Foreign powers

Introduction

Foreigners are nations or powers that the empire is not formally at war with. There are two types of foreigner in Empire; local foreigners are those that share a continent with the Empire, while distant foreigners lie overseas, the nearest are at least two weeks travel by sea. Foreigners are fully protected by Imperial law, so in theory they can attend a meeting at Anvil as safely as an Imperial citizen.

Communication

Long distance communication with foreign powers should take time - players should not be able to have a back-and-forth communication with a foreign NPC over the course of an event unless that NPC is at Anvil. The civil service do not have any mechanism for delivering letters for players, if they want to send a communication to an NPC then they must make the appropriate

The Autumn ritual Call Winged Messenger has been specifically designed to allow the players to send correspondence to a known NPC. To use this ritual, the PCs need to know the name of the character they are communicating with. The names of some known foreign agents are available on the plot wiki pages for the foreign nations.

Local Foreigners

Local foreigners speak the same native tongue as the Empire. This means that local foreigners may engage in diplomacy either by sending letters or by sending dignitaries to visit Anvil at events.

It is possible that the Empire may declare war on a local foreign nation. The costs involved in producing significant numbers of NPCs for a battle with a foreign nation are significant (more than ten thousand pounds), so any plot that it is likely to provoke this should have a long time-scale and be clearly discussed with Matt Pennington.

Axos

The nation of Axos is a dark mirror of Urizen, ruled by powerful magicians. The Axou often appear sinister - their politics are brutal and their religion (such as it is) is obsessed with death. The Axou are the most obviously exotic of the nearby foreign powers, but they share some concerns in common with their Imperial neighbours. At the very least, they are threatened by the same barbarian forces that threaten the Empire - the Druj tribe and the tribes of the Broken Shore make raids into Axos.

Axos is rich in crystal mana, but it also has a great demand for liao which it uses in it's spiritual ceremonies and rituals. It is especially keen to purchase mithril from the Empire, which it uses to upgrade it's mana sites and maintain it's military. All mithril in Axos is ruthlessly controlled by the sorceror kings who use their economic control of this vital material to maintain their dominance over the people.

Plots involving Axos are likely to involve magical themes, but could also deal with their need for raw materials and their strange religious beliefs; their conflicts with the barbarians; and their secretive foreign trade. Espionage themes are also a good fit for Axos - they are a paranoid and slightly xenophobic people who are convinced their neighbours are plotting to destroy them. Any Axou plot is likely to be enriched by themes of treachery and paranoia - this doesn't mean that the NPCs need to be lying to the players or planning to betray them - the theme can be brought out just as effectively by including two groups of Axou from rival families or citadels who are planning to betray each other.

Faraden

The Faraden have a lot in common with the nations of the western Empire. They are mercantile like the Freeborn, politically savvy like the League and stubborn traditionalists like the Marchers. They share several enemies in common with the Empire - the Jotun barbarians threaten them from the north, the orcs of the Lasambrian hills from the west, and their border with the Iron Confederacy sees regular skirmishes.

While there is a notional ruler of the Faraden - the Lord or Lady of the Five Winds - the real power in this nation lies with the family patriarchs and matriarchs. A plot is most likely to originate at this level, and involve the trade or political aspirations of a family rather than the nation as a whole. The Faraden are also an interesting route to bring a new product or a rare item to the Empire, one that is available in limited amounts, and originates in the lands to the south-west of the Bay of Catazar.

One important element to keep in mind when planning Faraden plots and encounters is the importance they place on honour and the concept of justice. Their spirituality is not that of Maelstrom's Huntress, nor of modern jurisprudence. They genuinely believe in vendettas, and in punishing anyone who transgresses their personal code or harms them or their family. One way to sum this up is "two eyes for an eye" or the classic speech fromhttp://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Untouchables [The Untouchables] "He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue!" The spiritual force of vengeance that infuses their culture means that they are internally very law-abiding and careful when dealing with each other, but a common trope should be the conflict that results when a society with a strong sense of personal honour encounters one that lacks that sense.

