Hello! May I know about your regicide au? I miss your writing! (Also i think the buttons freaked out while i was trying to press the ask button so if you just got unfollowed and followed by me a few times then very sorry)
Cracks knuckles You've got a big storm coming.
The tldr is that Regicide is (in the most basic terms) an SBI royalty au that has plenty of ways the plot could go, depending on the choices the characters make. @the-redeemed-anon and I made it at the beginning of last year after I got inspired by a conversation we had about the Ottomans' practice of fratricide as a way of fighting for the throne.
There is a series of our fics on AO3, mainly mine but Anon has written a few fics themself that I believe they plan to post once they're less busy.
So the main things to know about the set up are:
Phil is Emperor Phillip V of the Antarctic Empire
He has 15 sons (and 26 kids in general) via 6 wives
Technoblade, Wilbur and Tommy are his sons through Kristin
Technoblade is the eldest son in general and the only boy who is given the same level of love as their sisters because Phil's allergic to being a boydad for Reasons
These reasons mainly being linked to the fact that when princes are 10, they learn the truth about how the family handles succession to the throne
Aka it's kill or be killed because you have to get to the throne first, accept a special sword and order the deaths of your brothers and nephews to secure your place
As the favourite son, Techno has been raised to be the next emperor and therefore been given every advantage so he'll get to give the order before any of his brothers can
Wilbur is incredibly salty about all this, from the system itself to the way Phil treats him, Tommy and their half brothers compared to Techno and their sisters
Tommy is sometimes just kind of in Techno and Wilbur's shadows because he's much younger (and also tends to be like 12 or 14 during the main plots of the paths so doesn't have as much agency as his adult brothers)
500 years ago, their ancestor and the first ever emperor, Thomas I, united all the city states to create the empire and was blessed by the god of war (War)
This blessing consisted of War giving premonitions to both Thomas and his descendants
200 years ago, a farmer's daughter named Kristin caught the attention of the goddess of death (Death) and also gave her a generational blessing, making her able to see ghosts
Both these blessed bloodlines have now mixed to create Phil and Kristin's 6 kids, all of whom have both premonitions and the ability to see ghosts
Between the ages of 5 and 16, princes are educated with a son from an aristocratic family who is there to accept discipline on his prince's behalf
At 16/17, princes are sent off to a province to govern it and gain experience in preparation for potentially becoming emperor themselves someday
Notable Characters
Phillip V (Phil)
He has been emperor since he was 13 and was the youngest of 7 brothers with zero sisters to act as a buffer so his upbringing has Had An Effect. He is a great dad to his daughters and Techno but refuses to get attached to his others sons due to them feeling like tragedies waiting to happen. A bit of a warmonger, he is the one who took Wilbur's declaration of independence and declared war as a response. If Regicide had a main antagonist, it's definitely Phil.
Kristin
Comes from the Müntirien family who have Death's gift and, as a way of honouring their ancestor who earned them the blessing, the main line tend to name their eldest daughters after her. Out of Phil's 6 wives, she is the first he married out of love instead of being set up like the previous two and arguably may be his favourite (partially also due to being Techno's mother). She acknowledges that she will lose at least two children in the wake of becoming a widow but that only leads to her taking her children's side when Phil acts unfairly towards them.
Technoblade
The eldest son of the family and the one Phil believes is destined to be the emperor after him thanks to an incident with a bear that is interpreted as an approving sign from War. He loves his brothers but does try to put a little distance between himself and them to make what he'll have to do someday a little easier on himself. War took a special interest in him since infancy, causing Techno to be able to easily understand his premonitions as War intended them to be interpreted and have great reflexes. However, his ability to see ghosts suffers as a result so they look and sound fuzzy to him.
