Sample Fiefs Thread?

Discussion on playing Fading Suns. Experiences, stories, and questions related to being a player.
User avatar
Angelman
Posts: 1034
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 5:11 am
[phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/vendor/twig/twig/lib/Twig/Extension/Core.php on line 1266: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable

Re: Sample Fiefs Thread?

Postby Angelman » Tue Oct 28, 2014 2:04 pm

Should be awesome :)
Writer, editor, & developer for:
. (Fading Suns Revised: PG, GMG, Criticorum Discord)
(numerous projects)

Amlost
Posts: 146
Joined: Mon Feb 27, 2012 9:04 pm
[phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/vendor/twig/twig/lib/Twig/Extension/Core.php on line 1266: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable

Re: Sample Fiefs Thread?

Postby Amlost » Tue Oct 28, 2014 9:24 pm

A Xanthippe Moonhaven fief would be really interesting to read. I'd want to dig up a copy of Heinlien's "Moon is a Harsh Mistress" before attempting....

A noble owned/operated station circling a harsh world below; warding off claim jumpers, fighting off pirates, keeping the station in orbit, and all while trying to maintain appearances of nobility. Think Adelai Niska shows up to run DS9. Sadistic Fun!!!

A mobile Prospector Family's refining refueling ship; moving from belt to belt with a small fleet of mining vessels in tow. Group always up for hard work, a good time, in need of parts, entertainment.... Lots of possibilities for adventure.

Space does offer a number of good options. Look forward to seeing that fief.

User avatar
Angelman
Posts: 1034
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 5:11 am
[phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/vendor/twig/twig/lib/Twig/Extension/Core.php on line 1266: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable

Re: Sample Fiefs Thread?

Postby Angelman » Wed Oct 29, 2014 6:22 am

All of those sound very cool :)

Back in the RedBrick days, I worked on a Universal Church/Holy Terra project and wrote a couple of sample fiefs for those books. One of them was a moon habitat on Luna called Fourville, a small parish of solar panel 'farmers' with an attached Sanctuary Aeon resort-sanatorium for nervously inclined VIPs. There were also a few bits of intrigue going on, as well as the constant threat from desperate Regolith Nomads (see Imp. Survey 7). I thought it was a really interesting place, and such 'weird' domains can certainly help enriching the game. That said, they would also require special planning by the GM to be put into a game, but in the end there should be room enough for all kinds of fiefs in FSR :D
Writer, editor, & developer for:
. (Fading Suns Revised: PG, GMG, Criticorum Discord)
(numerous projects)

Aurin
Posts: 135
Joined: Fri Oct 28, 2011 1:47 pm
[phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/vendor/twig/twig/lib/Twig/Extension/Core.php on line 1266: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable

Re: Sample Fiefs Thread?

Postby Aurin » Wed Oct 29, 2014 10:45 am

I find it hard to have one place / station be a home base for players because once they have a ship, they view that as home, and they will take it wherever they want (and can get the jump keys to)

User avatar
Bertjammin
Posts: 408
Joined: Fri Jul 04, 2014 5:26 am
Location: Ipswich, UK
[phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/vendor/twig/twig/lib/Twig/Extension/Core.php on line 1266: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable

Re: Sample Fiefs Thread?

Postby Bertjammin » Wed Oct 29, 2014 11:10 am

The key (I find) is to:

* have personal relationships with NPCs that they want to (re)visit (friends, family, fixers and dealers, tutors, trainers etc)
* have something there that they can't (easily) get elsewhere (a library or resource, a religious relic or Wyrd Tabernacle, their personal fiefs or business endeavour etc)
* or have it be the only place where they feel safe. (i.e. thery are being actively hunted by a Noble House, Guild, Imperial law, Inquisition, rivals etc)

I'm not saying that they'd stay there - simply that when the "job" is done it's where they'd head to and enjoy the spoils of victory.
"The crazy ol' Vorox"

Something witty, pithy and observant ought to go here.

Oh well.

Follow my current campaign and my general musings about GMing Fading Suns at: http://trialsofarcadia.blogspot.co.uk/

Amlost
Posts: 146
Joined: Mon Feb 27, 2012 9:04 pm
[phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/vendor/twig/twig/lib/Twig/Extension/Core.php on line 1266: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable

Re: Sample Fiefs Thread?

