[b]Always Open[/b]
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The sun hung low in the west, and from his balcony he watched it sink slowly towards the calm waves of the bay. Daylight had few hours left in the city of Mullen, his city, and its final struggles for life on both the water's surface and the shingle roofs of the city made a golden-red view he found fit for a king. A fitting thought, for a king he was. Bard Urien, to his people he called himself Bard II in tribute to one of his long dead forefathers. He needed that, and everything else he could muster, to legitimize his rule. The room he stood in was his only by the virtue of his brothers' deaths. The first had fallen ill years before and the second-born son serving as king had died in his sleep months ago, and despite being the next of kin it had taken him and his court until now to install himself as the new king. That was unfortunately the climate the old kings of Keilaudrin had built. Their nation was the rising star of the west coast, the largest kingdom in the region and a potent and growing military and trade power. Keilaudrin was one hundred and fifty years of shrewd diplomacy and calculated conquest in the making, and the cost of that haste was the myriad of arrangements, promises, and pacts binding the crown and its vassals together. He had to take every step the perfect way, to the perfect place, and not just for his lords but for his people. They had seen the best and worst of kings, maybe more of the latter, and he had no doubt that every eye in the land was turned to him and his regime in scrutiny. One misstep, one revolt, and innocent blood would be on his hands. 

He had been crowned a few weeks prior, but he found himself setting on his balcony to reflect on the eve of the celebration of his coronation. The whole city was up in colors and festivity to celebrate the return of order, but it would begin in earnest tomorrow morning. His lords would expect an heir to be named. The Urien family was short of them, and Bard himself was still unmarried. As the last Urien, he was the greatest target. The crown was weak, and at any moment the royal family could be snuffed out and lost on the pages of history. Bard was not an idealist, and he knew that there were more lords with ambition than without in his court. There were any number of ways to put someone else on the top, and any number of people willing to try it. Not only his own vassals but any nation that happened to have an interest in one of the most influential nations on the continent would be looking for their way in. It almost seemed that in the grand scheme of things, the king himself was quickly becoming unimportant. Keilaudrin was at the brink of falling apart, and any man or number of men with enough desire could pull the web of intrigues holding it together apart. They would be entering themselves in a dangerous game, however. Keilaudrin was no stranger to war, violence was something any man out for the throne came prepared for. The grim specter of violence used in usurpation loomed close by in the north, over the neighboring once-country of Lachne, now an ashen waste populated only by bandits and the desperate. The night hadn't yet come, and the party to usher in the era of a new king stayed beyond even that. But in the streets of Mullen, people came to involve themselves in a struggle that dated back years.

This thread is always open, feel free to submit a character sheet any time, and please feel free to contact me over PMs or in the OOC.

[u]Rules:[/u]
1: No autohitting/killing, godmodding, powerplay, that sort of general roleplay thing. Not everybody gets along, but please have respect for your fellow roleplayers.
2: Actions have consequences. I will not outright kill characters, no rocks falling here, but I do believe in having a little danger.
3: Please contact me if you are going to disappear for an extended period of time. I don't penalize for inactivity but I do like to know if I need to continue without you.
4: If I am not around to accept your bio for some crazy reason, Sightles will do so.


[u]Player List:[/u]
Name / Page / Owner
Thomas Morgan / 1 / Sightles
Sophia Octavia / 1 / DrowsyPangolin
Jezin Tremora / 1 / DrowsyPangolin
Gareth Harker / 1 / ravenDivinity
Jon Easten / 3 / MicahTheRogue
Hadryn of Buckshorn / 3 / Quadrophenia
Olyvar Nymerios / 4 / Larfleeze
Payton Kyneburg / 5 / Chazbarry
Kol / 5 / Chazbarry
Noah Ardian / 8 / MicahTheRogue
Adrian Kelzhar / 12 / BingTheWing
Eva Stonewater / 12 / DrowsyPangolin

[u]Character Sheet Format:[/u]

Name:
Age:
Gender:

Race:

Appearance/Clothing:

Weapons:

Personality:

History: