One of my favorite types of stories to tell in tabletop games are stories about diplomacy. Diplomatic stories have the capacity to feature lots of roleplaying, loads of rich storytelling, and plenty of room for players to define the story by their actions. But diplomatic relations are complex, and understanding your whole gameworld can be even more complicated. That's why I'm building a profile on the major diplomatic issues facing each city in my homebrew setting; I want to be able to draw on any and all of my major cities for potential campaigns.
To work on these ideas, I will be drawing from my previous work. My earlier profile on politics in each major city will give me a better sense of diplomacy. This is one of the many benefits of doing homebrew work; it continues to enrich the work you do in the future. Read on for information on each of the ten major cities with diplomatic efforts.
Mishara:
The elven capital's diplomatic relations are marked by attempts at continent-wide leadership--current elven diplomat Giriel Lassikin serves as an elder whose main work is to help other governments develop systems of government similar to the elves'. The closest relationship with another government is with Finiel, which is largely elven and half-elven, and Finiel's people are also the closest geographically to Mishara. Because elves prefer a more hands-off style of government, much of Lassikin's work centers on creating minimal public structures and trusting that society will work most things out. This mindset has translated into a continent-wide taste for minimal government intervention.
Most recently, Lassikin was involved in mediating a dispute between New Dalton and Vestry, a disagreement over ownership of a parcel of land between the two major cities. Lassikin surprised most people by siding with New Dalton, a move that went against most opinions on Evanoch and one which many say reflects the elves' lack of concern about Daltoners and their imperial aims. As a result of Lassikin's involvement, the small settlement of Cloud's Landing has transferred control of the lumber industry from the gnomes to the Daltoners.
The current goals of Lassikin as diplomat include: keeping trade and immigration open, as Mishara's rarely-changing population needs constant refreshing to keep the economy moving; spreading elven arts and crafts across the continent, as elves consider a cultural dominance the most important kind; and preventing the orcs from establishing a true foundation as one of the most prominent groups in Evanoch, a reflection of their embattled past.
Kruush:
The diplomatic situation of the orcs is quite strange by Evanine standards. Orcs traditionally have not used diplomats; conflicts of state were usually decided by combat. However, in recent years, an unofficial team of orcish diplomats has come about. This team is led by Wriren Rurt, a wise woman from a small community who sensed the importance of larger communities after encountering diverse communities outside of the orcish lands. Rurt leads a team of eight other diplomats who cycle through the other major cities as is necessary to keep the other diplomats happy. Rurt's main goal is to establish a way for orcs to answer the cultural presence of the elves, their mortal enemies.
Most recently, Rurt has sent a team of orcish craftspeople to small, struggling communities across Evanoch; the goal has been to help develop more efficient methods of tending to basic needs, increasing the amount of free time available to people in those communities. Rurt considers this improvement of general quality of life to be a vital effort which is even more important than establishing some manner of dominance over the other cultures. Of note in these efforts are the introduction of easy-to-grow nutritional crops, lower-heat smithing, and a method of building fires which sustains heat and light for longer. Notably, none of Rurt's team remains in Kruush, all choosing instead to work outside the city.
The current goals of Rurt include demonstrating that orcish communities have grown past combat-driven ways of life, an effort to make the orcs more a part of modern life; an attempt to spread traditional orcish healing efforts (which are among the most effective of all chemical healing); and trying to counter the narrative about orcs that elves have pushed for generations, claiming the orcs have been misrepresented and misunderstood for centuries if not millennia.
Underhar:
The dwarven capital's diplomat, Gordon Ironhands, is perhaps the most famous diplomat in Evanoch, mostly because he rose to prominence at a young age and has remained in the public eye as a force for multicultural assimilation. This is perhaps ironic, as Ironhands' work in Underhar has been organized around efforts to keep traditional dwarven practices alive even as he argues that other cultures should be inspired by the rest. Ironhands' most famous ideals come in the form of championing efforts from history which were not popular in their time, but which have become more timely in recent years; the best example of this is the dwarven rehabilitation of small community organization over more centralized governance.
