Corrupting the Iron Guard

Action Id: 3125	Crisis:	Participants: Arianna, Viviana, Kyden, Stygia, Valentina and Raven
Status: Resolved	Submitted: March 4, 2019, 10:53 a.m.	Public: False	GM: Apostate

Silver: 600000
Economic Resources: 1000
Military Resources: 900
Social Resources: 1500
Action Points: 500
Action by Arianna
The Iron Guard is a centuries old institution, founded by a Metallic no less, that stands as an ancient symbol of protection for the great city of Arx. Even if the people themselves may not assign it such an immense importance, although most people do one would assume, the Dream takes notice of these things. So of course she wants to do something memorable and downright entrepreneurial.

Corrupting the Iron Guard.

Surely an institution as upright would have it's own seedy little corners. This is just a part of human nature. Some of these guardsman took the job because they wanted to protect and serve while others desire to harm and profit. It's these individuals she will begin with. These depraved individuals are already well on the path to the Abyss and only serve as a tool with which to spread the plague of corruption further.

Arianna will lean on her previous experience as an Agent and investigator in the Iron Guard to help her navigate this task and to clean up any messes that might spill over. Her familiarity with the guardsman already gives her a good start on who would be easiest to target first as potential lackeys for this new enterprise that will serve as a means of profit, but also as the foundation for what's to come. She's quick to snuff out anyone who might be too weak or bold enough to try and be a hero. After all, patrolmen disappear in the Lowers all the time for sticking their nose where it doesn't belong and the threat of violence can often be the driving motivation one needs to begin down the path of evil and to be content while doing it.

Coercion, racketeering, influence peddling, theft, Patronage, embezzlement, bribery, extortion. All of these are tools she will guide those in this conspiracy to utilize and as long as they pay a percentage of their profits Arianna will continue to make sure they are protected from any retaliation - from the shadows of course. Compartmentalization is essential in making sure that she is exposed as little as possible and even so, she's wise enough to use a mask and disguise provided courtesy of, well, we know who.

Only the most like-minded, shady, amoral and opportunistic will join her in this and each of them has a highly important role to play in this grand scheme.

Secret Action by Arianna
Arianna is hoping that the Triarchy is watching those who are involved as she fully believes they are on the path to join with Tehom's last true servants. She's not going to bug Emerald or Lord Zircon and most especially not The Leer but she's a clever girl and knows how to subtlety bring attention to something or several someones in this instance.

OOC Intentions: Arianna has felt herself grow stronger through small acts of corruption and was informed by Emerald that what she does with the gift she bestowed upon her relies on her own ambition to further Corruption. So of course she's aiming to 1) See if this powerful act of Corruption will fuel her abilities further 2) Empower her Mistress and Blight through the realm of Corruption and 3) lay down the foundations and future safeguards for a collaborative criminal empire. Also, I have a 4th ooc intent but it's more so to bring Triarchy rp to people in this action if they're looking to get involved and to perhaps helps cultivate some interesting rp for the Iron Guard. We -will- be investing as much AP on this action as we can to demonstrate the insane amount of time we're each dedicating to this.

Roll: charm + investigation = 43

Action by Viviana
Viviana is all too happy to help with this endeavor, and while she may not have as grandiose a plan as some of the others involved, she does have her own reasons for wanting to whittle away at the foundation of the Iron Guard. Having claws in the Guard may prove useful in the future.

The Sword of Setarco intends to focus on the mid-to-upper ranks of the Iron Guard and a great deal of both railroading and alternatively, career boosting. Viviana will be using her charms to accomplish two goals that are intertwined with each other, and she's not above using her social connections or the weight of her house in these efforts.

Using bribes, cashing in favors, pulling strings, putting her pretty smile to work, and whispered promises are the duelist's primary tools. Her first goal is aimed at the more 'upstanding' and 'good' members of the Guard, and Viviana works to get those obstacles demoted or removed entirely from service. The second half of the fencer's efforts is the opposite side of that coin, and involves pulling the necessary social strings, putting pressure on the right pieces, or just bribing or seducing whoever is needed to get the more seedy and less savory members of the Guard promoted up the ranks, where they can in turn help weaken the integrity of the Iron Guard from within.

The end goal of Viviana's efforts is to make it easier for everyone else's work to take root and start to blossom.

Action by Stygia
Arianna's plot to Corrupt The Iron Guard (tm) plays quite a bit into Stygia's plans in a great and wonderful way. She approves of Arianna's plan, helps, and takes the Corruption a step further.

You see, Silas wouldn't let her form a militia for the Lowers to better protect her Kingdom for the following reason: "anyone who wishes to assist the Iron Guard is capable of joining the Iron Guard itself, with the same proposed oversight, instead of forming their own military force."

So, she's going to try just that. Thank you for the inspiration, Silas, you're a doll.

So, Stygia recruits for the Iron Guard in the Lowers, for the Lowers. She uses her power of persuasion to convince people to join but remain loyal to her. For their efforts, she gives them more silver to supplement their income and to pay for their silence.Their first mission would be to further the unification of the Boroughs. Be "tougher" on crime in the Boroughs - and less tough in the main city, thereby encouraging crime to move OUT. ((This is heavily tied into action 2927 which will be submitted this month)).

