» Corus, A Tortallan RPG

[Kyprioth]

The year 200 has drawn to a close. The joy of royal betrothal was gifted doubly, only to be tainted by the Carthaki prince’s indifference towards the country of his bride. Fire ravaged the city’s Court of the Rogue, leaving a testy organization whose anger has been cooled only with the coming of winter snows. A poor harvest and the act of thieves made for a hungry midwinter season, and the war, announced just after midwinter’s close, promises only to drain the depleted storehouses further.

The city of Corus is not the friendliest of places at the moment. With the Rogue still irked at the Provost’s inability to catch the arsonist who destroyed its court—and the lives of many of its members—and the common citizens made hungry by the king’s failure to provide for them as he has in past years, tensions are higher than anyone would like. It seems to some that the gods have turned their backs on the city, and are leaving the Tortallan people to make their own way through the unpleasantness—and the harsh winter weather. It is only a matter of time before the attitudes within the city heat up, melting even the coldest of ice storms.

The orders have gone out, and it’s time for war! Tortall’s finest knights and soldiers are wintering in the desert as the country wages war against Barzun over territorial lines. Between harsh conditions for those on the battlefield and an utter lack of men for the court ladies, much of the nobility is completely oblivious to the strife within Corus’ streets. With the war showing no signs of progression, however, the Council of Lords is left wondering if such a fight is truly a good use of resources—and men. As is often the way, however, the true action is occurring behind closed doors, where subtle manipulation, secret affairs, and plots of murder are all carried out in soft whispers amongst some of the court’s most notable figures.

If Corus doesn’t sort this mess, there will be the Black God to pay. So many directions to look, and so little attention to spread, leaves the Conté family scattered, and it is simply occurrence after occurrence dragging the kingdom further into chaos. Priests and mages alike prophesize more bad tidings in the future, and with the war sucking so many of Tortall’s resources, one hopes that the country will have what it needs when the next wave strikes.

Who needs other countries to eat away at them when one does such a fine job of it themselves?

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Corus is a forum-based RPG set in the Tortall universe created by Tamora Pierce. It is currently set in the year 201 H.E (human era), 45 years prior to the book Terrier.


This post has been edited by Kyprioth on Jul 10 2009, 11:58 PM

[Kyprioth]

Men are slowly making their way from the coast and into the desert sands. With a formal declaration of war, courtesy of Tortall, Barzun is now able to station proper knights along the northern borders, and the “criminal raids” from months prior have ceased altogether. The desert, however, is a fickle battlefield at the best of times, and winter’s harsh winds are the bringer of regular sandstorms, leaving each military party all but stationary. While critics of the royal family view the war as a waste of resources for this very reason, the majority of the population is appeased by their ruler’s quest for new lands. With so many other bumps in the Barzunni meeting rooms, the people’s contentment is a huge blessing for the monarchs.

Another bundle of joy is soon to bless the royal family. With an infant due by the end of winter, any other royal family would be ecstatic to be brining a fourth pregnancy to term. The Castell household, however, is not the happiest of places. The royal marriage is growing cooler as Queen Justina must adjust, once again, to the Barzunni custom of drowning “excess” children, and a strained marriage is not good for any nation. As the kingdom’s eyes turn to the queen to see what actions she will—or will not—take in the coming months, the king is forced to fight a war on two fronts, or risk losing his seat of power altogether.


This post has been edited by Kyprioth on Jul 10 2009, 11:51 PM

[Kyprioth]

With one child betrothed and out of the way, the emperor has turned to another. His sights have turned to the younger of the Carthaki princesses, who, at twelve, has already been betrothed on four occasions. The likeliest candidate is his own chief advisor, however it has been suggested that the head spy has been dropping hints, hoping to gain a bit more political power in the emperor’s court. Not, of course, that he doesn’t have his hands full already—with more field agents than ever setting up shop in Corus, he’s up to his ears in reports.

The people, though, think that their ruler’s priorities should be elsewhere. Political moves are all well and good, but when a kingdom’s people begin to feel neglected by their monarch, they tend to turn elsewhere, and the Hag’s high priest is more than happy to accept that burden—and the prestige and power that comes along with it.