The Main Cast

Prince Philoj- the young, lascivious prince, son of Lomuad.
King Lomuad- the doddering old king
Princess Ylemdra- the fair princess, Philoj’s sister
Lady Heille- the stoic Lady of the Palace
Viscount Vethelic- the ambitious, dastardly Viscount. Husband to Ylemdra

When Prince Philoj of Vaskaama summons the PCs to his palace, they find it difficult to refuse. After all he is the Crown Prince, called the Peerless and the Light, and the Great Lover. Upon arrival, the PCs are ushered into the Princes halls. The Prince reclines on a throne of marble and malachite, shaped to resemble a lithe naked woman, herself reclining. Lush and opulent, the palace is a reflection of Philojs vanities and the wealth of the soon-to-be-his kingdom. After all, the old, doddering King Lomuad, Philojs and Ylemdras father is senile and practically on his deathbed, leaving his wise old counselor, confidante and First Speaker, her Ladyship Hielle as the proxy, day-to-day ruler of the land, until the time of Lomuads passing, and Philojs official coronation. A few days ago, the royal doctor has decreed that the good king had only a few days to live.

The Prince confides in the PCs. He informs them that his own sister, Ylemdra the fair, the pride and joy of the dynastic family, whose beauty is surpassed only by the sun, had recently come to visit her brother the Prince, from her own distant palace, bearing gifts and good wishes, and wishing to be near her father, the King, in his last hours, her new husband, the highly unsuitable Viscount Vethelic, a minor noble of a different line, in tow. Prince Philoj explains that he is highly suspicious of Viscount Vethelics intentions and ambitions, and quickly comes to the point. He wants the PCs, having heard of their capabilities over the years, to watch and keep an eye on the Viscount, gauge the mans morals and aspirations, and determine, whether or not the Viscount plans on having the Crown Prince assassinated. Oh yes, whispers have reached Prince Philojs ears, whispers of the Viscounts treachery. Rumors claim, that Vethelic was enacting a two-pronged approach in gaining the throne itself! The charismatic viscount not only seduced the fair and innocent Ylemdra, but he now planned on poisoning or otherwise insidiously slaying his perceived rival, Prince Philoj himself.

Possible Explanations:

1. The Viscount Vethelic is indeed so bold, brazen, and ambitious as to think that he could seize the throne itself with his patient, insidious plan. Over many months he has thoroughly seduced the Princess Ylemdra, even actually convincing her to marry him, and has now intends on somehow offing Philoj. Knowing the Kings death was at hand, Vethelic decided to commence his end-game. At some point during the next few days, either before or immediately after, the inevitable death of the King, Vethelic will try to assassinate Philoj, using subtle, but highly effective means. This scenario is fairly straightforward, though Vethelic would work best if role-played as a sly, scheming mastermind, a Professor Moriarty type.

2. The Viscount is a lucky boob. His naïve act isnt an act, as Philoj believes it to be. He is quite handsome though, and the Princess Ylemdra is smitten with him. The rumors have been spread by the real assassin, the Lady Heille, the widowed Kings oldest friend and lover, as well as being the Regent, during the Kings last days. It is she that wishes Philojs death, and is trying to cast blame elsewhere, for the woman truly believes that the incoherent King, wished her to succeed him, and despised his lecherous son, Philoj.

Alternately, Ylemdra herself can play the role of assassin, using her moron husband, whom she married for this same reason, as a sacrificial lamb, framing him, while she herself, not so fair of heart as face, is planning on killing her brother and taking the throne.

3. No one is getting killed. All is well. Philoj is paranoid, and the PCs spend a stressful week, investigating needlessly, red herrings flying at them from all directions. And perhaps, King Lomuad isnt even dying, just pretending.

Tales of Adventure are brief adventure plots or story elements, presented in a few paragraphs.  What separates a Tale of Adventure from other plots is that it gives three different directions for the adventure to play out.  They may be minor twists in how the original situation is presented, or they may turn the whole scenario upside down.

“Yes, My Lord of Candleford, our Queen will be most delighted to entertain your offer, once we are able to inform her.  She has heard nothing but good of your… picturesque… realm, and desires that we open commerce between the two lands.  The distance may be daunting, but the advantages easily outweigh the difficulties.”

