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12 months ago ::
Jun 30, 2012 - 7:56PM
#31
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- Eberron Designer
- Moo, Baby, Moo
Date Joined:
Dec 11, 2002
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I think calling the EC one of the best at overt action would be a stretch. They used to be an elite military unit, but they have been disavowed and lost their legitimate backing. As such, instead of attracting the cream of the Karrnath military, they're recruiting more and more religious fanatics.
It depends how you present Karrnathi support of Kaius. One of the ongoing suggestions in the soruce material is that there are a number of warlords who disapprove of Kaius' actions and want to see him replaced. For these people, Kaius turning on the EC is one more piece of evidence that he is a tyrant who needs to be replaced: the EC served with distinction in the war, and their reward for this patriotic service is betrayal when the king no longer needs them. To these people, it's a sign that it's time for the Wynarn line to be replaced and the destiny of Karrnath and Galifar to rest in new hands.
Far from being religious fanatics, people from this path may not have any interest in the Blood of Vol at all. Remember that Erandis herself doesn't actually practice the faith of the Blood of Vol. Instead, she tells these people - themselves ambitious warlords and knights - that she will give them the power and forces they need to displace Kaius. You also have people like Garrow, who doesn't believe in Karrnath or the Blood of Vol, but is solely interested in the personal power he can acquire through the Blood of Vol - again, not unlike Erandis herself.
You can certainly limit it to religious fanatics, but there's certainly a basis for having highly skilled soldiers who believe that Kaius (and the entire Wynarn line) is an unfit leader - and that the Queen of Death will place their prefered leader on a new throne.
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12 months ago ::
Jul 01, 2012 - 2:47AM
#32
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Date Joined:
Dec 10, 2001
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I play an espionage game in my games, actually.
Eberron is really unique in D&D settings by the fact that it's one of the few places where nations have a national character and there's mulitple ones. Faerun has Cormyr and a few city-states. Dragonlance has Solamnia and that's it. In Eberron, you have the Big Four Nations and a bunch of other smaller ones competing.
I have done a great Dark Lanterns game where the PCs are essentially MI6 agents anachronistically fighting Dargunn terrorists, the Emerald Claw, Swords of Liberty, and so on.
The only problem for me is, really, the Reidrans. I want to play them but the Quori are supposedly such Machiavellian masterminds it seems hard to ever get them "on stage."
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12 months ago ::
Jul 01, 2012 - 4:10AM
#33
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Date Joined:
Jun 16, 2004
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Eberron is really unique in D&D settings by the fact that it's one of the few places where nations have a national character and there's mulitple ones. Faerun has Cormyr and a few city-states. Dragonlance has Solamnia and that's it. In Eberron, you have the Big Four Nations and a bunch of other smaller ones competing.
A-freaking-men.
Gold is for the mistress, silver for the maid Copper for the craftsman, cunning at his trade." "Good!" said the Baron, sitting in his hall, "But Iron -- Cold Iron -- is master of them all." -Kipling Defenders: We ARE the wall! I've replaced the previous Edition Warring line in my sig with this one, because honestly, everybody needs to work together to make the D&D they like without trampling on somebody else's D&D. Miss d20 Modern? Take a look at Dias Ex Machina Game's UltraModern 4e! I am a hero, not a chump.
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12 months ago ::
Jul 02, 2012 - 1:30AM
#34
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Also, with the loss of a lot of their best direct action operatives to House Thuranni, Phiarlan is having trouble acting on the actionable intel they do get.
Remember that the House of Shadows is part of Phiarlan, so while they might have lost their assassins, the thieves and sneaky characters are still there. As for the Shadow Schism being an act, I can hardly claim that since it is certainly one of the suggestions in I think the Dragon Marked book. Tieing it to Aeranal is a rather simple step, especially considering the recent discussion here about Aeranel and its history 
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