mizton
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intro
β§
no thoughts
to start...
You find yourself either guest of or belonging to the royal court of an inland nation in decline.
You've known life in this country to be comfortable, though modest. All signs lead to a steady decline in wealth, power, resources, & even people, though its descent's been slow. A nation in its last decade. The royal palace bustles with advisors & scholars in pursuit of solutions to solve the nation's retrograde. The sentiment isn't overtly optimistic, but that isn't to say all hope's been lost yet. There's talks of potential breakthroughs in all sorts of disciplines, be it battle or agriculture, but it seems that time is the biggest threat looming over the nation.
At a glance, the continent this small nation calls home is the battlefield of two country masses divided by a massive mountain range, cut only by river. Just earlier this year, whispers of the particularly ruthless force of the east crossed the mountains. It is said that in 3 years time, the eastern nation will be positioned to storm the river & reach the western powerhouse. Divided by this river is the country you find yourself in, a mere afterthought between warring nations.
The western neighbor's offered to unify, but it takes only a map (lmao) to understand why: the nation's eastern border, lined by strategic mountain range, would serve that western neighbor well when united. Or annexed. Those 3 years approach quickly & though peaceful offer's been made, a conclusion will be reached by that time should the country you find yourself in not reach their own decision.
More pressing is the task that western neighbor's been entrusted with. The empress of that western neighbor, proactive & scheming, has sent a delegation to disturb the nation's royal courtβthe one you find yourself in. The task is simple: pressure the court into signing the unification agreement by whatever means necessary; be it by draining resources, sabotaging academic progress, or by more domestic means.
The years ahead leading to war are sure to be interesting ones.
Now, to give names to these nations: the western nation is called Rhonne, the eastern Gnoa, & the tiny nation hugged by mountains, cut by river, is called Maritria.
There's two parties in this story: Rhonne's representatives & Maritria's royal court, with the vague threat of Gnoa's invasion looming over them both.
While this synopsis focuses on country matters & war, I want to make it clear that I just want there to be believable reason for the tension between these parties.
I'm just interested in a dramatic story about nobility &, more importantly, about your characters! I want to encourage strong, active characters with interests in winning the favors of others in order to work towards their goals. I want to see ambition to secure peaceful lives, poison plots, rises through nobility, & maybe even some tasteful court violence, as the title implies.
Additionally, I want you to consider whether or not your character would know of Maritria's imminent threat. It's common knowledge that the country is weak & life there is difficult, but matters relating to war & talks of unification would be known mostly by strategists. Is your character some kind of advisor or child of one? If they don't have a solid explanation, it's safe to assume that these following years are just business as usual. If they're particularly young, it's possible that some sort of party would be held soon to introduce them into high society. Things like that would be on their mind.
I want to emphasize that, though Maritria is weak, Rhonne's party is still in foreign land & that anyone of high esteem can call for a trial; any sudden offense to their court could very well be met with incarceration or death. The same goes the other way around. I hope this threat encourages subtlety!
(scroll on the music bar to pull the "TO START..." up to the top, if you haven't already!)
on a lighter note, thank you for making it this far! when i was thinking about a good plot to GM for, this seemed easy at first! my knowledge of nobility, at the time, was supplied almost solely by transmigration manhwas. as i got into planning, i realized how involved & character dependent it was, but it still really excited me. i've been studying royal courts for the sake of this story so i'll hopefully be able to offer crucial insight for players.
i love moments where the main character looks super smart for carrying out a clever plan that subverts expectations! when it comes to stories in general, though, i love exploring character interactions & what makes them tick; if these are things you like, i definitely encourage you to apply. any questions, feel free to leave a comment here or message in the Discord!
i hope this plot attracts minor history buffs, character dynamic enthusiasts, & drama/slice-of-life enjoyers! thank you for reading! β‘
roles
roles.
royal family
1/3
The weight of your country on your shoulders. The royal family is not held to a high regard by Maritria, yet the burden is on you to decide the best outcome for your nation.
Maritria's people tend to feel a mellow love for their nation; their royals aren't particularly popular, since the country is struggling. These traits might not be true for your character.
Are you the crown prince(ss)? Perhaps one of their siblings? Maybe you're a consort? The royal family could have an ailing ruler for a parent or maybe they've already passed & Maritria's ruled by a regent until the crown prince(ss) marries. Maybe there's plans to usurp the throne. Whatever the circumstance of the family is, do you shoulder the burden of your country or will you play puppet to its advisors? Are you want for this duty or does a peaceful life call to you?
These role slots are for anyone who want to be a part of the royal family, but aren't necessarily in positions to be rulers. For now. If you're extended family, please consider the reason why you'd regularly find yourself within the royal court. Are you particularly liked by the immediate royal family? Are you involved in politics? Additionally, it's possible that members of the royal family have other titles, like duke or knight; things like that.
Moreover, how do you feel that your political enemies have forced their way into your home?
Extra information: If you're interested in taking Maritria's crown prince(ss) role, understand that there's only one crown prince(ss).
