Medieval Fantasy Adult Only RP

To discuss plots, characters, ideas for the current RP Plot mentioned in the title

Looking for RP post
https://www.rprepository.com/community/forums/topic/112976

Setting:

Medieval era (think king Arthur, Robin Hood, old England)

Kingdom: Albion
Capital: Askia
Village: Carmarthenshire
Farmstead/Family name: Llanelli

Warning: Low magic setting

- Magic is rare, it exists but is uncommon, most characters would not have it.
- Use of magic and amulets is forbidden in Albion by law, those who are caught practicing any or known to have it are persecuted and imprisoned/executed if caught forcing them to hide or live in exile/wandering

When replying please state what position interests you.

NOTE: All NPC positions are available (I temporarily filled them in below to get the IC story going).

If you would like any of these positions, just say so here in the chat below! Once picked I will update the list of characters post and the IC story to accommodate your character instead of the NPC.

All NPCs are up for grabs, positions filled by Players are not up for grabs any more

PLAYER - evil lord knight / black knight --> Tron Pentre

NPC - the widow who owns the farmstead --> Hunith

NPC - the son who dreams of being a knight/warrior and living adventures --> Taff

NPC - the daughter who dreams of being an archer/warrior/huntress and living adventures --> Ebony

PLAYER - former knight/mentor reduced to a farmer --> taken by... The Hanged Man

NPC - housekeeper -- old Gwen

NPCs - housekeeper's granddaughters --

* Beatrix

* Martha

NPC - housekeeper's husband --> Zachary

NPC - village taverner - owns the place where all go to drink and gossip -- Dean Morgan

PLAYER - tavern maid serving drinks/meals --> Elena

NPC - townsguards --> Glendale

NPC - local mayor/lesser lord who rules over the village and farmstead --> Robin

NPC - knights at the king's service? (Righteous, they disagree with Pentre's injustice but gotta keep the head down)

* Sir Lucas

* Sir Merthyr

NPC - evil royal taxman (friend of the black knight?) --> Simon

- tavern customer? (Any kind... peddler, bard, merchant, thief, sword for hire looking for work, wench etc)
- villager (Any kind, healer, blacksmith, tailor, cobbler, etc)(wealthy, poor, modest income)

PLAYER * Huntress / fisher / trapper --> Adelia

NPC * Wood logger --> Wesley

- other positions relevant to the setting (medieval - think king Arthur and joustings)

H) villager female.| poor| low level hunter| low level trapper|low level fisher

Excellent, welcome aboard

Hangman has been working for Hunith for a long time, right? A few years at least?

Absolutely.

Hunith's husband... Lord knight Arnold Stormborn...



He was the king's right hand man at the time, lord knight of the realm and leader of the armies but he was executed when Tron Pentre was finally knighted

Tron used the betrayal of Arnold (the leader he had sworn to serve) and his false testimony to ascend to power as the new lord knight on the basis of a false claim of treason against Arnold.

This man was his first officially unjust unfairly ordered execution.

Arnold's execution happened three months after the daughter Ebony was born and she is now an eighteen year old
Taff was one year old, now nineteen.

Perfect. Do we wanna say that Pentre ousted Hangman (possibly with accusations of magic, causing him to flee)? Or that Hangy left the knighthood of his own volition?

Your character, thus your choice...

Some possibilities / plots you can juggle with....

a) Hangy had a discreet amount of magic which he kept to himself and gave him much endurance.

Arnold trusted Hangy (his teacher and brother-in-arms 100%) and kept the secret safe, also Arnold only knighted or recommended for knighthood those squires that Hangy approved of.

When Pentre went to Arnold he sent him to THM who told Pentre/Arnold that the youth was not yet ready in the heart to be a proper knight (dubious character/foul deeds?)

At the border, Pentre was fighting, trying to prove his valour in battlefield against rebels but, given his youth, he was badly wounded in the battle/skirmish. With life slipping away, too quickly to get to a healer, Hangy used his magic to heal Tron but rather than gratitude, upon healing, Tron reported to the king "a knight of the realm is using sorcery right under your roof!" without giving names but showing his otherwise deadly scar.

In order to protect Hangy, Arnold accepted the charge of sorcery and was executed as a warlock/wizard and made an example of.

Note: Using magic being a charge of highest possible treason in king's eyes and everyone elses.

