My players all made aristocrat PCs for this path, and they're each from a different canonical noble family. One of them, of course, is an Arkona.
One of the things I required of my players is that they tell me about one person who is widely known to be important to them, and one person known only their buddies. In the former category I had a member of the Korvosan guard, a girl the PC hopes to marry, a stablehand in the hippogriff stables, a banker, and the man who believes himself to be the true heir to the throne. In the latter category I received a Hellknight, a Varisian storyteller, a resident of the Shingles, a member of the Cerulean Society, and a priestess of Desna. I'm delighted by this, and the story should practically tell itself.
The player of the Arkona character, however, didn't give me either. He asked me to make up his two contacts based on his character's desire to see the downfall of the evil elements within his house. (The player knows none of the secrets of his house, just that there are some and that many of his family members are very bad people.)
Any suggestions? I'm thinking that the secret contact might actually be a member of the Red Mantis, but that even the PC doesn't know that much. The public friend could be a charismatic-but-stupid paladin who has repeatedly tried (and failed) to take on the Arkonas (and has been much ridiculed by them at dinner parties as a result). Any other thoughts?
Yeah, because of course my players are all about not having any ties to the plotline's antagonists. ;)
Seriously, thank-you for the warning. The player guessed from what little he knows that they're Bad Guys, and he wants them to either get redeemed or else completely fall. There's a metagame issue in that he's moving to the other side of the continent in a few months, so if his character mysteriously disappears at some point then we can even tie that in with the plot.
So he's part of the small minority of that house that isn't involved with their deep, dark secret. If nothing else he wants to learn the secret and then fight against it. I think that there's real potential for a heroic journey here.
One option could be Vencarlo Orisini (probably for the secret contact, unless the PC is a student of Vencarlo). We know that he doesn't think highly of the Arkonas.
Another possibility is someone from Vudra who has come to Korvosa as part of an ongoing investigation into one of the Arkona cousins who recently came here. But this would probably reveal too much information too soon.
One option could be Vencarlo Orisini (probably for the secret contact, unless the PC is a student of Vencarlo). We know that he doesn't think highly of the Arkonas.
There was an agreement (that I should have mentioned) that these would be entirely new characters. Great idea, though! As it happens, one of the other PCs has Vencarlo's alter ego as an idol, and I suspect that there will be links aplenty soon enough. :)
Another possibility is someone from Vudra who has come to Korvosa as part of an ongoing investigation into one of the Arkona cousins who recently came here. But this would probably reveal too much information too soon.
I like this a lot! The PC could (unbeknownst to him) be under investigation, and when the time comes the Vudran could reveal what's happening.
Do rakshasas have ancestral enemies? Who's the investigator likely to be? Some random Vudran human, or something more exotic? I shall ponder.
Do reincarnated agnostics on Golarion ever remember the circumstances of their previous death? Maybe it's the original Arkona trader.
A bit unrelated, but is it just me or does "Arkona" sound a bit like "Harkonnen"? ;)
Do rakshasas have ancestral enemies? Who's the investigator likely to be? Some random Vudran human, or something more exotic? I shall ponder.
Yuan-ti are a natural enemy for rakshasa, if Golarion has them: both tropical-exotic, but incompatible types.
We're probably going to have to do something a lot more nuanced with House Arkona than the main-line as well, as the PCs are getting pretty deeply involved with them politically and personally. I like the idea of an investigator from the homeland.
Currently our PC party leader is angling to marry into Arkona, though her tea-party with Melyia has put her off a bit.
Mary
Yuan-ti are a natural enemy for rakshasa, if Golarion has them: both tropical-exotic, but incompatible types.
Yuan-ti are not open game content sadly, but they would be awesome to use in a home game. :D
Yuan-ti are not open game content sadly, but they would be awesome to use in a home game. :D
The restriction under which we're operating is that if the Paizo writers aren't using a source then we're not either (with the exception of my admittedly-warped brain). I'm happy with the Vudran paladin who's pretending to be a ditz--I think that this will work well with the player in question.
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One option could be Vencarlo Orisini (probably for the secret contact, unless the PC is a student of Vencarlo). We know that he doesn't think highly of the Arkonas.There was an agreement (that I should have mentioned) that these would be entirely new characters. Great idea, though! As it happens, one of the other PCs has Vencarlo's alter ego as an idol, and I suspect that there will be links aplenty soon enough. :)
another related possibility is that the contact is one of Vencarlo's students, perhaps the one he is currently preening to take over from him after his duo of protoguie's left him? This would allow him to be present and further connect the two... maybe this is the contact telling him of the evilness in his house, fed by Vencarlo's dislike for them.
Contributor
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A bit unrelated, but is it just me or does "Arkona" sound a bit like "Harkonnen"? ;)
I wish I could say that was intentional, but it wasn't. It's very cool, though, since I totally love Dune. (And it's also likely that when I saw the name "Arkona" I subconsciously thought about how closely it sounded like "Harkonnen" and thought it was therefore cool. ^_^)
I'm gearing up to run either this or RotR in the next month and am intrigued by your two background requirements. How are you planning to utilize this within the game? Will there be any benefits other than that the PCs are more closely attached to the setting?
