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"Since the end of the war, I'd had no hope. No wife, no kids, no family. My job was gone with the city I'd lived in, and so had my old home. I was a wreck, struggling just to survive, to see another miserable sunrise of another miserable day. I'd lost it all, and nothing awaited me that could uplift me, nor save me...

Until one day..."


Perhaps this is how your story begins, perhaps it is not, but I felt we all needed soemthing to uplift us from the bleak events of the last fortnightly. So, here's the next theme: happiness. Write a story in which someone or something finds that one thing that uplifts them and makes them truly happy, no matter how bleak things may have seemed before.


The deadline is 2000GMT on December 22nd, so that we can all enjoy the stories over the holidays.

Have fun people, and remember to be happy!

"Commission the new seals from the craftsmen at once, Mr Dennis. Trade is the lifeblood of a good Kingdom, and the sooner we establish trade, the better."

Dennis seems highly pleased, and nods in approval. "Very well, My King." -he says.

"Before you leave, Mr Dennis, I would like to know more about how the trader's guild actually works. Would you explain the workings of the guild a little, and perhaps the purpose of the seals as well?"



Dennis nods, though not a single strand of hair is misplaced in the motion of his head.

"Well, my King, the trader's guild manages all of the traders, shops and caravans in the Kingdom. New trade routes, supply routes and the like are run by caravans, which we will prepare, stock and purchase protection for as each member sees fit. Of all the trading  that goes on in the shops, taverns and inns, as well as between the villages and towns and between our kingdom and other nations, a small tax is accumulated, which is then paid, fully, to the crown once each year.

Currently the TRADE TAX rate is set as "LOW".

To ensure fairness and legality in our dealings with other nations, however, the SACRED SEALS OF THE TRADERS are used. These seals are finely crafted by the best craftsmen of the realm, and each seal bears icons and symbols which are pressed upon the seals of trade contracts. This way, any member of the Trader's guild can confirm the seals as valid and untampered at any time, based on the dates, times, signatures and seals on each contract. The exact way this works is a trade secret, as I am sure you will understand, but the system has served us well so far. To lose the seals is a horrible blow, especially at this time, but I am sure we can replace them soon.

Not having the seals does not mean we cannot trade, however it does mean that we run the risk of being scammed and having our documents tampered later on.

Is this explanation satisfactory to my King?"

Ooooh! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou everyone! It seems I tend to write the more violent episodes in these competitions and this time it paid off (mostly thanks to a well-set base and a good base character set). Maybe I'll try something different the next time I'm participating. And yes, I agree, we should do this sort of storytelling more often, but I don't want to turn the fortnightly into that just yet, so I'll come up with a new theme tomorrow and get the next fortnightly competition rolling.

Again, thanks to everyone who participated, thanks to kconan for organizing (and for the trophy) and thanks for the votes.

*does a victory dance*

[80]

I won't be listing all the valuables in the realm, but yes, the guilds, nobles and even common folk may all have something of value, and crime can happen depending on several variables, such as kingdom wealth, security, fame etc.

For a look inside the game's inner workings (to maintain the illusion of "fair game"), see below for minor spoilers:

Spoiler

You currently have 10 guards assigned to watch over the town, each of which provide you with X points of GUARD RATING. Whenever a special crime (that affects an important character, a guild or the king/crown) is taking place, a SECURITY TEST is run (otherwise there is a generic "crimes per year" number calculated based on wealth, population and security rating). This test is a roll of D100 against the security rating. Security is modified by certain variables (stormy season helps thieves hide in darkness, whereas snow may hinder them as they leave more tracks), as well as the hero in charge of the GUARD (Lancelot) and his stats. Finally, the type of crime and the type of criminal modify the dice roll made against the security rating, and for example: a single thief breaking and entering is much harder to catch than a group of smugglers hauling a cargo of heavy chests filled with ill-gotten gold.

Finally, the difference between the roll and the rating can change the outcome. If the criminal rolls just a few points below your security rating, then he is caught as he makes his escape. If the roll is far below the rating, the thief is caught red-handed, and if the roll is waaaay below the rating, the thief is caught before he can even take a crack at the windows. If the criminal rolls higher than the security rating, then the crime succeeds and the outcome depends on the roll just as before. A natural roll of 5 or below always fails and a natural roll of 96 or above always succeeds.

