KING'S DARK LANTERNS
The King's Dark Lanterns is the intelligence division
of the King's Citadel, an organization sworn to defend
Breland from its enemies and dispense justice in the
name of King Boranel. 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 aqoss the globe, and pre
vent national secrets from falling into the hands of rival
intelligence agencies. The Dark Lanterns also have an
unwritten license to eliminate any creature that threat
ens their nation, its sovereign, or its citizens.
Headquarters. The King's Citadel is based in Bre
land's capital city of Wroat, under the command of
the king's brother, Lord Kor ir'Wynarn. A changeling
named Captain Vron serves as the leader of the Dark
Lanterns, with four subordinate knights marshal lead
ing branch offices across Breland, in Sharn, Starilaskur,
and Xandrar. A much smaller branch office keeps an
eye on Brelish interests in the city of Stormreach, in
Xen'drik. Small, temporary field offices are sometimes
established to coordinate missions outside Breland;
these offices double as safe houses for agents in trouble,
and they are designed to be wiped clean at a moment's
notice if discovered by local authorities.
The Sharn office of the King's Citadel is in Andith
Tower in the Ambassador Towers district. Though a
knight marshal commands the office, most of the King's
Citadel members in Sharn are Dark Lanterns, and thus
under the authority of a scheming and ruthless gnome
named Talleon Haliar Tonan.
Agents. The King's Dark Lanterns includes more
than 500 agents operating within Breland's borders and
roughly one-fifth that number stationed abroad. They of
ten work in teams, and also work closely with the other
divisions of the Citadel. Sometimes they recruit local
talent, often under false pretenses, to help them accom
plish their missions in foreign lands.
Allies. By their nature, espionage agencies must be
cautious in choosing their allies, and
'
the King's Dark
Lanterns is no exception. Its most trustworthy allies in
clude the following facets of the Brelish government:
King Boranel. The King's Dark Lanterns, as one would
expect, serve the king of Breland, and he is their
greatest advocate and ally. The king views loyalty
as mutual: as long as an agent's loyalty is irre
proachable, Boranel is willing to exercise his
considerable power on that agent's behalf.
The King's Citadel. The Citadel has three
branches besides the Dark Lanterns. The
King's Swords are elite special combat
forces. The King's Shields protect
the king and his closest family
members and associates. The
King's Wands provide magical
support to the other branches
of the Citadel as well as
other Brelish forces.
CHAPTER 1 I CHARACTER CREATION
Some Dark Lanterns might think themselves superior
to members of the other branches, but even so they
recognize other Citadel agents as players on the same
team. When your group needs a little extra help, the
other branches of the Citadel are there for you.
Enemies. Rare is the espionage agency that is loved.
Even within Breland, the populace views the Dark Lan
terns with suspicion, and powerful people outside the
royal family harbor resentment at the influence of the
Citadel. Many people and institutions outside Breland
view the Dark Lanterns as a hostile force. As a result,
the following groups account for just a few enemies of
the Dark Lanterns:
Brelish Populists. As much as King Boranel is loved
in his country, many Brelish voices argue that the era
of monarchy is at an end, and the throne of Breland
should be replaced by a government democratically
elected by the citizenry. When these forces grow rest
less enough to plot and riot, the Citadel-and often the
Dark Lanterns-work to bring them to heel. As a re
sult, those who question the authority of the king are
the most likely Brelish citizens to mistrust the Dark
Lanterns or view them with open hostility. According