====== La Tutelle ======
/* The Trust */
{{the-trust.jpg}}
^Domicilebase = [[Korranberg]], [[Zilargo]]
founded = Two years after the founding of [[Zilargo]]
leader = The Proctor
aliases = La Tutelle of Zilargo
//"Trust that we will always look after the needs of our great family, and that we need your aid as much as you need ours."//
**La Tutelle** is a national, non-military {{tagpage>"Organizations of Eberron"|organization}} charged with the safety and security of [[Zilargo]]. La Tutelle acts as a secret police force in [[Zilargo]] and among [[Gnomes]] abroad in [[Khorvaire]].
====== Histoire ======
The [[Gnomes|gnomish]] security agency began in [[Korranberg]] as an outgrowth of the [[Bibliothèque de Korranberg]]. The founder of the organization is only remembered by her title of the Proctor, and all leaders since go by this title.
La Tutelle was first made public two years after the founding of Zilargo, though exact tellings of how the organization secured the blessing of the Triumvirat de Zilargo differ.
Although the [[gnomes ]]allied with each other, this did not stop the feuds between and within the different city-states. The feuds started to create problems for the new nation of [[Zilargo]]. So La Tutelle was created in order to keep the nation together. Each of the three [[Triumvirat de Zilargo|Triumvirs]] was given the power to select agents from their own city to create a corps of secret police. These secret police place the interests of the nation above all else. La Tutelle soon secured total control over law enforcement and national security within [[Zilargo]].
La Tutelle has jurisdiction over punishing those it determines guilty of transgression, and its justice is swift and merciless. There is no court of law. Any Zil citizen could be an agent of La Tutelle and, thanks to that, [[Zilargo]] has the lowest crime rate on [[Khorvaire]]. La Tutelle acts only if something threatens society and they use blackmail and intrigue to eliminate the threats. They are fond of using poisons, and maintain numerous observers skilled in encoding secret messages across the continent pulled from the population of [[Gnomes]].
Tragedy struck at the Korranberg Grand Opera tonight as
beloved tenor Ilan d’Thuranni fell prey to a sudden stroke.
This news is only the beginning of what promises to be a
fascinating story; evidence suggests that Lord Ilan had
been leading a double life as a highly paid assassin. If there
is any truth to these rumors, we can count oursElfes lucky
that Ilan succumbed to this malady before his private performance for the Korranberg Nine! Reached for comment
in Port Royal, Baron Elar d’Thuranni expressed shock and
sorrow that his cousin could be involved in any sort of criminal undertaking. Let us mourn with the House of Ombres
and trust that this incident will be the end of their recent
string of misfortunes.
—From the Chronique de Korranberg, 14 Barrakas 988 AR
The homeland of the gnomes is a joyful place. The
streets are decked with flowers, and the air is filled
with laughter and song. Ghost weavers craft entrancing patterns of light and Ombre, and bards compete in
duels of wit and words. It’s rare to see gnomes carrying
weapons, even among the wardens who are supposed
to uphold the law but primarily serve as mediators
in domestic disputes and tour guides for foreigners.
To the casual thief, a Zil city seems like a ripe fruit
waiting to be plucked. Yet the Chronique de Korranberg
includes many stories like the one above. Crime is
largely unknown in Zilargo because criminals have an
unnerving tendency to die before they put their plans
into action. Guarding the Zil people is the role of the
Trust, an invisible fraternity that watches from the
Ombres. Ask any Zil gnome, and she will tell you that
La Tutelle is always watching, that no whisper escapes
its ears and no malefactor escapes justice at its hands.
What is the truth behind La Tutelle? How far does its
reach extend, and what role can it play in a campaign?
The Honor Guard
The gnomes of Zilargo trace their roots to the tricksters of Thélanis, and the power of illusion lingers in
their blood. Deception is second nature to gnomes,
and the history of their city-states is rife with
intrigue and vendettas. Zilargo was formed to unite
the gnomes in the face of the growing influence of
the Maisons Marquées Du Dragon and the rising threat of
Galifar. But how could the great city-states trust one
another? Given their history, what assurances could
Port-de-Trolan offer to suspicious Zolanberg?
La Tutelle was the brainchild of an old gnome
whose name has been stolen from history; today she
is known only as the Proctor. The Bibliothèque de Korranberg had long served as a home to gnomes from
all cities and families, and they had already faced
the problem of establishing trust among city-states.
