Planning & OOC Thread: http://forum.eternalcrusade.com/threads/wh40k-feudal-world-rp-got-inspired-fantasy.44239 Important Reference Materials: House Lionheart Family Tree House Heinrich Family Tree House Hohenzollern Family Tree House Glowstone Family Tree House Kharonis Family Tree House Noctiger Family Tree Family Tree Overview Worldmap of Lexarius Houses of Lexarius Player List <Rules> #1: All OOC posts will be deleted within this thread, if you go OOC, use the other thread. #2: PvP results are resolved through GM; Narrative written by players #3: Little to nothing is impossible. This includes incest. #3.1: Doesn't mean you should make sex posts. This is PG13 forum + it might offend other players on a personal level. Everything beyond kissing is to be moved in private conversations or simply left out. Sure you can have your affairs but let it fade to black. #4: No Plot armor for anything. If you have a peaceful conversation and suddenly draw a knife to slice their throat in total surprise, they most likely will die. #4.1: Video of such action: Spoiler: Game of Thrones Episode 1 - Telltale Games View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNgAS9nwdrE #5: Told you. GoT inspired #6: Expect Consequences for your actions. #7: Meta-Gaming is forbidden. Yes if we all just read that an Assassin murdered someone, we all know it. But that doesn't mean our characters will be capable of figuring it out. #8: GMs word is rule. Deal with it, except you have really good reasons (because GM can be wrong, or can misunderstand) #9: If your character dies, you can make a new one or take over an NPC. <Goals for the Players> #1: Survive #2: Empower your family/house #3: Ensure victory for House Lionheart #3.1: Or yourself if you do betray them or your family/house seizes control #4: Watch your back, you never know when one tries to ram a knife into you #5: Raise social position (Embrace the Power! INFINITE POWER!) <Ultimate Goal> Gain control of entire land of Lexarius in order to gain the God-Emperors gift. <Intro Post> The letters had been signed by the God-Emperors own Guardian Angel, having reached every major house and their vassals. Maximilian Lionheart had opened his a week ago. "Dear Lord of House Lionheart. As my Father, my siblings and myself complete our crusade against the evil beyond your lands, I must inform you and the other houses that I will send an envoy once all darkness has been purged to deliver a special gift to you and all under your house. The only request I have is that the strongest house shall unify all others, for the house of all houses, the lord of all lords shall receive the gift. And only him. May the strongest stand on top, may my envoy be welcomed and the gift well received. I let you hereby know that I am very proud of you not letting your faith be shaken. Despite our physical distance, I can feel the warmth of your radiant soul. May your soul be blessed. Sanguinius, The Angel" Upon this receipt it was clear: War was inevitable. Despite it being obvious that House Lionheart is the strongest, the proudest, the most valiant and powerful of all in Lexarius, the others would be too stubborn and foolish to comply to capitulation in their Gods name. Therefor Maximilian did what was only one time done before him and that is when House Lionheart was established along with the Vassals. When the Coat of Arms was done under the first of all Lionhearts. Elbrecht Johannes Lionheart. The Grand Council. ALL leaders of the Vassal Houses and noble families were invited to the Lion's Den. Them and a delegation of up to one thousand men, including head of the houses, just as the tales of the Coat of Arms tell. The Great Hall of the Lion's Den was alternated to seat up to a twenty-four individuals. to allow 4 of each house to seat in and 2 of each noble house. The entire Lion's Den military was moved to nearby forts and outside encampments and even parts of the population had been moved and relocated in order to give the visitors each a roof over their heads for the nights. Throughout the day, the various guests arrived. In total Three-Thousand-Four-Hundred-And-Ninety-Five 1000 of House Heinrich 1000 of House Glowstone 1000 of House Hohenzollern 141 of House Wuerttemberg 172 of Family Vergara 99 of Family Cao 83 of Family Guttenberg It was night and the guests feasted across the mighty fort while in the Great Hall serious talks were made... Representatives: Lionheart: Maximilian Lionheart (Ruler) Pythiaere Lionheart (Lady) Uchiha Lionheart (Heir; @Xaphen ) Xalia Lionheart (@lord-watchman ) Heinrich: Gerhard Heinrich (Ruler) Oliver Heinrich (Heir) Samuel Heinrich (@Donairian ) Wolfgang Heinrich (former Ruler) Glowstone: Lucius II. Glowstone (Ruler) Blanche Lionheart (Born Glowstone) Marshal Glowstone (Brother of Ruler; @kanila ) Lucian Glowstone (Heir) Hohenzollern: Alexander Hohenzollern (Ruler) Joan Hohenzollern Georg Hohenzollern (Heir) Cecilia Hohenzollern (Mother of Ruler) Wuerttemberg: Bruna Wuerttemberg (Wife of Eldest) Bryan Wuerttemberg (Eldest of Family) Vergara: Armando Fernandez Jose de Vergara (Head Scholar) Antonio Emanuel Carista Avilian de Vergara (Scholar; @High_Adept_Zeth ) Cao: Pi Cao (Head of Family) Ren Cao (Brother of Head) Guttenberg: Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (Head of Family) Johann Gottfried von Guttenberg (Grandfather of Karl-Theodor) The Head of the Grand Council rose, Maximilian Lionheart. "You all know why we are here, you all know what we have to