A Fantasy Dynasty

[merkros]

I think the best thing to do then would be to enable conditional variables and then I'll put a disclaimar in the Writer's Resource page and in the Introduction that says "Branches that use Conditional Variables will have a notation denoting them"

So, for example. If my "A Rogue Countess" branch was using conditional variables it would instead say "A Rogue Countess(Uses Conditional Variables)".

That way if future writers in the future wish to utilize them, they are already available to use, or if hidden variables get introduced i may start to use them.

 

[merkros]

All right, I went ahead and enabled conditional Variables for those who wish to use them.

 

[Zingiber]

@merkros I've been thinking of a couple of ideas for story arcs for King Bryce, though I only have the beginnings in mind right now.

1. The King's Own Regiment.
An elite, highly trained and proud body of soldiers with strong traditions (Itheria being strong on traditions, as established), but drawn from commoners rather than nobles. In battle and in public, they often go about wearing fierce masks.

Because they are, by tradition, first to battle, they often suffer losses. To compensate for this, every cohort of new inductees pledges together to support their survivors and dependents as a group, and it is an established custom that during their service, all of their wives are held in common, to help support each other during their absence. The regiment may recruit new wives to join a newly inducted cohort.

Bryce goes masked in one of their uniforms to take a sense of his troops and is mistaken for one of the newly inducted cohort. Will he participate in the traditional group send-off?

This arc suggests that Bryce's story will be more militant, following the army, and may repeat his practice of disguising himself as a soldier. Perhaps someone from The King's Own will be promoted and given noble rank and responsibility.

Vessa may be called upon to help improve his disguise. He may also make use of disguise if there are threats of assassination from a rival claimant or a noble who feels Bryce is ruling poorly (war is bad for business, perhaps).

If Bryce sires a child on one of the King's Own's wives, it may be difficult to make a case for parentage given the circumstances. But if a dalliance becomes known, it might be possible, if Bryce has made enough enemies, for Itheria's nobles to force him out and set up a regency, even if Bryce's legitimate line may still be recognized. Or perhaps they will set Bryce's younger sibling up as a biddable substitute, who will have to find their own way to power after the regency council relinquishes nominal power.

Some directions: Bryce may be kicked out as King but retain a lower noble title, or may go to live in exile. If his martial skills are strong, perhaps he will be The King Without A Throne, cutting a path through (edit: not Luxem) the rest of Motania but sparing Itheria. If he retains the throne, he may have to face difficult choices about who his allies are -- those who helped him in war may not help to keep the peace.

2. The Queenmaker.
King Bryce, young and untried with women, may be fixed up with an older, experienced noblewoman who can teach him the ways of men and women.

First Bryce will face of choice of what woman might be suitable; the Regent may have a suggestion, or perhaps there's an older female relative. Depending on who he chooses, some noble houses or factions in Itheria's royal court may feel favored, others slighted. Some candidates may be explicit agents for their family's interests, or if not the lover herself, someone among her servants. Or perhaps Bryce will pick someone that no faction has any attachment with, someone he knows from when he was younger, a riding instructor, music teacher, storyteller, librarian, or a gentlewoman of his mother's household.

Whoever Bryce picks will have his ear for pillow talk, and may have her own perspective on who Bryce should choose as his Queen. A noblewoman will be able to advocate for a Queen whose political connections are useful, whose temperament is even, and whose family has a reputation for easy childbirth. A social and vivacious lover may advocate for a weak-willed Queen who will let Bryce continue as her lover and hostess for unofficial gatherings. A wise first lover will help Bryce build his own counsel on picking a Queen, acting as a sounding board for Bryce to make his own choice among or outside the proposals the many factions who have one or another reason to prefer their own candidate.

The story arc will probably depend on who Bryce chooses, first as a lover (and whether he keeps her on, or whether this is a short course of instruction), and then which factions want Bryce to be married to, and how soon -- some connections will be more useful after Bryce has proven himself in political, military, or justice matters; you may not want your noble house's name tied to a bad or impulsive king. It might be worth reflecting on past history (where's Bryce's mother from? Was she his father's first Queen?)

