Wut do?
I started them in a large city that abhors arcane magics of all kinds, including most magical goods, though divine magic is well received. This hostility towards magic comes from a spellblight that happened centuries ago (I swear I was planning this before Ultimate Magic came out, was announced, even). They've been away, adventuring for over a year in game-time, and while they were gone, a group of "merchants" who work for an underground society (not unlike the Illuminati) moved in and started peddling minor magical goods to test the waters.
Now, I need to figure out how to map the progression from "magic is badwrongfun and we should kill it!" to "ah, shucks, magic ain't so bad" to "oh boy, we love our new magic stuff!" even further to "close down the churches, we have a new master: this wizard guy!"
Stage 1 - "See? It's not so bad!"
>> A single trader wanders into town, a herald of a larger trading company "from across the sea."
>> Minor conveniences that are affordable, but superfluous; trinkets, like toy swords that flash and make noise, cloth that doesn't stain, and costume jewelry that suppresses acne.
Stage 2 - "This will make your life easier!"
>> Items replicate household appliances, powertools, etc. These items are still somewhat affordable, but the convenience of having them makes them more valuable than the items from Stage 1, so they are harder to come by. They claim to be doing Eilonia a service by reintroducing them to the safe-side of magic.
Stage 3 - "One bad apple spoils the bunch..."
>> Vendor is forced to close his shop for selling seeking crossbow bolts. Authroities crack down hard on magical wares and restrict many vendors. There is a brief public outcry for support of the vendor at first, but authorities show sound reasoning and fair judgment on the matter. The noise dies down.
Stage 4 - "Help! I'm bein' repressed!"
>> An innkeeper is found to be in possession of several crates of what he claims are love potions, sold to him by an old man with a cart full of amazing things. The innkeeper had been using them to get patrons to fall for the bar wenches to sell more food and drink, and so that the wenches would have an easier time whoring out. Prostitution is against the law in Eilonia, as is the facilitation of it; his potions are seized. As a first offense, the courts are inclined to let the innkeep off with a warning, but he denies accusations of whoring out his girls and claims that the government has not only defamed his good name, but has given away one of his trade secrets. With some coaxing from the foreign trading company, the populous is divided on the topic; there are those who side with the innkeeper, and those who say he should have been shut down.
Stage 5 - "It's just easier to give them what they want."
>> The heavy restrictions on magical goods is lessened, though it is still monitored closely. The guard begins to be spread thin as new divisions are created to deal with the management of magical goods and the foreign trading company. The foreign trading company sets up a permanent location in the city.
Any suggestions on the logical progression of what's going on? It doesn't have to be air-tight logic, just enough to get to the point that the city revolts against the government in defense of their newfound love of magic. Also, I want this to happen pretty quickly, over the course of a year or less in game-time. When I think about that, it feels unrealistic, but I justify it with things like suggestion and the general ignorance of the unwashed masses during such a time period.
The kingdom being overthrown is actually under the rule of the most loved king the continent has ever seen. He rules with an even hand and is far more humble and gracious than other monarchs in the land. The city is more or less LG, but has some shady venues if you know where to look (like any other). The underground organization is one comprised of a vast, world-spanning network of arcane casters who are intent on achieving "infinite knowledge" and through that, power over the multi-verse. These casters have sleeper agents everywhere and the leaders will be the endgame bosses, possibly into epic levels.
Typically plots like this are reactionary, i.e., it was because of something bad in the past that arcane magic is denied while divine magic is still OK. Since you have a beloved king, then it's not the king overreacting to a lost son or daughter by outlawing arcane magic.
Since divine is still OK it could be a rogue high priest or clerical order that is trying to "stamp out" heretical arcane magic in favor of divine, especially its' own divine, magic. Usually because of the undead horde that was destroyed in time by said high priest or clerical order. The local king allows him/her to do the purge in order to root out the still-at-large necromancer. Once the necromancer is found and publicly hung or killed, then arcane magic becomes OK again.
Or you could have "signs and potents" that allows several divine leaders to declare arcane magic "unclean" because of some dire prophecy, and until the good guys stop the world-ending prophecy, arcane magic is taboo.
The king's hands are tied because the divine rulers can cause a mob to form instantly, and several younger priests are taking advantage of the ban to increase their own flocks by rooting out the "bad guys".