decide on. Therefor, feel free to grab meat, bread and wine, demand more, but dare not to step away until we have made our decisions. And if it takes all night! We cannot let us be found wanting. By nobody. Our plot must be thorough and effective. Let the Grand Council begin! As all those generations back, I also shall let you propose ideas and then we will forge it together." He sat down again and relaxed, with a cup of wine in his hand, but not tasting it yet. He could see some were nervous, some very nervous and others at the point of breaking apart. Maximilians head turned to his wife and his firstborn alternatively, each sitting to his right and left respectively, while his daughter sat next to his wife and next to Marshal Glowstone. It was now to wait and see who speaks up first. ~~ Meanwhile on the Main Plaza ~~ "The Lion! The Lion! The Lion hunts them all! Across the plains! Across the Mountains! There is nowhere you can hide! And do not dare enter his den, else you are forever gone! The Lion! The Lion! Strongest of them all! Proud, Strong and Valiant! Forget to fight! Rest your Sword! No chance there is to survive him! The Lion! The Lion!" Various soldiers sang outside, telling by their armors a mixed band of Heinrichs, Hohenzollerns and Lionhearts. The Glowstones remained in their corner of the Lion's Den. OOC: May assume any character that is not at the Grand Council is in the city! Feel free to interact as you see fit!
Marshal Glowstone sat back, observing the others. To be successful in trade one must first learn to watch others to find the true motivator, so it can be exploited. The same can be said for diplomacy, or in this case war! He did not want to give anything away before he saw what the others were willing to offer up to the Great Lion. The first to offer is always out shined by the last as was business so this would be as well. But there was no reason not to set the hook to see what the others would offer! Raising his glass of wine he gave it a light swirl before smelling and taking a slight sip. The Lord was pulling out all the stops on this feast! This was one of the finer wines he had tasted. "M'lord I must ask where you were able to find such a refined wine? I will have to purchase some for my own collection. But on a more serious note, how do you see this effecting trade between the rival houses?" Taking another sip he motioned for a servant to bring him some of the roasted boar. "I for one see several possibilities on how this could play out. But for now, if I may be so bold as to suggest, we continue our current trade agreements until that time with which we can see how your 'future' vassals will take to your rule, and then adjust accordingly." He said this last part with a grin, showing his full confidence in the Lord Lionheart. More could have been said but he was reluctant to give too much more before the other vassals spoke. He would need something left to out shine the others with. If all out war was to be avoided it would be through carefully planned out diplomacy. Or there was the more Glowstone-esq way of doing it, but that he would leave to his brother Lucius Glowstone II, the head of their House!
" "Do not be mistaken. One outcome is certain. War." Uchiha said, as a grin opened up. The Heir took a hard chug of wine. He was right. It was good. Uchiha wiped down his face before speaking again. Slamming the chalice on the decorative table. "I will be frank. There is no neutral side. Not anymore. We Value all of you who come here, but we dont expect everysingle one you to join up, not yet.... We will continue the trade if you are with us, but if you chose otherwise..." Uchiha slammed his family's ceremonial blade to the table. The blade was stuck facing up, the sharpened edge facing marshal. "Lions spare none!"
With a smirk on his face, just as he imagined the son of The Lord Lionheart, brash and quick to war. "You misinterpreted me nephew, I would never turn my back on our Lord! And neither will the other Vassals who are currently serving under House Lionheart." He took another drink before continuing, "I do not possess your military prowess, but what I do have is access across borders. War may be inevitable, but the where and when determine the outcome!" He held up his hands in mock submission, "I am simply offering another avenue to tip the scales in our warriors favor. An ill equipped army cannot stand against one that is well equipped." Finishing his wine he decided to clarify his earlier statement, "I was mearly suggesting that our trade with the other ruling houses, that were not sub-servant to the Lionheart house, should continue as normal. It will allow us to gain more knowledge of their lands and potentially their troops movements. Because who knows the roads better than a caravan of traders! Or the latest news for that matter!" He knew he would have to tread lightly here, but this could actually play to his advantage. With the well known rivalry between the Lord's children, one would surely see his side or atleast take it for the sake of being at odds with the other. "But I digress, this meeting was to determine the course forward. With war being the only outcome how we approach it is truely what we must discuss." He sat back and ate the roasted boar while he awaited a response. Surely another vassal would have some thoughts or suggestions. But with Uchiha making a show of force early it may have silenced, atleast temporarily, any new comments from being made.