As this was the first security test made, I will reveal the actual numbers involved below (spoilerific):

Spoiler

SECURITY RATING (modified): 80
THIEF D100 ROLL (modified): 86
THIEF SUCCEEDS by small margin, but does not manage to steal many items, the stolen items are noticed and identified, type of thief is revealed by investigation.

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Had the thief rolled, let's say 92, you might not have heard about the stolen items until perhaps day 3 or 4 (or if you had tried to initiate a trade relationship and realized you can't)!

I'll let you guys have small peeks into the game's inner working sometimes, but I won't reveal most of the variables, modifiers and such. Heck, maybe you'll come up with some new ones during discussions and I'll integrate them into the game.

[close]

Hope you people are having as much fun playing and guessing how the game works as I am having creating it all! Hopefully we can keep the game running for at least a full in-game year so that we can meet all sorts of characters, nations and events.

@Tibatonk: CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD and the MILITARY ADVISOR are currently both Lancelot, as he is the only hero you have with military skills, but these COULD be two different people if you had two or more military -type heroes. Or you could create more positions such as the sheriff of east-town and west-town etc and offer those to different people to make them feel important (and more well-paid). Or you could just consolidate all the military and security power under one well-trusted hero. Or... I don't know! ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN! Anyway, good question, and I should have been more clear about that.

Tradesmaster DENNIS and a pair of knights of the TOWN GUARD enter the throne room, sealing the door as they enter. The trio look somewhat down. It takes a full minute for one of the guards to begin explaining:

"My King, it would seem that despite our best efforts a PETTY CRIMINAL has managed to enter our town last night, scaling the walls and entering the TRADERS GUILD HALL and escaping with some valuables. Considering the manpower available, we are aready doing everything we can to ensure the security of the town, but with a mere 10 knighs manning the walls at any given time, we are hard pressed to cover all of the town efficiently."

The knight steps back, lookign sullen. In his stead, Dennis steps up.

"My King, I must inform you that the thief made away with the GILDED SEALS of the TRADERS GUILD, without which we cannot officially make new trade treaties, contracts or establish trade routes. If you would be so kind as to ALLOW me to COMMISSION new seals from the CRAFTSMEN'S GUILD, I am sure we can correct the issue within a day or two, although the work will cut into the amount of goods produced by the CRAFTSMEN this year, possibly affecting INCOME slightly.

Additionally, the members of the TRADERS GUILD are not feeling entirely secure in the guild hall due to this event, and their happiness has suffered slightly. I will do my best to assure them that there is no real danger and that this incident was a mere fluke."

You inform the MERCHANT that you wish to think on the matter of the DESERT GRASS SEEDS more thoroughly before making the purchase. He promises to avail himself to your SUMMONS should you decide to seal the deal later today or tomorrow, but reminds you that he is to leave during the night after tomorrow if he is to make his trails in time.

As you allow the Jester to lead the MERCHANT away from the throne room, you instruct the fool to ensure the MERCHANT gets to speak with MANDARD, head of the CRAFTSMEN'S GUILD, so that the two can discuss business.

"Aye, aye, my King!" -the Jester replies, before leading the MERCHANT away while cackling gleefully. As he turns to leave, he stops in his tracks, allowing your guest to move a bit futher away before turning back to whisper to you in a secretive tone:

"My King, mr DENNIS is here to see you, along with some of the TOWN GUARDS. They seemed a wee bit distressed, so I would recommend you meet them as soon as possible."

With that, the Jester turns and leaves, on his way to do your bidding.

[Baron]

Thanks for the story everyone! Loved every single bit of it!


Character: Baron (adding a little kid into a story like this always ups the ante)

Atmosphere: Stupot+ (so much pressure out of the blue, love it!)

Word Choice/Style: Eric (lots of detail and a great start to a great story)

Plot Twist and/or Subplot addition: Sinitrena (For taking a bold step and running with the hook I had left)

Plot: Eric (a captivating start that caught my attention right away, earns a gold start in my book)

[eight gold, sixty-six silvers, fifteen coppers, a dozen chicken eggs and a button (don't ask how that last one got in there).]

DEVNOTE: Three different commands tied this round, so the one proposed first gets a go.

You take interest in the desert grass seeds and decide to see if you can get the price down a bit.

"Ten coins for the desert grass seeds? I think seven gold far more suitable, considering the climate we are in. It would be a hard sell outside of the desert in any case, don't you agree?"

The MERCHANT shakes his head, exasperated.

