This entry of Tuesdays at Quark’s features the joH of a Klingon Great House. If you’re not clear on what that involves, check out the Klingon cultural guide that I wrote up here. In any case, the House of Malar is my own invention which means it’s open for you to make up whatever connections you want for it. Of course, it has some unique interests that can bring it into your campaign in a big way.
Qurek is a Klingon with an axe to grind against the Federation and he has the resources to grind a pretty big axe. His house isn’t satisfied with the rule of Chancellor Gowron but they have neither the malice nor the underhanded tactics of the House of Duras. Conceivably, Qurek could be an ally against a nastier or less reasonable enemy but he’ll be looking the whole time to plant a dagger in the backs of the Starfleet officers. In this way he’s a bit of a throwback: the Klingons of the original series were belligerent and unwaveringly hostile, but by the time of the Next Generation they were violent but honorable and usually willing to talk. The joH of the House of Malar is not willing to talk. He’s willing to concentrate on a new enemy for a time but he plans to make the Federation pay and he makes no effort to hide that.
There are plenty of plot hooks in the description below but here are a few to get you started…
- A representative of the Klingon Empire meets with the PCs to discuss the possibility of an alliance against the Dominion. The meeting is disrupted, though, when Qurek arrives unannounced and cites a tradition of single combat against the Starfleet captain to prove their worth before the negotiations can start.
- On a mission that skirts Klingon space, the PCs are met by a patrol ship that demands they explain their business in the sector. Normally these encounters result in some posturing but this patrol ship is captained by General Qurek who says the Federation vessel must be boarded and searched. If they refuse, the additional battle cruisers decloaking behind Qurek’s ship will force the matter.
- With the rising Dominion threat, Chancellor Gowron’s resistance to an alliance is something Starfleet very much wants to change. Qurek is a potential ally to force Gowron from power but he is clear that the target after that is the Federation. Can the PCs really trust him not to leave a nasty surprise on their ship while he’s “helping?”
Click on the image below for the PDF.
