The Baroque Court: A Royal RP



Welcome to the Baroque Court. Treacherous, poisonous and full of secrets, The Baroque Court consists of the beautiful Palace of Light & Air, as well as the Royal family and their “loyal” courtiers. There the dress is divine, the food delightful and every luxury you could possibly wish for is made available.

But the richness and opulence of a noble’s life comes at a price.

Bored, preening aristocrats are always seeking to gain favor with the elusive King, and do harm to other rival aristocrats. The merest hint of scandal attached to your name could mean banishment from Court, the loss of all your money and titles…or worse.

Are you savvy enough to survive life at the Baroque Court?

The Court – 1676 A.D. “The Advisor is dead!”

The King’s advisor is dead. The infamous Duc of Mollier was the most influential and wealthy man in Kingdom, all because of his trusted position as the King’s close confidante and advisor. Now, the King is looking among the aristocrats within his own court to fill the position…but who will it be? And what will the King’s nobles do to ensure that they are chosen as the King’s next advisor? Wealth, riches and power will belong to any aristocrat cut-throat enough to become the King’s advisor - as well as the satisfaction of besting all the other smug court aristocrats…

Background Information

The object of this RP is to make an aristocrat character, and then guide him/her into the position of the King’s Advisor. It won’t be easy, though. Other characters will be after the same thing, and might even try to get you banished from the Court, or have you stripped of all your titles and money, thus making you start all over again.

Secret alliances and backstabbing are part of the game. Not everyone has to want to be the King’s Advisor – you can team up and help people into the role if you want. The real courts of this time period were a teeming, infested viper’s nest of intrigue and debauchery. Have some fun with it!

The RP is set in the Baroque period (1640’s – early 1700’s).

NOTE: The word “courtiers” simply refers to a group of nobles that lives in the King’s Palace. Aristocrat and Noble are interchangeable words: they simply mean a person of great wealth or power.

The Role Play
The RP is measured in “days”. There will be a morning, afternoon and evening. There will be a post to let you know when it is morning, afternoon or evening. 1 “day” in the RP is considered 1 round.

POSTING LIMIT: Each post must have 8+ lines!
More info HERE

Rules
Obey all forum rules.
All posts must be related to the RP.
All characters must be adults or elders – no teens, kids or (heaven forbid) toddlers!
Only a Duc or Duchesse can become the King’s advisor.
All players must fill out a character application, and all applications must include a character picture (can be sims, or not).

Scandals
All characters, after the application round is over, will be PM’d scandals for their character. There are two types of scandals:

Major Scandals: These are scandals which have to do with infidelity, murder, treason and stealing from the King. These scandals, if found out, will get your character permanently banished from Court (i.e. you’re out of the game!).

Minor Scandals: These scandals have to do with petty flirtations, having an affair with a commoner, and dueling. The punishment for minor scandals is a “morality fine” of 50,000 livres and you get bumped down one title (ex: if you were a Comtesse, then you become a Baroness, etc.).

Every round (1 day in the RP), the Court Gossip (a playable character) will get to know 1 scandal about 1 aristocrat. You will get a PM from the Court Gossip, letting you know that he/she knows about your naughty behavior. You can then try to bribe the Court Gossip with money, a promise to do the Gossip a favor or do nothing. The Court Gossip, for his/her part, can either tell on you or not, even if you bribed or promised them something.

The Court Gossip will then PM me the scandals they wish to reveal to the Court. In the beginning of the next round, the King will then address the court and deal with the aristocrat, depending on the severity of the scandal.

IF you decide to bribe the Court Gossip, please PM me with the amount of money you bribed him/her.

IF you promised the Court Gossip a favor, then you MUST go through with the favor.

You can only PM the Court Gossip once with an offer.

Money
You start the game with a certain amount of money, but you can always increase it by asking the Court Accountant to give you more money. Possibly. The Court Accountant is an NPC (basically me, with a randomizer). You can only ask FOUR times for money from the Accountant in the entire gameplay, and each request is limited to a maximum of 20,000 livres. You must also have two rounds between each request.

If you need money from the Accountant, you need to make a post in the RP, formally asking for money. The request will be denied or approved (depending on what the randomizer chooses) in the same way.

The money is measured using the baroque French currency - livres (like modern day Euros or dollars).

Titles
If you’re not a Duc or Duchesse, you’ll need to become one at some point in order to “win” the RP. There are two ways to get a title: you can buy a title or be granted a title from the King.

