Refugee Crisis

When people think of the Roman Empire, they tend to conjure up grand marble structures, vast legions, bloody gladiatorial games, and decadent politicians. However, one of the defining characteristics of the empire; and a primary reason for its success and endurance; was how it dealt with “outsiders” and “barbarians.” Unlike many of its contemporary societies, the Roman Empire was usually more than happy to absorb outsiders and use them for its own ends. Some argue that over time, it was this melding of disparate cultures which led to the undermining of what it meant to be Roman. Nowhere was this more evident than on the frontiers; particularly along the Danube river.

In this scenario, the player characters are citizens of an ancient, but steadily fading, imperial power. Rather than living in the center of the empire, they exist on the outskirts — a frontier trading or garrison town along a river or other natural border. Perhaps they are in the service of the local magistrate or garrison commander, and charged with keeping the peace and enforcing the law.

Within the last year or so, things have gotten complicated for the group. A large tribe of barbarians has taken refuge across the river — they have fled from another, more powerful tribe, and are hoping to trade military service and goods for resettlement in the empire. Unfortunately, the dwindling power of empire itself, along with the long and dangerous road to the capitol, means that the barbarian’s petition has gone unanswered for some time. More importantly to the characters, the garrison has been losing soldiers to retirement and attrition, and replacement recruits are becoming fewer and fewer. Come to think of it, the amount of official coinage, and the bureaucrats sent to collect it, have been sparser, as well.

The barbarians are growing restless; they fear for their safety, and they have the skill and equipment to cross the river by force if they want. To make matters worse, the characters have learned a fellow official has defrauded the barbarian chief — taking a tribute payment meant for the Emperor for himself. If the refugees learn of this, at a time when the garrison is so clearly in decline, it could spell disaster. What do they do?

Return of the King

When Henry IV of England came to power, one of the first things he did was imprison his predecessor, Richard II, in the Tower of London, where he then allegedly starved him to death. Richard was then buried not in Westminster Abbey; where the late king had prepared an elaborate tomb for himself; but in a different church some twenty miles away. Many years later, Henry IV’s son, Henry V, had Richard’s body exhumed and brought back to Westminster; in part as an act of atonement for his father’s murderous act; and in part to help squelch persistent rumors that Richard had actually survived and escaped.

The king or queen is returning from their long exile; or at least, their body is. The former ruler was assassinated (or killed in battle) by the current monarch, and then buried hastily in some ignominious place. In an effort to shore up their own legitimacy and gain the respect of the population, the new ruler has sent an expedition to retrieve the body of their former rival for reburial in the capitol, and the characters are part of that expedition. Either they were contracted as mercenaries, or their families are vassals of either ruler. In any event, the success of the expedition is paramount — the former ruler must be returned to the capitol and interred in their proper tomb.

However, resentments often simmer long after a conflict ends, and not everyone wants the previous ruler to return home. Perhaps some nobles, still loyal to their fallen sovereign, want to retrieve the body as a symbol of resistance in order to place some other successor on the throne. Or maybe some new hardliner doesn’t believe the old monarch deserves to be buried with the honored dead of the kingdom, and wants to prevent it. There might even be a third party; some foreign power working in the background; with their own reasons for preventing the success of the expedition.

In any event, the expedition runs into trouble on its way back. Perhaps the group is ambushed, and the body spirited away. Or maybe there’s a rogue element within the expedition itself, and they betray the characters. Maybe the characters themselves are the discontents, and have plans to steal the body for their own ends.

While the Cat’s Away

The Crusades were a pivotal moment for both Europe and the Middle East; it isn’t an understatement to say that the entire course of history of both regions was changed by these holy wars. While there’s plenty to mine for inspiration in the conflicts themselves, I think that’s less interesting than what happened around the Crusades; the fallout from clearing large regions of Europe of its monarchs, and how kings had to weigh their commitment to Crusade against the needs of keeping their domestic enemies at bay to ensure their own reign. Richard the Lionheart, in particular, had to deal with this problem, as his brother John seized power while he was away.

The war has finally turned. After years of struggle against an entrenched, implacable foe, the armies of the assembled kings have taken back key cities and strategic sites. The enemy, though still dangerous, seems, at last, to be giving more ground than they are gaining. The characters; who have fought and bled for the cause; can finally see the glorious end which awaits them. In a few more seasons, perhaps even a single season, the infidels and blasphemers will be routed, and the righteous will occupy the halls of the faithful once more. The anticipation is palpable; the mood in the war camps bordering on rapture.

But all is not as well as it seems. In this moment of triumph, the Champion of the cause; the first-among-equals of the assembled leaders; as received dire news. Their long absence has not been without cost. Unrest and resentment are brewing at home, and enemies of the crown are moving with knives at the ready to fill the power vacuum. The letter to the Champion was clear; if they do not return immediately, they might not have a kingdom to return to.

The dilemma is real. If the Champion (and all their forces) return now, the morale in the armies will collapse, and all of the hard-fought gains could be lost as the rest of the kings and queens begin fighting amongst themselves for the right to rule the armies and conquered lands. Or worse, the enemy will take the initiative again, bolstered by the Champion’s retreat, and take back all that has been won. Already their emissaries move abroad, making promises and deals.

The characters are thrust into the middle of this shifting landscape. Perhaps they have won the trust of the Champion, and they are needed to secure a final, powerful victory before the great ruler returns home. Or maybe they are agents of the enemy, seeking to capitalize on this sudden good fortune. They might even be loyal to the Champion’s enemies at home, and hoping to undermine the Champion amongst their peers abroad, and hasten their downfall.