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I'm working on a Timiro game and was thinking about having an underground railroad for Ogre and monster race runaway slaves of Timiro run by the Ogres of the Froud Grasslands and/or bands of Ogres within the Old Kingdom mountains. The purpose of the railroad would be to free their brethren from there chains and also to recruit warriors and other people for their society.

However thinking about this I didn't think there would be any suitable way stations. Baca and Fort Brandt might be but they are so far out of the way that it would be irrelevant. Fort Bext has similar problems as well.

So I guess I am wondering about the plausibility of this idea. I'm the GM and can do whatever I want I know but given that the railroad probably won't have many or very few human allies, be hunted by everybody, and not have much woodlands to hide in (at least in western timiro which is closest to the mountains and the grasslands) I am wondering if I should just abandon this idea entirely or just make it a localized phenomenon to a very small region within Timiro.

As always thoughts on this matter would be appreciated.

GA wrote:So I guess I am wondering about the plausibility of this idea. I'm the GM and can do whatever I want I know but given that the railroad probably won't have many or very few human allies, be hunted by everybody, and not have much woodlands to hide in (at least in western timiro which is closest to the mountains and the grasslands) I am wondering if I should just abandon this idea entirely or just make it a localized phenomenon to a very small region within Timiro.

The description of the city of Acoroc in the Old Ones book talks about the above-ground city, as well as an expansive underground network of mines and tunnels underground. One tunnel is even mentioned as being 350 miles long. That right there is a distinct possibility as a starting point for your idea...

-Rodney

dont forget the use of magic to transport runaways.

Also, the lands of Timiro between towns and cities probably includes lots of farms and plantations - places where monster races are slaves. Hiding the runaway slaves among the slaves might work.

The Deific NMI wrote:dont forget the use of magic to transport runaways.

Pah. Magic. A pox upon magic for such simple things as an Underground Railroad. That hardly qualifies as "underground" anyway! More like a "through-the-ether Railroad." And that's just not right.

Well, it doesn't have to be entirely subterranean does it? I mean the Underground Railroad of the US was essentially a series of hiding places on the way North. Many were farms of sympathizers with secret rooms in the floor or just letting people sleep in a barn without reporting them. There could be many such homesteads by sympathizers and anti-slave people. Not sure how the ogres would be in contact with them - it would require a go-between.

There could also be all kinds of run down places that no one uses regularly but that the escapees can lay over in for a night or two.

-Vek
"350 miles is a long ass tunnel."

Yep -- don't assume that the only habitation is the stuff on the map. An underground railroad is quite feasible.

Well the biggest drawback I can think of is not so much the hiding places, although it was when i initially started, but the motivation for humans to do it. Some military guys might want to probably because they are sick and tired of chasing runaway slaves while on Fort duty and/or perhaps they realize the danger of such a high percentage of slaves in the Kingdom with so many of the enemy near their lands. Guys following this train opf logic may feel the abolition of slavery, or certain types of slavery, not as a moral issue but as a practical one to ensure the survival of the kingdom. However evn allowing for some of these commanders the economics of a feudalist soiety (as opposed to a capitalist one) would seem to demand large bodies of slave workers. One could argue for a free class of peasants and that lower class of peasants would push for this but I think the difference is pretty negligible even if I found such an argument valid. Its not like the free peasants are really free anyway, they are tied to the land probably more so than slaves. Thus I am more inclined that most of Timiro would be Spartan in how they treat their slaves, crush them into servitude and when they rise up crush them again. The economics would demand it.

Evil priests and priests of the old ones could be motivated to do it I suppose, ironically I would consider this a good act on their part which can go to show you the trouble of alignments.

The Fortresses would be a problem though, no doubt about it. Especially those manned by spit and polish soldiers between timiro and the mountains. Even if the owners were inattentive the soldiers when they conduct raids through the slave quarters won't be. Still, I suppose through invisibility spells and hiding places this could be accomplished. ALthough seems to me all the slaves would want to run so hiding in a plantation wouldn't make too much sense.

As far for the magic portal idea, forget it. To me that's a GM cop out to prevent having to do any actual thinking about your game. "Hey **** all this I'll just create a magic portal" Please.

Sneak someone to the slave(s) to be freed. Tell the slave if they want freedom you have to have their truename, and some hair. Then take truename and hair back to a summoner who is elsewhere and have the summoner "Summon" the slave.