Year 1, Phase II
Standing in your room, you ponder things.
Your sisters, Euphemia and Nunnally, as well as your childhood friend Milly are waiting for you down below. Already, the two younger girls have expressed dismay at how busy your schedule has gotten over the past few months, but as much as it pains you to disappoint your little sister now and then, such is the life of royalty. It only now occurs to you how sometimes,
very rarely albeit, you glimpse a wistful look on your mother's face as she stares out the front parlor window facing the Emperor's grand palace.
Will you one day wear a look similar to that?
Sitting upon the throne of the Empire, will you merely feel sadness that you cannot be with the one woman you love?
They are heavy thoughts, but you take solace in the fact that if your father had not had to marry so many women, your dearly-beloved siblings Euphemia and Cornelia would not exist.
Still, now that you have made a social appearance on your own, things may pick up pace. You will have to buckle down and do your best in the coming months. Play to your strengths and against your enemies.
After all, your mother has told you many times that the only 'unfair' advantage is one which you, yourself, do not possess. In that way, you suppose your Professor's lessons ring true as well. When you are victorious, people describe ungentlemanly actions as 'cunning.' When you lose, they are 'cowardly.'
Such thoughts make you worry for your sister, who shows none of your skill for shadows and subterfuge. The young girl, still only ten, favors bold moves in the short games of chess you partake with her, though she has not quite evolved the patience for them yet. Hopefully, she will learn in the coming years how to wield a subtle knife rather than just the intimidating sword.
There is the slim hope that your sister will do
neither, of course, and take up some
safer path in life, but...
...one one rare occasion, you can remember your mother and father laughing after she had dubbed you 'your father's son.' Father, on the other hand, had dubbed Nunnally, 'her mother's daughter.'
You idly wonder if twelve is too young to start developing ulcers from worry?
Intrigue: CHOOSE TWO
[ ] Evaluation: There are a number of candidates for various positions you'll need filling. You have the option of approaching them openly, or determining their suitability quietly. Given that retracting an offer of employment would be the height of rudeness, it would be best that less acceptable individuals never knew they were under consideration at all: Cost: 200; Upkeep: 0; DC: 30/60/90/120; Rewards: Information on Individuals with Useful Traits/Talents/Skills, Reveal recruitment candidates.
[ ] Prince & Pauper: You're...
sure there's some value in being able to pass as a commoner, you'll just figure it out later. You will admit a deep curiosity about how the greater unwashed masses live, and this is likely the only way to go about getting an unbiased opinion on the matter. Cost: 50; Upkeep: 0; DC: 30; Rewards: Perspective/Other Intrigue options open up.
[ ] Soldier, Spy: The world sees Britannian royals as powerful individuals, true, but that is because of their position and the society empowering them. On a personal level, though, European yellow journalism and the populist press of other nations casts royalty as brutish and without any grace or subterfuge. You will prove them wrong. Cost: 100; Upkeep: 0; DC: 20; Rewards: Basic spycraft/Rumor Mill Unlocks/Vary by degree of success.
[ ] Codes & Ciphers: Although you can't very well demand tutelage from the empire's very best spymasters and codebreakers... wait, you're royalty. This is very much a thing you can do. Which is why you'll be doing it. Cost: 200, Upkeep: 50, DC: 30; Rewards: Learn the state of Britannia's covert affairs/Possible Intrigue Trait.
[ ] Your Philosophy, Horatio: ??? Cost: ???, Upkeep: ???, DC: ???, Rewards: Things happen, options open up, vary by degree of success.
Learning: CHOOSE ONE
[ ] By Degrees: Complete a course of study at a renown college. You've undergone professional tutoring since before you can remember, so this shouldn't be too hard, even if you do walk away with a general studies degree. Nevertheless, graduating at such a young age will be impressive. Cost: 200; Upkeep: 0; DC: 0; Rewards: Trait Gain/Useful(?) or Prestigious College Degree/Vary by... pun not intended.
[ ] Imperial Infrastructure: While the emperor is the decisive head of the Brtiannian beast, a huge amount of the day-to-day matters are handled by nameless bureaucrats and the physical amenities your nation has built up over the years. Maybe you should learn about them if you intend to govern them one day? Cost: 100; Upkeep: 0; DC: 0; Rewards: Possible Trait Gain/Knowledge of Imperial Infrastructure/Other options open up/Very by degree of success.
[ ] Night at the Museum: Britannia has a great appreciation for history and more than a few royals have followed in those footsteps. You, too, will venture into storied halls to see what can be gained. Perhaps you will find something interesting. Cost: 50; Upkeep: 0; DC: 0; Rewards: ???/Possible Trait Gain/Vary by degree of success.
[ ] Lingua Franca: Although it is of little consequence for you to hire a translator should the need arise, it may be worth it to invest in a language other than Latin. Picking up a dialect of Chinese, for example, could put you in a favorable position should you ever need to negotiate with a diplomat or businessman. Cost: 100; Upkeep: 0; DC: 10; Rewards: Fluency in one or more foreign languages/Possible Trait Gain/Vary by degree of success.
[ ] Lingua Coda: Forgiving your mutilation of an ancient tongue for the moment, learning the ins and outs of computers could be worth the time. You, of course, know how to operate them in general, but picking up a bit of coding to wile away your non-existent free time is better than something unproductive. Cost: 100; Upkeep: 0; DC: 0; Rewards: Become more computer literate/Open other options/Vary by degree of success.
Piety: CHOOSE ONE
[ ] Parlor Tricks: The application of mental power and will to affect the real world used to be taken as a sign from any number of gods. These days, it is of little practical use, and less intimidating than the barrel of a gun. It is easy enough to determine whether or not you have an affinity for the ability, though. Cost: 100; Upkeep: 0; DC: 0; Rewards: Determine personal talent/Possible Trait Gain/Vary by degree of success.
[ ] Gospel: As old as ancient times, psionics have been recorded in a variety of sources. To make a determination on their usefulness, perhaps it would be best to do a little digging. Cost: 100; Upkeep: 0; DC: 0; Rewards: Information on psionics in history and capabilities/Open other options/Vary by degree of success.
[ ] Empty: Just as some in ancient times regarded psionics as a show of favor from some divinity, others saw them as foul pacts with unseen forces. You are the latter, and there has been plenty written on how to fight anyone or any
thing that might try to take umbridge with you. Cost: 100; Upkeep: 0; DC: 0; Rewards: Information on how to block psionics/Possible Trait Gain/Vary by degree of success.
[ ] Artifacts: Few and far between, held in great esteem, and jealously guarded... these breathtakingly few pieces of history are items crafted with the aid of mental power and extreme will. Objects out of time and untouched by the passage of it, they can be extremely useful, one way or another. Cost: 500; Upkeep: 0; DC: 60/???; Rewards: Gain a psionic artifact of unknown age and usefulness.
[ ] Whispers: ??? Cost: ???; Upkeep: ???; DC: ???; Rewards: ???
PLEASE USE PLAN VOTING!