Buying a title costs money, obviously. The price for going up one title from your own is 80,000 livres.

To be granted a title from the King, you have to get the Prince/Princess or the Queen Consort to suggest it to the King.

Suggestions
Every round (1 RP day), both the Queen Consort and the Prince/Princess will submit one suggestion to the King by PM. A randomizer will choose which request to grant and it will be announced in the RP in the morning post.

Suggestions will consist of:
Granting titles – he/she can suggest you go up one title from your own
Bestowing money – a maximum amount of 40,000 livres
Banishment – if the Queen Consort or the Prince/Princess get mad enough at you, they can suggest you be banished from Court.

The way to get suggestions is to schmooze up the Queen Consort or the Prince/Princess. They’ll do it if they like you enough, maybe!

Roles
ALL roles are first come, first serve (except for the King). Be a Duc, Duchesse, Queen Consort, Baroness, whatever you choose. There is one open slot for the special titles like Queen Consort, The Prince/Princess, and the Court Gossip. There are 5 empty slots for the other titles (Duc, Comte, etc). After one title is completely filled up, there can be no more applications for that title! 1 character per player, please. Try to spread yourselves out evenly. It won't be fun if we have all Ducs and Duchesses!

The King
Edouard Auguste Louis Rotherham IV
Age: 42

Practical and intelligent, Edouard leans heavily upon his wife, Isabella, and his only daugther, Adalita, for advice now that his beloved Duc of Mollier is gone.

An NPC. Again, me with a randomizer! The King heads up the Court, and lets his courtiers know who’s been banished, given money, promoted, etc.

Queen Consort
The wife of the King. She wields tremendous influence in Court, because she can make suggestions to the King, which can be helpful for any aristocrats looking for favors, titles or money. This character is barred from becoming the King’s advisor, however.

1. Queen Isabella Rotherham - {Shenanigans}

The Princess
The King’s heir. She has the King’s ear, which means she might be able to do you a favor, if you want it. She is also barred from becoming the King’s advisor.

1. Princess Adalita Rotherham - {GeeWayRocks}

The Court Gossip
There’s always one, in every group. The Court Gossip knows all the juicy scandals of the aristocracy, but what’s to stop her from telling the King?

It’s important to remember: the Court Gossip does NOT have a title and starts the game bankrupt. She is shunned by the others aristocrats for being a gossip and not having a title, so maybe all she wants is for you to include her in your little circle of friends… She is also barred from becoming the King’s advisor.

1. Mercy Flight - {Fayreview}

Ducs & Duchesses
The highest level of the aristocrats; they have the most money and power. However, they also come with Major Scandals. If the scandal of a Duc or Duchesse is revealed by the Court Gossip, it is immediate banishment from the game. They begin the game with 80,000 livres.

1. Silvius Peitou-Charentes - {stylequeen}
2. Annelise De L'orrine - {RubyAmbition}
3. Marie Clothilde di Bourbon-Parma - {kipsnif}
4. Madeline Ronson - {ElektraNatchios33}
5. Anabella St. James - {PennyTheCorgi}

Comtes & Comtesses
The second level of aristocrats; still powerful, but not as quite. Depending on the randomizer, they come with either Major or Minor Scandals. It’s a grab-bag, really. They begin the game with 60,000 livres.

1. Gabriel-Lucien Molyneux d'Abri-sur-Mer - {Fluid}
2. Felix Delarue Peitou-Charentes - {Haylifer}
3. Anastasie-Amélie Du Rousseau - {photo_me2004}
4.
5.

Barons & Baronesses
The third and last level of aristocrats. Not very powerful and not as rich. These aristocrats come with Minor Scandals. They begin the game with 40,000 livres.

1. Adela Varens - {lifesacupcake}
2. Claudio Geminani - {123321}
3. Roseline Taylor - {funheart00}
4.
5.

Untitled Characters
These people have no titles – they might be wealthy landowners, but they lack a title to advance at Court. They are adressed as plain ‘Mr. and Mrs.’ They have no scandals. They begin the game with 20,000 livres.

1. Octavien Lahance - {Atropa}
2. Rhiana Silversmit - {innoscenteyes}
3. Claus Jamnitzer - {Hamsterball}
4. Marisol Chavéz - {SpoiledxxAngel}
5.

Applications
(please put ‘Application – Your Character’s Name’ in the title of your post)

Name:
Age:
Title:
Personality:
Picture:

Application Deadline - 9/29, 6 P.M. EST.

