Help with Federation of Magic

[Rifter_GM]

Greetings from beyond the rifts!

I'm working up ideas for a campaign into the Federation of Magic and I have a few questions.

How do NPCs react to characters? Are magic-users automatically accepted? Are outsiders universally hated, or does the Federation actively seek new members?

Thanks in advance!

[Grazzik]

It all depends on who.

How do NPCs react to characters?

Depends on the characters... I'm sure a squad of CS trooper PCs are not invited to tea.

Are magic-users automatically accepted?

Into what? The Federation of Magic is just a concept, not a homogenous polity. Like Palladium fans who play different games, use terms differently, house rule differently, so too does the FoM represent magic users that come from different perspectives. Some may automatically demand subservience, other may offer egalitarian brother/sisterhood, others may simply not care.

Are outsiders universally hated,

Again, some may see outsiders as invaders, a threat, a challenge to authority, potential slaves, brothers in arms, customers, new sources of PPE, research subjects, a reason for celebration, a complete non-event... you name it.

or does the Federation actively seek new members?

Again, members to what? Read WB16r pg 14. There are thousands of groups, factions, communities, etc. and they all operate differently. Only 20% follow a central leader at any one time.

Bottom line, whatever you can imagine, it exists.

[Rifter_GM]

Thanks for the feedback.

[Grazzik]

Some ideas to incorporate into your campaign, if you'd like. Assuming a travelling party of a magic user, psychic, cyborg and wilderness scout from Lazlo. Adjust as you see fit to meet your needs.

Spoiler:

The party come across a small road through the woods. It leads to a village where they see a procession of people dressed as if attending a funeral. They walk behind a horse-drawn cart on which sits what looks like a priest in a white robe and a young child also wearing white. Other villagers also line the roadside as if in mourning. If the party inquires what is happening they are told the child has died and is being taken by their priest to a better place. This is strange as the child is clearly not dead and is actually waving and smiling at the crowd. If this is pointed out by the party, they will be told that that is simply the spirit of the child on its way to the next world. The priest is clearly enraptured by the whole ceremony and unresponsive to any attempts to get their attention. There is no sign of unusual evil intent from anyone, simply sadness. If the party follows the cart, no one will bar their way and the cart will lead them through the woods to a round igloo-shaped stone structure with no windows. The priest and the child enter the structure through an ornate brass door. 15 minutes later, the priest emerges alone and leads everyone present back to the village. If the party enters the structure, they find no-one inside. No sign of violence. No furniture of any kind. No lights. Nothing.
It is likely that someone in the party can tell that a portal had been opened recently in the room. Indeed closer inspection will show a series of markings scratched into the stone floor of the structure. If they find a way to open the portal, it leads to an Astral Domain on the Inner Astral Plane. The domain is a mini rocky world of perpetual night with a singular stone tower. Unknown to the party, it is inhabited by a secondary vampire that is acting as overlord and protector of that region of the Magic Zone for Lord Dunscon. The child will be in the process of being prepared for the slow bite... as was the case with at least a dozen other children who now reside in the tower and the surrounding rocky crags as wild vampires. The secondary vampire has portals around the edge of the domain that lead to three stone structures where local villages offer up their children as voluntary tribute. There is also a portal on the top floor of the tower that leads to Nostrous. Should the vampire be defeated and the child returned, the people will be horrified and the party and child will be chased from the village. Should the child be rescued without defeating the vampire, the same will happen except that the vampire will hunt the party down in retribution and violently kill the child in front of them before the vampire attacks the party.