Plots involving the Faraden are likely to focus on their mercantile and diplomatic interests, but they also have reasonable military force - a Faraden mercenary band (a military unit) looking for employment in the Empire might make an interesting starting point for a plot. The Faraden also share four of their five spiritual virtues with the Empire - they agree with the Imperial Synod on the importance of these virtues - and this could also form the basis for conflict or contact between the nations. The Faraden have little access to liao which they need for their religious ceremonies - as a consequence they place much more value on the effects of ceremonies such as anointing or dedication. A Faraden who has come to the Empire to seek a True Liao vision might make an interesting encounter, as might one seeking a fresh insight into a situation associated with one of the virtues.

Skoura

The Iron Confederacy

The Iron Confederacy is what Dawn could have become if it had gone a different way; dominated by it's warriors, highly militarized, and dominated by a creed that glorifies victory and martial prowess. The make little secret of the fact that they are jealous of the Empire, and desperately want to conquer it. They aren't open enemies of the Imperial people, but it would take only a few diplomatic incidents to push them over the edge. Like the Faraden, most Iron Confederacy plot that comes to the Empire is likely to represent the interests of one of the duchies rather than the nation as a whole. Only an outside threat (such as the Empire) is likely to force the duchies to stop their internecine struggles and focus all their efforts on the external force.

There is no central power in the Iron Confederacy, but the duchies are bound together by the efforts of the priesthood. Any Iron Confederacy NPCs who visit the Empire are certain to be accompanied by at least one "advisor" from the priesthood who looks after the "spiritual wellbeing" of the group; protecting them from the malign magic of the Imperials, and keeping them focused on their mission. A priest is likely to be accompanied by some acolytes to help deliver the blessings of the Suranni pantheon.

Imperial players are likely to be very interested in the Suranni religion, and their attitudes to magic, but the Confederate priests have no interest in sharing their mystical secrets with their northern rivals. Disrespect to their faith is likely to cause an incident, and the plot writer should be prepared for NPCs to withdraw rather than face abuse from Imperials trying to pry into their secrets.

A strong theme for Iron Confederacy plot should be how proud these people are - they match the Empire in terms of iron-clad certainty that their way of life is the best and all others are inferior. At the same time, the Confederate characters sent to the Empire are likely to have been selected for their diplomatic skills - a plot in which none of the NPCs can bear to talk to the players will not get very far! For the integrity of the nation, however, it's important that the Confederate NPCs and the plot as a whole avoid too much compromise of their core identity as arrogant militarists.

As with Axos, espionage may be a good theme for Confederacy plots; they are very interested in the military capabilities of the Imperials. They are also interested in proving themselves superior to Imperial warriors, and their priests superior to the blasphemous Imperial priests and magicians.

Xira

Xira is a trackless desert inhabited by nomadic travellers that lies to the south of Axos. In the centre of Xira an endless sandstorm rages, and the entire area is impassable. The desert itself is hot, but studded with oases and rocky outcroppings where the Xira maintain temporary settlements.

The people of Xira are philosophers. They are not numerous, and lack military might, but they are fascinated by matters of spirituality and faith.

Distant Foreigners

Distant foreigners do not speak the same native tongue as the Empire. Their native tongue is phys-repped using one or more European languages. This conceit allows for the incorporation of European languages within the setting and allows players who do not speak English as their native tongue to play characters who are Imperial citizens or foreigners accordingly. Each distant foreign nation has one or more European languages associated with it - the rule is that no player can portray a native of that land unless they speak one of the languages associated with that nation fluently. This means that distant foreigners may engage in diplomacy by sending letters but may not send dignitaries to visit Anvil at events unless the people playing them are fluent speakers.

It is possible that the Empire may declare war on a distant foreign nation (and vice versa), but the distances involved mean that neither side can currently prosecute such a war using armies. Because of this, it is perfectly possible to run plot that brings distant foreign nations into a state of open conflict with the Empire. This has a small effect on the trade derived by players from that foreign nation - but may allow for interesting plot developments in terms of the foreign nation providing support or assistance to other barbarian forces the Empire is at war with. Any way between the Empire and distant foreigners must -in effect - be fought through proxies.