Action by Raven
With the love of gambling the the hearts of most any bored guardsmen, Raven is more than keen to lure a few of the Iron Guard to the Rising Sun, Arianna's casino ship which she'll have rented out for the occasion. She'll use all of the charm she can muster to get the people onto the ship, get them good and drunk and make sure it's a party for a lifetime, something to never forget. She'll keep the wine flowing, the dice moving until they've finally gotten so deep in the hole, they'd never be able to pay off their tabs. Sure, she winked and flirted and played the part of a hostess, but did they not realize that every drink, every bet, it was all to come from their pocket.

Of course in the attendance at the casino that night would be some shady loan sharks (also graciously provided courtesy of the Lower Boroughs via Arianna), gracefully placed to swoop in, in their hour of need. This would keep them indebted for a very long time. Either way, the tab comes due, and Raven won't let anybody leave without first settling their tabs.

Once they're indebted to the loan sharks, they would be made to do things on the wrong side of the law, made to commit crimes of their own to pay off their ill-gotten debts. Of course Raven's involvement would end here, after all how would she know where the loan sharks came from? She was just trying to host some high stakes gambling on the high seas.

Action by Valentina
Valentina Pravus may never be known for her military prowess, but that doesn't stop the Silver Sun of Nilanza from turning up the charm and using her social ingenuity to weave a web around the more upstanding ranks of the Iron Guard.

    The Dowager Duchess of Setarco will throw events in areas where these members of the Iron Guard live, ensuring to visit each one personally, and targetting to their specific tastes. She will bump shoulders with the most honest and forthright amongst them, even as the others corrupt and bend the weak.

    Slowly Val will lead these paragons into temptation, vice, and eventual ruin, leaving a trail of husks of former great men in her wake. Always she will express disappointment in them, having 'expected better' from the Iron Guard's best, and never once thought of as the source of their downfall.

    This will take key members of their group out of the equation, removing major barriers and roadblocks from Arianna's path to corruption.

Action by Kyden
Kyden has been waiting for a chance like this for a while. She doesn't know how long as things come and go, but when she's got the scent and on the hunt she is focused and ruthless. Unseen and observant the yellowed eyed artist serves as Arianna's eyes and ears on the streets surrounding these actions. She doesn't hesitate to pass the proper info along to her co conspirators but she focus' on providing the Pravus woman with a deluge of information and marks to exploit.

Kyden might have a hidden talent for seeing vices in people that might ordinarily go unseen. She uses these to figure out the best times and places to exploit people for maximum vulnerability and minimal exposure to Arianna, or whoever Arianna might send to do the deed. While Kyden does report to Arianna she will help provide support to the others as well.

Result
Roll Result: 246

It's... suspiciously easier than they expected.

Arianna seems to have just a knack for knowing who to target. It's as if Arianna knows exactly where a guard's weaknesses are. If she wants money and can bribed. If he is ambitious, and is willing to be corrupted for a promotion to more authority. If she is guided by her lusts. If he is afraid and can be intimidated. And if someone just can't be corrupted... well. There's solutions there as well.

Kyden as well helps track and identify many of the marks, relentlessly following from stealth a number of the guards, and seems like Arianna to have an uncanny sense of what one's vices might be. With both Arianna and Kyden's list of targets, the rest of them get to work.

Almost all of the ones that are into money wind up on the Rising Sun at some point, which has become one of the most popular hotspots for the Iron Guard to be entertained after hours, and with Raven's work, so very many wind up in way over their heads, and deep in debt, and feeling like they have no other options. Ironically, those same debts are paying the bribes of other Iron Guardsmen too, and many of the Iron Guardsmen now are working as loan sharks, acting as Lower Boroughs enforcers thanks to Raven.

Viviana has startling success. A little bit unnerving success, as quite a few of her targets seem to know her. And are terrified of her. At least two people she seduced seemed to be convinced she was trying to kill them (and still went along with it, which says something about Viviana's skill). Quite a few of the problematic Iron Guards that were just a little too honorable wind up demoted due to her work of corrupting the right people, put on grunt duty far outside the Lower Boroughs, and a number are on permanent anti-poacher duty in the Gray Forest hunting other men like Gailin who try to commit unsavory acts. It sends a message. It really is impressive how many people know Viviana and are scared to death of her, and act like they've met her before.

Valentina is an artist, and her tapestry is the ruin of good men. At least a half dozen of the most upright, 'incorruptible' targets are claimed by her and reduced to shadows of their former selves afterwards. It's a much narrower scope than the more widespread corruption of her allies, but it's an important one: the paragons falling to Valentina are removing the lynchpins of the Iron Guard's defense, corrupting the men most trusted that other honest guardsmen would have turned to, and creating a web that let the others be swept up. It is a testament to her skill that they never quite blame her for it as they are left utterly broken.

It's remarkable in the end how many of these corrupted Iron Guardsmen are effectively working for Stygia, after the efforts on all of their parts. Not that they didn't put immense time and effort into this, and approach it with devastating array of talent. But the scale of their corruption likely far exceeds their hopes, as it's not dozens of Iron Guardsmen that are corrupted. Not even scores. But of the hundreds they corrupt directly, that corruption spreads and is still spreading. There's ten thousand Iron Guardsmen in Arx and the surrounding Crownlands. A significant percentage are effected, and virtually all of the ones that work in the Lower Boroughs, though corruption, like virtue, is by degree. Would all be willing to murder for them? No, not quite yet. But some would, and a few suspicious inquisitors have already gone missing, after Iron Guardsmen give Arianna and Viviana an alert. There's enough blind eyes down in the Iron Guard to render the Crown completely blind in the Lower Boroughs, and as of right now, they don't suspect. Not just yet.

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