Actually, I've stated that all the complaints that have been brought to the CC regarding the Red Vardo, have and are being listened to, and Fallen as Head DM, has also stated that the Head DM Team is also sharing ideas regarding the role of the Red Vardo in this setting.
Nobody knows what the outcome will be, but so long as folks can keep a cool head, without demanding we squeeze orange juice from an apple, the outcome will be productive and a benefit.
The task is to weed out the misconceptions from the valid concerns when we study formal complaints. One player might bring to us some very well thought out criticism that makes sense, that we can learn from, and then provide suggestions for improvement to the dm team, while another might be on an emotional rampage, prattling off about the failure of the admistration, and really taking things to an unhealthy level, where it almost seems the only thing that will please them is a "Yes, you are absolutely correct, and this place is awful, and please....become our leader and lead us from the darkness into the light!."
One question that I almost always ask, whether I am on the dm ship with a player and dm trying to resolve a problem, or in the forum, is ask the person upset this question: What would you like to see as the outcome here? Ideally, in the best of all worlds, what do you think is a fair resolution?
We also might have a player or more who just doesn't appreciate what PoTm is striving for, and when they don't get the reaction they want from the community, or dms, or the Council, they then suffer from conspiracy theories, or they place themsevles into the role of victum.
Red Vardo are not untouchable. However, they have resoruces and power. The Dwellers had been given a reason to wipe some of the Red Vardo out, but instead, other alternatives took shape, and the Red Vardo managed to buy their lives in time.
You see, with every power, there is a flip side. The Red Vardo depend upon being accessible. They own property that can burn down. They also can't go into hiding for long if they fear for their lives, since then they won't be able to sell their goods. So the Red Vardo, may have learned from experience, that using their heads instead of violence will be more profitable in most conflicts, because there will be a backlash.
The Dwellers' power isn't in money, so much as the fact they have nothing to lose. I mean...they live in the freaking sewers, in a place called the Drain. The fact they not much to lose, means that if anyone becomes their enemy, watch out.
The undead....well...the dynamic between the living and the undead takes shape. Having the undead factions, with some rather powerful characters among them, gives all the other factions a good reason to put their difference aside and work together towards protecting Vallaki.
If you look at the Red Vardo, Ml Cult, Guards, Church of Ezra, they do have an invested interest in seeing Vallaki protected and prosperous. A faction like the rebels can make things very interesting ethically for good aligned factions or characters. They are after all fighting for the liberation of thier people, against a tyrant, who is believed to be an undead witch.
Red Vardo can provide help to the guard in trying to blow the cover of any Gundaraktie Rebels. The Gundarakite Rebels can find some help secretly among the Cult of the Morninglord. And the play goes on and on.
So the factions ought to keep one another in some sort of balance or check. When one faction becomes too brutal, another steps in. If the Guard Faction becomes too dominating, despite the law on their side, they too will have a back lash. I think we've seen that just recently. The Barovians have the internal conflict of having to rely on some outlanders that they would rather not, in order to succeed in protecting Vallaki.
These are the things I appreciate about PoTm, and has made my summer vacation worth my while.