Places, People and Features

As you make your character, create a place that they have some kind of link to. Maybe they rule over this barony? Maybe they have been exiled from this region? Maybe they come from this faraway land? Describe this place with a sentence or two.

Note one feature that makes it stand out from other places of the world. It could be "Floating Islands", "Uncountable City-States", "Gigantic Stone Warriors" or anything you can think of. It could be an aspect of the local culture, a local legend, a part of the landscape, a recent piece of history...

Then, list two NPCs linked to that place or to your character. It could be retainers, enemies, allies, the rulers of that place or some family member. For now, keep it to a short entry like “Baron Falkrad, Old Friend of My Father”. Remember to specify if you want to author these NPCs.

Finally, outline one feature of the world at large that makes it stand out or gives it personality. It could be the presence of a specific fantasy race and something that makes it different than other interpretations, it could be some metaphysical rule, it could be some mundane detail that makes it pop, it could be the presence of some kind of ancient technology etc etc. Keep in mind that everyone should be into whatever world you are making together.

The Court

As a group, reply to the following questions. Take time to discuss how exactly each of you see your answers impacting the game, what kind of drama this may lead to and why you vibe with one idea or another. If you are struggling, each question lists a handful of ideas.

What does the court look like?

Define what the court looks like and how it functions. Is it a centralized seat of power set in a forbidden city, where noble bureaucrats rule from afar by passing laws and signing contracts? Is it a complex and spread-out network of vassals, each with their mansion, castle or palace? Is it the government of a city-state, and you each rule over departments rather than land?

• The court is a spread out network of nobles, under the Monarch’s head rule. While the Monarch is all-powerful, the spread out nature of your lands mean that, in actuality, their reach is limited. You might meet at their palace for grand occasions, but most of the time any game of courtly intrigue happens at yours or an NPC’s seat of power.
• The court is a gigantic shining palace, a treacherous playground the size of a city. Land owning isn’t the only definition of a noble, and in fact those that claim power only through demesne might be looked down upon by those who administrate the whole state with pen and law. Bureaucrats laugh in the face of lords and generals, until weapons are drawn and blood spills.
• The court is a secret society who rules from the shadows in a so-called “democracy”. Power takes the form of money and blackmail and friendships only last as long as coexistence is beneficial to both parties. Nobility might instead mean “ultra-wealthy”, “influential” or “well-connected”, but the divide between the blue-blooded and the masses persists nonetheless. The Monarch might not even be an official ruler, but rather the one person who, if they were to fall, would take everyone else down with them.

Why are you allowed to be here?

Dragons are, definitionally, monsters of destructive power. Even if you have good intentions, your raw power makes every single one of you a threat to the well-being of the court. Many would also kill more than just you to get their hands on your Furnace. Yet for some reason, you are here, dancing and snickering among the rest of the nobles. How come?

Ideas:

• You are actually hidden in plain sight. This means that you cannot take on your draconic form without putting yourself at risk. You might not even be able to tell the other dragons are dragons until they've given signs that would be picked by one of your kind as well as by the people who hunts them.
• You have bought your way into the court. Maybe 'you' as in specifically the few dragons that are part of the court, or maybe dragonkind as a whole has proven to be worth the trouble thanks to your incredible wealth. This could mean that other nobles who find themselves more blue blooded than you will show resentment towards you kind.
• The Monarch is a dragon themselves. Your kind is part of this court because the court was created by your kind. Maybe you all are considered above mortals by default, maybe ‘nobility’ in this world even means someone with dragon blood?

Why can't you just take over by force?

Again, dragons are creatures of pure power. Your existence is defined by "might makes right" and yet you must make use of guile, charisma and politics to get what you want. So why, with your incredible might, are you incapable of taking over with sheer and unsubtle force?