Plot Arcs / i.

[Queen Amedessa of Conté]

Here are some ideas for plot devices. Other suggestions are welcome as is discussion of these topics. Just some things I'm throwing out.

-The Baroness of Port Legann, Aislin, has received much attention from her higher ranked peers as of late. It would seem that she has been popularly given the title of "Pirate Hunter" by aristocrats and commoners alike.

-The recent death of Archduchess Selenity of Conté has narrowed the Conté line down to two sole individuals: Amedessa and her sister Sarafina. If Sarafina and her consort were to have a son, would Amedessa name him her heir? Or does the Queen have other plans in mind?

-Word has reached Tusaine that the Queen has given asylum to some of members of their late nobility. If this is true, who are these nobles and will they stay safely under the Queen's jurisdiction?

-Reports of Carthaki vessels navigating areas of the Western Reaches have reached the Queen. Will she interpret these actions as the Empire seeking to expand its influence, or are they really only harmless sailors out for an adventure?

-Several months ago, Princess Sarafina and Duke Buckley called off the hanging of pirate Tobias Scylding, causing quite a stir––especially since he was capture by Aislin of Port Legann and is now roaming free on the seas again. Does his release have anything to do with the Crown?

-With winter approaching, Tortall braces itself for strains on its Scanran and Tusaine borders.



Anything else you guys can think of? xD

[Aislin of Port Legann]

There's also the issue that some Tusaine revolutionary ideas have made there way into Corus. I'm sure the Tusaine abassador would be taking a bit of heat for that.

[Queen Amedessa of Conté]

He would as soon as it seemed like the "revolutionaries" were getting a little too popular––which surely could be a plot arc if one were to create a bit of a stir and get arrested...

[Duke Gideon of Genlith]

Ok, here's the vague outline of a vague plot:

Carthak is hiring privateers to harass Tortallan ships while they extend their own towards the Western Reaches, for there's rumours of [blank] there. They've allied themselves with Tyra, who believe that they can benefit from [blank]. (Tyra's government is a confederation of merchants/traders/etc.) Tyra has sea access, and a good, albeit small, navy, as well as loads of money. This, coupled with Carthak's already sizable navy and their vast amount of resources, poses a strong threat.

Meanwhile, revolutionists are starting to pop up here and there, and while at the moment they are not causing much trouble, it does elicit some concern for the future. This, in addition to the Queen providing asylum for the noble Tusaine refugees, is placing some strain of Tortall's and Tusaine's relationship. (Enough strain for war, perhaps? Or at least border-pushing?)

Well, that's pretty much it.

[Queen Amedessa of Conté]

Let's explore a little more on the Carthak issue.

The Tortallans and the Yamanis have central control of the Western Reaches, and now that their fertility is generally known throughout the Eastern Lands... everybody wants to have their own slice of the pie, so to speak.

Tamora Pierce set up Carthak as a formidable and strong opponent for Tortall, and in some sense when it was under Ozorne it served as a foil. Although Empires have a tendency to crumble with age, TP gave the impression that Carthak has been an empire for some time and for canon purposes I have kept it as such. There are some minor stability issues with Carthak, but otherwise over the years it has been able to maintain its strength and power.

If Carthak decides they want some of the Western Reaches, as they most certainly will, they are quite capable of taking what they want. I'm only struggling to find a historical comparison for Tortall and Carthak, and I almost want to say England and France, or England and Spain. Maybe the Dutch, but for some reason the Dutch always seemed pretty passive about their American possessions... I suppose I don't really know much about it, really.

Basically, either way, it would be natural to set Carthak up as a rival-type. The marriage ties they have with Tortall through Kalasin are by now pretty faded, so there's not reason to not loose cannons on one another. What is really the decision here is do we want Carthak only beginning to intrude on Tortallan/Yamani territories, do we want Tortall and Carthak on the brink of war, etc...?

[Duke Gideon of Genlith]

Perhaps now they're only beginning to be more aggressive than usual. Then they can gradually get more and more, and force both countries to the brink of war. That way we have a more long-term plot. Unless we don't want one and just want to have the almost-war started now.

[Queen Amedessa of Conté]

Okay.

-Carthak is going to be more aggressive than usual and there have been reports of Carthaki vessels harassing Tortallan/Yamani vessels and other reports of Carthakis getting cozy on the southern coastlines. I'll work something out for this sometime this week... tie in letters or marque or something for privateers like Tobias.

-We need a few people playing Tusaine aristocrat-refugees. I'm thinking a handful and their NPC families, not too many. Enough for plot purposes. If you're interested, speak up! Amedessa will probably have them come to Corus from where-ever she currently has them for safety reasons. That can all be figured out, I just want to know if there's anybody interested in playing one.

-Laura, let me know if you still plan on that revolutionary fellow. We can try to work something interesting out for him.

-Nana, want to give us a rundown of the Republic of Tusaine? What's its political state, is it steady, etc. I'm giving you charge of this since Tusaine is your pet.

-Board time: is "real time" working out for you guys or would you like me to go to a four month rotation?



// Here's another suggestion I feel like throwing out that Shell and I were just discussing. I have mentioned somewhere in the Reference Section that Maren is feeling imperial pressures from Sarain. If Sarain is pushing Maren's borders, they'd probably be knocking on Tusaine's door as well. If that's the case, Amedessa's got another problem on her hands (well, and Tusaine too). Since Tusaine is Tortall's buffer from Sarain, she'd need to expend money and support to bolster up Tusaine against Sarain. An actual attempt at conquest could be interesting too, because that would throw in some more Tusaine drama and other plot possibilities. Boy, why is this suddenly fun coming up with this stuff? lol

[François Valmont]

I'll put together an overview of Tusaine's politics, no problem.

I like the idea of Sarain pushing to grab conquests, the imperial element could be fun and would definitely add an element of needing an uneasy compact between Tusaine and Tortall. Diplomacy is always fun, espeically when it's awkward!

[Queen Amedessa of Conté]

Thanks Nana! Can't wait to see what you put together. If you could format it for the Reference Section, that would be amazing.