@yrsillar
A Prince of Empire
(Xianxia CK2 Quest)
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Your name is Mu An; Prince of the Mu dynasty and heir to the throne of the Empire. For thousands of years the empire has stood, its armies of cultivators beating back barbarian hordes, legions of spirit beasts and angry spirits.
Through tireless effort civilisation has been carved out of a world of wondrous horrors. The Mu are the Third true dynasty to stride the world. Descendants of the Herald of Endings, the Owl who's white wings cover the skies, the are charged with overseeing the empire, lest the wrath of the Celestial Dragon, companion of the first Emperor, rain down his lightning upon them.
You are prince An of the Mu dynasty and your empire is rotting around you. The Golden Fields still chokes under ash and dust, the last desperate attack of Purifying Sun having saved the empire, but doomed the province.
Beneath the permissive eye of your father, Emperor Si, the nobility have grown lax and rapacious. Talented commoners become small nobles whose houses rise and fall as often as the tides. Lands go forever untended as great men and women have their talents strangled in their cribs long before they can rise to serve the empire. Vassals and peasants chafe under harsh and grasping hands. Corruption is everywhere.
To the south one of the great provinces is being invaded. The cloud tribes come on their flying horses, cities shatter under lighting storms and the Emerald Seas tremble in Ogodei's shadow.
Beset by foes on all sides, with daggers behind you and swords ahead you must come rule these lands and lead your people to safety and prosperity.
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Welcome to a prince of Empire. A CK2 Style quest in which you are the prince of an Empire in a Xianxia type world.
This quest is somewhat unusual, in that you start out playing a prince beneath your father's rule rather than as your own head of house. Beware, for sometimes the actions you prefer may come into conflict with the choices of your father.
Turns will typically be a number of years (most frequently a decade) because of the long lives of cultivators. At certain times you'll encounter flashpoints. Much like war turns these will slow down the action and have you take decisions on much smaller timescales than normal.
Rolls for stats (1d20):
20 19 10 17 10 18
(Ok who bribed the dice gods for your stats?)
Please assign to: Martial, Diplomacy, Stewardship, Learning, Piety and Intrigue.
Additionally pick two traits:
Brave: +1 Martial, greater respect from martially inclined peers. Bonus to personal combat and combat cultivation techniques.
Scholar: +2 learning. Greater respect from scholarly inclined members of the court.
Once a generation (counts as 3 traits): +4 Piety. Enables you to one day reach the greatest heights of cultivation a mortal is able to. Perhaps one day you might join the realms of the great spirits themselves.
An ancient blood: Piety +1. The spirit blood of you ancestor is stronger in you than most. May have unknown effects
I know people: Diplomacy +1, Intrigue+1. As a prince people are eager to talk to you and eager to tell you of their rivals sins.
Additionally you may pick a disadvantage to gain an extra trait:
Rash: Confers additional bonuses to personal combat. -1 Martial (strategy rolls) -1 diplomacy.
Big Spender: You have lived a lavish life and see little problem with spending money to like water. -2 Stewardship.
Justice will come: Narrative trait. (Counts as 2 disadvantages) You believe in justice so much that you have based your cultivation around it. The system is rotten and must be changed, so you will change it. You will have trouble overcoming the urge to correct injustices, and will bear grudges against the unjust even when it might be wise to forget them. Where you get the chance to correct a great injustice (as the character sees it) but do not wish to you must make a resistance roll to overcome the urge to do so.
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Character Sheet:
Mu An
Age: 150
Martial: 18
Diplomacy: 10
Stewardship: 10
Learning: 17
Piety: 20
Intrigue: 19
Traits:
Cultivator: Add ½ Piety x realm to personal combat rolls (d100)
I know people: I know people: Diplomacy +1, Intrigue+1. As a prince people are eager to talk to you and eager to tell you of their rival's sins.
Once a generation (counts as 3 traits): +4 Piety. Enables you to one day reach the greatest heights of cultivation a mortal is able to. Perhaps one day you might join the realms of the great spirits themselves.
Justice will come: Narrative trait. (Counts as 2 disadvantages) You believe in justice so much that you have based your cultivation around it. The system is rotten and must be changed, so you will change it. You will have trouble overcoming the urge to correct injustices, and will bear grudges against the unjust even when it might be wise to forget them. Where you get the chance to correct a great injustice (as the character sees it) but do not wish to you must make a resistance roll to overcome the urge to do so.
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Turn 1:
The Emerald Seas have been invaded. On wings of flying messages come tales of the sack of cities and the plundering of a province. And the name: Ogodei Khan.
Martial (pick 2)
[] To the South!
Pack your personal guard and take a flying carriage to the aid of the Emerald Seas. There's no time to lose. You'll link up with the local armies and take the fight to these barbarians.