Postby Amlost » Thu Oct 30, 2014 8:39 am

Adding one to Bertjammin's list

*Give them a suitably scary liege/lord; see earlier Countess Elena Romanov Decados.

Helps if they can "kill you with their brain."

User avatar
Bertjammin
Posts: 408
Joined: Fri Jul 04, 2014 5:26 am
Location: Ipswich, UK
[phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/vendor/twig/twig/lib/Twig/Extension/Core.php on line 1266: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable

Re: Sample Fiefs Thread?

Postby Bertjammin » Thu Oct 30, 2014 8:43 am

"The crazy ol' Vorox"

Something witty, pithy and observant ought to go here.

Oh well.

Follow my current campaign and my general musings about GMing Fading Suns at: http://trialsofarcadia.blogspot.co.uk/

User avatar
Bertjammin
Posts: 408
Joined: Fri Jul 04, 2014 5:26 am
Location: Ipswich, UK
[phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/vendor/twig/twig/lib/Twig/Extension/Core.php on line 1266: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable

Re: Sample Fiefs Thread?

Postby Bertjammin » Sun Dec 07, 2014 3:21 pm

(I had a mad idea to do a linked set of Sample Fief, NPC and Drama seed....here we go...)


Overview
Near the edge of the Ravenna system sit twin gas giants orbited by a collection of over forty moons and large asteroids. In centuries past a variety of habitats were established on these moons but many have fallen into disuse and disarray but even here on the edge some desperate and fanatical souls still cling to a tenuous existence. One such community is a monastic colony named "The Retreat of St Deimos", populated by Eskatonic and Via Epistimic (Mendicant) monks.
A cadre could be contracted to help take supplies to the station, may be following a fugitive who has sought refuge there, could head there for assistance in deciphering and occult mystery or could simply be forced there due to disruption caused by the asteroid field.

Relations
In recent months though tensions have risen with their nearest neighbours, Facility SOE/8807, a R&D laboratory owned and run by the Supreme Order of Engineers. The lab dates back to the Second Republic and the monks believe that the increased activity is related to ancient and heretical technology that the engineers have finally got to work once again.
The priests have been becoming increasingly suspicious of the Engineers and fear that they have made new discoveries and are up to no good. Unfortunately they have little to go on other than visions and portents of foreboding.

Description
Nestled in the group of asteroids and minor moons that orbit the twin gas giants, Dro & Madro, are a scarce number of inhabited habitats. Most date back to the Second Republic era and most of those that were established have fallen into disuse and been damaged beyond economic repair. However some brave or desperate souls still eke out an existence out here. They may be foolish, courageous, driven or quite, quite mad. Some are all of those things.
One of the habitats that remain in use is home to an Eskatonic research station and monastery named "The Retreat of St Deimos". The retreat consists of a simple set of pre-fabricated, linked habitats in a series of seven "rings" that expanded from a central hub. Each section was a stage of expansion of the original habitat but lack of maintenance, constant damage from debris and minor collisions, wear and tear and simple old age has resulted in the monks progressively shutting outer areas down. They have abandoned sections either in part or whole, leaving only the inner hub and three rings. Some areas of ring two and three are also powered down to save energy and running costs but in doing so the residents have left potential dangers. Without visible warnings, an apparently normal bulkhead door will instead open to a section without atmosphere, power or even gravity. Of course the residents know where is safe and what is not so visitors are well advised to never wander the corridors and halls without a guide.
The station has no service craft, other than a single out of service shuttle that the only resident engineer is restoring in his free time. Likewise only one remaining docking station is still fully functional and it is only large enough to accommodate a single shuttle craft or small lander (i.e. smaller than a Frigate).
Run by Proctor Pelagius, an Eskatonic monk and Theurgic practitioner, the stated purpose of the community is "Contemplation of the entirety of the Empyrean with specifically relationship to the manifestation of those satellites known by the names Dro and Madro". A variety of geomantic and celestial research and experimentation is done but the community generally keeps itself to itself.
The resident monks are always in need of supplies and live close to starvation and malnutrition at almost all times. They also appreciate the company of visitors and are frequently very welcoming. However they may be initially wary of new people just in case they are connected to their neighbours; the Engineers of SOE/8807.