Wilbur
The 7th of Phil's sons and Kristin's 3rd child. If Regicide had a main character, it would definitely be Wilbur. Even in paths where he dies young, his memory is enough to motivate his brothers to fulfill the goals he never got to complete. All he wants in life is to do something worthwhile before his limited time is up, whether that's freeing the country he fell in love with, abolishing fratricide or simply protecting his son from the pain of being a Craft prince. He feels very connected to Death due to her giving him an extra dose of blessing when he was born so as a result, ghosts sometimes appear as real as if they were living to him. Unfortunately, he struggles to interpret War's warnings properly because of this which gets him into trouble that could have been otherwise avoided. Also having a connection to Death can make you a bit of a death magnet, even when you manage to survive, so... poor guy's occasionally having A Time.
Tommy
The youngest of Phil and Kristin's kids as well as one of the youngest kids of the whole family. Tommy is kind of overlooked as a result of the plethora of siblings before him so he tended to disappear through secret passages with his friends. He enjoys doing things with his hands and gets pretty good at sewing during the war. Because of this, he becomes a gardener who mends clothes as a hobby in paths where he ends up living a more civilian life. War and Death share custody of Tommy in a way and his boosted gifts are far more balanced than his brothers' as a result.
Sally Salmon
The daughter of a significant L'Manburgian family, she is the girl Kristin thinks would get along best with Wilbur when planning a political union between him and someone L'Manburgian to improve his image. She and Wilbur don't get along at all for the first several months of their marriage, only for the tension to break and them falling in love once they actually get to know each other. She acts as a spy during the war until it's deemed safer for her to go into hiding instead, neither of them aware she's just gotten pregnant with Fundy.
The Salmons
Sally's parents and some of the most influential people in L'Manburg. They made an agreement with other important L'Manburgian families to try get one of their daughters married to a Craft prince in order to hopefully have their son-in-law then a pro-L'Manburg grandson on the Antarctic throne. This led to Wilbur and Sally's marriage, an opportunity they were so determined to not lose out on that they went about it the wrong way. While they are kind of in the background for most of the paths, Wilbur befriends them and is inspired to start the revolution after listening to them speak about L'Manburgian history and culture.
Fundy
Wilbur and Sally's son and sometimes only child if the path makes it impossible for his little sister Isa to be born. While he doesn't inherit most of his father's interests, Fundy is quite adept at tinkering, managing to create simple mechanical systems while he's still a child. In half the paths, he ends up being either Wilbur or Techno's heir and therefore the emperor after them. Fundy is named after Fundy Salmon, a great uncle from a few generations back whose legacy is being the general who handed over L'Manburg to the Antarctic Empire. Fundy's middle name is either in honour of his uncle Chris or Wilbur himself, depending on the path.
Death
The Antarctic goddess of death. She is the Müntirien family's patron after the original Kristin earned her respect. She is closest to Wilbur and has a massive soft spot for him, to the point she offers to make him her son in his next life. As for Techno having difficulty with her gift, she isn't that fazed by it as War with Wilbur thanks to it not having such dire consequences in his daily life. In the afterlife, she welcomes souls and redirects anyone who gets lost in the fog.
War
The Antarctic god of war. He is the Craft dynasty's patron after admiring Thomas I's skills and promising to look out for his descendants. Technoblade is his favourite prince out of the main 3 brothers which is helped by the fact Techno feels the most connected and perceptive towards the god. Despite being frustrated with Wilbur's inability to properly understand him, he does subtly side with the L'Manburgians during their war of independence.
Chris
One of the half brothers and the one Wilbur is closest to. He's a week older than Wilbur which leads to them becoming inseparable from the beginning. The two of them help the other realise they're in love with their respective significant other. When Chris becomes a father to a little girl named Cecylia, he unintentionally causes the inciting incident for most of the paths diverging.
Eret Bakkarra
Wilbur's best friend since they were 5, having grown up as a prince-whipping boy duo. Depending on the path, he will act as Wilbur's right hand man, Fundy's mentor, a general ally to the family or the one who leads the story towards a bad ending after a misguided decision.
Tubbo Underscore
Tommy's childhood best friend and whipping boy. While they were growing up, the two of them tended to sneak off and cause mischief, which in turn led to them befriending Ranboo. He follows Tommy to L'Manburg when war breaks out, much to Wilbur's distress. In paths where L'Manburg loses, he avoids capture by running and joins Ranboo's life of a wandering merchant.