Two Gentlemen of Palma
Carvell the Eloquent and his associate, Xaver the Rhetorical, appeared at the Royal Court on a stormy summer evening, clad in exotic robes and with a foreign lilt to their speech.  With many an elegant flourish, they presented the Monarch’s Senechal with ornately drawn documents, credentials proclaiming that they were Ambassadors for “Her Most Intrepid Majesty, Queen of Palma and the Princess Royal of the Pashan March”. 

Their entourage was nearly as impressive as the two ambassadors were.  Bearing gifts of exotic furs and unheard-of jewels, each of the men’s assistants was clad in richly-cut robes entirely covered with detailed embroidery and accented with couched golden thread.

Taking residence within one of the city’s most elegant inns, the two ambassadors set to work, drafting trade agreements and discussing alliances with the various noblemen of the court, as they enjoy icy sherbet drinks.

Unfortunately, one issue does seem to crop up in the course of negotiations:  Just where are they from?  While they seem legitimate, nobody seems to have heard of this distant land they claim to be from, the “Radiant Kingdom of Palma”

Possible Explanations:

1.) The Realm of Ice
These two men are from another land, as they have stated, but they have withheld that their nation is reached only through a magical pathway hidden among the icy seas of the north.  Dwellers in an arctic land covered entirely with ice and snow, many of the folk of their small realm live on a massive sheet of ice, many miles across.  Their land was long hidden from the rest of the world, but their youthful queen has decided to change that policy, as her kingdom faces imminent devastation:  The kingdom’s ice shelf has begun to break loose.

The icy land in which these folk dwell is virtually uninhabitable to normal humanity, but the inhabitants are strangely adapted to life in frigid arctic conditions.  The entourage’s elegant robes are not just impressive; they conceal dozens of small bags of ice to help them remain cool.  In a normal climate, they would soon be incapacitated from the heat.

2.) Peace at Any Price
The Radiant Kingdom of Palma is not actually mysterious at all.  The ambassadors’ queen recently usurped the throne of a small and isolated kingdom and declared that her tiny nation would no longer be known by the name associated with its previous rulers.  Ravaged by civil war, her shaky regime’s only hope is alliance with a power that can force the various other claimants to capitulate. 

The ambassadors desperately hope to seal some sort of agreement with the local ruler before representatives of rival noble houses can appear to interfere.

3. Duty Never Dies
These two are not at all what they appear.  Many centuries before, these diplomatic envoys traveled to bring their queen’s tribute to distant lands, determined to make alliance.  Their ship foundering in a summer storm, they were never seen again. 

Despite this, their duty calls to them; every few hundred years, when the summer storms stir their watery graves, they rise from whatever reward awaited them and resume their mission.  They have no idea that they are ghosts, or that their homeland is nothing more than a footnote in a history book.  All that they know is that they have a duty to their queen and they are going to fulfill it.  When the storm passes, they will again fade, returning to their watery rest.

Plot Description

The court has spoken of nothing lately but the arrival of a new aristocrat in the area.  No one is quite sure where Lord Raide di Tamarle from; his accent is clearly foreign, but unplaceable.  He has excellent manners for such a young man, and his biting wit has made him sought after amongst the social elite. 

However, not everyone is pleased with the coming of Lord Raide.  Count Kelyin Yasalantes has been doing all in his not inconsiderable power to discredit the young lord and turn favor against him in the court.  If asked why, he says he doesn’t trust the mysterious foreigner.

Possibilites

1.  Lord Raide is a visiting dignitary from a kingdom trying to open up diplomatic relations.  Unfortunately, he’s something of a ladies’ man, and Countess Yasalantes is very beautiful.  She’s also annoyed by the fact her husband doesn’t pay much attention to her.  The count has suspicions about the affair, but can’t prove it, hence his hostility.

2.  Lord Raide is a professional guest, relying on his wit and charm to open doors for him.  He has no money of his own, and makes his living off of bored aristocrats looking for something new at their parties.  He said some very insulting things about the Count at one such party, and being an arrogant man, the Count will not tolerate it.

3.  Lord Raide is an unclaimed son of the aging king, exiled years ago.  He’s returned hoping to claim his title of a prince of the realm, and his place amongst the heirs to the throne.  One such possible heir is Count Yasalantes, who married a distant cousin of the king’s.  And he knows very well who Raide is.

Tales of Adventure

are brief adventure plots or story elements, presented in a few paragraphs. What separates a Tale of Adventure from other plots is that it gives three different directions for the adventure to play out. They may be minor twists in how the original situation is presented, or they may turn the whole scenario upside down.