Chance of Success - high. Roll for condition of armies and province on your arrival.
[]
To the South - with Reinforcements
One cultivator and his bodyguards, even a prince and his retinue will make little difference. There are cultivators as strong or stronger than you in the Emerald Seas. What you need are enough men to drive back these armies.
Must be take with Diplomacy - rally. Roll to see how many you recruit and how fast you get there. Be warned, too many recruits may slow you down more due to transport issues. The Emerald Seas will take a malus to their condition roll.
Chance: Roll dependant.
[]
Suit up team!
The imperial vaults are, well not open to you exactly but you can get a few nice items. Retrieve artifacts for the campaign for you and your bodyguards, bonuses to combat.
Chance: Certain.
[]
Get to the Chopper - Only available with Diplomacy - Rally and To the South with Reinforcements
You'll need more than your own transportation if you want to get a large number of men there in time. Beg, borrow or commandeer whatever you can. Higher roll means less time lost for the army to get there.
Chance: Certain. Higher rolls give better results.
Diplomacy: (Pick 1)
[]
Rally -general:
You need troops to go to the aid of the Emerald Seas. Convince your father and any other nobles you can find to lend you them.
Chance: Moderate. They're only barbarians after all. Warning: very low rolls may incur penalties.
[]
Rally - The young Scions
Instead of trying to get the emperor and the heads of the nobility to listen play to tales of glory to convince the younger members of the nobility of the glory of fighting the barbarians. Lesser number of troops, but they'll bring their house guards and can move fast and come with their own transports.
Chance: Moderate-High.
[] Rally - the Sects
Typically captained by the second, third or fourth children of the nobility the sects are charged with teaching younger generations the skills of cultivation. They are also meant to safeguard the empire.
Chance: High. It is the duty of the sects to come. Additionally the sects are typically stronger than cultivators of the courts. However rivalries, territoriality and the scattered nature of the sects may reduce the number who can come at once.
[]
Scion of the Empire:
Try to convince your father to release more of the contents of the royal vault to you. Greater artifacts and protections available for you and your men.
Chance: High. Warning: low roll may come with penalties.
[]
A little help:
You aren't the best at talking to people. Find someone better to do it for you.
Chance: Very high
Stewardship: (Only 1 action available due to war).
[]
Recruit Senchanal.
Your father has given you a certain amount of land to rule over as practice for your eventual rule of the empire. Recruit someone to do advise you and take care of your lands while you're away.
Chance: Certain
Learning: (Pick one due to time constraints of situation)
[]
Surely someone knows:
The cloud tribes are far away and you know litte of your foe. Surely someone else knows more.
Reward: more info on cloud tribes.
Chance: Fairly high. Roll to sort propaganda from truth
[]
Know thyself:
Find out more about the geography of the Emerald Seas. Work out where you need to fight them, where to stop them and where to retreat.
Chance: Fairly high.
Piety (Pick 2)
[]
ABC - Always be cultivating
Bonus to personal combat for the war. Begin/continue the quest for immortality.
Chance: 100% Effects depend on roll.
[]
Of the spirits:
Can the spirits be useful to your campaign? You should find out.
Chance: moderate due to difficulty of finding someone familiar enough with the Emerald Seas.
[]
I want to be the very best:
Spirits are the greatest boon to the empire as well as one of your greatest foes. Find and bind a strong spirit to be your companion, inside battle and out.
Chance: 100%. Higher rolls give better spirits.
Intrigue (Pick 2):
[]
An ear at court.
It is a bad idea to be out of the loop of court activities. Recruit some people to ensure you know what happens in your absence.
Chance: Very High.
[]
Rooting out Corruption
You already know who is on the take. Everyone. Find out who the worst offenders are and begin to lay out plans for their removal.
Chance: ???
[]
Blackmail is such an unpleasant word.
Your people need you. They need your need troops more than they need justice from those nobles right now. Get the evidence and trade it for troops.
Bonus to Get to the Chopper and Rally diplomacy actions. May require a roll due to Justice will come trait.
Chance: Moderate
Personal:
[] Get married: The empire needs another heir.
There's a war on. No.
[] At odds with an Emperor:
You and your father have had staunch disagreements on the way the empire is run for decades. Perhaps you should talk to him again?
[] The Bodyguard(s):
Get to know your bodyguards better. They're responsible for keeping you alive.
[]Can a prince have friends?
Speak with the nobles at court you get along best with.
[] Extra effort
Gain a small boost to a specified action in any category except diplomacy, stewardship or personal.
[] The search for immortality
Continue your cultivation. Stacks with []ABC
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AN: As with all of these please tag me if you have a comment you'd like added in.