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First a little backdrop.
I play the Head of a local noble house in a Kingdom, another house has launched an attack against my house when the party and I were away on an adventure.
They assaulted my house guards and servants, causing heavy property damage and killing a few people, but most importantly they killed my characters younger brother.
It has been 3 weeks since the attack, we JUST got back into town last night with a mourning flag flying next to our house banner (denoting the death of an Heir), and many town watchmen patrolling the area.
My step mother has shipping business interests and has pulled her mercenaries from guarding those to guard the house.
The king has decreed a cease and desist order for both sides, in order to stem the issue, an order that my character outwardly plans to follow, but in the shadows is flagrantly disregarding (He is not Lawful)
I request from you good gents and ladies, multiple ways I can get back at this rival house without disrupting or at least making my house look like its involved remotely.
I fully intend to kill or have the head of the rival house embarrassed and killed in the end, but I want schemes and plans to take them apart piece by piece, they already think were weak because we havent retaliated and thus are becoming complacent.
I will answer any questions for pertinent information.
My character is NOT Evil, but Justice/Vengeance needs to be served
I cannot go to the King about this, and the less he knows the better.
Since you're not evil, hiring an assassin is probably out of the question. Since I don't know the existing political climate of your kingdom, I don't want to guess.
So what elements would do the most damage to your rival noble house? Could you do all of them as multiple conspiracies, so that if one fails, you have multiple back ups?
1. You say your step mother has a shipping business, does the rival house have some kind of commerce or other profitable activity that you can affect, slander, destroy, cheat or do a hostile takeover, and not be revealed that it was your house that caused the harm, or do so and simultaneously guarantee the protection of your step mother's business?
2. Could any noble house in your kingdom fall into disgrace through revealing evidence (real or fabricated) that the enemy noble house is associated with some heretical, scandalous, treasonous or criminal behavior?
3. Is there any noble houses more significant than you and your rival, that you could befriend and have them use their influence to cause undo political and/or economic hardships to the rival house.
4. Could you hire mercenaries who don't reveal who their employer is to attack the enemy house attempting to at least match the damage they inflicted to your house, including slaying an heir, and then insure you have a rock-solid alibi, like being in audience with the king, while the assault is occurring?
5. Are you willing to break the law, as long as it's not an evil act - even causing damage to your own house, as long as the opposing house suffers more?
I don't know how ruthless, deceptive, willing to lie, steal and/or fabricate evidence your noble house is willing to be.
Historically most noble houses (and governments in general) are ruthless, deceptive, willing to lie, steal, cheat and/or fabricate evidence (even do whatever is necessary, then cover it up, and deny it when they get caught).
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The other house is known to be thuglike and deal in mercenary-like and underworld activities, not a popular house in the least, there are other house, more powerful than both of us.
Yes, multiple conspiracies are fine. Hiring assassins aren't out of the question, but more of a last resort.
I am not aware of the rival houses commerce specifically, but something to look into, ideally Id like OUR house to be not implicated at all, Id like us to seem like the good guy, not outwardly retaliating and obeying the cease and desist but behind the scenes, roughing up and disrupting their activities, ideally Id like not even the rival house to know its us, they can suspect but they have no proof.
I believe houses can fall through real or fabricated means of heretical, scandalous, treasonous and criminal behavior.
There are more noble houses, but we are relatively new to the political landscape, this grudge is old from an old land where both our houses immigrated from. I dont think thats a possibility. \
YEs, I could hire mercs who dont reveal who their employer though a disguised intermediary
Yes, fully willing to break the law as long as its not evil. Ideally would like to keep the damage of my house and personas inside to a minimum.
My house in the past in the former land used to be quite ruthless under my fathers early tenure, when the land became overrun with monsters and evil he joined the local crusade in hunting them down and turning over a new leaf. He looking to the future put our house on a road to nobility in a better land by allying with the old king.
As it stands, my character is willing so long as its not Evil to put down any threat to his house.
