Posted by: icelus
« on: June 06, 2004, 01:07:39 PM »Some old PMs I just came across:
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I do think the Keldorn and old buddy Vakola has a lot of legs to it. Although the first suggestion I would make is to keep it divorced of any of the existing 'illicit trades' the game has going. Black Lotus and slaves are all well and good, but a little innovation is always good.
Some ideas for what Vakola could be up to...
Classic mafia activity (numbers, prostitution, racketeering, shakedowns) So in general, up to his eyeballs with Aran Linvail or one of his lieutenants.
Smuggling. Always a classic. Involved in smuggling Maztican goods. Nothing really illicit like drugs or slaves, but regular goods but not through customs/tax officials. Perhaps using his influence to get things offloaded at the docks without official documents. Nothing horribly evil, just not good. I think it could be an intersting 'grey area' quest. Sure Vakola wants revenge because his smuggling was made more difficult, but he wasn't smuggling anything really evil.
The unlicensed magic trade. Lets say he's helping wizards get materials, helping them stay out of notice of the Cowlies, and even getting people out of town from the Cowlies when they cross them. Not helping necromancers but helping the good wizards and such. An opportunity to really portray Vakola as a truly good person, just one operating outside of the law (huge grudge against the Cowlies perhaps?) and feels betrayed that the Order decided to side with the Cowlies and boot him and feels that maybe the Order has lost its way? The old abandoned zealot routine?
Well, just some ideas to chew on. I like the last two better because just another villain is kinda boring, but a good moral quandry and shaky grounds like that, always makes for a good story.
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Thanks. Just as a clarification to the Cowlies subplot, I don't necessarily see a double standard. What you have is a man who did break the tenets of the Order in performing what is an illegal activity. When he gets found out, despite his protestations that he is trying to help good honest people access magic, he is still booted (he is breaking the law and making a profit ) And what you have is a very angry man who wants to show the Order he was on the right track. That the Cowlies are bad.. maybe in his desire to prove himself right, he goes off the rails, to plan an assault on the Order House with fake Cowlie mages. Or is planning to, and CHARNAME and Keldorn can stop him by talking him out of it and convincing him to try a different route, kill him, or agree with him and go along with him. If it happens in CH 6, you'd have a very motivated Imoen who'd definitely have something to say on the Cowlies...
Yeah.. the Maztica thing is a bit weak.. but it can be smuggling of other luxuries. *shrug* And prostitution does have its amusing features too....