Ambition By Any Means Power & Chaos -The Ambrevilles of Mystara & Their Occult Influence

 "Gerard had wholly forgotten the legendry of Averoigne, as he hastened along the sun-flecked path. He was nearing the appointed beech-tree, which a turn of the path would soon reveal; and his pulses quickened and became tremulous, as he wondered if Fleurette had already reached the trysting-place. He abandoned all effort to continue his ballade, which, in the three miles he had walked from La Frenaie, had not progressed beyond the middle of a tentative first stanza." 

A Rendezvous in Averoigne

Clark Ashton Smith

Let us pick right up from our last blog entry here. 

In a nation of dark wizards what is the most valuable commodity? Besides information? The ability to influence events & have control over them. And this is one of the characteristics that has enabled 

 Glantri wizards,witches, & magus to maintain control over thier empire after the fall of thier found from X2 Castle Amber. The fact is that Glantri as a nation state is going to have it agents and networks all across the planes. A fact that has not escaped our DM's at any time & the magi of this nation of wizards is going to try to preserve the blood lines of The Château Sylaire of the Ambrevilles, in the province of Nouvelle Averoigne. And the best way of doing this is manipulate bloodlines and magic within royal houses. It does this by making it's wizards indespensible in courtly life. From expertise on engineering to mage craft the Glantri are a sinster presence with a purpose. And that purpose is too keep in control. Madness and mayhem may follow the Glantri magi, witches,etc. but it's kept in check by a unbridled lust for power. 

Using Glantri magus in Castles & Crusades is going to mean that they are going to one of the most aggressive forces for occult knowledge and power within a campaign. These bastard magus are going to stop at nothing to achieve thier ends. And this means that a nation of ambitionous  magus are going to be sending out wizards, witches, etc. in droves.

 

This means that lower level Glantri magus and magic users are going to be on the hireling rolls. And it also means that they are going to try to gain any spells they can from Troll Lord Games Adventurer's Spellbook they can. And where does the Chaos come in? The fact that unbridled ambition makes the perfect garden for the dark roses of corruption to grow. And this is where cults and the like come into play. Gods of dark magic and power are perfect venues for Glantri magus or even clerics to come into play. Dark Albion: Cults of Chaos has some excellent examples for creating corrupted cults of chaos for Castles & Crusades or other dark OSR games where a vile villain is needed. 

Glantri magus and other magic users since thier based on the power structure of Venice come from a country where subtle and dangerous arts are the norm and not the exception. 

This means that even the most trusted Glantri magus could teleport and take a party's treasure without warning. 
And this is something that's happened time and again within our own campaigns. And this contrast also serves the incredible spy network that the Glantri nation boasts. Magick and spy networks go hand and velvet glove. 

And we see this contrast in history as well as in Sword & Sorcery fantasy. And this could even go back into the classic B2 Keep on the Borderlands. What if the Glantri are behind the awakening of the Caves of Chaos. 

Why would they do such a thing? Becaus they can! It's not in the nation state's back yard and they have the perfect excuse to see the extent of the influences of Chaos within a controlled enviroment such as the Borderlands.