So... A little snag in my Exalted game, and I need some suggestions.

The PC's are all established in Nexus, and are a mixed bag of Solars (mainly) with an alchemical and an abyssal rounding out the mix.

The alchemical has decided he's going to start a drug trade in the city. Obviously, there already -is- a drug trade, and they don't like being muscled in on. The problem is, beyond the fact that a circle of Exalts could simply murder every drug dealer in the city if they were riled at them, is that the circle also has a seat on the city council, and deep ties to the underworld.

So, assuming you're a crime lord in Nexus, and you know you can't go directly at these guys, but you want at the very least a -cut- of the take, how do you go about it?

(I'm already mulling the idea of involving a cult of worshippers of the deities of pleasure in on this, but it's just a thought- I don't have any specific ideas of how to make this interesting. Also, the PC's will be traveling to Lookshy for a few weeks, but neither they nor the underworld know this yet.)

To start a drug trade on any significant scale will require other people, so the existing guys worm their way into this group that the new guy is using and become the middlemen, which by their nature get a cut.

If the player doesn't have a group of flunkies and tries to do everything him/herself, then they can't produce and sell enough to have a major impact on the existing drug lords.

In reply to CrazyIvan777 (msg # 1):

Lookshy mercenaries? Bribe another Exalt to help out? If any of the Solars have high compassion, social combat to turn the Solar against the Alchemical since the drug trade hurts people? If you mean the legitimate Underworld, then make a dea with the Mask of Winters to reign in the Abyssal (or, if they're a rogue, call in an Abyssal kill team)? Use political muscle to overrule their votes on the council?

If the PCs leave for Lookshy, perhaps try to cause political incidents that will result in many pains while violently dismantling their organization during that week?

In reply to CrazyIvan777 (msg # 1):

I don't know anything about the game system, but it sounds like the characters are entrenched in politics.  If that's the case I'd go with blackmail.  Have agents of the Crime Lord dig up dirt on the council member and lean on him for leverage.

It won't be hard considering that anyone trying to start a drug trade is dirty (guilty by association).
This message was last edited by the user at 18:58, Thu 02 Oct 2014.

call in the wyld hunt is always a good way to break up solar political power, or at least threaten it.  attacking their loved ones is a quick way to make them second guess their actions.  Or creating a real or perceived threat outside of the city that forces them to leave to go handle it, then the criminals step in and try to subvert or kill their lower level operatives.

the rival drug lords could also find a way to make themselves invaluable to the alchemical, and then use that value to force themselves into the business.  Not necessarily muscling him out, but taking a chunk of his pie for themselves.

I'd say, honestly: The drug lord loses, and should be happy to get what he can from these demigods, or at least escape with his life and freedom. Calling in the Wyld Hunt might work of this circle isn't too powerful, but the fallout from that conflict will be terriffic, which might serve to get them forcibly removed from Nexus and thus accomplish the dealers goal indirectly.

If you're a competent drug lord, you already are giving a portion of your take to the existing lords of the city, in return for favors. So you point out to your old and reliable friends that the upstarts in the council are going to be cutting into your profits, and therefore you won't be able to help them out with their civic projects as much as before.

Of course, fighting in the streets - and killing dealers and the like - would be highly counterproductive, for all parties. At least, that's a reasonable assumption to make once the invaders have demonstrated that they are Exalts, and therefore cannot be easily removed. Ideally, this demonstration should be made on someone you don't like. A rival drug lord, perhaps?

There is already plenty of product in town, so there isn't much of a market for ay extra. You can explain this (with charts, and via disposable minions) to the newcomers, ad offer them a share of the existing network instead. All they need to do is protect it from outsiders, convincingly demonstrate that people should pay on time, and so forth. Even if they have better products than what you're currently offering, you have a better network so it's really in the Exalt's interest to work with you in order to make more money sooner.

The problem with a violent approach is that the Exalts appear to be better entrenched than you are, so you're liable to have fewer troops since the local guards might side with them. Therefore, you really don't want to go looking for a fight, except on your terms.

Have a decoy boss antagonize them, get wiped out, and surrender, offering your (better established) network in recompense. It means less profit, but you're still alive to rake in the cash.

Inviting the Wyld Hunt is an option, and even if thy don't turn up, they'll likely give you useful pointers on how to do things.

Use poison and other ditry tricks, and keep the Exalts jumpy - the less they can rest, the more drained they'll be when you send minor probing attacks. The goal is to tire them out, keep them constantly on their toes, so they run out of juice. An exhausted Exalt dies as easily as anyone else (well, almost).

Most of this is based on the premise that you're not going to try opposing the Exalt directly (you're in this for the money, after all - injured pride doesn't pay wen facing a force of nature). If it turns out that the Exalt poses an existential threat (i.e. they're out to kill you no matter what), it's time to resort to extreme measures.

If you can't manage to get the Wyld Hunt to turn up, use your Guild contacts and grease the palms of a few priests to bring in other supernatural threats. Mostly, you're doing this so you can have a breathing space with which to grab the money and run, but a few divine curses, or a Raksha hunter looking for a challenge, have a decent chance of distracting - or even removing - budding Exalts.

Binge watch Breaking Bad and I'm sure you'll have some ideas on how an established cartel can minimize the impact of a new group...

In reply to meschlum (msg # 7):

It sounds like these exalts need to meet a Joker or Lex Luthor equivalent...