Resources
To make sure your sim character is properly garbed in authentic Court gear, you can check out these sites:

All About Style
Sussi @ MTS2
Alexasrosa @ MTS2

You can also type in the terms 'rococo' or 'baroque' into MTS2 search downloads.

For real pictures try this site:
Here or Here

Information about Baroque Culture
Baroque Etiquette {thanks kipsnif!}
Baroque Fashion & Social Life

Winning the Game
The last Duc or Duchesse left standing becomes the King’s new advisor. The winner gets...great satisfaction? I'll also make a special avatar or wallpaper, you choose, of your character commemorating your glorious victory.

Any questions or thoughts, please either reply or PM me! I'm looking forward to seeing, hopefully, some great apps! ALSO, I'm going to make character avatars, so please make sure to post those pics!

Palace Map(s)
CLICK HERE

Character Icons
(As I do them; keep checking back for more...)



For more character icons, check HERE

I just know I won't be able to resist this one, even though I probably should.

This looks very well planned! I really want to make character... I think I'll come back later with one...

Wow eternal! I am amazed at the amount of thought that went into this. I want to join, but I know I suck at being cut throat. Eh, maybe I'll get lucky and get a title that doesn't have to fight for the "title". If not perhaps I'll make a good "stool" for someone. *sigh* I give in... I'm off to visualize a character. Although, it's a little tough to get a good feel for them, when we don't know if they'll be royalty, or common folk, or somewhere in between.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking.
Oh, and I have a question;
It says at the bottom of the first post that titles will be assigned "after applications are submitted". Does that in fact mean after we have submitted our application, or does it mean apps have been closed? Because if we find out the title asap, it might be easier to then elaborate on the character, and get a feel for them before the actual RP begins?

Yeah, I probably should have elaborated on that - I meant after applications have closed. The only reason I did it that way was because I thought if I had open applications (i.e. you could choose your own title), a lot of people would be Ducs and Duchesses, and we wouldn't have too many people at the lower ends.

However... I'm going to change it. I'll allow you to assign your title yourself. It'll make things easier, I think, and people will have less trouble coming up with characters. I just have to go edit the main post... Yikes! I hope I didn't just lose too much credit as a GM there!

Well, you may be right about everyone wanting the same title, but what I meant was that you don't have to wait for applications to close before assigning titles. You could just do it whenever someone has submitted their app. Meaning, as soon as someone submit their app, you fire up the randomizer to decide their title. Then you let them know, either through PM or in the thread, and they can add the title to their application, and elaborate on their bio as they get a better feel for the character?
Know what I mean?
It's just a suggestion though.

eternal, I completely understand why you planned on assigning the character roles yourself. There are some roles that everyone will pine after, and then if those aren't available, others may be discouraged from entering.

I am NOT trying to cause you trouble, really I'm not. I know what you go through as a GM. lol But I'm even MORE confused now. So are the special titles (ie queen, prince etc.) going to be randomly given out, or are those first come first serve. It's just I'd LOVE to be queen, but if I know I won't be, I kind of want to make a lower class male. But making a lower class male would completely lock me out of the queen role. lol

I know this is my own decision I must make. Guess I just want to know how the 'special' characters will be handed out.

Again, I apologize. I know these things look great on paper or in our heads. Then you expose it to the public at large and it's not so clear to them. lol

I know, it was so great in my head! Not so much in the forum, though! And you're not causing me trouble - it's good learning experience.

Anyway - yes, ALL roles are first come, first serve. Even the special titles like Queen Consort, The Prince/Princess and The Court Gossip.

EDIT:


Oh, now I see your post! Thanks for the suggestion - I think I'm going to leave it the way it is now, because I don't want to change it too much and confuse people. Hopefully, it'll work out just fine.

Oye! I want to be the queen. I've always wanted to be a queen.

But it always so hard shopping for the queen's clothes. She must be the most spectacular dressed woman in all the kingdom!

ETA: I will add a little more later (esp. on her personality), but I just wanted to get my app in there.

I kinda want to give this RP a try...I may submit an app...

Name: Isabella Rotherham
Age:23
Title:Queen

Personality: Queen Isabella has two very different sides to her. Which side you are allowed to see depends on your status, and how attractive she finds you. She knew a daughter's job was to marry well, to bring good political ties into the family. When she received the attention and adoration of the much older King Rotherham, she knew what she'd have to do. During the day Isabella plays her part as the devoted, loyal wife to the king. She knows just what it takes to make him happy, and is an absolute angel in his eyes. However he does not meet her deepest desires and by night she goes in search of her own fulfilment. A young man whom she fancies would gain a great ally in the kingdom.

