meto30
2014-05-08, 11:33 PM
Hello, I'm a DM running a heavily modified 3.5e campaign set in the Forgotten Realms. I'd like help on how to realistically portray the 'turning' of an NPC enemy general to the PC's side, or if turning itself is too unrealistic, how to realistically portray the general resisting the attempt.
Before I go into the details of the situation, I ask of you to please do not suggest any magical solutions. I'd rather not delve into details on why magic should not be used; suffice to say it will never be an acceptable solution for the PC at hand, given the circumstances and why the PC wants the general on his side.
Also, the fluff you see presented in the details may not fit FR canon; this is because, as I've mentioned on the opening sentence, the world was modified to fit our needs and tastes. Please do understand and try not to pull canon into this.
The PC in question (His name is Vhaibars, named after a historical Mamluk sultan named Baibars) is the unofficial autocrat of Murghom, a nation of semi-nomadic horsemen that live in the steppes (kinda like the Turks). He is invading Mulhorand, which is basically New Kingdom era Ancient Egypt (complete with an Egyption pantheon of gods!). Through skillful use of political maneuvering he has manipulated Mulhorand into sending one of its most skilled generals, Kendera Atsalozaria, to the Murghom front. His plan is use whatever necessary means at his disposal to turn Kendera, and the whole army she commands (who will most probably follow the general), to his side, and use them against Mulhorand. He has his reasons for needing to turn Kendera, and Kendera has reasons to betray the Pharaoh and follow Vhaibars, so the turning isn't without basis; but I want the turn of events to be as realistic as possible. My players deserve it.
Vhaibars wants Kendera, a capable and resourceful tactician well-versed in the military arts (unlike his own Murghomi nobles, who are, well, just people with noble blood), but more importantly, he needs the Chrysoxiphoi, the army that Kendera commands; Mulhorand is an empire several times the size of Murghom in land, population, economy, military, and magical infrstructure, and Vhaibars is fully aware that it will require several miracles for Murghom to defeat and conquer Mulhorand. Miracles and a tactical genius. Vhaibars isn't one, but Kendera is. If he can somehow convince Kendera that it'll be better for her and her soldiers to help Vhaibars topple the Pharaohs and install a new government in its place, he'll have a far better shot at doing just that.
Kendera isn't entirely happy with her situation as of now. The Chrysoxiphoi are, technically speaking, all slaves of the Pharaoh. They are the descendants of the Chessentan refugees who escaped the Thayan invasion Magosetentome coast, which was cut off from support from the Chessentan mainland as the First Chessentan Empire disintegrated after the sudden disappearance of its emperor, Tchazzar, and sought haven in neighboring Mulhorand, who are sworn enemies to Thay. Trained in the war in the old Tchazzarian way (which is basically the Macedonian way of war under Phillip and Alexander), they provide the Pharaohs with a strong, professional infantry and heavy cavalry arm to supplement the vast militia army that is the Mulhorandi military. Being what is probably the most professional force in Mulhorand, the Chrysoxiphoi won almost every engagement they were thrown into in their centuries-long history. But, glorious though those victories may be, it did not help the people's plight - to prevent the military from escaping or falling into the hands of the nobles who might use them to overthrow the royal house, the Pharaohs of old had made all the Chrysoxiphoi into royal household slave soldiers. They are forbidden to hold property, and may not choose their occupation, for the strong and capable become soldiers and the rest become support staff. The Chrysoxiphoi are still bound by the same laws today. Kendera wants her people to be free.
But she is also loyal to the people of Mulhorand, and is a devout worshipper of the Mulhorandi pantheon and their creed of order and stability. As far as she's concerned, the will of the Pharaoh is the will of the gods. Mulhorand, although it may treat her as just a very capable (and thus valuable) slave, is still her motherland, and she'd gladly give her life to defend it (which is excatly what she volunteered to do when she asked the Pharaoh to send her to the Murghom front). This sentiment is shared by her fellow soldiers the Chrysoxiphoi, although to a far lesser intensity. Five centuries of intermingling means that the Chrysoxiphoi are more Mulhorandi than Chessentan now. Despite being slaves, they fight willingly, to defend their home against the barbaric invaders.
However, Kendera is not content with Mulhorand as it is now. And this isn't only about the slavery issue. Mulhorand is a corrupt, decaying, and culturally stagnant state ruled by hereditary clerics of the great houses, who all claim direct descent from one of the hundreds of avatars the Mulhorandi gods used to rule over the people directly. Beginning with the slaying of the Untheri gods, the Mulhorandi deities slowly let go of the direct method, relegating more power to their mortal offspring, and after the Time of Troubles, they left the mortal plane altogether, leaving no avatars behind to allow Mulhorand to truly run itself. Things did not go as planned, however, as the nobles pretty much live out their lives as they did under direct divine rule - that is, they do nothing. Comfortable in the robust agricultural economy supported by three country-spanning floodplains and a rigid social hierarchy with three millennia of tradition, the nobles pursued a policy of slavish maintenance of the 'old order' while the rest of the world progressed beyond. The gods themselves were distrustful of progress, technology in particular, remembering all too well the tyranny of Imaskari engineer-lords which they themselves overthrew. The Mulhorandi of today lead almost exactly the same lives as that of their ancestors hundreds of years ago.
