Vampire count rules from behind the scenes

So if the shadow government was that secretive, does anyone really notice once it's removed?

But they're PCs so I'm guessing it was a frontal assault bloodbath rather than a careful assassination.

>>54953251
>COMPLETE BLOODBATH (hundreds are dead)
>Though most of her personal guards didn't even get to join the battle (due to a smart diversion on the rouge's side)
>in fact most of the city is only now noticing the flames

>Also, no one knew she was a vampire, but it was quite clear (and accepted ) that she is the power in the city.

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Players are in for it now, you've got three factions trying to take on this headless city and who's to say about foreign powers who might notice the imbalance and want to make some money off it. Plus the paladins have a stake in this now, having given the party an army to destroy and the investment paying off.

Bankers and nobles would turn up dead in their droves, as people tried to change who was in the most influential positions now the Countessa is gone. Someone might start hiring outside help to do that, get some interesting assassin guys into the mix


House Yakshri has the port? They can start imposing tariffs, no countessa to stop them, meaning there will also be an increase in smuggling and black markets to avoid said tariffs.

House Fumaar opens more brothels, dog fighting rings, slave markets, all that stuff - could start kidnapping blacksmiths to get a monopoly in the town, doesn't need to be obvious until a player goes looking for one

House Rajui sounds like they'd try to shore up control of the bank and the currency, make themselves the government by default - pretty much everyone else would be displeased with this idea.

>>54953434
Oh, with more immediate effect though - the three houses will meet on very shaky terms to try to keep the city running as much as possible. None of them want to lose what they've got, they'll all be trying to get more of course but they're not going to turn a prosperous city over to an overt warzone when they could fight for control much more quietly and profitably.

>>54952744
what were the other powers in the region's relationships with the city and the Countessa like?

The city would probably fall apart
into chaos until some charsimatic leader rose up

>>54953548
Fear
They fear the city.
She ran things like a vampire runs a flock, the other cities knew to bugger off.

If we're going with >>54953434 's view. i'd say they'll still be afraid as long as the great houses can keep the chaos to a minimum.

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>>54952744
>What happens to a city when it's leadership suddenly collapses?
Grab for power. Factions are formed and war amongst themselves until a top dog arises, unless there is already somebody with superior might in the city that wants to take the reigns.

You just need to think "what would happen in a city of ancaps?" And you will be fine