Royals & Rebels

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[xroyalsandrebels]

Gather round! The tournament has begun!

"Only a few short weeks ago, we received word from the western border of an unknown company marching east. Of all the possibilities we entertained as we rode out to meet them, the Arrokko tribe, coming directly from Nuhara, never crossed our minds. How could it have, with storms keeping our lands apart for over two decades now? But there they were, and with the spirit of friendship in their hearts.. To our newest allies, I welcome you all again to Draiwen, to the fortress and center of the realm, and to this tournament. I can only imagine how these structures compare to the fighting pits of Rheassi, but a love of competition is something shared between both our peoples. And what better way forward than a celebration of that commonality? Here we shall see our strengths, our weaknesses, and our complements played out in match after match after match. Here, two fights, both highly trained, both hindered only by remaining non-lethal, can test each other on even ground until one emerges victorious."

- King Niclas, at the start of the tournament.

We love to experiment with different events at R&R. A few of them, like the masquerade and the October scary story anthology, we have shared here. Well, here's another - a tournament! We set up some basic mechanics to govern the fight, and for those who did not have characters immediately able to join, created some NPCs for them to roll with, like this one: 

And with characters set, the fighting began. Already, we have had our first fight, and our first victor, but it is only one of several fights to come. Who will emerge as the champion of the tournament? 

[xroyalsandrebels]

R&R has a new region in play!

Tucked between the continents of Aesol and Myrh, there is an island. Once, they were known to the world in travels and trade, even possessing a rare commodity: gunpowder. But when the seas became too rough for even the most experienced and daring of sailors twenty years ago, the island of Thaoand turned inward as all had to. Split into four city-states, four protectorates, Thaoand has long since held a careful balance of power, with one neutral council between them for matters too large for any one protectorate to decide. The seas have calmed, but only slightly. Not enough for many to notice. They know better, now. It became all too clear when black dots on the horizon became black sails, who became invaders. Myrhians swept over the island, and within a week, the protectorates fell. And now they have six months for one among them to become the Drakon, under the king of Myrh but above all the rest of the island. The future is uncertain. 

The Protectorate of Su Nagare

The protectorate of Su Nagare, ruled by the House of Kang, is a largely agricultural land. When Thaoand became isolated, and fishing became difficult, they became the main providers of food. Quick to see their new role, Su Nagare grew in wealth and influence.

The Protectorate of Sen Nemuri

The people of Sen Nemuri are fighters. Warriors and mercenaries, and no one could be prouder of it. When Myrh attacked, they fought the most fiercely. And it cost them dearly. Despite the multitude that they lost, their spirit is not crushed. Many among them want to push the Myrhians out. Soon.

The Protectorate of Li Kasai

Mountains surround the protectorate of Li Kasai, and hidden within are wonders. The people here are inventors, as ingenious as they are eccentric. Before the invasion, their tallest mountain held a large deposit of minerals for gunpowder production, but to keep such an easy supply out of the Myrhian's hands, their leader sacrificed himself to blow up the mountaintop.

The Protectorate of Zi Shinai

The city within Zi Shinai stretches between the main island and another to the north. Before the seas became too rough for travel, they were the ones who drove travel and trade. On the open water, they thrived. But they have been in decline ever since. The invasion, while devastating, has brought new hope to many of returning to the seas. 

But all of this is just a taste of what Thaoand has to offer. We haven't talked here at all about the significance of spirits and statues, like the ones in the pictures. We haven't talked about the handful of justice-driven investigators who seek to uphold the law in all of Thaoand. We haven't even talked about the underground crime syndicate that seeks to run Thaoand from the shadows! There's only one way to learn more, though. Come check us out!

[xroyalsandrebels]

R&R Is Turning 5 Years Old!

On May 30, 2022, Royals and Rebels turns 5 years old! That's five years of story, five years of development, five years of community. Five years of fun and pouring love into a world with friends new and old. We are so excited to be reaching this milestone, and are just as excited for all the years still left ahead of us. We would love for you to join us in our celebrations, or at any time! Our doors are wide open.