 

[dearnise]

So I'm about to work on the next step in my "Amazon Raiders" arc, and I'm trying to spin some ideas for possible story branches. Right now, I have about 3 possible branches, when Bryce meets Cielina:

1 - The talks go peaceful, but may prove costly for Itheria, &/or Phebis.
Bryce & Cielina may have some differences, but their youth & preference for peace & tolerance, above all else means both sides must make compromises. Maybe the Thessian Amazons come up with some sort of trade agreement with Itheria, but it may come at a price. Perhaps some of the young Itheria (& Phebian) men are chosen to go with the Amazon women, and Bryce likely loses the lucrative trade agreement with Phebis. However, Bryce could later have sex with Cielina.

2 - Akina & Vessa senses something amiss with Cielina, and reveal a demoness in disguise.
Maybe the real Cielina was taken in the middle of a night after the raiders landed in Phebis. Both Vessa & Akina senses the foul stench of the demoness--something none of the Amazon women are aware of yet, and reveal her true identity. This could bring in an adventure scene, where the Itherian army & the Amazon women eventually find the real Cielina, and things go peacefully, with Bryce likely having sex with the Amazon Queen. Phebis is later compensated for the loss of the villagers' lives.

3 - Talks falter, & a bloody fight breaks out.
Demoness or not, the talks between Bryce & Cielina falters. Whether or not Bryce has to fight his way out, is yet to be decided. Either way, the Itherian & Phebian armies attack, and a bloody battle ensue. Both sides take major losses, and Cielina is either slain, or taken captive. Bryce won't be able to have sex with Cielina or Maricara right away, but either women could warm up to him, if they are not executed by the Phebian King.

There is also the other big branch, where Bryce sends the army out to Phebis, but stays home instead. This could lead to some possible scenes:

1 - Cielina leads a big Amazon raiding force into Itheria.
The raid on Phebis is nothing but a diversion that draws the Itherian forces away from the bigger threat. The siege on The Capital is long & bloody, & Bryce is forced to hone his sword fighting skills to defend his home. This could lead to a confrontation with Cielina, for better or worse. He could either flee into exile, or get captured by the Amazon Queen, & become her puppet leader.

2 - The Itherian army is successful, & return with some captured Amazon women, including Cielina.
In this case, none of the Amazon women are not that pleased with being captured, instead of dying in battle, especially Cielina. So at first, all of them want to slit Bryce's throat, but eventually give their lives to the service & defense of Itheria, in exchange for the lives of their sisters being spared. This could lead to Bryce having sex with Cielina, or one of the other Amazon Women.

 

[merkros]

1. The King's Own Regiment.

This sort of reminds me of the real world Jannisaries which were the elite soldiers of the Ottoman Empire and instead of being nobles or even Muslim, they were christian boys(usually kidnapped) who were educated from a very young age to be elite soldiers.

With a lot of the plot probably being out in the field instead of at home and involving fighting to boot. There's really quite a few things I could see done. Bryce could have moral dilemmas about whether to rescue that injured enemy soldier, or to take part in or outlaw the pillaging of captured settlements(and things that tend parallel that pillaging). He could also die.

The question i think of would be: who would be ruling in Bryce's stead?
Should he spend most of his time fighting with The King's Own, then he won't be at home ruling. It seems like he would be hard pressed to masquerade as a soldier and rule without someone taking notice. Although, i suppose Vessa, being a mage of unknown potential could possibly whip something up.

2. The Queenmaker.

This seems like something that would probably be generally done, but largely done "under the table" so to speak. Having an older, more experienced woman teach Bryce, or any king really what he should look for in a woman is knowledge that he probably should have and it's doubtful that his regent/educator ever really brought it up.

However, it probably wouldn't be talked about openly. Especially if the older woman was still old enough to bear children. I'm sure many nobles liked things to be nice and tidy in the public life even if "things" and "stuff" was happening privately.

It might be worth reflecting on past history (where's Bryce's mother from? Was she his father's first Queen?)

Honestly, I haven't really thought about Bryce's past parentage. I wrote him to be sort of a blank slate...which is probably why there are many people who wish to write stories about him rather than any of the later protagonists. Especially that first Court Scene where almost literally nothing has been established except a few support characters.

So I'm about to work on the next step in my "Amazon Raiders" arc, and I'm trying to spin some ideas for possible story branches.

