The Throneless Kingdom
General Premise
Welcome to The Throneless Kingdom! This is an RP set in England during a medieval period which has deviated from our historical timeline. We follow the story of a fictional noble family with lands in the English Midlands and their struggle to survive, and perhaps prosper, in the middle of chaos. Players will control the head of the family's immediate advisors - the Captain of the household troops, the spymaster, the local Bishop, the Chancellor (and any other credible suggestions). I will (sometimes privately) feed information at times to those inhabiting these roles and leave you all to decide what you will do this information and how your characters will act to further their own interests alongside the family's.
The twist? The world is not as history remembers it - after William the Conqueror died the throne did not pass to William Rufus and no true King of England has succeeded him. In our story the first Norman King had no heirs and planned no succession resulting in a power struggle for the throne.
I am not expecting everyone to have intense historical knowledge of this period - the benefit of an Alternate History is that a deal of flexibility is allowable. I would ask that anyone expressing interest have (or research) a general knowledge of medieval culture, technology and maybe just check out a map of England to see where's where. I can provide any information to fill in gaps but I'd rather avoid situations where conflicts arise from a post which is wildly inaccurate for the period.
Once there's enough interest I'll type up the specific details I have down which will add some more meat to the framework above.
The 'History'
Seventy years on from the Conqueror's death, England is still in a state of disarray. Several powerful Dukes and even some lesser Lords claim the title of King of England for themselves, none recognised by the others and constantly attempting to established the legitimacy of their claim. Others have abandoned the idea of a united England and have taken up the ancient Kingdoms that made up England, Dukes in the North of England claiming the ancient Kingdom of Northumbria and the newly formed Kingdom of Lancaster as their own. They keep to themselves, mostly, but keep a wary eye on the struggles further South; they look for an opportunity to expand their lands or even take up the more desirable title of King of England.
Alongside this the Saxons rebel against their Norman Conquerors often, chafing under the cruel reign of the Lords who cannot and will not protect them from the raids of their rivals. Although several generations have passed few have forgotten that it was not long since a Saxon King sat on the throne and fugitive descendants of Saxon Earls still hide amongst the peasantry and foment rebellion.
Across the border in Wales, the Britons who consider themselves the original residents of the British Isles raid into the English border counties. They are unorganised with no leader and their own internal conflicts but such an opportunity to retake their lands from the Saxons and the Normans will not be ignored for much longer.
Further North the Scots also raid into the border counties but they still struggle against the Viking descendants who inhabit the far reaches of their ancient Kingdom and do not have the ability to organise any significant invasion into England as of yet.
The Detail
As briefly mentioned above, the plot of this RP will focus on one noble family and their struggles to survive/prosper.
The specifics of this matter are that the current family head, Guillaume d'Avranches married one of the surviving children of Harold Godwinson, the King of England killed at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Gunhild Haroldson (or Gunhild of Wessex) was only eleven at the time of her father's death but her betrothal was quickly arranged to Guillaume to prevent a Saxon Lord gaining any ties to the throne. As a result, Guillaume's only offspring, a daughter by the name of Eleanor, has a very tenuous claim to the English throne.
The family do not have enough power or allies to press this claim but the existence of it has made them a potential threat, or tool, for others and they must step very carefully just to retain their current position. Guillaume holds the title of Earl of Gloucester and his household retinue consists of ninety men, courtesy of the relative affluence of the city of Gloucester. He can, of course, raise troops locally but they will merely be peasants wielding weapons they have little to no training to use.
Players will control characters in specific roles. Those below are just some examples and I am more than happy to entertain any suggestions, these are just to give an idea:
- Captain of the Household troops - Guillaume's lead retainer who is both his military advisor and responsible for security of the family and their modest castle (which is still under construction)
- Steward - manages diplomatic niceties. The steward will be the administrator who ensures that guests are suitable entertained and that any festivities go off without a hitch. They will also be aware of the Castle's general needs and requirements. In this scenario the role of steward will also include advising on diplomacy and keeping up to date with events in the country and feed the required information to the Lord when necessary.
- Spymaster - self explanatory. While the steward will have access to information widely known as well as some high-level gossip, the spymaster will often be in the field personally to find out the enemy's dirty secrets. They'll have a better idea of how things are on the ground, amongst the serfs and in times of war may be required to enact some subterfuge, such as destroying enemy supply lines.
- Bishop - although unable to draw blood, bishops during these tumultuous times were often war leaders in their own right. The Bishop of Durham was famed for riding into combat with a mace against Scottish invaders many times. Aside from this they were of course influential amongst the priesthood who ministered to the local populace and could spread, or stop, certain ideas or news. They were also well connected and could be a useful source of information for a Lord whom they were willing to advise.
