Dyed in Red: A Medieval Fantasy Quest

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You are the first-born child of the most vaunted Duke of Burgundy, richest and most powerful of...
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    • Crilltic

    Crilltic

    Arbitrator
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    Massholistan
    ​

    You are the first-born child of the most vaunted Duke of Burgundy, richest and most powerful of the Valencian Nobility. You stand as heir to a vast assortment of territory in Valencia and the Frisian Coast, but you were born into a time of strife and change.

    The Kingdom of Valencia is in chaos, as the island kingdom of Aellia once again presses its claim to the Valencian Throne. Madness and bloodshed hold sway throughout the countryside. Mercenaries and brigands, cast offs from the great dynastic armies settling their matters of succession, loot and slaughter their way through much of the Kingdom. It is a time for sadness and misery for much of the country, mothers lose sons and husbands, fields lie fallow and dead. All the while whispers of plague and rumors of other, far darker, things continue to spread, left untended in the shadows left by the war.

    You were born removed from much of this suffering. The lands of Burgundy have been spared from the fires of war, for your father stands as the foremost ally of Aellia in Valencia. It was his forces that captured the claimed Sword-Saintess Margaret and revealed her to be nothing but a foul witch. His forces were largely responsible for the recent tide shift in favor of the Aellian claim. It is, however, an alliance of convenience rather than loyalty. The Dukes of Burgundy have long been rivals to the Valencian Crown, and in this, it is no different.

    You were born in the lap of luxury, for Burgundy is nothing if not wealthy, and nothing if not generous in flaunting that wealth. Eventually you will have the finest tutors and the finest servants available to you, and you will require all of it. For your father is a great man, and has maneuvered his title into a position of strength. However your father is just a man, and all men die. In the future, you will inherit, and then it will fall to you to defend Burgundy against all those who covet its wealth and status.

    All you can hope is that you possess the vision and the insight to do so, for if not, you will surely be trampled under the ambition of your neighbors.    ​

    You were born as:
    [ ] Charles: The first born son and only legitimate child of your father, your birth is one of gilded opportunity. With you, your father has now fully secured the dynastic legacy of his holdings, allowing to focus on expanding his influence within the realm of Valencia itself, a decision that will likely have far reaching consequences in Valencia and further beyond.
    [ ] Charlotte: Your birth as the first born daughter raised some concerns, though given the current condition of your mother another birth is likely out of the question. However, female inheritance is allowed in much of the lands of Burgundy, and in the Kingdom of Valencia itself...well needless to say a female heir in Burgundy will pour yet more oil onto the war over the right of female descent in Valencia.
    Dyed in Red is an original fantasy story heavily based on the real world life of Charles the Rash, the last Duke of Burgundy. Knowledge of 15th century Europe is helpful, but this quest is meant to be consumed on its own, and I will endeavor to make sure such knowledge is not needed. The setting is largely Late Medieval in texture, as it gives way to the Early Modern period. The Tulips War (Valencia's version of the Hundred Years War) is in its late stages and guns and cannons are beginning to make their way into widespread usage.

    This Quest uses a heavily modified version of the CKII system I used for Upon This Sword of Fire, and in part is serving as a testbed for an eventual redux of that quest, expect some changes to the system as the quest progresses. You can find the complete system write-up below.

    The Quest's main character is currently a newborn babe, and the tutorial will allow you to guide them through various important events in their childhood and early adulthood. Their personality, traits and relationships will largely be defined by this tutorial as well as other player votes.

    This is also not going to be a low fantasy quest, magic and the supernatural are a key part of the world. However, especially at start, they are just barely starting to return to the world. It is dangerous and poorly understood, and can likely help as well as hinder the main character in their pursuit of safeguarding the Duchy of Burgundy. I'm drawing from a scattering of sources such as depictions of the fae, and medieval legends, so expect to see some amount of influence from beyond the generic western fantasy template.

    The Duchy of Burgundy is surrounded by many enemies, from the Valencian Crown which seeks to constrain what they see as a powerful and extremely dangerous vassal, to the Aellians with their aims on the continent, to the scattered realms of the Erste Confederation. All of whom are potential, if not inevitable, enemies to an ascendant Burgundy. Not to mention the internal forces that oppose the increased centralization and strength of the Crown of Burgundy, strength that would be necessary to bring a state into existence.

    I will answer player questions to the best of my ability about the setting, though I reserve the right to withhold information if I feel it's necessary for the sake of the story.
     
