Role of Hellknights / Gray maidens

[jbowtie]

I'm currently engaged in heavily reworking the setting for my Regency England campaign, and I'm curious as to what role the Hellknights and/or Gray Maidens play within the Adventure Path itself.

From reading the first 3 volumes, it looks like they provide only atmosphere (and not even much of that as the Hellknights shut themselves into their citadel). In addition, the events of #10 and #11 take place outside the city where I wouldn't expect any connection. I don't yet have access to #11 or #12 in my country yet, so maybe they play some role I can't imagine.

Can anyone tell me if they have any actual impact on the adventure as an organization? I'm not too worried about individuals as they can just be reworked to be part of some other org if needed.

[tbug]

You'll definitely want to check out volume twelve. The Gray Maidens are significant there.

Spoiler:

They're supporting the evil queen, but their leader has a crisis of conscience. Depending on how the players react, she could conceivably become a resource or possibly even an ally.

Also, the harsh training regime of the Gray Maidens mean that a lot of them fail, and are imprisoned and in need of rescue. The fact that they have to be pretty in order to get recruited means that anyone who isn't up to the queen's subjective standards of beauty got imprisoned instead of recruited, and all those people need rescue too.

The Hellknights are only around as a harsh law enforcement agency that gets replaced by the Gray Maidens. The latter agency recruits some of the former.

[Heathansson]

[threadjack] what's a Regency England campaign?

[Sean Mahoney]

I would suggest that specifically they are not necessary for the campaign. For things to go close to as written you would want the queen to have her own secret police of some kind that take over the security of the city.

This could be a seperate group altogether, like the Grey Maidens, or just certain individuals in the existing army/police force who take over from those previously in power and are obviously tied to the new power structure.

With that, I think you will be just fine.

For the Hellknights, they are really only in the roles that you have already seen them. They are pure flavor. If you wanted to keep that flavor, any mercenary force could fill the role nicely.

Sean Mahoney

[Charles Evans 25]

Heathansson wrote:

[threadjack] what's a Regency England campaign?

Early nineteenth century, I think, when whichever George it was on the throne at the time was mad, and his son was 'Prince Regent'.

Hmmm. I'm wondering how Illeosa is being figured into this...
Edit:
George III was the king who was mad, and as far as the governance of the country was concerned the actual regency period lasted from 1811-1820, although in terms of the production of goods in styles popularised during this time ('Regency' furnishings, houses, etc) the period extends for some time after.
*Brighton Pavilion*, the Prince Regent's extravagant 'seaside home'.

[Charles Evans 25]

Hellknights as German mercenaries?

[James Jacobs]

The Gray Maidens have an important and integral role in Curse of the Crimson Throne, as mentioned above.

Hellknights do not. They're background flavor at best, and by the end of the 2nd adventure have all but withdrawn from the scene. We had enough going on in the AP without them, AND we have some pretty big plans for the Hellknights in an upcoming Adventure Path, so for now, it's probably best to downplay them in Crimson Thone (unless you don't want to, of course!).

[jbowtie]

Heathansson wrote:

[threadjack] what's a Regency England campaign?

Think Jane Austen; as mentioned it technically ends in 1820 but is often used (as it is here) as a catch-all for the pre-Victorian period.

In real life, Edward VII died in 1837 shortly after Victoria turned 18, so she was able to assume the throne. In my campaign, he dies a few weeks too early, allowing the unpopular Duchess of Kent (also named Victoria) to become Regent - it's all to easy to put her in the role of Ilosea.

It's actually a very good match for the campaign; Big Ben hasn't been built yet, no trains are running yet (the first train station in London doesn't open until the end of the year), Parliament burnt down under mysterious circumstances a few months prior, Oliver Twist is being published in the papers (hello, Gaedren Lamm).

Oh, and the Prime Minister is Earl Grey - the one the tea is named after. Though I might make it Earl Greystoke in my little Tarzan joke.

[jbowtie]

jbowtie wrote:

In real life, Edward VII died in 1837

And of course it's William IV who died; I have no idea why I keep confusing him with Edward. I've been doing that consistently for the last few weeks.