yoikes
The (Not So) Evil Mastermind
First, here is the plot:
Roles:
Things that I'm worried about:
Note:
The current example uses a Chinese-inspired setting, but I don't mind changing it to Japanese later according to the future Interest Check thread. If you are interested in co-GMing, feel free to drop me a PM!
The Kingdom of Ba was tucked between the White Valleys and sat by the side of the Silk River, helping to turn it into a small, but prosperous kingdom. Their wealth was said to weigh like a mountain, their farmlands fertile, and their forest rich with bounty. Despite all the desirables they possess, the Kingdom of Ba has remained in peace for many generations, thanks to their excellent skill in diplomacy and cunning.
That is, until 345 Year of Fire Tiger when the powerful Kingdom of Zu attacked. No diplomatic efforts, and no amount of money, could stop their greed and lust for blood. "Why should I accept crates of money when I can own them all?", so said Emperor Zu Jian, before ordering the execution of Ba's peace envoys. From the elderly to the young, the Kingdom of Ba raised their arms to repel their invader, but they know it is not a war they can win alone. Calls are sent to the surrounding kingdoms, their allies for many years, desperately begging for help. Out of a dozen, only one answered: the Kingdom of Li from across the river.
No matter how valiant they were, the Kingdom of Zu proved to be too mighty. After two years of fighting, the capital of Ba finally fell. The Ba royal family was executed and left to burn inside their castle, all but the Jewel of Ba, the young Princess Ba. People said that Emperor Zu was curious to see how pretty she is, and fell in love at first sight, taking her in inside his harem. The people of Ba suffered no less bad, their belongings raided by the savage Zu soldiers, forced into servitude for the people of Zu to put to work. The lucky ones managed to cross the river, escaping into the welcoming Kingdom of Li, or scattered to somewhere else.
4 years have passed since then, and although the Kingdom of Ba is no more, the war still rages for the survivors. They desire revenge, chaos, and ruin for the Kingdom of Zu. Carefully and discretely, they begin to put to work the fearsome cunning of the Kingdom of Ba.
That is, until 345 Year of Fire Tiger when the powerful Kingdom of Zu attacked. No diplomatic efforts, and no amount of money, could stop their greed and lust for blood. "Why should I accept crates of money when I can own them all?", so said Emperor Zu Jian, before ordering the execution of Ba's peace envoys. From the elderly to the young, the Kingdom of Ba raised their arms to repel their invader, but they know it is not a war they can win alone. Calls are sent to the surrounding kingdoms, their allies for many years, desperately begging for help. Out of a dozen, only one answered: the Kingdom of Li from across the river.
No matter how valiant they were, the Kingdom of Zu proved to be too mighty. After two years of fighting, the capital of Ba finally fell. The Ba royal family was executed and left to burn inside their castle, all but the Jewel of Ba, the young Princess Ba. People said that Emperor Zu was curious to see how pretty she is, and fell in love at first sight, taking her in inside his harem. The people of Ba suffered no less bad, their belongings raided by the savage Zu soldiers, forced into servitude for the people of Zu to put to work. The lucky ones managed to cross the river, escaping into the welcoming Kingdom of Li, or scattered to somewhere else.
4 years have passed since then, and although the Kingdom of Ba is no more, the war still rages for the survivors. They desire revenge, chaos, and ruin for the Kingdom of Zu. Carefully and discretely, they begin to put to work the fearsome cunning of the Kingdom of Ba.
Roles:
- the Princess: The youngest princess of Ba was known to be a heavenly beauty, a "treasure" that the people of Ba could be proud of and brag about to the people from another kingdom. She was 16 when captured, pledging in tears to Emperor Zu to take her as bride and spare her family. She never forgot the mocking laughter Emperor Zu gave her, gloating that he "owned" her already, but agreed to give her family a quick death. She was taken away then, spared from watching the slaughter of her family. Since then she was locked in a small pavilion within the Zu Royal Castle, a golden cage of her own. Emperor Zu, who was already in love with her beauty, grew even madder with the "trill of the chase" to gain her affection. Her beauty and reported kindness to servants and guards also gained her to love the people of Zu. Her presence enrages the two Queens of Zu, seeing her a rival instead of nothing but a mistress, earning the Princess a target behind her back... especially now that she is turning 20 and becoming a grown adult, fully legal to be appointed as the Third Queen of Zu.
- The Lost Prince: Whether he is the Crown Prince of the youngest prince, he survived his wounds and somehow managed to drag himself out of the burning castle. After being saved by kind peasants, he disguised himself as an intellectual orphan and joined the annual government exam to join the court as an official
- The Spy: A spy who remained loyal to the royal family of Ba, even if the kingdom is no more. She made her way to join the Princess's group of servants, helping her behind the scenes with her skills and abilities.
- The Soldier: A soldier who stole the uniform of a dead Zu soldier and was mistakenly accepted as one. While his lie is not caught, he falls deeper and deeper into his fake life and had to continue to live as a "Zu soldier" to stay alive. He hates the people of Zu and how they treat the people from Ba, but there is nothing that he can do about it... or is it?
- The Slave: Maybe someone who used to be important, like a noble, or just a regular peasant who got captured as a slave. Now working in the household of a high noble / officer / official within Zu's royal court, who is regularly involved in important affairs.
- The Ambassador: The ambassador from the Kingdom of Li in Zu. They are horrified with how the war ended and frustrated from being unable to save their ally. Although their fight with Zu ended with the war, tension remained high as it's clear that both kingdoms view each other as enemies. The Ambassador in IC has been appointed to work in Zu for two years now, one of their tasks is to keep an eye on and to take care of the Princess's well-being.
Things that I'm worried about:
- Weaving the characters together to progress the plot. As you might have guessed, it's a character-driven RP with heavy court politics involves, as the characters slowly dismantle the Kingdom of Zu from inside out. I'm worried that it's too complex, and that if a character left, it will make it hard in-story to replace that character with someone else. Say, if the Prince left then it doesn't make sense for another prince to secretly come back to life and somehow manage to infiltrate the court, just like his now-dead brother.
- The length of the RP. I'm worried that it will be too long due to the potential complexity and trying to figure out a way to make it simpler. At the moment I'm thinking of in-universe "story events" in the idea of games and announcing several goals that the characters will need to accomplish to destroy the Kingdom of Zu. Failing to accomplish side goals, or one of the big goals will affect the NPCs and how the story might end.
- Number of NPCs. It's going to be HUGE! The Princess alone already will have to deal with three important NPCs regularly, not to mention other NPCs like low-ranked officials they are using as political pawn / something of like. Is this something normal to find in RP? Or is this scale too ambitious and should be scaled down to make sure that it is moderated properly?
Note:
The current example uses a Chinese-inspired setting, but I don't mind changing it to Japanese later according to the future Interest Check thread. If you are interested in co-GMing, feel free to drop me a PM!