Arnold's death caused THM much guilt and decided to leave rather than to bend the knee to treacherous Pentre... the new lord knight... THM's refusal made Pentre's blood boil having expected THM to submit rather than flee, causing the knight to put a bounty and forcing him into a fugitive in hiding, fleeing the royal courts.

After a time wasting his life away, wandering drunkenly to and fro, a penniless vagabond, avoiding Pentre and his goons, THM ended up in the furthest corner of the kingdom, in a farm.

b) Pentre accused Arnold of protecting sorcerers by making knights out of them, eyes steady on Hangman to oust him, it forced THM to flee and Arnold was arrested for harboring and aiding a traitor and be executed for treason himself, having made sure to block Pentre's way so THM could flee into hiding/safety.

c) When Pentre was made a knight, Hangy left knighthood of his own volition because he knew Arnold had been removed from post and it was given to Pentre unfairly (false accusations of financial fraud). Pentre taking opportunity to execute Arnold right away so he didn't reveal the truth... it was Simon and Pentre who had taken the money from the royal vaults to finance Pentre's rise to power.

d) Perhaps following Arnold's execution THM served Pentre as a knight, to not make Arnold's sacrifice be wasted in vain, maybe also out of sworn duty to protect the king from Pentre's influence and definitely due to blackmail from Pentre who now knew THMs secret, but became a renegade after he saw many of Pentre's unlawful executions, mass slaughtering, vengeful persecutions and unfair extortions against peasants and wealthy merchants and nobles alike, walking away from knighthood to stop partaking of such injustices and causing Pentre to hunt him down

e) anything else of your choosing

Given the charge of treason against Arnold and his family, no one wanted to help Hunith rebuild the torn farmstead for it was treason to aid a traitor and his family once found guilty, even if the culprit was executed. Sooo when Hangy accepted to work for her, Hunith was more than relieved and also a tad worried for THM, his offer striking much respect for the man, the only one who came to help out

Keep in mind Hangy never knew where Arnold's farmstead or castle was, so when he wandered into Hunith's service, he had no idea who he was serving, who she was, or those two kids were.

Arnold was so fully devoted to duty that he always left wife and children at the family estate, visiting them on his brief vacations, and never once brought them to court or spoke of them and their names or household's whereabouts except for the day he sought the king's permission to marry Hunith.

(*) Simon the Taxman/royal scribe of course does know the truth about Hunith being Arnold's wife... what he doesn't know yet is that THM is working for Hunith and living in Arnold's place.

(*) Dean Morgan, the taverner of Carmarthenshire village likely knew THM and also knew Arnold for he had been working at Askia capital city when Pentre rose to power, at too young an age. He moved to the furthest corner of the kingdom to avoid troubles with the black knight on account of his former friendly acquaintance with Arnold. The village was a lot less profitable but felt safer and happier than the capital. He often saluted Crow but did not call him by any other name than Crow or Farmer, like the rest of the village, no Sir titles or real names ever given. No discussion of his knightly past ever spoken openly at the tavern, though, he always had a kind gesture for the man who helped the widow at the cost of his own neck and freedom, giving THM extra rations, or double servings for the same price as a mark of respect for the honourable warrior

Let me get you started... You have a choice to make

a) do you want to start at the forest meeting Wesley (the wood logger) and make your way to the village? -- new paralel scene

b) do you want to arrive at the Farmstead and help around as they all prepare for the village fair? -- current scene

c) or do you prefer to be arriving at The Risin Sun's tavern (owned by Dean Morgan) often called Morgan's tavern? -- new paralel scene

Hangman's magic makes him long lived and gives him stamina, but he can't cast spells. I think option D is perfect. THM, known at court as Sir Falche (not his birth name but the one he used when he served), was a loyal knight sworn to serve the king and support lord knight Arnold. Hangy always thought Pentre was too cruel and hot headed to be a knight, but tried to train him nonetheless. Pentre pulled off some kind of scheme to defame Arnold and gets appointed to the position of lord knight, then oversaw Arnold's execution. Hangy tries to stay in his position under Pentre for a while to try to limit the damage he could do, but eventually realized this was a losing battle, and took off. He wandered for a while, then found his way to Hunith.

That all sounds good to me!

