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My table has been, in effect, a CN rebellion, albeit with exceptionally well-planned missions. Their rebellion's major constituencies are students, tieflings, halflings, two noble families, dottari displaced under the new city leadership, and Old Kintargo. Their motto: "Free trade. Free religion. Free Kintargo." They don't have a particular ideology, and even if they did, their communications have been graffiti, poems, and a play. They've made outreach to the faithful of Shelyn, Calistria, Milani, and Abadar, complete with weekly presentations at their HQ. They've started a cult devoted to the belief that Zon Kuthon can be reformed. They've been creative and diligent--they've not been failing at the table. They've just committed to a rebellion based on free and informed choice.
If I were playing, I would not have done things this way. But that's okay! Rather than punish them for paths not taken, I'm going to use this thread to brainstorm what the active revolution would look like when it becomes a full-fledged CN revolution in book 4.
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Looks like a classic liberal program and a Rainbow Coalition of the young, racial minorities, and disaffected public servants, each constituted as such. We know what insurrections with those characteristics look like: the least advanced and by far the most numerous elements of Occupy, 15M, Tahrir, and the Umbrella Revolution.
This does not bode well for their continued success, but what the hey, it's fantasy.
The basic theory I'm going to be working off of is that a rebellion based in autonomy and freedom is going to be an armed revolution based on one. There won't be a central plan of action set up in advance of Book 4. Basically, I'm thinking through the flavor of the background effects--you can assume that many of the events of Book 4 will occur after House Thrune starts book four with an attempt to crush the Silver Ravens under their boot directly with a large number of hell knights, Asmodean clerics, and a dragon flyby.
Villegre: The Merry Pranksters. Students under the influence of a PC vigilante magical child archetype with a faerie dragon familiar will be engaged in a nonviolent active resistance prank war against hapless LE dottari.
Redroof: A guerrilla street war, the tooth fairy incident and a tiefling PC cements this district's loyalty. The dottari don't know this district very well--institutional racism led to distinctly lax policing of this district by beat cops. As a result, the dottari occupation doesn't know the terrain and tieflings have varied 1/day magical effects that they can't predict. The history of racism makes this a very violent bitter fight. I'd bet that the Milanites play a big role here.
Castle Kintargo: The source of the hellknight offensive. If that fails, the remaining hellknights protect this center of power, while teleporting devils gather the remaining Asmodean priests in the Temple. Eventually, the PCs bust in.
Jarvis End: If the Base of the PCs is here, the Opera House is where the hellknight assault occurs. If the Base is not here, then we get to see what happens when Shelynite bards armed with charm person and suggestion go up against dottari with poor Will saves but the ability to kill them in melee. Remember, the Shelynites are led by a priest with experience underground in Nidal--he may not have military experience, but I would imagine he's pretty capable at keeping his people safe.
Old Kintargo: If the PCs' command center is the Lucky Bones, then the hellknight offensive occurs there. If not, then this is the scene influenced by one of the many French revolutions--the barricades go up and the Resistance gets its most idealistic scene.
Temple Hill: The center of Thrune power. There can be no direct assault on the Temple. The Shadowsquare, at my table, is active, mapped, and an active enemy of the Silver Ravens. The nondenominational nature of my table's Ravens, however, means that the religions housed here support them. I think that they're more likely to be spread out to different districts. Shelynites are in Jarvis End. Milanites could be anywhere, but at my table, I think mostly in Redroof. I think Calistrians could be active in all districts where sex is a weapon: blackmail, ceased safe words, ambushes in Thrunite boudoirs, and a sex strike. I don't see them actively engaged in direct combat with Thrune forces, just picking off the isolated. The PC's heretical cult of Zon Kuthon Reform would operate actively in this district but would be way out of its league. They'd have some competent ousted dottari led by Tayocet Tiora.
Yolubilis Harbor: A naval battle between the loyal captains of Cheliax and the bridge forces against Captain Sargaeta's ship, the sea elf allies, and the Ravens involved in the ferry service to help workers avoid the bridge tax.
The Greens: I think an internecine battle between the retinues of the noble houses occurs here. I doubt that the Redactors and the Witch care enough to get involved to help the Sarinis or the less-committed Thrune-allied houses.
Looks like a classic liberal program and a Rainbow Coalition of the young, racial minorities, and disaffected public servants, each constituted as such. We know what insurrections with those characteristics look like: the least advanced and by far the most numerous elements of Occupy, 15M, Tahrir, and the Umbrella Revolution.
This does not bode well for their continued success, but what the hey, it's fantasy.
Basically, yes. It's all going to depend on the actions of the PCs. At least they've got two PCs with leadership and a third with a social talent and a noble background. So, there's some "organizing" mechanical elements at least. I agree that this would never work in reality, but in a game, I'll give them a shot to succeed.
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Their rebellion's major constituencies are students, tieflings, halflings, two noble families, dottari displaced under the new city leadership, and Old Kintargo.
Been thinking more about this, in terms of what power this coalition can bring to bear.
Students have the power to shut down their schools, and also deny their labor to professors and outside persons to whom they're apprenticed or with whom they're employed. They can create good slogans and elaborate theories, or propagandize those that exist. Perhaps they could fill the theoretical gaps the PCs have left? Probably too late though.
Halflings and tieflings are subaltern to the nth degree and have power only as workers, that is, the power to halt production. That is to say, they mostly do not have power situated in their communities, outside the context of a street fight. Since the PCs have put no effort into organizing at the point of production, either these populations do it themselves and threaten to get out of hand, or the PCs can endeavor to provoke a street fight on friendly ground.
Ultimately, I believe both the students and the racial minorities end up used as cannon fodder by the SRs, unless they find other roles for themselves.
Noble families, disaffected dottari, and the minor churches each have power to dispose of on their own. Their problem is their physical isolation from each other and from Redroof and Old Kintargo (an aside, I'm not sure what is meant by "Old Kintargo" supports the SRs. The district has factions of its own, unless the SRs have managed to dampen their contradictions over the course of play). Flying pickets would be a good idea, and winning control of the bridge and the river would seem to assume priority.
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This seems pretty CG to me, if disorganized and idealistic. My idea of CN would either be more self-serving or open to using evil tactics to accomplish their goals.
Your campaign sounds like a ton of fun btw.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
This seems pretty CG to me, if disorganized and idealistic. My idea of CN would either be more self-serving or open to using evil tactics to accomplish their goals.
Your campaign sounds like a ton of fun btw.
The intentions are CG, but basically the platform is going to end up CN-Pure Freedom. I tend to have self-serving be N or NE at my table.
It's been a blast. I'd love to have it more than 1-2 times a month, but several players have kids and I'm out of town a lot.