In my campaign, Meravanchi has just won the election. The Backdrop: Farshore section details that if this happens, one of his primary goals is annexing the seven villages. How does he go about doing this? Is it immediate? We're about 3 weeks (in game) from the invasion, and I'm thinking about having an assassination event play out from some angry Olmans. Just not sure how it would all go down, and how quickly. Also, should it affect Olman support for the battle since the PC's have already secured it by appeasing Zotzilaha?
Meravanchi is a clever man. He would get all the help he can get from the villagers for the battle first and then begin working out his plan. These things take time and it won't be an immediate "take over" kind of thing.
He has probably sent out clandestine survey teams already to find a few choice pieces of land in Olman territory that he can also defend against any angry reactions from the villagers. The villagers might at first respond by sending emmisaries to Farshore to voice their complaints and being the clever, smooth operator that he is, he will probably try to placate them with some new trade deals or something else. He might then send spies to see who of the villagers are the most outspoken against Farshore's actions and have them discreetly eliminated.
When it is clear that Meravanchi and the people of Farshore have no intention of giving back what they have taken, and that they are claiming more and more land, the Olman villagers will most likely attack the colony.
All of this should take quite a bit of time to actually develop, so it may never be something the PCs have to involve themselves with since they have bigger world issues on their hands (the rest of the AP).
In my campaign, Meravanchi has just won the election. The Backdrop: Farshore section details that if this happens, one of his primary goals is annexing the seven villages. How does he go about doing this? Is it immediate? We're about 3 weeks (in game) from the invasion, and I'm thinking about having an assassination event play out from some angry Olmans. Just not sure how it would all go down, and how quickly. Also, should it affect Olman support for the battle since the PC's have already secured it by appeasing Zotzilaha?
I'd say there's definitely a chance that Meravachi will wait it out. Use the Olman's as a sacrificial force in the upcoming battle and let their warriors be in the front of the Crimson Fleet's invasion. This serves to weaken both his enemies. Afterwards, he and his personal guards (who so loyally kept with him during the battle) steam roll through the remaining Olman Villagers and conquer them.
~ Bryon ~
sending the men to pick peppers/cotton etc.. and keeping the women for ..err.. recreational purposes..
I do wonder tho. Where would Rowyn stand as the alternative leader? ;)
And where would Rowyn stand?
..probly agreeing with the meravanchi line, lol
Good suggestions. How about Mayor Manthalay lets it be somewhat widely rumored that he plans on taking one or two of the island villages in the next month. Publicly, he keeps on smiling at the Olmans come to defend against pirates, but everyone kind of knows what he's planning. The Olmans, greatly alarmed, come to the PCs (since the PCs are their go-to people anyway, they're the people they are really helping) and ask if this is true, how likely is it to be true, and pretty much demand that the PCs defend them when the time comes if they are going to help defend against the pirates. Manthalay, if asked, will tell the PCs that he has no such intentions, and I'm sure someone will detect his bluff. The Olmans will try to get a promise of help from the PCs if it comes down to it.
He truly plans on waiting until after the invasion and then taking an Olman prisoner and leaving evidence that it was someone from Farshore. He will hide the prisoner in his basement and wait for an inevitable attack by the Olmans. This attack will come swiftly but it will be soundly defended against. The purpose of this attack is to rally some of the undecided Farshore residents to his cause against the Olman interests because the primitives can't be trusted to so surround the growing civilization. At this point Manthalay starts making public speeches about annexing them.
This sets you up with a few alternatives.. the PCs can be approached by the Olmans right before the attack in response to the missing Olman that Manthalay is hiding in his basement. The Olmans ask the PCs to help find their fellow (i.e., prove that it was Manthalay that took him) and this is kind of a detective/sneaky mission for them.
Another possibility, a diplomatic task of convincing most of the city to NOT go with Manthalay and annex the villages. This may lead to them being thrown in prison, leading an underground rebellion, or any number of things to keep a promise to the Olmans and/or do what's right.
Another possibility, a big battle where the PCs just fight on the side of the Olmans against the actual Farshore militia. Depending on their choices and actions, this could have all sorts of ramifications for their relationships in Farshore and Lavinia's position. For example, if they overkill and slay most of the militia, many of the militia's family members back in Farshore, agreeing with Manthalay or not, will be pretty peeved at them all.
And if they just take out Manthalay, his deputy mayor takes over his legacy, and the PCs can welcome their new leader, Mayor Avner. If he gets assassinated as well, as previously posted in other threads, Lavinia and the PCs start to look pretty bad (assassination usually goes over that way).