Something that I have been meaning to mention that might be an idea to explore...If Bryce and Cielina hit it off and marry, or have kids, or something in between. Perhaps a son could be heir in Itheria and a daughter would be heir for the Amazons. I find it doubtful that even if a man was Cielina's firstborn that the Amazons would accept his rule. Granted they might not even have succession laws and rule by force. I don't know.

However, If there's a son ruling in Itheria and a daughter ruling in the Amazon Isles, it could lead to future interactions with the Amazons in future plot lines...Along with possibly other things.

 

[Zingiber]

This sort of reminds me of the real world Jannisaries which were the elite soldiers of the Ottoman Empire and instead of being nobles or even Muslim, they were christian boys(usually kidnapped) who were educated from a very young age to be elite soldiers.

With a lot of the plot probably being out in the field instead of at home and involving fighting to boot. There's really quite a few things I could see done. Bryce could have moral dilemmas about whether to rescue that injured enemy soldier, or to take part in or outlaw the pillaging of captured settlements (and things that tend parallel that pillaging). He could also die.

The question i think of would be: who would be ruling in Bryce's stead?
Should he spend most of his time fighting with The King's Own, then he won't be at home ruling. It seems like he would be hard pressed to masquerade as a soldier and rule without someone taking notice. Although, i suppose Vessa, being a mage of unknown potential could possibly whip something up.

I figured that King Bryce would be accompanying the forces on campaign as himself, with any episodes of disguise being rare ("find out about his troops before the upcoming campaign") or circumstantial ("hide from assassins", "find out what the occupied city thinks of his troops and vice versa"), but that having an episode where he gets to know them closely might shape some of his decisions. If he decides to participate in the farewell orgy for the new inductees and new wives of the King's Own and it gets out amongst the nobles, he might have to decide between executing his "shieldmates" AND their families for treason to satisfy the nobles that the royal line is secure, or giving up his throne (thus the "King Without A Throne" direction, if he takes a chunk of the non-noble parts of the army with him).

This seems like something that would probably be generally done, but largely done "under the table" so to speak. Having an older, more experienced woman teach Bryce, or any king really what he should look for in a woman is knowledge that he probably should have and it's doubtful that his regent/educator ever really brought it up.

However, it probably wouldn't be talked about openly. Especially if the older woman was still old enough to bear children. I'm sure many nobles liked things to be nice and tidy in the public life even if "things" and "stuff" was happening privately.

Honestly, I haven't really thought about Bryce's past parentage. I wrote him to be sort of a blank slate...which is probably why there are many people who wish to write stories about him rather than any of the later protagonists. Especially that first Court Scene where almost literally nothing has been established except a few support characters.

Right, I was casting about for ideas about whether an early experience of gallantry would shape Bryce's attitude (what's a proper way to relate to a female partner for dalliance? what did his first lover insist on and emphasize?) and whether there might be continuing influence. Depending on the circumstances of Itheria before and during the regency, there might be more or less active jockeying of factions to place a woman in the King's bedchamber to turn his head to the advantage of one group or another before Bryce is properly married -- maybe even an outside force slipping in a disguised agent. Vessa to the rescue? Or perhaps Akina, or whoever runs counterspies for the King in this branch. I figure that maybe I'd sketch up a small number of internal and external factions/Great Families and who's at odds with one another. Maybe if Bryce's Totally Deniable Older Girlfriend knows heraldry or is a diplomat or court entertainer, she can clue him in to who's at odds with whom over what past injuries, current rivalries, and future hopes and fears.

Also I was toying with the idea that Bryce might have a twin sister who's all, "Ha ha, you have to be king, what a tedious headache of a job," unless he screws it up and she has to take over, maybe faced with an amped-up version of the marriage alliance question. (They probably wouldn't try to marry her off until his line looked somewhat established, so maybe she would prefer him to wait as long as he likes).

 

[dearnise]

Something that I have been meaning to mention that might be an idea to explore...If Bryce and Cielina hit it off and marry, or have kids, or something in between. Perhaps a son could be heir in Itheria and a daughter would be heir for the Amazons. I find it doubtful that even if a man was Cielina's firstborn that the Amazons would accept his rule. Granted they might not even have succession laws and rule by force. I don't know.