[xroyalsandrebels]

R&R Wanted: Andras Dagon

Douglas Booth | 23 | Nobleman | Myrh

The spider and the fly. In the end, anyone can be a fly, but there is only one spider. His affair with Keziah Drakavac, a Stormborn more than twice his age and known to leave a string of dead or abandoned lovers in her wake, is the game he has chosen to play, knowing very well that she thinks she is the one playing him. It doesn't exactly meet with the approval of his father, but then what is good enough for the high and mighty Zagan Dagon? Never mind that Keziah could be queen one day. No, it has to be Caelia instead. His step-mother. She's nice enough to look at but if she's queen, where does that leave Andras? At her mercy. Beneath his half-siblings, who are still children. What if it isn't enough to inherit his father's vast lands while the old man gets to be king? Maybe he should be king beside Keziah and their father's title can go to his beloved older sister Lilith just like she's always wanted. He'll outlive Keziah by half a lifetime anyway. The only real problem there is the matter of children. In particular, Keziah's son, Lanval. Bloodthirsty, obnoxious, having already promised death, he'll have to go but the question is how. Andras isn't too concerned, though. There is, after all, only one spider. And it isn't Keziah.

Want to know more? Come check us out!

[xroyalsandrebels]

T’is the season for love on R&R!

Two heads are better than one. R&R is full of couples, from long-standing marriages, to secret affairs, to open and adventurous relationships... but some of these lovebirds are missing their other half. So if you're looking for ready-to-go-romances, we're looking to play matchmaker. Take a look at these pairs with the partner already in play!

Leofstan Bowyar (wanted) and Saenesa Bowyar (in play)

In a land known for freer love, a political marriage is suffocating, perhaps even maddening. But it is for politics that the former queen of Draiwen married her bastard son, Leofstan, to the daughter of the leader of the Arrokko, a tribe of warriors in the desertland of Nuhara. Gold in exchange for warriors, and a marriage to seal the deal. But Draiwen has been colder and less welcoming than anyone imagined, leaving Leofstan and Saenesa to find unlikely allies in each other, and maybe the beginnings of love?

Iseult Sabanok (wanted) and Malphas Storm (in play)

True love does sometimes win. Though she had been involved with his half-brother, Balan, at the time, Iseult fell in love with Malphas, one of the mad king of Myrh's many bastard children. They eloped and married, and when their marriage as annulled by the king upon their return, they defied him a married again. Amused, the king let the marriage stand.The past haunts them, however, as Balan seeks revenge for his broken heart.

Dak Valefar (wanted) and Ximena Storm (in play)

By the time Dak married his intended bride, Lyona, from an arrangement when he was ten, his heart belonged to another. And though he did his duty, having two sons with her, there was never any question about who the woman in his life was. Ximena. The daughter they had together was the light of his life.. for the two years she was with them. Ximena faked their child's death, sending her to an unknown fate in another kingdom. Her loss is one he still does not know how to recover from, even all these years later.

Augustin Erewaker (wanted) and Catherine Erewaker (in play)

Theirs is a love that no distance or time can break. When the rebellion began, she convinced Augustin that they had to join. Now he's a spy, still serving in the king's army, and she keeps the rebels on their feet. It's difficult and dangerous, it keeps them apart, but its right. She can't help but wonder, though, can the rebels win before the danger finally overtakes Augustin, or herself?

[xroyalsandrebels]

R&R’s Most Wanted

Jonathan Bailey | 28 | King's Cousin | Draiwen

It isn’t fair. He's supposed to be young and care-free, making all of life's best mistakes. It's the only life befitting the king's cousin. Rich and important, but still able to be on the sideline. So what if his father is disappointed in him? The man doesn't understand anything short of boundless duty and military might. It's his life to live as he pleases. Except it isn't. Except, there's death everywhere and his hands aren't clean. Those blasted rebels. How dare they hang death above his head then tell him to dance for his life. For the lives of his parents. How dare they use him to get to the king. How dare they send a rat with him, disguised as a manservant. It's already cost them a princess. It almost cost them everyone and now his own father is hunting down rebel spies. How desperately he wants to come clean, out the spy, be the hero. But his 'manservant' is ever-present. So he's silent, willing the king and his father to just see what's going on. All so he could live another day. 'Coward' lingers in the back of his mind, but he's the victim here. They'll all see that when this nightmare finally ends... won't they?

