| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I have a player who is itching to play Albert from The Count of Monte Cristo. The son of a true villain, who believed in his father and challenged the man his father had wronged to a duel. After his father's dastardy was revealed, this character dragged himself off to a temple of Sarenrae and became Her paladin. Luckily, we're not far from Nybor, the location of what I said was the only temple to Sarenrae in Varisia. He'll be coming in at 4th level.
Unfortunately, that's my sense of this huge story he's dying to tell. Well, I can also tell you that it closely involves who deserves a noble title, and who is a traitor. There's slavery, too. I'm confident that it's not a Varisian story. So I've been perusing the Inner Sea World Guide, and it sure looks like Galt and one of the River Kingdoms are where the player would want to set his backstory. But that's many, many leagues from Varisia!
I had first thought of Cheliax. The civil war & takeover by the House of Thrune seem like it should lend itself to at least part of the story. And it definitely has nobles and slavery. Unfortunately, Thrune has been in charge for 70 years (it's 4710)! So any shenanigans that the PC's father had gotten up to would have been within a diabolical order, not in response to turmoil.
I admit, it's a home game, so I can make changes if I want. Maybe I'm best off altering Molthune to be run by outcast noble houses from Cheliax. (That's what I thought it was, before I read up.) Or maybe there's a better alternative yet.
I'm hoping that someone who knows the novel can help me come up with good locales near Varisia for its key events & characters.
That's kind of far from Varisia, too. But if the shoe fits... At least you can sail from Taldor to Varisia.
OK, please tell me more.
I agree that Taldor is a possibility although the distance is somewhat of a problem. Perhaps a small settlement left over from one of Taldor's expansionist crusades?
Molthune might also be appropriate, although that would also be quite the hike.
Very lawful nation and proud of it led by military leaders. Overall the nation is Lawful Neutral and allows indentured servitude for life (which many consider slavery). There isn't anything quite like the prison described nor quite that level of political maneuvering and betrayal.
The city of Vyr would take some work but might also be made to fit. It would have plenty of betrayal and has an appropriate 'escape-proof' prison on an island. One of the Hell's Rebel's books has information about the city. The problem is the general tone of that city is such that you wouldn't expect most of the people to be honorable.
Other than those three, I can't think of any likely prospects. I don't consider any of them an exact fit, it would be a matter of how close is good enough.
So here's one potential backstory (and thank you, Chakat)...
<> If his father was messing with Galt, there's plenty of chances for treason, and there's Gralton in the River Kingdoms for potentially part of the action. However, they're landlocked. There can be an ancient Chateau d'If in Galt, but it can't be an island fortress, is all. (And I do need a reason that the Count of MC wasn't simply sent to a Final Blade...)
<> The PC should have one level as a fighter or even NPC aristocrat, if I understand his story correctly. (From when his father was training him.) It's a bite on getting class abilities, yes, but... there's value to rp. Is there a great class to represent a young nobleman, while providing a good dip?
<> He has the blinding revelation and seeks Sarenrae's redemption, and they accept him for 1st level paladin training.
<> "I will go where you send me but I humbly ask it not be here." Chakat, is that from the book?
If he's from Galt, I like your idea of him being accepted as a squire at 2nd level and accompanying an older paladin being sent ACROSS A CONTINENT. But yes, if the youth is dodging a Final Blade, that seems like a good reason for the church to want him far away, and send him, too. The trip alone would give him plenty of XP for leveling up to 4th!
<> Once they get to Nybor, the older paladin, now in charge of the Dawnflower's defenses, becomes aware that this is a "retirement post," a political post, honestly, more than a military one. There might be a period of time where the lad serves there and frets a bit at inactivity.
I had set Nybor up as the only temple of the Dawnflower in Varisia, you see. I was looking at the description of the town as the place where elegant families of Korvosa & Magnimar send their wayward daughters. When I was determining what temples the town would have, I figured that those families would have gone to great lengths to get the Taldan church of the goddess of redemption there, even though the Dawnflower's worship hadn't reached Varisia yet. (I was going off of the squibs in the World Guide, and didn't know about a temple in Korvosa.)
I did say that it was an amazingly large establishment for a small town. Obviously, the Dawnflower's heirarchy decided to take the invitation as an opened door to Varisia as a whole. Given what's going on in Cheliax & Nidal, getting to their far side sure seems vital... However, at this point, it's more of a missionary push into Varisia than anything else.
<> So sure, the now Paladin Commander (what title do they use?) sends his lad off to gain experience and spread the word of the Dawnflower as far as he can go. (We're running Jade Regent... it's pretty far.) I love, "be more useful to the Dawnflower that just delivering missives and reminding me it is time to eat."
~~~~
I have to go for now... the Chelish & Korvosan possibilities still await cogitation... Certainly, the pic I've seen now of the Chateau d'If is iconic, and much easier to arrange outside of Kintargo or Korvosa. (It would be too small to necessarily make it to a large-scale map.)
<> The PC should have one level as a fighter or even NPC aristocrat, if I understand his story correctly. (From when his father was training him.) It's a bite on getting class abilities, yes, but... there's value to rp. Is there a great class to represent a young nobleman, while providing a good dip?
