Assuming the various noble factions are jockeying, perhaps a leader emerges, what happens next?

My thinking is that the Emperor sends an envoy of some sort to assess situation and give a recommendation. Noble and other lobbying may of course transfer directly to Altdort (the PC's along to escort their patron would be fun), but the Emperor would want a direct report.

Any suggestions for the sort of official, title, origin of who the Emperor would send for that sort of task. Someone the Emperor trusts, who appears neutral but may of course have their own foibles?

I'm inclined to use (from the Drachenfels novel, which I know is not GW canon) Prince Luitpold, the Emperor's oldest son and apparent heir, who would be just shy of 40 or so. I haven't seen any 3rd edition references to K-F's heir. I would have him arrive with Detlef Sierck the playwright (who would be in his 40's, being born 2476 or so) as a companion, Detlef having heard of a promising actress in Ubersreik.

I have no idea if Prince Luitpold has any "thematic" connection to the mad swan castle prince of bavaria in real history.

Where are you getting the Emperor's age from?

Just a thought on your assumption that the Emperor would send someone he trusts: it might just as well be someone he's trying to get rid of, and get out of the court, or it could be someone he's forced to send as a favour to another noble family - perhaps as compensation for some slight or indignity or embarrassment he or his allies have dealt out to them. Or it could be a favour to a noble family who's support he's trying to win for some other cause.

So many possibilities!

I don't know the Drachenfels books, so can't comment on the characters you mention.

This would his age according to earlier edition materials (see lexicarnum).

His age in current edition is unclear. Personally I like him into 40's, moving past leading armies personally and into being the statesman he is mostly known as, with the question of succession starting to be pondered by some.

I've been thinking poking around more, from 1st edition/Death of the Reik I'm going with the idea of an Imperial Plenipotentiary being sent.

The EoN background notes before Jungfreud's Auerswald episode, there was a Judge sent to consider his encroachment on Hahnbrand silver mine in nearby hills (page 12). I think it will be the same man, who is not named in EoN so make it Lord Judge Count Otto Boorman (from Death on the Reik, page 36). Count Otto is a richly dressed, extremely corpulent man who walks with aid of a silver-headed cane. (think Klaus von Rothstein from Day Late, Shilling Short - though Klaus is also in EoN as a minor character)

The EoN notes that the Judge levied taxes on boats using the Teufel, hurting Ubersreik and area (likely hurting Jungfreud's taxes too, weakening him, though perhaps lining the judge's pockets). The judge is thus unpopular both with von Jungfreud and with Ubersreik town council. His use of "financial instruments" is consistent with his brief appearance in Death on the Reik where he was looking into lost imperial revenues. His background, interests and favoured tactics would all be things PC's could learn wih appropriate checks (as in EoN).

I'm thinking that he would be a professional acquaintance of Lord Judge Heissman von Bruner and would stay at the von Bruner mansion ~ "neutral" since the von Bruners are not in the running. This is alarming to Lord von Aschaffenberg's supporters given that post-Masquerade Lord Heismann is not well disposed to Lord Rickard due to Rickard's nephew's mischief at Ball.

Meanwhile, Ernst Maler is still pursuing his "leage of free towns of the Reikland" idea with Bogenhafen (which just wants preferred trade access), Auerswald (which really doesn't want Jungfreud back in control of Ubersreik) and Kemperbad (which is interested but worried it will be seen as uppity and provoke a backlash). He has a couple of councillors still on his side and the Temple of Verena.

Still pondering the "adventurous" implications of all of this, I want something outdoorsy and woodsy as the wood elf PC has been getting neglected lately.

valvorik said:

Hmm, I can't comment on the rest (other than to unhelpfully say that it sounds interesting) until I've read EoN. But just a thought on wanting outdoors adventures - that also relate to the politics. You could have a boundary issue need resolving. i.e. a law that applies to all of the lands belonging on one patron or town, but not another. And the border has never been demarcated (as it's never been relevant). All of the records on the issue are very vague 'territory runs for 3 days walking in a northerly direction' or 'from the big hill to the rotten tree trunk (which no longer exists)'.

Obviously legal claims would have to be based on something, but that something could be heavily contested. And it could need 'researching' too.

I like that...hmmm, will mull it.

I'm already planning Lord Rickard von Aschaffenberg to go hunting of course (since he's such a fan of the passtime), a "hunting party" with a backer and a fence-sitter, and heroes along with their new patron as security and "shiny backdrop" assuming they come out so once emerging from sewers at end of Edge of Night.

This is going to overlap with a personal story/agenda of one player who has befriended (in order to learn better manners and speech) a down-on-his-luck noble, the noble is obsessed with creating new and better explosives and always off blowing things up to test them. He blew up some old stones not knowing it was a tomb for a necromancer and that something got out...going off to find part of its body in a trophy case somewhere and inhabit it (to cause mischief).

That may tie into the boundary dispute.

Boundary disputes can be fun, get people out and about. Lord von A. has support of Temple of Shallya (in my campaign) and if they were one of the parites in question that would add fun as they would also want disputes be solved non-violently, they might have a bequested bit of land somewhere a day or two's ride/walk away.

The other landowner is not just being greedy of course, he is under influence of the above nasty something and reallllly wants that plot of land for darker reasonsses...

That might allow some connection to Hulgedal and the adventure there which features Shallyans in trouble, a local Shallyan administrator facing encroachment by another landowner.

I wasn't suggesting that it should get violent. Although, I guess it's always a possibility. But it also doesn't have to be anything supernatural either. Think of real life 'neighbours at war' tabloid stories, or disputes between a landowner trying to sell land to a business that the locals have customarily have had rights to use...