"My most gracious King, the price I offer has already been lowered to meet the needs of the people of midlands. Alas, for your grace I am willing to part with them for a mere nine gold and fifty silvers."



Some time passes as you find yourself haggling with the wily MERCHANT. After a short while you have come to a stalemate, and the standing offer is eight gold, sixty-six silvers, fifteen coppers, a dozen chicken eggs and a button (don't ask how that last one got in there).

Additionally you have learned that the Merchant's name is Jib Ali-Gharzab of the Guaravana family line, and that he was born as the only son to a pair of travelling merchants, which is why he has found himself in the same profession as his parents. The MERCHANT does not think he can draw a map for you, as he has struck some sort of deal with the Naga people of the desert so that he is guided to his destination in the desert. He says that to find the midlands, all one must do is head north from the desert, and that to find the lands of Turbanistan, all one must do is head south of the midlands. However, the MERCHANT warns you that the NAGA will lead astray any wanderers and may even attack poorly protected caravans outright. The MERCHANT says that he knows there are seafaring people who rule over the ocean's edge to the WEST, though he does not know who leads these people, since he doesn't trade with them directly.

The Merchant seems pleased with the outcome of the haggling. Would you like to confirm the trade?

So the numbers of guards guarding the castle is a small fantasy scale number? Five certainly wouldn't be enough to even guard a house let alone a castle (night rotation, guarding king, treasury, armory, any valuables during a raid or theft, etc), which is why I assumed we should amp up the amount. Hmm, so you're saying that if an enemy attacks, it won't be in waves of a 1000+ knights/soldiers as I imagined it would be, but instead it'll be small numbers like 50?

Well that would depend on the enemy, now wouldn't it. And should you, Gods forbid, piss off THE DRAGON, then all it takes is one enemy to wipe you out. But yeah, I doubt you'll see bandit raids of more than a handful of men/women, and even in war you can always prop up troop numbers with militia, mercenaries (if you've got the coin) etc. Oh, and magic, poison, alchemy and technology in general will help. Then again, why prepare for war unless you plan to have a war?

Baron: you are awesome! Than glossary is awesome! Everything is awesome right now! WHEEE!

I'm keeping the daily report pics in the first post for reference purposes, as a sort of "scroll of time", so you should be able to check who has been hired and to do what.
Each major action and event of interest will be mentioned in those.

Also: sorry, but there is no such thing as "downvote" in this game, although people are free to change their previous commands until the votes are tallied and the next turn is posted.

As to the guards:

"My King, now that we have a HERO with military experience, he has been automatically assigned as the MILITARY ADVISOR of your kingdom. Should you hire more heroes, you can appoint another HERO to take on this job instead.

It seems that Sir Lancelot has send out an EXPEDITION of five knights to the EAST. However, he has personally remained in the castle, since you ordered him to send a delegation instead of ordering him to explore personally. This means the expedition will be less effective and may be in more danger than if they were accompanied by a HERO.

It seems that Sir Lancelot has ordered five of his knights to guard the castle.
It seems that Sir Lancelot has ordered ten knights to patrol the town, keeping the peace and protecting the common folk.

Having slept peacefully through the night, you find yourself refreshed as you sit upon your simple throne. Beyond the castle windows the town seems to be peaceful but bustling with activity.

"Jester" -you command "Grant the TRAVELLING MERCHANT his due audience."

The TRAVELLING MERCHANT approaches the throne with a pequliar-looking cart in tow.



“Hail, mighty King of Grimdark! I travel from the scorching deserts to the south to bring you an offer of my finest wares and services.”

The MERCHANT lifts the tarp which covers his cart of goods, spreading his arms wide as if trying to enhance the grandeur of the surprisingly small selection. You frown as you try to make a sense of the MERCHANT's wares.

“Of my ever-changing wares, I can offer three things at this time:
- A potion of vision, brewed by the greatest alchemists of the Southern Emirates of Turbanistan, which allows you to see a vision warning you of the nearest danger which opposes you. It is said that this very rare potion has saved the Grand Emir of Turbanistan several times over, and his purchased of the liquid has kept the southern Alchemists well coined for decades. The vial is on offer for a mere 8 gold coins.
- A seed-stock of a hardy desert-grass. The grass is edible by animals and men alike, and keeps hunger well away, although it's taste cannot be described as anything else than unpleasant. However, the grass grows even during the most dire heat waves and droughts. The seeds are yours for a mere 10 gold coins, which, considering the chance of averting famine during times of drought, is a steal!
- A shirt woven of steelspider silk. This light garment is tough enough to blunt any attack considerably, and can save the lives of heroes and Kings alike. It is said that the Grand Emir of the south never sleeps without one. This precious and rare garment can be yours for a mere 4 gold coins. Do keep in mind, though, that it will not stop all attacks and can never quite replace a well-made suit of armour.