However, If there's a son ruling in Itheria and a daughter ruling in the Amazon Isles, it could lead to future interactions with the Amazons in future plot lines...Along with possibly other things.

That's funny. I was having similar thoughts myself. Though before anything like that happens, maybe one of Cielina's own rivals comes along somewhere down the road, or her presence causes some nobles that thrive on tradition, to rebel.

 

[merkros]

Right, I was casting about for ideas about whether an early experience of gallantry would shape Bryce's attitude (what's a proper way to relate to a female partner for dalliance? what did his first lover insist on and emphasize?) and whether there might be continuing influence. Depending on the circumstances of Itheria before and during the regency, there might be more or less active jockeying of factions to place a woman in the King's bedchamber to turn his head to the advantage of one group or another before Bryce is properly married -- maybe even an outside force slipping in a disguised agent. Vessa to the rescue? Or perhaps Akina, or whoever runs counterspies for the King in this branch. I figure that maybe I'd sketch up a small number of internal and external factions/Great Families and who's at odds with one another. Maybe if Bryce's Totally Deniable Older Girlfriend knows heraldry or is a diplomat or court entertainer, she can clue him in to who's at odds with whom over what past injuries, current rivalries, and future hopes and fears.

I would imagine that relating to a casual sex partner would be...well, casual. The formal statements "Lord, Lady, Your Majesty, etc" would really only be for more formal settings, or to show respect.

For the rest...Again, I set it up to be as blank of a slate as possible. In general I like to imagine that King Bryce's regency was relatively uneventful and the kingdom is in a fairly safe position...at least at the start to put the kingdom in sort of a neutral position. Basically as long as it doesn't contradict something that has already been stated in previous chapters from the point you start and doesn't contradict something on the Writer's Resource Page, then it is probably fine.

Also I was toying with the idea that Bryce might have a twin sister who's all, "Ha ha, you have to be king, what a tedious headache of a job," unless he screws it up and she has to take over, maybe faced with an amped-up version of the marriage alliance question. (They probably wouldn't try to marry her off until his line looked somewhat established, so maybe she would prefer him to wait as long as he likes).

Well, the Introduction does say that "You are the only legitimate member of your dynasty left." However, it could be very easily changed to the "only male legitimate member" and still have the same gravitas.

 

[moonlight]

Hello! I'm Merkros, the main author for A Fantasy Dynasty.
...
It's my first story here and honestly it almost wasn't even posted. I have issues with crippling anxiety and have never had confidence in anything I've written and I have written quite a lot in a probably futile attempt to become a writer. However, reaction so far has been mostly positive...Although as my girlfriend can attest, it doesn't stop me from obsessing over every single downvote and I hope to improve on my writing quality as i do more.
...

I did start to read your story today and it is very good. Normally I would just stop reading a story if I don't like it.

I can't understand people downvoting your story this much. I took a look at the story tree and nearly all threads were downvoted once.
I think there was just a troll going through each thread just to click thumbs down.

 

[merkros]

I can't understand people downvoting your story this much. I took a look at the story tree and nearly all threads were downvoted once.
I think there was just a troll going through each thread just to click thumbs down.

I know who it is at least in part and why. I'm not going to really go into specifics here, because I don't want it to reflect negatively on his current project. However, I have spoken to Friedman about it and he said that the issue would be resolved soon.

I am glad that you enjoy it though. Hearing about it really pleases me!

 

[Zingiber]

Well, the Introduction does say that "You are the only legitimate member of your dynasty left." However, it could be very easily changed to the "only male legitimate member" and still have the same gravitas.

Thanks for the pointer! It should work just about as well if he has an illegitimate (but favored) sister.

 

[merkros]

Does anyone have any suggestions on names for Itheria's Capital City? I'm a bit tired of just calling it The Capital...

I was considering just calling it Itheria, but for some reason that feels a bit lazy to me. Although, I suppose it would makes sense if after the collapse of the Arxkesttelgdn Empire, a City-State arose from the city of Itheria named after the city. Which then became the Kingdom of Itheria after consolidating the surrounding regions. It would hardly be the first nation named after its founding city.

 

[Zingiber]

Submitted a start for King Bryce which could be a jumping-off point for either "The Queenmaker" or "The King's Own" arcs. Let me know what you think.