Ragga Ragnars | 38 | Noblewoman | Myrh

She is amusing to them. In her armor, with her sword. Watch her follow her older brother around like a lost pup in a wolf’s body, they sneer. But they do not understand. How could they, when they were not the disappointing daughter of an angry father? When they did not fail every expectation, excelling only when that older brother taught them to fight behind their father’s back? When they were not almost forced to marry a brute almost three times their age? They have not watched two wretched women come into their brother’s life, one mistress and one wife. Nor have they seen the danger his bastard daughter was in and taken the necessary action to save her from it, faking the child’s death with that damnable mistress. They have not watched their brother’s sons grow up far away from the danger and him, training them personally to fight, as they will always need to do. They have not done the things she has. They are not capable of it. And one day, when they have laughed their last and find themselves on the end of her sword, they’ll realize it too.

Both characters have family and connections in play!

Interest piqued? Come check us out!

[xroyalsandrebels]

Love member want ads?

Here are some of ours!

Wanted Character - Suggested play by: Aiysha Hart - A formidable warrior and a long time friend of Amira, even before her family took Amira in.

Wanting Character - Amira Qamar - Disease stole away her sight as a child, but she's never let it stop her from becoming a warrior like the rest of her people.

Wanted Character - Suggested play by: Tom Riley - A true friend and eventual lover to Anthony. He is intelligent, and feels somewhat isolated from most people, but finds a rare companion in Anthony.

Wanting Character - Anthony Whytton - Knowing him to prefer men, Anthony's father put a clause in his will declaring that unless Anthony married within a year of his father's death, he would not inherit his land and title. And time is running out.

Wanted Character - Suggested play by: Charles Dance - His wife had an affair and he wound up with her bastard, Ulric. Only the want to hide the blemish from the rest of the nobles kept him from disowning Ulric outright, but he never could look at him the same way again.

Wanting Character - Ulric Scurlock - A knight who, as a legitimized bastard, has always felt a little outside of society. In a recent hostage situation the side of his face was severely burned, only deepening that feeling of a rift.

Wanted Character - Suggested play by: Malin Buska - Marrying Raum was one of the better decisions she ever made. Not only does she make a good ally and business partner for him, but their open marriage also allows her to chase her true love - Katrinka, her brother's wife. Life is good, so long as her brother doesn't find out.

Wanting Character - Raum Storm - A capable businessman and owner of a popular brothel in the city, Raum is considered to be one of the friendlier Stormborn - the name given to the mad king of Myrh's many bastard children.

Wanted Character - Suggested play by: Liam Cunningham - His son is the only thing tying him to a past of loss. His estrangement with Hastein let him live in peace, remarried and working in a castle up north. But now his son has come back, and is asking for help.

Wanting Character - Hastein Ufisson - A symbol of hope for the people of Draiwen, Hastein leads the rebellion against the crown. His own past, however, is mired in tragedy and broken families.

Wanted Character - Suggested play by: Orla Brady - She never liked her sister's husband. The Dagons may be high ranking nobles, but they were hard people, and now all that's left of her beloved sister are her two children, raised far away in the dangerous Castle Cthonos.

Wanting Character - Zagan Dagon - His first marriage was political, pre-arranged, but his wife's death left him with two children he adores... and in-laws he can't get along with. But when his daughter runs away, her mother's family is one of the few places she may go.

Want to see more want ads? Come check us out here!

[xroyalsandrebels]

Lore Highlight: Stormborn

In the Kingdom of Myrh...

Stormborn. This is the name given to those of Zakarne's line: the king's many bastards and the children of those bastards. The kingdom worships Zakarne as their king and god and thus many view the bastards as demi-gods. They have a unique and contradictory position within the realm. Zakarne likes to toy with his offspring, pitting them against one another, in part because at times he believes this will prevent a child from usurping him, in part because he thinks he will never die and simply enjoys tormenting his blood, but mostly because he wants his heir to be the strongest out of all his children like he was. 

“Elphine could tell just by the makeup of this group, even if she hadn’t already known, that this was going to be one of those dinners that Zakarne toyed with the Stormborn with some twisted game. There was a peculiarity to the fact that only one of the Storm twins was present, and while most servants were expected to conveniently ignore everything they heard and saw, that was also precisely what got a servant killed. Elphine knew for a fact that Connor Storm had not received one of these invitations. The twins were separated. At least she knew who would be there, that was somewhat of an advantage for a non-entity like her at a dinner such as these. Elphine moved half a step back again cringing inwardly when Lanval commented to say he wouldn’t slit her throat if she turned and told her to get the drinks. She should have known better. She’d already made too many mistakes tonight. Storms might die tonight, but so likely would servants. Sometimes all of them did.” 