The Sumaah Republic

The key fact of the Sumaah Republic is that they have the same religion as the Empire. The difference is that the priests are in charge - they are extremely orthodox in their beliefs and tend to view Imperials as backsliders who lack the moral fibre to embrace their faith completely. It's important not to go with the easy stereotype with Sumaah - they are believers first and foremost, not the victims of fascist bully-boys in cassocks.

Any plot involving the Sumaah should have faith and virtue at it's core, but they are also a very political nation. They practice a form of representative democracy supported and guided by a committed priest caste, and are likely to view the various odd political mechanisms of the Empire with raised eyebrows.

Unlike other foreign nations, the Sumaah have access to both liao and true liao. A Sumaah with a past-life vision might have a particular reason for visiting the Empire, or contacting someone there. Likewise, the Sumaah share some paragons and exemplars with the Empire and a plot revolving around one of these might be interesting. For example, a player plot to have an exemplar declared a paragon might be complicated by a Sumaah who claims to have had a vision of that exemplar (meaning that according to the rules that person cannot have been a paragon - or having evidence of a vital miracle that might prove an exemplar to be a paragon.

There is a great deal of political rivalry between the Sumaah Republic and the Asavean Archipelago. Either nation might engage in espionage against the other against a backdrop of the Empire. The Sumaah, for example, would love to see the Empire sever political ties with the Asaveans. Encounters between Sumaah and Asavea in Anvil could form the foundation for longer-reaching political plot.

The Asavaen Archipelago

The people of the Asavean Archipelago are decadent, self-obsessed and more than a little contemptuous of foreign nations. At one point they were a major political player on the international stage, but they are increasingly eclipsed by the Empire. The nation tries to adopt the role of "elder statesman" but their reliance on centuries-old technologies and social structures means they are slowly crumbling into irrelevance.

Where they shine is in the wealth of their senatorial families; their long history of diplomacy and trade; and their large (if outdated) fleet of merchant ships. A plot involving Asavea is likely to be highly political in nature; the Archipelago is constantly working to maintain it's power and influence outside their own borders.

The Archipelago is a great source for exotic luxuries and rare or valuable goods traded with the nations that lie far to the west of the Bay of Catazaar (in real-world terms, the Asavean traders are in a position to exploit markets in the equivalent position to China or Australia, while the other foreign nations mostly deal with the Near East).

The Archipelago is at odds with the Sumaah Republic, and political games might play out in the arena of Anvil when representatives of those two nations have opposing agendas. The Asavean's would love to smash the Republic and subjugate it again, but without powerful allies this is likely to be impossible. They would be happy with the Empire severing ties with Sumaah - especially if they could drive a wedge between the Sumaah and the Imperial Synods.

The Sumaah are also the most obvious slaving nation in the game. Themes of freedom and oppression might play out well with this nation - the slow spread of the Imperial Faith among the slaves is mentioned, and plots that let the Imperial Synod offer assistance to these movements might make for interesting developments (provided the importance of not giving people free text downtimes or other exotic downtime options is maintained). It might be interesting if an Imperial character could effectively become an "arms runner" to the Asavaen rebels, perhaps even gaining a title that let them trade liao for valuables from the Archipelago.

The Commonwealth

The Principalities of Jarm

This nation is magically more powerful than the Empire, and it's equal in trade, but lacks a strong unifying philosophy. It's military is more involved in protecting it's own borders, and in internal disputes, and it lacks a strong industrial base. It is a nation of magician-princes and exotic beasts; fine silks and rich spices and intrigue.

Plots involving Jarm should be highly political in nature - each Magician-prince is looking to gain more power than his or her rivals, and many see the Empire is just another piece in their complex game of internal status. That's not to say that they consider the Empire weak - far from it. The support of the Empire can help a Jarmish faction rise to prominence, while it's emnity could damage the standing of a powerful faction.

The most obvious conflict in Jarm is between the power blocs of the North (centred around Kavor), South (centred around Vezak) and East (centred around XXXX, and currently with no access to Imperial fleets). Within those power blocs, individual Magician-princes will have their own agendas that might lead them to send emissaries to Anvil.

