The King of Valstand has been in power for 43 years. His only child, Princess Tahra Styrka, turned 21 years old and was expected to assume the throne, something the people had been waiting for since her birth. She was known as genuinely kind and good, a stark contrast to her tyrannical father. Unwilling to give up the throne as required by law he instead sentenced her to death by hanging. Will she manage to escape the palace dungeons before morning or is her fate already sealed?
Characters
Age: 64 Race: Human Looks: Bio: Nathaniel was the 2nd son of beloved King Andrew. His older brother, Matthew, was only 1 year older than Nathaniel but even so the law was on his side for ascending to the throne. Nathaniel resented Matthew his entire life. While unproven it is widely suspected and accepted that Nathaniel was responsible for Matthew’s drowning the night before his 21st birthday. Nathaniel married the princess of an elven nation that he conquered early during his rule, Kythelea. After the birth of their first child, Tahra, they tried to have a son but were never able to conceive again.
Age: 21 Race: Half-elf Looks: Bio: Tahra has a deep love for her people, human and elven. She is the spitting image of her mother. Since her parents could not conceive the son her father so desired she did her best to be the son her father wanted. Her mother made sure she had the best education and that she was exposed to the common people of her kingdom. Tahra had a reputation among the people as being fair, and kind…two things her father is not.
Character Sheet
You just need to copy and paste the template below, I’ve formatted it the way I would like it. Feel free to add colors. If I have not included any information you would like to know please mention me when asking your question or feel free to PM me directly. I will be posting the opening post soon in case it may help some of you when creating your character sheet. I do plan on the opening post starting with Tahra being in jail the night before her hanging is to take place.
[b]Name:[/b] [b]Age:[/b] [b]Race:[/b] [b]Looks:[/b] You can include an image or just a description [b]Bio:[/b]
Tahra was only mildly surprised to see Avad had come to see her. She laughed when he asked about her wounds. “There is no need, Avad. Ha na- hen cuil. It is my mother’s blood, shed for me, that soaks my armor.”
Tahra offered no defense, as far as she was concerned she had killed her mother. Her mother had told her to leave but even if she’d had the time she would not have left, she had always known she could not leave her people under her father’s rule. The longer his reign the harsher he got, the more uneasy his subjects became – they knew their King was afraid of losing his power and would stop at nothing to keep it. He had murdered thousands of his own people to keep them in check. Their one hope had been the Princess, but now, she was as good as dead.
“You should not be seen with me, it will not paint you in a favorable light in my father’s eyes.”
The Palace of Valstand was abuzz, tonight would be a grand party for Princess Tahra, who was finally turning 21. The laws of Valstand said unless an heir to the throne abdicated they were to ascend to the throne, regardless of the current monarchs age, health and desire to rule. This law had been placed to prevent one monarch from ruling for too long, allowing newer generations to keep the country moving forward.
Tahra’s personal guard was uneasy, several near death accidents had occurred leading up to her birthday but Tahra refused to admit that her father had anything to do with it. It was widely accepted if not talked about that the King had arranged for his older brother to drown before taking the throne so that he could become King. Tahra was summoned to her parents chambers, her guard instructed to leave them alone.
Tahra marched quickly through the marbled halls of the palace, not even taking the time to change out of her armor into the dress her mother had picked out for the party. Tahra was immediately concerned, it was apparent that her mother had been crying.
“ Amil, mana na- raica?” Tahra took a step forward and was baffled when her mother threw her arms around her and sobbed. In public they spoke the common tongue but in private Tahra and her mother spoke almost exclusively in elvish, her mother’s native tongue but not her father’s.
The Queen was sobbing but Tahra could still understand her. She tried to comfort her mother but was silenced when her mother spoke directly into her ear. “Tye must imeúre-, -yes na- vamme varna. Your ontáro na- going ana kill tye. Linne- sí!”