- Elphine Xavinos, servant in Cthonos Castle

Want to know more? Come read here!

[xroyalsandrebels]

R&R’s Most Wanted

She used to be the youngest of her siblings. Her mother, the queen, left before she was even a year old on a diplomatic mission to the neighboring land. Storms trapped the queen there, and so Lilliyan grew up without a mother, looking to her older siblings instead. Hectar, the ever-purposeful heir. Eleana, competing like she ever could rule instead. Niclas, the daydreamer. Maybe it left her a little quieter, a little more watchful. A little more understanding that the world beyond her home’s walls was dark and dangerous. It left her fearful, and the years have only confirmed that fear. A rebellion began and took her father’s life, then Hectar’s, then it almost took hers and it possibly took Eleana’s. It exposed spies in the castle and now she is safe nowhere. But then her mother returned, after twenty-one years, with two children in tow. Just when she thought the world could crumble no further, a stranger came and made her a middle child of six and she has no idea what to do with any of it, not the grief, not the fear, not the odd distance between herself and the who are supposedly her mother and her half-siblings. All she knows is that her brother, now king, and his new wife need all the help they can get. What use she can be, she does not know, but anything has to be better than just waiting in a tower like her life was a fairy-tale. No one else is coming to rescue them.

[xroyalsandrebels]

Character Highlight - Connor Storm

“Connor found there were many ways to exterminate the gloomworms that had taken up residence in his head. Most of them were only temporary though. They always came wriggling back to feast on his brain. Sometimes a day, a week, an hour, five minutes. Persistent little buggers, gloomworms. But far easier to push back than the doubts. Doubts were just the worst. Gloomworms could be forgotten quite easily. Unnoticed maybe, since they did come back. Always. And never. All the same. 

One such way to fend them off for a time was to blindfold himself and walk from one corner of the castle to another, just to prove he could do it. Which of course he could. Cthonos was his home. His only home. The best home. A most wonderfully perfect, irreplaceable home. And he a master of its halls and secrets and passages and unsecrets and unpassages and bridges and rooms and towers and dungeons and kitchens and even all the uselessly superfluous rooms that no one ever used for anything except to collect dust. 

Once, his mother had told him stories of dust-bunnies that grew in the dust. A fairy tale, surely. Connor had never seen a bunny made of dust. 

 Thinking of his mother brought a little wriggle of gloomworm.”

 -Drew

[xroyalsandrebels]

Royals and Rebels is now four years old!

A new year means shiny new things, right? We believe so! We have expanded the Kingdom of Draiwen with some new lore and new canons! All revolving the court itself. We have also added a new map: the map of Myrh! Like what you see? Want to know what else is new? We're your one-stop shop!

Canons

Edmund Drexel

The royal family's physician. Ambitious and clever, he refuses to be outshined.

Thane Corvyn

Court Loremaster. Recently discovered his grandson is a royal spy and may be alive.

Ryland Corvyn

Thane's younger grandson, and a knight. Shaken by all the chaos in the kingdom.

Ashur Burke

Real name is Thatcher Corvyn. Royal spy who's been stuck behind enemy lines.

Myrh Map

[silvaris]

Kylemore Abbey by Jean Kimmich

[mynocturnality]

Conwy Castle is a fortification in Conwy, located in North Wales

| Photographer: Rudlin

[forestcwhore]

𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒇𝒂𝒓 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅, 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒍𝒆 🏰

[xroyalsandrebels]

Character Highlight

“Odelina, why are you here?" She asked finally, in a quiet and calm voice, something that hid everything she felt inside. "I do not mean here at this table, but why did Alviva bring you here?" She asked, still keeping the calm and conversational tone, giving nothing away to those watching, Nobles or Staff. "Surely she could not have expected us to welcome her back with open arms, the two youngest children who have no memory of who she is." She licked her lips, taking in a deep breath as she reached for her wine and took a sip, something to calm her, something to stop her from losing her temper. She needed to calm down, be rational, be calm, let others lose their tempers, or cry or whatever else.