Swashbuckler is an obvious option. Might check the Heroes of the High Court to see what it has for fighter and ranger archetypes.
That said, Paladin is a full BAB class. The training could be represented by the BAB, hit die, weapon and armor proficiencies.
BretI, thanks for Swashbuckler... I'll pull it up for my player tonight. He can do what he likes, of course.
The more I think about it, Cheliax sounds good. There is definitely interest in overthrowing the infernal government, so back-and-forth accusations of treason are reasonable. I'm working off of the Wiki plot, so please help me! I'm also working from the Pathfinder Name Generator, which goes latinate for Chelish names.
The PC's father (Villefort, whose name I cannot turn latinate with the Pathfinder Name Generator) was prosecutor in Kintargo. He was apparently somehow implicated in treasonous activity that the title character (hmmm, Edmondo Dantinus?) found out about and tried to expose. Instead, he had Dantinus locked up in the Citadel de Taxicus? on a tiny island outside of Kintargo.
Dantinus would certainly have been likely to find a cleric of some deity -- any deity other than Asmodeus -- locked up for eons, too, if the Citadel existed. This cleric (whose name is also unassignable) told him of a treasure buried in Isger. Dantinus escaped, went to Isger, grabbed the treasure, and bought an Isgerian title: the Count of Monte Cristo is close enough to latinate sounding. Or would the Isgerians have gone to Paracount?
Apparently, the son (named however, but for now, Alberto) had traveled to Isger, too. Now, I know this isn't the same as a young French nobleman going to Italy -- the latter is for 'seasoning' and culture, but I can't think of anywhere else that Chelish youths would go. Maybe the Chevalier is right about part of the story being in Taldor? Anyway, the two met and had adventures.
And Dantinus returned to Cheliax, this time to Egorian, where Alberto's unnamed father had moved. Hmm, chief prosecutor? In an diabolic court? When you're that chaotic evil? oooooh.
I'm fuzzy about what happened next, I'm afraid. Could a Chelish man, someone able to get a post as prosecutor and then chief prosecutor, actually have been able to sell a Keleshite ruler's wife and daughter into slavery? (I know, disbelief is just as strangled re: a Frenchman and the Ali Pasha, but Dumas was writing for the French. I'm accepting a story that I can believe!) Would this have been in Osirion? The... sultanate with the cult of the Dawnflower as the official religion, apparently?
Anyway, Dantinus exposed the father's past evil-doing in a... uh... no, not newspaper. Yes, there's a printing press, but I won't go that far. There was in any case a scandal, and Alberto challenged Dantinus to a duel. But Alberto's mother (easy -- Mercedes) got wind of it and stopped it. Alberto found out that his father was a dastardly villain, and apologized to Dantinus. He grabbed the first ship out of town, which turned out to be sailing for Magnimar. There, he found out about a Dawnflower temple in Nybor.
They help him find redemption as a paladin. The grizzled commander still sends the young man north to gain experience and spread the word of the Dawnflower as far as he can go.
How'd I do? Please, again, make improvements! My player doesn't know the world even as sparsely as I do.
Would Absalom have titles for sale? Youths might certainly go there for seasoning and culture, no matter where they were from!
|
One thing I'll point out, in case you weren't aware, I that the Cult of the Dawnflower is not synonymous with the wider Church of Sarenrae. The Cult of the Dawnflower is a militant sect that is particularly dominant in Qadira, where it is associated with Qadiran nationalism (which is why the Church of Sarenrae is banned in Taldor). Priests in the Cult of the Dawnflower are more likely True Neutral than Neutral Good.
PCScipio, no I was NOT aware! Thank you so much.
And... is Osirion a Keleshite sultanate? Subject to Qadira, or not?
Umm, so the Church of Sarenrae is banned in Taldor? I saw some stuff about secret signs and things, and didn't know how to interpret it. Well, I don't think it is in my game! The hoity-toity folks up in Varisia had to go somewhere "cultured" to find her...
the Count of Monte Cristo is close enough to latinate sounding. Or would the Isgerians have gone to Paracount?
You might want to switch out the "Cristo" part of the name, though. Not many Christians on Golarion, after all.
Leaving aside the notion of whether "anyone who understands a romance language" constitutes many or not, it doesn't have to be many, it just has to be one member of the group playing that's thrown off by that kind of thing, which is why I suggest changing it. It's a simple fix (substitute "Cristo" with one of the good deities or empyreal lords).
The real reason you should switch out "Cristo" is not that it is derived from "Christ" but that it gives away too much about your character to any well read fellow players. The Count of Monte Cristo is a fairly famous fictional character, after all.
and he/she can ignore it all the same.
life does not revolve around any 1 of us and neither does the gaming table....unless you're the pychic who fudged dmg rolls in his favor but fudges his skill die against himself on purpose.....
Okay... not sure what I've done to deserve the arsey tone, but you do you.
<> The PC should have one level as a fighter or even NPC aristocrat, if I understand his story correctly. (From when his father was training him.) It's a bite on getting class abilities, yes, but... there's value to rp. Is there a great class to represent a young nobleman, while providing a good dip?