A visit from an actual Magician-prince is likely to be a major event - one that we would want to kit out appropriately and is likely to require extensive resources. Any plot likely to end up in a diplomatic envoy from Jarm will need to be discussed with Kol Ford, Andy Rafferty and Matt Pennington well in advance.

The Sarcophan Delves

The Delves are rich, ruthless and effective merchants. They have access to all sorts of raw materials, and their sophisticated understanding of economics and trade rivals that of the League and the Brass Coast. They excel in the practice of medicine and apothecary. They are at least as powerful as the Empire in terms of their mastery of magic, but their military is largely mercenary in nature and they are practically agnostics compared to the other nations.

More than any other nation, the Sarcophan Delves lend themselves to plots involving wealth, economics - and criminality. The Sarcophan are generally free of concerns of morality or ethics when it comes to amassing wealth, and they are quite happy to flaunt laws that restrict trade if they think they can get away with it. A Sarcophan merchant would happily sell a Scorpion's Sting dagger to an Imperial in the tavern - provided they were confident they would not face repercussions, and provided the customer was prepared to pay a significant mark-up.

Sarcophan is a good place from which to introduce exotic consumables - narcotics and potions especially.

The Delves are also quite magical - the zielweven possess specialised procedures unknown to the Empire; while the ongelukkig corpse-constructs are not likely to be interesting enough to play for an extended period, their presence in a Sarcophan group can add an exotic element to an encounter. The Bloedzuiger priests are also a source of mystery and secrets - their true nature is not expanded on in the public wiki and revelations about them might make for an interesting plot.

Sarcophan itself is a mysterious place - the current inhabitants did not build it. Historical artefacts and the plots that surround the will be of great interest to some players, as will objects of mysterious provenance from the less civillised tribes "upriver" from Sarcophan. Again, the truth of who built Sarcophan and what happened to them is not on the public wiki, but there is ample opportunity to explore some of the mysteries without having the PCs visit the city themselves.

Ports and Trade

Players can already engage in trade with (or piracy against) Distant Foreigners using their fleet personal resource. Trade with a fleet allows the character to get resources they can use or sell on the field, and offers versatility and the ability to react to markets that is not found with mines or forests. Piracy is a more lucrative option, in terms of the wealth it produces, but foreign nations are likely to be angered by prolonged campaigns of piracy.

There are a limited number of foreign ports available to Imperial characters. Where a foreign nation has more than one port, it represents a powerful political bloc within that nation. All foreign nations have access to all the crafting materials, but only the Empire has them all in roughly equal proportions. The goods available through trade with foreign ports give an idea of the kinds of goods those foreigners have in abundance. For example, a plot involving Nemoria in the Asavean Archipelago might offer the opportunity for the Empire to create a ministry that lets them purchase large amounts of Cerulean Mazzarine, Orichalcum, Iridescent Gloaming or Tempest Jade but is unlikely to involve buying Weltsilver or True Vervain. In the same way, a character from that nation might offer payment for services in these materials rather than money.

Foreigners also have their own sources of ilium, mithril, white granite and weirwood. However, they are rarely interested in seeing them go outside their borders. Rather, they may be interested in acquiring surplus bulk goods from the Empire. In the Sumaah Republic, the Commonwealth and the Principalities of Jarm it is a serious crime to trade these valuable resources to foreigners; in the Asavean Archipelago and the Sarcophan Delves it is not a crime, but social and economic pressures mean that it is very rare for anyone to try and sell any quantity of bulk materials outside their borders. This is not to say you can't run a plot that involves bulk materials, but doing so would require discussion with the campaign team.

A new port is a significant addition to the game, but is certainly possible. For example, an ongoing campaign plot involves a group of Jarmish NPCs from Eastern Jarm seeking to establish their own trading connection with the Empire, and the efforts of the North and South Jarmite power blocs to prevent them doing so. A plot involving a flotilla of mercantile merrow could end up adding a new port to those available to the Empire. In the same way, a plot that resulted in the death or humiliation of an important official might temporarily or permanently close a foreign port to Imperial ships.