Most recently, Ironhands has agitated in the conflict between nearby cities Torga and New Dalton--New Dalton has claimed ownership of the former human settlement near Torga, but Torgans have argued that because Fieldsburg (the deserted Daltoner settlement) was an origin for the modern city, it is rightfully theirs. Ironhands has risked destabilizing a consistent relationship with New Dalton to advocate for Torga, a city which has been strengthening its relationship with Underhar in recent generations. Under Ironhands' watch, Torga has been able to transition between leaders without interference from New Dalton.
The current goals of Ironhands include spreading knowledge of dwarven history, which he claims holds answers to essentially every modern problem; advocating for the existence of democratic governments abroad even as he supports limited voting in Underhar; and supporting the goals of the city of Vestry, as gnomes and dwarves have one of the strongest inter-cultural relationships of any two groups.
Vestry:
The gnomish capital of Vestry's diplomatic team is relatively small, but it is carefully organized in such a way that they are able to canvass the entire continent of Evanoch. Led by Leonara Bidibidin, a former tinker, the gnomish diplomats consider their work on a much broader scale than most diplomats. Bidibidin is especially respected for her close attention to detail--meetings with gnomish diplomats are said to last hours and hours as the diplomat carefully lists dozens and dozens of issues to discuss. Gnomes take special interest in advancing socially progressive ideas in the general public, particularly the measures believed to make Vestry the success it is today.
Most recently, Bidibidin personally trained her fellow gnomish diplomats in the art of reasoned debate, a form of argumentation which most people consider a joint invention of elves and gnomes; as a result, gnomish diplomats are able to engage in deeply logical arguments about the future of Evanoch, and this training has already yielded results as mid- to small-sized settlements have increasingly converted to gnomish policies in an effort to replicate Vestry's success.
The current goals of Bidibidin include spreading formal education to all corners of the continent, especially among the increasingly industrialized world of today; maintaining peaceful relationships with other cities, including mediating in response to conflicts that do not involve gnomes; and working to popularize the socialist form of government, which has positioned gnomes as the economic powerhouse of the continent as well as a sanctuary of political freedom.
Curagon:
Although the halfling capital has no official government, the halfling population has created much of what is considered the art of diplomacy. The Academy of Diplomatic Arts and Sciences in Curagon is the site where future diplomats from all over Evanoch assemble to learn the finer points of mediating between powers. There is no official leader of the Academy or Curagon's efforts; instead, individual diplomats determine their goals independently and seek them on their own or through loose affiliations with other diplomats. Halfling diplomats have overseen all of Evanoch's major conflicts and advances in the last 700 years, beginning of the Treaty of Caspian Ardor.
Most recently, halfling diplomat Joan Axle negotiated a dispute between Ringsdale and Talon Gorge; Ringsdale's government was moving to take advantage of Talon Gorge during its recent instability, and Axle quickly identified the issue and stepped in while Talon Gorge's diplomatic team was indisposed. Thanks to Axle's work, Ringsdale went from attempting to pillage the city to investing in rebuilding it--Axle's argument that having a powerful trade partner would outweigh the short-term benefits proved highly successful with Ringsdale's leadership. Talon Gorge has since appointed new interim diplomats to serve until a new team can be trained at Curagon's Academy.
The current goals of halfling diplomats are diverse: Hillis Puddle's efforts to incentivize the sharing of private information for public use via publicly-funded rewards, which has already increased understanding of many of the sciences; Xena Rosebud's efforts to ease tensions between elves and orcs, including building a multicultural center which houses displays of things that elves and orcs have in common--word of mouth has spread quickly, saying the experience is too intense to describe; and Brent Quill's efforts to organize regular conferences to which delegates from all major cities are able to address issues--attendance at early events was small, but has grown considerably and now has delegates from 7 of the 10 settlements on this list (New Dalton, Ringsdale, and Mishara not granting attendance).