Spoiler:

The party is following a path through the dense woods that is no more than an animal track. They come to a clearing where they find several dead bodies and one woman that might as well be dead. Their wounds look like they were shredded with large claws. The party may try to save the woman, but she is too far gone. She dies saying only the words "Don't tell...Don't tell..." A half day's walk later, they come to a small town of a few hundred people. There seems to be a gathering in the town square with everyone in attendance. There are a couple horse drawn wagons and officials in red robes and cowls. Unnoticed by the party, the streets around the town square are being patrolled by groups of shadow beasts to prevent anyone leaving. As the party draws nearer to the crowd, they hear the proclamation being made by one of the officials - it's the annual Conscription Day in Tell City and the crowd must select ten amongst them to serve Lord Dunscon in whatever manner he sees fit. At that point, a townsperson turns and shouts out that the four newcomers a the back (the party) are the first conscripts to be "volunteered"...

Spoiler:

It has been a hard winter and even harder spring. After a recent plague of unknown origin raged through the Fadetowns of the region taking the old, the very young, and the infirm, Magestar has tried to bring some solace by coordinating humanitarian missions of relocation for those communities that are clearly no longer viable. However, this has stirred up resentment amongst these independent communities. Any travelers are warned not to approach as they are to be assumed to be Magestar emissaries. Some Fadetown residents shoot on sight, while others simply avoid contact until the visitors leave of their own accord.
The party, who know none of this, has come across one such Fadetown that has for some reason killed an emissary of Magestar and fear retribution as they have heard that some of the mercenaries that work for Magestar have a reputation for brutality. They have another emissary still alive who is proclaiming peace is the goal, but there are a few hotheads (perhaps grieving parents) who claim Magestar brought the plague or spread it through their emissaries. These hotheads have stopped the party (who are low on food) at their border, under suspicion of being Magestar mercs, and demand the party hand over all their weapons and armor. What does the party do?

Spoiler:

The party is passing through a valley with a small farming community of no more than a half dozen families. All seems normal and the party has been invited to join the community in a Feast of Plenty, where they share the fruits of their labor in celebration of their good fortune. It is presided over by their headwoman who seems normal enough, except for the ceremonial mask she wields. It is atop a wooden staff and at least one in the party will recognize it as a decorated face plate of a old style CS helmet. If asked about it, the party will be told it is simply a fanciful bauble that was given as a gift by a stranger many year before. The stranger said it was a powerful totem of protection, but it doesn't seem to do anything. When the party sleeps they awake in the early dawn to find the valley deserted. They find amongst them the staff planted in the ground.
Unknown to the party, the community fears a Murder Wraith that is in a cave and the feast every two months is to signify the start of a hunt with the party being the "plenty" being hunted by the Wraith. If the Murder Wraith does not kill the party within a day, it will turn on a child that is chained to the cave wall, so the farmers (who have moved to block both ends of the valley) will do everything they can to prevent the party from leaving the valley in order to save the child's life. The Murder Wraith has been instructed by it's master to use the hunt to keep the farmers compliant in luring in hunt victims and stashing the victim's belongings in the cave for pickup by the Wraith's master after the hunt.

[Rifter_GM]

These are great hooks! Thanks.

[desrocfc]

As written, the FoM is a mish-mash of various cities and towns and differing size and influence. You can literally make this into anything you want given that dynamic.

I would imagine more towns are readily accepting of mages, but a little cagey given the city-state kind of situation and their relation with Dwoemer or the other "evil" powerhouse city states. I run it akin to the ancient Greek setting, where cities have influence over a region.

I would say reactions to outsiders are guarded, more so for obviously tech-based and bionic PCs (assume connections to CS) than mages or psionic OCCs.

[Rifter_GM]

Thanks for the help!

[glitterboy2098]

it is also worth noting that there are two entities going by 'federation of magic'.. the main one is the collection of magical city states in the magic zone. the other one is the smaller organization centered on the City of Brass and run by Dunscon, who purport to be the "true" federation of magic and don't get along well with the city states because of dunscon's faction engaging in less than ethical magic and his antagonism towards the coalition. the city-states FoM don't like the CS and count them as an enemy, but an enemy they usually try to avoid provoking. dunscon actively provokes the CS, and since the CS doesn't really see a distinction between the two groups, often ends up retaliating agaisnt the city states.