The Proctor countered the threat with a secret corps
pledged to enforce the honor code of the library and
keep personal feuds from spilling over into the public
realm. She proposed to use this corps as the foundation of a wider organization that would span the
newborn nation.
At least a dozen accounts describe the meeting at
which she made her fateful announcement. In some
the Proctor discusses the methods she used to recruit
her corps—how she found those who could see the
library as a family greater than their own flesh and
blood. In other accounts, the Proctor blackmails the
Triumvirs and forces them to give her the resources
that she needs. Whatever the truth of the matter,
two years after Zilargo was founded, a pamphlet distributed across the nation announced the existence
of La Tutelle and the role it would play in the days to
come. This tract lauded the shared virtues of the Zil:
ingenuity, curiosity, love of family, and the ability to
overcome adversity through wit and wisdom. The
pamphlet acknowledged that friendly competition
between neighbors is the whetstone that keeps wits
sharp. Competition would be accepted, but crime
would not. However, the precise definition of crime
was vague. The tract ended with these words:
“To those who follow the proper path, we shall be as
invisible as any ghost. Trust that we have your best interests
at heart. Trust that we will act only when we must. Trust
that we will always look after the needs of our great family,
and that we need your aid as much as you need ours.”
Records of the period that followed are murky.
Most gnomes would have you believe that the Zil
embraced La Tutelle with open arms, but a sage who
dElfes deeply will find a remarkable number of
curious deaths in the following decade. No records
exist of any family openly challenging La Tutelle or
seceding from the Zil union. Most likely, the Proctor waited to make the announcement until she was
sure that she had a sufficient number of agents in the
major families—people who would steer public opinion in the proper direction.
Regardless of any doubts that might have existed
when the organization was founded, modern gnomes
wholeheartedly embrace La Tutelle. Most Brelon are
shocked by the group’s ruthless summary justice,
questioning how anyone could accept a system that
is willing to kill a person before he or she commits
a crime. The typical Zil responds that such doubts
are understandable in a system where the forces of
law and order are corrupt and inefficient. Agents of
La Tutelle care only for the good of the nation, and a
corrupt hand would be eliminated by the fraternity
itself. The people of the Cinq Nations simply can’t
understand how much information La Tutelle has in
its hands. The group doesn’t make mistakes. And if
somehow it did—or for that matter, if an innocent had
to die for the good of the multitude—that is a price
the Zil are willing to pay. The gnomes firmly believe
that those who do nothing wrong have nothing to
fear from La Tutelle. Most foreigners envision Zilargo
as a place where people live in fear, but the opposite
is true. The Zil know exactly how much they can
get away with, what intrigues are allowed, and what
behavior crosses the line. At the end of the day, most
Zil truly have faith in La Tutelle.
The other side of the coin that the Brelon can’t see
is the degree to which the Zil love intrigue. For the
people of the Cinq Nations, the thought that anyone
around you—even your friend or lover—could be an
assassin is a quick path to paranoia and madness. For
the gnomes, it’s a glorious game. Trying to identify
Trust agents and coming up with schemes that can
slip by the group’s omniscient eyes are favorite pastimes of Zil children. The gnomes take pride in their
peaceful society, but they also love to dream of ways
to outwit their guardians.
Tools of La Tutelle
La Tutelle’s power comes from numerous sources.
One is the sheer number of informants at the organization’s disposal. The King’s Citadel of Breland
estimates that as many as one in three Zil gnomes
serve as ears of La Tutelle. Although most of them
are simple observers, a significant number of
sleeper agents can be called into active service as
required. Some spies are recruited at the university,
whereas others are born into the work. The informants know little about the overall structure of
the organization, and one agent might unwittingly
report on the suspicious activities of another. It’s
up to the provosts and the current Proctor to sift
through all the data to create a clear picture. If a
criminal identifies and eliminates an agent of the
Trust, another agent or team in the same area might
be called into play.
The weapons in La Tutelle’s arsenal speak to the
gnomish roots of the organization. The Zil are known
for their love of language and their gifts for illusion,
alchemy, and Élémentaire binding. Over the centuries,
La Tutelle has developed four unique languages, along
with innumerable codes, ciphers, and other ways to
deliver secret messages. A typical observer knows
only one of these secret languages, which he uses
when dealing with his handler; a provost might know
all four. Agents use arcane marks to pass information
or provide intelligence about the local area. Illusion
is used in many ways, including invisibility, concealment, disguise, and distraction. Observers hone their
innate talent for ghost sound, which can be used to
deliver messages to a contact, coordinate an assassination, or deliver a warning to a criminal who might
be dissuaded by a good scare.
