Anarea        1-off D: Breaking the Law 3        7 to 26 Aval 2000

Scenario 2. (L / N / C)

The Lawbreakers

as at 7 Aval 2000 (post Duel)

Lead-in

As the surviving contestants depart from the arenas, and the immediate vicinity of the Sun Diamond, their true nature will begin to manifest, and they will move into the cognisance of forces other than that of Law.

This scenario assumes that the resolution of the Duel has not halted the expansion of the Law, or has only had some limited effect upon it, and that there are survivors who are attempting to eliminate it, or at least to halt its expansion.  Such persons may be referred to as the "Questers/ors".  This scenario governs the resolution of certain possible attempts by them to achieve such ends, in particular by undoing some of the Lawfulness that may well appear to have caused the problem in the first place, or by producing some Chaos with the aim of counteracting such Lawfulness.

The scenario is mainly concerned with earlier and relatively unsophisticated efforts in these directions.  Later scenarios deal with attempts by the Questers to gain information, or with more sophisticated attempts at breaking the Law.

The scenario also deals with changes in the power structure of the Empire consequent upon the Duel and upon subsequent actions of the Questers.

Location

At the discretion of the Questers, but probably in or around the Sacred City of Valdran. Maps of Valdran and the Sacred City are separately available.

Background Information

The effects of the Law extend beyond the opaque sphere manifested around the Sun Diamond, and are more extreme the closer one gets to the sphere. The increasing or lessening of these effects as one moves towards or away from the sphere is gradual, but for game purposes the effects are simulated as numbered Law States, from +5 (being the pure Law of the opaque sphere) to 0 (being the normal state of the World). The %age chance of a given Law State having an effect upon something is equal to 20 times the number of the Law State. For simplicity Law States will normally be expressed as integers.

Law State +n is manifested around Law State +(n+1) out to a radius in all directions from the Sun Diamond of twice the radius of Law State +(n+1). For example, as the Duel began, at dawn of 7 Aval, Law State +5 had a radius of just over 64 ft., Law State +4 a radius of just over 128 ft., Law State +3 256 ft., Law State +2 512 ft., and Law State +1 1024 ft.

As the Citadel has a radius of 1 mile, the Emperor has been able to suppress news of the Law up to the time of the Duel, although rumours that something serious is going on are circulated, and various Beings will have some idea of the truth, and may have communicated it to various extents.

Information upon the Valdrean Empire is separately available. It should be noted that at this time the Noble House of Mastrin (later succeeded by the Noble House of Normeikl) still existed. The heraldic colours of Mastrin were gules and azur quarterly.

NPCs

It is assumed that the Questers will comprise some or all of the six PCs listed below.  However, the Players may recruit their own party.  Other potential candidates are listed amongst the NPCs for the various Scenarios (e.g. Ander of Gytrasan below).

The following are key figures amongst the Champions of each Noble House, before the Duel, who may have some part to play in the story:

Name in Bold = Member of Privy Council
Background in Gold = Member of The Order of the Sun Diamond / * = new appointment 7 I 2000
(PC) = a Player Character; Law-cloned into Decus of Mastrin * 6
(LC) = an NPC controlled by the L Player; Law-cloned into Decus of Aven * 6 (all put to death at conclusion of Duel)
(L/N/C) = an NPC controlled by the L/N/C Player respectively
L: n% = degree of loyalty to Decus XXI (high) or House of Aven (low)

Narsus VI of Aven, Head of House (L): There is a long-standing conspiracy amongst the more fanatically Lawful elements in the Valdrean Empire to make the Empire so perfectly Lawful that it will bring about the final triumph of SARAN and the Force of Law.  The conspirators have formed a Secret Society known as "The Order of the Sun Diamond" (L).  Their plot has its origins in the Foundation of the First Empire and creation of the Sun Diamond in the Year 500, but gathered strength upon the Demarcation of SARAN in the Year 1500.  The current Grand Master of the Order is the Emperor Narsus VI of Aven, whose son Decus XX was the culmination of their plot for the most perfect Lawfulness.  If Decus XX is killed or defeated in the Duel, Narsus will take the lead behind the scenes in opposing any attempts by the Questers to break the Law.  The 16 members of The Order include the 13 Noble Champions and Heads of Houses shown with a Gold background in the above list, together with Constantia of Aven, Lady High Priestess of SARAN in Valdrea (see scenario "Heaven on Earth"), her husband Metullus of Aven, Lord High Priest of SARAN in Valdrea, and Anna of Aven, High Priestess of the Temple of the Sun Diamond (all L).  Together, the 16 Members of the Order have a majority of the 31 seats currently occupied on the Privy Council (of which they are all members).  If he needs to restore the numbers, Narsus may seek to recruit Castor of Bavenne.

Carsus, Champion of Aven, Director of Diplomacy and Director of the Imperial Secret Service (L) has been compiling files on the leading Nobles.  He is aware of Titus and Drusus of Jalaskir's homosexual relationship, but does not have sufficient evidence against them to stand up in a court of law (the word of servants and slaves not standing up against the denial of a Noble).  He also knows that Gaius of Satril is heavily in debt to various bankers, and is in the process of investigating the financial dealings within the High Temple of KOROS but has not yet obtained anything sufficiently incriminating (a certain amount of lining one's own pockets being expected of Office-holders).  If he is replaced as Director of the I.S.S. by a new Emperor, he will take these files away with him.