Seeing THM can heal but not can't cast spells, it is more plausible Hangy is the one that got wounded trying to protect Pentre during the skirmish and Pentre watched Hangy heal himself when he should have been dead, given the serious wound... The fact Arnold wasn't surprised about THM healing ... lead Pentre to accuse Arnold of harbouring sorcerers aka a traitor, more interested in Arnold's position than THM having powers

Leading to the option d) which sounds good to me too

That works It wouldn't be like the wound magically knits before their eyes, but the injuries he can sustain are enough to kill most men ... and if it happened more than once, Pentre could put two and two together. (Along with noticing that THM doesn't seem to age, etc etc)

For those not familiar with my RPs... different scenes can be taking place at any given to accommodate different locations/characters/sub-plots.
Each scene change is marked with ***** LOCATION *****

Let me get you started... You have a choice to make

a) do you want to start at the forest meeting Wesley (the wood logger) and make your way to the village? -- new paralel scene

b) do you want to arrive at the Farmstead and help around as they all prepare for the village fair? -- current scene

c) or do you prefer to be arriving at The Risin Sun's tavern (owned by Dean Morgan) often called Morgan's tavern? -- new paralel scene[/quote]

Hey Tus--would Hangy know that Hunith is Arnold's wife, etc? He wouldn't have known when he first showed up at the farmstead, but I feel like he would eventually put the pieces together. Or would you rather he doesn't have that knowledge? If he did figure it out, Hunith probably wouldn't be very forthcoming with the details, so he may just have strong suspicions.

It is your character so the decision rests solely on you. You feel that he would eventually put the pieces together and you are right there.

Crow would definitely have put many pieces of the puzzle together and held strong suspicions though Hunith never spoke of her husband's name or former rank because of the charge of treason they all bore upon their shoulders. She knew if Pentre ever returned for revenge and they were caught, questioned... the children could at least swear in a very believable manner that they were none the wiser about their father and perhaps spare their lives. Whether he now wishes to discuss this with Hunith because Taff is so restless about it, or chooses to remain quiet about it all... is up to you.

Considering the trust between Arnold Stormborn and Sir Falche had back then, flashbacks and the clues Crow picked over time THM would have had strong suspicions/certainty by now

* Crow taught Arnold how to fight as a knight

* Crow and Arn always travelled together and trusted one another to the point that Arnold took all of Crow's secrets to the grave

* Arnold hailed from the north so he had a strong closed accent which knights anywhere else in the kingdom didn't have

* This was the same accent and mannerisms and ideals and convictions and dedication to the sword as Taff had now.
To THM it would feel like talking to his former superior/friend just in a younger version, something Pentre could easily pick up on too.

* There were no other well-known knights executed for treason that hailed from the north

* Arnold was married at the time of his death

* Arnold had 2 very young children at the time of his death, which would be of Taff's age at this point of present.

* This age gap also tallies as to the last time Simon and Pentre had been to the north.

* Crow would have known about a boy and a girl sired by Arnold but the names had been changed.
Taff Emrys Gelligen... his father called him Emrys...but Hunith always called him Taff instead
Ebony Loreley Astrid... his father called her Loreley... but Hunith always called her Ebony instead

* Hunith at the time was not seen by anyone because she had been wearing black clothes of mourning and a very thick long veil that covered her entire head and face throughout. Gracefully standing not far from her husband as he surrendered, was taken and killed before her eyes.

* Pentre wasn't aware Arnold had had any kids as Arnold himself or Crow didn't tell anyone of the children's birth for their safety.

Gwen and Zach had taken the pair of children and their own two granddaughters to Carmarthenshire, sneaking away once their own son and daughter-in-law had been thrown inside the burning house, fearing the kids would be next. In the town, Dean hid them in the cellar till Pentre had gone back to the capital.

* Simon would have known of the kids because, as the scribe of the realm, he had to register all noble marriages and births and Arnold was very law abiding. But Simon feared if he travelled north, the peasants there would attack him because they all adored their liege lord Arnold and Simon had been present on that fateful night in which Pentre hanged Arnold and burnt the place down, despite all the riots, unrest and protests from all the peasants gathered there. He feared commoners probably still had thirst for revenge and not forgotten Simon or Pentre any time soon.

* Crow would have been present at that execution, on that fateful night, Pentre would have ensured THM's attendance, forcefully or otherwise. Perhaps THM came to support his friend in his final hours, provide Arn one comforting look and one friendly face throughout the ordeal of the shameful journey from the capital to the north as a condemned criminal and shamed knight found guilty of sorcery, when all others turned their back on Arn.

