Was just laughing about the fact that this is a large enough group to do my full tabletop game plot. But a family of polyamorous treasure hunters excavating the countryside while navigating a magical storm and the drama of strained love and grief >.<
Perhaps one of my favorite and underused literature genres is that of Romantic Fantasy. A genre that puts less focus on clashing swords and world saving quests (though these things can be included) and more on emotional connections, politics, and a search for identity. It's in that vein that I am proposing an RP set in one of my favorite RPG universes, that of Blue Rose.
Having said that, I have been kicking around ideas for two plots for some time. The first is a city intrigue plot, the next is a city exploration plot. Comments and ideas on which would be preferred are welcome.
Either way, players are ordinary folk within the City of the Rose. Craftspeople, shapers (wizards), Spirit Dancers (priest monks), students, artists, healers, merchants, retired soldiers, courtesans (keep it PG-13, yo), or simply scoundrels and rogues.
You've been approached by a human Noblewoman, Nellia Aramys to provide security at the wedding of his daughter. Alene Aramys and her soon-to-be-wife Gele Monzata. Tensions are running high between Nellia and Gele's extended family back in Jarzon ever since the two became engaged, and there is a chance that the family may have smuggled an Inquisitor into Aldis to capture Gele and bring her back to Jarzon.
What begins as a well-meaning job opportunity to earn a few more coins quickly becomes a whirlpool of a conspiracy, drawing you ever deeper into a dastardly plot that may threaten the Kingdom of the Rose- and potentially the entire world.
Work for the Matchmaker's Guild is boring, but occasionally you can get assignments that pay exceptionally well. Suna Marjan, the Guild's Head, has requested help to put on a wedding for a new Hearth (Polyamorous) Marriage being consummated in a countryside villa outside of Aldis. Entertainment, food, security, babysitting, they need it all. And the family has paid in advance.
But when you arrive, something is definitely wrong. The villa looks prepared for a grand festival with tents and feast tables and gifts stacked high. But the two-hundred guests, the brides, the grooms, their children? They are nowhere to be seen.
Only a single small message etched on the rear of the household. Written in the shaky letters of a child's hand.
"Silence saves."
~~ The Collapse and the Great Rebellion ~~
Once the seat of an ancient Magitek Republic, Aldis was the eye of a metaphorical hurricane after the Republic collapsed into despotism and civil war. As the nation tore itself apart following the despotic Sorcerer Kings, none of them dared march on the city- as it was seen as the ultimate prize in their bloody struggles. When their living soldiers had died, the Kings raised their soldiers as undead to fight. And when the undead ground their bones to dust and powder, they began summoning armies of Shadowfiends and Darkspawn to fight for them. When these demons turned on their masters, the scattered rebels that continued to resist these despots launched a coordinated, desperate attack against the remaining Sorcerers.
The despots fell and the land was left in ruins. But Aldis remained untouched. Rather than give rise to new despots over the ashes, the Rebels resolved to build something new- something better. The Old Bureaucrats still functioned in the city and were able to establish a citizen's council, but none could agree which general was most fit to lead them. The Rebels enacted a magical ritual to bind their nation together and find a true ruler. A magical being, the Golden Hart, chose their first Queen and manifests upon the death of the Monarch to choose another. The Hart gives no reasoning behind its choice, but in all but one case, it has never lead to disaster for the Kingdom.
Even as the nation of Aldis rebuilds centuries after the Great Rebellion, the city remains a beacon of hope and freedom for her people. But not without its troubles.
~~ The Kingdom of the Rose ~~
The Kingdom of the Rose can call upon many servants for aid. First are the Sovereign's Finest, also called Nobles- agents of the crown, they are judges, social workers, investigators and commanders. To become a Noble means one must hold the Scepter of the Blue Rose. A Magical Artifact forged by the Rhydan, it detects corruption within any soul. If it does not shine while grasped by the applicant, they may not become a Noble.