Additionally, I am willing to buy any valuable artifacts your craftsmen might have produced, as well as found treasures, herbs and potions of all values. I have travelled between the southlands and the midlands each year for seventeen years now, as my father did before me, and I plan to keep travelling this route for quite a few more, so do keep my offers in mind if you come to possess anything of value.

Take your time, my King, and should you wish to consider for longer, I will be available for SUMMONs until tomorrow night, which is when I will head back South.”

You begin to ponder if you should spend some of the little coin you currently have on these items. While you do, you ask the MERCHANT some questions.

“What can you tell me of the lands to the south?”

“Oh, the southern lands are a harsh place of scorching sun, endless sand and little joy. However, past the sand-pits, deadly snakes and vicious scoprions as well as the wily naga-people who so love to ambush travellers on the few shifting roads, there lies a kingdom of immeasurable wealth and glory. Enchanted sandstone walls adorned with gold and gemstone protect the grand walled nation of the Grand Emir's Turbanistan. The people there are dark of skin and hair, and strong, hardy and wise as anyone can claim. Their lands are known for precious traded goods and especially the creations of the Grand Emir's Guild of Alchemists, who provide the Emir and his armies anything from healing poultices to poisons to coat arrows with to potions such as the one I sell.

To reach the desert sands would take two full days travel and to navigate the shifting sand roads without a good guide could take anything from three to five days, if the traveller can survive the heat and the dangers of the desert.”

That actually made me realize I had not planned at all for season changes. But then again, going the Game of Thrones way would make my life a LOT easier. When will the winter come, dear players, no-one knows!
*Starts the RNG*

@Ryan: I like to leave much of the past open to interpertation, so I won't be explaining much of the past out of character (as much of those facts are undecided and unwritten). If you do want concrete facts written into the game's internal history, bring up the specific subject with the jester or one of the guildmasters (or perhaps some other characters in and out of the town), as these were the people who helped you (notice how some guildmasters mentioned having just gained their position thanks to you?). Depending on who you ask may affect how the facts are told, though. Oh, and asking about these things on the side of more pressing matters will not cost you an action in your day, so go wild! Hell, you could ask the Jester for all sorts of things before your first audience of the second day, and they won't cost you an action. I will never penalize you for story-building stuff, as this game, it's world, events and characters are shaped by the players. I'm just a record keeper and, as you say, the 'dungeon master'.

What I can tell you is basically this: The old King ruled for longer than anyone wants to remember and he was a a greedy and evil douchebag, the people agreed on this, and you, the Evil King's seemingly nicer brother, got chosen as the leader of the rebellion in which the old King was de-throned (I'm not saying what happened to him, feel free to find out ). With the help of the people you stormed the palace, tore down the dungeons and released the prisoners within, captured the throne room and then everything is a bit hazy due to all the booze and celebration. Oh, and consider this: a YEAR in this fantasy world has 14 days. Now think of what a 2 day alcohol binge can do to your memory!

Wow! I think Ryan has the same source of inspiration for his commands as I did when I began to dream up this game, what with the "Hand" and making babies to secure our King's succession.
Then again I had quite a few other inspirations as well, so don't expect this game to be quite as dark in theme as GoT (unless you folks start ordering assassinations, imprisonments, torture and war, of course).

To clarify some things:
- The King rules over a nation of a few thousand people, which consists of the castle, surrounding town and some smaller villages and farmsteads outside of the town walls. There are no minor lords or provinces under the king, instead there are the guildmasters, who are the closest thing to a council you currently have.
- There are other kings, nations, civilizations etc out there, just waiting to be found (and maybe conquered?) again (or they may find you and send envoys, traders or soldiers)
- People seeking audience may leave for various reasons. Example below, though it is a minor spoiler so I've hidden it:

Spoiler

When the Jester earlier told you that an audience left, the reason was that you chose to HIRE Sir Lancelot. The person who left was a well-known brigand and highwayman, who would have offered his and his men's services to you for coin. However, as Sir Lancelot is an honourable and pure knight, the brigands were unwilling to work side-by-side with him, and thus left without having an audience.