Kendera wanted to resolve this problem, to renew her beloved motherland into a modern, healthy country. She caught the eye of the young Pharaoh, Horustep III, using her wit and charm, and gained his support for her vision, but the nobility would have none of it. Although being called a living god, the Pharaoh is far from all-powerful, and his will alone was not enough to overcome the resistance of the great houses; after 8 years of achieving absolutely nothing, Kendera is nearly beaten down, not quite, but almost. Now she has a new chance, and she'll try one last time to realize her dreams. If she can subdue the Murghomi incursion, which the great house Ramathant failed to defeat to their shame, and save Mulhorand, she might finally be able to quell the voices of the nobility.
Vhaibars is aware of all this. This is why he manipulated the political scene in the first place, to make sure all the great houses would either be too busy or too ashamed to prevent the Pharaoh from sending in the Chrysoxiphoi. He wants Kendera and her army to defect to his side, and to do so, he will first employ the Favian strategy and deny the Chrysoxiphoi a chance at a decisive victory while reversing his own manipulations and put house Ramathant back in power. They are the most vocal in their criticism of the 'upstart foreigner slaves', and if Kendera is unable to make any progress regarding the Murghomi for a prolonged period of time, Ramathant might see this as the chance to finally undo the Chrysoxiphoi. Once she is convinced her political situation is bleak, she might be more open to Vhaibars' offer to not reform Mulhorand from the inside but rather join him and bring it down, and together build it back up.
The plan laid out in the last paragraph of the details is the one formed by the PC's player, HFS. I found it more than sufficient, and told him to go forward. All that remains is for me to roleplay Kendera convincingly, all the while making sure she lives up to her fluff as a superb tactician by effectively commanding the Chrysoxiphoi in our battle-map sessions. So, I reiterate my request for aid here: I'd like advice on how I should roleplay her. What might bring her to actually betray her liege-master? What kind of process would happen within her mind as she undergoes turning? What will the soldiers think? What will she think what her soldiers would think? Do you think this planned 'turning' is plausible enough? If not, why?
Also, the other players suggested that HFS might appreciate it if I add a bit of a love-story element to the relationship between Vhaibars and Kendera. HFS himself said he is open to it, especially since his last attempt at inter-character romance story hilariously failed due to unintentional sabotage by a fellow player (another PC snatched the girl instead). What do you think of this angle?
Before I go into the details of the situation, I ask of you to please do not suggest any magical solutions. I'd rather not delve into details on why magic should not be used; suffice to say it will never be an acceptable solution for the PC at hand, given the circumstances and why the PC wants the general on his side.
Also, the fluff you see presented in the details may not fit FR canon; this is because, as I've mentioned on the opening sentence, the world was modified to fit our needs and tastes. Please do understand and try not to pull canon into this.
The PC in question (His name is Vhaibars, named after a historical Mamluk sultan named Baibars) is the unofficial autocrat of Murghom, a nation of semi-nomadic horsemen that live in the steppes (kinda like the Turks). He is invading Mulhorand, which is basically New Kingdom era Ancient Egypt (complete with an Egyption pantheon of gods!). Through skillful use of political maneuvering he has manipulated Mulhorand into sending one of its most skilled generals, Kendera Atsalozaria, to the Murghom front. His plan is use whatever necessary means at his disposal to turn Kendera, and the whole army she commands (who will most probably follow the general), to his side, and use them against Mulhorand. He has his reasons for needing to turn Kendera, and Kendera has reasons to betray the Pharaoh and follow Vhaibars, so the turning isn't without basis; but I want the turn of events to be as realistic as possible. My players deserve it.
Vhaibars wants Kendera, a capable and resourceful tactician well-versed in the military arts (unlike his own Murghomi nobles, who are, well, just people with noble blood), but more importantly, he needs the Chrysoxiphoi, the army that Kendera commands; Mulhorand is an empire several times the size of Murghom in land, population, economy, military, and magical infrstructure, and Vhaibars is fully aware that it will require several miracles for Murghom to defeat and conquer Mulhorand. Miracles and a tactical genius. Vhaibars isn't one, but Kendera is. If he can somehow convince Kendera that it'll be better for her and her soldiers to help Vhaibars topple the Pharaohs and install a new government in its place, he'll have a far better shot at doing just that.
