The Land of Carrikos

Started by Spence, May 09, 2006, 09:12:20 AM

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Spence

I was just reading up on the nation of Carrikos and some quandries struck me.

1) It says mostly that weapons and armor are considered illegal.  What would they do if a fellow Carrikos worshipper walked into town in fullplate carrying a (sheathed) magic weapon? 

2)  In the above example, what if said Carrikos Worshipper is a Paladin/Blackguard of Carrikos?

3)  In the above example, what if the worshipper in question was actually a cleric/priest of Carrikos?

In the above example i'm assuming the character in question is a foreigner.

4)  It says Carrikos has a strong Black Market.  Assuming the character in question is a Blackguard of Carrikos, would anybody even look sideways at him/her if he/she went looking for poisons?

To explain a little bit...on Dathkandra we've ruled that Carrikos is a Lawful Neutral Deity, and since he's Lawful Neutral he's capable of attracting Paladins to his cause, and he's capable of attracting Blackguards to his cause.  I think Carrikos is the only one we have capable of doing that and i think it's because of his status as a Greater Deity.

The Land of Carrikos seems to be a Mage/Priest's wet dream, and if somebody was to actually be a Champion for Carrikos, whether for good or evil, i think they would receive a warm welcome...but i'm not entirely sure if i'm getting the feel of that nation entirely well.

I had more questions about the Nation of Carrikos but i've forgotten them already, so they couldnt have been too important.  Anyways, if i remember them i'll reply back here to see about getting them answered.

Spence

Spence

Oh yeah i remember one of them now.

It says that mages from Carrikos will often give gifts and exagerated niceties and whatnot to visiting mages who are non-believers...

What would happen if a Mage of another religion went there purely for study purposes, to work with Carrikosian Mages for the sake of learning and whatnot, but was unwilling to convert?

tanis

     Well, there are two major possibilities: they could view him as a lost cause, or they could become increasingly frustrated and potentially violent.
He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.

avisarr

This is gonna be a long one, so bear with me... Let me answer each point in order:

Weapons and Armor in Carrikos
I feel the best thing might be for me to rewrite and add to the legal description of Carrikos. As is, it's a little bit light. I'll do that tonight. But generally speaking, heavy weapons and armor are "frowned upon". This generally means that you'd be ok in most villages, but towns of any size might require you to get a permit from the authorities to carry weapons if you're going to be in town for a long time. If you're just passing through, the authorities might come and talk to you. Once you tell them that you're only in town for a day or two, they might not require you to get the permit, but they might keep an eye on you.

Citizens or those who come to live permanently in a village or town in Carrikos would likewise be required to meet certain requirements. Whether or not you need a permit and how willing the authorities will be in giving you that permit depends on several things - why you need the weapon or armor, the type of weapon/armor, whether or not you are a believer, etc.

For example... a believer who has lived his whole live in a Carrikosian town and has aided the authorities in bringing infidels to justice, defending the town against orcish raids and the like would be given a wide latitude in his use of weapons and armor. However, a priest who worships a foreign god who moves into Carrikos for a month long stay and insists on sporting plate armor, a two handed hammer and clearly evil holy symbol would not be welcome.

In the city of Arcanum, things are even more strict. You would need a permit for most armor heavier than chain. And you would need a permit for most large weapons. The idea is that it's a peaceful city and the only people sporting serious weaponry should be the city guards. Again, it depends on the circumstances. Worshipers and locals will get more leeway than non-worshipers or foreigners. Those who require weapons or armor in their trade (blacksmith, weapon trainer, animal trainer, hunter, bounty hunter, etc) would be given more consideration than those who clearly don't need such weapons to conduct their business. Also, some one passing through would just be kept under watch. Someone moving into a Carrikosian town permanently is someone the authorities are going to have to deal with on a permanent basis.

I'll write this up more clearly on the Carrikos page.

Paladins and Blackguards
First of all, Carrikos leans more toward Good than Evil. You may list him as Lawful Neutral, but the nation is really more Lawful Neutral (Good). Holy knights working for the church would clearly be paladins. And yes, there are plenty of paladins living in Carrikos and working for the church.

Isn't a Blackguard really just an old-school "anti-paladin"? If that's the case, then no. Anti-paladins, dark knights, blackguards... whatever you want to call them... wouldn't be working for the Church. There may very well be "dark knights" operating in Carrikos, but they wouldn't be operating out in the open. They would be very discreet and keep their evil activities under a cloak of secrecy.

Now, as for paladins working for the Church... yes, they would be able to wear any weapons or armor they want. If you are working for the Church, you ARE the authorities. Same goes for clerics of Carrikos. If you are a cleric of Carrikos, then you are working for the church and you get to wear any weapon or armor you want.


Blackmarket and Blackguards
There is a black market in Carrikos. Like any religion or government, it has corruption within it. There are blackguards operating under the very nose of the Church, some of them even working for the church. There are traders and merchants who deal in goods declared illegal by the Church. There are citizens who buy those illegal items. The church is constantly trying to stamp out the black market, but because it has corrupt officials within its own organization, getting rid of the black market is impossible.

Could a Blackguard purchase poisons on the black market? Yes, anyone can buy anything on the black market. A blackguard wouldn't even have to let anyone know who or what he was. There would be no reason to. He could just walk in, buy the poison, walk out. Why attract attention? Of course, the entire purchase, the whole operation, is very secret. This is the black market, after all. The entire thing operates under the surface of civilization. Think organized crime, hidden back rooms in stores, hidden chambers under taverns, secret meetings, secret passwords, secret handshakes, codes... THAT'S the nature of a black market. It's the very essence of the underworld. And Carrikos has its seedy underside just like any other nation.

I'll review the information given on the Carrikosian pages and rewrite some of it to expand on this.

Spence

To be honest, i dont see Blackguards as old school "anti-paladins."  To me they're more of a melee spellcaster that does what they need to do to further the goals of the church and deity of their worship.  Whether that be rescueing the high priests child from some other villain, or assassinating some messenger bearing proof of a churchses misdeeds...they arent above or below any task.  Some are highly stealthy, others are in your face, while still others have some other forms of spells available to them.

Hope maybe that clarifies, at least my viewpoints, on the Blackguard.

tanis

     I don't know, I think of a Blackguard as evil in the extreme, like Knights of the Abyss. If you look up the word in the dictionary, you'll see it's a chiefly british expression, pronounced Blaggard, refering to someone who is terrible and heartless, like Jack the Ripper or someone like that, mass murderer, serial rapist, et cetera,  but, the choice is yours, and if you explain it that way, it would probably work for either a corrupt church official, or an extremist fanatic.
He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.