You're the Queen - Now What? [CK2ish Character-Focused Quest]

The Throne Room of the Royal Palace in Eridia was unusually silent. Usually, unless the Queen was speaking, there were at least hushed whispers and murmurs, people shuffling their feet, that sort of thing. Sometimes that happened even if the Queen was speaking.

But not this time.

Among the people who cared to - nobles, wealthy cityfolk, the richest of the gentry, and others of that ilk - the question of who Vanessa might marry was a not uncommon topic of discussion. On the one hand, the Queen was young, and healthy and there wasn't much need for an heir right this second. On the other hand, there was no dynasty to fall back on. Short of her half-siblings in Veldros (whom nobody really considered viable successors, least of all the Queen herself), she had no family that could serve as heirs.

If she died tomorrow, Halrun faced chaos. Could they really pick another candidate for Queen?

And so, while the question lacked the urgency it might have in other contexts, there still was an uncurrent of concern in every discussion.

Some certainly, had entertained the idea that Vanessa might marry domestically - there were powerful nobles that had eligible children, or were eligible themselves. But given the balance of things domestically, and the need for Halrun to shore up it's international prestige, there wasn't really much chance of that.

Looking abroad, for the first time in Halrun's short history, seemed to be the best choice. But who? Even before the suitors had begun to arrive, people had considered Nerinthar, and Selissa and Illegorst. South Zarsim had been floated. Some people had considered Hengri and Zedarsh, but they lacked clear candidates - just cousins to the main line that would only have been so useful in shoring up relations.

No one had considered the Kingdom of the Necromancers, or if they had, they'd kept such insane thoughts to themselves. And yet, and yet - Essinya Serriados had publicly come to lay suit for Vanessa's hand, and had not been immediately rejected.

That alone had created murmurs.

But after that, things had been... unsure. The Queen had held the Gala, her diplomats had been in discussion with all her suitors, she'd met with Princess Janera and Essinya, but there was still time.

But over the last few days, there were murmurs. Whispers. Rumors. Prince Loran had apparently vanished from the Royal Palace and the capital entirely, and the Illegorst delegation didn't seem to be worried about it. There were reports of various delegations packing, but it was unclear, confused, mixed reports and details. There was a rumor that either Princess Janera or Princess Regara was quite upset about something, seen or heard trashing one of the rooms of their suite, but again, unconfirmed and unclear if either really had done that.

But even more, was the biggest rumor, the one whispered throughout the capital, that Vanessa had been seen speaking with the Necrotic Ambassador, Arandel and Essinya in attendance. That General Darach had ridden back to the Citadel of the Golden Throne in a snit, or that she'd been utterly ironfaced and unresponsive.

That Queen Vanessa had done the unthinkable, that she had picked Essinya Serriados.

That the Queen was marrying a Necromancer.

But surely that couldn't be, right?

But if it was true, some wondered aloud, would it be so bad?

Of course it would! Some countered.

Would it really? The Archnecromancer was peaceful, others noted. Halrun sold a great deal of food to Darkmoon Forest, did it not?

Mage bullshit, a few grumbled. Of course Vanessa would marry the only mage of the lot, no? That's what you got from making a Mage Queen.

It's the necromancers! Inviting death magic right into the capital!

On and on the debate very quietly raged, but everyone assumed it had to be purely hypothetical, because of course it wouldn't happen, would it?

And then the announcement had come that the Queen had an announcement for this day, and so, the attendants and courtiers and hangers-on that always gathered in the palace, the nobles in the capital, the elite of the city, and any members of the gentry that cared to and could get here in time were here. Joined by the mages and clergy of note in the capital, and the smattering of Estates representatives to handle the minor business still before that body had also joined them.

Only during Vanessa's coronation had the Throne Room been so full of people. Which, set against the size of it, still made the chamber seem half-empty, but it was what it was.

But the Throne was, for the moment, empty. The Queen wasn't present. The moment of her scheduled announcement drew near...

A chorus of trumpets sounded through the room from behind the throne as one of the Seneschals of the Palace walked into view before the throne.

"All make ready for Her Royal Majesty Queen Vanessa Kolmain, First of Her Name, Grand Duchess of Lake Raida, Queen of the Marches, Protector of Order and Justice, Mistress of the Griffin Throne and Queen of Halrun!" The Seneschal shouted, and the Royal Guard proceeded into the room, in larger numbers than usual for when the Queen held court, and more visibly too, in full dress uniform over their armor, which had been polished to a state of gleaming that was atypical even for the Royal Guard.

