of Cheliax, it seems unlikely to be the best use of our efforts. The region still suffers from the effects of its last war. It welcomes all trade we bring through there. Were we to target the nation, diplomatic and rebuilding efforts seem an easier way to expand influence than coercion and duplicity.
Nisroch: There are rumors of captains from the Shackles making their way to Nisroch. This is certainly a concern, as our relationship with Nidal is already difficult. If we do put effort in corrupting one or more captains in the Shackles, this might give us both more intelligence and access to Nisroch’s schemes and ports. More interestingly, Nisroch is kept under a tight watch, with the Silent Shroud order having absolute obedience and training, it will be difficult to corrupt their guards. A lack of merrymaking means it will be difficult to exploit vice to target the leaders of the city and their lesser members of the Umbral Court. Our best bet is to seek a small resistance of Desnan followers that cannot tolerate the Nidalese regime. While finding this group may be difficult, empowering the Desnans with both our skills and resources can certainly loosen the tight grip the government has on the city.