THM was possibly too focused trying to save his friend, at least his dignity, to remember much of the surroundings in great detail of that dark night and location. THM was doing his earnest to negotiate with Pentre and Simon a more honourable and quicker death by the sword, proper of a warrior like Arn was, instead of a shameful lengthy slow death by hanging proper of traitors and villains --- decision is on you.

THM may have been forced to execute his friend making Crow's guilt and grief all the worse for it, for Crow knew he was making a widow, and leaving two young children and an honest family without the father's income and protection. It was likely Pentre chose THM to carry out the execution, the royal decree, to put to the test THM's loyalty to the crown and to his knightly vows/Code of Chivarly over his long standing friendship with his former student/protegee. This selection of executioner was meant to bring THM's and Arnold's much heartache and anguish because Pentre simply was a cruel bastard and could make that choice.

To refuse orders would have made THM guilty of treason and rebellion and likely mark him for execution too so Sir Arn would have insisted THM to uphold his knightly oaths of loyalty to the crown, he would have compelled Crow to carry out the execution and do this duty well, no matter the difficulty/cost to the both of them --- decision is on you.

Did THM try to rescue Arn from death's clutches? Rebelled at some point? This would probably have happened after the servants were tossed into the fire and left to die, breaking the promise and agreement from Pentre of sparing all servants if Arnold yielded, a broken oath over which Arn had disarmed and surrendered himself peacefully to save the lives that were lost all the same. If so, it would likely explain why THM only held blurred memories due to the heavy blows to the head/concussion received in the altercation --- decision is on you.

* One thing is certain, the landscape at the time looked very very different, too different to tell it was the same place, the sprawling lavish estate fell into disrepair and was mostly swallowed by the encroaching wilderness following the man's death. At the time of the execution it was all extensive well kept gardens and ploughed fields, the forest pushed too far back to be but a background scenery where now it was all surrounded and swallowed by wild forests that had reclaimed all the nearby peasants houses when commoners and servants fled the area to the next town to not be accused of treason for serving Arn or living in his lands. This would explain why THM at first was none the wiser upon arrival, but... overtime... things clicked in place.

* Perhaps it was because THM figured who the two kids were that he had decided to stay and work hard for them, as a provider, because he had uncovered the truth and owed Arnold his life. A way of repaying an old debt by watching over Arn's wife and kids on his behalf

If you decide he had been clueless all along, he will become clued in soon enough Simon IS already at the village after all this time with none other than Sir Pentre

So Simon has kept quiet about the kids out of cowardice. When Pentre finds that out, it's gonna be great.

Hangy would definitely look for ways to avoid the execution, but there was no way for Arnold to flee with the family (and he might have refused anyway since that would make him look guilty). THM was the one to carry out the execution, and that would go down exactly as you said, with Hangy wanting to refuse and Arnold ordering him to. If the servants were put to the torch after the execution, Hangy would have tried to stop Pentre out of frustration and grief, leading to some injuries that made his memory of that night a little muddled. Pentre didn't outright execute him for treason because he might be more invested in making THM yield and bend the knee. (Get ready for Hangy to have a crush on him again, hahaha)

I very much like the idea of Hangy sticking around because he figured out who the kids and Hunith were. He would have tried to have a conversation with her about everything, but I imagine she would refuse to discuss it, and he would just accept it.

Hunith wouldn't refuse Crow any questions, if he took the right opportunity to ask, just not when the kids were awake or nearby and might overhear.

She owes him that explanation, especially now, because if Pentre comes, which is always a risk at any big yearly fair, Hangy carries a death sentence for assisting the traitorous family, especially protecting and serving the young nobles who have Arn's bloodline.

Pentre would hit the roof if he learns Hangy had been personally raising and training Taff, Arnold's son, all these years because in the past it took much effort for Pentre to get only a handful of training sessions from Hangy before being dismissed as not good enough a student * dripping jealousy coming up *

It was this refusal to teach Pentre longer what put Arnold under Pentre's watch and wrath, everyone knew Arnold was the best fighter because he had been trained by Hangy for many years, acquiring skills that Pentre and many others lacked

Yes, that is the fact!

At the time, confessions to Pentre that there are also two kids involved, meant staying in the North much longer looking for them to execute them too, while surrounded by angry mobs baying for blood and revenge at their lost liege lord. He didn't fancy his own death over Pentre's obsession with Arn who was dead anyway so he kept quiet. Cowardice and self preservation is a strong trait of his