[close]

- I run 1 command per turn and only 1 command. It might seem slow, but it allows me to keep the time spent in planning, writing and drawing (copy/pasting) the turns manageable. Then again, if you have an ongoing audience, you may take several actions WITH that audience, such as ask questions (How's the wife?), give orders (Dance for me!), make requests (Would you mind bringing your hot daughter over tomorrow, she's of age, right?) etc, and the audience still only counts as one major action for the day. Only exceptions I can think of on this are givin your advisors or heroes orders to send out expeditions, begin constructions etc (Example: you could SUMMON Lancelot and request him to give you a status report on the realm's defences and troop morale, then order him and his men to wear pink capes to identify them better. This is a single action. Then you could additionally, during the same meeting, order Lancelot to head an expedition somewhere. This would be a second action for a day.)
- As mentioned before, only commands and +1's posted AFTER the latest turn are registered. +1's given to older commands count as new commands instead, and the old +1's don't carry over.

Hope this explains things. If you have more questions about how the game works, feel free to ask and I will try to better explain things (unless it would spoil the game, of course)

"Jester" -you boom "I wish to know what sort of people are awaiting my audience. Make a list of those waiting to see me, and their business."



The Jester looks puzzled.

"My king" -he begins "I must remind you that these people are all waiting for your audience, and picking and choosing might upset some of them, possibly even turning them away if they feel they are being made wait for longer than is courteous. More people are constantly arriving and leaving, and it is only fair that, should someone's business be urgent, the others will allow the more urgent matter to be presented first, for example, if our Kingdom were to come under attack, your military advisor would arrive before you at once no matter who sought your audience first at the time. Additionally, the guild masters and members of the ROYAL COURT have a right of way, and may replace your next audience if they have a matter which requires the King's attention. As you can see, it is quite the well-oiled machine, this."

The Jester giggles.

"Alas, I shall do as you ask at once!"

The Jester leaves for a while, then returns with a scroll of parchment.



"Audiences waiting for the King, in order of arrival:

a TRAVELLING MERCHANT from the south wishes to offer his finest wares and services to the KING

SIR KEVIN OF AXEMONT and his knights wish to offer their services to the KING

a LOST WARRIOR seeks assistance from the KING

BARON MONOCLE, an envoy of a pirate clan from the Western sea, seeks an audience with the KING

HIRSCHEL THE WIZENED offers his skills as a HERBALIST to the KING

ROBINA THE RANGER and her archers seek to offer their services to the KING

a TRAVELLING ARTISAN seeks to offer her finest crafts and services to the KING

There are no more audiences awaiting the King at this time."

You nod approvingly, pondering as to which audience might best serve you in the morning. For now, though, you retreat to your royal bedchamber for well-deserved rest.

Oooh, nice ideas, Baron, I'll note those characters down for future use!

And the cow is not an option.

Hey man, this is an open-world game. Don't say stuff like that, you might make Ponch sad.

This kid seems to have undergone a sex change.

Ooopsie-daisy. I never noticed the kid's sex being defined (Finnish language doesn't differentiate between he and she, so I often miss them or mix them up) so, yeah, that happened.
Since nobody has continued yet, I can fix my portion to match the previous story, no biggie.

Edit: the kid, whom I named "Candy" at first, is now "Carl". RETCONNED FOR THE WIN!

You decide to kindly accept the peasant's gift.



"Please present my kindest thanks to representative Cat." -you say, nodding approvingly at the, uh, majestic(?) animal. The DIRTY PEASANTS seem happy at the approval.

The Jester arrives to take your new gift to a more sensible place than the throne room as the DIRTY PEASANTS begin to take their leave.



The Jester seems to be taking his sweet time...



Finally, the Jester reappears before you.

"My King, I have stored the PRIZE COW in the ROYAL GARDEN. This reminds me that the previous king cared little for gardening and imported all of his herbs, medicines and poisons. If we had a ROYAL GARDENER, we might be able to grow all sorts of things other than just grass for feed. But alas, there is time for only one more action today, as evening draws near. Shall it be another audience, or do you have something more specific in mind, My King?"

"Olen sammakonnappaaja. Nappaan sammakoita."
-Finnish

You're welcome.