Imperial College of Bards the Harpers

[wmwm7777]

So a little background. I love History One of my favorite people is Sir Francis Walshingham, humble private secretary of Queen Elizabeth the I of England.
How he set up this ring of spies to gather information is so interesting.
Imperial Anuire would need something similar. How could a imperial chancellor manage spying. A whole college of Bards would work great. And the best bards as Harper's, a secret group to gather and remove threats.
I added this group to my world and have used these characters to help and guide my players through my campaign without them necessary knowing who their friends are.
The bard fits well in actual adventuring and the domain level game as well and I have used 1/2 elf bards to be the go between for the old empire to the elf realms.
Just so thoughts.

Chris

[AndrewTall]

Several regents fit well with spy networks, even the Gorgon wants to know about bloodlines and noble matches so presumably has spies throughout Anuire, Brechtur and Khinasi. Of course some agents may be in more than one network...

[Doyle]

Having the PCs involved in missions for multiple (sometimes opposing) networks without them realising it was always a favourite hobby for me as DM.

[Sorontar]

Having the PCs involved in missions for multiple (sometimes opposing) networks without them realising it was always a favourite hobby for me as DM.

It should be easy enough to slip in a couple of NPCs that are "agents of the regent", or an allied officer and their bureaucrat/paperpusher, that the party has to assist, when in fact

they are unknowingly working for a different regent
the bureaucrat (or the officer) is in fact the regent

The party becomes a means to an end, even if the party doesn't realise what the end is, nor why it has the means.

Of course, roleplaying can only have as much depth as that of the players. They can always treat each session as a task of getting from A to B to do C, or they can doubt all and try to change reality to their wishes. If they don't try to look left and right, they will never identify other paths, nor who is making them.

I have been meaning to write some fiction based around heralds being ones who know all and can be used to investigate all - Cadfael the herald as such, rather than Cadfael the priest. It may be a fantasy interpretation of what heralds do, but I think it would work (I have only ever written a short piece at uni decades ago). They could be used as spies as well - observers and recorders of who does what and who they are.

Sorontar

[Osprey]

So a little background. I love History One of my favorite people is Sir Francis Walshingham, humble private secretary of Queen Elizabeth the I of England.
How he set up this ring of spies to gather information is so interesting.
Imperial Anuire would need something similar. How could a imperial chancellor manage spying. A whole college of Bards would work great. And the best bards as Harper's, a secret group to gather and remove threats.
I added this group to my world and have used these characters to help and guide my players through my campaign without them necessary knowing who their friends are.
The bard fits well in actual adventuring and the domain level game as well and I have used 1/2 elf bards to be the go between for the old empire to the elf realms.
Just so thoughts.

Chris

I have used Laela Flaertes of Tuornen as a major bardic regent who establishes a bardic college and university in Haesrien.

Bardic magic and operatives are CRAZY powerful if used carefully in political adventures. Enchantment specialists combined with top social skills!