Here's the full set of character creation guidelines:
You have up to three levels of aristocrat. (You choose how many, and you can't take more aristocrat levels later.) You are a member of a noble family in Korvosa. You have thirty-two points for your ability scores, plus an additional two points that have already been spent on Charisma. You receive full hit points for every aristocrat level, and after that will receive half your hit die plus one new hit points every level.
You each receive an allowance. Every week on Wealday you receive (10 x your aristocrat level x your hit dice) gold coins from your family. This is automatically transferred to your account in the Bank of Abadar.
You must be at least half-human (since you were all born to human mothers). Half-orcs are inappropriate, and half-elves are both pitied and distrusted. Reactions to tieflings depend greatly on the individual. None of you is an aasimar. Other halfbreeds are open to discussion but are unlikely.
You all have a room in your family's manor. You can stay there any time you like, but your families have strict rules about behaviour that you have to follow the entire time that you're there. You each begin play with 500 gold coins, a noble's outfit, a signet ring, and 100 gp worth of entailed family jewellery.
All of you with at least two levels of aristocrat have an apartment in the University Ward. The rent is paid by your family, for as long as you abide by the terms of your lease (ie don't disturb the other tenants, don't embarass the family, etc). You also have one entailed non-magical masterwork item worth up to 1000 gp.
All of you with at least three levels of aristocrat have an entailed magic weapon worth up to 3000 gp. Also, your signet ring is a ring of protection +1. You have a second entailed masterwork item. Your family has hired a cleaning agency for your apartment, and will pay for catering one dinner there every week (given at least three days notice).
You must identify your family. If you have the Guide to Korvosa then you may choose an existing noble family. Anyone is allowed to create one from scratch. You may tell me as much or as little about your family as you like. You cannot be the head of the family or its heir.
You must describe one person living in Korvosa who is important to you. This should not be an existing NPC described anywhere else; please make this person up. This person is generally known to be someone you value, but is not a Mephit. For example, this might be an older cousin who taught your how to keep track of your bank balance, or it might be a sergeant in your family's guards.
You must describe one additional person living in Korvosa, this time not generally known to be your acquaintance (ie not a Mephit). Again, this should not be an existing NPC described anywhere else. Aside from your fellow Mephits (who keep your secrets but might tease you about them), most people don't know that you and this NPC know each other. You can be anything from passing acquaintances to good friends. For example, this might be an acolyte in the Temple of Asmodeus, or a Sczarni thug who sells poison.
My players submitted some really great contacts, and I'm definitely going to use them in the game. The first session is this afternoon, and I'm going to have some of their contacts available, and possibly involve a prank on the part of their arch-rival club (the Crest Circle Young Monarchists, or "Kimmies"). I suspect we won't get to Encounter One this week, and instead will just work on establishing the flavour of the PCs and the group.
Does this help?
After reading Escape from Old Korvosa, I don’t see many problems with having a PC tied to the Arkonas – other than the fact the Arkona family will become persona non-grata in the city. Here are my suggestions.
First, the player character is from a junior branch of the Arkonas – a nephew or cousin distant from the main family whose secrets they don’t know. This part of the family could either be willing accomplices to the political wishes of the Arkonas, or perhaps estranged from them. It really depends on the PC.
As for contacts, there are several options. For the person publicly known, why not a member of the Arkona household staff? Perhaps a stablehand or coachman well known to the PC. Perhaps he remembers the way the family use to be, and is disturbed by odd things he’s witnessed over the past decades. He’s still loyal to the family of course, and doesn’t suspect that another family member (the PC) could be plotting against it. Instead, he’s known the PC since his childhood, and has simply taken a liking to him. He knows the PC is sympathetic to his concerns. This contact is best for providing gossip about the Arkonas as well as the aristocracy in general. Since this contact will be sealed off in Old Korvosa during the plague, the player may have a very good reason to want to sneak into the district to determine he is OK.
For the secret contact, why not a rival family to the Arkonas who wish them ill? They met during some odd social event, and just had great chemistry. However, their family rivalries prevent open consortium. Maybe they meet during an illicit gambling game (poker night in South Shore) with some other dissolute buddies. Or go with a Capulet & Montague theme and have them be secret lovers whose families would not approve. You could always give this contact another edge (such as member of the Sable Company) in order that you can give rumors and information different from the first. It's up to you if the contact truly cares about the PC, or is simply using the PC.
I hope this comes in enough time to help.
Thanks, Fox! As it happens, we've already started play, so I needed to come up with something. Here's what I gave him:
secret friend: Yindrini Hasmarga, a Varisian petty criminal who refuses to do things the Arkona way
public friend: Ranija Dumra, a Vudran paladin who consistently makes a fool of herself opposing the Arkona family
There was some back and forth as to which would be the public friend and which the secret friend, but that was his final decision.
Secret stuff:
I particularly like the stablehand idea, and might introduce it in addition to what's already established. Thanks!