Next are the Rose Knights. These are bonded warriors, fighting in trios to defend the realm. They are the most elite warriors, held together in combat by bonds of love or loyalty. Their companions are the Knights of Silence. Who better to battle a Siren than a deaf warrior? Who better to detect the skittering vibrations of monstrous spider legs than the blind?
Today, Aldis is under threat from many sides. Its current Queen, Jaellin, has reigned for nearly twenty years. While she was initially a timid, bookish ruler, she has successfully steered the land through some of its darkest days. An army of the last Sorcerer King, styling himself the Lich King, nearly conquered them a decade ago- but Jaellin lead her elite Rose Knights in a daring attack on the Lich King himself, using dark magic to open a portal into his throne room. This shocked and appalled many in the kingdom. Magic and its study is welcome within Aldis, but using dark magic that warps the fabric of reality is considered a gravely taboo act. Jaellin's gambit could have easily backfired, opening a portal for a swarm of Darkfiends to sack Aldis from within the Royal Palace.
Aldis' Jarzoni allies, usually prickly on the subject of their neighbors acceptance of magic on the best of days, threatened to declare a holy war and have redoubled their covert actions against Aldis. The Council of Nobles did not sanction the Queen, but factions have arisen in direct opposition to her will. The Lar'tyans have tempted her with offers of alliance if only she will use her power to put the stubborn and ignorant men of her lands in their proper place. And the Silence, the wicked criminal cartel, has stepped in to fill the void left by the Queen and the Sovereign's Finest in provinces too far away or too damaged to be of immediate help.
Humans - Aldins are the original inhabitants of the hills and valleys of Aldea. They are people who are easily identified by a hunger for lost knowledge, an open invitation to enter the Kingdom (not always altruisticly; there are as many dead and deserted cities in Aldea as there are populated ones), and an obsession with love and matchmaking. If a neighbor is unpaired and has not declared themselves Asexual, then it's often a mad dash in the community to find and pair them up with a partner of suitable gender.
- Roamers (Roma) are the descendants of the fallen nation of Faenaria. Their ancestors had the foresight to flee when their Queen descended into darkness and madness. Today, dozens of caravans, mobile villages, traverse all of Aldis, keeping their nation and culture alive. Roamers are some of the most powerful Psychic Arcana wielders in the land, and they are a vital part of the land's communication network.
- Kernish (Viking) are the subjects of the final sorcerer King to fall- only freed in the past ten years. While a puppet council of wicked rulers controls their homeland, those who came to Aldis are some of its fiercest warriors, fighting to protect their homeland and free their brothers and sisters from magical bondage.
- Jarzoni (Middle Eastern) are a reflection of Aldis if they had gone a different path. While Aldis was protected in its infancy by rugged mountains, Jarzon was open to constant attack from the Shadow Barrens. To this day, they are a people in arms. Magic is banned and its practitioners must become priests (and women may never be priests) or face the torch. For it was magic that brought the Sorcerer Kings their power, and it must never be employed again for fear of another fall. Only heterosexual love is legal and encouraged, with homosexuals and asexuals thrown in jail until they "repent" and begin producing children for the survival of Jarzon's people. The war in the Shadow Barrens (the Roma people's former homeland of Faenaria) to their south is eternal and consumes precious lives daily. Those who flee to Aldis are often branded as heretics and hunted by Inquisitors masquerading as other refugees.
- Lar'tya (Polynesians) are a matriarchy with an enormous trade network across the great sea. Since the death of the prior king and the rise of Queen Jaellin, their emissaries have tried to spread their gendered caste system to the mainland with little success. Many males and sympathetic females have settled in Aldis as sailors and crafters.
Night People (Orcs) were created by the Sorcerer Kings to supplement their armies. They attempted to create a brutish, violent, subservient race of natural warriors to fight in their battles against one another. They failed. Night People may be more muscular than the average human, but their consciences are just as intact. When the opportunity came to grasp their freedom, they joined the Great Rebellion. Today they serve with distinction in Aldis' army, but also do work as manual laborers, sailors, and hunters.