Ishmael Oshier
A veteran of the L'Manburgian War of Independence and a survivor of the wither arrow attack that leads to the end of the war in P4. Following the war and losing his arm to withering, he ends up as one of Techno's advisors. In fact, by the time Fundy meets him 20 years later, he is practically the emperor's right hand man as well as a close personal friend of the Crafts family. Anon and I love him so much, along with his two service dogs, but Fundy feels something's up with the guy. It doesn't help that they keep butting heads about the pace of L'Manburg gaining independence and the war itself.
Notable Events
These are things that happen in every path or are reoccurring enough to warrant mentioning.
Wilbur I creates the fratricide tradition - Having grown up during the tail end of the civil war, Wilbur I becomes emperor after making himself the only possible descendant of Thomas I who can take the throne uncontested. He uses his experiences of his extended family spending 60 years tearing itself apart over power to promise he'll never let something like that happen to the empire ever again. As a result, he makes it law that all sons of newly deceased emperors must fight to keep themselves and their own sons alive by winning and becoming the next emperor.
Conquering of L'Manburg - Having been at war in some form since the late 13th century, with L'Manburg tending to be able to push the Antarctic Empire back before they can advance far enough to be successful, the head of the L'Manburgian army reluctantly surrenders in 1402 to spare worse consequences. The emperor at the time will treat L'Manburg quite fairly for the next 17 years until his death, at which point his anti-L'Manburg son takes over and begins treating the country far less favourably.
Wilbur appealing to Phil - When Wilbur is 13, he discovers the fratricide tradition is based on a few lines. He tries to convince Phil to abolish fratricide after coming up with some alternatives he can think of. Phil however very quickly dismisses his suggestions and complains about his time being wasted. This normally just results in Wilbur being resentful for a while before resolving that he should accept there's no hope in changing the system and his life is tied to Phil's. In P3 though, it has disastrous consequences.
The premature purge - Feeling threatened by the reality of becoming of an uncle via one of his brothers, Techno gathers a few guards to follow his orders. They visit the adult brothers in their homes and gather up the younger ones who still live at the palace, killing them all. The only ones who are spared are Wilbur and Tommy. This forever changes the dynamic between the brothers, leading to Wilbur in particular not knowing how to proceed.
Sally going into hiding - Over a year after the war begins, Wilbur decides it may be too dangerous for Sally to stay at camp and participate in the war as a spy. With some help, he is able to organise for her to hide in the home of the Nihachus, a family of bakers. Only Eret knows where they live but gladly gives Wilbur the address when the war is won and he can't reunite with her or their newborn son fast enough.
Eret's betrayal - Desperate for the war to end already, Eret approaches Phil to appeal to him. This only leads to Phil taking advantage of him and using it as an opportunity to capture traitors. When Phil enters the L'Manburgian camp with Eret in tow, Wilbur doesn't suspect his friend until Phil taunts him for not having trustworthy friends. This often causes one or both crimeboys being killed or at least imprisoned for being traitors in the eyes of their father.
Notable Locations
Antarctic Empire - An empire that was founded in the 10th century by Thomas I when he united the 15 city states dedicated to the gods. It has since expanded via conquests into places such as part of the Nether and L'Manburg. Since its founding, but especially following the end of a civil war that lasted the majority of the 11th century, it has been ruled by the Craft dynasty who are all descended from Thomas I. The main languages are Antarctic and Arctic (the language of an ethnic group of travellers native to the area). The further north you go, the closer you get to the tundra landscape where very few live.
Rayusel - The capital of the Antarctic Empire and the one who had War as their patron when it was a city state. In the centre is the area known as Inner Rayusel which is sacred ground due to being the original boundaries of the city that were marked by bearskin in its founding myth. The main temple to War is found within Inner Rayusel and is one of the entry points. Outer Rayusel is the unofficial name for the rest of the city that expanded out from the original boundaries. The majority of people from Rayusel live there and it is also where the royal palace is located.