Dueling arcane wizards/sorcerers take out a major portion of the city, and no one comes to their defense, allowing the divine casters to outlaw arcane magic for a while. The duel was very public and over the course of hours, killing and maiming innocent bystanders so now no one likes arcane magic.
Arcane magic comes back when the prophecy is false and doesn't come true, nothing blows up the city as foretold, the good guys can use arcane magic without trouble, the fear wears off after several months of no more duels, etc.
The underground network could have started the whole "duel until only one is standing", and several more mini-duels keep arcane magic verboten until the organization is changed from within.
Oooh, I know. Inquisitors of the Magic God! They can be pushing for the reintroduction of magic, so that their wizard masters can gain access to the strategically important city.
They can be mid level lieutenants and agents and would have access to all sorts of fun magic items, and a high UMD skill. They might have consumable or otherwise expensive items that are otherwise cost prohibitive. Maybe they have a wand of suggestion. Or maybe they provided a dangerous sleeper agent with a necklace of fireballs.
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While I do not believe this has anything to do with the topic, it could be interesting to see how the Celestial and Destined sorcerers would work under such restrictions. Both are connected to divinity in some way after all.
That being said, what is arcane magic wasn't the cause for the ban at all, but an initiate who tried to call a planetar(using a scroll) because he believed he could, and instead got a pit fiend or balor that he couldn't control? Assuming he survived to lie, he could say he he witnessed a wizard summoning it in order to destroy the church.
In terms of the progression, since you want it to happen as fast as it is, I would throw in some string-pullers to make it happen -- of course, then you need to know who's pulling what string.
If, for instance, the churches have near-theocratic power and want to keep the arcanists out, it could be that when Stage 1 started, they saw what was coming and decided that they would engineer situations to remind the populace just how dangerous arcane magic is (especially in the hands of those not chosen by the gods) -- so that's the source of the "bad" stuff - they pulled old contraband out of their vaults from when the ban first started and used them to create incidents [prostitution with philters of love, escalating to having the men in question bankrupt themselves and their families for their new "loves" is an excellent first one -- assassination of a beloved noble via venomed dagger or seeking bolt -- and then something meant to force the king to react -- like someone fireball/meteor swarming an orphanage that his wife/daughter is visiting, killing everyone]
Now, the church gets the king to ban magic again -- but the people aren't appeased -- and can easily find themselves torn on the issue -- especially if the orphanage was being visited at the time by some sorcerers and bards (who were meant to take the blame), who then used their magic to save as many people as possible.
If the king never learns the true story of the attack, he'll be on the "down with magic" side.
Now the other strings may be getting pulled by the arcane group you're discussing, or the church of the God of Magic, or, for that matter, bards (which is fun because they have an interest as arcanists, the mad skills for deception, planning and, even, crowd manipulation), or all of the above working in isolation or in concert.
For instance:
Step 1: The first landing of magic items could have been the church of the magic god, trying to gently point out the error of their ways.
Step 2: The arcanist group you described might have taken this as their opportunity to act and got in there (which could also explain the flooding of the market).
Step 3: The local "down with mages" church also reacts by getting artifacts out there (again, explaining why so many items are available so quickly) as part of their plan- figuring people will abuse them, and setting up for their big error(s) later.
Step 4: The King, seeing things are making sense, calls on a neighboring kingdom's bardic college -- partially to discuss the nature of arcane magic and how it can be used, and partially to put a face on arcanists in general. They send a "public" delegation as well as a shadow one (the former does good PR stuff - big shows, a play or song about the beloved king, visiting kids, teaching in schools, etc., while the "secret" guys capitalizes on the good PR by influencing the mood and reactions of the crowds)
Step 5: Crisis, engineered by the nasty status-quo-lovers. King loses someone close to him in the attack, gets upset and agrees to harsh laws and no longer believes arcanists. May even exiles or executes some of the bards -- especially if evidence was planted that they planned to do this (or the church learned it by "speaking with dead").
So now you'd have the Church of Magic, the "Shadow" bards (and other arcanists) trying to fix things, while perhaps a darker arcane group is trying to profit from the ban and upcoming war (and may be using E/C magic to help with that), while those maintaining the status quo are isolating the king from the demonstrations and protests and telling him that anyone who's upset is clearly spellbound (and, as discussed, some of them may be).
I really didn't give you guys enough information. I apologize for that.
