HeySeuss

As Darkness Fell - A dark fantasy story

Per our discussion I'll be working on that character. I do want to delve into lineage more and history, but I will come up with a proposal and submit so you can tell me what does and doesn't work in this scenario. After today, I should be a lot more able to focus creatively so I'll be jumping on it.

Servants of the Dark Lord

<Snipped quote by HeySeuss>

A) there could be wars among the noble families that defacto rule, and mystery would be added by Justinian's non-intervention. B) there could be an uprising of people who want to return to the past before Justinian was a god-king (he's ruled several hundred years), so it could be a royal family who wants to topple to god and reclaim their rightful throne or something. Open to other options too.

@Flagg

Factional strife between noble rulers works.

Servants of the Dark Lord

<Snipped quote by HeySeuss>

Just to clarify: the Imperium is technically ruled by the god Justinian himself, who is like, an incarnate, real person who is tremendously powerful. A civil war against his rule is totally possible, so your idea is good to go, I just wanted to make that clearer in case the OP wasnt. Justinian doesnt go out much, and is mostly in his vast Temple-Palace and lets noble families and the Clerisy run the show.

@Flagg

Oh, got it. Well, that might change things a bit. Are there heirs? Maybe the infighting is among those?

Servants of the Dark Lord

I've had a couple ideas regarding the claim to the Justinian Imperium whose family lost a civil war...maybe there was a mating with the bloodline of the Dark Lord. I don't want to play that character, but I certainly want to play someone trying to manipulate the Empire's disarray to create the opportunity for that person.

As Darkness Fell - A dark fantasy story

@HeySeuss

That sounds like a really cool idea for a character. I always enjoy a good character arc and having magic be something that is only now appearing, and appearing with incredible power, is something I like. My character Mulad is going to be something of a grand wizard himself, though he has spent most of his adult life studying in a place called the Grand Spiral. He will be more scholarly than powerful so he may try and help.

@Nariata

I'll reach out privately with more clarification on the story arc, but I like the way that's going.

Servants of the Dark Lord

@Flagg My honest thought is to play a person involved in some level of that conspiracy. If there are border march kingdoms and other parts of the Empire that feel a certain way, it might be fun to be the agent that dissolves some of those bonds and weakens the whole.

With a claim + subversion, there's way more opportunity to make the current leadership look bad while steadily working toward building up a base. Keeping the Empire too involved within itself to pay attention outside would be a huge part of that strategy.

Keeping in with the 'magic is mysterious' line of thinking, maybe some of this subversion is assisted with magic. The trade with foul entities for secrets that can be used to blackmail and subvert, the occasional mysterious and gory death in the darkness. Things that are hinted at rather than having a dragon rip off a tower or something.

As Darkness Fell - A dark fantasy story

Interested. The staff totally sounds like a McGuffin, and I'd like to honestly play a magic user, but definitely with a totally undeveloped talent and ancient lineage or connection back that has to be discovered and understood in some sense before they could even start to control that.

If that doesn't work, I'll go back to the drawing board, no prob.

Servants of the Dark Lord

<Snipped quote by HeySeuss>

I like it- do you mean as a proposal for a character?

@Flagg

I am honestly not sure what I'd like to play in this setting. I just thought that it would make for an interesting overall plot to have that sequence of events set in motion if it were used as a hook. But I'll have a more coherent creative process later this week.

Servants of the Dark Lord

Just a thought, but why not the heir of a losing faction in a civil war with claims in the Imperium? That would sufficiently muddy the waters a bit when it comes to a potential conflict. It would also mean that there could be a lengthy campaign of subversion and bribery and other forms of influence mongering prior to open conflict...

Just the first thought that came to mind.

The Hidden People

Oh yeah, we're dead.