RP with Hardenburgh

Well, I'm using this to dump my posts for the RP with Hardenburgh so he can see if they are suitable and you guys can help me edit and refine them to make RPing masterpieces

I don't know if this is ok, so if its not I'll take it elsewhere Dino.












2. Treachery


St Peters Palace,
30 miles outside Asguard
11th August of 1779

It was a warm, stuffy evening in the Grand Duchy Hardenburgh. The air clung tightly to those who had gathered at the state event thrown on behalf of the Grand Duke’s 41st birthday, the height of summer was uncomfortable especially those who were used to less temperate climes. The Raludcian entourage certainly looked out of place amongst the finely dressed men and women of Hardenburgh, their Nordic practicality easily telling them apart from those who enjoyed the warmer climate of this bloated land. Their King was clearly enjoying himself, setting about cavorting with numerous ladies of importance as he made the Kingdom of Raludcia, once again, look like an uncoof and uneducated state.

Lukas Stolberg sighed heavily as his father set about enjoying himself. He hated this country and its warm weather, and he longed to be back in the Northern lands, where even at this time of the year it would be covered in fresh, crispy snow. He took a sip of some wine handed to him by a waiter, and almost gagged on the taste – not only was this country’s weather fowl but its drink was too. He had tried all evening to make conversation with the privileged members of Hardenburghan high society, but they were from different worlds, the tough Raludcian Prince was simply not interested in their petty affairs. A young woman approached him and muttered something unintelligible; though she was attractive she would not have lasted long in Raludcia her skinny frame and clear face showing the signs of a life lived too well. Lukas flashed one of his golden rings hoping she would get the message he was engaged.

Lukas couldn’t take it anymore, and began to make his way to his father, wanting to get away from the stifling heat of the evening and the harsh laughs and high voices of the pampered Hardenburghan upper class. Pushing one noble out of his way attracted more attention than he hoped for, the man reaching for his sword and muttering something in English, Lukas hadn’t a clue what he was saying and moved on – the crown prince of Raludcia had not taken the time to learn this southern tongue. He made it through the crowd to and came to a small opening, to his horror he saw his father, clearly drunk out of his mind with a young woman sat across him singing loudly in Norwegian. Lukas was red in the face, partly from rage and partly from embarrassment. The Hardenburghans were laughing at his father, the King of Raludcia, he could think of no more dire an insult to his homeland and his hands clenched into fists in anger at both his father and the foreigners, he should never have come.

From the sidelines a richly attired and spoken man slithered in towards the King with the ease and lithe of a serpent. Lukas believed the man to be Lord Blackwood, he was the Prime Minister, whatever that rank entitled he did not know, but it suggested he was an important noble. The ease in which the man handled himself and the arrogance radiating from him suggested to Lukas that he would be trouble, and he attempted to get closer to his father. It was with no avail however, the laughing nobles thwarted his every attempt seemingly intent denying him passage. And so he watched as the Blackwood wormed his way closer to his father, the sneering foreigner placing his hands on his father’s shoulders and giving off a piercing, one might say evil, laugh.

“So my king, have you been enjoyed this evening’s entertainment?” Blackwood grinned widely, looking almost demented in Lukas’ eyes.
The Raludcian King grinned even wider, his red face lighting up in satisfaction. “Mr Blackwood” he started as he clenched the buttock of the lady near him, causing laughs all around “I have had a schpectacualr evening!”
Blackwood grinned, “As I thought my liege, I must ask will you be spending a night at the palace?”

King Harald laughed heartily and slurring his speech managed, “I will Mr Blackwood”
The king then stopped abruptly seemingly lost in a trance. The laughing stopped and silence filled the air. Lukas looked into his father’s eyes and Harald laughed once more. “You know what Mr Blackwood; your service has been so exemplary, that I will grant you the throne of Raludcia on my death.”

Silence again, many were shocked at this sudden outburst. Lukas continued to hold his father’s gaze, the drunken Monarch laughing again. Mr Blackwood laughed, “Surely my lord, you are not serious?”

“I am deadly serious, I Harald IV of Raludcia, will grant my throne to you Blackwood, in the stead of my Bastard son over there.”

Lukas could not believe it, he had never been more embarrassed and ashamed of his father – and his father had done some bad things in his time. He began to back away, thoughts turning in his head and beginning to worry if these southerners would take his father’s offer seriously – surely they would see it as a joke made in a drunken stupor? The crown prince began to pace quicker now towards his servants. “Soejenson, we’re leaving. Now.”

Meanwhile Blackwood’s face lit up as he leant closer to the Raludcian king, “I will hold you true to that word my liege, where may I ask is your son?”

The king pointed to the place where Lukas’ face had been in the crowd moments before, but the young prince had gone.

