Sunday, 7 January 2018

Prince of the Woods

They brood in the dappled twilight of the old forests, beyond the twisted secret warrens of thicket and undergrowth. The wolves and deer, the owls and badgers bend their knees in fealty, unbreakable til the pitted iron crown is destroyed. Insects and reptiles lend their ear, and do not take his counsel lightly, but owe no loyalty to the prince - they are apart, and have their own agendas.

1d6
Locals know Him as…
1
Green George
2
Arthur of the Oak
3
Tree-Speaker
4
Long-Jack
5
Goblin King
6
Lord of Teeth

1d6
The rumour goes…
1
The crown he wears is the first crown ever forged, and it put humans on top - in charge of nature, and that’s why the animals do his bidding.
2
The forest? Used to be a kingdom, and the edge marks the boundry. The king were reduced to a mere prince, or was it a prince robbed of being a king? Regardless, he now rules the animals and holds court with them. He’ll sleep at last once his throne is returned.
3
He doesn’t rule the animals, he is the animals, get me?
4
If it weren’t for him the forest’d die.
5
He’s held in thrall by a tree what seduced him - and still is, waiting for her to marry - why else is he a prince and not a king, eh?
6
He’s actually a witch with a glamour, and so is the court of his animals - they can’t pretend to be lizards and bugs, because they’re not warm like people or witches.
1d6
Conflict Arises…
1
The Prince is at war with the insects and lizards - you can hear them fightin’ in the woods.
2
A wolf is leading a coup, and both sides are trying to drag the humans into the conflict.
3
The Prince would see his domain expanded - the forest goes rapidly, cutting off the local village from (something essential, or entirely)
4
The Prince demands oath of fealty from domesticated animals, thinning the herd, causing a potential food crisis.
5
The Prince has killed the charcoal burners - not that the villagers care about them, but who’s next?
6
The Prince has stolen a child to take his place - but isn’t he supposed to be immortal?
Folkloric monsters and shit. Stat is however you please, you can change the ending of the story through the stats I guess. My players would probably just burn the fucking forest down. Also he could just be an Arboreal Vampire to mess with people/