Claudius, 3rd Champion of Aven, Attorney-General of Valdrea (N) decides whether to prosecute Nobles for criminal offences (see below), other than Demon Summoning.  Claudius is scrupulously fair and impartial, and will make his decision based on the evidence presented to him, rather than political pressure from the competing factions.  His Deputy, Barius, 17th Champion of Gytrasan (C), should a decision fall to him, is a junior Noble making his way up the ranks, and is susceptible to promises of advancement.

Julius, 2nd Champion of Mastrin, Deputy Commander of Fort Venture (C) is a friend and loyal lieutenant of Decus of Mastrin.  They worked their way up the ranks together.

Varus, 2nd Champion of Tarm, Lord Protector of West Post Military Area (N) is a friend and loyal lieutenant of Marcus of Tarm.  Though from different backgrounds (Varus being a blue-blooded Noble), they have a mutual respect.

Nestor, 3rd Champion of Tarm, Lord Censor of Valdrea (L) is a Paladin of BUDIF.  He is independent-minded, and a potential rival for the Championship of Tarm.  Whilst he is an upholder of the Law, his Good Alignment ruled him out for candidature of The Order of the Sun Diamond, and he is more likely to be supportive of the Questers, so long as they do not act illegally.

Drusus, 2nd Champion of Jalaskir, Governor of Hapral Province (C) is Titus of Jalaskir's recently-dumped homosexual lover.  Homosexuality is illegal in Valdrea, and they therefore had to keep their relationship secret.  This was why they chose the Navy and Hapral (both of which are more tolerant of such matters than society is in Valdran) for their offices.  Formerly loyal to Titus, Drusus is now a rogue element seeking revenge, but would not start a scandal which would damage himself too.

Ander of Gytrasan, Master of the Imperial Games (L) (see separate Character Specification and spreadsheet): Ander may have been put to death if Decus of Mastrin won the Duel, but if spared he will respect the victor for that.  Although Ander is a loyal SARAN Paladin and ally of the Aven Emperors, and he has been initiated into The Order of the Sun Diamond in recognition of his and his family's loyal support, he is not the most fanatically Lawful of Noble Champions, and his loyalty is as much to the Valdrean Empire as to the Triumph of Law.  As Law-cloned into Decus of Aven, he represents the element of doubt in the Emperor.  He may therefore be open to persuasion by Decus of Mastrin (if he becomes rightful Emperor) to join the Questers.  However, he will be unwilling to betray the secrets of The Order, as he has sworn an oath of secrecy about it.  Alternatively, Narsus VI may suggest he should seek to join the Questers as a spy, or may encourage him to do so if he has already been approached by them.  Ander will then need to decide where his true loyalty lies.  In such a situation, the DM will rule whether control of him is passed to the N Player.

Clues / Red Herrings

There are a number of possibilities.

If they won the Duel the Questers will have the Emperorship (together with The Sword of the Emperors), and control of a large part of the Imperial Government.  Non-duellable political appointments will be within the Imperial Prerogative.  The Emperor will need to make such appointments quickly in order to gain majority control of the Privy Council (see separate information sheet).  The Questers will therefore be in a position to effect major changes to Imperial Law, its administration and enforcement.  But the machinery of change works slowly, and there is much innate conservatism within the Valdrean establishment.  These will be considerable obstacles, even though the direct opposition of Decus XX and his faction will be in disarray after losing the Duel and it will take some time for Narsus VI to re-organise them.

If they lost the Duel, but survived it, the Questers will probably have broken the Duelling Code, and will therefore be liable to be stripped of their offices, power, and perhaps their lives.  Decus XX will implement impeachment proceedings before the Rainbow Court, and in this case the machinery of state will move swiftly.  Any potential support for the Questers amongst the establishment will be alienated by a breach of the Code.

A relatively simple and obvious measure is the instigation of Chaotic acts in the vicinity of the Law.  But the Questers will have to be careful.  In the Empire someone of Chaotic Alignment is an outlaw, who may be summarily executed by any citizen.  Chaotic behaviour can constitute a criminal offence, triable before the ecclesiastical courts of the Temple of SARAN.  The Emperor and his Privy Councillors are immune to prosecution, however, by any courts except the Rainbow Court.  Chaotic offences will render them liable to impeachment proceedings.  The procedure is for any Valdrean Noble to lay a complaint before the Attorney-General, who may authorise arrest by the Imperial Guard, and will be responsible for the prosecution.  The same procedure applies in cases of Treason (including Constructive Treason).  Privy Councillors are also liable to prosecution before the Rainbow Court for Demon Summoning (including Constructive Demon Summoning), but such matters are within the authority of the Director of the I.D.S.

Other leading Nobles may seek to join or oppose the Quest, or may remain undecided or neutral.  This will depend partly upon how public the news of the Law and the Quest become.  Amongst those offering support may well come traitors whose true loyalty is to Decus of Aven's faction.  But such persons should realise that their previous political allegiances will be well known to the Questers.  Circumstances have, however, changed.  There has been some reassessment of former loyalties amongst the Questers, and the same could apply to others.

Whether Lawbreaking measures will have any effect remains to be seen.  Lawful precognition indicates that the Law will not be stopped, but Lawful precognition assumes there will be no Chaotic influence upon events, and Chaotic influences can be manifold and subtle.

Back to Scenario 1: The Duel

Go to Scenario 3: The Rumourmonger

Back to Scenarios index

Go to The Noble Champions, as at 7 I 2000

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