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    • Basic Mechanics
  • Informational
    • Basic Mechanics:

    I. Stats
    - Diplomacy:     Influences how persuasive you are.
    - Martial: Influences starting military size and morale, as well as the result of tactical actions led by you.
    - Administration: Influences upkeep and building costs, as well as income.
    - Intrigue: Espionage actions, higher chance of success for you and lower for your enemy when high. Vice versa when low.
    - Learning: Impacts scholarly and artistic pursuits
    - Willpower: Your ability to resist, and potentially use, the supernatural

    Stats have ranges:
    - 0 - 5: Incompetent
    - 6 - 10: Below Average
    - 11 - 15: Above Average
    - 16 - 20: Notable
    - 21 - 25: Exceptional
    - 26 - 30: Legendary
    - 30+: Inhuman

    II. Dice Mechanics
    - All rolls are made on d100s, with appropriate modifiers related to skills.
    - A roll that is 95+ before modifiers is a Critical. Dice Explode on Criticals
    - A roll of 1 before modifiers is a Critical Fail. Whatever the option being rolled automatically fails with disastrous consequences

    III. Actions
    - Each turn you select actions to take in 7 Categories. (Diplomatic, Military, Administrative, Espionage, Learning, Religious, and Personal)
    - Each turn you may take, as a base, 1 Action in each category. Your Advisers can increase the action pool in their category, as well as provide other modifiers and bonuses to action rolls.
    - For one action in each category you may also boost this action, with a modifier equal to your skill in that category. (For Religious and Personal Actions, what that skill is depends on the action).
    - It is possibly to gain both temporary and permanent modifiers to actions.

    IV. Decisions
    - At the end of each turn, you will likely be faced with a decision. Something has happened in your realm that demands a response. Whereas Actions are active, Decisions are reactive.
    - Decisions will sometimes open up the possibility of further actions, as well as personality details and your relationship with advisors (who will likely provide advice on each decision)
    - If you are familiar with Magna Graecia this system is cribbed largely from there.

    V. Prestige and Piety
    - Prestige and Piety are both slider system that range from 100 to -100. Higher Prestige and Piety provide benefits on certain rolls, easier decisions, as well as many other rewards, whereas negative prestige and piety can have drawbacks and penalties associated on them.
    - Prestige is raised through several methods, from winning military actions to successful diplomatic actions. However the primary method is through Learning actions, such as sponsoring scholars and artists to produce works.
    - Piety can be raised through religious actions and personal

    VI. Advisers, Generals and Hero Units
    - Advisers come in two categories, Generic and Exceptional.
    - Generic Advisers are merely represented by a Level, which determines how many actions you can take in their area of expertise (this Level varies from 1-3), and at higher levels a small bonus for being there. Generic Generals are much the same, though they function as leaders of armies rather than advisers.
    - Exceptional Advisers are what is typically the norm for a CKII Quest, with a full stat sheet and traits of their own. Exceptional Advisers are Hero Units, which means they can be used in a variety of circumstances, from Advisers, to Generals to Admirals to anything else.​


    VII. Selling Out (AKA Omakes)
    - Omakes provide bonuses to rolls. +5 for non-canon Omakes and +10 for canon ones and fanart.
    - The writer of the omake decides where to allocate their rolls.
    - Characters in Omakes are not guaranteed to appear, however depending on the quality of the omake they may appear later as an appropriate.
    - I also reserve the right to pillage omakes for plot ideas.
     
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  • Informational
    • [X] Charlotte: Your birth as the first born daughter raised some concerns, though given the current condition of your mother another birth is likely out of the question. However, female inheritance is allowed in much of the lands of Burgundy, and in the Kingdom of Valencia itself...well needless to say a female heir in Burgundy will pour yet more oil onto the war over the right of female descent in Valencia.

    Yes good.
     
    [X] Charlotte: Your birth as the first born daughter raised some concerns, though given the current condition of your mother another birth is likely out of the question. However, female inheritance is allowed in much of the lands of Burgundy, and in the Kingdom of Valencia itself...well needless to say a female heir in Burgundy will pour yet more oil onto the war over the right of female descent in Valencia.

    Edit: Damn, too slow.
     
    [X] Charlotte: Your birth as the first born daughter raised some concerns, though given the current condition of your mother another birth is likely out of the question. However, female inheritance is allowed in much of the lands of Burgundy, and in the Kingdom of Valencia itself...well needless to say a female heir in Burgundy will pour yet more oil onto the war over the right of female descent in Valencia.
     
    Last edited:
    [X] Charlotte: Your birth as the first born daughter raised some concerns, though given the current condition of your mother another birth is likely out of the question. However, female inheritance is allowed in much of the lands of Burgundy, and in the Kingdom of Valencia itself...well needless to say a female heir in Burgundy will pour yet more oil onto the war over the right of female descent in Valencia.
     
    [X] Charlotte: Your birth as the first born daughter raised some concerns, though given the current condition of your mother another birth is likely out of the question. However, female inheritance is allowed in much of the lands of Burgundy, and in the Kingdom of Valencia itself...well needless to say a female heir in Burgundy will pour yet more oil onto the war over the right of female descent in Valencia.

