I'm wondering if anyone out there has played a Pavis series past the ousting of the Lunars? Our campaign has passed this point (is now in late 1625; in our game Pavis fell in 1625 not 1624) and there's next to nothing written on it, which certainly gives me the freedom to improvise and do my own thing, but ideas based on what other storytellers have done/imagined would be really interesting to me.
Briefly summarized, what happened in our story was that the Crimson Bat was called to Pavis County (Pairing Stone in particular) at the same time that many Storm Bulls were sent in its direction (wild goose chase from Crimson Shadows Over Prax scenario), and then the White Bull spirit was chained by the Lunars near Pavis (aiming to take out the Storm Bulls and White Bull riders in one swoop with the Bat). This inadventently brought the nomad horde there (a la KoS). The Bat was recalled as word reached the Emperor and he decided that Prax was a lost cause, abandoning the Lunars there to their deaths by nomad lances (except the Coders, who escaped, leaving a harmonized Sor-Eel and his household waving a smily "bye-bye" as Jaldon broke into the city).
"Argrath of Pavis" (KoS story) turned out to be a suave chap named Ettir
the Sly, who had the dragon's dream sent by Orlanth when the Lunar miner's
sickness was cured, and often went by the name of Bad Dream Enostar. He's
now in charge of the New Teeth faction, who the locals demanded to take
over governing the city (much to consternation of Brygga Scissortongue's
"Frees" and Fleeter Nemm's/Bendrath's Real City factions). One of his
actions that gained him a lot of support is that he united New Pavis and
the Real City/Rubble into one city again, calling it all Free Pavis and
re-energizing Pavis cult efforts to reclaim the past glory of the city and
integrate it with the new. Secretly, (hope no players are reading!) he's a
Black Fang shaman and master of nightmares, who slew Gim Gim the Grim to
steal most of his nasty secrets, and behind the scenes is now turning Free
Pavis into his own criminal state. Brygga and her allies will soon be
murdered, framed as troll actions to provide public outrage that gives
Ettir more military might, which then leaves Fleeter (now Son of Pavis
since Benderri was assassinated at the fall of Pavis) and Bendrath the job
of unmasking the evils of Ettir someday. Right now Ettir is well-loved by
most, and the rest of the New Teeth have little clue how corrupt he is.
As the nomad horde came through, the farms of Pavis county were razed and the people remaining that the Bat didn't chow down either were taken by the nomads or fled into the city. This left the county with little food, as the Bat and nomads came during the harvest. Another obvious problem now that the Lunars and nomads are gone, and the city is low on defenders, is the trolls. Ooh, people are missing those Lunars now! :) It's Dark Season and they are hungry, swelling in numbers as other trolls come from Dagori Inkarth every night and vanish into the Rubble... So it's a scary time in Free Pavis, and to top it off there are still vengeful, desparate Lunars hiding out here and there. Makes it fun and challenging to adapt recent scenarios (e.g., wonderful Masks of Pavis stuff) published set in Lunar rule. Duke Raus (in my game never Governor of Pavis; just returned back south and renovated his home after Muriah was killed) remains as a well-accepted member of the river valley, too, and the River Voices have made a fragile peace with him and the Five Eyes newtlings.
Anyway, ideas about what goes on next in Prax/Pavis would be very welcome. I imagine that, in the big scheme of things, once the Lunars are kicked out it largely drops off the radar of the Hero Wars and becomes a sanctuary for people escaping from/gathering strength for the battles in Dragon Pass. But I wonder what others have done with it, or will do.
--John R Hutchinson
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