 

[Zingiber]

Submitted a start for King Bryce which could be a jumping-off point for either "The Queenmaker" or "The King's Own" arcs. Let me know what you think.

Thanks @merkros ! I'll take things a step at a time. Let me know if anything needs a re-do to stay true to your story.

 

[merkros]

Looking good so far!

 

[merkros]

it would seem as if by relaxing the introduction a bit to allow for any ruling noble family to be a starting point, not just a King or Queen that I have released the floodgates of aspiring writers who wish to create their own story within the setting.

Which is great! I think part of the appeal of A Fantasy Dynasty is openendedness of the premise and I love seeing what people do with the idea.

I am a bit concerned about conflicting lore though. Honestly, I wasn't expecting such an interest in the story and thought I could easily keep up with the lore of just a couple of aspiring writers who wished to contribute. Now I'm thinking I should find some way to create a world map of sorts to keep everything straight...at least of the parts of the world that have been lore'd out so far.

 

[dearnise]

I am a bit concerned about conflicting lore though. Honestly, I wasn't expecting such an interest in the story and thought I could easily keep up with the lore of just a couple of aspiring writers who wished to contribute. Now I'm thinking I should find some way to create a world map of sorts to keep everything straight...at least of the parts of the world that have been lore'd out so far.

That would work. I have yet to finish my first arc, but I'm sort of thinking further ahead, and broadening out the fantasy world that has been set. It could expand on some of the lands that has been introduced by others, or introduce new ones, like a Norse-like kingdom, or a Celtic-like Kingdom, or even an Far Eastern Kingdom.

 

[SonOfDusk]

I'd love some feedback on the Hedonism / Corruption story path on which I am currently working. Due to RL stuff and a severe case of writer's block I have been absent the last few months. A lot of things has changed since, and now the whole consequence stuff is going to slowly bite its way into what I had originally planned. I'd like to collect a few suggestions with which to work, ending in something akin to The Ursupation.

I am a bit concerned about conflicting lore though. Honestly, I wasn't expecting such an interest in the story and thought I could easily keep up with the lore of just a couple of aspiring writers who wished to contribute. Now I'm thinking I should find some way to create a world map of sorts to keep everything straight...at least of the parts of the world that have been lore'd out so far.

I'd start a seperate thread here in the forums, discussing and approving lore. Once every few weeks or so, all updates are collected and the necessary changes made. A good starting point would be simply restructuring the current information page in the story.

 

[merkros]

I'd start a seperate thread here in the forums, discussing and approving lore. Once every few weeks or so, all updates are collected and the necessary changes made. A good starting point would be simply restructuring the current information page in the story.

I don't know if my story really warrants a full extra thread to work with. Especially considering the forum rules strongly prefer one thread per story. The best I could do is work a running lore post in the original post and I don't think that would be much better than the current information page.

As far as restructuring the information page. I thought of that a few times of putting it through a rework. Two Ideas sort of stuck out

I could set it up in a guide form with a numbered table of contents, so people can jump to a specific topic with ctrl+f. this would be the easiest to set up. However, It would still just be a single page and it would only really just make navigating it easier.

I could rework the whole thing, set it in different chapters for things like laws and traditions and different kingdoms and things like that which then might be condensed into different regions depending on how much info there is on a certain area. This has the advantage of looking nicer without being such a large infodump. However, It would also be way more work to set up and take up a lot of chapters. I would prefer it personally if there was as few chapters devoted to information for the writer's as possible and I would hope that any aspiring writer who wishes to write would read through the whole thing anyway regardless of how much of an info dump it is simply so that they know what's going on where.

So I don't know what would be best. I also don't know how(or if) to create a character list. Considering the potential number of characters involved and how dynamic it would be; the idea of doing so is a bit...daunting to say the least. Granted, personally I care less about the various characters being lore-accurate across all of the story branches as I do actual places and kingdoms being in the right location. As long as it doesn't conflict with the chapters that came previously.

 

[dearnise]

That's alot to think about, given the combination of the lack of time, with the potential for writer's block.

I wonder what people are thinking about my "Amazon Raiders" arc, and if people want to see me move it forward a little faster, or if I should work out the plot branches & links first.