Among the NPCs of the Bahar Dar roster, Bertrand Scharfenburg is a rare character without a prestige class. He's a straight-up rogue. This fact look all the more odd when you consider that Song and Silence contains a prestige class called, "The Guildmaster."In the annals of the campaign, Scharfenburg headed up a guild called, "The Guild of the Unbroken Chain." The name is a reference to the fact that the primary business of this guild was a robust slave trade between Bahar Dar and Ras Dashen. In addition, "Unbroken Chain" is one of my favorite songs by the Grateful Dead, and I was delighted to work it into the campaign.
The story page for Bertrand Scharfenburg makes note of his adversarial relationship with Watch Detective Kaleb Sedek. Unfortunately, Kaleb efforts to crack down on the guild were often thwarted by Bahar Dar's obtuse legal code, and by Governor Czarno hi
mself (who frequently pardoned guild members). Now that Kalen is in charge of the city, it may be difficult in for a new thieves guild to organize.
mself (who frequently pardoned guild members). Now that Kalen is in charge of the city, it may be difficult in for a new thieves guild to organize.The events that led up to the summary execution of Bertrand Scharfenburg are easy enough to summarize. After the Uncanny Dodgers freed the Dwarvish Slaves at Zazamanc, Ungarmax and his people went on the rampage Bahar Dar. As part of this "purge," the Dwarves destroyed the casino that the Unbroken Chain had established inside an ancient Dwarvish ziggurat. Scharfenburg went insane and took revenge by killing Dwarvish children.
In a deed worthy of the Watcmen anti-hero Rorshack, Thrym tracked down Scharfenburg. When the Guildmaster surrendered, Thrym simply executed him. Below is a picture of the smarmy Scharfenburg in his moment of surrender. (Note the Wolverine-style haircut, which is a frequently-used style of the artist).
Also note worthy on this page is Harriet Lefton's hotel information for Jody Mecklenburger's wedding in Maui. Scharfenburg's name-spelling is inspired by the Mecklenburgers.
haha nice tie-in to "real-world" events.
ReplyDelete(Marlene would definitely argue that D&D is actually the "real world.")
yeah, maybe that's why reading this blog feels more & more like reading FOX news. isn't it awesome how events are "are easy enough to summarize" when all the most relevant factors conveniently left out! LOL
ReplyDeleteYou read Fox News?
ReplyDeleteWhich relevant factors were left out of the summary?
ReplyDeleteI read Fox News all the time.
ReplyDeleteI'm fascinated with their consistency in doctoring spin.
Relevant factors? How about:
"When the Guildmaster surrendered, Thrym was faced with a choice: Turn a confirmed and confessed child murderer over to a corrupt system of authority that had consistently supported his slave trade, or deliver the justice Sharfenburg richly deserved. Thrym had been given every reason to believe that handing Sharfenburg over to these smarmbags would ensure his eventual pardoning and freedom. This, in turn, would have caused the Dwarves to go ballistic and riot in the streets, causing untold mayhem.
"Handing Sharfenburg over to the Dwarves would have also exacerbated racial tensions in Bahar Dar, since in all likelihood the Dwarves would have flaunted the local "justice" system and executed Sharfenburg, causing them to be publicly perceived as a threat to order and stability. This option might have led to unnecessary conflict as well.
"Upon further reflection, Thrym considered several more factors. For one thing, the gods themselves had confirmed Sharfenburg's guilt via divination and Sharfenburg himself had admitted to murdering Dwarven children in cold blood. In addition, Kaleb Sedek had never been successful in his efforts to work within the system to bring justice to anyone who enjoyed the support of the Temple of Wee Jas.
"As he weighed his options, it also occurred to Thrym that executing Sharfenburg would represent a clear challenge to the Temple's authority by the Wildlanders. If the Temple took up the challenge and confronted the Wildlanders, Thrym would have happily annihilated every last smarmbag among them. If they skulked and cowered in abject fear of his might, this would further undermine their strangle-hold on the local legal system.
"Furthermore, if Thrym were to deliver justice to Sharfenburg himself, it would shield the Dwarves from blame for undermining local laws. Therefore, after carefully weighing all these options, Thrym lamented the absence of a legitimate justice system to deal with Sharfenburg and determined that the best option was to simply execute him."
Of course, this would not have been a summary of events. This would have been a detailed analysis.
ReplyDeleteTo belabor the point, is worth noting that Malkizedek, his primary allies, Governor Czarno, and Rufinius had all been slain and overthrown by the time the Uncanny Dodgers took up their adventure to uncover the Forge of Zarbizul. Prester John, Graham Athanasius, Yekuno Grazal, and Simone Sigioli had all fled the city (a direct result of the Dwarves' return). Detailed campaign notes indicate that a well-attended Council had taken place at Zazamanc at the very outset of the "Seven Days in Bahar Dar" mini-module. At the meeting, plans for the interim governance of the Corridor established Krebb at Makdazadok, Ulbor at Zazamanc, and the Rainer/Kaleb allegiance taking stewardship of Bahar Dar.
It's true that the raging Dwarves were acting extra-legally. The net effect of their actions was to drive the surviving smarmbags out of town, break the thieves guild, and force Scharfenburg underground. In addition, the Dwarves, despite their anger and apparent unpredictability, had until they point acted as staunch allies, buying up treasure at full value and deferring to you in matters of local decision-making (including the forfeiture of their legendary family sword).
In conclusion, the events leading up to Scharfenburg's destruction are, in fact, easy to summarize. However, they are much more complicated when subjected to detailed analysis. A dispassionate reader might also observe the same truth when examining the actions of Rorshack, with whom Thrym can be compared in this specific incident.
For example, Rorshack tracked down the kidnapper/killer, established the truth of his guilt, and then smashed the criminal's face several times with the business end of a meat cleaver. That is an easy summary, but it does not discuss the complex motivations of Rorshack's character, the specific criminal-justice environment of the world he inhabits, nor the morality of his behavior.
me think smarmbags should die
ReplyDeleteindeed.. bottom line Re: Sharfenburg is he made The List. everyone knows when you make The List, you've signed up for swift & unceremonious execution. everyone knows.
ReplyDelete