Harem Group

[Jemady Angel]

Catherine: A little bit longer, 9-24 months. You were the first princess brought into the harem, embers is the second, and mine is the third and she will get there a day or two behind the prince :)

[catherinehellfire]

how long has the prince been away?

[Jemady Angel]

The prince has been gone for five years - none of the woman in the harem except his mother of course would have known him before he left.

[catherinehellfire]

wow dang.  I should have said never mind I found it saying he has been on the borders for five years about 5 minutes before you posted.  I can't believe I missed that.

[Jemady Angel]

No problem you probably just forgot because you have not read the intro page in a little while I imagine. :) I myself had to check even though I was pretty sure it was five years I double checked before posting.

[Haibane]

And the princesses who are arriving/have arrived - they are intended as potential suitors in marriage I assume?

Or does the prince really keep a harem and all the princesses become his wives? In that case I'd guess that one of them gets the heightened status of #1 wife as is/was common in other systems?

Would the eunuchs haave had sexual contact with anyone in teh harem while the prince was away?

Are there other NPC princesses/harem ladies present?

[Jemady Angel]

1. They are all of equal statues until the prince comes. Then there are three levels of 'special'
Favorites: The women he takes into his chambers most often
Wife: Someone who has bore at least one child of the princes/kings
Queen: The woman chosen to stand beside him in public, has one of more of his children, and has power/control of the harem (which currently the queen dowager has control of the harem until there is a queen- princes mother)

2. Yes, an eunuch would have had sexual contact with one of the woman in the harem, but of course not able to have children with her.

3. Yes, I will be making these npc's (eventually) but the princesses who can bring the prince the most political status to the country are more likely to be a queen/wife/favorite.

There will be other woman, mostly nobles as well in the harem. Then each of them will have two servants and an eunuch with them so there will be a variety of npc's to choose from. I will keep this pretty open, but most of the time if people need interaction while other plot is going on I will be more then welcome to play an npc for someone. Ex: You are bored while a scene between the princesses is going on and want to interact with someone, just ask me to bring out say a slave girl who works in the harem or a servant and I will play one to interact with you.

That explain everything pretty well? :)

[Haibane]

I was curious about how much action a eunuch would get in the story. I also wouldn't want to overburden the place with smut when its your preference to focus on the political manouverings. In my CS I said he's been present 5 years which I now realised meshes with when the prince went to war. We can bring in a reason for that if you like or not, but I noticed it and wanted to mention it.

If Murad has had sexual contact with any of the existing PC or NPC princesses I think we should agree that before we begin so we can build relationships (not romance necessarily but trust/friendship/dislike/wariness issues).

[Jemady Angel]

As for his reason of going at that time it could be that was around the time that his mother was preparing his harem and needed to start bringing in Eunuch to care for it as well. She would have a few female slaves there to get things set up but since she would be moving over there to control it she would also have guards and the like.

Keep in mind that the Queen will be a character that I play and she will have her hand dipped in everything with servants and the like spying for her and things. She will be watching over and pretty much know everything that is going on if she can get the information on it. She has been there as long as everyone else and knows everyone.

*nods head* So chat about relationships between different characters is a good idea.

Also, Haibane, wanted to ask you if you did want to make that change on him to make him the head eunuch because you did post up your character first and we have no other ones right now.

[Haibane]

I can make him the head eunuch if you think that role really needs to be played, but we could leave the head as an NPC - I've found in other group games that having a key character played by a player can turn out to not be the best option. If he stays at the control of the GM as an NPC it can work out better as he can be moved around as needed and pop up in scenes etc.

I'm okay eiher way but wanted to mention the option of keeping teh head eunuch role more flexible.

[Jemady Angel]

I can work with that idea, it was a question to see your opinion and now that you have voiced it I am glad I asked. I can very much do that. Sometime in the next week (if I am ever less busy as i seem to be more busy on break then during classes) then I can write up stuff for the head servant, head eunuch, things like that. Other ladies ... ect.

Alright, so your character would have known the Queen the longest and if he was one of the first eunuch in the new harem she would be able to know/point him out because he was one of the few eunuch there at the start of it?

[Haibane]

Masud can take that role yes. I am not sure where he's going to go in terms of loyalties and char development. No idea yet. I tend to prefer to play 'good' chars rather than 'bad' so that's a warning in case you want someone corrupt but it all depends on how things go.

I'd say that he was quiet, loyal and discreet but he also enjoys taking control in the bedchamber, though he'd never do this non-consensually, he always ensures its what his lovers want. Of course if he develops loyalties to a powerful character and they order him to do something NC to someone he might, I'll just need to see how he grows first.