Before Tahra could argue her mother had pushed her back, having heard the heavy foot falls of her husband. Tahra collided with a suit of armor and fell to the floor. Her father was holding an unsheathed sword, and he looked angry.
“No doubt your mother has warned you but as always you are too stubborn or too stupid to take the hint. I have been trying to get you to abdicate the throne for months, this is my country and I will not be ousted by my own daughter. You will not take my power from me!”
He raised the sword but his wife stepped between him and Tahra. She pleaded with him to stop. He told her to move but she would not budge. Tahra moved to get up, the armor clinking together as she moved it aside. Tahra yelled for the guards.
Unable to get to Tahra, the King settled for running the sword through his wife, who fell to the floor, the sword impaling her though her midsection. Tahra wrenched the sword out of her mother, applying pressure to the wound while cradling her body in her lap.
The guards rushed in and the King pointed his finger accusingly at Tahra. “She killed the Queen in cold blood. She ran in here saying she wanted to start her reign without our influence getting in the way! Seize her, take her to the dungeons! She will be hanged in the morning.”
Tahra didn’t say a word in her defense, it wouldn’t have mattered anyway and she was now holding her mother’s lifeless body in her arms. She complacently let the guards restrain her and throw her in a cell. Now, all there was to do was wait for the morning, for her father to kill her like he had killed her mother.
I did not write my own version of elvish, this is a variation of Tolkein’s. For continuity sake, if your character speaks elvish and you would like to include the elvish script, I ask you use the same translator that I did: http://funtranslations.com/quenya
For your convenience I have also included an English translation of the conversation Tahra and her mother had:
“Mother, what is wrong?”
“It is not safe. He is going to kill you. You must go now!”
“Mother, you will be ok. I’m here. You will be ok.”
@Zetsuko There is magic, similar to what you would find in D&D. There would be limits so no god-modding or anything like that. It would require a period of rest afterwards especially from heavy exertion.
The King of Valstand has been in power for 43 years. His only child, Princess Tahra Styrka, turned 21 years old and was expected to assume the throne, something the people had been waiting for since her birth. She was known as genuinely kind and good, a stark contrast to her tyrannical father. Unwilling to give up the throne as required by law he instead sentenced her to death by hanging. Will she manage to escape the palace dungeons before morning or is her fate already sealed?
Characters
Age: 64 Race: Human Looks: Bio: Nathaniel was the 2nd son of beloved King Andrew. His older brother, Matthew, was only 1 year older than Nathaniel but even so the law was on his side for ascending to the throne. Nathaniel resented Matthew his entire life. While unproven it is widely suspected and accepted that Nathaniel was responsible for Matthew’s drowning the night before his 21st birthday. Nathaniel married the princess of an elven nation that he conquered early during his rule, Kythelea. After the birth of their first child, Tahra, they tried to have a son but were never able to conceive again.
Age: 21 Race: Half-elf Looks: Bio: Tahra has a deep love for her people, human and elven. She is the spitting image of her mother. Since her parents could not conceive the son her father so desired she did her best to be the son her father wanted. Her mother made sure she had the best education and that she was exposed to the common people of her kingdom. Tahra had a reputation among the people as being fair, and kind…two things her father is not.
Character Sheet
You just need to copy and paste the template below, I’ve formatted it the way I would like it. Feel free to add colors. If I have not included any information you would like to know please mention me when asking your question or feel free to PM me directly. I will be posting the opening post soon in case it may help some of you when creating your character sheet. I do plan on the opening post starting with Tahra being in jail the night before her hanging is to take place.
[b]Name:[/b] [b]Age:[/b] [b]Race:[/b] [b]Looks:[/b] You can include an image or just a description [b]Bio:[/b]
I am looking for a Co-GM to help with a small group RP, 3-5 Players not including the NPCs. I would like to work out the details with any interested party but I'm thinking of a fantasy RP set in a similar world to Lord of the Rings. Players will be helping decide the fate of nations as they attempt to oust a tyrant. PM or mention me for more information or if you're interested.