ƬƠƬƛԼԼƳ ƇƠƊЄƤЄƝƊЄƝƬ ƑԼƖƝƬ (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
katabasis) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
faderiftooc2023-06-17 04:45 pm
katabasis) wrote in faderiftooc2023-06-17 04:45 pm
Entry tags:
FORCES(+MISC) WAR TABLE: FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES
WAR TABLE ASSIGNMENT(s): FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES
WHAT: Over the last few years, Riftwatch has made connections or been in contact with a handful of anti-enslavement and reform groups within the Tevinter Imperium. The two most notable of these are currently:
VALERIANTUS' BROKEN BLADES - a network of spies and saboteurs actively operating within notable Imperium households and cities. Primarily composed of currently enslaved and a small number of reform minded citizens, the exact identities and number of which remain a mystery. Operates on a strict policy of 'no one knows everyone', but Ambrose Valeriantus, a Laetan mage, seems to be a key figure in the group. Unfortunately, the group also has ties to Calpernia/The Venatori that need to be discouraged. THE PEOPLE OF THE SILENT PLAINS - A group made entirely of escaped slaves, mostly elves, who operate out of Southern Tevinter. Historically, they’ve worked to smuggle escapees across the border, but more recently they’ve been branching into assassinating slavers, and have gained a small reputation for ruthlessness. Pretty functional and impactful, considering their small size (no pun intended) and lack of resources; Tertia is a member of the group recently dispatched to Kirkwall to reconnoiter Riftwatch.
In the interest of gaining allies within Tevinter in the fight against Corypheus, Riftwatch will be making efforts to ally more closely to these two factions by assisting them in their work... or by sabotaging key efforts by Venatori-aligned individuals who might be looking to do the same.
HOW: A bunch of interconnected plots! These plots (6 in total) are fleshed out and available to claim and run for the next two plot periods (aka from now through September). The long lead time is an effort to make these accessible to everyone even if you're not ready to play in a plot right this second, and to allow for the opportunity to run interstitial player plots and/or assignments that might further effect the relationship building effort. Basically: someone might decide to claim and run Plot 2 of 6, and runs it 3 weeks from now instead of this weekend. Then, if they (or someone else) wants to do a spin off adventure based on that plot's outcome/themes/whatever, you should have time to squeeze it in before the whole string of six assignments is completed and we're done with recruiting allies among these two factions*.
These assignments will work similar to the Jobs Board. You can claim an available assignment at any point between now and the end of September, but assignments are claimed on a first come first serve basis.
Once you make a claim, I'll give you all the prepared info and/or mechanics to run it like a normal player plot. It will then be your responsibility to assemble a team (if you haven't done so already) and do something with the info provided. If your group doesn't do anything with the plot within 4 weeks or fails to file a report by the listed deadline, no harm no foul—the assignment just reverts back to the pool and is available for someone else to claim and run.
Anything that isn't claimed/run in the available time period will still produce a result, it will just be as if Riftwatch never had the opportunity to intervene/assist. This doesn't necessarily ensure a negative outcome, but since we're the main characters here it probably doesn't produce a very significant one either.
*I'm not the boss and there can be other plots focusing on this theme outside of this time frame; but this is building to AN EVENT IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE, and are designed to lead in that direction.
WHO: Everyone! But mostly Forces; see the assignment description table for details.
WHEN: Now through September; the calendar is your oyster.
ASSIGNMENTS BOARD:
The below table gives a rough overview of the plots available to claim. This board includes an assignment description (a short, incomplete summary), tone (intended scope and vibe of the mission; you can ultimately do whatever you want with the info provided, but this should give you an idea of what kind of information I'll be providing to you. If it says 'action adventure', the stuff I have prepared is geared toward facilitating action and not stealthy backroom conversations. You can absolutely still thread the latter rather than the former, you might just have to read between the lines of the info you get to do so), the division requirements (only characters who are in the listed divisions can participate in those assignments), and a suggested character number.
To claim one of these plots, please comment in the appropriate thread below and I'll update this table. See the last assignment, 'SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE', and it's related claim comment in the thread for an example of how this will work.
| Description | Tone | Division Req. | Suggested Character # | Claimed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIGHWAY ROBBERY: The Broken Blades have asked Riftwatch to waylay the payroll of a dawnstone mining operation in the Hundred Pillars. Riftwatch will be responsible for knocking over the (heavily armored) payroll delivery and making off with the cash before it can reach the mining operation. | ||||
| THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: PERIVANTIUM DRIFT: A clandestine meeting of key members of the Broken Blades is planned to occur in Perivantium following the height of the festivities surrounding the city's annual chariot race. While originally tasked to simply run interference to ensure that the meeting isn't discovered, Riftwatch's members instead must infiltrate and compete in the race themselves in order to ensure that a key member of the Broken Blades survives the race. | ||||
| THERE'S NO ETHICAL CONSUMPTION UNDER LATE-STAGE VYRANTIUM: Adelphus Kyrus, an Altus mage who has made his fortune in the slave trade will be traveling overland from Minrathous to Vyrantium for the summer season; the People have asked for Riftwatch to guarantee that Kyrus never makes it to his vacation home. To complicate matters, Kyrus is also a staunch anti-Venatori voice in high-ranking Tevinter circles and killing him may jeopardize the momentum of some anti-Venatori factions in the Magisterium. | ||||
| SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE: An ex-Templar hiding out in the Rivaini village of Sanavo has volunteered to travel to Tevinter in order to join up with the People of the Silent Plains where he can act as a strategist/milita/anti-mage expert. Riftwatch will be smuggling the ex-Templar, and a pile of supplies to the People, and spend a brief stint in the People's company to relationship build and assist with their efforts on the ground. |
no subject
Division: Forces
Can they drive (a chariot)?: Very good on horseback, does not know how to drive an actual chariot
no subject
Perivantium, one of Tevinter's great cities, hosts a chariot race each year to celebrate the end of summer. Historically, the race once involved competitors nominated strictly from the immediately regions immediately and featured teams decked out in notable regional dress, colors, and insignia—the bright yellows of the Elossos foothills renowned for its trade in Dawnstone, or the orange and green of Nyla, a town famous for its ochre and malachite dyes, and so on. These days, the competition is rather more fierce and significantly more astro-turfed: while every team still nominally has a tie to a local region, town, or industry, it's common for outside parties to pay for the opportunity to deck their own athletes and carefully bred racing animals with the requisite colors to participate in the race. A lot of money and prestige is now involved in the event, and (mostly wealthy, because who else travels?) visitors from all over the Imperium flock to Perivantium to enjoy the spectacle.
