In the Court of the River King
A GURPS Adventure
The lands of Veritria and Gertal have been at a steady peace for years. however, in recent times, the lands have become more distant and trade has slown down considerably between the two. The Queen of Veritria feels it necessary to strengthen her relationship with the neighboring kingdom and has called upon a few minor functionaries to attend the Feast of the Flood held in the city of Halan in Gertal. Normally the Queen would politely decline such an invitation, but sending some of her functionaries would be a very low-risk move to improve diplomatic bonds. The feast celebrates the annual flooding of the river that gives rise to fertile soil for crops to grow. This is why the king of Gertal, King Medos, is known as the River King.
The players will take the role of the functionaries of Queen Alina, who are given a chance to prove their worth to their Queen. The Queen expects nothing of the players except to show up and not embarrass the kingdom. As such, the player roles can be varied and unique, if you so choose. The game starts in the throne room of Queen Alina in the city of Alisia, who has gathered the players to give some final words before they leave.
The players have the option to be part of three major organizations. The first is the Veritrian Merchant's Guild, which has the objective to build further trade routes and solidify a mining contract with someone attending the party by the name of Sir Alphonse Vert. The merchant's guild is extremely reputable and hires mercenaries and diplomats from all walks of life. The second is the Anti-Phoenix order, which has acquired a poor reputation as of late with the Queen. The Anti-Phoenix order has a preoccupation with the finality of all things. They believe that a dissolution of the alliance between Gertal and Veritria is inevitable. The Anti-Phoenix order wants to find out as much information from Gertal that may prove useful to a future war. The third being the Weave-watchers, which is the local mage's association. They don't particularly care about the proceedings or political machinations of the event. Instead, they wish to tap any hidden lay-lines that may be hidden within the River King's Court.
How do I play?
The game will be utilizing GURPS LITE as a rulebook. You can find it
HERE. The game will also be fairly simple and low power. Magic is completely allowed and unrestricted as long as you buy the Magery advantage.
To build yourself a sheet, I highly recommend using GURPS CHARACTER SHEET. You can find it
HERE. If you have any questions on how to use this program, please ask.
I'll be looking for 2-6 players and this will be a
play-by-post game.
Character Information
Starting point value: 100 points
Disadvantage limit: -25 points
PC races allowed: Any. Race templates are available on request. Humans are considered the "baseline."
Starting Wealth: $1,000
Tech Level: 3
Statuses allowed: Status 0 - Minor functionary, Status 1 - Courtier, Status 2 - Knighted
Languages: Common (default), Veritrian, Gertalian, Goblinoid, Elvish, Dwarfish, Abyssal
Appropriate Patrons: Veritrian Merchant's Guild [Appears fairly often, fairly powerful, 10 pts.], The Anti-Phoenix Order (The knight's order of Veritria) [Appears fairly often, fairly powerful, 10 pts.], Queen Alina (Default), The Weave-watchers (The mage's association) [Appears fairly often, fairly powerful, 10 pts.]
Useful Skills/advantages: Cultural familiarity with Gertal, area knowledge of Gertal or Veritria, diplomatic skills, combat skills, investigative skills.
Sample Characters. 20 points left to spend however the PC wishes.
Fighter – 80 points
Attributes: ST 14 [40], DX 11 [20], IQ 10 [+0], HT 11 [10].
Secondary Characteristics: Thr 1d, Sw 2d, HP 14, Basic Speed 5.75, Basic Move 5, Dodge 8, Parry 10.
Skills: Broadsword-15 [8]; Knife-13 [2];
Equipment: Broadsword: 2d+1, Large Knife: 2d-2
Archer – 80 points
Attributes: ST 13 [30], DX 12 [40], IQ 10 [+0], HT 10 [+0].
Secondary Characteristics: Thr 1d, Sw 2d-1, HP 13, Basic Speed 5.75, Basic Move 5, Dodge 8, Parry 10.
Skills: Bow-15 [8]; Knife-14 [2].
Weapons: Short bow: 1d, Acc 2, 20 arrows, Large Knife: 2d-3