Kendera isn't entirely happy with her situation as of now. The Chrysoxiphoi are, technically speaking, all slaves of the Pharaoh. They are the descendants of the Chessentan refugees who escaped the Thayan invasion Magosetentome coast, which was cut off from support from the Chessentan mainland as the First Chessentan Empire disintegrated after the sudden disappearance of its emperor, Tchazzar, and sought haven in neighboring Mulhorand, who are sworn enemies to Thay. Trained in the war in the old Tchazzarian way (which is basically the Macedonian way of war under Phillip and Alexander), they provide the Pharaohs with a strong, professional infantry and heavy cavalry arm to supplement the vast militia army that is the Mulhorandi military. Being what is probably the most professional force in Mulhorand, the Chrysoxiphoi won almost every engagement they were thrown into in their centuries-long history. But, glorious though those victories may be, it did not help the people's plight - to prevent the military from escaping or falling into the hands of the nobles who might use them to overthrow the royal house, the Pharaohs of old had made all the Chrysoxiphoi into royal household slave soldiers. They are forbidden to hold property, and may not choose their occupation, for the strong and capable become soldiers and the rest become support staff. The Chrysoxiphoi are still bound by the same laws today. Kendera wants her people to be free.
But she is also loyal to the people of Mulhorand, and is a devout worshipper of the Mulhorandi pantheon and their creed of order and stability. As far as she's concerned, the will of the Pharaoh is the will of the gods. Mulhorand, although it may treat her as just a very capable (and thus valuable) slave, is still her motherland, and she'd gladly give her life to defend it (which is excatly what she volunteered to do when she asked the Pharaoh to send her to the Murghom front). This sentiment is shared by her fellow soldiers the Chrysoxiphoi, although to a far lesser intensity. Five centuries of intermingling means that the Chrysoxiphoi are more Mulhorandi than Chessentan now. Despite being slaves, they fight willingly, to defend their home against the barbaric invaders.
However, Kendera is not content with Mulhorand as it is now. And this isn't only about the slavery issue. Mulhorand is a corrupt, decaying, and culturally stagnant state ruled by hereditary clerics of the great houses, who all claim direct descent from one of the hundreds of avatars the Mulhorandi gods used to rule over the people directly. Beginning with the slaying of the Untheri gods, the Mulhorandi deities slowly let go of the direct method, relegating more power to their mortal offspring, and after the Time of Troubles, they left the mortal plane altogether, leaving no avatars behind to allow Mulhorand to truly run itself. Things did not go as planned, however, as the nobles pretty much live out their lives as they did under direct divine rule - that is, they do nothing. Comfortable in the robust agricultural economy supported by three country-spanning floodplains and a rigid social hierarchy with three millennia of tradition, the nobles pursued a policy of slavish maintenance of the 'old order' while the rest of the world progressed beyond. The gods themselves were distrustful of progress, technology in particular, remembering all too well the tyranny of Imaskari engineer-lords which they themselves overthrew. The Mulhorandi of today lead almost exactly the same lives as that of their ancestors hundreds of years ago.
Kendera wanted to resolve this problem, to renew her beloved motherland into a modern, healthy country. She caught the eye of the young Pharaoh, Horustep III, using her wit and charm, and gained his support for her vision, but the nobility would have none of it. Although being called a living god, the Pharaoh is far from all-powerful, and his will alone was not enough to overcome the resistance of the great houses; after 8 years of achieving absolutely nothing, Kendera is nearly beaten down, not quite, but almost. Now she has a new chance, and she'll try one last time to realize her dreams. If she can subdue the Murghomi incursion, which the great house Ramathant failed to defeat to their shame, and save Mulhorand, she might finally be able to quell the voices of the nobility.
Vhaibars is aware of all this. This is why he manipulated the political scene in the first place, to make sure all the great houses would either be too busy or too ashamed to prevent the Pharaoh from sending in the Chrysoxiphoi. He wants Kendera and her army to defect to his side, and to do so, he will first employ the Favian strategy and deny the Chrysoxiphoi a chance at a decisive victory while reversing his own manipulations and put house Ramathant back in power. They are the most vocal in their criticism of the 'upstart foreigner slaves', and if Kendera is unable to make any progress regarding the Murghomi for a prolonged period of time, Ramathant might see this as the chance to finally undo the Chrysoxiphoi. Once she is convinced her political situation is bleak, she might be more open to Vhaibars' offer to not reform Mulhorand from the inside but rather join him and bring it down, and together build it back up.
The plan laid out in the last paragraph of the details is the one formed by the PC's player, HFS. I found it more than sufficient, and told him to go forward. All that remains is for me to roleplay Kendera convincingly, all the while making sure she lives up to her fluff as a superb tactician by effectively commanding the Chrysoxiphoi in our battle-map sessions. So, I reiterate my request for aid here: I'd like advice on how I should roleplay her. What might bring her to actually betray her liege-master? What kind of process would happen within her mind as she undergoes turning? What will the soldiers think? What will she think what her soldiers would think? Do you think this planned 'turning' is plausible enough? If not, why?
Also, the other players suggested that HFS might appreciate it if I add a bit of a love-story element to the relationship between Vhaibars and Kendera. HFS himself said he is open to it, especially since his last attempt at inter-character romance story hilariously failed due to unintentional sabotage by a fellow player (another PC snatched the girl instead). What do you think of this angle?