A great choice to make the thematic fighting and dueling style of the book come out in the character while not breaking him down too much through multiclassing could be the virtuous bravo paladin. It's a paladin with swashbuckler features tacked on, and could well represent the fighting style he learned in his youth married to the ideals he's come to fight for.
I'm sorry to have backed off from this thread. Unfortunately, I am ill with vertigo right now. I have been unable to look at gaming things or spend time with reading/typing on the screen since Tuesday the 20th. I hope that treatment will be successful next week.
I did meet with the player on Monday, before the vertigo broke out. He doesn't think Cheliax will work, just because he wants the PC's father not only to be a traitor to the gov, but to be a dastardly villain in his treachery -- and it's hard to argue to most folks that opposing the Church of Asmodeus is evil. So we're specifying that a lot of the old nobility of Cheliax that got displaced by Thrune moved to Molthune. Yes, they have a military meritocracy -- but sons & daughters of the nobility have an amazing tendency to be militarily meritous. (True in RL.) That's where the PC & his father are from. And the father was working to betray Molthune TO Cheliax. Ouch!
As for whether the other main figure in the PC's life is the "Count of Monte Cristo" or not, the player will have to figure it out. I had thought about insisting on switching out Cristo, and decided that it was too much trouble. In any case, I'm specifying that Anderan is selling old titles left and right, since they don't do the title-holders any good any more. It's a paper-thin Anderan title, in other words. And we're not talking about the 4th-level PC here, but someone he may or may not mention freely from his past.
Printing Presses are effectively illegal in Cheliax, except maybe to the Chelish equivalent of 1984's Ministry of Truth. Of course, if it was something that would lead to the man being killed, well, yeah, giving that information to the Chelish government when they don't have more use for him alive and blackmailed than dead... Yeah, that's a death sentence for anyone who isn't a prepared and fairly powerful character.
I'm not sure where you'd be able to sell an influential, powerful, and wealthy Keleshite's spouse into slavery. Generally you'd get more by ransoming her, although since things are matrilineal, I suppose some of her sisters or the like might be willing to pay to be able to inherit the family's stuff, though that would likely lead to slitting the throats of the mother and daughter to make sure of the matter.
Hmm. The Shackles, perhaps? Although a major component of their society is made up of escaped slaves and, well, pirate land, not really a good idea to take cargo there to try to trade with them.
Katapesh strikes me as too smart to do that, unless the family was really on the outs and no one who had any power or influence or the potential to gain the ear of such would care.
Qadira technically outlaws slavery but allows for things that are functionally slavery and certain tribes flout the law. I still see a high chance of not wanting a noble's wife due to not wanting the trouble from efforts to get her back, unless they had a plan to ransom her for something.
The slavers of Okeno I don't think would really have that good of a market to sell a noblewoman, but they do deal with places further afield from the Inner Sea like Vudra(IIRC), so maybe a noblewoman like that would be valuable enough to be worth the potential trouble.
Not sure about Osirion or Rahadoum offhand, but they do practice slavery.
I suppose part of it depends upon exactly how powerful this person is
Thanks so much for this info. I'll ponder it later, hopefully next week. Villefort did get the Ali Pasha's personal trust, as I understand it, so he did get to be quite powerful for a foreigner.
OK, it took me longer to be spending a lot of time at the keyboard than I hoped.
The main thing I've absorbed (besides the very interesting tidbit that printing presses are illegal in Cheliax -- makes sense) is that Osirion is matrilineal. So the equivalent evil deed would be to wait for the Sultana to die and then sell her husband and son into slavery, right?
Steelfiredragon - I have to learn more about the LLKs, since we'll be headed there someday. But what I know makes it seem like there's a lot more upward mobility than the setting for Monte Cristo would expect. I'm thinking that Molthune will do quite well, especially since I'd like there to be an outlet for displaced and displeased Chelish.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I would agree that Multhune should work, especially with a Chelish connection.
Cheliax first claimed the area that is now Multhune and Nirmathis in 4311 AR. They threw off Chelish rule in 4632 AR and later split in two. One of the few things that Multhune and Nirmathas can agree on is their hatred of Cheliax.
Multhune is focused on building itself into a mighty militarily led imperial state. They are very lawful and that sort of betrayal could certainly work there.
You might want to consider picking up Lands of Conflict given the link to Multhune.
I hope the treatment for your vertigo goes well!
I would agree that Multhune should work, especially with a Chelish connection.
Cheliax first claimed the area that is now Multhune and Nirmathis in 4311 AR. They threw off Chelish rule in 4632 AR and later split in two. One of the few things that Multhune and Nirmathas can agree on is their hatred of Cheliax.
Multhune is focused on building itself into a mighty militarily led imperial state. They are very lawful and that sort of betrayal could certainly work there.
You might want to consider picking up Lands of Conflict given the link to Multhune.
I hope the treatment for your vertigo goes well!
Thanks for the background! (And rec.)
Isn't it Qadira (and the rest of the Padishah empire) that's matrilineal, not Osirion? (AFB right now.)