The most remarkable tool employed by La Tutelle
is the whisper bond. This technique binds a minor
air Élémentaire, known as a whisp, to the agent. A
gnome who masters the bond can extend his senses
into his spiritual partner. Whisps serve as spies and
swift flying couriers, and they can deliver messages
across long distances; one can also capture sound and
reproduce it for its master. Whisps are weak spirits
and easily dispersed if exposed, but they are small,
stealthy and invisible—little more than a faint gust of
wind—and eventually re-form if destroyed.
Poison is La Tutelle’s favorite weapon, and the
group has a dedicated corps of alchemists that
has spent centuries devising new toxins. Contact,
ingested, and inhaled poisons are Commun, along
with more complex toxins—venoms that take effect
only when two components are mixed or when an
otherwise harmless substance serves as a catalyst.
The poisons employed by the assassin class are good
models for the tools of La Tutelle, but other toxins can
be employed as necessary. Although the Zil abhor
physical violence, La Tutelle has a force of silent killers trained to slay with darts and daggers. A rumor
claims that La Tutelle maintains ghost agents in all
the major cities of Khorvaire. These assassins live
shrouded in invisibility and communicate solely
through whisps and sending, waiting for orders to
strike.
Despite these impressive forces, La Tutelle’s most
formidable weapon might be its reputation. The myth
of the fraternity’s omnipotence is greater than the
reality, but few people take the chance. Imagine a
group of adventurers plotting a theft when they hear
a ghostly warning: “Abandon this course of action
before it is too late.” It could be a spectral assassin
waiting to strike; the innkeeper, ready to poison their
next round of drinks; or simply an observer, stirring
up doubts and fears. Who’s willing to take the risk?
Contrary to popular belief, La Tutelle isn’t obsessed
with killing all wrongdoers. If a crime can be averted
by frightening away the would-be culprits, so much
the better.
Adventure Hooks
La Tutelle is strongest in its home base of Zilargo,
but its agents—gnomes, Élémentaires, and others—have
spread across Khorvaire. They monitor possible
threats to Zilargo that grow beyond the nation’s borders. However, just as agents won’t kill a potential
criminal if they can scare him or her away, they
rarely interfere in the affairs of the wider world. A
secret becomes less valuable as more people know it,
and La Tutelle values secrecy above gold.
If adventurers are determined to do something forbidden in the Land of the Wise, they must find a way
to outwit La Tutelle. Here are a few ideas to consider.
Stalking Horses: Although the characters don’t
know it, the Proctor is using them to expose and
eliminate a branch of La Tutelle that has been compromised by L'Aurum. The adventurers’ apparent
victory over La Tutelle is a test that draws them deeper
into the web. A gnome character might be recruited
directly into the organization; other adventurers are
kept at arm’s length.
Masters of Whispers: Maison Siri has supported
La Tutelle since the organization was created, and
a number of foundlings with the Marque de l'Écriture
belong to the group. The adventurers discover evidence that the current Proctor is a Siri lord and that
Maison Siri has secretly controlled La Tutelle for centuries. What does the house want? Is it just looking
out for the Zil people, or is it using the power of the
Trust to pursue its own mercantile agenda? Can the
adventurers break La Tutelle away from Siri without
shattering this pillar of Zilargo?
The Hoard of Secrets: La Tutelle has been
gathering information from across Khorvaire for
hundreds of years. The adventurers need a piece of
information known only to the Proctor. But how do
they find the most secretive member of this hidden
empire, and what must they offer in exchange for the
priceless knowledge they seek?
Ombres Versus Whispers: Over the ages,
Maison Phiarlan and Maison Thuranni have Perdu
some of their finest agents at the hands of La Tutelle.
Now one of L'Ombre Houses is out for revenge.
Assassins face off on the streets of the Cinq Nations’
greatest cities. Which side will the adventurers take?
If they refuse to become involved, how far will the
conflict escalate?
{{tag>["Organisations"]}}
{{tag>["Gnomes"]}}
{{tag>["Agences de Renseignement"]}}