History
Exactly when the habitat that forms the basis of the Retreat was established is lost from the records. It appears to be from the early Second Republic but was so damaged and then patched up piece meal by the current residents that it is hard to date precisely. What can be said was that the current community was established towards the end of the Emperor War in 4983 by it's current leader, Provost Pelagius, and a group of his close followers. Pelagius had become obsessed with the system's two gas giants and the local Ravennan folklore concerning them ("The Eyes of Azzurayelos") and believed that only by close examination could their occult relevance and secrets be unlocked.
Since founding the Retreat numbers have grown but plateaued at their current level around the time of the Emperor's coronation. Pelagius, ever keen to see symbolism and hidden truth in all things, firmly believes the two facts are related.
It should be noted that the name of the retreat was selected by Pelagius to inspire and encourage, the location was not known to be in any way related to St Deimos, nor the "Holy Mountain".

Assets
The Retreat generates no revenue in and of itself and relies solely on the donations of congregations and wealthy patrons back on Ravenna. The only real tangible assets it has are its research and the theurgic gifts of some of its members.

Men-at-arms
There is no standing force of arms in the community and the majority of the population of approx 150 resident clerics are pacifistic non-combatants with no combat training. About a dozen of the members of the community are active Theurgic practitioners but generally their expertise relates to foretelling and prophecy so they may be aware of trouble, even if they can do little to avoid or counter it. Added to this the 20-30 Via Epistimic Hesychast monks from St Hombur's Monastry have mastered techniques to resist occult abilities, which could be of use against some threats and the 12-15 lay servants and maintenance staff are more than willing to pick up a improvised weapon to defend their homes and their devoted patrons.
Note: Population numbers are hard to define as malnutrition and accident frequently claim residents, many are transient and come to study for a time or arrive as pilgrims and then pass on.

Personas
Provost Pelagius (born 4947)
The provost is a thin and frail man who looks much older than his years. He has wide, dark eyes and wispy grey hair and beard that reach to the floor. He wears the simple brown robes common for most of the residents, topped with a black tabard bearing the sigil of the Eskatonic Order. He speaks rapidly and energetically but often cuts himself short as if he was about to say something he shouldn't. He is not mad or insane but he is definitely very eccentric and odd. The population love him and he leads them more out of respect and tradition than any great desire to be in charge. He considers it his ultimate responsibility to guard any secret knowledge discovered by the clerics in the Retreat and while he loves to meet new people and is at heart warm and kind he views everyone with a modicum of suspicion and always appears to be holding back *something*.

Edward "Teddy" of the Glens (born 4956)
Teddy is one of the few non-clerical residents and it is his responsibility to keep the station systems going. As such, due to the dreadful state of the habitats, the lack of resources and manpower he is almost constantly busy with one patch up job or another. He is a Guilder and member of the Supreme Order of Engineers and it is oft alluded to his presence here and duties being a penance for some former crime or sin. The details are never forthcoming though but he always seems to approach his work with a cheerful demeanour and his frequent chirpy response of "Leave it with me!". On the rare occasions he has time to himself he tinkers with an old shuttle in an effort to get it space worthy again. With the increasing tensions towards SOE/8807 some of the younger community members are keeping a close eye on Teddy.

Sister Jacqueline (born 4987)
A mendicant sister and de facto deputy leader of the community. Where Pelagius is warm, open and eager for conversation she appears aloof, acerbic and often downright unpleasant. She is tall and lean and exercises extensively, believing that the mind and spirit only function at their best when the body is fit and well. She keeps her dark hair closely cropped and wears simple brown robes at all times. Some of the Eskatonic brethren believe she has Avestite leanings, or is even an Inquisition spy. She is well aware of these rumours but does nothing to dispel them.

Cath "Weasel" Wesel (born approx 4952)
A ragged and wild looking Eskatonic sister, barring a miracle from the Pancreator, Weasel is very likely incurably insane. She wanders the habitat screeching, babbling, often flagellating herself and wearing nothing but her own excrement daubed across her body in seaming meaningless patterns. No one on the station is quite sure how she became this way. She certainly wasn't this mad when she arrived but during the course of her studies, reflections and research something just snapped. The community tolerate and care for her as much as they are able and she does still have rare moments of lucidity, often just before being overcome by what appear to be powerful and detailed visions. Pelagius takes detailed notes of these (and many of her other ravings) and has them catalogued and reviewed by members of the community.