Regjeringen på Rells,
Kesseldorf, Raludcia
25th October of 1785

The Regjeringen translated into English literally as “the government place” and could be considered simply that, the place from which the Raludcian Kingdom was governed. The ancient gothic structure rose from the River Rells on its own island located almost in the centre of the Raludcian capital of Kesseldorf, moss clung to the ornately carved stonework near the bottom, the gold plated roof shone out to the city as a beacon of prosperity however, showing the wealth and power of the kings of the land. The vast slab of stone was a self contained fortress, palace, chapel and capital building for the government of Raludcia, a totalitarian monarchy which covered vast tracts of land, albeit mostly tundra and inaccessible pine forests. It was a quiet morning in the city, the first snowfall was expected within a week and it was preparing for the winter, however events had unfolded, which were far more sinister and threatened the state more than any fowl weather. On that brisk October morning the Rådgiver was in session, that was not unusual given the time of year no, nor was it unusual considering the death of Harald, for it was the responsibility of the Rådgiver to name a successor to his highness. No what was unusual and out of place on that morning was the message that had come from the south, from the far off lands of Hardenburgh.

The note laid there on the table, the small piece of parchment and ink being of no importance when compared to the message it delivered to the Kingdom of Raludcia, and it was the note on the table that was fuelling the fiery debated that morning.
Prince Lukas II sat in the highest chair of the room, his father’s chair, as he watched the various Jarl’s of the Kingdom bicker between themselves over what should be done considering the letter. It was surprising for all involved, and though Lukas could remember the night clearly he had not thought the Hardenburghan Prime Minister would take his father’s offer so seriously, after all it was a promise by a drunken man, and there had been nothing on paper, nothing to make it official. No, what Hardenburgh was carrying out here was blatant imperialism; they would aim to incorporate Raludcia into their borders whatever he decided. Well, he would not bow to their demands for one.

The crown prince slowly raised his hand, signalling the Jarls to silence.
“Esteemed nobles of Raludcia, this letter from Hardenburgh is indeed a grave occurrence for us, as is the tragic loss of my father.” He paused, clearing his throat “However, we cannot bow to these demands to steal our lands from us, we must resist this threat towards our independence.”

There was a general murmur of agreement around the room, however one of the most influential Jarls, Gustav Harkassøn stood up from his seat and looked Lukas straight in the eye, unnerving him a little. The Prince had often thought the Jarl to be either a Hardenburghan spy or otherwise disloyal to him, and it would make sense for the Jarl’s Hertugdømme was comparatively small, yet he wielded much power in the Rådgiver. Lukas didn’t mind, once he was in power he would not have to listen to the man again. Shaking the Prince abruptly from his thoughts Gustav began to speak,

“Do you suggest, my prince, that we are to crown you king of Raludcia in succession to your father?” Gustav paused, looking around the room to his supporters, gauging the mood. Lukas had not admitted he was jealous of the man’s skilful oratory.

“Because, if we were to make you Lukas II of Raludcia, I would not be surprised if Hardenburgh came here with armed force to subdue us!” several heads nodded, looking concerned.

Lukas sighed, he could not become king without approval of the Jarls, and Harkassøn was proving troublesome at the least. “Gustav my friend, I have considered that, but I doubt very much that Hardenburgh would invade us. We have the advantage of a large country to defend, and they will not only be fighting our armed forces, but the weather and environment of our lands. The war would also cost them too much, Hardenburgh would not strike us and if they did we would be able to push them back. Do you doubt our soldier’s ability esteemed Jarl?”

Harkassøn looked uncomfortable now; the majority of the Jarls were siding with the young prince. “I trust, my lord, that you know what is best for the nation. Thus I will give my approval to your crowning.”

Lukas smiled, “Then, let us vote on that motion.”

The Jarls then wrote down on scraps of parchment either their approval or disapproval of making the young prince king of Raludcia. The stakes were high, but none of them really believed that Hardenburgh would make good on its promised invasion. The voting had been completed within the hour, at the end it was unanimously decided that Prince Lukas would be crowned King Lukas II of Raludcia, directly defying the Hardenburghan claim to the throne, and so the stage was set for confrontation.

The Hardenburghian Embassy,
Kesseldorf, Raludcia
26th October of 1785


The next morning in Kesseldorf was much busier than the previous day, with news that Lukas II had been crowned the previous night there was much celebration amongst the peoples of the nation and a travelling fair had set up just outside of the city limits, attracting fairly large crowds. In the city market day was also in full swing as merchants and citizens bartered and traded goods.

Løytnant Alfred Andersøn made his way through the densely packed crowds across the central city square. Behind him his Platoon followed him in step clutching their muskets as they advanced towards their target. A few curious citizens began to look on in curiosity, what were the Royal Guard doing out the day after the coronation? Alfred thought that too, him and his men should be recovering from a shattering hangover after their master had been made king, however events had taken an unexpected turn and the way in which things were panning out he could see a full out war beginning. His orders which he was about to carry out would enflame the situation even more, but he was honour bound to them and his king, and he didn’t particularly care for the tanned southerners anyway.

Gripped with a sense of purpose the Løytnant picked up his pace and citizens began to clear the square, not wanting to be in the way when the Royal Guard got to work. The Hardenburghan embassy building was typical of buildings in Kesseldorf, three stories high and built in a gothic style it rose proudly from the ground. It was a majestic building, but Alfred’s face wrinkled in disgust when he saw their foreign flag flying from its mast, the Hardenburghans had proved why Raludcia should remain isolated from the rest of the world – the rest of the world was simply backward and aggressive, crushing and absorbing smaller nations who did not follow their ways.