Then came the Queen's entire Inner Council - from Count Vallefor Trovus to Lady Rienne Novash to Arandel Synvara and all the rest, followed by an assortment of lesser advisors and attendanents, all taking up positions around and near the Throne, and finally, Vanessa herself come out.

Vanessa was wearing a dress that some of the oldest people present recognized as having belonged to Syrokis's mother, albeit likely adjusted and altered to fit Vanessa better. It was a burnt orange color, trimmed with dark blue, and like most dresses Queen Vanessa wore, nearly - but not quite - dragging on the floor, and as she had at her coronation, the Queen seemed to have cast a minor cantrip to create the effort of a breeze going around the base of the dress, almost giving her the appearance of floating.

She wore not the normal crown for day to day use, but the heavier, more elaborate Crown she had been coronated with - stylized, bejeweled, larger. Truly designed with 'heavy lies the crown upon the head that bears it'[1] in mind.

Vanessa approached the throne and sat for a moment, before she then stood again.

"Since I took the Throne nearly eight months ago, there has been the question of my eventual marriage. As the first of a new dynasty, with no clear heir, of my own body or otherwise, this is a natural question. And of course, over the last few months, I have entertained suitors from multiple nations, spoken with the ambassadors from all the realms that have proposed such a pact, and considered thus, which is the best choice for Halrun."

Vanessa paused for a moment, and murmurs and whispers spread through the crowd. This was it, wasn't it?

"There is much that must be considered when a Monarch marries. And it is no easy choice, but I, as Queen, have come to such a choice. I have chosen my Queen Consort to be, and the date of the wedding has been set for four months hence, on the anniversary of my coronation."

More murmurs. Queen Consort. That eliminated a few options, and left with two. Including the one all the rumors had been. The murmurs and whispers were louder, longer this time, but quieted down as Vanessa raised her hand.

"I am Queen, by the will of the Estates, and the choice of who I marry is ultimately mine, and mine alone. It is not a choice I came to lightly, and a choice that I make with the greatest benefit to Halrun in mind."

"I, Vanessa Kolmain, First of My Name, Fourth Ruler of Halrun, will in four months time, marry Princess Essinya Serriados of Darkmoon Forest, daughter of Archnecromancer Lyrus Serriados, King in the Deathwood." Vanessa announced.

For a moment, you could have heard the proverbial pin proverbially drop. Just a moment, though.

The throne room burst into whispers and murmurs, and then louder voices. A few shouts broke out. One voice shouted 'traitor!' another something about 'death-magic' being evil. Another straight up accused Vanessa of being a necrophiliac.

That last one seemed to elicit a harsher reaction from the crowd than the others, gasps of shock and dismay at that accusation, and the crowd actually parted to make it easier for the Royal Guard to grab the woman - an urban elite of some sort judging by her garb and lack of any heraldry - and drag her, protesting, from the throne room. The other shouters were also removed, and one of them was a progressive Lord of some rank and status.

There were more murmurs and whispers at that, at the Queen silencing those who spoke out so against her. On the one hand, removing them from the Throne Room was fair, but Syrokis was known for silencing his dissenters...

"Those who disrupt the proceedings of the Crown are not welcome in my presence, nor in this Throne Room." Vanessa said in a chilled voice. "But I am a magnanimous Queen, and there is still much that must be done for the wounds Syrokis left in this Kingdom to heal. Though it is in my power to punish those who insult the Crown as those have, I will not do so."

A few more whispers and murmurs. Some sounding relieved, but a few seemed to think maybe Vanessa should have done more. But most were quiet. There were greater matters to address than a few loudmouths. Was Queen Vanessa really just going to announce her marriage to a necromancer and that was it?

"The Kingdom of the Necromancers, Darkmoon Forest, is a realm with a long history, and much of it has not boded well for the peoples of the lands bordering it. And yet, for decades now, Darkmoon Forest has stood at peace with all who border it, including with Halrun, for our entire history. They have been nothing but a boon to our Kingdom, serving as a market for our crops, a source of art and luxuries I know are enjoyed by many in this chamber."

Quiet murmurs of acknowledgement. Merchants invested in the grain trade, nobles with extensive food sales. Anyone who liked whiskey from Darkmoon forest, or those who collected Necrotic art.