Using Provost Pelagius as an ally
The Provost seeks help to determine what their neighbours on SOE/8807 are up to (see the Drama Seed thread)
Weasel is becoming increasingly disruptive and Pelagius feels that her only hope for recovery is to be taken on a pilgrimage. As he discusses this with the Cadre Weasel bursts out with a prophetic vision of personal relevance to the cadre. A sign from the Pancreator that they must take her and fulfil their destiny.
The cadre have need of help in deciphering an occult mystery and seek help from Pelagius and his followers. They have the answers but will need convincing to share them for "such knowledge is not for the unlearned".

Using Provost Pelagius as an adversary
The SOE need to remove the "old fool" and his mad monks for fear of them disrupting their work (see the Drama Seed thread)
Treating the Provost or any of the Retreat's residents with contempt will draw the ire of Pelagius. While a pacifist at heart he will make the Cadre's life as difficult as possible, even to the point of contacting his patrons back on Ravenna.
"The crazy ol' Vorox"

Something witty, pithy and observant ought to go here.

Oh well.

Follow my current campaign and my general musings about GMing Fading Suns at: http://trialsofarcadia.blogspot.co.uk/

User avatar
Angelman
Posts: 1034
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 5:11 am
[phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/vendor/twig/twig/lib/Twig/Extension/Core.php on line 1266: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable

Re: Sample Fiefs Thread?

Postby Angelman » Sun Dec 07, 2014 3:57 pm

This is brilliant, Bertjammin, truelly inspired! :clap:
Writer, editor, & developer for:
. (Fading Suns Revised: PG, GMG, Criticorum Discord)
(numerous projects)

User avatar
Juergen Hubert
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Dec 11, 2014 7:50 am
[phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/vendor/twig/twig/lib/Twig/Extension/Core.php on line 1266: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable

Re: Sample Fiefs Thread?

Postby Juergen Hubert » Thu Dec 11, 2014 9:51 am

Okay, let me try:



Overview
Cesall is an urban barony located in the western ranges of the Anschok City Region on Delphi. At its heart is Substation Gamma Prime, where the Supreme Order of Engineers stores intermittent electricity from the many wind turbines of the region in vast arrays of giant capacitors, batteries, flywheels, and stranger storage mechanisms. During times of low wind speeds, this electricity is released as needed and distributed across the Anschok grid. The rest is used by the Engineers to perform high-energy physics experiments.

Relations
Previous Barons Cesall were content with being absentee landlords, collecting their rent and tax revenues and spending most of their time in the more fashionable districts of Anschok. For good reason - while utterly vital for the infrastructure of Western Anschok, Cesall has no grand sights, no spectacular buildings, no fashionable art scene, and most of the Anschok nobles would rather be dead than be caught at such a dreadfully boring place. Its neighbors are even worse off, as they don’t have the revenues that the Substation brings in, and thus their rulers watch Cesall with barely suppressed envy as the Baron spends firebirds like water in an effort to gain attention from outsiders.

Description
Located in the eastern wind shadow of the coastal mountain ranges, Cesall is unusually becalmed for the city region. However, this only serves to bring the ubiquitous humming of the inverter stations, power lines, and storage mechanisms into greater focus, and new arrivals often have difficulties sleeping for a few days. Local rumors persist that ghosts - created through unholy experiments by renegade Engineers - travel along the power lines and emit uncanny noises. While the scale of the facilities is grand, they are uniformly drab (if well maintained). They are surrounded by rings of equally colorless apartment complexes for the numerous maintenance workers. Only the baronial estates provide a bit of color with their parks, but they seem to vanish in a vast sea of concrete.

History
As the Anschok City Region grew during the Second Republic, its power infrastructure likewise grew in complexity. Substation Gamma Prime was the last of the great substations of the region to be completed before the fall of the Republic, and it was heavily damaged during the Fall. The nascent Engineers did what they could, replacing the automated grid systems with less complex versions while gradually replacing the crumbling fusion plants with wind turbines. Fortunately, the Hawkwood nobility recognized the importance of the Substations, and when the Cesall barony was founded, very favorable long-term contracts were agreed upon which left the grid maintenance groups largely to their own devices in exchange for moderate tax rates. This state of affairs has largely continued into the present, and only the strategic significance of the Substation during the Emperor Wars brought a brief period of excitement to the barony.