L'Manburg - A country full of mountains, especially near the border with the Antarctic Empire that lies to the empire's south. It used to be a trade partner with the empire until a series of events in the mid 13th century caused the emperor at the time to start a campaign to conquer the country which would last approximately 150 years. It has now been under Antarctic rule for over a century but is often attempting to rebel against the foreign authority. The main languages are L'Manburgian and Antarctic, although L'Manburgian has been systematically suppressed for the past century and is often only heard in private settings like the home.
Pogtopia - A city built into natural formations of a mountain (like this one) which is one of the hubs of rebellion, especially during the war and in paths where L'Manburg loses. It acts as a safe haven for running from Antarctic oppression thanks to being difficult to reach unless you know how to navigate the area.
Nether - A very bio-diverse collection of nations that operate as one on an international scale, laying to the west of the Antarctic Empire and likewise partially borders L'Manburg. The main language is Netherine and the climate depends on which nation you're in as it varies from woodland to desert to volcanically active land etc. The empire set its sights on getting full control of the valuable resource of netherite in the late 11th century but only one of the nations was conquered and it has remained this way since. There was a war led by a half mortal daughter of Death in 1216 which resulted in heavy losses for Antarctic troops and had a significant impact on the future of the royal family.
Paths
There are 15 separate paths, split equally into three branches: Fratricide, Patricide and L'Manburg. There is also an unofficial branch that we call War which features all of the L'Manburg paths as well as P4 and P5. There are certain things that stay consistent throughout them like Salbur hating each other when they first meet and Neo Trio being the final three brothers. As for the paths themselves, here are some summaries:
F1 - Wilbur kills both of his remaining brothers and suffers the consequences, dealing with a vengeful Tommy and having Fundy as his only ally. He does not have a happy reign but is able to complete a book honouring all of his brothers' memories.
F2 - Techno is killed and Wilbur becomes emperor with Tommy going on to live a fairly normal life privately. While Phil is still alive, assassins break into his home but he is able to survive the night. He spends the next few years hunting down answers so he can keep his family safe from further attacks.
F3 - Upon discovering the pregnancy with Fundy, Wilbur and Sally go into hiding with only Eret knowing where they are. However, Phil dies like usual a few years later and now they are being brought back to the palace so the tradition can be carried out.
F4 - Techno is killed, making Wilbur the new presumed heir. While Fundy is a baby, assassins break into Wilbur and Sally's home. They succeed in targeting Wilbur and exposing what he did, which in turn makes Tommy the last possible son to inherit the throne from Phil. Once he's emperor, Tommy is determined to discover who is responsible for Wilbur's death while likewise navigating his new duties.
F5 - Techno leaves all of his brothers alone, never going through with ordering the premature purge. However, this doesn't mean Wilbur doesn't immediately freak out when he and Sally have a son. They kept the pregnancy a secret and do the same with baby Fundy. This works for a few years, albeit with a lot of effort, but Phil's death has to come eventually. Wilbur becomes another victim of the tradition but the same can't be said of Fundy, much to his parents' relief. Now it's just a case of keeping him hidden for the rest of his life.
P1 - Wilbur kills Techno but instead of the lingering paranoia causing him to target Tommy like in F1, he kills Phil so he can be protected by becoming emperor early.
P2 - Wilbur has second thoughts on killing Techno, to the point he confesses his plans to his brother and they end up murdering Phil instead. They rule together for the rest of their lives.
P3 - Upset upon hearing their father dismissed 13 year old Wilbur for wanting there to be a fairer system, Technoblade takes matters into his own hands. He kills Phil nearly a full decade early, triggering the tradition while the brothers are underage. Wilbur becomes co-emperor once he's old enough while Tommy lives off to the sidelines during their reigns.