    Greatness awaits!
     
    [x] Charles: The first born son and only legitimate child of your father, your birth is one of gilded opportunity. With you, your father has now fully secured the dynastic legacy of his holdings, allowing to focus on expanding his influence within the realm of Valencia itself, a decision that will likely have far reaching consequences in Valencia and further beyond.
     
    [X] Charles: The first born son and only legitimate child of your father, your birth is one of gilded opportunity. With you, your father has now fully secured the dynastic legacy of his holdings, allowing to focus on expanding his influence within the realm of Valencia itself, a decision that will likely have far reaching consequences in Valencia and further beyond.
     
    [X] Charles: The first born son and only legitimate child of your father, your birth is one of gilded opportunity. With you, your father has now fully secured the dynastic legacy of his holdings, allowing to focus on expanding his influence within the realm of Valencia itself, a decision that will likely have far reaching consequences in Valencia and further beyond.
     
    [x] Charles: The first born son and only legitimate child of your father, your birth is one of gilded opportunity. With you, your father has now fully secured the dynastic legacy of his holdings, allowing to focus on expanding his influence within the realm of Valencia itself, a decision that will likely have far reaching consequences in Valencia and further beyond.
     
    [X] Charlotte: Your birth as the first born daughter raised some concerns, though given the current condition of your mother another birth is likely out of the question. However, female inheritance is allowed in much of the lands of Burgundy, and in the Kingdom of Valencia itself...well needless to say a female heir in Burgundy will pour yet more oil onto the war over the right of female descent in Valencia
     
    [X] Charlotte: Your birth as the first born daughter raised some concerns, though given the current condition of your mother another birth is likely out of the question. However, female inheritance is allowed in much of the lands of Burgundy, and in the Kingdom of Valencia itself...well needless to say a female heir in Burgundy will pour yet more oil onto the war over the right of female descent in Valencia.
     
    [X] Charlotte: Your birth as the first born daughter raised some concerns, though given the current condition of your mother another birth is likely out of the question. However, female inheritance is allowed in much of the lands of Burgundy, and in the Kingdom of Valencia itself...well needless to say a female heir in Burgundy will pour yet more oil onto the war over the right of female descent in Valencia.

    Playing a male heir in a medieval pseudo-Europe Quest is boring mode.
     
    [x] Charles: The first born son and only legitimate child of your father, your birth is one of gilded opportunity. With you, your father has now fully secured the dynastic legacy of his holdings, allowing to focus on expanding his influence within the realm of Valencia itself, adecision that will likely have far reaching consequences in Valencia and further beyond.
     
    [X] Charlotte: Your birth as the first born daughter raised some concerns, though given the current condition of your mother another birth is likely out of the question. However, female inheritance is allowed in much of the lands of Burgundy, and in the Kingdom of Valencia itself...well needless to say a female heir in Burgundy will pour yet more oil onto the war over the right of female descent in Valencia.
     
    [x] Charles: The first born son and only legitimate child of your father, your birth is one of gilded opportunity. With you, your father has now fully secured the dynastic legacy of his holdings, allowing to focus on expanding his influence within the realm of Valencia itself, a decision that will likely have far reaching consequences in Valencia and further beyond.
     
    [:V] Carlotta: You are both boy and girl, so you can both inherit in an agnatic succession and make babies. Win/win in CK2!

    [X] Charlotte: Your birth as the first born daughter raised some concerns, though given the current condition of your mother another birth is likely out of the question. However, female inheritance is allowed in much of the lands of Burgundy, and in the Kingdom of Valencia itself...well needless to say a female heir in Burgundy will pour yet more oil onto the war over the right of female descent in Valencia.
     
    Kinruush said:
    I'm sure that Crill will make it an interesting quest and story regardless, but yeah, pretty much, I agree completely.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Inb4 but SV always picks Female MCs!

    Seriously though, the Quest has fires starting everywhere. Rather than pick the more stable option, I'd rather go for the one that makes a bigger mess of things. Chaos is a ladder and all that jazz.
     
    [X] Charlotte: Your birth as the first born daughter raised some concerns, though given the current condition of your mother another birth is likely out of the question. However, female inheritance is allowed in much of the lands of Burgundy, and in the Kingdom of Valencia itself...well needless to say a female heir in Burgundy will pour yet more oil onto the war over the right of female descent in Valencia.
     
    Hannz said:
    Inb4 but SV always picks Female MCs!
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    I've heard this before (I know that you aren't being serious about it) and I'm honestly tempted to do a survey of how many times a male MC is picked compared to a female MC, just out of curiosity if nothing else. I really doubt that the results are going to be that disproportionate from what I've seen.
     
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