Assets: Thanks to Substation Gamma Prime, Cesall is very wealthy for a barony even by Delphi standards, and the baron collects 10,000 fb every year from rent and taxes. The Substation itself is an enormous source of revenue for the Order of Engineers, and individual shareholders (of which there are many) can collect up to 15,000 fb each year in revenue, depending on the amount of stocks they own. Finally, being chief of the local Muster operations is good for 3000 fb per year.

Men-at-Arms: The baron has 30 guards armed with rifles, half of which are veterans from the Emperor Wars treating this position as a comfortable retirement. However, most of the security in the barony is provided by 100 Muster security guards who keep the workers in line with frap sticks. Early in the Emperor Wars the Substation was bombarded by the al-Malik as a strategic target which lead to substantial fortifications and anti-air defenses, but after the end of the war these were decommissioned.

Personas

Baron Verdus Hawkwood: The new Baron is frustrated by Cesall’s lack of prestige. While he could just continue to collect the rent money and spend it elsewhere like his ancestors did, he wants Cesall to become famous across the City Region and beyond. For this reason he spends most of his revenues on improving his estates - new buildings, bigger and more beautiful estates, and so forth. He is also very eager to host famous or notorious people from off-world at his estates, as their fame would reflect well on him. He would even be willing to host a Decados scion or similar dubious people, as he believes that a good scandal would preferable to anonymity. However, he is currently finding that his ambitions exceed his revenues, and thus he is attempting to find more about the secret experiments of the local Engineers - either he will be able to blackmail them into silence and thus gain more revenue, or the resulting scandals will attract more attention.

Engineer Arwanna Frigh: While she is not technically the director of Substation Gamma Prime, she effectively runs its day-to-day operations as the actual director uses the prestige of the position to focus on larger-scale politics - both within the Order of Engineers and without. Frigh is no doubt both an excellent administrator and an excellent scientist - talents which she honed since her younger years, when she was a student of the Amalthean Order on Artemis (something known to only a few of her current and former peers). She deliberately sought out her current position in order to further on her research on Pan-Physics - the depths of which would raise a few eyebrows in both her Order and the Church, if the details became known. So far, she was able to explain both the power outages and the spillover effects away, but she hopes she will have results to justify the risks when the latter finally catch up with her.

Leutnant Johanna Moynters: The Substation requires large numbers of workers, and the Muster provides. So far, Moynters had it good while running Muster operations in the barony - her cut of the contracts provide a steady stream of revenue, as did her special arrangements for the Scravers who provide entertainments to the workers - giving her a cut while also ensuring that their predation does not get too out of line. However, as of late workers have been disappearing, and her Scraver contacts swear that this is not their doing. The rumors of the Ghosts in the Wire are making the rounds among the superstitious workers again, and if something isn’t done soon to stop the disappearances, the workers might start to riot - which would call her fitness to run these operations into question.

Father Christoph: This Orthodox priest never had any higher ambitions than help his flock, and the generally peaceful Cesall barony suited him well in his twilight years after all the chaos and suffering he experienced during the Emperor Wars. However, as of late he started to hear voices in the power lines - the Ghosts in the Wire - and he feels he is frequently watched by unseen intelligences. He tries to calm the nerves of the common workers with reassurances he no longer feels himself, and desperately hopes for evidence that would either dispel his worries or is sufficiently convincing to allow him to request outside help.

Using Baron Verdus as an ally: The Baron can be a very useful and generous ally if the characters have developed a strong reputation (either good or bad) or are otherwise associated with famous or powerful people. He will be willing to host them and be willing to support almost any scheme as long as he believes that it will make Cesall more famous. They should not count on secrecy while taking advantage of this, however - even if they are trying to avoid attention, the Baron will make sure that some garbled rumors will leak out that something interesting is happening in his fiefdom.

Using Baron Verdus as an adversary: In general, the Baron will not deliberately seek out to antagonize anyone - unless he believes that a resulting vendetta will bring attention to Cesall. However, he might very well give aid and protection to the enemies of the PCs if he believes the conflict will be spectacular - and public.


[phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/vendor/twig/twig/lib/Twig/Extension/Core.php on line 1266: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable

Return to “For Players”



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest