Thread:Talk:Paetani/Paetanian Guard/reply (5)

I actually like the road patrol idea a lot, but I misread your post and assumed you were describing the early history of Paetani's mercenaries before they took Ruallin. You're right, I'm not sure that kind of reverse-protection-scam works as a way to fund a city. As a way to fund a mercenary force and grow it to the point where it could take/sack a city though, that could work.

As an origin story as to why the mercenary force grew so wealthy and powerful, the only reason the road patrol scheme doesn't make sense is if Ruallin/Paetani was the only city paying the mercs to do it. It makes more sense if all the cities in the vicinity were paying the mercs to patrol (which I think is what you were talking about), but if so, why just take Paetani? Was it just because it was an easy target? (That could work...but why was it an easy target? Productive questions!)

Speaking of external enemies with regards to the Paetanian Guards' origin story: if Ruallin/Paetani is close to the elven city, it makes sense for the Paetanian Guard to amp up fear of the elves to guarantee themselves regular payment. At some point it could have become like the Weimar Republic in the late 30s - please, take leadership to protect us from our fearsome foes! or any other city with a military coup.

I think the progression as you posited it is: strong mercenary force --> military coup/sacking the city --> despotic leadership. (Let me know if I inferred wrongly.) Each stage has a question that needs to be answered - how did the mercenaries get so strong? How did they achieve a coup? Why and how does Paetani's despotism continue?