Backgrounds
Citadel Agent
The Citadel operates in the interests and at the behest of the King and Crown of Breland. Originally formed as an elite unit of spies and scouts during the Last War, the Citadel became the eyes, ears, and sword of the Breland kings. It represents the best of the Crown’s operatives—those with the skills and authority to take on the most harrowing assignments for the benefit and glory of Breland’s king.
The Citadel operates throughout Breland as the ultimate agency for dispensing the King’s justice. Local watches and constabularies can call on its agents when a crime or situation poses a threat that spreads beyond their jurisdictions. Agents can also insert themselves into any situations, as they desire, since they wield the authority of the Crown. The Citadel also conducts operations beyond Breland’s borders, gathering intelligence, performing covert missions, and vigilantly working to keep Breland safe from its enemies.
Part spy, part inquisitive, and part soldier, the agent serves crown and country with his heart and soul. He might have the training of a rogue or a fighter, a wizard or a sorcerer, but he has been forged by the Citadel to rise to the top of this extraordinary institution. Everything the Citadel agent does is for the good of Breland, and he sometimes receives missions from the Crown that require his unique abilities. More often, however, he is left to his own devices. He is trusted to perform in the best interests of King and Crown without having to be constantly monitored or told what to do. He has his oath and his duty to guide him, and he is expected to always operate with the good of Breland in mind.
Skill Proficiencies: Any two skills, depending your field of exeprtise.
Tool Proficiencies: Anyone of your choice, depending your specialty.
Languages: One of your Choice
Equiptement: A signet (a ring or a brooch) from the King of Breland denoting the agent’s favored connection to Crown and Nation.
Citatel Agent Specialty
The Citadel agent can serve the crown in many ways depending his training a role.
Choose the role you played in the church, or roll on the table below.
D8 Specialty
1 Assasin
2 Spy
3 Inquisitive
4 Bodyguard
5 Soldier
6 Diplomat
7 Magic Support
8 Researcher
Feature: Diplomatic Protection
The Citadel Agent acts in the name of the crown and has protection from the law. In Breland, this protection is absolute (though violating the laws of the land can lead to trouble for the agent). In the neighboring lands of Aundair, Thrane, Karrnath, and Zilargo, treaties and longestablished agreements protect agents of the Citadel, but agents who push their luck—meddling in the affairs of government in lands other than Breland, killing wantonly, or otherwise flouting the law at every turn—are likely to suffer “accidents” that are completely disavowed by authorities in those lands. In other realms, a Citadel elite’s diplomatic protection is meaningless.
Alternative Feature: Royal Contact
A Citadel agent has a contact close to the crown that provides information, assistance, and resources on an infrequent basis in exchange for the completion of missions and assignments that personally benefit the Brelish king. The type and degree of assistance this contact can provide is largely in the province of the DM. As a general rule, this contact can perform the same function as Persuation check, a bardic knowledge check, any Knowledge skill check, to accomplish a specific task, not simply to earn money, or to make or repair a single item. Other functions are possible, at the DM’s discretion. A Citadel agent can call upon this royal contact no more than once per adventure (or however the DM feels that is needed).
Variant Citatel Agent: Dark Latern
The Dark Lanterns serve the crown of Breland as spies and assassins. Collectively they form the intelligence division of the King’s Citadel, a much larger organization sworn to defend Breland from its enemies and dispense justice in the name of King Boranel. More than any other division within the Citadel, the Dark Lanterns tend toward intelligence-gathering missions that extend beyond Breland’s borders. As the secret servants of the crown, members of the organization are granted the authority to conduct intelligence operations on foreign soil, execute covert missions across the globe, and prevent national secrets from falling into the hands of rival intelligence agencies. The Dark Lanterns also have an unwritten license to eliminate any creature that threatens their nation, its sovereign, or its citizens.
The King’s Dark Lanterns were vital to Breland’s defense during the Last War. However, conspiracies abound in the aftermath of war as nations struggle to rebuild and reclaim what was lost. The Thronehold Accords have done nothing to end the secret conflicts being waged across the Five Nations—confl icts steeped in espionage and subterfuge. With the threat of another war looming on the horizon, Breland needs its Dark Lanterns now more than ever.
Suggested Characteristics
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I idolize my King, and constantly refer to his deeds and example. |
| 2 | I’m haunted by memories of the Last War. I can’t get the images of violence out of my mind. |
| 3 | I’ve lost too many friends, and I’m slow to make new ones. |
| 4 | I don’t like to get my hands dirty, and I won’t be caught dead in unsuitable accommodations. |
| 5 | I quote (or misquote) The wisdom of Beggar Dane proverbs in almost every situation. |
| 6 | I am tolerant (or intolerant) of other nations and respect (or condemn) the ruleship of other kings. |
| 7 | I am always calm, no matter what the situation. I never raise my voice or let my emotions control me. |
| 8 | I always have a plan for what to do when things go wrong. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Responsibility. I do what I must and obey just authority. (Lawful) |
| 2 | Charity. I always try to help those in need, no matter what the personal cost.(Good) |
| 3 | Independence. I must prove that I can handle myself without the coddling of my superior. (Chaotic) |
| 4 | Power. I hope to one day rise to the top of the Citadel. (Evil) |
| 5 | Nation. My city, nation, or people are all that matter. *(Any) |
| 6 | Responsibility. It is my duty to respect the authority of those above me, just as those below me must respect mine. (Lawful) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I will face any challenge to win the approval of the Citadel. |
| 2 | I will do anything to protect the King and Country. |
| 3 | Nothing is more important than my fellow agents and commrades. |
| 4 | I hide a truly scandalous secret that could ruin some Citadel superiors forever. |
| 5 | I obey the law, even if the law causes misery. |
| 6 | I will someday get revenge on the corrupt superior agent who tried to eliminate me for knowing dark secrets. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | An fellow agent lost his agent status for a violation of the Citadel's rules that I did. I’m okay with that. |
| 2 | I have little respect for anyone who is not a proven agent. |
| 3 | I made a terrible mistake in a mission that costed lives—and I would do anything to keep that mistake secret. |
| 4 | I am inflexible in my thinking. |
| 5 | I am suspicious of strangers and expect the worst of them. |
| 6 | My hatred for the other nations is blind and unreasoning. |
-D6 Flaw
1
2
3
4
5
6
Missions
The elite agents are the best of the best, saved for the most dangerous, most important assignments or granted latitude to serve the King and Crown as he sees fit. With a title such as the King’s Blade, the King’s Shield, or the King’s Wand, the Dark Laterns, the elite agent answers to the highest-ranking members of the Citadel, the Breland king’s intelligence adviser, or in rare cases to the King of Breland himself.