Vata'an (Half-Elf) are the descendants of the mythical Vata race. The Vata were never numerous, and when they tried to save the Republic from collapse they were destroyed by the Sorcerer Kings in a genocide. Only these, the offspring of Vata and Humans, remain. A Vata'an is humanoid in appearance but has pale, alabaster skin and silver hair. They seem naturally inclined toward elemental Shaping and their long lifespan means they are welcome in the bureaucracy of the Kingdom as well as in mercantile or diplomatic ventures.
Vata'sha (Dark Elf) were, much like the Night People, the product of an experiment by Sorcerer Kings. When the Vata were exterminated, one of the Kings forced childbearing Vata'an to undergo experiments on their young within the womb. What began as an attempt to make subservient Shaper caste turned into yet another weapon used against them in the Great Rebellion. The black-skinned, red-eyed Vata'sha are easily distinguished in a crowd. Many live in catacombs beneath the city, carving whole neighborhoods with the help of Earth-shapers and manual labor from humans and Night People. When a mysterious artifact of the Old Republic is found long buried, usually the Vata'sha are the first to find it.
Sea-Folk (Merfolk) are a mysterious people hailing from the oceans. Androgynous in appearance with blue or green skin, two legs, and arms with fins, they require double the water of land-dwellers to survive but can survive underwater for upwards of ten minutes without surfacing for air. They are natural sailors and dockworkers. Many live in the city's Lake Ward, piloting gondolas around semi-submerged homes.
Rhydan (Psychic Animals) are unique to Aldis. Cats, wolves, deer, bears, dolphins, badgers, oxen, birds and beasts alike. Any type of animal may awaken as a Rhydan. They communicate via Psychic mindlink and are identified by a gilded circlet around the neck. It was the Rhydan that lead the Great Rebellion. It was the Rhydan that enacted the ritual which created the Golden Hart. If not for the Rhydan, Aldis would be a desolate wasteland of demons and monsters. Rhydan are often powerful Shapers and it is not uncommon to see a Rhydan Shaper with a human familiar- this does not imply any sort of slavery, but the two are often partners in a mutually beneficial relationship. - Unicorns are the most powerful Shapers among the Rhydan. They are reclusive creatures, only appearing during momentous or calamitous situations. Unicorns are unable to be played in this game, but their existence may or may not be important later. - Gryphons are the more martial counterparts of the Unicorns. While they are still powerful Shapers, these creatures allow only the most righteous of Rose Knights to ride them into battle against the forces of Evil. Gryphons are unable to be played in this game, but their existence may or may not be important later.
The city of Aldis is host to half a million souls in its many quarters.
The High Ward is the seat of many of the Royal Palace and the Noble Assembly. Many of the wealthiest merchants in the realm call its townhouses their homes. The Royal Library and Archives contain many magical tomes dating back to the time of the Old Republic, and the archivists work to this very day to sort and categorize and endless mountain of information. The Royal College is the most prestigious university in the land, and many students come from across the realm to attend its classes in Arts, Magical Sciences, Healing, and Psychic Arcana.
The Lake Ward is what many people envision when they picture the romance of the city. Nestled along Lake Vash, the many residences are cut from stone that resists the occasional floods from the rain season. The wealthy Bloomridge estate of the Falish family converted their vacation house into a farm for flowers and the making of dyes. Now, thanks to plant-shapers and water-shapers, the district is constantly in bloom. The Matchmakers Guild is headquartered here, and many of the city's most famous Courtesans and Pillow Houses look out upon the lake.
The Middle Ward is where most Aldins call home. Many bustling attractions and nightlife establishments have sprung up for people to spend their hard earned coin. Bureaucrats, craftspeople and artisans call this place home. Its open secret, however, is Hedgerow House- a place of Psychic healing for the mentally afflicted. Many citizens never set foot inside, but others have made a single or repeated visits to the psychics there to treat past traumas or present anxieties. There is no stigma attached to those who enter, and it's an unofficial tradition to send anyone who mocks the afflicted for an involuntary swim in Lake Vash.