Arcane magic in this world is under serious wraps. The spellblight that happened however long ago was a worldwide epidemic, spreading even to those who had never even seen a spell being cast. I've yet to actually decide how it got patched up (though I'm mulling over two or three possibilities), since it hasn't become relevant quite yet (the PCs are only recently coming into contact with arcanists). This arcanist group is also bordering on omniscient. They seek out magical talent and scoop it up, brainwash the poor sap and basically magically enslave them.
It's been a delicate balance between finding way to get the party proper gear and keeping away from arcane magic, but that's all besides the point. The point is that arcane magic is all but lost the vast majority of civilization except in hushed whispers of dark arts and evil wizards.
Bardic magic is treated as fey magic, which is considered a kind of 'natural' magic, whereas arcane stuff is unnatural, pulling energy and mass from other planes and tearing up reality, so the suggestion about the bardic college wouldn't apply there.
The arcanists coming in will be causing quite a fuss, though at first they try to stay beneath the radar until the populous has a soft spot for them, then they start stretching boundaries. I think someone mentioned the king hiring an arcane adviser or some such. I had considered this, but was waffling with it - I didn't want to commit to that and possibly disrupt the plot integrity.
Also, it's not really a theocracy, but the king is quite spiritual, supports the church and it's teachings (the biggest church is of Sarenrae, until I finish my homebrew pantheon). The church holds little direct political power but the higher clerics and such could gain audience with the king easily.
EDIT: Another detail is that I want the King to "remain in his position" [/wink] so as to retain those bound to him by honor such as certain knights. So the illusion that the King has made a major shift in his philosophy is ideal, rather than staging a total coup. Subversion might be the better word? The Eye of Talune (arcanists) comes in and kicks out the Knights in Amber (the good guys) in a fashion similar to that of the Brutes ousting the Elites in Halo 2. Bad example, but it makes my point.
2nd EDIT: I really appreciate all of the replies, too, guys! :D
I really didn't give you guys enough information. I apologize for that.
It's why I started all of that with an "if". :)
But seriously, assuming your world *has* a god of magic (and it can be that church that ended the worldwide spellblight), you can still use something similar to my template -- which, of course, was based on what I imagined and not your world, so it would need some adaptation.
In terms of handling the King, well, I'd say that using magic to mess with him is the way to go -- whether it's the Arcanists or the Divine-Status-Quo-ers (or, in a fun twist, the Divine-Status-Quo-ers might have been doing it, and then get exposed, which causes another shift -- or, because they've been doing it, they've weakened the King's defenses against magical manipulation and so now they're hoisted on their own petard).
I mean, you don't need a theocracy if the King is spiritual and his chief religious advisor is a zealot - he'll be in a position to do things or make things happen.
Ultimately, at the moment, you have one group that gains from the return of magic and is active (namely your super-powerful arcanists) -- but (to me, so grain of salt time) I think you'd benefit from figuring out who the other players are and what they're willing to do. Sure, a single near-omniscient group may be able to catch the whole kingdom unawares, but that's less interesting than having multiple factions each doing things for their own reasons.
For instance:
- Zealot churches who want to keep things as they are (whether to keep their own power or because they really believe that arcane magic is evil) gives you a group who might even *help* the Arcanists for a while, just to set them up and force the King or populace into some action or other.
- Or, the arcanists could be promising to bolster a lesser noble and elevate him to the throne if he'll support them (and will happily give him a Headband of Alluring Charisma +6 to help him do it) - which creates political intrigue. Generally, even in the most stable of kingdoms, there are a few people who'd jump at the chance for the crown, and they make very nice pawns if you can motivate them to act.
- The Church of Magic, having been the ones to stop the spellblight, might now be supporting the resurgeance of magic until they start to see how the arcanists are planning to abuse the situation, and so they may shift from one position to another - or even have a schism.
These things give you additional hooks and they can help motivate the rapid pace of change, and, for that matter, can help you figure out the why of what's happening (and how you'd like your party implicated, if at all)...
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Hmm, this seems mildly reminiscent of a video game that came out not too long ago.
I say give them the illusion of choice and that what they do matters. But really in the end pigeon hole them into one set of events predetermined by you and thus showing them that no matter what they do it is all pointless because it's your story not theirs.
In actual seriousness though I would advise rolling with your players. Have them come into the middle of the conflict and have a set events that lead to this point, like you already have. Then have things evolve as your players react to and affect the outcome. I think placing the King in the spot light is a great idea, but have him under pressure from both sides. The king turning to the players for advice and a way to solve or lessen the problem would be good.