While the men talked of battle and trade, Lady Lionheart listened intently, staring into the blood red of her wine, watching it swirl as she turned her cup and smelling its fragrance. Maximilian had gone all out for this meeting it seemed. Of course, the house's dominance was important to him. She however had withdrawn herself mostly ever since the news of apparently inevitable war had reached her ears. Pythiaere did not like to think of her children as kinslayers, nor to think about the possibility that either her beloved husband would come to slay her beloved grandfather, or that her beloved grandfather would put her beloved husband's head on a pike. Kharybdiss' death she would celebrate, though. That attention seeking whore. The lady took a long sip of the wine, letting the taste wash over her tongue, feeling it dance splendidly in her mouth. She considered weighing in on the debate, she was not stupid nor unacquainted with war, but knew that any word she spoke would lead to the Kharonis daughter to condemn herself a traitor for inadvertently aiding Kharonis (in the case her advice would lead to calamity) or, even worse, intentionally aiding Lionheart (in case it would be sound advice). That is, if her counsel'd be heard. As she brought the cup to her lips again, her intention only a brief sip, Pythiaere could not help but seeing the sanguine liquid and thinking if the cup as a metaphor for the gathered blood and tears of the side she'd inevitably side against. It turned more into a chugging gulp to rid herself of the accusing lifesblood and the flashing images of her loved ones, dead and mutilated, which accompanied it so maliciously. The cup was placed back on its table softly, empty, with the strained breathing mark of a passing vision, as it always was. Pythiaere was nothing if not quick to obfuscate her oracle nature to her husband's court though. "We should wage war against the East first", she quickly threw into the round to mask her own distraughtness, whilst hoping it'd distract from her shocked reaction to a vision in front of potentially sage-killing eyes. "...because, the Wolf borders to Kharonis, and... They may wage war with them first... Because to their north and east lies the Sea, and to their west the mountains. They are threatened by the, er, south. While to our east are those Noctiger at home and to the west sleeps the Wolf. If we are fortunate, the White Raven and the Wolf kill..." She choked a bit at that word, "each other."
xalia walked around the room talking to people as she did, a false smile on her face as she tried to hide the discomfort she felt in wearing a dress, but it was not apparent to any but her family how uncomftorble she was, several younger gentelmen were folowing her each looking nervous as one walked up and eventualy asked her a question "my lady would you do me the honour of having a drink with me and talking" as he young lord by her eyes recolection spoke she guessed he was from a diferent family but did not care, she turned and looked at him which made him frezee in place "i am sorry but until you prove you are worth the time i will have to refuse" as she spoke she brought her katana in its scabbord up from her hand "i will only view those who can last a round in a duel with me as worth the time"
Far away from the dazzling lights of the royal palace and esteemed guests, on another side of the city where poorer citizen lived, there was a tavern called "Lovin Selma" and like every night, it was alive with laughter and music. Inside, it was filled with guests, their chatter and the smell of beer flowing down the wooden tables filling the air around. In the middle, next to a bard playing some catching tune, a group of people were having a knife-throwing contest. Which wasn't actually a contest since the winner was already known. A beautiful girl who's clothes revealed more than they actually hid, amongst those things her exquisite tattoos picturing dragons and flowers, that ran from her left ankle up and ended above both of her ears, where her hair was cut to show the artistic feel and also make those who didn't know her nervous, while the rest of it fell behind her in long braids (basically, Ragnar's haircut lolz) once again hit the center of the mark on the wall. "Drop your coins boys, you lost yet again!" she laughed as she drank a full pint of beer in one swing. The "losers" laughed as they were separated from their gold. "Hey sister, take that shit and give us another round!" the girl shouted at the barmaid who ran around, picking the coins and bringing more alcohol. "Lin girl, you gonna lose eventually," one of the guys said as he drank his own beer. He was muscled and tattooed in a similar way Lin was. "Oh shut up Lambert, after all these bouts you became so poor, you can't even pay attention!" she shot back and everyone laughed. There were dozen of them, each man scarred and tattooed, the murder clear in their eyes. These were Lin's Rats, the toughest and ugliest sons of bitches on this part of Lion's border. Whenever the Lord didn't want to get his hands dirty, he sent her and her men to do the job. And so far, it worked to both of their wishes - he won the wars while she got richer. "Hey singer, I want that most expensive one!" Lin laughed as she tossed some coins on the bard, him almost catching it in mid-flight but slipping and falling on the wet wooden floor, making everyone laugh even more. "The guy is drunk, Stabber, get his guitar and start it before our leader loses patience and starts breaking the inventory!" Lambert nodded to another of his comrades, a short and sneaky looking fella who quickly did as he was told. Taking the guitar from the fallen bard, he kicked him in the head and prevented any future attempts of rising up. A theatrical bow was next as he began playing the thing, bit sadder song but lovable nonetheless. "Goodbye Your pocket full of dreams Your mind in a daze Keep on chasing rainbows Fly high Leave the past behind The dark road you take bears no escape" "In a world of grand illusions Where love is just a dream You gotta make your sacrifices Time to pick your poison" "The fool is he who is noble minded And bellies up to poverty He's not a king in the world of diamonds Paling into oblivion" "Reaching out to rule the world you'll watch the mirror shatter As you'll be dazzled by the sight Once only diamonds mattered" "How can you justify the way When you wake up screaming Will you pretend that you were blind When you were really seeing" "Your image everywhere The looking glass: a sheet of ice It's thick enough to dance on In a frozen realm of lies" "But the ice will break And you will scream repenting Oh boy the ice will break You'll just feel your heart rending!" And they sang together, not really carrying about those rich lords and their parties. Tonight they will discuss about some new stupid war and tomorrow, people like Lin will go out and bleed, just so their fat asses can continue living in their big castles made of marble. It was the way of things around here and perhaps one day, that might change...
