Re: Scales of War: The Temple Between pt.2
Previously: A priest of Erathis, Inogo hails
from the distant city of Sherrbyr. This city lies far
to the northeast, beyond Elsir Vale by at least three
weeks’ travel
Clearly they have a teleportation circle or Kalad could not have died there.
Mits nods. "We'll have to teleport."
Amyria holds up a hand. "Let's talk to the Coalition first. Calm things down. Make those assurances you were talking about."
Mits ohs. "Right right."
Now, the Elsir Vale and Sayre seats on the Coalition are open, and the council lacks a leader. The
head of Brindol’s council, Eoffram Troyas, seeks both
spots. Many people, both citizens of the Elsir Vale and
influential people in other regions now ruled by the
Coalition, have suggested Amyria as a replacement
for either seat, and for a position as leader. The PCs
take part in a skill challenge as they put forth a candidate they’d like to see on the council and run a brief
campaign to put that person in power.
After the deaths of two of its members, the Coalition’s
council lacks a strong leader and needs representatives for the Elsir Vale and Sayre. The PCs can
nominate a candidate. Most likely, this would be
Amyria. The members of the council make it clear
that the PCs will not be accepted onto the council,
since they are vital to combat efforts and are needed
elsewhere. The candidate is selected by all the members of the council who aren’t running for the seat,
but the council members also listen to those they
represent, so convincing the people of various regions
is as important as convincing the council members
themselves.
Rival Candidates
Two major players oppose the PCs’ candidate.
Eoffram Troyas
A member of the Brindol council, the male halfelf Eoffram Troyas is outspoken and rash, and has
become even more so as he hears more news of
war. When speaking, he is somber, methodical, and
humorless. Debate bores him, and he’d prefer to
make quick, unilateral decisions than let issues get
bogged down in endless chatter.
If you’re playing Scales of War, Eoffram was the
NPC who recruited the PCs in “Rescue at Rivenroar.”
Represents: Brindol.
Motive: Though he truly seeks to do good, Eoffram
believes his ideas are the only ones that matter. He’s
willing to sacrifice whatever he needs to if it helps end
the war. A quick, decisive victory is what he believes
he needs to establish his leadership and immortalize his name. Eoffram wasn’t chosen to advise the
Coalition, and still harbors resentment that he wasn’t
included.
Platform: Eoffram wants to be aggressive—to take
the fight to the enemies of the Coalition. A show of
force can, in his opinion, cause the enemy troops to
scatter and retreat. He favors a combat crash course
for citizens of all the Coalition’s communities, along
with recruiting mercenaries, followed by a rapid
assault against the evil forces.
Quelenna Entromiel
Since the council’s inception, Quelenna has occupied
a seat. Ruler of the settlement called Dornaithos, she
has influence over trade in several lands, and she can
easily access raw materials needed for the war effort.
Traders in every major settlement know her name.
She’s an expert at arranging deals, especially when
time is tight, and some say she’ll even use bribes if it
will help her.
Represents: Dornaithos, a major trade city.
Motive: Quelenna want Dornaithos’s fortunes to
continue, and she thinks running the war council is
a way to make herself more prominent and secure
better deals for Dornaithos to provide war materiel.
Platform: Two words encapsulate Quelenna’s
proposal: caution and commerce. Quelenna believes—
and makes this belief widely known—that the war
won’t last long, and that the free cities can weather
the storm once the githyanki assault runs out of
steam. She encourages a defensive posture and argues
that building up the defenses of the cities is best for
now and for the future. Of course, Dornaithos is
happy to provide the materials and expertise to build
these fortifications.
The Coalition’s Leader Level 15
Skill Challenge XP 6,000
Your actions determine whether your candidate becomes the
leader of the Coalition.
The PCs argue for their candidate, try to gather support,
rebut the arguments of the other candidates, and train
their candidate to be a better leader. Most checks in
this challenge take one or more days to resolve, so the
challenge takes up a bit of time.
Complexity
5 (requires 12 successes before 3 to 6 failures).
Primary Skills
Diplomacy 18, History 18, Religion 18, Streetwise 23.
Other Skills
Bluff 18, Streetwise 11.
Political Gambits
The PCs’ rivals aren’t passive in this challenge.
The following political events can happen during
the course of the challenge, and give Eoffram and
Quelenna opportunities to gain successes for themselves (bringing the PCs closer to defeat). Each gambit
can appear after the PCs have a certain number of
successes, and an entry mentions in what range it
should appear. For example, “The Blockade” can
occur when the PCs have 2, 3, or 4 successes, and
the PCs choose whether to forgo actions when you
announce that event occurs.
The Blockade
Occurs when the PCs have 2–4 successes.