Post by reefwood on Nov 4, 2010 1:46:31 GMT -5
Investigations in New Briar
I don't need too much input to figure out what, if anything, is discovered by the Privates who stayed in New Briar, but I would like some guidance in determining their methods. Of course, if you want to provide a lot of input, that is certainly welcome too. A few possible sources for information come to mind:
1) Connections already established, such as Chancellor Brock and/or Lady Karryx.
2) Gather information on the street from locals.
3a) Directly contact churches/temples about their ex-highpriests and connections to guilds.
3b) Directly contact guilds about their connections to churches/temples.
Representatives from the mentioned temples and guilds were at the gala, so if you opt for direct contact, you could try to reach a familiar face or aim for a new one. The Ministry building is in the more heavily guarded city center, but all the deities with an altar in the Ministry also have their own separate main house of worship outside the city center. The major religions tend to have additional smaller ones too but the minor religions not as much. The same goes for the Guild House and the guilds.
I know there is an emphasis on subtlety and using the guise that this is just general inquiry about New Briar, but the information provided by the halfling was very specific, so in addition to telling me who you want the Bard Mage to ask about what, I would also like a sample question or two. I just need to roughly know how you will go about being subtle with this. For example: ask people on the street, “What kind of standing does the Temple of X have in New Briar?” or “Do you know anything about what happened to -missing/dead highpriest-?”
Along similar lines, who and how do you want to ask about those that ambushed you in New Briar?
Below is some intel that the Bard Mage would already know about the groups involved:
“A highpriest of Torag left 10 months ago to visit family in Ione. However, the ship carrying Kendrik Phee (human male) never made it to the port city, and there is no evidence of what happened to it. Some speculate that it was attacked by sahuagin raiders, but they have not been spotted venturing this close to shore in years.”
Torag is LG and known as the god of the forge, protection, and strategy. The Temple of Torag is a major religion in New Briar and has 3 highpriests on the Ministry.
“A highpriestess of Sarenae was found dead 6 months ago in Briarbog. Diah'ni Lumen (half-elven female) often ventured outside the city to care for those ailing in the shanty town and served as an advocate for those who wanted to return to New Briar but had obstacles to overcome, such as poverty or exile.”
Sarenae is NG and known as the goddess of the sun, redemption, honesty, and healing. The Church of Sarenae is a major religion in New Briar and has 3 highpriests on the Ministry.
“The highpriest of Shelyn was exiled 3 months ago. An avid painter and sculptor, Nor'an Oakseed (elven male) was convicted of practicing dark arts. The key evidence was a tome and stash of components for use in a ritual to devote oneself to the evil god Rovagug. Nor'an admitted that some of the components were obtained by him, but that they were for use in making textured paints, and that other components and ritual tome must have been placed in his home by others. There is no word on where Nor'an went after his sentence carried him out of New Briar.”
Shelyn is NG and known as the goddess of beauty, art, love, and music. The Temple of Shelyn is a minor religion in New Briar and has 1 highpriest on the Ministry.
“Most recently, a highpriest of Abadar was grievously injured during the rescue operation of a mining accident. One of the deeper mithral mines had a collapse last week, and Ordol Thundersmith (dwarf male) led the effort to reach the trapped miners. A second collapse took the lives of several rescuers, and while Ordol survived, he appears to have suffered major brain injury and will not be able to continue as highpriest. This leaves the Church of Abadar with only 2 highpriests, including Archcleric Stoneroot, until a lower priest is elevated to replace Ordol, though, that should not take long.”
Abadar is LN and known as the god of cities, wealth, merchants, and law. The Church of Abadar is a major religion in New Briar with the most followers. It has 3 highpriests on the Ministry, and the eldest highpriest also sits on the Council.
“Additionally, some of the Mayor's staunchest supporters may now be among the dead in Ione, and links are growing deeper between the Ministry and Guild House. The force sent to help defend Ione included leaders in the militia very loyal to the Mayor, several local heroes that endorsed the Mayor, and a few wealthy citizens who supported his campaign. Some worry that this will weakened the influence of the Mayor among the Council. Meanwhile, the Church of Abadar has always provided priests to assist the Mining Guild which has long had a seat in the Guild House, but just this year, the revived Mercenary Guild has earned a seat and boasts several templars of Abadar and Torag among its ranks. Also, a few priests who serve Torag have opened shops and joined the Smiths Guild.”
