Caged Bird

Stage One: Basic

This came to me when watching a documentary on the Ottoman empire, the way that each emperor were so on guard as to be perpetually locked in a gilded cage and the idea of the fierce and often fatal rivalry between brothers made me think of this:


Plot:


The sons of the Emperor are always tested far away from the court until they are ready to overthrow their father, exiled inside the Eye of the world, a faraway oasis only reachable by a small canyon. As soon as they are born, the infants are each given a small kingdom, two advisers, an handful of slaves and a village worth of citizen to grow into a powerhouse worthy of a future emperor. They are left on their own by the world at large, only knowing the small oasis they grey in and not much more as they are shown the way of a true emperor while having to constantly watch their back. Indeed, their life is much like those of a bird in a glided cage, shown only what their elders want them to see and groomed into hating their rivals with the paranoia of a madman.

Once they are ready, most that survives the treachery of the Eye try to amass an army of their subject to attempt to overthrow their sire in hope of earning their place on the Imperial Throne.


Geography:


A desertic land with a gigantic oasis surrounded by great cliffs on most of it's diameters serve as the heart of the known world, the centre of a great circle of sand encircled by ice-peeked mountains. All the capitals of the various kingdoms occupying the Eye of the world, as the inhabitants of that land called their home, can be found surrounded by great white walls of sand on the edge of the cliffs, near the life-giving water. The vast desert, itself, is used as the home of various nomadic colonies of those countries, various tents and small huts littering the sands.

A narrow and dangerous canyon leads to the world beyond, where only merchants dare thread the treacherous and serpentine passage. It's emplacement is unknown to all but the Emperor and his Vizier.



History:


For four hundred years has the Eye been the cradle, arena and prison of the sons of the Emperor, most dying in it's midst and few leaving it for the Imperial Capital. Even rarer are those that succeed in overthrowing their brother's, father's uncle or even grandfather's regime to become the next Emperor.

The fortresses found on the desolate land of the Eye are nearly just as old as the land's purpose, exactly one hundred in number and inherited by each successive generations of young kings.


I plan to incorporate various NPCs more or less loyal to each king (that would be your character) and give you various event to help you create you own small kingdom. I was thinking of a attribut-like system where each NPC have a starting loyalty and personality and make it so each of the player'S action would affect them either positively or negatively. Financial, political and military might will each be vital to the kingdoms.

Finished product:

The sons of the Emperor are always tested far away from the court until they are ready to overthrow their father, exiled inside the Eye of the world, a faraway oasis only reachable by a small canyon. As soon as they are born, the infants are each given a small kingdom, two advisers, a handful of slaves and a village worth of citizen to grow into a powerhouse worthy of a future emperor. They are left on their own by the world at large, only knowing the small oasis they grew in and not much more as they are shown the way of a true emperor while having to constantly watch their back. Indeed, their life is much like those of a bird in a gilded cage, shown only what their elders want them to see and groomed into hating their rivals with the paranoia of a madman.

Once prepared, the surviving sons of the Eye normally amass an army from their subjects, attempting to overthrow the throne and claim their place as the new emperor... You are one such son, and are now ready to start preparing for your destiny, on the edge of your 15th birthday, the day you become a man in the eyes of all. The subjects you have inherited are now numerous enough to start expanding and strengthening your kingdom by either political, financial or martial might.

You are one of the sons of the emperor, starting at fifteen years of age, you will rapidly grow into a king of your people or die by the hand of one of your brothers' assassins. You will be a sheltered young man and must act as such, having faith in what your two advisers tell you whether they want your triumph or your ruins is up to you to discover. You will start by introducing you character by the mean of a flashback and will be assigned subjects that will have random personalities and loyalties to your young king. They will either hate, be indifferent to, like, or love you and your action will shift those predispositions based on their personality and the gravity of your act. Be careful of your actions, mishandling your subjects could lead to dangerous consequences.

That method was proven again and again, as the very first Emperor slew his own father to take over his throne and making it into a flourishing empire. Then but a small kingdom, the four hundred years old Empire now spanned a great deal of land, always expending. The male heirs never met their sisters, as the latter were sent at birth to be married to worthy nobles and thus forgotten.

The Eye of the world is a desertic land with a gigantic oasis surrounded by great cliffs on most of it's diameters serve as the heart of the known world, the centre of a great circle of sand encircled by ice-peeked mountains. All the capitals of the various kingdoms occupying the Eye of the world, as the inhabitants of that land called their home, can be found surrounded by great white walls of sand on the edge of the cliffs, near the life-giving water. The vast desert, itself, is used as the home of various nomadic colonies of those countries, various tents and small huts littering the sands. A narrow and dangerous canyon leads to the world beyond, where only merchants dare thread the treacherous and serpentine passage. It's emplacement is unknown to all but the Emperor and his Vizier.

For four hundred years has the Eye been the cradle, arena and prison of the sons of the Emperor, most dying in it's midst and few leaving it for the Imperial Capital. Even rarer are those that succeed in overthrowing their brother's, father's uncle or even grandfather's regime to become the next Emperor. The fortresses found on the desolate land of the Eye are nearly just as old as the land's purpose, exactly one hundred in number and inherited by each successive generations of young kings.