P4 - During the war, Phil orders a skilled archer to fire wither arrows at Wilbur in the hopes that his death will give him a great opportunity to stop wasting his time on crushing the revolution. Wilbur gets nicked by it but that's enough and doesn't survive long enough to get proper treatment at the palace. 20 years later, the son he never got to know existed shows up with determination to finish what his father started by gaining independence for L'Manburg. With the help of Eret, an advisor of Techno's named Ishmael tries to dissuade Fundy from rocking the boat too much.
P5 - Fearing both of their safeties, Wilbur sends both Sally and Tommy to the Nihachus so they can hide. Following Eret selling the L'Manburgians out, Wilbur is arrested and sentenced to death for treason. His only consolation is that his wife and little brother are safe until, months later, they're caught too. He begs Techno to help, leading to Phil's death as the only way they can be saved without complications.
L1 - L'Manburg wins the war and Wilbur is able to go home to his wife and newborn son. He spends 10 years as the country's first post-independence president before resigning so he can spend more time with Sally and their two children.
L2 - Eret betrays L'Manburg, causing both Wilbur and Tommy to be captured. They both end up on the scaffold and, while Tommy is upset about being stuck as a ghost, his reaction is nothing like Wilbur's. Wilbur spends the next several years haunting Phil as a vengeful spirit for every wrongdoing his father committed against him and his family.
L3 - Tommy is kidnapped by Antarctic soldiers who were acting independently. A group including Wilbur and Eret come to save him but as they escape with Tommy, he is hit with a slingshot pellet. Wilbur races back to camp with Tommy in his arms so he can be treated but it is in vain. The war is won months later yet Wilbur can't fully enjoy it, knowing what it cost him.
L4 - Having listen to War when he advised Wilbur miss a battle, only for the wither arrow attack to happen, Wilbur is determined to not miss another battle, no matter how much of a bad idea War may think it is. This costs him his life and causes his pro-L'Manburg loved ones to flee for their safety until Phil's death makes it possible for them to consider returning.
L5 - Phil decides to keep Wilbur alive despite still going ahead with killing Tommy. Instead, Wilbur is stuck inside a cell for what is meant to be the rest of his life. He is rescued but when Phil comes close to jeopardising the safety of those Wilbur loves, Wilbur makes an irreversible mistake that causes him to be shunned by the gods.
Songs that really fit
Legendary from Epic: The Musical - Fundy in P4 where he is determined to take all the stories of his father's bravery and live by Wilbur's example as he prepares to fight for L'Manburg's rights too.
Bread and Roses (various artists but I prefer the Women of the World version the best) - Sally in L2 when she finds herself one of the key figures of the revolution in the wake of Wilbur's death and being denied access to Fundy.
My Shot from Hamilton - Ishmael rising through the ranks as Techno's advisor and working hard to improve things for L'Manburg after the war.
The Bad Guy from Ultimate Storytime - Wilbur in F1 where he reflects on how he technically did what he was supposed to do by making himself the only living brother, only to be shunned by his loved ones for playing the game the 'wrong' way.
Close Every Door from Joseph - L5bur sitting in his cell and not caring anymore about what Phil plans to do to him. If he rots in there like he's supposed to then who cares.
The Plagues from The Prince of Egypt - With Wilbur and Tommy stuck on the L'Manburgian side of the war while Phil and Techno are leading the offensive against them, none of the brothers want to be pitted against each other or made into enemies. Meanwhile, Phil is willing to overlook the fact they all share blood to get what he wants (the revolutionary war over).
Welly Boots by The Amazing Devil - F4 crimeboys where Wilbur is proud of Tommy from afar and believes he will do good work, so long as he keeps his wits about him during this dangerous time. Meanwhile, Tommy wishes his brother had never had to leave and looks to his memory when he doesn't know what to do.
Every Day a Little Death from the Count of Monte Cristo - Wilbur when he is imprisoned, awaiting execution and missing his loved ones, especially Sally whom he knows he'll never be able to interact with again until she dies herself. This is paired with Eret visiting Sally to tell her about Wilbur's capture, only for her to initially tell him about the pregnancy and how she's anxious to announce the news to Wilbur.