Everyone has dirt. Find this and use it as leverage. Expose them for what they are and have done.
Find someone else to do the dirty work so it cannot be blamed on you, but somehow leave your mark. Maybe you simply speak publically about how justice is served via karma or other.
Invite this opposite house member on a hunt, or other activity where a tragic "accident" might occur beyond the eyes and ears of onlookers.
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What are your assets?
Class and personal resources as well as your house's resources.
Excess of 100k gold.
2 small mercenary companies in employ of stepmother for her shipping business, she owns 2 galleys (ships) as well.
Party consists of Urban Barbarian/Invulnerable Rager (Heir)a swashbuckler (brother to heir), elven wizard, halfling sniper rogue.
Party is second tier mythic and mainly level 7 and 8.
Outward assets friends with a Duergar clan of 11 dwarves from old country, hiring them on retainer as they did dirty deeds for us back in the day. Few as they were hunted as part of the evil infesting the land way back. All are higher level.
Contacts in old country (Vaasa) may be able to hire from there
Contacts through my characters wife in Narfell mainly barbarian types.
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All of these sound amazing. First one is not doable with the cease and desist.
The family isn't your traditional noble house, while they are a noble house they are more thug like and underworldish. Outwardly I'm not aware of what they deal in legit wise however I know they are into dark stuff on the illegal side, smuggling, kidnapping, slave trading, murder and such, these aren't publicly know just what we've experienced and found out.
Heir is a huge beast of a human female brawler, she's apparently has her house so intimidated by her that they fear her more than love her. She has no husband (I spurned her advances) no children to speak of and only trusted lieutenants, on of which orchestrated the kidnapping and pretendEd to be my wife.
The Main heiress has 2 sub houses working for her they are also fearing of her. One house is brutal and like them the other is hardworking but honest.
... Oh. Well then. This will be fun.
So, the way I figure it you have a couple targets.
The first is the heirs. Four basic options to deal with them:
Option The First: Kill 'em all, legitimately.
Does your nation allow duels? If so, find a reason to challenge each heir and kill them publically, in front of witnesses, while being totally safe from legal reprisals.
It's not subtle and everybody will know it was you, but it'll drive the point home just fine. The Cease and Desist might be a problem here though.
Option The Second: Kill 'em all quietly.
They sent one of yours to the morgue, you send all of theirs to the morgue. Start finding places where you can isolate their heirs and eliminate them one by one. Between a Rogue and a Wizard that should be easy to do quietly.
Option The Third: Bribery To Victory.
The best way to make it look like somebody else did it is for somebody else to do it. Pay a couple low-ranking but trusted guards handsomely to stab a few nobles in their sleep and disappear.
Option The Fourth: Mind Control Is Fun
Sadly you don't have Dominate Person, but you have Charm Person, Suggestion, and Triggered Suggestion. Suggest to the secondary heir that he'd do well to get the primary heir out of his way and enjoy a nice rum and coke.
You also want their assets. Figure out what kind of companies, businesses, and trade they engage in and drop the heavy end of the hammer:
Option the First: Friends In Low Places
Feed you allies targets. If there's a trading caravan or warehouse or some other form of business that's nearish your allies, simply tip them off to the location, what's inside that's valuable, and that you'd really like it if it went away.
Option the Second: Disobedient Employees
Convince (through coercion or bribery or mind control) a few key employees (accountants, well-place guards, etc.) that they'd do well to make off with some of their employer's wealth, or skim a little off the top.
Option the Third: The Proper Authorities
Plant...
The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend: frame them for attacks (physical; magical; economic) against other rival houses, and then befriend those other houses.
(I don't know what your alignment is. To me, this a Neutral approach, not necessarily Evil.)
in a more eastern campaign world( with samurai and Shoguns and such) i had a way of deispatching an ofending noble.
get some1 to cast hidius laughter on them when they are infront of their lord.
then just send a servent to them with a ceremonial knife for the sepoku...