Hi all
This is a thread where I will be musing on the next part of my campaign. The idea is of course for those who feel so inclined to muse along
First some background:
The campaign has run for some years real time now. Some here might remember me posting about a GURPS Shadow World game set mainly in Sel-Kai on the old boards - it's still the same game. The game only runs once a month for 5-6 hours so progress is relatively glacial as a result, but some things have been achieved
The Ultra-short version of the story so far: The characters started out as relative low-lives, staff and hang-arounds at an inn in the Canal Maze, The Lingering Lantern (own invention, not described in canon). From there they worked themselves through battles with the Red Dragon gang (who tried to press a protection racket and push some very odd drugs - no one seems to fully understand what went down there), the corrupt Red Capes (the Sel-Kai police force, where they exposed and helped bring to justice several high-ranking members) and the Alaxatan family (whom they've managed to deal a serious blow, killing the head of the family outright, and leaving the elder son less an arm and in exile with his younger brother, leaving only secondary familiy members to carry on Alaxatan business), and on the way gaining the friendship of Divad Taminger and through him Kyse Pharnese and the Pharnese family, and finally catching the eye of the Prince, who has responded to their deeds by drafting them into princely (special) service. In pratice they have been placed under the auspecies of Koren Maas and his Ministry of Security, have had one extra person placed with them (new player, red.) who is of noble birth, and have been assigned a "controller", who is the person they mostly deal with (they have met Maas only once).
This is where things stand, sans a couple of short little adventures to establish the new 5-man configuration. Now it is time for the next big thing/campaign: The Ardanian Gambit.
Now, the progress of the campaign has so far been that first, things took place only in the Canal Maze of Sel-Kai. Then the whole city became the playground - then the whole state. Now, we move to include the whole region of Silaar.
The Ardanian Gambit will be a campaign that focuses on developing the situation in Silaar.
IMC I haven't exactly followed the published timelines and events. The idea is to make the Lankani aggression vs. Nuyan-Kh?m be at least the initial backdrop.
As should be true about any SW game, there is of course more going on than meets the eye. The primary cause of the PC involvement is Ardanias - and thus ultimately the Ahrenreth's - dissatisfaction and ambition with regard to the region of Silaar.
Unwittingly, the PC's are now, through Maas of course, only few handshakes from the Ahrenreth inner circle, and they are going to be used mercilessly to further the interests of the I?n Shiin, puppeteered by his subordinate, Maas. Through amongst others Maas, Ardania is making a bid for control or at least knowledge and influence over events in Silaar.
In this setup, the thinking of the powers of Ardania is such that they will welcome an attack by the Lankani on Nyan-Kh?m, preferably an atrocious one, to sway Reandor and, more importantly, Sel-Kai, in favor of action against the Lankani. Ultimately, though the exact machinations are yet to unfold, Ardania hope to prosper first in the southern lands, preying on defeated nations, and then turn eyes towards the north, where war will have worn Reandian and Sel-Kai ressoures as well.
In this grand scheme, Maas has been charged with keeping Sel-Kai just enough informed, and with providing some of the basic "firepower" to do some of the tactical dirty work (though it will seem that heroic deeds are performed). It is envisioned that the Sel-Kai involvment should be just enough to ensure that the Lankani pay heavily for defeating Nuyan-Kh?m, and that Sel-Kai should seem in the forefront of the ensuing backlash against the Lankani.
Thus the PC's are destined to be first instumental in providing pseudo-information, then they must live the horror of war by a culture practicing human sacrifice and then they get to be part of defeating this evil enemy - now, who can resist that
And of course: Ahead in this lies the Temple of the Three, Sendar and Sendil, the Heart of Agoth etc. - though it will be a while before they get to this.
For starters, Maas wants them in Nuyan-Kh?m, travelling into Lankani territory to gather intelligence. Officially, they will be delivering bicycles to the Hutarn ...