Hmm, this seems mildly reminiscent of a video game that came out not too long ago.
Ugh, really?! That sucks. I haven't played the second one. XD Damn. One of my players recently point out the spell plague in Forgotten Realms, too, so that kinda put a damper on my ambitions.
I say give them the illusion of choice and that what they do matters. But really in the end pigeon hole them into one set of events predetermined by you and thus showing them that no matter what they do it is all pointless because it's your story not theirs.
Going against conventional wisdom... yes. That's pretty much what I plan to do. I've given them hints that this organization is bad news and that they should avoid it (of course, that's just the NPCs talking). Naturally they are interested and are going to dig into it, so I want this to kind of be a rabbit hole experience where they watch things their characters love get crushed in front of them every few sessions so that they build a hatred of these people. Mind you that I am aware it is going to be difficult to do that in a way that makes them frustrated *in character* and less so out of character, but I think the payoff will be worth it, and I know that this community is a great resource to help me pull it off.
In actual seriousness though I would advise rolling with your players. Have them come into the middle of the conflict and have a set events that lead to this point, like you already have. Then have things evolve as your players react to and affect the outcome. I think placing the King in the spot light is a great idea, but have him under pressure from both sides. The king turning to the players for advice and a way to solve or lessen the problem would be good.
I hadn't considered the players dealing directly with the king. I'm sure they'd end up there at some point if they thought of it, but it would have to be before the shift in power, which is excellent, because then they should know something is up but will be kind of powerless to effect an immediate change.
The players will only see the beginnings of this, though, since the next adventure will carry them across the ocean (there is some group interest in pirates with the new PotC movie out). One PC in particular will be in a bit of a hurry to leave for personal IC reasons that have to do with three jealous sheikhs and a lot of assassins.
A possible 3rd party is a religious group who worships a goddess of nature and secrets. She is in direct opposition to the arcanists' desires for "infinite knowledge," and one of the PCs is a very close follower of her. They have also met one of her consorts, but haven't figured that out yet. I will definitely put more thought into that aspect.
It's why I started all of that with an "if". :)
But seriously, assuming your world *has* a god of magic (and it can be that church that ended the worldwide spellblight), you can still use something similar to my template -- which, of course, was based on what I imagined and not your world, so it would need some adaptation.
In terms of handling the King, well, I'd say that using magic to mess with him is the way to go -- whether it's the Arcanists or the Divine-Status-Quo-ers (or, in a fun twist, the Divine-Status-Quo-ers might have been doing it, and then get exposed, which causes another shift -- or, because they've been doing it, they've weakened the King's defenses against magical manipulation and so now they're hoisted on their own petard).
I mean, you don't need a theocracy if the King is spiritual and his chief religious advisor is a zealot - he'll be in a position to do things or make things happen.
Ultimately, at the moment, you have one group that gains from the return of magic and is active (namely your super-powerful arcanists) -- but (to me, so grain of salt time) I think you'd benefit from figuring out who the other players are and what they're willing to do. Sure, a single near-omniscient group may be able to catch the whole kingdom unawares, but that's less interesting than having multiple factions each doing things for their own reasons.
For instance:
- Zealot churches who want to keep things as they are (whether to keep their own power or because they really believe that arcane magic is evil) gives you a group who might even *help* the Arcanists for a while, just to set them up and force the King or populace into some action or other.- Or, the arcanists could be promising to bolster a lesser noble and elevate him to the throne if he'll support them (and will happily give him a Headband of Alluring Charisma +6 to help him do it) - which creates political intrigue....
Actually, your post was the one I got the most out of, my comment was meant to clear things up in general. I started out my campaign a little too ambitiously and claimed to be using a full homebrew pantheon, but as questions came in, I decided I'd just use the ones I had fully fleshed out in addition to Golarion's pantheon. So I suppose Nethys exists, but he is probably being held captive on another plane through some major spell casting and extraplanar contracting... if I had to just make up an excuse on the fly, anyway.
The Amber Knights (the ones being ousted by the Eyes of Talune) are the upper half of the city guards, probably the equivalent of military officers. Most have levels in cavalier or paladin, and are at least somewhat religious. Perhaps they could be the 3rd party as suggested, or even a 4th party.
Now I'm thinking about the fall of Ba Sing Se in Avatar: The Last Airbender, with the whole Fire Nation/Dai Li/Aang Gang thing going on, and Iroh with his White Lotus motives...