Swords of Liberty

Karrnath has its Order of the Emerald Claw, Breland has the Swords of Liberty. This outlaw band of self-proclaimed freedom fighters operates in small cells throughout the country, engaging in acts of violence against the crown as well as taking on select missions beyond the Brelish borders. Membership in the Swords of Liberty is secret, and operatives wear Brelish blue hoods when meeting with other Swords.

The Swords of Liberty first appeared in the earliest days of the Last War, but the group has become more active in the past decade or so. The tenets of the Swords of Liberty are fairly simple and straightforward. During the last years of the Last War, the Swords called for the abolishment of the Brelish crown and the formation of a new democratic government. Since the signing of the Treaty of Thronehold, the group has added to its message. Now it wants to reignite the war, believing that Breland is strong enough to win outright and spread the ideals of democracy throughout the land.

This radical and violent organization doesn’t see that its methods don’t match its message. It attracts extremists and idealist alike, however, and King Boranel has grown more and more concerned about the Swords and what they may do next. In addition to striking at targets designed to weaken the crown, the Swords also strike targets guaranteed to raise tensions between Breland and the other kingdoms.

While Lord Ruken ir'Clarn has met with the Swords of Liberty a few times over the years, he has no real alliance with the group. Indeed, he even sees the Swords as too violent to be of any real aid to his plans. What no one knows is that the true master behind the Swords is Bastinu, a warmongering fiend with ties to the Lords of Dust. Through deception and a call for patriotism, the fiend hopes to shatter the peace of Thronehold and once more plunge Khorvaire into all-out war.

Getting PCs Involved: Agents of the crown want to stop the next Swords of Liberty plot before it gets off the ground. This could be an assassination attempt (either on a Brelish official or a visiting diplomat or head of state), a terrorist strike, or a plan to sabotage one of the crown’s industrial centers.

On the other hand, the Swords of Liberty might try to recruit adventurers and use them to strike at targets outside of Breland. Bastinu particularly enjoys corrupting heroes by appealing to their sense of honor and heritage—and then tricking them into doing something totally against their nature.