The Mining Guild has the highest-ranking and longest-standing seat in the Guild House. The Mercenary Guild is currently the most recent addition to the Guild House and its lowest ranking member.
“The halfling does not know exactly to what end these events may lead, but he has grown wary. He worries that the separate branches of government are blurring and that the city is being steered toward valuing order over fairness.”
The mention of Starlight by the halfling is a reference to Desna. Desna is CG and known as the goddess of dreams, stars, travelers, and luck. There is no altar dedicated to Desna in the Ministry.
And finally, here once again is the crash course from Chapter 9, Part II on the New Briar government:
“The government is run by a 3-person Council:
Mayor Donovan Reegan – elected by citizens
Archcleric Kilvir Stoneroot – elected by the Ministry
Guildmaster Prah'el Moonleaf – elected by the Guild House
The Mayor is elected by the citizens of New Briar.
The Archcleric is elected by the highpriests in the Ministry. When it was established, the altars of 7 deities were given a place inside: Erastil, Iomedae, Torag, Saranae, Shelyn, Abadar, Irori (the Pathfinder Rules thread has basic info on all the deities). Major temples (Abadar, Torag, Saranae) have 3 highpriests and minor temples have 1 highpriest. Each highpriest may cast 1 vote for the Archcleric, so the votes each temple can cast depends on their number of worshippers, which can change over time, so the total number of voters can also vary. Highpriests usually hold their rank until they die or retire, as does the Archcleric. Additionally, there are other temples in New Briar, some with more worshippers than temples in the Ministry, but they cannot vote for the Archcleric because they are not in the Ministry, and the largest of these temples is that of Pharasma.
The Guildmaster is elected by those with a seat in the Guild House. Similar to the altars in the Ministry, there are 7 seats in the Guild House, and they are given to the leaders of the most profitable guilds. Each guild elects its own leader, and each seat may cast 1 vote for the Guildmaster. This gives a total of 7 votes, and the number never changes, but the guilds that are given a seat can change every year based on profits, and the leader of each guild can change more or less often than that. The guilds who currently have a seat at the Guild House are (starting with the most profitable) are: Mining, Smiths, Banking, Farmers, Architecture, Weavers, Mercenary. Guilds that have had a seat in the past include: Hunters, Logging, Mages.”
Mayor Donovan Reegan – elected by citizens
Archcleric Kilvir Stoneroot – elected by the Ministry
Guildmaster Prah'el Moonleaf – elected by the Guild House
The Mayor is elected by the citizens of New Briar.
The Archcleric is elected by the highpriests in the Ministry. When it was established, the altars of 7 deities were given a place inside: Erastil, Iomedae, Torag, Saranae, Shelyn, Abadar, Irori (the Pathfinder Rules thread has basic info on all the deities). Major temples (Abadar, Torag, Saranae) have 3 highpriests and minor temples have 1 highpriest. Each highpriest may cast 1 vote for the Archcleric, so the votes each temple can cast depends on their number of worshippers, which can change over time, so the total number of voters can also vary. Highpriests usually hold their rank until they die or retire, as does the Archcleric. Additionally, there are other temples in New Briar, some with more worshippers than temples in the Ministry, but they cannot vote for the Archcleric because they are not in the Ministry, and the largest of these temples is that of Pharasma.
The Guildmaster is elected by those with a seat in the Guild House. Similar to the altars in the Ministry, there are 7 seats in the Guild House, and they are given to the leaders of the most profitable guilds. Each guild elects its own leader, and each seat may cast 1 vote for the Guildmaster. This gives a total of 7 votes, and the number never changes, but the guilds that are given a seat can change every year based on profits, and the leader of each guild can change more or less often than that. The guilds who currently have a seat at the Guild House are (starting with the most profitable) are: Mining, Smiths, Banking, Farmers, Architecture, Weavers, Mercenary. Guilds that have had a seat in the past include: Hunters, Logging, Mages.”
