I'm doing a campiagn, and one part of the campaign is when the characters come to a city thats been conquered by the Baatezu. The baatezu are attempting to turn the residents of the city to their own philosophy of lawful evil. How would they go about doing that? Controlling the populace? Propaganda? Controlling the news media?
Baatezu Ruled City?
Thu, 2011-12-15 12:10
#1
Baatezu Ruled City?
Sun, 2012-01-22 12:01
#3
Re: Baatezu Ruled City?
Assuming it isn't too late now, I've always planned on taking a lot of inspiration from how NK goes about things if this situation ever came up, although that would be more applicable for one that's maintained baatezu rule for a while. Still, it could be a good real-life source to draw inspiration from. The VICE Guide gives a lot of insight to things there, I'd suggest checking it out. (I'd suggest checking it out either way, actually; it's a really great documentary.)
http://www.vice.com/the-vice-guide-to-travel/vice-guide-to-north-korea-1...
Well there are a number of real-world and fictional examples (e.g. Orwell's "1984") from which to get inspiration for a totalitarian state (which I feel should be the central principle in a baatezu-run location).
I guess I would also add an extra element where whatever program that was keeping the populace in line was also corrupting them. It's one thing to have all the people living in fear but I would imagine that the baatezu would also institute programs where one could gain minor privledges (or removal of some punishments) if the mortal (or non-baatezu, at least) was willing to strike down and subjugate his peers.
Propaganda is a good starting point. Convincing the people that it is for the good of the state (and the ambitious individual) to enact laws that brutally restrict freedoms and administer "corrective" punishments.
Keeping the people horribly afraid of some inflated external evil (real or imagined) will help convince those who are becoming totalitarians that the evils they are committing are necessary and gives them a reason to suppress any who oppose them (as opposed to opening a healthy debate)
Another useful tool is the myth of being a "superior people" or a "noble cause". Any time one can create a mental division between "us" and "them", it tends to dehumanize the others (i.e. "them") and allows one to contemplate for more evil act than one would typically feel comfortable commiting against a peer.