The Service Lottery (a new distinction for the Witherwild campaign frame) (Patreon)

Some folks in a Discord I'm in were discussing the Witherwild campaign frame and how it's great for deep RP due to the way it was set up by Carlos Cisco, Rowan Hall, and Spenser Starke (the creators of the frame) where both the people of Haven and the people of Fanewick have a range of very relatable motivations.

And then my Science Fiction Writer Brain kicked in with a way to expand on this and add a terrifying detail/manifestation of this tension. This is an unofficial idea for a (heartbreaking) element to add to your Witherwild campaign. I think it's a very reasonable extrapolation/interpolation of what's established in the frame, but it's pretty rough in terms of how it characterizes the Haven leadership/the kinds of action it can provoke from characters within the setting.

To be clear, this is not canon, it's not an official addition to the campaign frame, it's just an idea you can add to your campaign if you want.

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For centuries, Haven has been a nation where service to the country brings renown, where patriotism is valued and incentivized.

So when the Serpent's Sickness emerged, then people of Haven were traumatized by the fear of seeing their loved ones die a slow and painful and then fast and frightening death. And when the cure was discovered and the leadership decided to invade Fanewick in order to mass-produce Lady's Veil flowers, an idea emerged to properly "motivate" the populace and overcome potential resistance to the actions deemed "necessary" for national security.

This became known as "The Service Lottery".

A certain portion of the cures created by Haven (aka most of them) are reserved for the elite (naturally), whose generational service to Haven is unquestionable. But a portion are assigned to a public lottery. Citizens can earn lots through "extraordinary acts of service to Haven". Things like service in the military, turning in spies/moles, harvesting a red Lady's Veil, forcing concessions from Wicklings, etc.

Some of the ways to qualify for lots are specific and consistent, but certain military and civilian officers of Haven are able to award special lots by personal discretion for actions not already covered by the existing lost of qualifying actions.

Using The Service Lottery

This cruel system not only incentivizes extreme action in service of Haven, it pits citizens against one another to excel and seek fame and curry favor in order to gain recognition for their actions and the lots that come with it.

If your game has Havenite PCs, this could give you additional levers/leverage to apply on those PCs in pushing them toward major decision points.

And if you don't, this lottery creates extreme circumstances/motivation for Havenite NPCs to take extraordinary action out of desperation to win the lottery so that a loved one could be cured.

TL; DR compulsory fascism via competitive social credit and medical lottery.

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