Which makes it a perfect meeting point for key members of the Broken Blades to have a clandestine meeting. Given that many of the group's members are actively enslaved and must go where their households and masters demand, this may be one of the few opportunities available to them to coordinate their work without having to relay secret messages across long, complicated, and highly vulnerable lines of communication.
With all this in mind, Riftwatch—specifically, Vanya and Clarisse—have been given what should be the relatively simple directive to safeguard the meeting that's meant to occur. But before that can happen, one of those aforementioned key members is thrust into participating in the race personally.
Solvara is a member of one of the Tevinter Army's many enslaved companies. In fact, so notable is her reputation for valor and bravery during Tevinter's recent military campaigns that some Tevinter citizens know her by her own name. More pressing, she's won real recognition and power (and therefore, enemies) for her master. Intelligence intercepted by the Broken Blades's agents in the city suggest that a number of those enemies plan to use the chariot race as cover to assassinate Solvara and see her master knocked down a peg or two. Vanya and Clarisse will be sneaking into the race in an attempt to help Solvara, and the intelligence provided by her advantageous position in the military, survive it.
The race takes place throughout the city itself, winding along multiple miles of Perivantium's broad thoroughfares and winding, narrow stepped neighbors. It climbs switchbacks and circles palatial fountains. It races across bridges designed for foot traffic, and through narrow archways barely wide enough to permit a chariot to pass. The route is beset with various hazards as well—some designed by the race officials, and some rather less official and more cheating and sabotage shaped. Luckily, chariot teams can wear whatever their sponsored regions desire. Given how dangerous the competition has become, most teams are bedecked in some version of armor and their dracolisks and horses (there's fierce debate over which is the preferable animal) sport a considerable amount of protective (and offensive) tack. Spikes are a popular accessory for chariots, riders, and racing animals alike. Double lucky: this should make it doable for Vanya and Clarisse to step into the relatively anonymous shoes of another team. (I'm not going to specify how they do that—could be that a Broken Blades agent helps them accomplish it, or they knock out a team, stuff them in a broom closet, and take their clothes—and you shouldn't feel obligated to either.)
Each chariot has two riders: a driver and a brakeman. The driver does exactly what you expect, while the brakeman is nominally responsible for engaging the heavy wheel brake to assist with taking hairpin turns and various tricky maneuvering. In reality, the brakeman spends a lot of time playing defense against rival teams.
During the log, you can optionally roll a d6 to receive a prompt for your tag. You can also include the prompt at the end of your tag for the next person to deal with. You aren't required to roll a number for your tag if you have something else you would like to do instead. Any prompt that doesn't specify a target may be directed at either an ally (including yourselves) or a rival.
If you roll for a prompt, include your rolled number in the subject line of your comment so that you both know what it is. If at any point the same number is rolled two tags in a row, this triggers a MAJOR THREAT—something negative happens such as an assassin closing in to make a major move against either Vanya and Clarisse's chariot, or to Solvara's, or a major mechanical failure opens them to attack. Racking up two MAJOR THREATs against either chariot over the course of the log will result in Solvara dying (though I promise failure is absolutely a dramatic option for this assignment and won't result in destroying alliances or cutting off access to future plots). If this happens, Solvara doesn't have to die instantly following the trigger of the second major threat. Events just must somehow conspire to see her bumped off before the end of the race.
Because Clarisse is actually good at this (!!!), Lor has the option to re-roll twice. This can include re-rolling one of your rolls if you agree to it.
(ty to MJ for the dice mechanic idea that I'm ripping off)
Please file a report by no later than 9/30. Please make sure to include whether Solvara lives or dies in it. If you want any aftermath information for report/wrap-up purposes, feel free to hit me up.
Good luck, and happy racing!
no subject
- Handwave a resolution and/or backtag the log; please file your report by no later than 1/31 so that I can work the results into the assignments to be published in February.
- Retcon the mission, so that I can recycle or re-work it for redistribution.
If I don't hear back or see a report by 1/31, I'll assume the mission was completed but that Solvara (tragically, and through no fault of Clarisse or Vanya's own) didn't make it to the end of the race. The remaining agents of the Broken Blades will have still successfully met though! So think of this as a particularly downbeat half-success, not an outright failure.
no subject
no subject