New Dalton:
The capital of humans from the island of Dalton is known in the diplomatic world for its cantankerous attitude and its refusal to participate in most diplomatic efforts. The one official diplomat of the city, Ethbert Connagan, has gotten involved in the issues that directly impact the city's interests, mainly in the form of working with other governments to advance trade. To this end, Connagan has been responsible for a good deal of the city's recent prosperity, but relations with other cities is at a low not seen since Dalton was still actively attacking Evanoch. Of particular note is the gradual loss of control over Torga in recent generations to Underhar's; many blame Connagan's lack of attention to Torgan matters.
Most recently, Connagan has turned his attention to smaller settlements which had previously escaped his notice, investing in the towns to grow them and then claim massive profits when the towns become larger, more profitable settlements. These settlements' growth is accentuated by the fact that most all of the invested-in settlements are quite close to New Dalton, and mapmakers have struggled to keep up with the rapidly-changing landscape of the area around the city. Leaders of the towns that Connagan invested in tend to feel strong-armed into unfavorable terms on their deals.
The current goals of New Dalton diplomatic efforts include weakening the political and economic strength of neighboring cities to ease the agenda of acquiring small towns; continuing relations with the government remaining on the island of Dalton, often noting what to send back to the homeland; and generating goodwill with nearby bandit camps rather than eliminating them to reduce spending on guards outside of the city.
Finiel:
Finiel holds the great honor of having the most peaceful history in the history of any of the major cities in Evanoch, and many attribute this to its symbiotic relationship with Mishara. Mishara has always loomed over Finiel, and no army has been bold enough to threaten retribution from Mishara's trained warriors. Finiel has a small team of diplomats: a permanent diplomat stationed in Finiel, one to Mishara and one to Talon Gorge across the Empira Sea, as well as diplomats which serve pairs of cities and territories (Curagon and Kruush, Underhar and Torga, New Dalton and Ringsdale, and Vestry and the northeast). Together, these diplomats have kept Finiel in the good graces of essentially every major city.
Most recently, Finiel home diplomat Xirsen Ingersoll hosted an event in which all cities of the northern half of Evanoch (Mishara, Talon Gorge, and Vestry) met to discuss issues facing the region. The meeting had noteworthy results, including a pact to reduce houselessness in their cities and to strengthen efforts to trade together at lower taxed rates to increase trade. Already, a flood of new goods have spread across the north, and Ingersoll is already organizing a similar meeting for all diplomats in the western half of Evanoch (Mishara, Talon Gorge, Curagon, and Kruush) to address similar issues.
The current goals of Finiel are to educate foreign diplomats on peace talk methods and how to convince even hostile governments to discuss matters civilly; to stimulate trade and diplomatic relationships with the distant island of Fanin, which has been largely ignored by other governments; and to publicly advocate for more culturally inclusive societies, especially in view of the increased movement between cities in recent generations--Finiel diplomats seek to create more open spaces with diverse temples and neighborhoods.
Torga:
Torga's past (being a conglomeration of three distinct settlements that joined hundreds of years ago) has always made is sensitive to the governments that gave the city its foundation. Kruush's distance has meant that orcish sensibilities have fallen from grace, and so the struggle exists largely between the humans from nearby New Dalton and the dwarves from nearby Underhar. However, recent trends have leaned towards a dominance of dwarven ideas, and a very recent change in government has seen Torga take a more independent step away from the larger governments. New Torgan politics have emphasized loosening the reins of a strict government and increasing trade with smaller settlements around the southeast coast.
Most recently, Torga's traveling diplomat, Joshua Steelbeam, pioneered a program of bringing the leaders of smaller settlements that have significant problems to the leaders of major cities. This effort was originally intended to give a voice to often-overlooked towns, but Steelbeam quickly realized that small-town problems could be easily solved by larger towns so long as their was a reason to get involved. As a result, Steelbeam has become something of an advocate for smaller settlements in the southeast and has needed to sustain good standing with the nearby governments he works with, namely Underhar, New Dalton, Curagon, and Ringsdale.
The current goals of Torgan diplomacy are split between traveling diplomat Steelbeam and home diplomat Peter Sullivan, and their efforts include: Sullivan's talks with labor unions and company heads to negotiate issues that had formerly led to violent strikes, and which are still underway with many waiting eagerly for a result; Steelbeam's work with Underhar to develop an alternate land route between the cities, as shipping on the Decax River that links them becomes impossible during flooding seasons; and Sullivan's efforts to open trade with new, developing cities by paying trading vessels to make extra stops--this model has also returned some modest profits to the city.
