Assassin's Arrow

This entry is part of the PBM List.

Email: mjmottajr@gmail.com
Frequency: 2-4 times a week
Type: fantasy, strategy
Last-Update: 2007Apr10
Keywords: free, open-ended, email, human, fantasy, rpg

Description

Welcome to the city-state of Octavia. At the height of its power, it controlled nearly the entire eastern coast of the Continent and was beginning to expand its power and influence elsewhere. The reign of King Justarius III, however, left many within his kingdom unhappy. The peasants, poor and unfed, threatened rebellion. Even the lords, generals, and knights openly questioned the policies of the king. Goblin raids became more and more frequent upon the outlying villages. There were whispers of dark elves gathering weapons and training for some type of attack. Some even spoke of demons who stalked travelers at night.

Then the king was assassinated by a poison arrow as he delivered a speech from the balcony of his palace. Without a male heir, the Governing Council has elected one of its members to serve as Regent until the king's cousin returns from a diplomatic trip overseas to assume the throne.

Without the strength of a king, Octavia is on the verge of chaos. The Regent, fearing that the kingdom will fall, has strengthened his grip upon the populace. Open disagreement, once tolerated, is no longer being tolerated. The Governing Council has granted him powers that even a king himself has never possessed in hopes of keeping stability for the three months until the new king arrives.

This RPG will be both a freeform RPG and strategy game. Each player will control one of the following "forces" in the power struggle within Octavia. I will play various NPCs and serve as GM.

The Loyalists

This player will assume the control of one member of the Governing Council who disagrees with the powers being granted to the Regent. He/she wants to figure out who assassinated the king and why. He/she is secretly gathering together other like-minded followers. Eventually this group will include other players.

The Regent and his Followers

This player will assume the role of the Regent and a few of his closest allies. I will fill this player in on the exact intentions of the Regent and it will (for now) remain a secret to the other players. The Regent will have control of the Octavian militia and the Knighthood.

The Drow

The Drow have been gathering secretly in the forests of Octavia and preparing for something. There has been a fragile peace between Octavia and the Drow for nearly a century. They are currently sending a delegation to the Octavian Palace to meet with the Regent. Their intentions are unknown.

The Goblin Raiders

The goblins, realizing how weak Octavia is, have become much more brazen in recent days. They have been attacking entire villages and stealing citizens for the slave trade. The Regent is rumored to be plotting a massive assault upon their stronghold inside the Octavian mountains.

Demonkind

This group is only rumored to exist amongst the citizens of Octavia. A powerful wizard is said to have created some type of portal somewhere within Octavia from which he is summoning an army.

Kianto

A smaller city to the west of Octavia. For many years Octavia dominated Kianto, forcing them to pay high taxes and subjecting them to harsh treatment. The reign of King Justarius III, however, has allowed Kianto to strengthen its military, its naval fleet, and assume a greater role on the Continent.

If you are interested in playing, please e-mail me with your top 3 choices in order and I will do my best to appease you... first come, first serve, of course. Once we get going we will likely expand and allow players to work together and add more factions. Once you have your faction we can work out the character details, etc. Look forward to hearing from you!

GM

      


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Greg Lindahl