Forums » Smalltalk » Idea bouncing, please help

Okay, I'll try to make this short. Key word try.

The Chronicles of Ichor is a fantasy RP based on an original world I have here http://fav.me/day3cpl The main RP on fanfiction.net is on hiatus. The version of it that exists here on RPR is more or less an AU. If you're curious as hell where to find it on fanfiction let me know and I'll point you in the direction, but please don't make a post there.

I have some plot points that I've been stuck on for the main RP, and the hiatus is ending soon. So far, these have nothing to do with the AUs and it will not affect them.

im going to put up one problem at a time that I have. Hopefully you guys can get some good ideas rolling for me because I've been stumped for a while. And it's no good for the host/GM to be stumped.

Current issue:

--Prince Laedron of Arkaria has found his way to a very small Arkaria-aligned resistance with a few of his most trusted fighters. They want to bring him back to Arkaria to inspire hope and to begin to rally an army against the rebel forces there. The problem is that a) their numbers are currently way too small and b) Lae is very easily recognizable in Arkaria and could easily be reported to the rebels. At the same time, it's hard for them to do nothing. I'm wondering how to find some sort of compromise here because Lae really needs to stay alive and not in captivity, being a figurehead and also a major mover of plot.

Maybe the prince wears a disguise to get past the enemies?

The point for the Prince's arrival was to expose himself in secluded alcoves so as to rally up forces in Arkarian favor. Although a disguise may help him make his way from town to town, what's to stop the rumor of his return from reaching the rebels? The rebels are bound to investigate such.

They may be bound to investigate it, but if these people he's rallying are for his survival, they should have no problem agreeing to some lies. I think it was in the TV show Reign where a particular character hid in plain sight as some old, cranky Lady. Carriage and all, spent most of his time disguised as her within it, and no one knew for the longest time it was really him. She demanded respect and had authority with her title, so no one was able to get close enough to discover the truth.

Still, he would need to move quickly and always be one step ahead of the forces.

As much as I love this idea and wish I could use it, sadly, it wouldn't work. In the year that they have been in power, the rebel forces have been scarily effective in destroying the nobility, as they support more of a patrician-merit sort of system rather than the system of noble birth. A disguise as a noble would immediately paint the Prince as a target regardless.

Ugh, I feel like the canon RP may have written itself into a corner. *cries*

Idk what the rest of the world is like, but you could always have them travel to another small country/faction who supports Laedron's rule and get troops there--enough, at least, to make an incursion into Arkaria and drum up more support. This new faction could possibly have remained neutral in the original conflict, but Laedron going to them and making an impassioned plea could be enough to sway them.

Conversely, and this is a little less realistic but still fun, Laedron could seek the aid of some large, famous mercenary group. In either case he could offer up something very valuable in exchange--perhaps even his hand in marriage.

Once he arrives in Arkaria and makes his presence known, word will spread, but if this is a medieval setting that could still take a while, especially if Arkaria is big. He could also potentially get some people to disguise themselves as him and make appearances in varying locations, potentially even doing something totally bonkers so that when the rebels hear about these reports, they dismiss them as silly rumors. It won't last forever of course, and eventually the game will become more like cat and mouse as the rebels try to pin down his location. But, from what it sounds like, Laedron has a lot of support from the laypeople, so it isn't unreasonable to think that his small army could outmaneuver a larger one for a while.

Also, unless Arkaria is heavily settled, it would be possible for Laedron to keep offroad until he makes his first appearance, which could be in a strategic location--probably a large city that he knows will strongly support his claim.

He could also track down any surviving members of the old regime, people who survived the purge or their family members, and get their support in a more secretive, one-on-one fashion.