"Do you know what it feels like to grow up without a Mother? To feel abandoned? To wonder if there is something wrong with you, something that aided her decision to leave." She paused. forcing her hands to remain relaxed when all she wished to do was ball them into fists, though if she did that the scream would start. Would start and never stop.

"Do you know what it is to wonder if your Mother misses you, and then see her turn up, with another perfect blonde daughter to love and care for?" She had not mean to say that much, to show herself as weak as she seemed to be. I should go, I should head back to my rooms. But at least I did not scream all this at her, I kept calm, I must stay calm.”

-Lou

[xroyalsandrebels]

A poisoned cup. A mysterious new servant. A rebel found dead in his cell. An information leak. Draiwen Fortress has itself a rebel spy infestation, and the royal family is scrambling to stamp it out. But what to do? Who to trust? The new young king of Draiwen has placed his uncle, Grayson Vyrwel, an embittered but loyal ex-commander of the army, with the task of finding the spies and putting a stop the looming danger that threatens the royal family each and every day. Little does Grayson know, but his own son has gotten mixed up with the rebels, acting as one of those spies against his will. Will Grayson be able to find the spies in time? Or is the royal family doomed to fall from knives in the dark? 

Wanted Canons

Rohar Vyrwel - Reeve Carney - 28 - Son of Grayson Vyrwel, a socialite who finds himself spying for the rebels under direct threat of death.

Augustin Erewaker - Mads Mikkelsen - 50 - A long time rebel spy in the Royal Army. Married to a rebel healer and has a daughter, though he rarely gets to see them.

Rune Ivarssen - Josh O'Connor - 28 - Grew up as family friends with the now rebel leader, and blames him for the family they lost to the effort. Now he spies for the crown against the rebels.

Hana Bethuner - Freida Pinto - 27 - Her sister has gone missing. She was just a servant in the fortress, or so Hana thought, so what could have happened?

Someone catch your eye? Come join us!

[xroyalsandrebels]

Love is in the air at Royals and Rebels!

The world is fraught with danger, and how better to face it than with someone else? Careful that the love does not turn to a danger itself, though. But alas! A number of these couples are only half complete! So if you're looking for ready-to-go-romances, we're looking to play matchmaker. Take a look at these pairs with the partner already in play! 

Leofstan Bowyar (wanted) and Saenesa Bowyar (in play) - In a land known for freer love, a political marriage is suffocating, perhaps even maddening. But it is for politics that the former queen of Draiwen married her bastard son, Leofstan, to the daughter of the leader of the Arrokko, a tribe of warriors in the desertland of Nuhara. Gold in exchange for warriors, and a marriage to seal the deal. But Draiwen has been colder and less welcoming than anyone imagined, leaving Leofstan and Saenesa to find unlikely allies in each other, and maybe the beginnings of love? 

Bronwyn Razul (wanted) and Katrinka Razul (in play) - What are you supposed to do when you've fallen for your brother's wife? Bronwyn hates to keep the secret from her brother, but she loves Katrinka and fears what he would do if he found out his sister and his wife were having an affair. Her own husband isn't a problem, being happy for an open arrangement, but Katrinka has taken to disliking Bronwyn's husband for the side is brings out in Bronwyn. This arrangement can't last forever, but who will give, and what then? 

Augustin Erewaker (wanted) and Catherine Erewaker (in play) -  Theirs is a love that no distance or time can break. When the rebellion began, she convinced Augustin that they had to join. Now he's a spy, still serving in the king's army, and she keeps the rebels on their feet. It's difficult and dangerous, it keeps them apart, but its right. She can't help but wonder, though, can the rebels win before the danger finally overtakes Augustin, or herself?

Jerik Qhirst (wanted) and Evaine Qhirst (in play) -  A newly wed couple in Myrh. For her, its the breaking of her father's promise that he would never force her to marry, especially not someone so terrifying. For him, its a turning from his vow to never marry again after his first wife's death, but a necessity for having an heir. But could it grow into something more?

And what sort of romances go on in Royals and Rebels? Everything from forbidden loves...

...to longstanding affairs...

...to joyous marriages...

...to burgeoning feelings in the midst of games...

...to promises of what could be.

Still want more? Come join us!