"Though many are loathe to admit it, much of Halrunian culture remains rooted in it's history with the old Necrotic Empire. But perhaps it is time we stopped denying all that Halrun owes to it's past. I do not propose to bring necromancy to the fore. I do not propose to raise the bodies of those who fall in Halrun, as happens in Darkmoon Forest. But I do propose that it be considered all that Darkmoon Forest offers Halrun. We have made great strides in recent months, but there is much to be done to rebuild our Kingdom, economically, physically, militarily, culturally, socially - a marriage with Essinya Serriados, and an alliance with Darkmoon Forest offers aid on all of those fronts."

"I have, since she arrived in this Kingdom, had the chance to know Essinya Serriados. She is no threat to Halrun. She is no threat to you, my people. Her ways are different, even alien to ours. And yet, I too was not born in Halrun, and you embraced me as your Queen. The High Marshall was born in distant lands, and she has made Halrun her home. My Keeper of Envoys has made Halrun his home for the entire history of this Kingdom, despite his birth elsewhere. Halrun has always made outsiders part of us. And yet, as I note - in many ways, Essinya is not an outsider."

"I ask your patience, and forbearance, people of Halrun, as you come to know Princess Essinya Serriados of Darkmoon Forest, as I have. I ask that you trust me, as you have thus far. Necromancy has a dark reputation, and rightly earned, but I am a mage as much as I am a Queen, and I can assure you that there is no magic that is purely evil, and no magic that cannot be lent to the public good in some form. Darkmoon Forest is not some horrid land of vice and sin. Darkmoon Forest and the people that dwell within it are just that: People. They love, they laugh, they mourn, they grow and learn."

She raised a hand, and then dropped it quickly. "In four months time, on the anniversary of my coronation, I will marry Essinya Serriados, and forge an alliance between Halrun and Darkmoon forest. Both of our realms will gain greatly, and together, and with the help of all of my people, we will bring Halrun not only to the greatness it held before Syrokis tainted us, but to new heights."

The doors deeper into the palace opened and six Death Knights - well under the number of Royal Guardsmen present - came into the room, taking up position on one side of the raised dias on which the Griffin Throne sat. And then behind them, came Essinya Serriados.

She wore no consort's crown, of course, unmarried yet as she was. But she wore a black dress, trimmed with silver and a deep, dark purple. It was cut in such a way that it almost looked tattered around the bottom, but with a flowing, fluttering arrangement of the fabric, spread wide around her. The dress had no sleeves below the elbow, instead leaving her forearms bared - jewelry, silver and white gold, decorated with skulls and onyx gemstones, and other Necrotic designs rested on her wrists and arms and fingers, and around her neck. She approached the dias, and bowed to Vanessa, who stepped down from the dias, letting Essinya take her offered hand and then stepping up the dias, returning to her throne, and Essinya taking up position next to it.

"I present to you, the future Queen-Consort of Halrun, Essinya Serriados!"

It would be a lie to say there was a great cheer, as one might expect from the announcement of a marriage and the presentation of a beautiful, elegant and brilliant woman as the future Queen-Consort. But there were no boos, and there were cheers - enough that it wasn't a horrid embarrassment for the Queen or her wife to be, though also enough people remained quiet, or cheered quietly, to make it clear to both, as if they didn't know, that there was much work to be done.

There is likely to be some degree of negative response in the streets, though for now the assembled courtiers and elite of the capital seem... willing to give this a chance.

For now.

But how did Vanessa plan ahead to address this concern?

(All rolls will use Vanessa's stats)

Pick One
[ ]Put the Royal Guard, the Mobile Reserve of the Army and the Eridia City Guard on alert, an active presence on the streets to prevent any mobs or protests or riots forming or getting out of hand. (Base Chance 70% + Martial)
[ ]Naked Bribery - Vanessa offers a donative to every resident of Eridia, which will be disbursed on the coming days, of money, a free gift to her people. (Costs 5 Dureks) (Base Chance 80% + Intrigue)*
[ ]Breaking open the Palace's stores of wine, beer, ale and other spirits, to be distributed to inns, taverns and other such places across the city and freely given out. (Base Chance 60% + Intrigue. A miss could actually make potential negative responses worse, as people get too drunk)
[ ] Write In A Proposal (Base Chance will be provided by me if approved. I intent to be reasonably flexible in approving write-ins here)

There is no moratorium for voting.

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[1] In real life 'Heavy lies the crown' is a misquote of shakespeare. In this verse, the version I quoted probably is directly and accurately quoting from an in-universe play of some sort.

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QM Note: I did debate diving right into Turn 8 here, but I figured this was probably necessary. However, because I'm sure you guys are probably impatient to begin Turn 8 and start getting shit done again 🤣I will be doing my best to have the Turn 8 Council meeting post out in one week, rather than waiting the usual two weeks.