Just make sure whatever you do, you don't upset her. Or perhaps you'll share the fate of the Duc of Mollier.

Picture: This is the prim and proper Queen Isabella. (on a solid ugly blue background to make image editing easier on you)

*edit* I just realized she's a bit young to be the mother of a princess/prince. Is it possible to make Isabella the king's second wife. The first died somehow (perhaps in child birth) and so the prince/princess could be from the first wife? I'm sorry if I'm being difficult. I just want the queen to have some fun. lol

Alright, I think I may be getting myself involved in too many RP's, but I can't help myself! Gah!


Name: Octavien Lahance

Age: 21

Title: untitled

Personality:
Octavien was a young man with a hunger for nothing more than fun and adventure. Unfortunately, this lead to quite a few precarious situations, and after having been seen leaving the bedroom of one too many married women, his parents sent him away from home, to the court, in the hopes of having him discover that there's more to life than just having "fun". And he did. He discovered power, and the perks of having friends in high places. Now he has his mind set on earning a title, one way or another, and although still a carefree thrill-seeker and libertine, he can also be a cunning, ambitious trickster. He's watching the aristocrats and learning what he can from them. And the higher the title, the bigger his interest. Thus, he has taken a special interest in the Queen herself.

Picture:



And another with plain background for possible image editing.



And his room would look something like this;

Reserving spot as Princess! Back with app in a few

Tallies :PScandals found out: 6
Scandals told: 3
Bribes Offered: 7
Bribes Accepted: 3
Bribes Refused: 4
"Hard-earned" Cash: 20,000 livres
Favourite Courtier: Marie - A lady of true refinement

Name: Mercy Flight
Age: 44
Title: Court Gossip
Personality: "What can I say? Life is life and other peoples are so much more interesting. I can be sworn to secrecy... if we're friends or if there is something in it for me."
Mercy is very loud and insists it is the public's right to know, this point of view may have come from her deceased husbands constant affairs that she knew nothing of until his funeral. She at the moment lacks good friends, which she craves this makes her an excellent target for flattery, or occasional bribery.
Picture: (The magnificent Dame Judy Dench)


Mercy's Room:

Ok three questions:

1. do i get to pick whose scandals I hear.

2. How many scandals do they get origionally and do they get more as the rounds progress.

3. Can I keep a tallies of things in my application post.... i.e. how much money I've made?

I'm not sure what eternal sunshines policy is on reservations Haylifer but you may want to check GeeWayRocks post above my application.

Ah.. I didn't see that post/didn't think reservations were allowed without the actual app bit.. Hm, I guess I'll just delete my app then for sake of fairness (seeing as Gee got there first, even though she didn't have an app but never mind!). Thanks for letting me know :p

Fayreview,
1. Yes, you get to choose whose scandals you want to hear.
2. Everyone gets one scandal at the beginning of the game. However, the Court Gossip can also start vicious rumors (true or untrue) about people, that may hurt their chances at advancement.
3. Sure - you can keep tallies of how much money people have paid you. It'll be interesting to see how many people pay out.

Shenanigans, that's perfectly fine. I see GeeWayRocks's application already reflects that, too. Makes it more dramatic anyway with with the whole Stepmother-Stepdaughter conflict!

Also, Rotherham is fine for a last name!

As for reservations, umm... I should have said specifically I wouldn't allow them. From here on out, please have an application ready (it doesn't have to be finished - just a name, title and brief bit of personality) when you want to claim a character. You can come back later and edit and/or add a picture.

Heh, yeah! I can see it already. The queen is facinated with man A. But man A seeks the favor of the younger princess. Queen is angered by man A. lol Oh yeah... drama central!

I have a question for ya eternal, regarding the King. I understand he's basically your randomizer as an NPC when it comes to making decisions. I wonder however about the RP aspect of him? I ask because their may be times where the Queen and the Princess need to/want to interract with him. Are you going to RP his character, or is that something where GeeWayRocks and I just would godmod the King's Character?

Woot! Go gossip :P

I'd like to say here and now I'm on GMT so all my posts will be in the U.S morning... which is when I get home from school... so, well there you go!

Mercy

Shenanigans, for consistency, I'll RP his character. I'll put up a mini-bio for him as soon as I can get a picture.

However, the only people who have access to the King are you and the Princess.