As they approached the embassy one of the staff came out to greet the Løytnant. The man was definitely Hardenburghan; he had an air of authority and stood a good head taller than Alfred, reeking of a cheap perfume that the upper class of Hardenburgh seemed to have grown fond of in recent months. Alfred’s nose wrinkled as the man approached, waiting for him to speak.

“Good afternoon sir, I trust you have come to deliver your leader’s reply to the note which we sent them yesterday?”

Alfred grinned maliciously, “I have”. In one swift movement he pulled his sword from its holster and pushed it through the shocked Hardenburghan diplomat. The crimson life blood of the foreigner dripped down Alfred’s sword as he wrenched it out of the man, now very much dead, collapsing to the floor leaving a steadily expanding lake of blood. Onlookers stood slack jawed at the quick efficiency in which he had killed the man, and the practical declaration of war on Hardenburgh that had occurred in front of the populace. For Hardenburgh would take this event as such.

Alfred turned to address his men, “We have our orders my brothers, we are to leave only one alive – who it is doesn’t matter but he or she will be the one who delivers our reply to Hardenburgh” The Løytnant wiped the blood from his sword on the expensive garments of the dead Hardenburghan, turning to his men again he spoke, “Now men, we go inside and do our duty for king and country”

The Yellow Lion Inn,
5 miles outside Cmust, Hardenburgh
29th October of 1785

The wind howled through the northern forests of Hardenburgh on this rainy night, and the rain fell heavily and in great torrents battering itself against the lonely inn. Inside the bar was silent, it had been a quiet day but as night had drawn the few customers had shuffled back to their warm homes. The innkeeper was asleep and Mary was once again left to clear up the mess left by the men. They could be fowl creatures at times she thought, leaving such an untidy room for her to tend to.

It was late now though, and she vowed that she would stay up only until the clock struck one, and then she would make her husband clean his own mess up in the morning, she was far too lenient towards that man. Suddenly a knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, at first she dismissed it as her imagination, who would call at such an hour? In such dreadful weather?

The second knock was louder and sent a chill through her body, a knock at the door at this time could not possibly be a good thing. Perhaps it was the tax man coming to collect the debt her husband owed to him for “protection” from the highwaymen – the whole country was run on bribery and corruption. Or perhaps it was merely a lost traveller, she hoped it was the latter; she did not want to wake her sleeping husband.

“Just a minute I’m coming!” she shouted and began to pace towards the door, the old floorboards creaking with her light footed steps. Reaching for the door handle she prised it open, but wished she hadn’t the moment she saw what was on the other side.

A figure stood in the dark clutching its shoulders and shivering. It was hideous. Mottled and unwashed hair reached its shoulders that looked coated in mud. Its skin was engrained with dirt and wrinkles and its eyes sunken pits, shallow and glazed over – one of them was bloodshot. Its mouth had been bound and stapled together so it could not speak, and nailed into its chest was a note.

The figure was sobbing, and then she began to notice its attire, fine garments that had been torn and caked with mud, at first she thought it was a lord who had been the victim of a particularly ruthless attack, but then her attention turned to the note that had been hammered into the man’s chest. She lifted it up and brought a candle towards it to read. On it was written;

To whom it may concern,

The Raludcian government has considered your proposal to take the crown of our nation. The Kingdom has declined your offer and Prince Lukas was crowned King of Raludcia on the evening on the 25th of October 1725 AD. As you may have noticed by the method in which this note has been delivered we are deadly serious and urge you to not attempt to push your rule over our people, who are strong and independent and have no need of your corrupt and inept leadership. Any attempts to subdue us will fail, for we are united under the King and his service.

The Hardenburghan embassy has been destroyed and its staff executed, do not attempt to make diplomatic contact with us again until you have removed your own traitor, Lord Blackwood, from his position of power.

Regards,

Generelt Lars Smorjassøn of the Raludcian Royal Guard

Ohhh...

Can I haz joining?

Anyway it looks well written.

Admin wrote:Ohhh...

Can I haz joining?

Anyway it looks well written.

I'll have to ask him aswell since its kind of a joint RP, but if you can write as long and as well as this, I don't see why not

Raludcia wrote:

Admin wrote:Ohhh...

Can I haz joining?

Anyway it looks well written.

I'll have to ask him aswell since its kind of a joint RP, but if you can write as long and as well as this, I don't see why not

No problem with me , just effing amazing RP

Maybe not as long but I can get pretty long.

Admin wrote:Maybe not as long but I can get pretty long.

Well you're welcome in Dinosians - just make sure you know the whole story

Hardenburgh wrote:

Admin wrote:Maybe not as long but I can get pretty long.

Well you're welcome in Dinosians - just make sure you know the whole story

Good thing i've been reading.

So sitrep: In a drunken moment the King of Raludcia promised the Prime Minister of Hardenburgh the throne, instead of his son. Years later The Prince of Raludcia decides to take the throne while Hardenburgh intends to actually use the promise made in the King's drunken haze to try and take over Raludcia.

(Obviously Hardenburgh loses thus leading to present day conditions).