The Lower Ward is the most dense residential district and the newest. A maze of townhouses and villas, the people here are also the most diverse. Night Folk, Vata, Rhydan, and all manner of humans live side-by-side here. The crown invests the most resources in helping those impoverished here. The manner of that help often comes in the form of food, reduced rents, and education assistance. Its people are often caught in the struggle between the criminal Silence and the Crown of Aldea.
- Shaping -
Most magic in Aldis takes the form of "shaping" schools. Most are taught to exercise basic control as children when they show signs of a gift in a talent while in their required years of school.
- Wind Shaping adepts are able to move with great speed, inhibit the actions of others with gale force winds, and master adepts are able to "walk" on air. - Water Shaping are capable of controlling the flow and shape of liquid water. Water can take the form of whips, shields and (very wet) armor. Master shapers can even create small currents within rivers and oceans to propel boats at greater speed. - Fire Shaping can summon fire and heat, or turn small candles into raging blazes. - Earth Shaping practitioners can shift earth in planting season, shape stone into perfect foundations for buildings, or potentially summon Earthquakes at the highest levels of expertise. - Cold Shaping practitioners can cause frostbite with a touch, make solid ice bridges across running water, or summon a blizzard on a hot summer day if they're powerful enough. - Flesh Shaping (Sorcerous) sees the practitioner shaping their body or others' as if it were made of clay- turning arms into swords, their face from one form to another, or even altering biological sex characteristics. Flesh Shapers are sought out by Laeyvel to help them change gender, but Flesh Shapers who practice their art on unwilling subjects are branded as Sorcerers and exiled from the land on pain of death. - Light Shaping adepts can create globules of light, summon three-dimensional illusions, or with enough training they can bend light to turn themselves invisible. - Plant Shaping adepts can encourage the growth of plants, heal them of blight, or with enough skill they can cause the rapid growth of plants into a wooden weapon as strong as one of forged steel. - Mind Shaping (Sorcerous) deals with the psychic arts. The rapid communication across Aldis owes itself to the network of Psychics who can spread edicts from the Royal Palace with greater speed than any horse or rider. Mind shapers can also work to heal mental wounds, soothe afflictions, read thoughts and memories, or even alter a subject's personality. Using psychic arcana on any unwilling subject is a serious Taboo and is considered sorcery. Anyone who does so is exiled from the land under pain of death. - Healing Magic is a basic form of energy based first aid, and cannot be substituted for a stay in a hospital to recover from pneumonia or a splint for a broken leg. But it is still an invaluable skill to have and in high demand. - Body Magic is the realm of the Spirit Dancers. With it, they can channel energy into their feet, fists, and other areas of the body. Their kicks have the density and force of steel hammers, their fits move faster than an eye can track, and their skin can be as tough as leather. The Spirit Dancers are practitioners of an art form, though. To learn this school means they must attend an Academy of the Dance with a master teacher.
Character Sheet Name: Race: :Image Goes Here; Anime images are allowed, so long as they're fantasy in nature:
Weapons: (Most households in Aldis contain some kind of weapon in case they are called to help defend the land)
Shaping: (The study of magic is encouraged in Aldis; many people know a shaping skill)
Companions: (Aldins are a social people; this is not required, but if you have a significant other- friend, lover, brother-in-arms, etc- then you may detail them here)
The War: The fall of the Lich King ocurred 10 years ago, but it scarred all of Aldis. Had the Queen not used dark magic to attack the Lich King directly, Aldis would have fallen to his undead and demonic armies. What was your character doing during that dangerous time?
Since the War: What does your character usually do in their day to day life? Keep in mind, this adventure begins because they need to earn some additional cash to help them get by.
@Majoras End Just been lurking. Don't mind me please. Just gonna be a bit of a positive peanut gallery, cheering everybody on. Or I'll go on mute and go away if you'd like.
It was my most profound regret that I could not give this RP the love and time it deserved. Had a family emergency not long after it started and I feel horrible that I couldn't even take 5 minutes to log in and give the team closure by just posting that update.
For what it's worth, @Majoras End you have my full blessing to carry this idea forward however you see fit. I hope you do wonderful things with it than I never could.