<Grand Council> As the older ones listened, the younger ones seemed to raise in order to hit on the ladies. Many drank fast, too fast for Maximilians liking. Then also he could see and perhaps even feel the discomfort. But Uchiha had valid points, even if harsh. "My dear." He started, looking at his Kharonis wedded wife. "Could you look after Richard? I feel he might be troubled by all the noise outside, and on your way out may you bring Ser Roland in?" His look indicated of course showed worry, her suggestion having earned dagger-glares by the Hohenzollerns, given that she is the reason that they were not family with the Lionhearts. He turned to the assembled council. "My son is right. War is inevitable. But the young Glowstone has valid points too. See. Everyone wants to come out on top and everyone is going to be ready for war. And since we are strong... Why not appear weak? Let the Lion walk crippled when watched, but let him strike when finally attacked. Given that I killed the last leader of the Wolves myself last time, I propose we try to work diplomacy with them first. Their hatred burns, we must earn their favor before somebody convinces them to attack us. A full blown war against Lykaion would weaken us both and turn us into prey for House Noctiger." Maximilian sighed and leaned back. "The question rather now becomes. Whom do we do commerce with, how do we get the Lykaions to like us enough to not raid our small folk and how do we get the other houses into war with one another? They are not stupid, they will know we do it just to come out on top. But to work this on long-term we also need to establish true alliances, not just conquer their countries and rule with force, that is not the Lion's way." His eyes came to the Scholars of the Vergara (@High_Adept_Zeth ) family, that alternated between them and the Glowstones (@kanila ) <Grand Council - meanwhile> "I will take you up to that challenge." A young handsome man said, pushing his way through the drunk nobles. His hair was blonde, his eyes blue like the lakes, his face handsome and flawless. The man who was envied by all others and the man that was desired by all women, in the lands of the Lionhearts anyway. "Lady Xalia, I am glad to finally make your acquaintance in person. My name is Oliver Heinrich, Heir of House Heinrich. Champion of the same house. I was quite looking forward to defeat your brother in the tournament next month, but I see, a war intervenes such festivity. Yet I must quite say, if the war allows me to meet such beauty, then the war shall come." He reached gently for her hand and kissed the back of it, the greeting and affection of a true knight. "Not to forget, an everyday I would march for you to war, to protect you." A grin, though it was devilish still attractive. "While you take care of our children at Heinrich Castle." The younger ladies and lords blushed from such exclamation and an every man would get slapped for such exclamation, but not the Heinrich the Handsome. <Lovin Selma - @Colapse > Then Lin spotted a shadow next to her, if she would look up, she would not just notice an Assassin, but that assassin actually leaping down on her to stick a knife through her throat.
As the heir spoke she sighed "well you have the wrong impresion" as she spoke she changed her expresion "if there is a war i will be on the front lines killing any in my way" with that two men in uniforms of the lionheart militery stood at atention "i am known as a blademaster for some reasons" with that she nodded to the two soldiers who moved back away "if you want to test your arm i will give you a duel after this meeting in the courtyard outside, il go easy on you dont worry"
"Tonight is not the night for duels, milady. Tonight is the night of celebration for where House Lionheart and all it's allies will get to. And despite you being a Blademaster, it is yet your brother who is the champion of the house. Please do not take it as insult, that is the last thing I desire. I merely insinuate, that you are far too beautiful to be just a warrior, you seem destined to so far more than waste your time with murdering and endangering your life." Oliver Heinrich replied, the beautiful smile of his not disappearing as he moved his medium-long hair back behind his ear.