Alternatively, if you're reading this role & thinking, "I'd like to be in Rhonne's royal family," also let me know! That character would be part of the "Delegates" role. The implication of the empress sending a family member over to carry out this duty means that you'd likely be the head of the Rhonne delegation; it can definitely be seen as a bit aggressive on Rhonne's part. Or maybe you just ran off from your empress' watchful eye; who knows. Just give me a heads up, whatever you decide.
For now, please refrain from claiming roles like king or queen, unless you have a really interesting idea for a king/queen character! I'm more interested in the stories of a royal court's pawns, more so than one about rulers.
Maritria Nobles
0/3
Though most in the court live within the palace, some don't! The palace entertains countless visitors who come to do business. This role encompasses peerages. The following are the ranks in descending order:
Duke / Duchess
Marquess / Marchioness
Count / Countess
Viscount / Viscountess
Baron / Baroness
Delegates
1/4
The primary members of Rhonne's delegation. These are people well-versed in public relations & handling delicate situations, personally hand-picked by the Empress herself. Their walks of life themselves can range widely from officially assigned diplomats to simply being notable nobles of Rhonne with prowess in navigating high society. Their talent with social situations means they know precisely when to push & pull in order to sway opinions in their favor. They're manipulative in the ways most relevant to the Empress & they're here to stir the pot.
Rhonne's representatives can be characterized by a fervent devotion to their empress who, for the purposes of the story, should stay a vague idea but have loyal followers. Some see her as a gentle ruler & others a ruthless monarch; many see her as both.
For periphery members of the delegation, like valets or ladies-in-waiting, see following roles! This role is for the assigned ambassadors of Rhonne's delegation.
Attendants
0/4
For both parties: Rhonne & Maritria.
This encompasses courtiers, ladies-in-waiting/valets, squires, & other auxiliary roles. These are people who are rather close to the royal family by purpose of being their most confided assistants. These are usually the young children of nobles who were selected by a family of higher standing to serve a particular person or the general house; it's an honor, for the most part, to move up from your own rank. Parents of these children often apply pressure to accept the offer & find themselves opportunities in high society.
It wasn't unheard of for people in this position to manipulate their charge for their own political gain. On the other hand, these assistants may be used by said charge to carry out their bidding.
honorary members
0/2
The miscellany! Royal astronomers, artists, poets, jesters, musicians, scholars, etc. As a result of honorary position, it's often that they're exempt from societal norms, within reason. They may have their own attendants, assigned to them by the court. The scholars running about the academic wing of the palace, searching for solutions to solve the country's issues would fall here, particularly.
They can come from all walks of life, but would be now referred to by their royal court title.
Servants
0/2
You've found yourself employed at palace, serving the court as they see necessary. This role can extend to maids, manservants, butlers, chefs, etc. All who serve the court but are without noble birth & instead earn a pay. It's very possible they have homes outside of the palace that they send money back to. Nobles often don't regard these servants, putting them in excellent positions for reconnaissance & underhanded tactics. However, if caught, the repercussions for them are severe; trial is often neglected & they're hastily sentenced to imprisonment or death.
rules
rules.
STORY.
The story will heavily focus on politics, subversion, & general pettiness. Please refrain from bringing in adventure or power fantasy characters, as I want this to be mainly drama & slice-of-life. Drama in the sense that there's an overarching plot & slice-of-life because I do enjoy writing with a focus on the daily lives of characters.
Thank you for understanding! Similarly, since subversion & sneaking is encouraged, please keep record of what knowledge your character has; I am not a fan of metagaming. If it's uncharacteristic for your character to be in a given scene, please don't go out of your way to be in the action. I will try to keep everyone involved, but similarly please create a character that will be well-positioned in the story.
CONDUCT.
All RPN rules apply! Please be friendly OOC. Bigotry not tolerated. No NSFW. Please post meaningfully once a week. Please let me know of hiatuses & how you'd like your character to act in the meantime.
Communication will be through Discord; please be active on that platform! The RP will start March 17th.
You're free to join the Discord & chat in the meantime, but accepted applicants will be given an Approved role & shepherded into a private discussion channel.
APPLICATION.
Please only apply if you're older than 18.
On the one hand, I understand applications aren't fun to write out & then not get accepted for. On the other, I want to make sure your character will work for the story. As a result, the application you submit will be a rough draft. Bullet points, rough ideas, & brevity are all encouraged for me to get an overview of your character. Additionally, please submit a sample of your writing!
Once accepted, you will have an opportunity to complete your character sheet & give them a cute little code to post in the CS thread. Submit applications in the Interest Check by March 10th; I'll review them as they're received, so feel free to apply early!
No real faces, please. Anime/manhwa encouraged!
You're free to use your own codes, but my favorite are these: here & here. As for the basic information I need, please provide:
Name
Age
Title/Position
Personality
History
Interests (Like/Dislike)
Fears
Character theme (Justice, Immaturity, Motherhood, etc)
Application specific: please also provide any points of intrigue or DM it to me if you'd like to keep things private! Let me know any plans for character development!
intro
roles
rules
crown & casualties
palace
portraits
β‘coded by uxieβ‘
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