[Jemady Angel]

Understandable. I will be making more characters soon for npc's and at that time you can tell me who you think he could have been with at any point in time and we can work on that. He would be aware and know of the queen though and probably have been asked in the past to watch what goes on in the harem and tell her anything he may think interesting or a need to know event. Since she likes to know what is going on around her. She might have given him a reward in the past, or future, for serving her if he chooses to give her information. Just things to note. :)

[Haibane]

I think I need, then, to talk with the other princess players to see if there's been any significant interaction with them. If there's anything you specifically think the queen would have asked him for I can give you an answer from his POV. I see his loyalties lying with her at the outset, though they may bend towards the prince after he's been back a while depending on how the prince acts and how Masud observes the dynamic between the queen and the prince. I see no reason why Masud wouldn't give the queen any information she asks for since she is his employer, as long as it wasn't obviously counter-productive to his continued happy working relationship with the harem members and other eunuchs. I assume there's several of those?

Masud is trained at a special school of course to be loyal and discreet, there would be no value in a school that trained and sold eunuchs who were mischievous and disloyal to their owners. He's a slave too, so he can be summarily disposed off at any time (either permanently or by sale) so that's a big consideration.

[Jemady Angel]

All to be considered, yes. When talking to the other princesses you can think about the fact that an eunuch can serve a specific princess as well when they come into the harem so he can serve one of the princesses on a normal basis by going to do errands, get her food, and everything that her slave/servants would not do for her normally. :)

[Ember Star]

I haven't decided how long Muriel has been there yet. Waiting to hear what catherinehellfire decided for length of time with her girl before I decide. Though personally I'd like the sounds of the shortest amount of time, 3 months.

[catherinehellfire]

I'm probably going with 12-14 months :)  I'll probably have the exact number decided by the time we start.  Also if anyone wants to talk character relations then just send me a message or something. 

[Drake Valentine]

Interesting concept, although I am curios if our characters are all in limitations of life in one area, AKA the Harem. Given the time spent on the map and whatnot of locations, it would seem a waste if there wasn't any room for adventuring outside of that sandbox area.

[Haibane]

I don't think map creation took very long, the image may have been already made or generated quickly in a software programme, my addition of the names and boundaries took me about 20 minutes in MSPaint. A world map like this in a fantasy setting is essential I think so that players can reference other locations and have a spatial understanding between them. The game is about the political manouverings in a royal harem, so introducing the scope to go outside that setting would spoil the RP I think. Just because a world is shown out there it doesn't suddenly make the game into a LOTR adventure.

[Jemady Angel]

The woman/princesses would be confined to the harem, or at most, the castle setting unless for some reason there is a political activity that they must attend elsewhere. The later on chosen queen, for example, could be taken to a banquet outside of the castle if accompanied or ask. A wife would have more access around the castle while raising there child. Outside of that the prince and eunuch would be able to leave the castle. The prince for political things and the Eunuch to go run errands assigned to them by the head maid/eunuch or by one of the women who is in need of something.

As for the map and political side of things there is a world outside of the harem and people inside, more importantly the prince, need to know what is going on out there so there will be 'political' letters or news sent to him which others could or could not learn about. The Dowager Queen would know many of these things as well. The war has just ended, but that does not mean that the world is at peace.

Oh, by the way, one thing I was thinking about from stories I have read with the harem setting inside of them is that in some cultures a woman who has spent the night with the prince could possibly get a reward. This could be anything from silk, gold, rugs, ect... but I was wondering if we wanted this concept inside of this harem/story?

[Ember Star]

I don't really see the need for it. Muriel's motivations is solely to improve relations with Aqualeia, trinkets and rewards aren't going to motivate her any more. Besides,  view that as very in your face kind of things, I imagine there's already going to be jealousy and certainly a power struggle between the three princesses without adding that element into it. Besides, wouldn't their status as princesses already give them access to certain things?

[Ember Star]

Though I can see the prince giving them gifts for pleasing him

[Jemady Angel]

Everyone in the harem has brought with them a small amount of things from home and are given an x amount for the bedroom that they and there servants are in. On the other hand though it is a way to show your statues otherwise because having different clothing, richer cloths (which then servants and the princess can model for themselves in there free time by making there own clothing and the like), and jewelry is a status symbol as well. They are already pitted against each other but for the prince it would not be a way to pit them against each other but a thank you and reward for there service to him. Otherwise when the woman need new clothing, blankets, carpets, ect they would have the most basic of articles. It is a way to live in luxury while spending there life in the harem.

[Haibane]

There could be certain material things that indicate status, such as clothes or robes in a certain colour, in much the same way only Roman emperors and their immediate families were allowed to wear purple. For being obedient and loving (even skilful?) in the bedchamber a princess may receive something like that, something which singles her out socially as special and held in high regard by the royal court and thus by all the nobles and lower citizens. If we went with purple robes it could be agreed that a law forbade anyone but a female in a close and favoured relationship with the prince wearing anything of hat colour. Likewise certain specific jewellery or body markings (piercings, brands?) could be agreed as status symbols.

It would be a social coup for a princess to be seen in public in such adornments; of no great intrinsic value they say publically "I've been in the prince's bedchamber and he's marked me out as exceptional in my skills of love". This would be a big political coup both for that princess and the people of her state.

Something like that?

[Jemady Angel]

Exactly, but with there limited access to the outside world unless there was a parade or otherwise political thing they would not be out and about being shown off.

*nods head*

but yes that is the idea behind it.