Talon Gorge:
Talon Gorge was, until recently, a city marked by being the last real monarchy remaining in Evanoch, but recent events have turned it into a democratically-elected council. One of the first moves of that council was to completely revise the kingdom's position on diplomacy; former King Trombull was a leader who focused entirely on his own domain and ignored others. New leadership has appointed a number of new, unconventional diplomats who are more interested in having clear understandings of other diplomats' positions than diplomacy's flowery language often allows. The council says that by year's end, there will be a full-time diplomat appointed to every major city.
Most recently, Torga's home diplomat, Rilg Wrent, has been involved in the selection of his fellow diplomats. Wrent has controversially chosen diplomats with a variety of political leanings and diverse backgrounds, perhaps most famously former lutist Henrietta Werner. Despite the public discussion concerning Wrent's methods, the diplomats of nearby cities have already begun to take Talon Gorge delegation much more seriously, and governments in Finiel and Vestry have been important in the city's continued rebuilding efforts.
The current goals of Talon Gorge diplomats are still being developed, but they largely consist of: working as a team to come up with a common strategy and common vision for Talon Gorge diplomacy, a process that involves a great deal of discussion and finessing; reaching out to governments like Vestry and Ringsdale to make amends after generations of nonexistent relations; and brainstorming what strategy might convince the New Dalton diplomatic team to accept a visit from the Talon Gorge team--they want to revisit a trade relationship that once exist but has fallen to the wayside in recent generations.
Ringsdale:
Ringsdale's diplomatic situation is informal at best; the industrial city's government poses no laws, but instead allows citizens to bring situations in front of judges, all of whom have been voted the most important minds on the issues they govern. (A matter of business law is determined by a business lawyer of high regard, moral issues are brought before a professor of ethics, and so on.) Because the government is so functionally-oriented, the head judge in Ringsdale (Edmund Yorke, the head of the Ringsdale Labor Union) does not have real power to appoint a diplomat--the duty is simply not within his duties, at least unless a citizen brings diplomacy to a judge. As a result, Ringsdale does not have official diplomats. However, one concerned citizen, a former judge of justice named Annabel Freeman, has taken it upon herself to represent the city to other leaders when appropriate, but she has been unable to make significant gains without proper support from the government in terms of financing and information.
Most recently, Freeman managed to broker a truce between two neighboring cities, Chldlph and Tronz--Freeman managed to convince the two cities to retreat from escalating tensions and reconvene later. In this later meeting, Freeman appealed to the leaders of the cities and managed a peace agreement. People in Ringsdale have been incredibly appreciative of this, as it is widely believed that armed conflict would have robbed Ringsdale of the resources they get from Chldlph and Tronz (stone and livestock, respectively). This led Yorke to announce publicly that he would certainly appoint Freeman if ever someone brought the matter to him, suggesting that he would create a diplomatic post if given the chance.
The current goals of Ringsdalian diplomacy include Freeman's intention to create a relationship with Underhar to the south and Vestry to the north--the only fledgling relationship currently existing is New Dalton's attempt to control Ringsdale; Yorke's stated interest in making trade from small surrounding towns easier by introducing legal decrees that would govern negotiations; and the general public's repeated cries for representation for the lower classes in government, which has led to a proposed plan for working with other governments to do the same.
There you have it. While my politics profile previously gave me a great idea what the major issues in each city are, these diplomatic issues have allowed me to zoom in and deal with the really granular issues are when it comes to relationships between cities are. Not only have I developed my world in more detail, there are a few dozen beginnings for campaigns in this information. An in-depth diplomatic campaign could draw on all matter of the ideas presented here, and now I can easily run that kind of campaign with just a bit more preparation. As always, building my world's detail has given me considerable benefits.
That's all for now. Coming soon: alternative rewards to loot, how to find the right group for you, and how to handle romances in-game. Until next time, happy gaming!
Back to the homepage (where you can find everything!)
No comments:
Post a Comment