Dolmenwood Factions #07: House Hogwarsh

02 Aug, 2024

Meet the carefree and self-centered Baron of the High Wold, whose grand ambitions and oblivious nature place him at the center of a web of intrigue and danger. What could possibly go wrong? Welcome to House Hogwarsh.

Goals

For House Hogwarsh, I have extrapolated the desires of the Baron.

The Baron's first goal is a riff on his desire to become renowned for his musical and fencing skills¹. This ambition expands to a genuine interest in arts, music, and sports, aiming to transform High-Hankle into a cultural hub. It's not just about personal merit but also about leaving a lasting legacy, attracting artists and athletes throughout Dolmenwood and beyond.

The second goal is driven by the Baron's need for funding his grand plans. His ambitions for High-Hankle require significant financial resources, and his approach is marked by dubious contacts and a lax sense of order². This could lead to exploiting the populace, risking unrest or creating a compliant population, or conflict with fellow nobles.

The last goal is straightforward: to recover the family heirloom, the Hanglehorn. This objective has the potential to involve other factions, as he may seek their assistance, opening opportunities for exploitation.

• 🐵 Turn High-Hankle into a cultural marvel for artists, athletes, and musicians: Driven by vanity and a desire for a lasting legacy.
  • Commission and curate artistic masterpieces.
  • Build the Hogwarsh Hall of Arts and Valor.
  • Host a grand Dolmenwood tournament surpassing the Duke's.

• 🙈 Find ways to finance the Barons ambitions: The Baron's dreams require deep coffers of money.
  • Exploit the merchants and raise taxes.
  • Attract wealthy patrons or seek external funding.
  • Gain control of lucrative trade routes along the Hameth.

• 🙊 Recover the stolen family heirloom, the Hanglehorn: For personal pride and as a symbol of legitimacy.
  • Gather information about Dewidort of Smerne³.
  • Retrace his steps and locate his treasure hoard⁴.
  • Recover the Hanglehorn from the hoard.

Resources

House Hogwarsh's resources seem misaligned with the Baron's goals. While ties to the Thieves' Guild are valuable and will be heavily leveraged, other resources reflect a more traditional and militaristic past, likely influenced by the previous Baron.

• Strong connections to the Thieves' Guild⁵: Profitable for both sides, often involving turning a blind eye to illicit activities.
  • Control and exploit the populace.
  • Access to assassins, thieves, and spies.
  • Extort and blackmail vassals.

• A small herd of griffons⁶: The pride of the barony, used as mounts by knights.
  • Scout areas from a safe distance.
  • Deliver messages and commands swiftly across the battlefield.
  • Intimidate opponents.

• A sizable standing army⁵: Includes over a dozen knights, a small personal guard, and numerous soldiers, both human and breggle.
  • Defend and protect territories.
  • Launch military campaigns if necessary.
  • Suppress dissent and revolts.

Actions

The cultural transformation of High-Hankle is still in its early stages. Known as the city of sin⁷, the Baron indulges in debauchery. To achieve his dream, he needs the right people to turn this image around. The quest for the Hanglehorn is not a top priority for the Baron, but this will change once concrete clues about Dewidort surface.

• 📔 Establish a Cultural Patronage Network.
  • 🕵️️ Lady Stella Starling
  • 📝 Send messengers and scouts far and wide to seek out suitable artists and athletes.
  • 📝 Invite shortlisted candidates to meet the Baron in High-Hankle.
  • 📝 Hold public competitions to select suitable proteges.

• 📔 Increase earnings from the High-Wold populace.
  • 🕵️ Master Garwyn Crowfoot
  • 📝 Introduce a market permit system with tiered fees for merchants.
  • 📝 Impose taxes on alcohol sales.
  • 📝 Allow the Thieves' Guild to establish a black market with cuts for the Barony.

• 📔 Learn more about the legendary robber Dewidort of Smerne.
  • 🕵️ Sir Percival Wren
  • 📝 Travel to Castle Brackenwold.
  • 📝 Study in accessible libraries and gather information.
  • 📝 Visit Harrowmoor Keep to consult Lady Harrowmoor's historical knowledge.

Further Thoughts

House Hogwarsh seems poised for potential downfall. The Thieves' Guild, while currently allied, is gaining power⁸ and may turn against the Baron if he doesn't comply, such as if Bagsley proposes a marriage alliance with his daughter⁹. Additionally, the common folk could revolt depending on their treatment. Focusing on vendors and merchants may be manageable for now, but taxing alcohol will be unpopular, and people won't appreciate being extorted by the guild. If these measures don't raise enough funds for High-Hankle's ambitions, the Baron may target the general populace, leading to more dissent or conflicts with other factions. The Barony might also seek control of the lucrative Falls of Nyf¹⁰ from House Mulbreck if the opportunity arises.

The Baron faces potential threats from within and without. The goat lords, Ramius and Murkin, have their eyes on the barony¹¹. Internal strife could play into their hands, making a takeover more feasible.

However, if the Baron's vision for High-Hankle as a cultural powerhouse succeeds, it could inspire the populace and attract envy from other nobles, particularly those in Castle Brackenwold. Achieving this, along with recovering the Hanglehorn, could elevate House Hogwarsh's status significantly.

Potential Alliances

House Hogwarsh has potential allies, though with conditions:

• House Malbleat: Already on good terms with the Baron¹²; further deals and promises could solidify an alliance.
• The Pluritine Church: The Church might take an interest in High-Hankle if it becomes a cultural center, fostering a renaissance of artistic works depicting the Saints.
• House Ramius: This alliance is conditional. It requires a fallout between Hogwarsh and Malbleat, Ramius failing to gain the Duke's favor, and a marriage alliance with Hogwarsh¹³, which would require the Baron to be desperate.

Example

Surprisingly, House Hogwarsh has performed exceptionally well in the faction turns, consistently achieving +2 progress in almost all turns and making substantial progress across all missions. This means that in my campaign, players are very likely to see the effects of the Baron's actions.

I've updated the rumors table to reflect these developments. The Baron is now actively seeking skilled artists and athletes, while traders and merchants complain about new market permit regulations in the High Wold. My players, currently in the vicinity of Prigwort, may encounter Sir Percival Wren, who is awaiting an audience with Lady Harrowmoor. This encounter could provide them with valuable information, depending on their interest in engaging with Sir Percival.

I’m excited to see how these events unfold. House Hogwarsh might be the first faction to complete a mission in my campaign!

Conclusion

House Hogwarsh could easily fall into the trope of an incapable leader causing suffering among the populace. However, there's also a possibility for a remarkable turnaround, where the Baron's grand dreams and ambitions could transform High-Hankle into a cultural and artistic hub, winning admiration and prestige.

Interestingly, House Hogwarsh tends to have more friction with other noble houses rather than outside factions. They have no quarrels with the Drune, the Nag-Lord, or any other external faction. This highlights the Baron's focus on himself and High-Hankle rather than on Dolmenwood at large.

Despite many challenges, I have a soft spot for House Hogwarsh's potential, and I hope they will overcome the odds and thrive.

This concludes the dive into this ambitious yet somewhat naive faction. As always, I hope you find this helpful. Next time, I'll take a look at House Mulbreck!

References

#dolmenwood #faction turns #legwork